Jay Kline

9.1

Splash decanted; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2017 “Tip Top Vineyard” pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with tart and ripe black and red fruits: brambles, plums, cherry lozenges, black pepper, warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. This worked really well with a variety of grilled fare though I suspect a few more years in the cellar would help add some complexity. Drink now with patience through 2032. — 2 years ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.3

Very dark rubi robe, blackcurrant, tobacco and top soil notes followed by a fresh, balanced and complex mid palate. Great Pauillac and no rush. — 5 years ago

with Adriana

Eric

9.6

This is the Grenache Mouved. High end leather belts and bacon. — 5 years ago

JT

9.0

Fresh and fruits. Very easy. Love it — 7 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.3

Fairly fruity on the nose. Hint of black pepper and something earthy/mineral. Flavor is very dry. Dried strawberries and red vines. Classic jammy Zin thing. Some pomegranate molasses perhaps. Fresh and zinfulliciuos. Plenty of tannin to give it more bite than Zin usually achieves. Complex. True. Enjoyable. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.6

A completely different wine than the Dominus. This was full throttle and slams you back in to your seat with its G forces. So ripe, almost over the top; but it decelerates just in time and the finish is so succulent it lingers in your mouth forever. Filled to the tip of the cork with graphite and teeth staining purple fruit. This is the malevolent bastard child of a young Colgin IX Syrah and 2000 Chateau Pavie. Gobsmacker. — 8 years ago

Jeff Loo

9.8

Barrel Sample. Absolutely stunning this vintage. Brilliant 2016, one of the top of the vintage. 97-99pts — 9 years ago

Greg Gregory

10

Spectacular! Mind blowing. One of my top 10 of all time. On every serious wine lover’s bucket list, and here we had a nigh perfect bottle. While aromatically a little recalcitrant, you still got some of the Margaux violets and potpourri on the nose, hints of clove, all trying to shake off their doldrums. But on the palate, it was timelessly ravishing. The finesse, richness, balance and smoothness, with an underlying, almost flabbergasting mixture of complexity and delicacy, was just astonishing. The finish is marvelously sweet and intense, with chocolate and cassis and utterly seamless tannins. This is a miracle of wine making and an exaltation of vintage and terroir besides. Wow! And bravo! We can only pray for an encore of such a wine. — 10 years ago

Can Huynh

9.1

The crushed herbs, cigar smoke tickle the top palate. Savoury dark chocolate intermingled dark fruits play around but the tannins are big and slide across your tongue like a thick leather belt. Needs time. With fillet mignon and mushroom sauce. — 12 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

10

Three pounds of prime top sirloin and a mag of Montebello- report to follow. — 13 years ago

with Cleora

Fiona Riley

10

Amazing wine — 2 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.1

A Gary Larson cartoon comes to mind: Where smoked meat comes from - showing a cigarette smoking cow behind a barn.
This type of flavor from a good Rhone Syrah used to be common. Smelling this in a Wash state wine is amazing. Needs to be cellar temp for sure - lovely compote, blackberry nectar, a necco wafer, light tannin, yet mouth filling sweet tart acidity.
Reminds me of those old school wines of yore. — 3 years ago

Nathan Stamper

9.0

Very balanced and delicious. — 5 years ago

Kirk F

9.4

Another spectacular effort from @Stanley Barrios thanks brother! So great to spend time with u and Elena tonight. Can’t wait to get into the new releases now and to visit again this summer. Bottle that Rosè!!! — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 96 is a nice surprise add from Clyde’s cellar. Thank you Clyde.

This 96 is beautifully floral. The evolution is right around its peak. The body is medium full and the tannins soft. It’s an elegant beauty.

The fruits are ripe and delicious. Leaner blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries and shades of raspberries. Soft earth; dry top soil, dry rock, limestone minerals, old tobacco, soft leather, cedar with dry and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is like a waterfall. The long finish is well balanced fruit & earth and in a sweet spot.

Photos of; our dinner group, tasting room at Pontet Canet, the horse plows they still use in the fields and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Top year 904 @ £75 that was drank in Zalto burg glass as its like an aged burgundy

🐽 Paired w/ Iberian Ham 😍

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick

👃 Smoked burnt oak, soggy earthy leaves, leather, dark cherry & figs w/ balsamic & damson

👄 Med body of creamy stewed cherry w/ earthy balsamic & slight mocha

🎯 Med finish of above w/ earthy balsamic linger

Reaching peak but I preferred the 95 904 over this but the 890 94 was better than the 95! — 9 years ago

Jonathon Harris

9.4

Drinking this wine made me forget Donald Trump was our president. Which begs the question, is it better to have drank, then to never drank at all?
— 9 years ago

Olivier Schutte

9.3

Superb cab franc from my favourite Bourgueil pruducer — 10 years ago

Guy Lunardi

8.9

1990 Rieussec as part of a four Sauternes horizontal tasting. Drank end of December 2014. Deep deep caramel color for the bottle we had. A cork soaked to the top and ready to collapse. The bottle might not have been stored in the best of conditions. Still, an excellent Sauternes. Watch for oxidation from leaky corks. — 12 years ago

Francesco Pilo

9.5

Really one of the top! Elegant, really long finish, well balanced tannins, fresh dark fruit, fragrant and sweet! — 13 years ago

Nicolas Ratsey

9.1

Wine spectator top 100 2013 — 13 years ago

Christian Fischer

9.5

An incredibly strenuous week comes to an end and this top shelve Napa is just what I needed right now. This is beautifully balanced with a bit of menthol on the nose, tart yet smooth red fruit with just the right level of acidity to make this refreshing. It is a monster of a medium bodied Napa Cab with decades left - great to drink right now though :). This is the 2014, not sure why Dectable keeps thinking this is 2011 — 3 years ago

Brandon T

9.6

My favorite in the TOP lineup hands down. Always great and paired well with shrimp and grits. — 4 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1990 vintage. Oo-de-lally! Miles to go before this one is done. Top of the bell curve. Drinking beautifully and better grip than the ‘89 tasted recently. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 7 years ago

Clotaire Betremieux

9.5

1978 - top one — 9 years ago

Sindy Wise

9.2

Ripe blackberry in the nose. Bark, soil and soy with subtle berry on the tongue. #wine #syrah — 10 years ago

Robert Waxman

9.3

Nice grapefruit — 11 years ago

James Hart

9.5

Spicy, liquorice plums, wrapped up in cedar wood. Very long finish. Top notch. — 12 years ago

Scott Stephens

9.8

Ulee's Cabin, on top of the mountain in Crested Butte, only accessible by Snow-Cat. — 13 years ago