Daniel M

9.2

What a wine! The nose is so complex with blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry, dark cherries, tar, oak, mushrooms, autumn damp forest soil, tobacco, cigar box... this is great. The palate is superb! Big, broad and long, with some width, some matter on the sides, some nice black and red berries all along, a touch of oak, a silky mouthfeel that rolls on the tongue, integrated tannins that caress and hug in the rear, and a very long finish with the same berries, a subtle drying layer, some oaky touches, a savoury note and eventually some bitterness that pops up in the very end. This is 16 year-old and kicking. This is grand !
I should add that I had a glass of this using my coravin a few months back and the wine wasn't showing as well as it does now. — 22 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.

I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.

The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.

The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.

What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle. — 7 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

+1 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A splendid dark ruby red color. On the nose: Intoxicating/intense nose of black fruit, dark currants, worn leather, forest floor, coffee grounds, minty dark chocolate. Taste: smooth, satiny, structured, balanced wine with chocolate covered brambly blackberry, tobacco, earth, cedar, black pepper, and a herbal licorice long finish. A medium body old world style wine that shows well right now and should continue to provide more years of enjoyable sipping. — 2 years ago

with Brenda

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

2nd Ribcap wine. Delicious!

2006 followed the grand 2005 vintage. It was overpriced based on 2005 & critically reviewed as a difficult vintage. I can tell you 06 was overpriced, but still a good to very good vintage depending on the region & producer.

The fruits are classic Bordeaux…nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, very dark cherries, black plum, plum, mix of strawberries & red cherries. Wet, volcanic clay, lead pencil for days, slightly, dry tobacco, dark spices, mix of mostly dry & fresh herbs, clove, nutmeg, some cinnamon & vanillin, volcanic ash, used leather, sandalwood to cedar, forest floor w/ dry leaves, dry river stone, steeped, dark fruit tea, withering, slightly candied; dark, red florals with hints of violets, round, fresh, river stream acidy, a plush, round, elegant, nicely; tensioned, structured, balanced and elegant polished finish that last 90 seconds. — 2 years ago

John W

10

Dark ruby coloration with no translucency. On the nose, strong cocoa powder, chocolate, espresso, cherry liquor, blueberry, currants, smokiness, and vanilla. On the palate, full bodied and very soft. Florals, black currant, blackberry, blueberry, anise, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, espresso, forest floor, minerals and a long, long finish. This wine has aged exceptionally well while maintaining good structure. — 3 years ago

Raun Kupiec

9.0

Earthy. Deep. Smooth. Black cherries and forest berries. Nice gentle integrated tannins with a decent finish. — 5 years ago

with Barbara

Lyn Farmer

9.3

This is a very well made wine drinking at its peak right now. It still has lovely primary aromas and flavors of cassis, black cherry and cedar but is now showing more tertiary notes of dried violet, forest floor, leather, mushroom and tobacco. Good balance of fruity with acidity, velvety medium tannin and full body framed by 13.5%abv. Very satisfying with beef tenderloin. — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.5

1 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A striking dark garnet with some bricking. On the nose: beautiful areomatics jump from the glass with black/red fruit, currants, smoked meat, forest floor, herbaceous, worn leather. Taste: silky, balanced layers of flavor wine with dark cherry/blackberry, chocolate, spice, earth and a iron/graphite long finish. YUM!! Could drink all night, but going down too quickly. — 6 months ago

Nathan Renfro

9.7

First bottle of the 2010. This is gonna be a really special wine but I think it need another 5-7 years. Tannins and softened, fruit is there, acidity is still strong, and don’t get me wrong it’s great now with a couple hour decant, but in a few years it’ll be really nice. Getting black, blue, and dark red fruit, ripe and juicy. Man so silky in the mouth. Graphite, stone, forest floor, cedar, hints of camphor, black licorice. Wonderful. Nice medium + finish. Really nice, only going to get better! — 10 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Liked the 2014 even better. This is less earthy. Lime, black forest herbs hard to describe. Raspberry, Oregano, Cherry .🍒 crushed rock - drink up! — 10 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby, almost Inky in color with a wide brick rim.

Nose of black and red fruits, tobacco leaf, light oak, earth, forest floor, light mildew, coffee, black tea, pencil lead, black chocolates and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, cooked cherries, currants, light wood, earth, herbs, light vegetables, tobacco leaf, black pepper, chocolates, vinaigrette and light green vegetables.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 17 year old Bordeaux is still drinking beautifully. Rich, with enough fruits to balance the earth notes.

I did not decant it, and let it open up in the bottle. Drinks nicely right out of the bottle, and much better after 3 hours of airtime.

A delicious second wine. Loved to see the low alcohol level.

I don't see it getting any better from this point, so if you have any, drink up.

I had it blind and called 2006 Left Bank Bordeaux. I'm happy with that call.

A great sipping wine. Well balanced, and good by itself.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.

13% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$80. — a year ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Deep Ruby with pronounced aromas of ripe dark berry fruits and earthy forest floor notes, from this hot 2017 vintage. On the palate flavors of black cherry and plum with cacao, cedar, espresso and pepper spice. Fine soft tannins, great balance, complex long finish ending with earthy herbs, fruit and oaky notes. Nice! Small production, 850 cases made! — 2 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Inky in color with a very short reddish/ brick rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity

Showing black fruits with earth, bell pepper, tobacco, oak, dark coffee, pencil lead, bitter herbs, earth, light roasted bell pepper and forest floor.

Soft tannins on the tangy finish.

This 10 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is probably on its way out. Still very drinkable, but a little unbalanced and showing lots of earth notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after two hours of air time.

Showing nice complexity at this point, but a little bitter for my taste.

Although still good, I expected more from this second wine from this producer and this vintage.

90 points.

$80 (current vintage). — 4 years ago

Inseon Hwang

9.6

Deep garnet, dark fruit - plum, black cherries, blackberries. Organic forest floor, some river stones, mushroom. Slight tobacco. — 2 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.5

An absolutely incredible single vineyard Brunello from a landmark vintage. Dark ruby color with a slight brick rim. Aromas of forest floor, bramble fruit, tar and dried herbs. Flavors of black cherry, tobacco, black licorice and coffee. Long and luxurious finish and just enough velvety tannin to enhance and lengthen the experience. Medium-plus body and perfectly balanced acidity. Powerful, yet beautifully well structured. Still incredibly vibrant. Sangiovese at its finest! This wine has a personality all its own. Thanking Petey for making this incredible selection. Happy Birthday, Kase! — 3 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim. Doesn't show much age.

Beautiful nose with red and black fruits, chocolates, tobacco leaf, vegetables, forest floor, black tea, earth, coffee, herbs, spices, black pepper and wildflowers.

Full bodied and soft with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, black plums, currants, oak, light chocolates, coffee, mushrooms, licorice, tobacco leaf, earth, herbs and spices.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a gorgeous 24 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Saint Julien. Rich and elegant. Spicy and very complex. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Drinking at its peak now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.

A great sipping wine that is so much fun to drink by itself.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (33% new) French oak barrels for 18 months.

13% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$150. — 9 months ago

Vanessa

9.5

Château Latour is an iconic estate in the Pauillac commune on the left bank of Bordeaux, achieving coveted ‘First Growth’ status in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.

The estate has roots dating back to the 14th century and derives its name ‘La Tour’ from a fortress tower built during the Hundred Years’ War, which no longer exists but is prominently featured on the label in recognition of its history.

We weren’t sure what to expect, as many have predicted these 1983s are likely past their prime, but this wine was a masterpiece. 🤩

It was medium garnet in color with expressive notes of cedar box, cigar, clove, peat, leather, forest floor, fig, prune, dried black cherry, plum, cassis, blackberry compote, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, dried violet, potpourri, kalamata olive, pencil shavings, graphite, & bacon fat.

It had the most velvety, fine-grained tannins that washed across the palate with ease, with a gentle but notable acidity that maintained lift and balance. It was concentrated, complex, and had a long, elegant finish. — a year ago

with Deked1

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Deep Ruby with aromas of black fruits, spice and dried herbs. On the palate flavors of blackberry, currants and ripe cherry with cedar spice and forest herbs. Fine firm tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, cedar and earthy character. Good value! — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Taken to the Forest Theater in Carmel. Great nose with notes of red and black fruit, Herbs de Provence, wispy brush and some dry earth. Nice mouth feel and texture. I haven’t been a big fan of this vintage but this was very nice. — 4 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.8

Second bottle this week. Same vintage 2014 what a difference! Out of the gate awesome. The other bottle was just flawed. I took it off the website. Refined cherry 🍒 so soft. More in 20 min. Orange juice, raspberry, resinous, 🌿 Black Forest herbs. Very very classic Enderle & Moll. A benchmark wine. Boy is this good. I would suggest however to drink up. And while these are getting more expensive I bought into the 2021 vintage and will visit them in June. They have shown that their wines WILL age. Essentially drank the bottle myself at the party. — 4 years ago