Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1989 vintage. From a 375ml. Opened not decanted. Great top shoulder fill. Used a Durand. Pristine cork. Throwing slightly less sed than anticipated. Dusty and earthy nose. Tasted 30 minutes and 1 hour after opening. Light-medium body throughout. Front palate a bit thin and watery but back end had some gamey/meaty notes intertwined with dirt clods. Despite the descriptors, maintained elegance for the duration. Seems to be holding the line here for a spell in the 375ml format. 10.17.25. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1990 vintage. Previously tasted 3x in the last 4+ years 01.20.23 (9.6), 05.16.21 (9.4) and 09.21.23 (9.5) Top shoulder fill. Excellent cork. Decanted and tasted immediately. Oodles of sediment as expected. Beguiling St. Estèphe nose. This. Was. Phenomenal. Best of the four horsemen/tastings. Enough structure to build the infrastructure for a new city along with a surprising amount of dark fruit. A well-stored, large format bottle of this might just show you the best time you’ve ever had. WoW. 08.14.25. — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — a year ago

FabianG

8.9

#unitedpolaris — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1989 vintage. WOTD! Funky, old grandparents nose for a spell, then blew off. Still a bit of the feminine (blueberries, raspberries, cocoa powder) characteristics evident. Better than the last bottle tasted (4.4.23 a 9.4) but not as good as another fairly recently (12.9.22 a 9.6). Still pretty damned delicious and still at the top of the bell curve for another half-decade or so. Hit. It. Now. Ain’t getting better. 5.5.23. — 3 years ago

Eric

9.6

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

Bob McDonald

9.2

Oak Barriques in evidence with vanillin notes also showing plums and tobacco with a dark chocolate note. Quiet dense on the palate with dried cherry, red licorice, and an overall sweetness. A little different to my note of September 2018 where I talk about sweet and sour although that is still there to a degree. A bit weird this one - too famous for what it delivers. In the 2013 Wine Spectator Top 100 this was Wine #1 I will leave last bottle to at least 2024 on its 20th Birthday. — 5 years ago

Brian Montgomery

9.5

Best Merlot ever had — 8 months ago

with Jessica

Jeroen Koenen

9.6

Opened the bottle 10 hours prior. Starting to get into zone now. This is top drawer stuff! New World smooth mingles with Old World punch. — 9 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This 2010 is in tip-top form.

Beautiful, ripe fruits; blackberries, black raspberries, plum/black plum for days, cherries, strawberries, raspberries & some pomegranate highlights. Cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg & soft vanillin, black teas, mid berry cola, both licorices, fresh tobacco, used leather, steeped black tea, limestone minerals, some charcoal, pepper, grilled meats, dark spice w/ heat, sandalwood to cedar, dark, withering flowers with violets, grand acidity and a balanced, well tensioned/structured, elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls on spice.

Even adding the plum reduction sauce, the 2011 Burnello is still the better pairing.

Photos of; Kosta Browne winery, founders-Dan Kosta & Mike Browne and their barrel & tasting room. — a year ago

Fiona Riley

10

Amazing wine — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 2 years ago

Gary Nishimura

9.0

Actually Gracious Picpoul. Nice crisp white. Will buy again. — 3 years ago

Paul J

9.7

Our last bottle in London before we move back! Thank you to my team for the awesome gift!

1hr+ decant. Red color with brownish orange edges. Nose contains cedar, graphite, and green elements. Complex wine that has a nice balance of tannins and depth. Very lively and probably at the perfect drinking age. Long finish. Definitely a top echelon wine! — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Doug Powers

9.4

From 750-ml, this great Sauternes is hopelessly youthful at age 25, dried apricot, great acidity, long, lingering finish, top notch!! — 9 months ago

with Jim

Karen Tripson

9.1

Love love love — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

As you can see from my previous Delectable notes I normally drink Mollydooker reds, particularly Carnival of Love, on cold nights in Winter. This certainly worked. Aromatics of black plum and other black fruits. The palate is ripe, sweet and full bodied - quite thick and textured. Has come together somewhat after 15 years but still a very powerful McLaren Vale Shiraz. Jeb Dunnuck’s comment of “full bore and hedonistic “ sums it up. This was the #2 wine in Wine Spectators Top 100 of 2012. — a year ago

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

Jay Kline

9.3

From magnum. No formal notes. The fill was top-shoulder. Underneath the capsule, the top of the cork looked nasty which I wiped down as best I could. About four hours before service, using a Durand (which is almost essential with old bottles) I was able to pull the cork completely intact and decant for sediment. The cork was completely saturated but appeared to have done its job! At this stage in its life, the 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild pours a garnet color but it doesn’t appear particularly tired and the nose supports that. While it’s certainly a vinous wine, there is a lot to like: a mix of red and black cassis, rip and desiccated cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar box, old leather, damp earth, some mushrooms and baking spices. The structure is still sound and while the tannins have integrated and the acid is keeping this very much alive. In fact, this seemed to brighten with air and almost get a second wind! As I find with all great Bordeaux wines once they enter this stage, they seem to live forever. This was a lovely pairing with a Prime, Niman Ranch porterhouse served with corn, squash and porcini. This is squarely in the “drink now” window, not that it will be falling off a cliff anytime soon. Decant for sediment and enjoy through 2030+ — 3 years ago

Brandon T

9.6

My favorite in the TOP lineup hands down. Always great and paired well with shrimp and grits. — 3 years ago