Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Big and bold Pinot! Deep purple/garnet color. Aromas of cooked black berry/raspberry, purple flowers, black licorice and pepper spice. More black cherry and blueberry fruit on the palate with notes of dark chocolate, baking spices and maple. Quite rich, concentrated and viscous. Velvety tannins and moderately low acidity. Big Pinot! — 11 days ago

Stuart Scheff

8.9

A bit beefy for a Pinot. Enjoyable — a month ago

Kimberly

9.3

Yummy just on its own. — 2 years ago

Daniel Bello

9.4

Best vintage Belle Naturelle — 2 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

There are good steak wines and then there are steak WINES! Not that this is the best wine or steak wines I’ve had. It was simply birthed for steak. Allen Brothers Strip Steak. Seasoned with coarse Garlic Salt/ Pepper and Napa Valley Rub from wholespice.com. If you haven’t had your steak this way, my highest recommendation. The fat & gristle are perfect w/ the 08 Belle-Vue. If you olive oil, heavy coarse salt & pepper your bake potato at 475 for an hour & a half, you’ll discover how great, crispy/crunchy/complex a potato shell can be. Older Bordeaux can be good on its own but with beef or lamb, it’s just a marriage made in heaven. Here’s the rub for my friends & I, we can’t find a steak better than we make. That’s what the Covid years firmed up for us. The 08 vintage was saved with late good weather. It sits somewhere between the good and very good vintages. Drinks better earlier than great to grand vintages. Slightly over achieving its young critical reviews.

The palate shows; drier dark currents-blackberries, black raspberries, black plum dark, not quite ripe cherries, raspberries edges. Dark chocolate baking bar (that’s what French oak does), lead pencil shavings, dark rich earth with dry leaves, limestone powder, dry river stone, dry tobacco, chewy leather, dark, intense spices, nutmeg, some cinnamon, vanillin, caramel hues, saline, fresh & withering, dark, purple flowers with lavender hues, nice acidity with a well structured & balanced, rounded meaty tannin, floral finish that lasts minutes. Medoc is always the place to look for nice wines with value…even better in excellent vintages. Even better in 5 years.

It has another 10 years plus of good drinking ahead properly stored. — 8 days ago

Jenny Hill

9.0

Definitely buy again! — a month ago

Boris Plutov

9.3

Shiraz Day — 2 months ago

with Horseman

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Dairyman Vineyard sits in the southern alluvial plains of the Russian River Valley near the ocean, a region where cooling fog comes in through the Petaluma Gap in the morning and once again in the evening. Bright Ruby, some purple edges, with aromas of ripe berries and baking spices. On the palate flavors of raspberry and black cherry with herb, cedar and cinnamon. Smooth fine tannins, medium+ finish with lively acidity, great structure, ending with fruit and cedar spice. A Fav! — a month ago

Katie Journeay

9.2

Don/Jean dad’s bday dinner — 20 days ago

George Chen

9.3

Held up clean and bright. Beautiful tropical, butterscotch tones nice acid balance and backbone! 2006 vintage — 2 months ago