Bob McDonald

9.3

Very pale crimson - almost transparent. Aromas of red cherry and violets. Like many good Pinots pale in colour but M+ palate Intensity - an elegant wine finishing with fine tannins. Bell Hill produces some of the rarest and most sought after wines in New Zealand. I have visited all the major wine producing areas in New Zealand but I have never been to Canterbury - not far from Christchurch. — 14 days ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Double decant for sediment and pour(some fine sediment). A majestic still dark purplish garnet color. On the nose: beautiful notes of dark berries, planting soil, worn leather, dark chocolate, stewed meat. Taste: energetic, balanced, soft wine with red cherry/plum, clove, orange peel, spice, green bell pepper, and a smoked graphite medium plus finish. YUM! Nice aged old school Napa cab with time to go. — a year ago

with Brenda

Lee Lightfoot

9.1

Sweaty dried red fruit tobacco and bell pepper — 5 years ago

Janet Coleman

9.0

Structured dark fruit. Love it. 2017 vintage — 5 years ago

Emily Steedman

9.4

Beautiful wine for a beautiful day in Napa — 6 years ago

Patrick

9.0

Nice bottle. Rounded out fruit and tannins, great pairing with Italian. — 8 years ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.2

85 percent Cab with blend of complementary reds. Should age well. June 2018. — 8 years ago

Tom Garland

9.4

Decant and pour.  On the nose:  dark fruit, pencil shavings, green bell pepper, leather, mushrooms.   Taste:  a brooding, still austere, structured wine with dark fruit, cassis, smoked earth, cigar, minerals, crushed stone.  Some pronounced tannins want you to give it more time for a better score in the future.

At Cote, Last Vegas — 3 months ago

with Brenda and

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1989 vintage. WOTD! Funky, old grandparents nose for a spell, then blew off. Still a bit of the feminine (blueberries, raspberries, cocoa powder) characteristics evident. Better than the last bottle tasted (4.4.23 a 9.4) but not as good as another fairly recently (12.9.22 a 9.6). Still pretty damned delicious and still at the top of the bell curve for another half-decade or so. Hit. It. Now. Ain’t getting better. 5.5.23. — 3 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This was in its prime, interesting nose with notes of dark fruits, berry, currant, leather, brambly, earth, animal, bell pepper & tobacco. — 5 years ago

Erik Reif

9.5

Fantastic nose, great balance of acidity and mouthfeel. — 5 years ago

Michael Herzog

9.0

Glad to hear they are doing okay in Sonoma right now. Nice balance between the fruit and acidity. Great with potato leek soup. — 7 years ago

FinerTastes

9.4

Celebrating Christmas with our favorite red blend. — 8 years ago

with Sarah and Kristen

Rick Jordan

9.0

VINTAGE: 2004
BOTTLE: 375ml
APPEARANCE: Deep red, garnet meniscus, viscous legs.
NOSE: Allspice, white pepper, bell pepper, dark fruits.
MOUTHFEEL: Round, medium - acidity, medium + tannins.
PALATE: Cinnamon, tomato leaf, leather, hints of vanilla.
FINISH: Long with sandalwood throughout and some cocoa at the very end.
NOTES: Picked this up in December of 2017, thinking the 375 bottle will have made this ready to drink immediately. Was not wrong, it is drinking well, but there is sufficient backbone left in this wine to age for many more years to come, even in a 375. Nice layers of complexity that were fun to tease out, but still many notes that I don’t yet have the ability to properly identify. I look forward to trying again with more years under its belt. — 9 years ago

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(decent chunky sediment). A striking medium purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Inviting notes of dried red fruit, currants, pencil shavings, floral, stewed meat, milk chocolate. Taste: fully mature, savory, silky wine with dried plum, ground coffee, earth, minerals, tobacco, and a sour cherry/green bell pepper/graphite long finish. YUM!! Drink em if you got em. — 4 months ago

with Brenda

Walter Fahr

9.1

Above average Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc. Rich, mild citrus flavor. Paired very well with shrimp. — 4 years ago

KD

9.0

Medium dark purple ruby. Cranberry, ligonberry, red cherry and blackberry on the nose with some bell pepper, smoke and tobacco. Medium body, acidity and tannins with chalky minerality and delicate notes of cherry, cranberry with pepper, smoke and discrete oak. Black licorice on the medium long finish. The nose is more intense than the palate which leads to a smooth, easy drinking wine. Coravined. — 5 years ago

Marc Melser

9.4

We had the 2013 Vintage on 5/2-3/21. This was a terrific full bodied, well balanced wine. Tastes of blackberry, plum, kirsch and vanilla on the palate. The tannins were smoothed out. A great example of the Napa floor. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Just love this wine, great value, can’t get enough! Belle Pente (bell-pont') means "beautiful slope" - for their 70 acre hillside vineyard & winery site in Willamette Valley. Bright Ruby red with aromas of red fruits, herb spices and hints of blossom notes. On the palate strawberry and cherry flavors, slight sweet undertones, herb notes and smooth tannins. Well balanced on a long finish ending with mineral herb notes. Nice!! Great value. — 6 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2005 vintage. Fantastic leather, dark plum, cedar, tobacco and sawdust nose. Medium body. Superdry finish that just goes on and on and on. Close to the top of its’ particular bell curve. — 8 years ago