Austin Hohnke

9.1

Wine 1, with rack of lamb. As my drinking history shows, Raffault is a perennial favorite. 2017 is easy access with medium weight, wild red berry fruit, tomato leaf, and earth. Drink over the next five years. Holding ‘09, ‘14, ‘15, and ‘18 with patience. — 20 days ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.3

2014, Screaming Eagle 2nd Label is a treat for sure. Color is a semi murky garnet purple. Nose - dark fruits, meaty, herbaceous menthol with floral notes, truffle, and a subtle vanilla kick at the end. Taste - black cherry and plum dominate. Concentrated and well structured, smooth and mouth coating giving it its elegant appeal. Secondary notes of mocha java, black pepper and a cedar graphite adding to its medium plus finish. — 7 months ago

with Leslie, Karin and 1 other

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1986 vintage. Sampled five bottles for a 1986 BDX tasting @ Mister A's in San Diego. Double decanted and tasted over four hours. Medium body. Pretty rustic early on and that stayed consistent till the end. Opened up a little later with a splash of bright cherry fruit. Should stay the course for another 5-6 years. 3.14.24 — 10 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Decanted three hours before service. The 2013 pours, a deep garnet color with a near opaque, core medium+ viscosity with very light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of dark cherry, leather, tomato leaf, black tea, cocoa, dry dusty earth and old wood. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the wine has a medium+ finish. The last five years has been very kind to the 2013 Voliero. Drink now with a long decant and through 2033 with ease. — 3 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Fruit sourced from five vineyards, Brunate, Liste, Cerequio, Cannubi and Raviole. Medium Ruby red color with aromas of red fruit, earthy spices, floral and cedar. On the palate flavors of sour cherry and raspberry with notes of floral, smoky tobacco, vanilla and oak. Long finish, nice balance with fine soft tannins, ending with an earthy character. Needs a few years in the bottle! — 9 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark tawny color, mostly opaque. Great nose. Notes of menthol, black fruit, five spice, dark moist soil, anise and some smoked meat. Silky in the mouth. Great now and in a great drinking window. Maybe can improve a bit with more age, but for me this is drinking very well right now. — 3 years ago

John Malcolm

9.6

Black cherries, menthol, plums, blackberries, a bit of spice. Delicious. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2018 vintage. Blockbuster nose with a pleasant amount of brett. Lean but as concentrated as ever throughout and on the finish. If you’re looking to drive a Napa Plushy De Ville cab, hit another dealership. 6.21.24. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1989 vintage. Tasted 5.5.23 (9.5), 4.4.23 (6 different btls-avg 9.4) and 12.9.22 (9.6). Above average fill for the age and impressive cork (about 70% saturated). Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Threw a decent amount of powdery sed. Medium nose slightly muted for the first 10 minutes or so but then came roaring to life. Yes, still the hallmark blueberries and cocoa powder along with a dash of raspberry but bigg graphite with this bottle. Drank consistently great for 1.75 hours, then seemed to lose a little steam at the very end. Not improving but still think cellar dwellers need to be popped in the next five years to enjoy the magic before it fades. 3.28.24. — 10 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured from my cellar. The cork was absolutely perfect. The 2005 pours a rather turbid, deep garnet at nearly 17 years old. There's quite a bit of fine sediment that clings to the edge of the glass with each swirl. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this was initially a bit grumpy but within minutes, it relaxed and started to show some real charm. A fully developed wine, this is becoming a bit of a Leather Daddy, full of leather (obviously), bruised and desiccated red, black and blue fruits, Christmas spice fruit cake, coffee, damp earth, and candied nuts. On the palate, the fruit remains quite stunning and confirms the mix of bruised and desiccated fruit with a sort of sherried character. Loads of salmiakki (salted licorice), spiced nuts, pepper, coffee and, you guessed it, leather. The wine was dry, technically, but almost gives the sensation of some RS with all of the over-ripe fruits and the texture was almost sappy, in some ways. However, while this was absolutely rich and well-endowed, it was not cloying. Tannins have fully integrated (though still present) and the acid was like a girdle keeping everything held together. This remains a rather large personality even if it's showing its age. Definitely in a lovely spot...but how much longer will that last? If this wasn't my last bottle, I would probably be drinking these over the next five years unless you want the full Leather Daddy experience...which is okay if that's your thing. — 3 years ago