Jeff Miller

9.4

Was really surprised when I tasted this yesterday and ended up buying a couple of bottles. Very prominent nose of red currant, rolled tobacco leaf and mint with a slight whiff of cedar. Very Bordeaux-esque; like a cross between a right bank Merlot and a young St Julien. On the palate is a combination of red fruit, plum skin, and a pleasant peppery savoriness. Very good QPR at $30 a bottle. Heard this is the last batch from this vineyard as the old vines are being ripped out and replanted. Get as much as you can. It's worth it. — 8 years ago

with Ted

Erik Nordman

9.4

Wonderful Crianza Rioja; Lopez de Heredia overachieving as always. Pours a medium (+) ruby with some noticeable bricking around the rim. Concentrated nose of dried red cherry, ripe redcurrant, star anise, cigar box, potpourri, fresh dill, and damp, freshly turned gravel. Palate is perfectly congruent with the nose and equally as concentrated and expressive. Medium body, with wonderful texture as tannins have perfectly settled in and smoothed out, the tannins are velvety soft and of moderate intensity. Medium (+) acid, still fresh and kickin'. Dry. Slightly volatile but in a way that I think adds more than it detracts, keeps things fresh and lifted. Great length. This wine still could maybe get another year on it before it's completely at the apex of its peak but it's pretty dang close now. I desperately want this with some pork BBQ and in fact, the wine itself almost has a sweet hickory barbecue vibe. Absolutely delicious. At under $25 dollars/bottle retail, I think this is maybe the best red wine value I've ever come across. — 9 years ago

with Cassie

Ryan Knoth

9.5

Great way to close out harvest! — 9 years ago

Joshua Crisp

8.9

Dark cherries, blueberries, and plums give way to basil, brambles, sun-dried tomatoes, and soft leather on the nose. Plums and dark chocolate coat the palate, leaning out to sweet leather, black olives, fresh dark currants, and finishing oily. Intriguing salinity throughout - though lacking a lot of tannic structure, probably better with some red meat. — 9 years ago

Ralph Catillo

9.6

A well made wine that expresses its sense of place beautifully. Wonderful balance of fruit and acidity with a layered lingering finish. Great pear notes coming through. Worth seeking out! Thanks for the recommendation Charlie Beatty! — 10 years ago

William Douglas

9.3

Good structure still left here. Does take time opening up - raising the rating here
3/6/9.5 = 18.5
Out of 100 = 93 — 10 years ago

Susan Lin

Business Development Belmont Wine Exchange, WSET Diploma candidate

9.5

Showing excellently, enjoyed over a couple of hours after opening for about half an hour. Sharp, perfumed mineral notes give way to violet, blackberry, cassis, and baking spices and a bit of vanilla. Telltale earthiness and a bit of rusticity at the bottom, but exceptionally smooth with great structure. This went wonderfully with everything from beef tenderloin to grilled scallops and vegetables. The mandarin chutney in the scallop dish brought out plums and griotte cherry in the wine. — 11 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 9 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

Andrew Schirmer

9.7

When scoring a wine, I think it's important to bear in mind the style/varietal as well as the expression. With that out of the way, is like to say this perhaps the best chianti we've ever had. So elegant and structured. Powerful and soft at once. Fragrant nose grabs you right off the bat. Complex and powerful, with a tannic reach and delicious acid tickling the back of the tongue. I suspect this could grow for another 15 years and I only wish we had more in our cellar. — 9 years ago

with Alsu

Jonathan Wall

9.2

Don't forget about Pinotage. A good way to mix up the repertoire. Dark charred blue berries and that distinctive dried banana in a red wine actually does exist. Who knew. The no brainier graphic on the back of the bottle notes this is way too young calling it "bottle shock" time ( why release it so young then?). But I found this interesting over three nights, most put together the 3rd... I was shaking the last drop out. Way to go South Africa. — 9 years ago

KDouglas

9.3

Chocolate cover strawberries... Smooth and deep w/flavor. Way over Anthony's head w/out a cigar to add tobacco and smokiness. Allow to open for 30min and the flavors will burst out of the bottle, into your glass w/delite... — 10 years ago

with Grace

Luis Arguero (@winefromAtoZ)

9.0

An amazing blend. Great way to celebrate the new year and our final night in Sydney! — 11 years ago

ADAM STROMFELD

9.8

Soft and elegant multilayered perfection. Red velvety berries giving way to melted chocolate. Surrounds your mouth and just keeps going. Always expecting a lot out of eagle and have never been disappointed! — 9 years ago

with Kevin

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This wine needs to be aired out. Right after decanting, nose is all funky cheese rinds, but over time this transforms to a scent that seems like what potpourri would smell like after a week in a composter. In a good way. Really unique. There's some rich dark, sweet macerated plum fruit too. Earthy, rich, slightly Amarone-like fruit in the mouth. Dark toasted spices and deep minerally earthiness notes. Long rich finish. Air. Needs air. Give it air. — 9 years ago

Nathan Wegener

9.0

Superb blend flavours of cherry balanced with oak and leather. Love @cullenwines. Enjoyed with Spedini carried out from @garozzos — 9 years ago

B

10

2001 Clos de Papes Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone blend. Post D fam quiet dinner w A&S. K wasn't sure how this would be and opened it out of curiosity. It had a little of that funkiness that A loves- not super big and overt in any way. We enjoyed this. — 9 years ago

Andrew Notarfrancesco

8.9

Almost on its way out but not bad — 10 years ago

Mike Davila

9.4

I initially had this rated lower trying to handicap it for being a 2013, served blind this would be hard to pick out as a second wine. Did Claud mix up the barrels? That's a joke by the way. Firing on all cylinders, restrained fruit, rich tannins and an acid balance, delivers from the bouquet on the nose to the finish. — 10 years ago

Kent Sands

9.4

Amazing wine from @Robert Mackie's cellar, looking forward to sharing the bottle we brought back with my old man... Rivals any of the best Cali cabs out there! — 10 years ago

Paul Giovenco

10

This is the best Chardy going in fact managed to get a couple of pre release bottles....it's from Margaret River in Western Australia and made by an American wine maker.....get into this when it comes out but for special occasions at +$200 per bottle — 11 years ago