Karyn Fricke

8.9

Medium tannins, dark berries, will go nicely with steaks tonight. — 10 months ago

John Bratincevic

8.9

looks a little older (as it is).

NOSE: mild mushroom, leaves, pencil, a fruity-and-floral quality I can’t quit pin down, very mild licorice. Oregano. A little crayon/wax. Definitely some home-down European yeastiness, almost Italian rather than French (perhaps not the best way to describe it, but that’s how I think about it). Spice. Red cherry.
TASTE: very subtle, a little anonymous for me. Medium weight. Tea and spices; muted peppercorn. Cedar. Earth. Anise on the finish. Well made, elegant, but forgettable. Might be a little too old. 89. — 2 years ago

Ryan Guillen

8.9

Had this in early 2020 with a spicy pasta. The blend was difficult to pin point but determined it tasted like a purple sweet tart in a good way. Smokey BBQ sauce at the end. Overall a fun red blend! — 5 years ago

Michal Sulkowski

9.3

I can’t pin point the one thing that makes me love cab franc, because it’s everything. — 7 years ago

Erica Wiggins

9.0

Smooth, enjoying it. — a year ago

Adam Shaylor

9.8

Here’s a rare New World wine that benefits from a bit of cellaring. Mostly Cab Franc and a bit of Merlot. Too intense for me fresh out of the cellar, but after 10 years, well, it’s hard to remember a wine I’ve had that’s this good. The chalkiness of the Cab Franc and the jaminess of the Merlot of mellowed into a symphony of aromas and flavors too subtle to pin down and yet very much still there for your enjoyment. — 2 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Absolutely my favorite producer of Taurasi. Pure, high-toned, just-ripe red fruits complicated by the wild herbal intensity of Mastroberardino. Exotic like a poultice of orange peel, goji berries, sage, chrysanthemum, raspberry leaves, tea, camphor and other medicinal plants. But also so familiar; florals of hyacinth and violet as it opens.

So weightless and concentrated. Hard to pin down, but I think lovers of high altitude Nebbiolo or Loire Cab Franc will find a lot to enjoy here. — 4 years ago

Jamie Lauder

9.1

2019 LaStella Espressivo.
32 % Cabernet Franc, 31 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 27 % Merlot and 10 % Sangiovese.
A “Super Tuscan” from Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
18 months in French oak with very little new oak.
Red and dark fruit with red currants and black cherries. Savoury and herbal with spicy notes and crisp acidity on the finish but still maintaining texture.
The wine maker is Severine Pinte and she is heading sister wineries at LaStella and Le Vieux Pin in the Okanagan.
She is arguably making some of the best wines in British Columbia. — a year ago

Alexandre Pagliano

8.9

The poor man’s Chateau Le Pin, new property by J Thienpont and 2016 is first vintage. Really good and elegant merlot with a dollop of cab franc. Fresh and balanced, hints fo dark fruits and flowers, dar and red fruits, very polished tannins. Great deal at this price point. Drink or hold. — 3 years ago

with Adriana

Keith Crump

9.0

2009 this threw a significant sediment perhaps a storage issue as bought via auction cab franc dominate and linear burnt briar on a hot summer day hard to get to the fruit and stops to short to get much more still a good wine — 6 years ago