Bob McDonald

9.3

After decanting initial notes of honeycomb. A good combination of root vegetable notes and savoury red fruits. Great palate intensity without weight. An excellent example of a 10 year old Tasmanian Pinot. Freycinet is on the East Coast of Tasmania and their Pinot Noir is a regular purchase for me. Capable of ageing for 15 years plus. — 6 years ago

AJ Thomson

9.0

Bubblegum, cherry, oak, root beer, very velvety, light tannins — 7 years ago

Chris Grimm

9.1

Roses, and agree with another note re: subtle root beer. Via Garagiste. — 7 years ago

Rachel Umbreit

9.0

Tasty, even though it is not as crisp as I was expecting for a Gruner Vetliner — 8 years ago

Russelton Handleberry

9.2

Hearty dark fruit, spice, cola and root beer. — 9 years ago

Chris Grimm

9.2

Root beer, cola, delicious. — 9 years ago

Jonathan Steeves

9.1

The 2009 vintage is 100% Tempranillo and 14%ABV. From Ribera del Duero DO and vinified Crianza style with 15 months bottle aging subsequent to 1.5 years in French Oak barrels. This wine is elegant and integrated at only 7 years since fruit cultivation. This wine is rich and luscious with deep red fruit of cherry and red berry, baking spice, olive brine, and a hint of fresh cut spruce tips. This wine would be a perfect accompaniment for a Canadian Christmas tree ritual or a festive holiday evening dinner party with braised beef AAA pot roast or rack of lamb and braised root vegetables. With well balanced fruit, medium acidity and medium tannins this wine brings complex aromatics as well as refined mouthfeel of finesse to a structured backbone and elegant minerality. With persistence of briny green olives, deep ripe red berry and spice, this wine has a long finish which keeps giving back. Giving a festive Canadian twist, recommend pairing with Schwartz Montreal Smoked Meat brisket and Kosher pickles. — 9 years ago

Donald Patz

Owner/Winemaker Patz & Hall

9.5

1997. Delicate color but full flavored - earth, sandalwood, root beer, dried herb/spice. Drink up buy very much alive. — 10 years ago

with Kurt-Inge and Sung

Matthew Jannette

8.9

Black cherry blackberry gentian root low tannin. Pretty nice pinot — 11 years ago

Patrick Bourgeois

9.1

Round 03. Beaujolais. (12e arrondissement) — 11 years ago

with Leah

Jonathan McCarthy

9.1

Really needs some time in the decanter, wound up super tight. Funky earthy nose with sour cherry and topsoil, very fleshy, rustic body of blue and red fruits, a bit of red bell pepper, bakers chocolate, loads of pencil shavings, a faint suggestion of spruce. Really crunch skeleton with serious, almost saline minerality. Fruit fades before the minerals and earth. Really complex. Give it plenty of air and a long ponder. — 6 years ago

Josh Krieter

8.9

Not a huge fan of Sauvignon Blanc, but this is fantastic. Crisp, but not just another simplistic Sauv Blanc, it has character. — 7 years ago

John Willison

9.2

Opens over time. InitIal nose of rose petals and muted fruit. Opens to cherries and licorice root. Bright red fruit, earthy mid palate, and then a lingering finish. Had to drink one. Will let the others alone for a while. — 8 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.4

Wonderfully complex Château neuf at an equally amazing venue in the Alsace region. Love the presentation they do at Auberge de L'Ill! Currant and of course the licorice root. This 2008 could use another 10 years in the bottle and it could be stellar. — 9 years ago

with Katherine

Daniel March

9.1

I wasn't going to rate this wine at first, but after downing a six pack after a couple weeks I figured something is working here. It's definitely not your bread and butter pinot, and if you're a classic pinotvitorian, this wine probably isn't for you. But I'm just digging these crazy notes of root beer, caramel, oak, bright cherry, with almonds lurking in the background. Great body to this wine, well balanced with just a hint of pepper on a lingering finish. It's rich, voluptuous, and satisfying. As a club member I'm paying $28 a bottle and that feels like a deal. Good chance I'll be doubling down again soon. — 9 years ago

Amie Murphy

9.0

Medium-bodied, black cherries, root beer, spicy. — 9 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.0

Good for what it is. Tastes and smells like root beer. A little drier than NYFRB. — 10 years ago

Emily Martinez

9.0

Dark, rich fruit flavors, hint of root beer — 10 years ago

Dan R

9.4

Beet root, pepper, lifted red fruit, silky tannin, super interesting wine — 11 years ago

David D

9.5

Great, inexpensive wine — 12 years ago

Jonathan McCarthy

8.9

Racy! A little red sports car. Highly kinetic with crunchy strawberry, cranberry, and wineberry (R. phoenicolasius) on a prominent, angular skeleton. A faint touch of barbecue spices runs the last few yards of the race as the fruit fades. Quality stuff. — 6 years ago

Eric L.

9.3

This is a very big Pinot. Very dark and full-bodied. Really lovely, but you sort of need to put aside assumptions about what Pinot should be like and just enjoy it on its own terms. Tons of mixed berry fruit with a fleeting hint of vanilla and root beer. — 7 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.4

First time trying one of the Tempier reds. Damn, this is some towering, dense wine. Perfectly balanced though. Intense concentration without any overripeness or hyperextraction. Even this, the entry-level cuvée, obviously has the stuffing to age for a while. However, it's surprisingly giving now with expressive aromatics and layers of flavor. Nose of ripe strawberry and blackberry, fresh thyme, an almost smoky, arid, gravelly soil character, rich tobacco leaf, licorice root, a slight gameyness, and a slightly volatile, balsamic character. Palate is equally dense and ripe, but still has some lift to keep it from being quickly fatiguing. More ripe strawberry and raspberry, thyme herbaceousness, smoky gravel earth, tobacco, savory gaminess, and slightly volatile balsamic character. Medium (+) acid, medium (+) to high intensity incredibly fine-grained tannin, medium to medium (+) body. Begs to be joined by a rich lamb or beef dish to stand up to it. I'm gonna get another bottle of this and not touch it for quite a while because there's still so much room to unfurl and smooth out, even with it being as good as it is now because it's just almost too intense right now. Will be an amazing wine at maturity. — 8 years ago

with Cassie

Nicholas Livingston

9.4

Delicious Mourvèdre a la Bandol -this 2011 is exceptional with black and red cherries, licorice root, vine clippings in all their pruned sap, and an herbaceous Mediterranean wisp of lavender. Such a star! — 9 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.2

Spearmint, eucalyptus, finishes honeyed. — 9 years ago

Tom Elliot

Founder Northwest Wines

9.5

Top Grosses Gewächs (Grand Cru) quality. Bosc pear, ginger root, sea salt. Distinguished and distinctive. Drink now to 2035 or beyond, depending on cellar conditions. — 10 years ago

Nick Chang

9.3

Just a nice balance of flavors... — 10 years ago

Lily Davis

French Wine Specialist at Ottorink Weinbar

9.6

Dear Ninja Diary: I am thanking my lucky throwing stars that Bouland Courcelette is ALWAYS EFFING DELICIOUS even on a root day ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — 10 years ago

Bijoy Shah

8.9

Sweeter than expected, but quite good. Paired with a vegetable paella when tasted. — 11 years ago

Doreen May

9.7

Excellent Malbec. Very smooth. — 12 years ago