MaJ CappS

8.9

Smells like a spiced pastry

Lively! Red stars dance across the tongue for only a meaty mingling moment, before the tannins start smacking every part of the mouth, up, down, left, right, Jab, Jab, Ka-pow! Those knock out tannins longer on and on.. and on..
Wish I had bought 2 bottles, this needs at least 5 years to relax those teen tannins.
I mean, don’t close your mouth for too long on these tannins, as they act like a vacuum and super glue. You’ll never get your jaws apart.. — 3 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

9.8

Must preface this post with the admission that a wine like this can never fully live up to its hype; regardless, it was a sensational bottle: powerful and muscular with precision and grace; dried orange peel, sandalwood, cedar, red brick and just a hint of sour cherry fruit. We didn’t decant or open early for fear of losing those delicate, appetizing, evocative aromatics (sotto bosco, white truffle, roasting game, roses, sandalwood again) unique to old Barolos. This wine is wonderful today, but don’t anticipate it getting any better—then again I don’t foresee a wine built like this falling apart any time soon. A wine for kings (and birthday week princesses) indeed! — 4 years ago

with Maura

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

10

This vertical was Spott on... lol
All textbook Cabernets (Bordeaux blends) operating at a very high level. The wines appropriately represented their region, as well as their vintage. It was like worlds sharpest conductor instructing his/her orchestra never skipping a beat. The 12 Spottswoode was soft, juicy and deliciously ripe. The 13 Continuum a bit dry with firm tannin and a commanding presence at the dinner table. The 14 J. Davies- Jamie was calm, collected and fragile with silky integrated tannins, and long uplifting finish. And of course two grilled 16 ounce bone in ribeyes with a classic hollandaise sauce and baked potato. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Founded in 1986 by Josep-Maria Raventos, member of the Codorníu family, creating a small, quality-oriented winery standing apart from the large co-ops. A blend of 40% Xarel-lo, 36% Macabeu, 18% Parellada, 6% Monastrell. Red berry and floral aromas with fine bubbles. On the palate strawberry and cherry with mineral yeasty notes on the lingering finish, good balance. Hand harvested and secondary fermentation rests for 15 months before disgorgement. A nice bargain. Tasting Sample. — 5 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.2

Crushed dried flowers, vegetables, and earth which somehow works and smoothly went well with turkey sandwiches. deep and good. Green Valley unique-ness sets it apart from its surrounding RRV. — 7 years ago

David From The 504

9.2

Last bottle cork fell apart had to filter into the decanter. These 97' are truly a pleasure. Caramel light purple rim, can smell a faint aged wine with that leads into mature dark fruits. Low Alcohol with black muddy blackberries being the overall tone. Taste... wow! So nice clean, all the way through the pallet with that mild acidity. Definitely drink now as you can get a sense of the fading fruits. But overall this is a superb drink — 7 years ago

Willie Carter

9.1

An immediately attractive light gold color in the glass. A fine, persistent mousse with a terrific amount of tiny bubbles. Very fresh aromas on the nose with honeysuckle, apricots, and plenty of chalk. Roasted nuts are dominant here after some time with fresh cut flowers joining in.

100% Chardonnay aged up to five years on lees. The 8 g/l does show itself but never in a cloying manner. The 40% of reserve wine from Mesnil sur Oger and Avize also clearly show. This is a very mature and earnest champagne. The minerality and exquisite tension set it apart from so many others.

Nice integration and structure here. The high acidity is balanced by the softness of the fruit and the more savory characteristics. The palate follows the nose closely with more toast, citrus, and nice chalk. Long finish that you really don’t want to end. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Pale yellow with pleasing aromas of citrus and sweet peaches. One of the few barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc's which adds a wonderful toasty oak flavor setting this wine apart from the rest. Complex palate of flavors, fresh fruit, lemons, grapefruit, peaches, Asian pears and baked apple with tea and spicy acidity. Slight herb notes with a smooth and creamy well balanced finish ending with a gentle sweet character. A Fav! — 4 years ago

Travis Vathauer

10

A transformational wine. If Jesus made it this good I now know why he has followers. 🤑🤤 — 5 years ago

Andrew S

9.0

Cigar, leather, dust, sweet dark fruits. High acidity and resolved tannins. This was best after 30-45 minutes and started to fall apart after 2.5 hours. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.

As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 6 years ago

Brenda C

9.6

Mmmmmm! Yummy! Had at a bar, not sure the vintage 🙁. But had a little, hmm? Strawberry maybe on the middle palate. Just that something extra to set it apart from just your typical cab. — 7 years ago

William Paley

9.5

sleek and pristine. just a gorgeous wine and falls in that thin slot between new and old worlds. a very beautiful expression from Lompoc. — 4 years ago

with Ron, Marisa and 1 other

Jamie Lauder

9.4

2017 Paul Lato Matinee Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir.
This wine punches so far above its price class. It’s Burgundien in style but never forgets it’s origin. It carries the best of both worlds.
It’s a bright, shiny ruby red in the glass. Aromas of sweet Bing cherries wth spicy raspberries and strawberries. Wow. Amazing flavours of cherries, roses, earthiness, coca and a touch of cola. Overriding everything is an elegance that dances on your tongue but doesn’t overwhelm. We had it with local organic chicken thighs with shio koji and daikon leaves. Amazing. — 4 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.1

Second bottle of this vintage - six months apart. Decanted for an hour left us with a nice opening salvo. Mocha, dense cherry, soft waves of black fruit. A pleasure. — 4 years ago

Robert Ward

9.5

Yes! This is it, a stunning Pinot. I typically favor Oregon pinots to California but this is like the best of both worlds. I have to buy more, in quantity. — 5 years ago

Carsten Rudolph

9.2

Not so full as expected - Fell apart after 2 hours in the decanter — 6 years ago

Nick Ferrall

9.3

Tons of mouthwatering sea salt and energy, with a rounder / elegant finish from sitting on the lees. Best of both worlds! — 6 years ago

Tomo F

9.1

Look 10/10, smell 10/10, taste 18/20, future 8/10.
Medium body and aroma. After 15 years (and I have had it 3 times about 3-4 yrs apart), it seems like this wine is only 1-2 yrs old. No sign of browning of edges. Red berries, wood, soil and a bit of bandaid. Body is slightly closed. Lighter than expected. Have been saying for 10+ yrs that now is a great time to drink — 7 years ago

Eric Egan

9.4

Three vintages 10 years apart (1990, 2000, 2010) - 1990 and 2000 were truly excellent. 2010 was rubbish. All this soft modern winemaking wankery. Rolland and his kind (and the Parkerised drinking gaggle) should be dragged to the stocks and processed quickly and summarily. — 7 years ago