John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.2

Killer. Tiny bit of va. Reminds us a lot of Cobb stuff. — 7 months ago

ESF

8.9

More VA wine: Love finding some older vintages that have fattened up: sparkling gold color w/lemon cream nose, white flowers, coconut & butterscotch. Decadent nose, oily & viscous on palate, yet clean vibrant, fairly balanced w/some tropical fruit and golden apple & more lemon. Decent length on finish. — 3 years ago

Charlie C

9.0

Orange pop rocks. Great acid (probably some VA) and texture. — 4 years ago

Laura Purdy

9.0

2nd annual Open That Bottle of VA Wine day - opted for one of my favorites. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

It was Father’s Day and I had decided on grilled rack of lamb for dinner so I selected this bottle of 2011 Chateau Musar rouge from our cellar. According to Musar’s records, the 2011 vintage was one of the most challenging since the early 1990’s. It was ultimately a late-maturing vintage with harvest taking place on October 13th, the latest since the 1983 vintage!

I decanted this bottle about eight hours prior to dinner. It should be noted that immediately upon opening, the bouquet was strikingly gorgeous with powerful aromatics that were obvious from several feet away and this trait carried through until dinner time.

In the glass, the wine presents a deep garnet color. Slightly turbid with a near opaque core. On the nose, black plums, blackberries, cassis, tobacco, organic earth, exotic spices, leather, spiced meat, and pomegranate. I detect a touch of VA as well. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the nose with an added bit of red rope licorice. Lovely, long, savory…amazing. This was a brilliant compliment to the lamb (which was served with beets and goat cheese and fattoush) and everything I wanted in a Musar tonight. Drinking well now with a hefty decant and I expect well cellared examples to drink well past 2035. — 2 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

8.9

Tart cherry, hibiscus, spring foliage. Sediment has fallen out nicely. Some rose coming on. Almost brilliant but lots of va. A little bit acetic. — 4 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

8.9

Deep ruby color. Aromas of licorice, dark chocolate and dark cherry. Dark, robust blackberries, coffee and cedar/dry finish. — 3 years ago

NiiAmah

9.3

Really good. Pricey, but rich, full-bodied, well-balanced. — 4 years ago

Sylvain Rhainds

9.3

Beaucoup trop jeune ce 2009 malgré aération. Va bonifier dans quelques années — 4 years ago

Bob Irwin

8.9

A bit dry, but interesting and opens up with a bit of spice. — 5 years ago

with Kim