FabianG

8.9

#unitedpolaris — 3 months ago

Ming L

8.9

Spotted this 100-year co-op bottling front the great 16’ vintage for only $25, and could not resist to pick up one.
Stewed black and blue berries, black currant, ripe raspberry, dry herbs, hint of cured meat and leather on the nose. Medium body. The candied red fruits on the the palate feels a bit syrupy to me. The medium acidity leaning towards sour.
Predominately Grenache. Great price for a CdP. — 2 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Vinaigrette salad with dried, dark cherries & caramelized walnuts calls for Pinot Noir. In fact, the wine needs the salad to really sing. Wine speaks deeply to the skin of the caramelized walnuts.

The one thing about Burgundy is you can get pre-ox, barnyard and VA. Here, you get just a touch of soft VA.

The palate is; round, lush darker fruits that are very ruby. Ripe & more extracted; blackberries, stewed black, plum, dark cherries, plum pudding, blueberries, black raspberries, dried cranberries, raspberries & strawberries on the way to fermentation. Moist clay, dry top soil, sludgy limestone, dark chocolate, notes of maple & brown sugar, dry herb, deeply grilled meats, dry & fresh tobacco, leather notes, oak powder, charcoal, forest floor, dark, tree sap, berry cola, blended black & red licorice, dark spices with a touch of heat, tea with sediment with candied, ruby, dark florals; dark, red, purple & blue florals. The acidity is round & beautiful. The finish is solid wire to wire, rich, lush, well knitted & balanced, sexy and persists endlessly.

Vincent Girardin in excellent vintages, like 2010, is one of my go to value producer for reds & blancs.

VA fades as you sip...salad assists as well.

1/15/21
— 3 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

Night and day difference in showing from this bottle in March. In hindsight, I think the last one may have had travel shock. Tonight, 2013 CSJ coming from 100+ year old vines is superb after a lengthy slow ox, soaring from the glass with crazy aromatic intensity showing a delicate oak framed red and blue fruited profile with winter citrus, cocoa bean and red roses. The palate shows Grand Cru depth, stunning elegance and purity with fine grained tannins and a penetrating salty mineral laced finale that goes on and on. It’s still young, but 13’s from the big dogs are really starting to shine. Hold the reductive 12’s and tannic 14’s and pop the elegant 13’s. — 2 years ago

Morgan Diamant

9.5

Drinking so beautifully for its age. Showing its complexity. Really floral on the nose, still has tart cranberry & currant with acidity still present supporting its structure. Red apple, raspberry, blue & black berries on the mid-palate, with mushroom & earthy finish. — 3 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.0

Racy California-grown Beaujolais with a tart pomegranate kick, and lovely black cherry notes. — 3 years ago

Keith Hahn

9.1

Maybe just past it’s prime, decanted for 2 hrs and showed well. Heavy cedar and pencil shavings. Blue and heavy dried black fruit. Very nice with Hunters Stew. — 2 years ago

with Tim

Vino Kaela

9.3

Awesome co-fermented Syrah with Viognier. This wine is rockin’! Black, blue and red fruits earthy leather and spice notes. 2016 vintage is worth every penny. It’s only going to get better with more bottle age. — 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon DI CO is a very pretty, delicate wine. Aging has really given the 2018 an extra level of polish I did not see in the barrel sample last year, especially in its contours. Inky dark blue/purplish fruit, sage, mint and lavender add expressive layers of aromatic nuance. This is an impressive wine, especially in its peer group. Readers who want to drink the 2018 young should give it a good bit of air first. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2021)
— 3 years ago

Gaurav Tiwari

9.2

Opaque dark violet with clear meniscus.. couldn’t have told this is 12 yrs old looking at the wine in the glass. Medium viscosity. oak-spiced, red and blue fruit, chocolate, tobacco and floral pastille aromas.  Mocha and vanilla flourish. Plush, velvety and broad mouthfeel, it offers sweet cassis and blackberry flavors with a long spice and oak finish. Rich and energetic in style, medium acidity, resolved medium minus tannins and medium alcohol. Delicious expression of a high quality CA cab. I like this much better than bold and high ABV CA cabs. This was 14% ABV. — 4 years ago