Freddy R. Troya

9.2

The Black Square — Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, Oregon, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from this basalt-strewn, high-desert terroir shows a distinctly savory expression, structured, mineral-driven, and aromatic. Less plush Napa, more earth and place. A refined, terroir-forward Cab with tension and character.

Aromas & Flavors
Black Forest cake, ripe dark cherry, cassis, crushed rock, dried herbs, sagebrush, violet, subtle graphite.

Mouthfeel
Medium+ body, firm yet polished tannins, dry, lifted acidity, savory and linear rather than plush. Elegant grip with excellent balance.

Food Pairings
Grilled lamb chops, rosemary steak, mushroom ragù, duck breast, aged Manchego.

Verdict
A Cabernet that speaks landscape more than oak. Complex, herbaceous, and harmonious, cerebral and refined rather than showy. Terroir lovers’ Cab.

🍷 Did You Know?
The Rocks District is famous for its cobblestone soils (ancient river stones), which often give wines a distinctive savory, herbal, and stony character rarely found in classic California Cabernet. — 5 months ago

Al Shikoh

9.3

medium ruby violet fading to garnet rim; dark berries, black olives, black peppercorns, charcoal, beef jerky, prominent stem character; more savory than fruity on the palate with peppery finish; full bodied, medium+ acidity, medium+ tannin, 15% ABV; winemaker Charles Smith, 100% Syrah with 100% stem inclusion, aged 27 months in 53% new French puncheons; Powerline vineyard was planted in 2012 at foothills of Blue Mountains at 1200 feet elevation, in cobblestone river rocks with underlying sand and gravel; $46 — 6 years ago

Kayla Kaull

9.1

Absolutely delectable- Medium bodied Cabernet 2015. Turns out that the French call such a person whom drinks this wine - 'Le Flaneur' One who strolls. This one most certainly is what you should drink before strutting down the cobblestone streets of Paris- Or dreaming of the next time you do ☺🍷 Heaven in a bottle . — 9 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.3

Was expecting this to be over the hill, but it's still kicking! 🍁🍒🍓(plus blood and rocks. Why aren't there emojis for blood and rocks?!) — 9 years ago

Amy Huson

9.2

From my town, Cortona, in Italy, at the winery where I help out. One of my all time fav's! Lovely fresh blackberry and black pepper notes with incredible minerality that smells/tastes like cobblestone streets after a summer rain. Organic. This year I think I helped pick. — 11 years ago

Dirk Pitt.

9.1

Great aromatics. — 12 years ago

Alex Pasternak

9.4

Cobblestone favorite — 12 years ago

Christian Bidegain

9.1

Along a bustling path made of ancient cut cobblestone, shadows lengthen across the exterior walls. Taverns bursting at the seams with people searching for refuge and libations as the sun grows weary. At the edge of this narrow bustling thoroughfare, the cobblestone rises up and creates a barrier against the vast void of the Bay of Biscay. Laughter, playful arguments, and wanting whispers flood the air, adding to the oppressive heat the suns pushes towards me in its last ditch effort of discomfort for the day. I drink up every ray as my feet dangle towards the breaking waves. All is right. The sun rays slowly crossfade into the voices growing louder as the night begins.

Nose: light strawberry, cut grass, lemon thyme. All faintly so.

Palate: bell pepper, serrano pepper, thai basil, zippy, medium-high acid, light bodied, lower alcohol. — a year ago

David Kline

9.3

Leather with a hint of mushroom, pine cone, baked plum and cigar box aromas. Black and red currant inform an abundant palate of oak dust and cedar strip, wet cobblestone, dried rose petal, licorice extract, pencil shavings, eucalyptus, black, ripe plum skin, light pepper, and bitter cinnamon.



#cantenac #cantenacbrown #briodecantenacbrown #margaux #appellationmargauxcontrolée #brio #bordeaux #gironde #frenchwine #vinrouge #frenchred — 5 years ago

Stephen Pierron

9.3

Excellent second label from Château Fonplegade! Earthly, plum, spice, with licorice, coffee, tea, and tobacco notes.... I love how this wine is intense but still fairly elegant. The tannins are perfect enough to still be velvety on the palate while still delivering a nice long finish. This is the wine that brings me back to St. Emilion walking the cobblestone streets and the magnificent view from Château du Roy. Oh how I miss France...... Santè! — 8 years ago

Justin Hart

9.3

Tall Tales Syrah, its utterly unique "funk" from the deep, cobblestone soil of the Rocks at Milton-Freewater, shines so bright with savory food. Its earth and mineral qualities, contrasted beautifully by plum and currant, with a hint of black pepper, really give just the right oomph to make this wine the perfect partner for a meal (in my case, pesto soup, with a side of heavily herbed garlic-cauliflower) — 10 years ago

with Cherish

Olivia Ragni

9.3

Aromatic, mineral laden wine! Nose is like chalk and wet cobblestone. Palate follows the same minerality with lemon peel, bees wax, and nectarine pith. — 11 years ago

Deirdre Heekin

Owner/Wine Director Osteria Pane e Salute

9.5

Feeling thankful. All smoke and iron, a basketful of woodland berries, horses hooves clattering on cobblestone. — 12 years ago

Diane Heyboer

8.9

Enjoyed this one with a classic French meal of steak and béarnaise with roasted carrots and dauphinois potatoes. Hints of oak and cherry and red currants. Lots of merlot keeps it soft and supple. One guys comment was “tart cherries peel through the windows in the rain-slicked cobblestone alley.” Quite poetic and really accurate. There is a wet stone quality to this wine that appeals to me. Enjoyed and would drink again. — 2 years ago

with Matthew, Ethan and 2 others

John Tan

9.0

OKH w Declan, Lawrence, M, Summer and Quinn.

Equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan.
Strong tang on the nose. Damson and leather and cobbler’s glue. Deeply meaty, on the biltong/bresaola/basturma spectrum. Intense, the acidity spiralling through the palate and drawing in a kaleidoscope of flavours: dried tomato, sumac, goji berries, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, rosehips, hibiscus petals, fresh sweet clementines, cobblestone-market dust. Chalk- and chalk-dust-textured tannins slipping into the taste of cold river pebbles under the fruit and spice. Complex, long, a labyrinth of hidden corners and spaces to explore. Decant for a few hours if you have to drink it now, but wait as long as you can. Like 10 years... (TC) JR17++, 2013, published Sep 2020 — 4 years ago

April Cullen

9.0

Better than cobblestone Sauvignon blanc — 8 years ago

Tom Limongello

10

Imagine. Bumping down a cobblestone street on a wrought iron bicycle. Thump, thump...thump.

Thrill seekers of the past called this kind of ride a Boneshaker. Your teeth rattled & your bones shook. You felt it.

This is our BONESHAKER. A full bodied Zin. With full-tilt flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate & vanilla. — 9 years ago

Thomas Yoo

8.9

Deep dark. It's French oak but not as smooth with only 9% Cabernet Franc. — 10 years ago

with Rachel

Brendan OConnell

9.4

Very good, buttery Chardonnay. Was worried the 2006 would be too old, so didn't risk bringing to a restaurant. It aged very nicely. Wine fridge chewed up the label. — 11 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.0

Fresh leavened dough and feet on the nose and palate. Dark dark fruit. Loving this. Alcohol a biiiiit high. Dark cherry. Dough. Blackberry. Pepper. A bit of eucalyptus. Ryan initially called French. Reminds me of L'Aventure maybe, but with less petit Verdot finish. Floral notes as it opens up. — 12 years ago