David Kline

9.2

Big and bold nose shows cedar and espresso and sweet notes of blackberry, violets and cassis. Full bodied and full of muscles. Dark chocolate with espresso aspirations, black cherry and blackberry reductions, black currant and blacker tobacco. Toffee and cedar explode and melt into a lingering, unctuous chocolate ganache.

#elusa #kenefickranchvineyards #cabernetfranc #cabfranc #calistoga #napa #napavalley — 2 years ago

with Courtney

Tom Casagrande

9.4

This wine was clearly made with high aspirations, and it meets them. It’s pretty extracted, but the tannins, while still present in abundance, are starting to settle out. The nose is complex and intense. Dark cassis, graphite, fragrant high-toned smoke, even a floral note. Good acidity. The flavors coat the palate and cling with tenacity. Probably better in 3-5, but fantastic now. — 5 years ago

with Angelo

Stephanie Forbes

9.2

Very drinkable Cabernet. We had the 2019 vintage in October 2021. The price point was excellent as far as I remember! (I think I bought this at Costco). It has a black currant and slightly black pepper flavor and fantastic legs! This is a screw top bottle with big aspirations- and I’m here for it! I will def be looking for this again. — 5 years ago

David Kline

9.0

Ebony dark with short head that diminishes to cirrus surface swirls. Pumpkin pie with baked crust and actual pumpkin smells to boot. Caramelized gourd sugars. Vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cola weight, but tea textured, with coffee aspirations. Tastes of vanilla-cinnamon cookie, gingerbread, anise, allspice, caraway and pine nettle. Expressive in a chai sort of way with a tingle of sarsaparilla. Actually capturing pumpkin in there was a plus. In Florida these seasonal brews remind us what season it is. First of the patch. — 7 years ago

with Courtney

LM Segal

9.2

If I were king American steakhouses would not be allowed to pull fine Baroli before 10 years. Good thing I’m not, as this was scrumptious. 20 min decant and bright red flowers and tarry camphor dominated a Burg-like palate of bright red, cherry stem-tinged fruit. The finish was still a touch dry but this will resolve, unlike my aspirations to the throne! — 8 years ago

LM Segal

9.3

No surprise that winemaker Jeff Ames' resume includes Schrader, Tor and Maybach. Big, wide red with aspirations for ginormous. Pure, extracted black fruit and smoky tobacco throughout. Big, gritty tannins from wood and skins. In 10 years this will be absolutely ethereal if it doesn't suck. Literally. Neat, risky things going on at this winery. — 11 years ago

Vinny Brooklyn

9.6

Simply outstanding. Birth year of my daughter, Paul sent this to me. Traveled with us from NYC to Japan. Cork was a bit problematic. Despite the label notes of timing this was still gong strong. Clearly measured up to Paul’s La Tour great vintage aspirations. Wish we had more than the remaining 1/2 bottle. Textbook wine and not just CA. — 2 years ago

David Kline

9.0

Wintergreen fresh nose with clove and ginger, peppermint and chocolate, peppercorn and mint. Bright and pine-y.
Cinnamon heat, Barolo tar and roses, clove and orange citrus, ginseng sweetness, and cinnamon oil with frankincense aspirations. Gorgeous seasonal offerings that warm the body and soul.

#barolo #barolochinato #chinato #piemonte #christmaswine #spicedwine #nebbiolo #carantita #cocchi #cocchichinato #barolochinatococchi — 5 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.4

Burgfest seminar. From Magnum. Whoa! This is seriously good. Polished and powerful. While this is a 1er Cru in Givry. It seems to have Grand Cru aspirations. Needs 5-10 years in the cellar. Very interesting! — 5 years ago

David Kline

9.3

Über-bubble, if-just hazed, loose ocean foam, goes poof!, then just nebulae. Oily lacing of misfit moustaches. One swirl, though, and instant star nursery. Tangelo-lemon goodness blasts from the glass! Pure tropical mango from the tree. Grapefruit aspirations. Equally bright palate with the focus on a mineral-citrus that finds the perfect palatial trajectory, and sticks the landing on four hops. Namely, Mosaic for the baptismal tesserae, Citra for the gilded apse, Hallertau Blanc for the hallowed ground, and galaxy for the space between. Amen to the combo. Tartaric reverberations through a briny air, really quite evocative. This tastes the way Florida sometimes smells just after a rain. Tropical and saturated, but clean and spring-y. Jasmine, sweet grapefruit pith, lime and lemon. Really a great beer! .
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#cigarcitybrewing #cigarcity #ccb #ccbspacepope #spacepope #mossichops #citrahops #Hallertaublanc #galaxyhops #hoppy #hops #beer #ipa #indiapaleale #bier #biere #birra #cerveza #cerveja #ale #flbeer #flabeer #Tampabeer — 6 years ago

with Courtney

Filip Rokita

9.2

Slight earthiness. Down to the ground. High in aspirations.
Chocolate - the dark kind of. Not sure though if it's 45 or 76% cocoa.
Berries - sure. Mostly black, with some blue too.
All in all an amazing wine. Good after flash and flush. Rounds well down your tongue.


Am hesitant towards expensive bottles of wine - they always promise a lot, there is hype and mostly a lot of dissatisfaction. This one is, although on the pricer side, worth the hype.
— 9 years ago

John D

9.5

'Austintatious' aspirations! — 11 years ago

with Christy

Gareth Tilley

9.0

Not very Crozes-like, more like a burly Hunter Shiraz with Rhone aspirations. Powerful, rich, I'd wait at least 2 more years, when I think more character will emerge. — 12 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2005 | the only Bergerac I ever put in the cellar, after tasting it at Brabantse Wijnsocieteit. After 18 years it still has potential to develop further. Certainly the level of St Emilion Grand Cru or top Cru Bourgeois. It must be difficult when you are a vintner with aspirations to live and work in areas that does not sell at a higher price, like Bergerac. The wine is excellent, deep coloured, laurel and black summerfruit, cherries, a bit rough and stubborn tannins - I popped and poured - and nice aftertaste. I searched for recent years but can only find a white cuvée. Lots of character. | Paired with a burger. — 3 years ago

David Kline

9.2

Rich raspberry and beet, with cola underpinnings, potter’s clay, steamy cherry and red plum with cranberry aspirations. Tastes of tart cherry, raspberry powders, roobios tea, St. John wort, sage and hibiscus. .
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#arnaudbaillot #arnaudbaillotvieillesvignes #arnaudbaillotgevreychambertin #gevrey #geverychambertin #bougogne #burgundy #burg #pinotnoir #bourgognerouge — 5 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

That feeling when you want a gussied-up, old-school California white from an old-school patch of land. Clearly barrel-fermented and with high aspirations, this shows a nice toasty, butterscotchy overlay on grassy, intense, green melony fruit. Great intensity of flavors and crisp, lip-smacking acids carry through on the long finish. It almost seems like it needs a year or two more to come together. This transports me back to the reserve Fume Blancs of the late 1970s. Which is exactly what I wanted tonight. — 5 years ago

David Kline

9.0

Perfect crown! Garden of the gods lacing. Bone colored number, and what structure! Moves like chef’s foam. Dark, bronze-golden body. Orange, peach, cherry and pear blossoms in an arboreal array. Lacing morphing erratically into tropical vines. Warm apple pastry, limoncello, sliced bing cherry, golden beets, and a raisinate grape with honey cake, in an elegant botanical park of aromas. The beer is nothing like this, it is deep and creamy, exhibiting Sauternes barrel richness, Saigon cinnamon, shiitake, maple nut, chocolate pods, pecans, nutmeg, dark caramel, dark honey wheat bread with aspirations to rye. Including a near-caraway. Light coffee notes throughout, conversely tea with a honey spoon.. This is a dichotomy. But an interesting one worth exploring. — 7 years ago

Kat Thomas

Sommelier Rose.Rabbit.Lie

9.4

Enjoying the toasts of the new aspirations for 2016...a little more time to get the richness but still blissed out to toast with this. Apple blossoms & toast, waiting for brioche! — 10 years ago

Dan White

9.0

Blackberry and bramble on the nose. Deep rich berry fruit on the mouth. Rich wine with high aspirations. Love... — 11 years ago

Steven Morgan

Wine Director Formento's

9.1

Pinot that is meant to age. Serious aspirations here. Need to watch out for these when they become available. Clearly made by those who want Pinot to be on the dinner table — 11 years ago