Lee Pitofsky

9.4

Served blind, called ‘96 Paulliac! It’s a left bank classic in 1996, structured, earthy and peppery with an elegant palate and fine grained tannins. Went perfectly with aged Texas Antelope! — a year ago

Tom Garland

9.5

+1 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A splendid medium dark garnet color. On the nose: perfumed notes of red fruit, herbaceous, eucalyptus, mushroom, smoked meat, ripe olives, sweet tobacco. Taste: rich, velvety full wine with brambly dark cherry/plum, coffee, dark chocolate, orange peel, and a peppery- dried herbs- gamey long finish. YUM! A nicely aged and elegant wine with soft tannins and good acidity!! — a year ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.7

Presented double-blind. The wine appears straw in color with medium viscosity and, apparently, there lots of tiny bubbles so there are signs of gas, LOL. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe orchard fruit, red forest berries, marzipan, lemon curd, fresh brioche. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts for an eternity. The texture is ever so creamy. Wow…well, I was drinking something special. Had to be Champagne. Maybe vintage? Maybe a tête de cuvée? The style was similar to Krug. Called Champagne from a producer like Krug. OMG…the 1996 Vintage Brut?! Sheesh…someone was feeling generous! Admitted, I don’t often get to drink vintage Krug (for many hundreds of reasons!) so my experience is obviously limited. However, there’s clearly no question in this being true to house style and, now that I know the vintage, this is showing why 1996 is so special. As others have noted, this is fresher than the 1995 I had some months ago (though, that was very special too) and had greater acid. I would like to think this provides a crystal ball for the 2008 vintage that is sure to follow a similar trajectory. Drinking very fine indeed, right now and should continue to do so through 2046…depending on how you like to drink your Champagne. — 2 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Between peppery black fruits and intense mineral notes. Freshness and power. Can age 2 years to develop some aromatic reliefs.

Entre fruits noirs poivrés et notes minérales intenses. Fraîcheur et puissance. Peut vieillir 2 ans pour développer quelques reliefs aromatiques. — 4 years ago

Audrey Nadeau

8.9

Nous Steakons ce soir! #CotesDuRhones — 5 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.2

Lightweight. Excellent. Terroir driven in a beautifully lifted and wonderfully friendly way. Feminine of cote rotie. Excellent food wine. — 6 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.4

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
A little closed up, but that's to be expected from such a young wine built for aging. Air helps to unfold the layers buried within. While 2014 was a cooler year, the weather played well to the style of Sassicaia as its target is 12.5-13% abv every vintage, so the conditions here were less of an issue. The acidity and density are here to last for some time, probably more than you think and should go the distance just fine. Elegant, yet powerful, with pure red currants and cassis, a touch of bright blueberry fruit, with a savory and spicy edge from the Cabernet Franc, then graphite and lavender florals appear, this is a beautiful young and fresh Sassicaia. Rocks and stone on the nose hint at minerality. Elegant and persistent on the medium+ palate, gorgeously pure and distinct with firm medium+ grain tannin. A long, dense, tightly wound finish that is fresh and persistent, entirely to young but with loads of potential. — 9 years ago

Jason Kissane

9.5

A great champagne! Lovely toast, complexity and very fine bubbles - 1996 vintage — 11 years ago

Sue Miller

9.0

Surprisingly good!! — 11 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2023 | hint of melon, hint of butter, fresh, slender, high in bitters — a year ago

Vino Joe

9.3

It was fine. Maybe a bit immature but it was unfocused and limited vs expectations. Strong tea notes. Limited fruit and more alcohol than typical. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened and double decanted several hours prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1996 pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with a lovely combination of ripe and desiccated fruit: cassis, brambles, horse blanket, cigar box, old leather, earth and spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Another lovely and immensely charming Poyferré. Drink now with a decant and through 2046. — 2 years ago

Doug Powers

9.3

Sometimes no other wine will do for me than old-style (13% ABV) Bordeaux, and this lovely medium-aged Pauillac absolutely fills the bill, redfruits, structured but not really tannic, great acid balance really lifts the fruit, not a blockbuster, but very fine nonetheless, I could drink a lot of this!! — 3 years ago

with Jim

R Bl

9.0

“Baby Condrieu” is a decent description. For $15?!!! — 5 years ago

Pooneet K

9.1

Very nice champagne. It’s not quite Krug and the bubbles aren’t quite fine enough but I like the Bollinger style. Seems to find the right balance between depth and fullness and precision. Perfect start to a series of great Christmas eating. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Very dark crimson, almost black. Opulent aromas of cassis, mulberry, herbs and earth. Same opulence on the lush rich full bodied palate with notes of milk chocolate and black currant finishing with fine resolved and polished tannins. This to me is a typical high quality Napa Valley Cabernet - so fluid, generous and velvety in my limited experience with the genre. — 7 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.1

Of the 2 Bordeaux drinking the best tonight, but long term the Brane-Cantenac 2005 will outlive this wine by 10 years easy. While very complex, a fine touch a green is traceable.

A classic currant and forest floor nose, fall leaves abound with a spike of spice and a barely there green that while subtle is apparent.

The pleasure here is higher for its more mature tasted and feel, while the brawny 2005 is a better wine it was not as enjoyable to me and feel it will be another notch enter in 3 years, and likely 2 notches better in 5.

The elegance and feel on this wine is ready to go and will easily go another 5+ years. — 10 years ago

Patrick Dorsey

9.1

François Villard consistently amazes me at taking white varietals that I tend not to get too excited about, and making wines out of them that make me want to sit down, stare off into space and think about stuff. 70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne, non-sparkling St Peray. Evolves aromatically mid-whiff.......impressive. — 11 years ago

with shiri

Sam Coturri

Winery Sixteen 600, Enterprise Vineyards and the Moon Mountain District

9.5

To achieve candied fruit, oily viscosity and bone dry limestone minerality is to achieve Viognier perfection. — 11 years ago

with Connor and Juliette

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Quite light lemon yellow , quite difficult to judge the perlage in this glass but apparently fine and persistent, though on the palate the bubbles are quite discreet in nature . On the nose this is quite aromatic and rich with toasted lemon sherbet , sea shell , camomile and some buttered brioche . On the palate this also shows good richness and density , with more of the lemon peel , chalky , oyster shell character , with some buttered brioche notes on the finish . This is quite intense and long on the palate , though the perlage does subside quite a lot it is integrated. Fresh chalky acidity. Very much shows like a grand cru white Burgundy with bubbles. Still quite youthful and fresh but showing well , energetic but focused . From now and over the next 10 or so years . — a year ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.5

Deep Rich and Polished Nose. The substance is pure, fine and Elegant then comes a punch of Power towards the end.
Really nice buddy here.
94-96 — a year ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.8

So elegant Montrose. It builds up an epic journey in the aftertaste. Rich and opulent as usual but with a fine touch of incredible level.
Softer extraction resulted on a fruitier, more sapid and rounder wine than usual. It feels it’s going to be approachable in its youth. — 2 years ago

Doug Powers

9.3

Cigar box, pencil lead, also some lovely spicy redfruit aromas, still pretty structured, but showing a deep core of lovely dried redfruits, some sweet fruit notes in the long, lingering finish, very fine LLC!! — 3 years ago

with Jim

Shengli Hu

9.3

Quartz, granite, loess soils. Fermented in oak with native yeast. 14 months elevage in barrel 25% new 75% 3rd and 5th fill.

Terpene driven florality, sweet apricot, Christmas spices (from oak), wet stone. Mouth filling texture. A beautiful example of Condrieu. — 5 years ago

Paul Krzych

9.4

My second favorite after Ruinart. Lovely fine bubbles exuding citrus, orange marmalade, and just baked brioche. Delicious for brunch and Sunday football. — 6 years ago

Namho Kim

9.3

A fine rioja. Off a coravin’ed magnum bottle. Loved it — 8 years ago

Matthew Dye

9.7

Another excellent bottle of this fine cab. — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Mike Frye

9.1

Perfect river beer — 10 years ago

Jennifer Angell

9.4

Perfect with our mackerel starter. — 11 years ago

Rick Baumgarten

9.1

A bit of oxidation, but otherwise, just fine. Fruit still there. 1970, 45 year old wine for our 45th Anniversary. — 11 years ago