Chad Thompson

9.0

Evolved over three days. Hides the 15% very well. Nice stuff. — 6 years ago

Jordan Burich

9.5

Beautiful, herb garden, sexy cherry, burnt orange in color; makes me crave a bird or three. A fantastic bottle to celebrate the cementing of a wine shop called Vine Society. — 7 years ago

Amanda Treviño

9.0

Takes awhile to open and has a true old wine 🍷 vine taste. Not good with sweets, but amazing with steak 😍 — 7 years ago

Jocholla

8.9

Way ripe...for the price the three vineyards is where it's at. — 7 years ago

Bailey Smith

9.6

Phenomenal blend! I want more!! — 8 years ago

with Carli

Donald Williams

9.4

With turkey, chestnut stuffing, and a rich gravy, one needs a big Zinfandel like this. Three of us polished off the magnum with no effort. 😃 — 8 years ago

with Bonnie

John Wehner

9.0

The Chardonnay goes well with chicken and brie — 8 years ago

Vinovore

9.0

Z80/Car11/8PS/1alicante bouschet/
Less complex than the single vyards; black fruit, light vanillin, white pepper, and distinct cedar note. Prominent, relatively well integrated tannin. Alexander Valley/Russian River Valley/Dry Creek Valley. Gravel/Loam. Vine Age 80-100yr20%/ 35-45yr 50% / 7-14yr 30% / Head Trained / Organically Farmed. 1.5-3t/a. — 8 years ago

Pierre Lord

9.0

Great body and flavor. Three vine is a winner with abundant fruit flavor, oak, and spice. Lasting finish and a hint of sweet but very subtle. Great wine for the $. Too bad I didn't buy more. — 9 years ago

Brett Francis

9.3

Second tasting. This was still very rich and smooth with much more tobacco and smoke and still blackberry. There now was also some new pepper and spiciness. All three drinkers enjoyed this. — 10 years ago

with Robin

Christy Frank

9.7

Old vine clairette. The Swartland revolution tastes delicious. Salty and textured and perfect with fish. — 10 years ago

Valerie Parzych

9.6

Fantastic Zin — 10 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.5

The top of the line. Each vine only produces one to three grape bunches. It was Big, dark, chewy. Heaven. — 6 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

Couldn’t hold my fingers of my last bottle of Eben Sadie’s old vine series 2015 vintage. This time the Treinspoor; an old vine Tinta barocca. It takes a good three hours in the decanter to really present it self, but when it does, oh what an entrance. So complex, yet so transparent. The trademark Sadie earthyness is teasing in the background while the red and black berry fruit with a good ‘ol portion of floral notes is having its fun time in the foreground. In it’s infancy at the moment, this wine will age beautifully.
9.2 today with a future in the the 9.5 range — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

If you thought Australian wine weren't for you or just weren't that noteworthy, you haven't had Dan Standish's wines. This is as good as any great producer I've had anywhere. On the nose, boysenberry, blueberries, black raspberries, olallieberries, raspberries, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, Asian spices, raspberry cola, dry stems and brilliantly fragrant violets. The mouthfeel and texture are liquid elegant heaven. 12 years in the bottle and it's just now peaking. On entry, it's a rush of ripe, lush; boysenberry, blueberries, black raspberries, raspberries &raspberry cola. Dark chocolate, darker but mellowed spices with uplifting heat, hint of pepper, loamy moist soils, dusty tannins, crushed dry rocks, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, blue fruit pie with crust, volcanic minerals, liquid fragrant violets, perfect acidity with a finish that doesn't fade and lasts minutes. The tension, length, structure and balance push perfection. photos of; estate with with Dan, wide side shot of the estate, a sample of the soil structure of the vineyard this wine is grown...under the top soil and Dan's estate vines. Producer history and notes...The Standish Wine Company was created in 1999. Dan Standish purchased a small parcel of Old Vine Shiraz from his parent’s vineyard in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The 96-year old vines are planted on the typical sand over clay soil profile characteristic of Vine Vale the sub region of the Barossa Valley. Dan never got a enology degree. He learned on his own traveling to the Rhone Valley. The influence definitely comes out in his wines despite the very different terroirs. He's worked in various regions around the world including; Napa, Sonoma and La Rioja. After he returned to Australia, he eventually became the Winemaker at Torbreck in the Barossa Valley. Interestingly, Dan worked as a chemical engineer prior to his career as a Winemaker. Meeting him for the first time in April was a pleasure. He is a true salt of the earth type of person, with a great sense of humor, who is absolutely passionate about making wine. He marches to his own drum...not at all a person who follows trends or changes styles if something or one becomes successful. His wines are beautifully special if you can find them on Winesearcher or other. He does not have, need nor want a US importer. He sells all his wine through his mailing list. You can order his wines from here but the shipping charges are hugely expensive from Australia. The shipping cost for three bottles were as much as the cost of the three bottles. The quality of his wines will stand in there with any producer world wide. Tasting his new releases in April was impressive. Finding a well aged bottle back in the US to enjoy tonight is simply fabulous! — 7 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.0

Gardienne des Vignes sources Zinfandel and Petite Sirah grapes from family-owned vineyards in Napa Valley. This 100% Petite Sirah comes from 20-years old bush vines in the Oles vineyard in St. Helena. Owner Russ Oles selected cuttings from extremely old vine plantings to plant his vineyard. Hence the name "Ghost Clones". Dark red. Very attractive nose with blackberries, flowers and spices, slightly Vintage Port-like. Amazingly complex and elegant for this grape variety. Warm and full-bodied with layers of black fruit and a lovely acidity, making the high alcohol perfectly integrated. Long finish. A tremendous effort for Petite Sirah. 2013 vintage, abv 15,6%, 112 cases produced. — 8 years ago

Heather Robinson

9.4

Closest wine to old ghost! Incredibly flavorful, full body. Nothing like a typical Malbec — 8 years ago

Elicia Belle

9.0

Very light, similar to a Rose , wet finish. It's going well with shrimp, vine tomatoes & sausage — 9 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.2

Hit its stride after three hours in the decanter. Savory and earthy and bright and floral. — 9 years ago

Geoff Labitzke

9.9

The 2009 Vinehill Chardonnay has almost no color advancement. It is a deep yellow color with just hints of gold in the color. The aromas are more of a green pears Bosc pears with hints of chalky minerality. this is a really fresh wine not showing as much age as the first three. This wine has a good richness with a strong core of acidity. It does not have quite as much fatness is as the 08 was showing. But it also has a little less structure on the back but a strong character of really ripe grapefruit lemon citrus in the mid-palate to the back palate. This is a really complex interesting wine not showing the spiciness of the aged versions however. — 10 years ago

Marlyn Schulz

9.7

Kept this one around for three days. The last glass was still as good as the first! — 11 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

Friday night vibes... The Hossfeld’s aptly named Coliseum Vineyard was planted by the late Henry Hossfeld during the 1980s. The rock is so solid at this terraced vineyard that he literally had to frack the vine holes with dynamite. Late last year, the Hossfeld’s suffered significant damage from the Atlas Fire, including their homes and 15 of the 20 acres under vine, not to mention most of their 2017 crop. I knew this bottle would be special, but had no idea of the impact of the fires on this family.
Mark Carter founded his eponymous label in 1998 with the help of Nils Venge. Mike Smith would later become winemaker after Thomas Rivers Brown introduced him to Carter. Carter’s 2015 Hossfeld Coliseum is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and easily rivals Duckhorn’s 2014 Three Palms. Decadent black fruit leads the way, but it’s loaded with dates, fig, clove, spice cake, baking spice, and just the right edge of underbrush. This is best described as a gravy train of hedonism. — 6 years ago

Mark Wilson

9.3

Had at Berns. Of three wines Steph likes this best( others Honig Cab and Keenan Merlot). Fruity but smooth with solid finish that brought out licorice and different flavors than initial taste. — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

On the nose, nicely concentrated wild dark berries, black plum, notes of blue fruits, vanilla, understated cinnamon, soft, warm spices, Christmas cake and fresh dark, fragrant florals. The mouthfeel is rich & concentrated. The fruits dark are clearly fresh & ripe. Wild dark berries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black raspberries, Thompson raisins, light vanilla, soft warm spices, limestone minerals, grainy/silky chalkiness, dark moist soils, crushed rocks, violets, fresh dark florals, touch of mint, beautiful round acidity and amazing long rich beautiful finish that is well balanced fruit & earth. This is a vintage (even though Bourgogne) will cellar around 20 years. My rating could jump 2-3 points with proper storage years in the cellar. It's tasting more like 1st Cru than village wine. Photo tour of the estate, open top fermenters (I believe they ferment all their lots separately) and Lalou Bize-Leroy singing and talking to her precious vines. Producer history and notes...Domaine Leroy is arguably producing the greatest red Burgundy wines in the Cote d`Or at present. Lalou Bize-Leroy started out as a négociant, working for her family's Maison Leroy, which was founded by her father Henri. There are three parts to the Leroy empire; the Maison Leroy based in Auxey-Duresses, Domaine d’Auvenay and substantial holdings in Vosne-Romanée. Lalou Bize-Leroy also owns 25% of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, where she was co-director until the other shareholders ousted her in 1992, partly because she had started a competing winery. Domaine Leroy has been farmed biodynamically from the start and is now certified by ECOCERT. The other exciting, if not controversial, move was the change in training system for the vines. For some time previously the hedging (rognage) of the vineyards had been done by hand rather than more abrasively by machine. However, it is not natural for the vine to be cut back as it affects the vine’s performance both in the current season and the following year. So now, after the flowering, when the shoots are lengthening, they are curled over instead of being cut back. This minimises entrecoeurs and second crop bunches forming, as well as leaving the vine happier and healthier. She also talks and sings to her vines daily. She believes this promotes health of the vines and who could argue with her given what she puts in the bottle. Lalou Bize-Leroy has 23 hectares of vines, mostly Premier and Grand Cru classified. In the vineyard, Lalou practices biodynamism as well as severe pruning and crop-thinning. The result is ridiculously low yields. Yield arguments at DRC were also an issue in her departure. You want to buy this wine. $39.99 at K&L Wine Merchants on pre-arrival. Just bought four bottles.
— 7 years ago

Luis Maimoni

9.7

This wine starts bold and a little surprising, then the flavors grow richer and bolder through the middle. Blackberry is most prominent up front, followed by black licorice. The finish is gentle, textured, and aromatic. Three distinct phases of taste. The fruit and spice blend well; neither overwhelms. A tasty but pricey Napa/Yountville Cabernet. Our final price $115.86. — 8 years ago

Matthew Youngs

9.3

Had this at Mel and Cory's with some rotisserie chicken. Absolutely fantastic. Nice well rounded dark fruit, rich and splendid. For $9? Gotta buy a case or three. — 8 years ago

Tricia Jansen

9.0

Loves it! Woody taste to start but a nice smooth creamy finish. — 8 years ago

Craig Scott

9.0

Tasted this with three other Garnachas and this was my favorite. — 9 years ago

Dave Wismer

9.0

Celebrating National Zinfandel Day with a GREAT T-Vine bottle.

His three big brothers from Stephen & Walker in the background arrived today too so it's been a good day. — 10 years ago

with Kim

Nick Lobaccaro

9.6

This wine, made from a blend of very old vine Grenache and younger vine Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on terraced vineyards, is among the most exciting wines I have tasted. Unfortunately, only 300 cases are produced, all of which is exported to the United States. It is aged in 100% new French oak casks and bottled without fining or filtration. 1994 is considered to be one of Spain's all-time great vintages, so it is not surprising that this wine possesses more potential than the exceptional 1993 and 1992. Try to imagine a hypothetical blend of Petrus, l'Evangile, Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape, and Napa's 1993 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon. The color is an opaque black/purple. The nose offers up spectacularly rich, pure aromas of blackberries, black-raspberries, minerals, and subtle vanillin from new oak barrels. Extremely rich and dense, with unbelievable levels of concentration and extract, this amazing wine is a strong candidate for a three-digit rating when it develops more maturity in 5-8 years. Since it is a newly created wine, there is no track record established for ageability, but a wine such as this should keep for 20-25 years. This is one of the most exciting young wines anyone could possibly taste. Awesome! — 10 years ago