Scott E. Becker

9.3

[Tasted on January 25, 2025 at Home with Tom, Kathy, Mark and Lucille]

84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5.5% Merlot; 5.5% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Blackberry and black currant fruit, with chocolate, espresso, earth and a mineral note. Nicely balanced. — 9 months ago

Benoit Duhamel

9.3

Un pauillac à pleine maturité, les tannins sont bien intégrés. Encore assez fruité, sur les fruits noirs, avec une belle mineralité. Cedre, cuir et thé sont perceptibles et le vin est d’une belle complexité. — 5 years ago

Sylvain Rhainds

9.5

1989.
Ouf, quel grand vin. On y retrouve tout ce qu on desire d un grand Bordeaux! D une jeunesse insolante, il ne fait pas ses 31 ans! Il est encore bon pour 15-20 ans! Structure magistrale — 5 years ago

Fredybeans

9.5

Robe or fonce
Nez vanille rhume banane flambée
Bouche ultra volumineuse mais grande fraîcheur avec une belle liqueur et une finale ou la vanille et la banane flambée au rhum se mêlent 👍👍 — 6 years ago

with Pico and El

Paul K

9.1

Nose is cedar, herb, and leather. Medium body. Raspberry, red currant, and dark chocolate with really nice tannin throughout. Long finish is currant and cranberry. This wine is delicate. Overpowered by aged Gouda. Drink with Brie and French bread.
I pulled a classic and was just a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, still great, but for the anticipation... I have one more bottle that I’ll wait a long time and hope there’s a big payoff.
Interesting note, the 2013 Heitz Cellar in the background was remarkably similar in fruit, weight, and profile. 1/3 the price and I’m giving it a 92. — 7 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Wonderful Sicilian natural wine! Deep gold (let’s call it light orange) in color. Hints of grilled lemons with a hint of smoke. Beautifully “funky.” A true winner! Great with appetizers! Thank you Franky Bella for this selection. — 8 years ago

with Kasey

Mark Flesher

9.3

This wine had some tobacco and earth FUNK after it was opened up. The herbaceous and tobacco ash note on the nose was almost identical to the 1980 Beringer State Lane cab. This did blow off after an hour, but the wine was less fruit than I thought it would have been. Lots of dark figgy jam. Tobacco and cigar box. I'm sure the fruit came back after I left, but this would have been 2 hours after opening and just didn't have the time to see this one though, hence the "NR" rating. Impressed by this wine, and probably one of the older Monte Bello wines I've been able to drink. — 8 years ago

with Benjamin

Aaron Tan

9.2

Found this simple yet apt note online: Pure, incredibly densely concentrated with crystalline fruit, and silky, satin-like tannins. This is wonderfully long, and, although a mere village wine, carries the calibre of its domaine on full display. — a year ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.3

Gorgeous and delicious, such grace and power with tons left in the tank for many years to come. Very Cali Cab like texture in the palate for me. 93-94

Quel beau vin avec une jolie texture de Cab Californien de haut niveau pour moi. Superbe et beaucoup d’années devant lui. — 4 years ago

Luanne Homzy

9.5

Like a Pinot noir with a bit of funky hay and some overripe blackberries with a hint of clove... super yum. A few layers, fruit, then spice, but simple enough to enjoy anytime. — 5 years ago

Justin Kaneps

9.0

A wine to drink with a lover. — 6 years ago

Andrew S

9.2

A lot of power, plenty of fruit and acidity for days. This is in a nice spot, but still on the way up. There’s a nice dusty/tar note, fennel, a touch of leather, maybe even a hint of violets. Best with a big rich meal. — 6 years ago

Nick Farrell

9.6

So good and only $20 at Ordinaire. — 7 years ago

Lawrence Asrikin

9.0

Great JDG for the price. Melon, pumpkin, mushrooms on the nose. Clean slightly peppery finish. — 8 years ago

DomDoc

9.3

Read the reviews on the 2017 and was intrigued. Opened in the morning and sampled throughout day while raking leaves. Finished at dinner. The wine is precise, balanced and interesting. The tannins dominate and are refined, supple and then linger. The fruit is primarily plum with cherry. Tobacco comes a bit later. No clues how this will evolve but. note to self, wait till 2024 or later to rake the leaves again. — 4 years ago

Nicolas Duchesneau

9.1

Encore une tres belle bouteille de Lapierre, si je ne me trompe pas il s’agit de son dernier millésime vinifié avant son décès en 2010. Un Morgon à point avec le tartare de thon! Belle structure, alliant puissance et finesse, tres bon. Je ne vois pas de presse à boire mes autres bouteilles — 5 years ago

Big Wave Dave

9.3

Complex nose. Bread, nuts, lemon merengue, slate, and a reductive smokey note. On the palate, the wine is stuffed with substance but is yet to unfurl and bubbles are quite pronounced which distracts from the flavour profile. Slightly disappointing but full if potential. — 6 years ago

with Racquel

Kate Leahy

9.0

Cherry fruit and bright acidity. Short,
spicy finish. — 6 years ago

E & K G

9.2

So so goo! Just needs a bit of air in the glass to take on volume and toasty note. — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

I will preface this note by disclosing that I am generally not a fan of Super Tuscans. I like old school Toscana. But I will try to be objective here. The nose is very evocative of a classified growth Bordeaux: lots of cedary, gravelly scents and some dark berry fruit underneath. In the mouth it is concentrated and soft, but develops weight in the back half of the palate. Some peppery heat from alcohol at the end too. I know it’s predominantly Sangiovese, but it really does taste very Left Bank, except for a little note redder fruit at the end. — 7 years ago

with Angelo