Bob McDonald

9.4

This Stellenbosch Cabernet blend gets its name from being 393 metres above sea level. Deep Ruby in colour. Aromas of coal dust, liquorice, Tomato Bush, Capsicum and stalky green Notes. On the palate initial impressions were lacking in fruit. More austere than expected. Certainly very different to most Napa Valley Cabernets that I’ve had. Medium bodied. I bought this wine in 2012 at the cellar door and it was quite the trek to drive to de Trafford over many dirt roads. One of the 1001 wines. — 6 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.5

Rather suddenly, and without much explanation, Bordeaux found itself in the middle of my crosshairs as being the next place I wanted to conduct a deep dive in. With this shift in my general attention from New World to Old World I began to do more research on the various appellations, prominent chateaus, and nuances of Left Bank and Right Bank, as well as compile a spreadsheet highlighting specific bottles I wanted to seek out. For a reason unbeknownst to me, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was the producer I wanted to start my deep dive with. I researched the history of the chateaux, learned about their wines, priced out vintages that were immediately available for my acquisition, and added it to my Bordeaux spreadsheet, waiting for the time to pull the trigger and purchase a bottle (or two) to start the trek with. As far as wines are concerned it was all I could think about: Ducru-Beaucaillou. Apparently, the mere act of researching a chateau left me beguiled, craving a wine I had never even had before! With all of this research in mind I’ve learned over the years that as much as I thoroughly enjoy researching and trying wine, it’s certainly more enjoyable to share the knowledge and the experiences with others. Enter @codyuzzel, who has heard more than his fair share of my wine ramblings over the years. One day we began discussing Bordeaux, Left Bank v. Right bank, and changes in our thought patterns about the region over the years, which eventually lead him to asking the million-dollar question: Are there any producers you’ve highlighted that you’re particularly interested in? I told him that Ducru-Beaucaillou was in my crosshairs, along with a handful of other producers that I’d explore once I’d tried Ducru. That’s when he texted me the picture; a picture of him holding a glorious bottle of 2012 Ducru-Beaucaillou. “I took this pic before we started this conversation.” Given the serendipitous nature of this occurrence he extended an invitation to pop the cork upon our next meeting, which is interesting in and of itself given that I had been thinking about visiting him at the wine bar just earlier that day. It’s moments like these that truly make the wine journey a sweet and rewarding one. Thanks, Cody, for your generosity and epic invitations.
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Anise, graphite, plums, and blackberries. Very polished and very delicious. — 7 years ago

with Cody

Brandon Boesch

10

This is amazing! Right up there with Pliny for me. So well balanced and complex. Would love to try one fresh in Maine as the trek to California probably has some negative influence on taste. — 8 years ago

Sean Herriott

9.2

The Barnetts are first class people, and operate a first class winery. If you're in Napa you owe it to yourself to make the trek up to take in their spectacular views and fantastic wines!

This is the best example of the Sangiacomo Chardonnay I've had to date. Baked pears, apricots, and butterscotch leap from the Glass without any coaxing. The palate follows through with similar intensity as well.

An abv listed at 14.7% is very well concealed. Oak, fruit, and acidity are all in harmony. Thank you David Tate for making the type of chardonnay I've been craving lately. — 8 years ago

Piper June

9.1

Buy again and again and again. Great table wine for a weeknight or weekend binge watching Star Trek. — 9 years ago

with Seth

Marla Frederick

9.0

Excellent value for the $8 price tag. This will be a new regular in my wine supply. It is an innovative mix of dark berries, vanilla, and black tea. A snooty sommelier may pooh pooh this one; probably it is too creative for the staid upper class. Personally, it makes my middle class soul sing. Buy again, in abundance. Total Wine.

D: Volcanicky. I am not sure if this is a flavor or a Star Trek reference. — 9 years ago

David Walser

9.3

Nice wine...too bad I only purchased one bottle. Close out so nice price as there won’t be any more St. Clement from Treasury group. Too bad the system won’t allow you to insert location. I’m home after a nearly two month trek. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

After being gone for 23 days, it was a race to get all the work done to open up our backyard or as we call it, the D&S Lounge.

5 full days of; planting, power-washing the house & patio, cleaning furniture, setting up 60 candles & torches and the endless odds and ends. It’s all finally done.

It’s the best room in the house!

It’s opening weekend and looking forward to a long summer and fall weekend nights in our own slice of heaven!

This tastes so good tonight. Showing more tangerine and blood orange tonight. I am in my version of the “Nexus”, Star Trek reference.

Cheers to everyone doing what they enjoy doing with their weekends and opening a good bottles with good friends and or family! 🥂🍾🍷 — 7 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Briney, saline, limestone. Color influenced by some skin contact, slight red/orange hue. Beautiful bottle.
Carla and Jaime, we're so glad you made the trek North to meet up, amazing Beethoven program this afternoon at Tanglewood! — 7 years ago

with Carla

Sarah Oettel

9.1

Having this in Spain is so much better (it’s almost as if something is lost on the trek to the US). — 8 years ago

SV

9.0

Vibrant violet, dark floral aromas. Lots of acid, but also so much gamey goodness. Drinking while watching Star Trek and I feel like Worf would be into it. — 8 years ago

Nathan Adams

Consulting Wine/Beverage Director, Snake River Brewing, Persephone, King Sudachi

9.3

Awesome find in France, survived the trek home to share with friends stateside — 9 years ago

with Claire

Luis Arguero (@winefromAtoZ)

8.9

Crisp. Light. Citrus. No oak. Good! — 10 years ago

Stuart Scheff

8.9

No smirking, I love Grillo. If you happen to be in Taormina Sicily, make the trek up Mt. Etna and get to Gambino Winery. It will be an amazing day. Ciao. — 6 years ago

Loren Loftesnes

9.2

Magnum for the win! — 7 years ago

with Rosita

Matt

9.4

Frédéric Chastan gave me this on a cellar visit in Orange last July. A great guy who makes some of my favorite wines in the Southern Rhône. So happy to see this survived its long trek back to CA from FR. ‘09 has some great plushness to it, still a earth driven wine, but the warm mid-palate of grenache is really giving this some charm. Has so many notes of aged Gigondas that I love like tar, garrigue, dried and medicinal herbs, olives, licorice , stewed raspberries, and a melange of brown spices. Nuanced brett that adds allure. This has drying tannins and plenty of weight without losing too much focus. — 7 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.1

Huge wine in flavor. Dark cherries, a meatiness to it, went great with steak but it is really funky. Seems a bit too biodynamic or the trek across the sea hindered this one. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.8

2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣9️⃣

🗞 MJ 👑 RIP, Hudson ✈️, Swine 😷, Spotify
🎵 I Gotta Feeling, Poker Face, She Wolf
🎥 Avatar, Star Trek
🗣 I See You
🌍 6.78B

😍 £175 - 99 RP superb already but will be 98-99 in 5-10yrs 👍

🍷 Dark ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Creamy stewed plum, cherry & blackberry in soft oak w/ minerals, thick cocoa & hints of raspberry, cranberry, liquorice, smoke, flowers & herbs

👄 Med+ intense dark plum, cherry & blackberry in earthy rich creamy cocoa w/ fine dry tannin

🎯 Long lingering mocha dark fruit 💥 — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.2

Light gold in the glass. Great leasy citrus and white stone nose with nice minerality and fruit. Nicely balanced structure with above average finish. Had this several times over the past 3 weeks during our trek across NZ and Oz. If tasted blind it would be hard to distinguish it from a young Meursault. — 9 years ago

Meg

9.6

Wax on, wax off: this evening I took a rare field-trip to Waxhaw, which is way beyond my typical radius of existence. I had planned an anniversary dinner at Heritage, and my good friend "Coach Witty" encouraged me to run a mile race with her at track night in those parts beforehand (why not run a 5min race right before a nice dinner?!) I ended up winning and getting a PR, and Heritage was worth the trek. Food Babe walked in and sat down next to us - hopefully she only had good things to say about Paul Verica's passion project, as I loved it!! As for the wine...I have been asked, "what's a good wine to give as a nice gift?"....and I often suggest Caymus cab. It's always solid, a fruit bomb, and elegantly-finished. A known quantity. Perfectly paired with the local summer vegetables and my steak. And last but not least, let's all raise a glass to Pat Summit - the winningest coach in D1 history to date - that certainly gains my respect. May her legacy live on #caymus #theextramile — 9 years ago