Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

Mother Mary of God! Just give me the bottle and a crazy straw. I want all my wine to taste this way.

The nose is; ruby and velvety elegance. Creamy, candied, ripe; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum & poached strawberries. Red licorice, candied, bright, florals for days. Dry crushed rocks, limestone, light, round granite, black licorice, sweet tarriness, expresso roast, dry leather, cedar, dry stems, vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, light clove & nutmeg, beautiful, soft, herbaceous notes with crazy beautiful fields of; red, purple and blue flowers.

The body is full, round and the definition of elegance. The dark, tarry tannins are well rounded and have baby teeth. The structure, tension, length and balance are perfectly knitted together. Magnificent! Creamy, candied, ripe; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum & poached strawberries. Red licorice, candied, bright, florals for days. Dry crushed rocks, limestone, light, round granite, black licorice, sweet tarriness, expresso roast, dark, intense, spice with palate heat, dry leather, cedar, dry stems, vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, light clove & nutmeg, saline, dry tobacco with ash, beautiful, soft, herbaceous notes with crazy fields of; red, purple and blue flowers. The acidity is round-elegant and like a warm shower. The finish is simply a forget about it experience. It is gorgeous & sexy and a wine I will never forget. This is a 100 point wine in short order. Don’t be foolish enough to open a bottle now unless you have at least 3-5 more. You’ll be robbing yourself of heaven.

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 6 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.2

Crushed velvety leaves from alpine flowers. A wondrous bouquet of a nose, and floral in the right way, not your grandmothers bathroom kind of a way.

Seemed fitting to picture this with our urban garlic harvest. As garlic take such a long time to mature, then even after picked, must be stored properly, to get the fullness of flavor.

Sweet blackberry tar is what this well crafted wine shows up front, subtle mint, eucalyptus, river stone. A perfect tango of tannins and acids, complete with the heel in the air - or maybe that’s my heel, enjoying this wine completely.
Decanted for the usual 3-4 hours. — 7 years ago

Amanda Thomas

9.3

Gorgeous color, dark and rich, with velvety dark fruit flavor. Moderately tannic. Great right out of the bottle. — 8 years ago

with Tim

Ryan Vento

9.7

Stupendous. The tannins...where to begin. So velvety and plush. Coffee, licorice, and cedar. Such a good selection. — 9 years ago

with Krystal

Mike R

9.4

Love the wine and winery - excited the damn Olympics are finally here - don't hate me but go Red, White and Blue - plus want the UK Rugby Seven team to do well (long story) - the wine is starter - been saving these babies -a winner from Napa - rich, spicy with velvety texture and a firm acid structure; elegant, balanced palette and legs built to last.a very long time - really SMILING!
— 9 years ago

Matthew Davison

9.5

Aromas of sweet oak right off the bat. Opening up well with a subtle, but nice fruit carried across the palate by the same sweet oak. Long, smooth, velvety finish... — 10 years ago

Chip Krotee

9.5

Great smooth and velvety fruit opening. blackberry and spices and licorice. Dark mocha emerges on the long finish. Well worth the high rating. Great wine. I — 10 years ago

Adam Mahler

9.0

Great-took an hour to open-silly and velvety-red raspberries, fairly light on its feet. Anise dill, nice herbal backbone. — 12 years ago

with Andrew

Steve Medbery

9.5

Classic Chateauneuf from an excellent year. Bright red fruit, lots of spice and a velvety long finish. — 6 years ago

Liz Dolan

8.9

Sweet on the nose, fruit forward, velvety and smooth, calm tannins — 7 years ago

Ron Lear

9.1

Spectacular fruity back finish with lovely tannins. Soft and velvety throughout! — 7 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.6

I can already tell that my palate is going to need a breather when I get back home: so many big boy reds 😅 Tonight’s pour is luscious and supple with velvety dark fruits, moistened tobacco, smoke, graphite, lavender, and eucalyptus. Looking forward to this opening up. Excellent craftsmanship right here. — 7 years ago

with Krystal

Lewis Chester

9.5

2004 Vintage. From Double Magnum. At Harry's Bar. Dark purple hue. On the nose high concentration of stewed black fruits, Black Forest cherries, kirsh liqueur, almond paste. Primary and youthful, but layers of complexity starting to show. Alluring. On the palate, velvety and rich, whilst maintaining class and elegance. Tannins are lush and ripe. Medium plus alcohol, medium acidity and a long finish. This is a big Sass, but none the worse for it. It's perfectly drinkable now but in this format, could last another decade or two as it sheds its puppy fat. Excellent. Drink now until 2035+ — 9 years ago

Adam Nesto

9.2

Damn good Pritchard hill cab. Incredibly smooth and velvety, minimal tannins. Blackberry pie on the nose — 9 years ago

Salvatore Borzi

9.3

Drank for Sean's birthday. Drinking very well. Beautiful, velvety tannins and acidity. Leather, earth, mushroom, red fruits. — 10 years ago

Michael Horkay

9.5

This was a surprise. Velvety and delicious we decide to drink this first growth blind and confused it for the 82. I was amazed at the depth of fruit and complexity this wine showed at 37..... The wine equivalent of a three some. — 10 years ago

Miguel Moreno

9.5

Fantastic. The best Corison I have tasted so far. Long soft tannins that round up this velvety Cabernet. Glad I followed the advice at the winery years ago. — 10 years ago

Andrew Stover

Sommelier/Wine Director Oya & Sei, Wine Blogger ChiefWino, Founder Vino50

9.5

1995 Pichon-Longueville Pauillac. Still showing youth after almost 20 yrs! Tight with dark fruit aromas of cassis and black cherry with hints of mint and graphite. Quite firm and structured with a long velvety, earthy finish. #wine #sommelier #france #bordeaux — 11 years ago

Katrina Marcuse-Sharratt

9.7

Amazing smooth velvety Pinot!! — 13 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

What a great vintage. Its tannin structure will outlive the 09 and anyone 45 and older. The 2010 is a forever vintage and while different than 09, it will undoubtedly be just as great. It’s just going to take a lot more bottle age than the 09.

The body is full and round. The tannins have rounded but are still big and chewy. It’s more concentrated than 09. The fruit is really beautiful and again perfectly ripe. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, dark plum, poached strawberries with hints of raspberries. Soft soil structure; dry top soil, moist clay, medium intensity dark spice, fresh tobacco, dry herbs, crushed rock powder, with dark, withering florals with violets. The texture is velvety. The structure and tension are big. The length and balance are worthy of its perfect score. For me, it’s just not there, yet! The acidity is really good. The long, lush, ripe, well balanced, polished finish is deliciously persistent.

Photos of; our dinner group, tasting room at Pontet Canet, the horse plows they still use in the fields and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago

Brian Blaney

9.6

Really great cab. Smooth and velvety, rich — 7 years ago

Eric Vishria

9.4

Velvety, wonderful but totally integrated tannins. Liked the wood on it. Feels like a good time to drink. Took about 45 in the decanter. — 7 years ago

Sean Grullon

9.5

Okay - fine. It’s a good, probably great wine. Overpriced? Yes. Opus is filled with pretentious douchbags? Double yes. But this is a well-made wine bridging a gap between Napa and Boudreaux. Dusty nose with menthol, earl grey tea, tobacco, flowers, cassis, and creamy dark fruits. It has a really nice velvety finish. — 8 years ago

Lucky Palmer

9.5

Velvety full bodied but balanced — 8 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.3

Bright ripe red fruit with dark berries that linger on. The acidity is well balanced but a bit firm, hints of vanilla in the tannins, that are velvety and mouthwatering. Full bodied wine. — 9 years ago

Joe Kaiser

9.2

1994 very Bordeaux like on the nose, earthy, with tobacco, and cedar with a hint of mushroom. On the palate surprisingly youthful with bright red fruit, cigar box, sweet tobacco, velvety tannins that lingers nicely! — 9 years ago

Gustavo Nogueira

9.4

A superb Cabernet from the Napa Valley. Rich, elegant, with a warm woody nose and velvety roundness. Lots of fruit and vanilla. To be sipped with pause and circumspection. Had the 2009 vintage. — 10 years ago

Louiza Collins

9.4

Velvety mouthfeel with medium tannins. Robust red and dried fruits, finish of vanilla and graphite. Quaffable af. Would pair with lamb, rabbit, pork, cheese, hummus. Versatile. Honestly not worth it's price point. An off vintage from a delicious vinyard. Would not be hard to find a bottle 1/5 of the price. — 10 years ago

David Luther

9.0

Velvety & spicey makes for an awesome balance on the palate. — 11 years ago

Larry Eskew

9.6

Really great wine. Big hit at supper club. — 12 years ago