Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.4

Deep mix of garnet and ruby red. Layered nose with a slightly woody attack and red cherries. Undertones coated in damp leaves, gravel and even some softer dark fruits like plums. Moderate plus tannins (7.5/10) and balanced. Great acidity with a silky texture. Layered with tons of red mountain berries, dark gravel and a touch perfumey. Big full bodied wine with a lingering finish. Drink till 2036. — 9 years ago

with India

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of burgundy with haze. Nose of nice barrel fragrance, round alcohol, raisin, ripe plum, dried figs, and a bit salty note. Taste of velvet, round structure, with smoky,woody, tobacco leaf, and herby note. Low tannins, subtle sweetness like dried fruit, and well polished light acidity mix well to produce a feeling of medium strength wine with good complexity. Very easy to drink and enjoy. Aftertaste is a bit missing with a bit of bittersweet zest and spice. All edges are polished off, and enjoy it at her peak now. Having 2nd bottle 3 months later. Again very enjoyable! — 10 years ago

Cynthia Langstaff

9.0

Nose: more fruity than 2013 BF pinots tasted today woody overtones have softened. Taste: fruit is subordinate to astringent tannins. Not unpleasant but lacks some of the earthy complexity I like best. — 10 years ago

with Nicole, David and 1 other

Gay Bessen

8.9

Liked it! Oaky and Woody, but very complex- and paired great with a steak' — 11 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Blackberries, blueberry syrup, black plum, raspberries, salted caramel, vanilla, Asian spice, slightly woody/leathery, finishes long with w/juicy blueberries-raspberry fruit smoothie. — 11 years ago

Maggie Nation

9.3

Woody and complex, has a lot of alcohol on the nose, but the spiciness and complex favors balance it out. Great by itself or paired with food. — 11 years ago

Hozoon Kim

9.5

복숭아 탄산 향긋하고 부드러운.. 첫 잔에 깜짝 놀랐음 오픈한 직후가 더 맛있었던듯 — 9 years ago

Jen El

9.2

Was a long ago present from Theo. Drank with daveed on his 51st birthday in point Reyes. May have lost some its fruit but the nose is beautifully rich, old word woody and the taste has a bright cherry compote with deep wooden tones. Lovely. Year: 2000 — 10 years ago

Hannes Huefken

9.0

Had to aerate for 10 minutes only for the woody stinkiness to disappear.
Brownish ruby red.
Prunes, raisins, maybe overripe strawberries on the nose, next to cognac, black pepper.
On the palate, it's pretty intense: Rather watery than viscous, sweet on attack and finish, low tannin, distinct licorice on mid-palate, acidity neither firm nor flabby.
Medium-short finish, but the mild tannin lingers for quite a while.
Might be time to drink up, for this is pretty ripe already. I wouldn't want this to disintegrate more. Fun to drink. I'm happy to notice that, while I like this mature thing, I really also want to drink younger reds with a more velvety texture and firmer tannin and taste profiles.
50+5+11+17+7=90 — 10 years ago

with Immo Philipp

Eric Hwang

9.0

Tasting of 1999 2nd growths. Brick red with brown edges. Initial faint musty aroma suggested TCA, but it eventually dissipated, so probably not. Unfortunately, once I smell cork taint, that's all I smell in the glass. Woody, with faint red fruit flavors and good acidity. Still firm tannic finish. — 11 years ago

Alberto Chinali

9.3

Lovely Rioja, with layers of fruity, spicy and woody aromas that just make you want to sniff at your glass again and again. Balanced with a very long finish — 11 years ago

Devin Bray

9.2

Considerably less fruity than the 2007, and less woody too - I think I might actually like it better this way, as it brings all of the pleasant herb and mineral notes to the foreground. Very tasty indeed. — 11 years ago

Kieran Roberts

9.1

Delightful riesling — 12 years ago

Andy Mc Nees

9.2

Wow really good. Huge. Dark rich roasted vanilla woody oak. Streak of old world Napa Cabernet cassis. Green. For what I paid tremendous value. — 9 years ago

Bjørn M

9.4

Woody, cherry, deep, aftertaste that never ends. — 10 years ago

Trevor Donoghue

8.9

Deep red fruit, beautifully woody, silk, med plus tannin — 10 years ago

James Gourley

8.9

My first Portuguese wine. Interesting profile. On opening it was brambly berries, menthol and a spice bomb on the finish. After being open for a few hours it settled down. The tannins are still present but everything seemed more integrated. The woody/spiciness also still lingers, just not as prominent. — 11 years ago

with Robyn

Donna Bailey

9.2

Perfect blend with woody, sweet and heavenly cherry. — 11 years ago

Dirk Pitt.

8.9

Dry, crisp and showing those great aged characteristics. Drink now. — 11 years ago

with Winehouse

Leigh Noir

9.9

Delicious. All over mouth feel! Woody, acidic, mouthful of berry love. — 12 years ago

with Kyle