Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1982 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 30 minutes and 2 hours. Impressively dark color. Bit of mint and funk in the nose. Elegant and supple with more than enough supporting fruit during the experience. Thriving vs surviving. This specimen was showing very nicely. Been a while since last tasting this but no rush to crush. Thank you, Bill!! 09.21.25 — 8 months ago

with Shay and Bill

Andrew McIntyre

9.4

Wifes birth year wine was so impressive. Smoke and leather, very polished. Reminded me of a great Pinot. Great experience — 2 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

From a great looking bottle with a fill almost into the neck. Double decanted and left in the bottle for 5 hours before attacking it. Amber color. Good weight and haunting nose. Notes of old cedar, mocha, plums, cola, dark fruit, molasses and some sweet red cherry. Early on it’s all about the amazing nose. But with time the wine gains weight and you have a gorgeous old St Estephe in front of you. Still giving its all, and although the fruit is somewhat faded, this has complexity and structure that still drives the experience. And that nose is simply stunning. Great showing. — 4 years ago

Skip Smyser

9.5

What a Fantastic mature wine. A rare opportunity to experience a wine of this quality. Everything is subtle and understated. Still alive and vibrant. I have 2 bottles left that I will drink in next two years 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Some friends of ours brought this to our backyard dinner last night. This is not a producer I buy. So, it was nice to revisit and nice of them to share.

The first thing I would say, is this is a well made Pinot Noir. Having said that, I don’t buy it due to its pricing. If you are buying this from the winery, its price point is still too high for it’s quality and gets worse yet when you go to the secondary markets which, many do, due to its limited production & wait on their list.

I say this because I have had countless examples of Sonoma & CA Pinot Noirs that are as good for $75 or around that price point give or take a little. The Hendricks Pinot from Santa Lucia is a similar style and for me, is better than this Marcassin. The Hendricks is $75 on futures buying.

Our friends that brought it, whom we share a mutual friendship with another Sommelier. He told them they had to drink this as it was getting old. I can tell you that is simply not the case. This wine has another 7-10 years of fine drinking ahead. These statements happen when your consuming wine regiment is based on a steady stream of always drinking wines young...It just happens.

The wine shows beautiful mid & dark candied, floral fruits, heavy baking spices and too much cinnamon stick for me. Beautiful, dark, red, blue and purple florals. It is well balanced, lush, elegant, polished with nice round acidity.

A very nice wine just overpriced IMHO. You can do just as well for less and you would only lose out on the fact you are feeling good about opening a cult name Pinot for yourself or to impress others. Not a dig, just the wine psychology that experience has led me to through the devotion of studying wine and consumers feedback. Not all, but enough to call it what it is. I myself have fallen prey to those emotions & I’m sure will again.

Photo of, Marciassin Winery, Helen Turley-Co Owner, Ryan O'Donnell-Winemaker and a Sonoma vineyard they source fruit. — 6 years ago

Dan Michael

9.5

Wow, just wow, this is simply one of the best wines I have tasted. Toasty nose, big and rich without being heavy, perfect with everything on the table, awesome experience! — 7 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2018 vintage. Last tasted 04.08.23 (9.5), 12.01.22 from a 375ml (9.5) and upon release 06.07.21 (9.5). Decanted and tasted after 45 minutes. Mysterious, dark-fruited and dusty nose. Medium body with excellent darkness of night color. Previous baby-fat overtures approximately 90% gonzo. Slimming down and getting more toned. In a state of transition with undeniable tension that can easily be misconstrued as underperforming. Last wine I tasted that was under this sort of metamorphosis at this level was the 1996 Pichon-Lalande about 1.5 years ago. Such a privilege to experience world-class wines in such a vulnerable moment. Everything is laid out bare/naked before you and you can see where the wine is headed and whether it will be following a trajectory that agrees with you. Definitely unusual to find this occurring in a wine this youthful but the 21st Century is smashing the old 20th Century clay tablets and digitizing. For most wine enthusiasts sampling this wine now, expecting some disappointment in the scoring. For myself, this is currently in the perfect symmetry of past, present and future. Will it show critically better in the future according to the accepted trials, palates, judges and juries? Probably. Will they experience the potential, doubts, insecurities and questions? Doubtful. This kid stays in this exact picture for another 2-4 years imho before striking another pose and I would love to taste this again during that time frame. An above and beyond thank you to FLB (Friday Lunch Bunch) regular Todd. 08.15.25. — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1997 vintage. Still dark as all get out. A quarter century has thinned out the massive body to medium body but the unified nose/flavors are full of chaparral/scrub, cassis, baking chocolate, gravelly dirt and blackberry reduction. Tasted approximately two hours after decanting. Miles to go before this one sleeps. In the zone now and likely so for another decade before any noticeable drop off in this old school Dunn experience. — 3 years ago

Andrew McIntyre

10

Wow...so this happened! Amazing experience and brilliant wine. Classic Bordeaux from smell and taste. Just excellent 😍 — 5 years ago

Matthew Steilen

9.5

A once in a lifetime experience. Honey on the nose. Layers of flavor, slate, pear, cream, vanilla. Full bodied and round, rich rather than sharp. Delicious drinking it alone after dinner on the porch. — 5 years ago

Billy L.

10

Wedding Anniversary Dinner Champagne🍾🥂 Fabulous paired with Colossal Lump Crab 🦀 & Lobster 🦞 Tail! 2008 Cristal always a Special experience, cheers! — 6 years ago

Jeremiah Allen

9.7

Pure magic! ‘67 is a legendary vintage, lucky to experience a flawless bottle. This was fully resolved and hauntingly aromatic. It’s was energetic and lasted in the glass. Probably another decade of life left for these Normale bottlings — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

Quick funny story:
Christine & I are LUCKY to have Kelly work in our office but we are BLESSED to be able to consider her and Darryl as dear friends.
We recommended to Kelly, prior to her going on vacation in Charleston SC, that they should stop by the Belmont hotel. They have a bar and restaurant that is 2nd to none in that area. Christine & I LOVE it!!!! Kelly sent me a quick text to say “hey, we’re at the Belmont! And about to have dinner!”
Being the goof ball that I am..... .....I called the Somm and said “I don’t care what they ordered, bring them a Shafer Hillside Select with some age on it!!!”. 10 minutes later he was decanting a 2003 Hillside Select table side! I love that hotel! Incredible service, incredible food and always a phenomenal experience! The only thing better are-our friends that are there right now!!!!

I didn’t Have a drop of this wine but I am scoring it a 10 based on experience alone!! It must have been “Badass in a Glass” as I always say!
I’ll let Kelly and Darryl fill in the official tasting notes!
by the way Kelly: don’t love SC tooooooo much, Christine & I can’t operate that place without you! See you next week! 👍👏👏👏👏👍
— 8 years ago

with Christine

Andy B

9.5

LOVELY Champagne. Loved it — 9 months ago

Daniel M

9.2

You're not 40 every day and I wanted a special wine to celebrate that special day. Fortunately the wine bar / open kitchen restaurant we went to had that special wine, amongst 400 references, that I had been desperate to taste for a long while. I didn't take notes so it's all from memory, but the nose is what I liked the most. Coconut notes, leather, cherries, coffee... I spent probably 15 minutes in total smelling that wine. The palate was great with some acid drive, some matter but not in an overwhelming way, some gentle, well integrated tannins in the rear, before a long finish with savoury notes, red fruits, coconut and that gentle grainy tannic layer. A great experience to top up a day to remember.
Oh and if you happen to be in Warsaw, Poland and be looking for a great wine place, make sure to check out Kontakt - wino & bistro. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.2

Sayonara, 2021!! You brought periods of joy and excitement, apprehension and challenge, intense sorrow and grief; a panoply of emotions spanning the spectrum of the human experience…

So, we’re putting one foot in front of the other, crossing the threshold into 2022 with hearts full of gratitude and hope, while sipping delicious wine and savoring this quiet moment together.

We want to pause to say THANK YOU all for being a part of our wine journey and a constant source of inspiration, positivity, and learning for us. Cheers and Happy New Year! — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Mike Saviage

9.7

Dark brown gold with a huge nose. Notes of tropical fruit including oranges and ripe citrus, toffee, apricots, crème brulee, stones and some amazing spice. In the mouth this expands as the dense fruit is able to roam about. While this is a fruit driven experience, there is still a ton of acidity there. This bottle was maybe a bit more advanced than some others we've had of this in the past, it still hit the bullseye and finished off the evening in style. (Bday 13 of 13) — 6 years ago

Evan Bloom

9.2

Delicious, lip smacking young and valences black and dark red fruits. A brambly summer day in your mouth, yet elegant and well made with length and development I do not often experience with a Zinfandel. — 7 years ago

Rob Russell

9.0

Just had this in Bordeaux a few weeks ago. Like most wines of this vintage it took a bit of imagination to fully appreciate. It is clearly time to drink this wine, it may be on the downhill side of life. Overall a good experience for what was not noted as a premium vintage, but is a very solid wine. — 7 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.0

Zingy, ripe and fruit filled. Flavors are smooth operator and sweetest taboo. Tart and juicy on the finish. A fruitful wine drinking experience. Ages beautifully. — 8 years ago