Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1996 vintage. Multiple (6) bottles tasted 1hr, 2hrs and 4 hrs after decanting. Kinda brusque and pushy currently. Bruising and lacking finesse/manners. Tastes like it will go steady at this level for another 5 years or so...where it goes after that...? 4.4.23. — a year ago

David Kline

9.1

A hazy honey of an ale in antique gold with a quick cloud of beige froth, then just big bubbles popping to the tune of pond life. Veggie nose of sweet carrot, yellow squash, and white mushroom, pushing away grapefruit and lime. Sour orange, lemon marmalade and orange bread with kumquats, green mangoand quince softly padding after. Mined salts, clementine sections, beet greens and white pepper linger. This is a refreshing, versatile IPA that would love to play with your food. Mind your manners! — 5 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.2

Found a decent one here...

Update... More than decent. This is an excellent Rioja. We are here in Cartagena, Colombia. Wine lists are very short. Everything is almost 4X USA retail. Even Argentinian and Chilean is way over priced. Whatever... I get it. But, tonight is a great example of where it pays to know or research a tad about wine (which is is about what I know).

Here at Sofitel's highly-rated restaurant, I almost settled for Marches de Caceres, Crianza for 225000 Col. Pesos ($78 USD)--this is plentiful and 13 bucks at home.

Then I see this bottle which I've never had for 270000 pesos ($93 USD). Looked up the reviews (cheated a little there) and much better-- and it carries an average US price of $35. So went with it... Surprisingly, he brings out a 2008, no one orders it I guess. Dynamite bottle.

PS For all of the ladies worried about my analytical table manners.... I decided this all in 35 seconds. I'm a statistician. My wife only knew the wine was awesome.

92+ points — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.4

2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣4️⃣

🗞 Ice Bucket, Ebola, Rosetta 💫
🎵 Happy, Shake it off
🎥 Guardians of 🌌, John Wick, Kingsman
🗣 Manners Maketh Man
🌍 7.17B

Fab £70 drop that will age yummily 😍

🍷 Golden straw

👃 Lemon oil, crushed rock flinty minerals & apricot w/ white flowers, tropic tones, chalk, vanilla, pear, honey & soft smoke

👄 Med+ body of rich balanced creamy sappy gooey lemon w/ green apple, pear & lime in fresh minerals & med acidity

🎯 Long magnetic citrus fresh buttery zingy crisp mineral dry linger — 6 years ago

Tom Balamaci

9.0

Fun, drinkable, with oomph up front but balance as it develops. I wouldn’t call it restrained—it makes a statement then resolves with good manners. — 3 years ago

One More Round HK

10

Gagged. So good your guests forget their manners and guzzle the rest before you get a second glass. — 4 years ago

Roman Sukley

10

2005 Sine Qua Non "The 17th Nail in My Cranium" Sta. Rita Hills Syrah
Buckle your chinstraps folks because tonight we’re headed to the wine world equivalent of the summit of Mt. Everest. The absolute pinnacle in the Universe of wine for yours truly. The “it just don’t get any better than this” moment as far as grapes are concerned. Let me begin first with the name of this magic elixir. If memory serves, it was derived from a combination of the fact that this was the 17th Syrah produced in the Garage d’Or otherwise known as Sine Qua Non, and, in that same year, Manfred was felled by a rogue barrel requiring several staples to close the gash to his cranium, hence... "The 17th Nail in My Cranium"
The wine is a blend of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier which was aged 38+ months prior to bottling. % alcohol. 4 hour decant at cellar temperature. Achromatic Raven black motor oil in my Zalto. Undoubtedly, the wines I find most compelling are of the “swirl, sniff and contemplate” variety, and this one might just set the benchmark. Explosive aromatic potpourri of blackberry jam, roasted coffee, fresh ground black pepper, graphite and spice with a faint floral arrangement lurking somewhere in the background. On the palate, sweet cherry compote and black currant with undertones of roasted game and black olives. A big, full bodied wine that’s light on its feet. A tightrope walker. A powerhouse with impeccable manners. Elegant and lithesome. A ballet dancer. Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov in his prime. Complex, with layers of flavors in beautiful, perfect harmony. Crosby, Stills & Nash singing “Suite Judy Blue Eyes.” The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations.” Perfect balance. Pure, silky mouth feel. Immeasurable finish. And I mean that literally, as in it just continues on and on. Just utter perfection. A wine that is in fact so entirely perfect as to eliminate the need for a search for an alternative. The last word. To paraphrase The Bard, this wine “might (just) be the be-all and the end-all.”

— 6 years ago

James K

10

Rating provided by the kids who have decided they love “kid wine.” I decided not to adjust their rating as this bottle gave us 45 minutes of good manners and an extremely pleasant Thanksgiving dinner. — 3 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Oooh Nebbiolo is a sexy wine for a chilly rainy noir winter’s night. Smells like a library someone burnt incense in a couple of nights ago. It’s aggressive in the mouth. Those tannins are fighting but underneath them are the flower petals and between bramble and bite and delicate manners it’s a fun wine for an excellent price. — 4 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.3

This is on an upcoming podcast but I cannot help but share here first. But please listen for other wines until this one surfaces in a couple of weeks.This wine is a very aggressive lemon. Like a lemon who hangs out in an alcoholic lemonade then shakes itself out, but lets a bit of its skin hang on to back it, then that lemon leaps into your mouth and you can feel the booze in it but this lemon carries a bouquet of white flowers to ease you into the convo. It’s like a guy dating you who has all the manners but is enough aggressive for....me. I like a smidge of aggression in men and wine. Then you feel the wine’s bitter nature. Few know Santorini wines and their underlying bitterness. Sum up? This wine is alcohol infused lemons which also were soaked in vinegar and show up bearing velvet white flowers. Hot DAMN am I gonna be looking out for the Greeks. To love. — 6 years ago

with Shaughn