"Beautiful deep ruby in colour, the intense nose releases blackberry, raspberry, ripe plum, cranberry and hints of chocolate, vanilla and a slight earthy note. The palate delivers a complex mix of ripe red and black fruit, exotic spice but also a farm yard earthiness that works very well with the oak infused vanilla notes." — 3 years ago
If wine is bottled poetry, then this is the bottle. — 5 years ago
An excellent Syrah would drink again! I do enjoy them@dry reds — 7 years ago
Medium intensity and dark berries on the nose, low tannin, medium acidity, and a nice finish. Cherries, plum, black currant, slightly jammy, vanilla and oak. Fruity and simple for a Cab but I enjoy this region and it works with my red pasta sauce dish with chicken apple sausage bringing out more acidity and tannin in the wine. — 7 years ago
Great torre in the making. Sweet black and red cherry, strawberry and dusty like tannins. Nice structure. This beauty has 10-15 years ahead of it even with some air and food it already works great — 8 years ago
The best wine in the world.
Wine Works Marlton. — 4 years ago
Tasty! Prototypical Italian DOC. Nothing fancy but works well with food. — 5 years ago
A gift from my daughter....well balanced, fruit upfront and dry on the finish!! A very drinkable wine that works with ribeye or by itself!! — 7 years ago
The 1985 Cristal is powerful and resonant on the palate, with just the earliest hints of oxidative notes starting to appear. The 1985 may not have quite the layers, focus or pedigree of the very best years, but it more than makes up for that with its inviting, generous personality. There is so much to like, including the wine’s soft curves and racy feel. The 1985 is an especially opulent Cristal, with attractive smoky and torrefaction overtones, and exceptional balance. “In 1985, we had a severe frost that lowered yields dramatically,” Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon recounted. “It was a vintage to handle carefully. From what the old-timers told me, because I was not here, set was so bad that the percentage of stems relative to fruit was quite high. Our crew works hard to cut as close as possible, especially in challenging vintages. But I imagine some stems and underripe berries made it into the tanks, resulting in somewhat green, bitter flavors at pressing. In the end though, those qualities have been pretty good for aging. Ultimately, Champagne is a battle between ripeness and greenness. If you are too ripe, you have rot, and if you aren’t ripe enough, you are green. You need to find the optimal window for picking.” (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 8 years ago
The producer is an octogenarian who works in Friuli and has dedicated his life to the discovery, preservation and promotion of near extinct grape varietals. This white has brightness with saline qualities and honey notes. Fresh and floral, it is a lovely wine for the summer.
One other thing: the cork is a composite of two different cork types, the traditional cork sadwiched between the reconstituted type. I don't think I've seen that before. — 8 years ago


Almost opaque, light brickish scarlet. Smokey, dried savory cherry notes…. Gorgeous balance between acid and fruit. Hard to keep from crushing the entire glass. The finish goes on for 90 seconds and makes me smile. Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese is near perfection and works so well with the mountain-grown Nebbiolo. — 2 years ago
Amazing red blend. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It’s bold,earthy, and super supple. Love this wine. Thanks FirstLeaf!!! — 6 years ago
V15. Very good and well balanced. Smoked meat and cedar nose. Juicy black berry fruit. Soft, velvet black pepper finish. Nice wine. — 7 years ago
V10. Delicious. Candied fruit nose. Luscious berry fruits. Zippy black pepper and earth finish. Very good — 8 years ago
A little bit more $$$than I wanted to spend but I had a good hunch. The New Zealand wines have a specific quality that can not be denied but this wine has a pleasant finish that keeps you coming back for just a little more. Then you realize the bottle is done. lol lol. Works well grilled with salmon and shrimp. I also hade roasted potatoes and carrots with escarole. (And Italian bread). Excellent wine! — 8 years ago
David Peifer
It’s been laid down in the cellar for a LONG time. Velvet smooth wonderful port in every way!! — 2 months ago