Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium pale ruby , wide garnet rim . This shows some development with porcini , sandalwood , bitumen , black tea and some sweet blackberry and red cherry . On the palate a bit more of the blackberry , cherry and sous bois , with herbal hints , quite rounded and juicy but with balanced acidity and still gritty tannin. Slightly warming alcohol , so would drink this a little on the cooler side . There is a liquorice and tar like tinge on the good length finish . This is drinking well now, though needs a bit of time in the glass, and will continue to show well over the next 5-10 years or so , perhaps longer . If not the most complex or structured Cascina Francia this makes up for it with its attractive , heart on sleeve personality, and is a great choice to open at the moment . This was still going the day after , bit more dark fruit on the nose and saline , mineral on the palate, still grippy tannins . — 9 months ago

Will Stanley

9.6

Truly benchmark Rioja, La Rioja Alta’s ‘904’ Gran Reserva from the 2010 vintage - as fabled in Rioja as it is in Bordeaux - is a disarmingly gorgeous wine with superb ageing potential. I first tried this wine over two years ago, and found it a little closed at the time and was underwhelmed by the palate. The nose was terrific though, and that holds true today - it’s simply breathtaking, the sort of wine you spend ten minutes sniffing before taking your first sip. Today’s palate, however, is well and truly open for business. What a veritable explosion of flavour; a kaleidoscopic array of the best of both traditional and modern Rioja, all of it fresh, none of it tired, with a pure and ethereal presence of black and blue fruits, flowers, vanilla bean, clove, clementine and macerated cherry. When wine folk talk of a long finish, this wine gets a nod - it leaves an imprint on one’s palate that lasts minutes. I’m quite amazed by the improvement that two years has afforded this wine, both bottles bought at the same time and stored side-by-side in my cellar. At last, this has begun to show its potential and I cannot wait to see how it develops in the coming 20, 30, 40 years.

In the meantime, do not sleep on the 2010 Viña Ardanza, a wine that I have enjoyed many a time in the last two years, and one that would be included in my all-time list of value fine wines, were anyone to ask!

96+ — 3 years ago

Jerry Raphael

9.2

What a wine and did not show it’s 43 year age at all. The color was very dark with no brick edge. The nose was a bit subdued but had the typical berries, herbs and meat notes that carried over to a very tasty wine. The finish was okay not super long but long enough.

I started buying Beaucastel maybe a few years before this 1978 vintage and in Parker’s reviews of the 1978 vintage was a consistent hold but he did change his mind years down the road and said it was over the hill; well not by a long shot. I constantly purchased 2 or 3 bottle of every vintage till the price was out on my reach in 2001. I also had visited the winery in about 1990. The real kicker with this vintage is the current price estimates of $150 to about $250, current vintages run $80+ and I purchased this bottle for $11.99.
— 4 years ago

with Matt and Barbara

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Joseph Phelps Party and the 83 Insignia from magnum.

The nose reveals; floral liqueur notes, more mid red fruits; strawberries, cherries & dark cherries. Blackberries, black raspberries, rhubarb, soft, volcanic minerals, limestone, steeped fruit tea, cedar, old leather & tobacco, dry crushed rocks, dark spices, dry herbal notes, eucalyptus, dry stems with dry & withering dark, red florals.

The body is medium full with a fair amount of tannins in a wine with this age. The structure, tension, length and balance are still quite sound with harmony. Floral liqueur notes, more mid red fruits, strawberries, cherries & dark cherries. Blackberries, black raspberries, rhubarb, soft, volcanic minerals, limestone, steeped fruit tea, dark spice with some heat, cedar, old leather & tobacco, cedar, dry crushed rocks, dark spices, dry herbal notes, eucalyptus, dry stems with some funkiness. withering dark, red florals. The acidity is nice. The long finish still show ripeness, good balance but, has leaned and shows nice persistence. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.5

It was between this and the 1987 Spottswoode. Glad I chose this one. This is a black fruit dominated wine that actually had a rather sweet nose even after 2 hours of popping the cork. There is still so much youth here, but the middle shows an extremely mature integration that only time I can give these wines. Some herbs showing here in the middle. Super impressed, and this one is drinking extremely well. It is not showing the aged black fruit profile that lots of wines of this year are starting to show. If served blind, I would have guessed this was a 2005. Finishes soft, with excellent tanic integration. I still think this bottle would appreciate over the next couple of years, and then it will be at peak for who-knows-how-long. Wow. — 7 years ago

with Dan and Shay

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Bit more lightening on the rim , more garnet . Touch more herbal on the nose with cedar , and grafite, much more lean and mineral on the palate. This takes quite a while to find its feet and benefits from quite a lot of air . In some ways a little unfortunate to be served between the 2000 and 1990 , which are a fuller , and more showy in style . However after a while this does show quite good length and balance , refreshing acidity . This is quite lean and mineral , focused and still pretty young . From now over the next 10 years. A little austere in style , reminds me a little of the 2005 in that aspect , though without that vintage’s intensity or density . — 10 months ago

RustyR

9.2

Surprising still fresh. Raspberry brambles leather some graphite/wet stone fruit starting to show In flavor after 30 min. Quite long finish. 1996 vintage — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Day 2 of WineBoyz Wineapalooza. Tasted blind. Nice regal red color, looks young. Notes of red fruit, slate stone, some menthol, some spice and some earth. Great mouth feel. Silky in the mouth. By now the taste buds are getting polluted and tired, and I somehow find myself in Burgundy ... Guessed 80 Ponsot CdlR. This grew and grew as the day went on. Needed a lot of air to show its stuff. Great juice, one of my favorite wines. 96+ — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Tuesday the 26th of January was Australia Day and a public holiday. What better way to celebrate than Australia’s best fizz Arras Grand Vintage from Tasmania. Quite light lemon in colour. Very citrussy and mineral on the nose. 7 years on Lees showing in the complexity of the palate which still shows tension and refreshment. See previous notes for the 2007 which was slightly better and Champion Wine of the Royal Brisbane Show. — 5 years ago

Chris McClellan

9.1

Ripe blueberry, baking spices and slight leather...took some time to open...then the cab frank started to show itself and integrated beautifully.. — 5 years ago

with Gregory

Mark Flesher

9.2

D6. Young. Very young. Even though it was decanted and frequently agitated, this one didn't come out to play until almost 2 hr after opening. Nose of Bing cherry and mint. Some red clay must. The entry is very acidic. Black cherry hint but Bing cherry backbone. Herbal middle. Started to show terroir-driven notes to the finish. Youthful and tight tannin. LOTS of life ahead. Be in NO HURRY to drink this one. I'd say optimal drinking time 5 to 10 years. — 6 years ago

Michael Greene

9.2

Fantastic. Super floral nose. Cherries and leather in the palate. Super balance, but needs a long decant and good for the tannins to settle down for it to really show its stuff. Immensely satisfying with a bowl of truffled gnocchi. — 8 years ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.2

The 2005 Pichon Baron show a fair amount of tertiary characteristics. It is dense and inky. Medium to full bodied. Currants, bayleaf, mushroom, forrest floor, truffle and tons of pencil shavings. — 2 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.1

This didn’t show as well as the 2019. It was missing the next gear. — 2 years ago

Blair Campomizzi

9.6

A surprise addition of the night. A great blend, about 75% Cab, 14% merlot with CF and PV filling in the remainder. Plum, blackberry and fig show through nicely. Touches of vanilla. — 3 years ago

with Marilea

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured from my cellar. The cork was absolutely perfect. The 2005 pours a rather turbid, deep garnet at nearly 17 years old. There's quite a bit of fine sediment that clings to the edge of the glass with each swirl. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this was initially a bit grumpy but within minutes, it relaxed and started to show some real charm. A fully developed wine, this is becoming a bit of a Leather Daddy, full of leather (obviously), bruised and desiccated red, black and blue fruits, Christmas spice fruit cake, coffee, damp earth, and candied nuts. On the palate, the fruit remains quite stunning and confirms the mix of bruised and desiccated fruit with a sort of sherried character. Loads of salmiakki (salted licorice), spiced nuts, pepper, coffee and, you guessed it, leather. The wine was dry, technically, but almost gives the sensation of some RS with all of the over-ripe fruits and the texture was almost sappy, in some ways. However, while this was absolutely rich and well-endowed, it was not cloying. Tannins have fully integrated (though still present) and the acid was like a girdle keeping everything held together. This remains a rather large personality even if it's showing its age. Definitely in a lovely spot...but how much longer will that last? If this wasn't my last bottle, I would probably be drinking these over the next five years unless you want the full Leather Daddy experience...which is okay if that's your thing. — 4 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

Needed a full hour in the decanter before it really began to show up, but could have used several more for sure. Rich, textured and with with quite racy acidity for 2009, showing squeezed lemons, yellow apple, ripe pear, spices and crushed oyster shells. Great purity and energy for the vintage as well that leads to a long intense and mineral infused finish. — 5 years ago

Lauren Ruvolo

9.1

Steakhouse dinner at home. Was the star of the show. Held up nicely to some hefty meats and buttery potatoes. — 6 years ago

with John

Kevin Rogers

Owner/Winemaker Nico Wines

9.1

Damn delicious Gville. Needs time to really show its greatness. — 7 years ago

Bryan Glanzberg

9.5

About two hours in the decanter before drinking. Really started to open up and show its true self. Light rose petals, tar and whole lots of earth. Definitely fading but a nice surprise — 8 years ago