Kevin Sidders

President VinConnect

9.5

This is drinking absolutely beautifully. Big, ripe and delicious. Gobs of dark fruit, yet complex and balanced. Like a top flight Napa bottle, in a good way. — 5 years ago

Bill Bender

9.1

An exacta box is one of the top boxes 😏 — 7 years ago

Mark Howard

8.9

This vintage shows more oak than in prior vintages. Big, bold, version of California chardonnay. Missing the elegance of last year. Still enjoyable. Just me splitting hairs. — 8 years ago

with Elizabeth

Doctor No

9.2

Everything a top Gamay should be. One of the world's great food wines. Will likely age effortlessly. — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

8.9

2007 vintage in magnum. Very closed nose. Sweet feel on the palate. Slightly caramelised. Good acidity keeps finish clean. It's ok. — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.3

1999 vintage. Really good. Top form. — 9 years ago

Lia Zavisho

9.8

So smooth and delicious! Worth the price. Top cab I've tried ❤️ — 10 years ago

Christian Mundigo

9.9

My friend Cliff gave me a bottle years ago. That was awesome, and goes as the best I've had ever (until recently). Does this compare? YES. Nearly a decade later, this is smooth, mellow, lovely,still years from decline. Still a top 5. Finish like silk - smooth whispery Delightful. Needs time to open. Will post this, then amend later... — 11 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.7

The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 5 years ago

Eric Egan

9.5

Another level... Still dense at the core, with steady, attractive bricking: Wonderfully dense nose of blackcurrents, pencil shavings, fine tanned leather, and a hint of woodland floor (fine moss, leaves, and fresh soil after an autumn shower). Velvety tannins and great acidity. Along with the '66 this is one of my all-time favourite Bordeaux vintages. Seems to be keeping up better than the '61s I've had over the last few years!

We drank half of it from the coravin before waxing the top in case the cork had lost too much elasticity to self-seal. I'll have the rest with my brother in a few weeks' time! — 8 years ago

Nicole Penalva

9.0

First bottle of the evening on New Year's Eve. Top rated wine of 2015 in Wine Enthusiast. Available at Target and Trader Joes $19.99 — 8 years ago

Bill Schallert

9.1

Love this winery. Always at the top of the game. A excellent choice and goes good now and will leave some bottles in the cellar for a few more years. A perfect Cabernet profile. — 9 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

One of the top 5 Pinots in Australia I think. The power of the nose and palate belies its pale Burgundian colour. Plummy and spicy with incredible length. A marvellous wine. 18. — 9 years ago

Kumar Sivananthan

9.9

Top bottle of wine. Maybe not quite as deep as some of the other years but loved it just the same. I need another. — 10 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.4

@Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher @Mike Smith — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.5

@David L Thank you David for sharing this incredible beauty with me! Such a soft, opulent rich wine. The bottle age definitely helped and was evident throughout. Drinking superbly right now and I imagine would evolve for another 15+ years! It was that good!!!!
I am biased, I am a huge fan of Spottswoode. I felt like a kid that robbed a candy store when I uncorked this one. I hadn't tasted their 2003! It was in my top three for wine of the night. Swing, batter batter swing, homerun! — 7 years ago

with Ryan and Christine

Kim Monien

9.5

Thia would have to be in my top 3 of all time. So smooth and yet fruity with such an amazing after taste. I went and got 3 more bottle just to have in stock. Worth the price for sure — 8 years ago

Mark Calkin

9.2

#wsetschool Deeply ruby coloured top level Rioja with large quantity of Graciano given it that deep intensity. Pronounced nose of black cherries, red currants and cranberries, with wet leaf notes. There are smoke and toast, cinnamon and cedar from its time in oak, and of course there are tertiary aromas from bottle ageing, like: tobacco, game, leather and dried fruits. This has medium (+) tannins and acidity and an excellent long finish. — 9 years ago

Paul Borys

8.9

1934 Château Margaux

Top shoulder fill. Semi-opaque at the core, almost like an old burgundy with its brownish hews. Beautiful and graceful bouquet of roses, raspberries that have been baked, very elegant and healthy nose. At first very dry, with the fruit barely hanging on for dear life, but after 15 minutes in the decanted it comes alive with sweet fruit, high acidity and just a kiss of tannin. This is very complex and sublime for about a period of 20-40 minutes, what else could you ask for from a 80 year old bottle of wine.
THANKS DAVE !!

50-5-12-13-5=85+ — 10 years ago

Eddie Gilbert

10

'85 Lunch Box and a stellar array of dishes at Torc. Minerals, red fruits, mushrooms and love. Big ups to Chef O'Toole and his team! — 10 years ago