Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.1

Brewery Bhavana 'Bloom' dry cardamom triple
Raleigh NC. 8.1%
Label story is that brewer spent time in Kerala India.
Medium plus gold. Pale head that disipates rapidly. Green resinous cardamom aromas combine with tropical/banana and Candi sugar in the nose. Palate plays the banana note again, along with ginger, cardamom and a vaguely tropical custard flavor (soursop/cherimoya?). On a second taste the in mouth aroma is more of a baked banana bread with cinnamon. Quite complex and very well balanced, ending with a warming alcoholic exhale. — 19 hours ago

Jake Hajer

9.3

Religious philosopher Martin Luther said in the 1500s that wine is made by god and beer is made by man. (As grapes ferment naturally and nothing needs to be added and beer is a recipe). -this is a Mexican chocolate cake stout. It is exactly that and perfectly balanced: chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, habanero (earthy heat). The recipe is spot on. — a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

10

Blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 1% Merlot sourced estate-owned vineyards in Rutherford (30%), South Napa (22%), the St. Helena home ranch (17%), and Stag's Leap District (Barboza Vineyard, 17% and Las Rocas Vineyard, 14%). Just opened this, 14 years in the bottle after a couple of years in the barrel! Still tasting well, young and juicy, should easily last another 14 years in the bottle. Deep Ruby, dark fruits, spice, complex nose. Palate reflects juicy rich berry fruits, well structured harmonious wine. Fine soft rich tannins, long finish ending with fruit, tobacco and earthy tones. Wow! — 14 days ago

ESF

9.0

See previous note, this has only gotten better! — 15 days ago

Ron from VA

8.9

Surprisingly good AFTER a lot of aeration. After 30 months in barrel and years on my rack I thought this would be in a good drinkable place from the cork, which was not unpleasant by the way. The predominant notes of Merlot and PV shown through in all stages, but the big take away was the breath and complexity increased with a couple days of air. (Vac’d plug of course) juicy, harvest fresh berries combined with just enough structure and herbal intrigue to make this delightful with artisan sausage pizza and our house smoky bacon bean soup. I had a chance to get a second bottle but it will be fun for someone else to taste a touch of North Carolina’s better half.  — a month ago

Jeff Miller

9.9

Amazing wine. Subtle sweetness undertone after evident fruit (cherry and maybe raspberry?). Gold medal well earned. — 4 days ago

Billy L.

8.9

Sparkling Syrah Cheers 🥂 — 16 days ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a nice surprise.

Inky in color with a wide purplish rim.

On the nose cherries, blueberries, black currants, black plums, herbs, spices, light tobacco, light oak, dark chocolates and light earth.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, ripe cherries, oak, light vanilla, spices, licorice, red candy, light earth, peppercorn, coffee, chocolates and herbs.

Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Los Angeles County. Easy drinking once it opens up properly. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet from Malibu Coast, is already showing nice complexity.

Needs 90 minutes in a decanter to open up properly, so be patient.

This 4 year old is starting to drink nicely now, but still young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Showing good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Smooth, rich and elegant. Fruit-forward and tangy. Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with BBQ Meats. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. Aged in 100% new French Oak barrels for 22 months.

15.1% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$150. — 5 days ago

Jake Hajer

9.2

Imperial stout brewed with honey and aged in port barrels. One year bottle age. Good sweet/sour balanced. Tart plums. Bitter and big. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.6

This bottle of 2016 Vice Versa “Dr. Crane Vineyard” (BBS) was generously provided by a friend who selected it from his cellar to share over dinner at V. Mertz. This is the BBS (Best Barrel Select) of the Dr. Crane Vineyard which, I guess, is deemed the best tasting barrel by the winemaking team. Popped and poured. No formal notes but I can state with absolutely certainly that the juice is well and truly special. The wine is still quite youthful but already very easy to love. Beautifully layered dark fruits with tobacco, cocoa, stone-like minerals and deftly integrated baking spices. The structure is firm, leaving little doubt about the long life yet ahead. That being said, everything is so well balanced. I have a very strong feeling this will be one of those wines that never really shuts down. While they are two very different wines from different parts of the world, I found this to be a very handsome compliment to the 2015 “Tintot” we drank just before. This was also very nice with the lamb chops we had for dinner. Drink now or through 2036.
— 8 days ago