Martinez

9.0

Trinchero’s flagship wine. 100% Barbera from very old vines in Asti, aged for 3-4 years in large, old oak botti. Complex nose. Juicy red fruit, tobacco. Fresh, lively at 16 years old. Good acidity — 3 years ago

Rob Brobst III

10

The flagship, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Materium, represents 560 cases and achieved 14.8% alcohol after aging in 90% new Taransaud and Darnajou casks. Remarkably, the wine matches the perfect 2013, with extraordinary fragrance of blueberry, blackberry, forest floor, truffle, spring flowers and background barbecue smoke followed by a thick, unctuously textured, juicy, but incredibly well-balanced, intense wine. This is built like a skyscraper with enormous quantities of blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, well-integrated acidity and sweet, gentle tannins. This is an extraordinary effort from Maybach that can be drunk now or cellared for up to 30 or more years. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Had this 2 yrs ago. Mather Teresina, flagship wine of Celler Vinos Piñol, made with grapes grown in high elevation region of Terra Alta. The nearly extinct Morenillo grape is indigenous to the area & makes Mather Teresina a unique wine, a blend of 50% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena & 20% Morenillo. Nice aromas of berries & sweet spice. On the palate cherry flavors with vanilla spice adding pepper notes on fine smooth tannins which opened much quicker. Long ending with sweet fruit tones & bits of earthy floral. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Tried another bottle of this outstanding gem! Greppicaia is the estate's flagship wine made predominantly from Merlot with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French & American oak barriques. Deep red concentrated aromas of fruit spice & oak. On the palate ripe fruit, plum and sweet cherry with sweet spice and toasty oak. Big round tannins, lingering ending with tobacco and toasty character. Needs more time. — 6 years ago

Garrett

9.2

Extraordinary. I had the pleasured of touring Inglenook, and they didn’t disappoint. Their flagship Rubicon was amazing. Medium + Body with firm tannins and nice extracted fruit. And winery itself is somewhat legendary. And they are neighbors to this other winery called Scarecrow... No big deal. — 7 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

Although not the flagship, can still do an off vintage darn good here. Nice structure but also elegant and depth is there. Floral nose of blackberries and black currant. On the palate cassis, acid and a bit of earth on the finish. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.7

The flagship from Domaine Saint Préfert, and my first Charles Giraud. Préfert’s Charles Giraud has been a perennial high-scorer with multiple triple digit scores from Robert Parker. The 2015 is one of only four Chateauneufs to receive 99 points from Wine Spectator (none have received 100 points) and one of the other four is the 2010 Charles Giraud. This is epic juice. 60% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre. Soaring aromatics. Incense, kirsch, lavender, fig, stone, meat, plum, Provençal herbs and exotic spice. Plush and silky, with an all-consuming intensity. Pair with Jeff Buckley. — 7 years ago

Randy Fillingim

9.5

No wonder this is the flagship Shiraz. Grapes picked from all the best clusters. Still in complete harmony with tannins and fruits -still doing their job after 21 years. One of the better Shiraz I have ever drank.  — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Dense Ruby in colour. Even after 18 years the oak presence is like the aromas of newly sawn wood. Ripe plums with a pruney note. On the palate rich and full bodied with fluid smooth tannins finishing dry. Obviously the product of very old Shiraz vines in the Barossa sourced from growers who the original Peter Lehmann had a marvellous bond with for decades. This is Peter Lehmann’s flagship red from the cool 2002 vintage resulting in a long hang time and great flavours. A Barossa Icon. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Day 2 of Napa in the books!

Seavey’s flagship offering. This is close to 7yrs young and it’s still so youthful! At this point, it’s a back and forth battle between fruit and secondary/herbal notes. Powerful red fruit to the core with cassis & plum with minerality, new leather, and tobacco. A wonderful Napa example of Bordeaux. Long life. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Day 2 of Napa in the books!

The flagship offering from DA. 100% estate cab. Lots of similarities to the Old Vine Cab, but less spice and more sweetness. Would love to open one of these next to a Chappellet PH cab for comparison sake. Undoubtedly red and black fruit dominant with powerful and sweet oak. There is dark chocolate covered black cherries, fresh squeezed blackberries and underripe plum. Almost velvet like on the palate at this age. Needs time, of course, to fulfill its really nice potential. — 6 years ago

Bill Bender

9.6

The Pavie flagship may get all the love but this Macquin is extraordinary! This may have the most intriguing sultry nose of any wine I’ve opened this year—crushed violets, burnt cedar chips and granite with a dash of garrigue. My actual nose actually touched the wine and got wet, that’s how drawn I was to the bouquet. But this Bordeaux was a a great deal more than mere aromatics.....dark full viscosity waves mark the sides of the glass, the oak is there but it melds very harmoniously with the black cherry, blackberry compote, stewed fig and damp earth flavor flood. Very lush, undeniably elegant and so smooth and satisfying. I’m enjoying this tonight and I know this is my first post in a while but I’m still alive....I hope to catch up with my @Delectablewine Delectablewine wine fam and post all the wines in my photo queue soon. Cheers 🥂 — 7 years ago

Lauren Prial

9.4

Few things compare to the Opus One flagship wine, but this more accessible version certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s velvety and decadent with a well-rounded nose. Overture is a NV but this one comes from the 2012-2014 vintages - all stellar years for the Napa Valley. — 7 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

From a winery we really miss, this is the flagship cuvee from Delectus. Their daughter did the artwork for their Cuvee Julia bottles, and with rare exceptions (their 2007 Cab Franc being one of them), this meritage is always the star of a given vintage. Classic Napa cab that is still drinking really well. — 4 years ago

with Vanessa

Roman Ochocki

9.2

I'm not a fan of rosè, but this flagship(?) is excellent. Fresh and pleasantly dry: "warm", a red fruit, a peach, a citrus finish. From this producer: Hennessy is very good, Möet not necessarily. And "Whispering Angel" whispers to my ears when the sun is killing me. :) — 5 years ago

Daniel Tan

9.1

Still a bit young and tannic. By my estimation it’s 5-10% fruitier than the flagship Ornellaia, and about 10-15% less creamy and less heavy. Noticeable lick of vanilla. Otherwise, quite similar in character. Great value. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Day 2 of Napa in the books!

This was really good. At close to half the price of their flagship cab, this is a winner. Dark, herbal and even some smoked meat notes here. More savory in style (Bordeaux like) than most Napa cabs. Underbrush, cedar, cassis, plum and tobacco. Great wine. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

A joint venture of Jorge Ordonez, Bodegas Borsao and Chris Ringland, located in the town of Bulbuente (Zaragoza) Spain. Alto Moncayo is the flagship of the winery. A single-grape variety of Garnacha, from vines between 40 and 70 years old, aged in new barrels for 20 months. Bold aromas of fruit and spice. On the palate black fruit flavors, rich and full-bodied, with complex spice. Fine tannins, savory, good structure ending with a smoky character. Very nice! — 7 years ago

Bryan Daniels

9.0

Flagship estate wine. — 7 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.2

An unusual incarnation of Pisoni’s flagship wine, the 2009 is a bit more austere than what one typically sees from this producer. Maybe 2009 was a cooler vintage - not sure - but both the nose and palate is almost like a cross between a Central Coast and Oregon pinot. Still has the tell-tale richness of a Santa Lucia Highlands pinot, but with higher levels of acidity and less opulance across the mid-palate. Definitely opened up and improved with time in the glass, all of which suggests that this might be one to let sit for a few more years. Still a terrific wine! — 7 years ago

with Vanessa