Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

Vintage 2011 | In praise of the cooperatives ☺️ This wine from Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Abouriou was really hard when young. And now after 12 years it reveals its qualities: cherries and spices in smell, smooth velvety taste, very vibrant and still with tannins present. It gives joy. Paired with spaghetti garlic, anchovies and parsley. — 6 months ago

Vanessa

9.1

Fascinating red blend produced by Mas de Daumas Gassac coming from the St Guilhem-le-Désert – Cité d'Aniane IGP in the Languedoc region of Southern France. 🇫🇷

Mas de Daumas Gassac is known for its unique red glacial soils that are well-draining and rich in mineral oxides (iron, copper, etc.), helping to nourish but also stress (in a good way!) the approx. 42-year-old vines, which can enhance concentration of fruit character. It is also known for its philosophy of respecting the land it farms and honoring the ecosystem of the Gassac Valley. 🌳

When I say fascinating blend, I mean, look at the list of varieties comprising this wine, based upon the winemaker’s tech sheet:
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Pinot Noir, 2% Malbec, and 4% rare grape varieties, including: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Montepulciano (Italy), Armigne (Switzerland), Arenie, Areni Noir (Armenia), Bastardo, Souzon (Portugal), Saperavie (Russia), Tchkaveri, Tchekavesi (Georgia), Brancalleo (Galicia), Carmenere, Abouriou (old French grape varieties) and Plavac Mali (Croatia). 🍇🍇🍇

👀This wine has a medium purple hue and noteworthy staining and tearing on the glass.

👃On the nose, it has youthful and robust, primary notes of ripe black fruit, such as black cherry, plum, blackberry bramble, also anise, violet, dried lavender, licorice,
pipe tobacco, also secondary notes of dark chocolate, nutmeg, and cedar. The intensity is medium(+).

👄On the palate, this wine is dry. It has medium(+) acidity, a full body, high alcohol (14.1%), and medium(+) tannins that are supple but very present. The intensity of flavors is medium(+) and more tart than ripe, but otherwise consistent with the nose. The finish is medium(+).

👏👏👏 This wine is delicious and could age for many more years, but even in its youth, it’s delightful, complex, and full of intense dark fruit character.  — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Tree Kilpatrick

9.8

Finally opened this special bottle to try with my wine posse. Simple label. My favorite color scheme of red and black. From a 4 acre block that is the only known planting in CA. Aged 12 years. Hint of rust on the edge of the lip, but still pretty dark and bright for its age. Smells like attics, old books and cherry scones. Maybe a hint of horehound candy? Flavors are very old world. Savory fruit paste (membrillo coated in olive oil, black olives without the salt, herb and fruit liquors, licorice). There is also a cherry streak. Like halfway between fresh and dried black cherries. This is a wine for folks who want it strange and unpredictable. And with aging it’s even more in that vain. Would like to see what the younger vintages are like, but this would be hard to beat. — 8 months ago

Joe Weinberger

9.0

Juicy boi. — 4 years ago

Josue Gonzalez

9.9

Super cherry, juicy, California cab and Cab Franc love child... — 4 years ago

with Tami

Neil Harris

10

Other worldly — 4 years ago

Clay Summers

9.0

Nice sweet and tart balance…Real jolly rancher vibes. Light body and easy drinking. This’ll be a go to summer wine for sure. — a year ago

Neil Blaze

9.1

Classy. Very smooth with polished tannins. Not as aromatic as I had hoped, but the texture was so velvety. A very well-made bottle of wine that had great balance. 60% Merlot, 20% Abouriou, 20% Cabernet Franc. 12/26/22. — 2 years ago

donat agosti

9.1

Côtes du Marmandais, https://www.emilienjean.com/, 2017. 75% de Merlot et 25% d’Abouriou. Very pleasant and drinkable — 4 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.2

Really fun to try this Cab Franc/Mencia/Abouriou blend. Lots of dark fruit, tilled earth, and organic funk. Tannins out the wazoo! — 4 years ago

with Krystal