Peter van den Besselaar

9.4

vintage 2022 | Finally! Le Puy has been on my bucketlist for years. Icon of nature wines. Winemaking with little or non interventions. Right bank Bordeaux. It is a wonderful wine, 22 is drinking fine now. Cassis, leather, clove and laurel. Warmth. Fine structure. It made my dinner with steak frites. At restaurant Amsterdam in Amsterdam. — a month ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Léoville Barton 2023 – Saint-Julien, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Saint-Julien expression showing clarity, harmony, and structural polish, driven by a 77% Cabernet Sauvignon–led blend with 20% Merlot Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine balances ripe fruit concentration with restraint, delivering precision, finesse, and a seamless flow from attack through finish.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, ripe blackberry, red plum, cassis, graphite, cedar, subtle baking spice, crushed stone, light tobacco and gentle floral lift.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with finely woven tannins, excellent balance, fresh integrated acidity, supple texture, and a long, graceful finish that feels effortless rather than forceful.

Food Pairings
Herb-crusted lamb, roasted duck breast, grilled filet mignon, mushroom risotto, aged Comté or Gruyère.

Verdict
An elegant, dependable Saint-Julien that delivers purity, structure, and drinking pleasure without excess. Refined, polished, and quietly authoritative, a wine that rewards both immediate enjoyment and patient cellaring.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is the kind of wine that wins through composure and precision rather than horsepower. Easy to enjoy today, yet layered enough to keep you leaning back into the glass. Subtle sophistication done right. — 4 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

Along with the majestic 2010 one of my favorite Stella vintages. So giving right off the bat, never any heat, just so fresh and clean. Amazing expression of Sangiovese. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

First pour of this and I was like, “uh-oh”. It was clearly full of flaws (Brettanomyces, VA and maaaaybe some slight TCA) but would they be too much to appreciate the wine? Only time would tell so into the decanter it went. After a lot of air, it became clear this was Brett and VA. The wine pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing (still) with notes of blackberries, umeboshi, animale, purple flowers, black pepper, red Flintstone vitamin, horse blanket, wood varnish, and sous bois. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. An elegant, complicated bottle. This is my second time with the 1997 vintage and due to the flaws, a different adventure than previous. That being said, this decidedly grumpy, Burgundian expression of Clape’s Cornas paired really well with the dry-aged steaks. Drink now, with a lot of patience, through 2037? — 9 days ago

David Dorn

9.5

The kind of wine you never won’t to end… just sensational. What a beautiful expression of Napa and the wine was drinking beautifully with 15 years of age. — 5 months ago

Scott Kahn

9.2

Spectacular expression of northern Syrah. Inky but approachable. Smaller tannins. Lots of youth but excellent to share now. — 3 years ago

Doug Powers

9.1

Heavier and seeming more evolved than the great 2010 Orthogneiss, instead of the lovely honey notes this shows mature notes, still very good acidity, but seems ready to drink, very good. As a minor sidebar, I had the same experience 3 months ago when I compared the 2009s of each, that is, the “lesser regarded” Orthogneiss outperformed the Granite, not sure why?? — 3 years ago

with Jim

Scott Kahn

9.3

This declassified IGT varietal Sangiovese wine was an exceptional treat! Bright red fruit to accompany the tertiary aromas that abound. Varietal Sangiovese from Chianti Classico is an expression that is worth experiencing! — 2 months ago

with RC

Dave

9.3

Ah, Vietti. Always good. Our dear friend Val has flown in for my wife's birthday, and we are popping a few bottles tonight. This is a very nice expression of Nebbiolo. Lively and fruity, with a touch of rose petal and a little chocolate (on the nose).
We are listening to Sabrina Carpenter — 3 months ago

Vin d’Ottawa

9.0

A beautifully subdued Bordeaux blend with dry plum flavour at the forefront — 6 months ago

with Gillian