Mark Eastom

9.1

Wild fruit, leather, white pepper, dried herbs, other than fruit notes, nice acid. — a year ago

Ben Christen

9.2

Tasty. Light, lemon 🍋. Great Chardonnay — 5 years ago

with Ellen

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 13 was a brutal tannin vintage when I tasted it at En Premier. The tannins are still bitty but, nothing like they were out of barrel.

The fruit in the 13 shows the difficulty in the vintage. They are duller and it’s really stands out from other vintages and not in a good way.

It’s lean and there is nothing that really draws you in. Fruits are; dark cherries, rhubarb, blackberries, some blueberries@and the strawberries show some ripeness the other do not. Lots of dry earth, dry stones, some herbs, dark withering florals, decent acidity and a uneventful dry finish.

Photos of; Clyde and Alfred at the bar, their Amphora style cement tanks they ferment part of each vintage now, road signs of the good neighbors they keep and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Light reddish amber, translucent color. Beautiful bouquet in the nose with notes of cherries and earth. In the mouth the fruit is less present and the finish is short. Great old rioja nose, but fruit is past it's prime. Drink up. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The nose on this wine is stunning baring the alcohol heat. Perfumed red florals and candied dark and lighter red fruits. While the wine is truly elegant, the alcohol is seriously burning the back of my throat. The bottle reads 14.1 but I think over 15 degrees. Maybe, they wanted to save on the higher alcohol tax. The wine starts so beautifully only to burn the back of my throat. The fruits are ripe, elegant and beautifully soft. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, faint back palate of strawberries, sweet/soft leather, black licorice, violets & roses, rich delicate & sweet wet black earth, soft light baking spices, caramel, milk chocolate, figs & dates, amazingly sweet dark minerals, touch of black tar, touch of spice and a rich long elegant dark fruit liqueur finish. I would score this wine higher if it didn't punish my palate and throat with the burning alcohol finish. — 9 years ago

Reilly Brock

9.4

Awesome! Everything I love about VT and CDP. Earth and fruit in perfect balance. — 11 years ago

JFP

9.0

2020 vintage in 2024. Fit very well with a smoked chicken. — a year ago

Hazel Weaver

9.7

Everything but the kitchen sink, but just yummy yummy yummy, to many great flavors to mention, but if you're ready for a jolly good time, this is the one you want! — 4 years ago

Tom Kohli

9.2

Our first patio wine for 2020. Our favorite Chardonnay! — 6 years ago

Mike Searby

9.1

Superb oaky and complex — 8 years ago

Peter Wassam

9.8

A softened ruby color. Beautiful balance, everything in harmony. Wet earth, raspberry, cinnamon, a whiff of truffle, intoxicating nose. So much ripe, fresh red fruit on the palate. Such soft tannins, damson plum, a mineral streak running through. Drinking a 15 year old wine for 15th anniversary of diabetes. This is splendid in the moment — 8 years ago

Heather Meyer

9.7

Delicious, budget-friendly wine with a long-lasting velvety finish — 10 years ago

Kyo Jin

9.3

Decanted. Not unforgiving, but still rigid. Showed some great potentials for a very long life ahead. Autumnal qualities with very concentrated redcurrant and earth. — 11 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

Kimberly Jamrozek

9.3

I am in love with this Zin and will definitely join Uncommon Palette's wine club cause they offer the BEST!!! — 5 years ago

Marissa Panton

8.9

Easy drinking wine. No aftertaste. Good table wine. — 7 years ago

Jonathan Pytko

10

Education wine, awesome earth and acid. Still has time in the bottle — 8 years ago

with Andrew

Scott Taddeo

9.1

2005- a wine that's just moved into its older age. Dark fruits, dried fruits also, shellac, vanilla bourbon and damp earth. Beautifully integration on the palate, in a good place now. — 10 years ago

Gary Moreno Jr.

10

Always my favorite — 10 years ago

Nolan LaBrucherie

9.1

Wild ridge! — 12 years ago