Benchmark Cellars

Pattes Loup (Thomas Pico)

Vent d'Ange Chablis Chardonnay 2020

Very muted in the nose… hardly anything at first, fresh saltiness, barely a hint of green apple & lemon peel. And yet, fresh & enticing.
And then, on the palate this sings! Simply beautiful! With a touch of roundness & creaminess on the palate but also vibrant acidity, salinity, stony minerality. Ripe yellow apple & lemon. Vibrant, juicy and quite complex. Great depth & length.
A benchmark for Chablis & delish!
— 24 days ago

Ira, Pinotman and 3 others liked this
Daniel M

Daniel M

I keep seeing this producer posted on here a lot but I must confess I had never heard of it while I was still living back home. Now I want to discover it 😊 thank you for sharing!

Benchmark Wines

Criterion Collection Chianti Classico Sangiovese

Very good value Chianti, med bodied great flavor from the 2020 — 6 months ago

Las Vertientes

Benchmark Red Blend

Love this wine - Christina — 3 years ago

Descendientes de José Palacios

Pétalos Bierzo Mencía 2017

Benchmark Mencia! Unusually elegant style for Spain grace to the cool Galician climate while the old vines ensure intensity. Slightly oak driven and not overly complex. — 4 years ago

Ira and Peter liked this

Enderle & Moll

Muschelkalk Pinot Noir 2022

Fleshy and big at this point with amazing tannins. Too young. Cherry 🍒 driven at this point - the classic E&M black forest herbs are there. Seems to me comparable to a GC Vosne. This is a tremendous effort and will improve over time to a glorious benchmark Pinot. I suspect my rating will go up to a 9.8+ in 5 years. What a wine! Should have bought cases! — 2 months ago

Spencer, Scott@Mister and 5 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

What does this price out at retail?
Pinotman /// Andreas

Pinotman /// Andreas

Check with vom Boden the Importeur in New York if they have this. Muschelkalk translates into/= Limestone from sea shells. The other rare wine from them is called Bundsandstein/Red Sandstone. Typically the winery makes only 1-3 barrels and I have not seen the wine on the shelf recently. My guess would be ca. 80$. These wines are underpriced for what they are and i have been following them since 2009. I did get my bottles from Lyle Fass an E-mail direct Importer for ca. 60$ and are sold out every year. They might not carry the prestige of a Burgh but for me these are the most interesting Pinots.

William Hill Estate Winery

Benchmark Napa Valley Red Blend 2014

ESF
9.3

In the pocket w/long life ahead: solid Napa CS - usually priced out of these wines, but I picked this up years ago and decided to see where it was: super inky, not a sign of age, very generous fragrant nose right away, lots of [chambord] liqueur like blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, cassis, and well integrated oak. Rich luscious viscous on palate, finely grained tannins, loads of fruit from nose and a lengthy finish. Perfect w/ribeye — 8 months ago

Aravind, Vanessa and 7 others liked this

Les Vins Contés (Olivier Lemasson)

R Red Blend

Benchmark wine for me. First favorite wine. 13% but drinks a bit lighter. Peppery. Cab franc comes through. Prefer the ptit rouquin these days. — 4 years ago

Michael and Eric liked this

Benchmark Wines

Criterion Collection Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

6 person cab tasting first place votes and tied for first votes from the land down under this cab was very impressive loads of complexity here especially for the price chocolate covered berries on the front with a earthy middle and a spice finish not the loudest flavors but lots of them great complexity definitely something good going on in south Australia — 4 months ago

Ray liked this

Cullen Wines

Kevin John Margaret River Chardonnay 2015

3/6.75/9.75 = 19.5 out of 100 say 98
Eight year Kevin John - lovely with pear on the nose and pear with perfectly balanced acid on the palate. Sets a high benchmark for all premium Chardonnay.
— 6 months ago

Jacques Selosse

Lieux Dits Les Carelles Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Chardonnay

(Disgorged 1/19)- Always my favorite of the Lieux-Dits and without question one of the very best Blanc de Blancs Champagnes on the planet, it’s stunning tonight, rich, powerful and intense with crazy depth to its layers, unfurling in a Burgundy glass to reveal its complex core of rich orchard fruit, roasted nuts, gun smoke, old rum barrels and candied white flowers, all with seamless integration and balance. The palate is generous and detailed, with racy acids, waves of saline laced chalky Le Mesnil minerals and a finish that just keeps going. For me, the BdB benchmark. — 8 months ago

Jan, Severn and 8 others liked this