Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2021 vintage. Vacillates/alternates between polished and rambunctious. Lots to like on both sides. Acoustic or electric guitar? You get both. A tremendous length of finish. Was going to pick up a case of the 2015 vintage of this (9.3) but this is drinking even better. Decision time...4.27.26. — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Founded in 1982 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer and sits on a tree covered knoll overlooking the Napa Valley, with caves that extend for over a mile. Pale lemon color with aromas of stone and tropical fruit, sweet oak, spice and floral scents. On the palate flavors of ripe peach, melon and apple, with vanilla spice, creamy texture. Medium+ finish, well balanced with acidity, ending with mineral notes. — 5 months ago

Paul K

9.3

Continuing my month of 2016s. This is outstanding! — 6 months ago

Beth Novak

9.3

Delicate, a kiss of sweetness with an herbal note. Minerality, of the warm earth, a beauty and elegance, still very much alive. Texturally and structurally beautiful. For this vintage, he hit it out of the park! — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

Inky in color with a reddish rim.

Pretty nose of black fruits with cedar, vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, licorice and cola.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, peppercorn and tobacco.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Mount Veeder in Napa Valley.

Elegant and nicely balanced. Fruit forward, rich and smooth.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 90 minutes of airtime

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Zinfandel, 7.5% Petit Verdot and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (33% new) French Oak barrels for 20 months.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$75. — 8 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Pale to mid yellow in colour. The wine was a little cold to begin with. Aromas of talc and lime marmalade, dried flowers - a faint paraffin note - No Kerosene or petrol (TDN). A beautiful aged Riesling from the Clare Valley from Petaluma - a long time favourite producer of Riesling. With air and warming up, some yellow peach notes developing. I see HH said this benefits from decanting which I didn’t do. Drinking at its peak. Sadly my last 2012. — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.1

Alpine Nebbiolo from Valle D'Aosta. Medium bodied and blood red. Creosote, cigar leaf, and red fruits. Fine tannins still working their in-never a polished wine nor should it be, and the way I prefer. Plenty of road left to develop in the glass or cellar. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2020 Estate pours a bright, yellow/green color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of bright tropical fruit: pineapple, passion fruit, star fruit, lemon curd, almonds, toasted marshmallow, warm spices and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is medium+. Lovely stuff. Drink now through 2035+. Bottle No. 9032/12960 — 3 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Grosset — Springvale Riesling 2024
Clare Valley, South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A bone-dry, terroir-driven Riesling from the elevated Springvale vineyard in Clare Valley, delivering piercing acidity, mineral tension, and uncompromising precision. Crafted in Grosset’s signature ultra-pure style, this wine showcases the region’s limestone-driven intensity and long-lived structure.

Aromas & Flavors
Crushed lime, green apple skin, lemon pith, and wet stone leap from the glass with striking clarity. Subtle white blossom and faint herbal tones add lift. The palate is razor-sharp and tightly wound, driven by citrus oil, saline minerality, and chalky texture, finishing long, dry, and electrically clean.

Mouthfeel
Ultra-dry, linear, and tightly coiled with mouthwatering acidity that literally pulls saliva back onto the palate. Light-bodied yet intensely focused, the wine delivers relentless drive without any softness or residual sweetness, showcasing pure structural tension.

Food Pairings
Oysters with lemon. Ceviche or crudo. Sushi and sashimi. Thai lime and chili dishes. Fresh goat cheese. Simply grilled white fish.

Verdict
A thrilling expression of Clare Valley Riesling at its most uncompromising: precise, mineral, and brutally honest. Not a crowd-pleaser wine, this is a terroir statement built for purity lovers and long-term aging potential.

Did You Know?
Clare Valley’s high elevation and limestone soils are responsible for some of the world’s most age-worthy dry Rieslings, often developing toast, honey, and kerosene complexity after a decade or more in bottle, despite starting life razor-sharp and austere.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is the driest Riesling I’ve tasted in recent years, intensely palate-cleansing with an unforgettable mineral finish. A true acid lover’s wine and a masterclass in site expression. Not gentle… but deeply compelling. — 5 months ago

Beth Novak

10

Earthy, wild/native California herbs, touch of iron, beautiful, sense of the earth, stunning, salinity and depth and richness and complexity. Texturally beautiful, long, so complete, great balance. So good!! — 6 months ago

Sam Cockrell

9.4

Amazing! Light and jammy with a bit of straw. — 8 months ago

Dmitry Teytelman

9.2

The wine opened up quite a bit after decanting for an hour or so. Great tawny color, notes of sour cherry and raisins, long aftertaste. Will integrated tannins. An awesome bottle! — 9 months ago

with Eugenia

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2017 vintage. Mount Eden Vineyards wine dinner @Mister A’s Restaurant-San Diego. Orange oil, crème brûlée and pear in the nose. Some overripe, red delicious apple joins in with those impressions on the flavor side of things. Heavy body and somewhat unctuous. Just enough acidity to maintain order and stay out of Flabbytown. 4.20.23. — 3 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

One of one — 4 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Sweet black fruits - plums. Only medium weight - restrained. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. 2012 was a cooler more moderate growing season, more claret style says Sam Middleton. This is not one of the great Quintets IMO. At its best Quintets is one of the best Cabernet blends in Australia. It still reinforces the fact that the Yarra Valley is one of the better terroirs for Bordeaux blends in Australia. Not for long cellaring. This is first of 3 of the 2012 vintage I have in my cellar. — 4 months ago

Benjamin Hickey

9.5

A bit closed in but really pretty. Lots of white flower and soft stone fruit. Not as much oak/lees influence as other vintages on tasting. — 5 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Often the Grosset Polish Hill doesn’t live up to its billing as perhaps Australia’s finest dry Riesling but with this 2017 it probably exceeds expectations. It is simply fabulous. Some ripe lusciousness to the mid palate amid lime and lemon notes, but finishes bone dry. My first of 4 bottles so I will enjoy the journey over the next 5+ years if I can keep my hands off it. HH said it is shaping up as one of the greatest Polish Hill Rieslings. — 6 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.0

We had the battle of the Shiraz at our family gathering over Christmas. A Shiraz from South Australia and South Africa. Both 2016. This Shiraz, despite from the Adelaide Hills where I think it is a little cooler, was very rich, very bold and broad and a slight jammy note on the edge perhaps. People liked it, but all the votes when for the Shiraz of Cederberg from South Africa. Fun!!! — 6 months ago

with Tammy

Bob McDonald

9.5

Pale yellow in colour. A good combination of citrus and stonefruit on nose and palate. Slightly saline at the finish. This Chardonnay is a leading Australian Chardy made at their HQ in the Adelaide Hills. Barb and I first tried the 2019 at a structured tasting at the winery on 31/3/21. We were hugely impressed. This is my last bottle from the home cellar. I restock my cellar most vintages with the M3 Chardonnay. Their Chardonnay from the Lenswood Vineyard is also very good. — 9 months ago

Severn G

9.1

Annual Fall seclusion at our cabin in the Rangeley lakes region of Maine.
(Notes this year were avoided, but scores are honest.) — 3 years ago