Jerry Raphael

9.4

. This Garys did not disappoint; loaded with fruit, flowers and spice notes all around. Taste had the same and a bit of cola and some minerality. Very smooth finish just a very enjoyable wine.

Last bottle of Garys, in fact no more Rosella and Pisoni either. Always thought the Garys’ were the best. Rosella were okay and forget about the Pisoni. Pisoni were either so over the top it was undrinkable and then another bottle was stunning - stopped buying them early on. Still have a bunch of Roar’s Sierra Mar and SLH. But over all, prices too high and I’m too old to hold wines for 5 to 10 years before drinking them. — 7 days ago

Jerry Raphael

9.2

Excellent cab and loaded with dark berries some spice and cedar. It just seemed savory and smooth from start to finish. — a month ago

Jerry Raphael

9.2

Very enjoyable, with a lot going on. Loaded with blackberry and dark fruits, along with violet, licorice, spice, and floral notes. A nice long finish to round it out. This was a 375 ml bottle and cost $16.99 back in the day—hard to argue with that value.
I still have some older Vintage Ports resting in the cellar and will get to them in due time—no rush. NYE dinner at Anthony’s in HH was a great way to cap it off. — 3 months ago

Jerry Raphael

8.9

Nice finish to an excellent meal at Zahav — a month ago

Jerry Raphael

8.9

Notes of Raspberry, stone fruit, and some light spice notes, very refreshing. Not a big Rose fan especially in the winter but went great with the apps a Zahav in Philly.

— a month ago

Jerry Raphael

9.5

Hosted a tasting for a wine group I’ve been part of for over 40 years. I came across this 56-year-old Port in my cellar and felt it was time to drink it—and with exactly the right people to share it.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Right after decanting, my first taste was mostly alcohol, but then it just kept opening and opening. Everything came into balance—nose, palate, and finish were all excellent and incredibly smooth.
Loaded with dark dried plums, figs, cherries, and brown sugar, along with spice and a touch of pepper. I served it with apple pie and blue cheese crumbles, which turned out to be a great match.
— 2 months ago

Jerry Raphael

9.0

Very nice Northern Rhone red blend with some white wines as well. Drinking great and enjoyable but a lot going on at dinner. — a month ago

Jerry Raphael

9.1

Jerry had this a month ago

Jerry Raphael

9.1

Jerry had this a month ago

with Andrew

Jerry Raphael

9.5

Well, here we are two years later, back at the same BYOB for New Year’s Eve with the same wine. I figured 35 years was enough—it was time to drink it.
Same treatment as in 2024: opened and decanted, then poured about two hours later. This time the nose offered noticeably more—cedar, a touch of vegetal character, and dark berries. On the palate, dark berries again took the lead. The finish was good, but at the very end it seemed to stop just a bit short but still giving it a 95. At Anthony’s — 3 months ago