Matt Austin

Owner/Winemaker, Grosgrain Vineyards, Walla Walla, WA

9.4

No hurry to drink these. Barrel notes getting well integrated, and the alcoholic bite has mellowed. Deep and complex. Toffee, sherry, hazelnut. Fantastic. — 9 years ago

Andrew Whittle

Co-Owner/Director Summit Estate Wines

9.4

Very nice! Toast & toffee with layers of white fruits - still years ahead of it. — 9 years ago

Eric Guido

9.5

How do you define a wine such as this? The descriptors could go on for a page, but what I believe truly defines the Occhio di Pernice is its contrasts of sweet versus savory, heavy versus weightless and it’s unbelievably long finish. The color is a dark amber, more like a long aged Balsamico, than Vin Santo. Twirl the glass and watch as this elixir slowly melts away from the edges. You can’t call these legs—as the wine coats the glass in a layer of dark maple that never truly goes away. I put my nose to the glass and find long-aged cherry Balsamico, raw honey, espresso, fig paste, brown sugar, caramel—I could keep going. On the palate, it has the weight of syrup, yet seems to become weightless as this coats the senses and saturates them with notes of toffee, fig, raisin and maple. Yet there’s a savory note here, like smoked meat with an intense minerality and hints of tannin. As for the finish, I was moved to blurt out the word “WOW”, as notes of coffee, dark chocolate, spice and dried cherry seemed to linger for well over a minute. — 10 years ago

Jeff Keeley

9.0

Bruised apricot, caramel and sweet smoke on the nose. Good acid helps keep the sweetness under control. Toffee and vanilla with an alluring nuttiness on the palate complement the soft creamy texture. The finish is excellent. Long, complex and warming. — 11 years ago

Nona Rose

9.4

Nona had this 11 years ago

Mark Lindzy

9.3

Opened about 6-8 weeks and been in my frig. Still solid as can be, toffee-coated Marcona almonds, briny biscuits and a very long finish. — 11 years ago

Martin Redmond

9.3

Deep amber color with beguiling and complex aromas of roasted walnuts, toffee, molasses, coffee flavors with hints of of orange zest and baking spice aromas. On the palate it's medium-bodied with very good acidity, and an appealing oily mouth feel with dried dates, raspberry juice, sweet coffee, seawater, lemon zest, and iodine flavors with a long finish. — 9 years ago

Tyler Lymer

9.4

Intense maple sugars lead to burnt toffee/caramel. Dry, and surprisingly bright. Not a heavy mouthfeel for an olorosso, despite how much depth of flavour is present. — 10 years ago

Bill Bender

9.5

Marmalade, caramel, toffee. Really smooth and spicy. — 10 years ago

Andrew Deitz

9.5

Very focused. Lemon peel, sweaty citrus, and violet on the nose followed up by tangerine, toffee, and sea salt. Very long and incredibly well made. — 10 years ago

Brian Grech

9.2

Clean, crisp, with honey, toffee, and a strong dose of California — 11 years ago

with Ashley

Daniel Toral

Sommelier Lippi Restaurants

9.1

Toffee, roasted hazelnuts, salty and so delicious — 11 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

8.9

Lovely color amberdreid fruit raisins toffee peach marmalade orang peel — 12 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.5

Starting off the holiday weekend right...big and rich with strong flavors of vanilla, toffee, and cherry. Nice acidity and a balancing minerality complete the picture which ends with a nice, long finish. And yes, this is a 2011. Happy 4th!!! — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.4

1988 vintage. Medium walnut hue. Old oak chips, walnut, raisin and toffee notes. On the palate, medium body, searing huge acidity, medium alcohol - warming. Long lingering finish. Went extremely well with toffee sauce brownie. Excellent. — 10 years ago

Austen Ito

9.1

Dried fruits everywhere. Figs, raisins, caramel, toffee, honey, tobacco. Full bodied, medium acid. Delicious!! So sweet. — 10 years ago

Scott Silver

9.0

Barrel 51. Maple syrup and toffee. Delicious! — 11 years ago

Ashtin Berry

9.0

Beautifully complex! Great nuttiness with a balanced acidity. Toffee and burnt orange — 11 years ago

with Robin

Joseph Ngo

9.6

Fresh alive. Slight musky nose. Toffee finish. Light. Not heavy. — 11 years ago

Matt Vekasy

9.1

Sweet. Toffee. Caramel. Yum. — 12 years ago