Brendan Baker

9.0

Wild strawberry, floral, refreshing - excellent QPR and my first 2019! P.S. @Delectable this is 100% Pinot Noir, no Chardonnay — 9 days ago

Julia Oktawiec

9.4

Creamy, lime, mineral, a bite at the end — 25 days ago

Todd Anderson

9.2

WS #11 of the year 2016. Solid with some moments of greatness but ultimately not out of the ordinary. — a month ago

Tierney H

9.4

Omg yas, huge wine. High alcohol to start but mellows after airing. Dark fruits balanced by oak. Bought at the vineyard in Franschhoek — 3 months ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Nose has distant baby diaper, wet lavender, moist garden soil, over-ripe black cherry and partially dried black currant. There is a trailing note of alcohol.

Palate has ripe blackcurrant, black raspberry, minor wood influence, faint leather, licorice and light green herbal notes. Medium level of tannins, this bottle has plenty of life ahead, likely better in several more years, 2023-2026.

This Bordeaux-style from South Africa had me at a crossroad, the nose is so distinctly different from the palate. When I first decanted it (~2 hours) it was much more stinky than it is now, I wasn't sure if it would live to enjoy this evening or be destined for tomorrow. But a corner had turned, nose mellowed and it's becoming quite enjoyable.

50% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot — a month ago

Connor Smith

9.5

#Nebbiolo is a surprisingly rare grape. Even in its native Piedmont, it accounts for only 8% of vineyard land. There are fewer than 100 hectares planted in the United States. 🕵️‍♂️🍇
Over 80% of prewar Italian immigrants came from Sicily and Southern Italy. Piedmont was the wealthiest and most politically dominant region. But if fortunes were reversed, could Nebbiolo have taken Primitivo/Zinfandel’s place as a grape relatively uncommon on the boot but dominant in California? 🤔🇮🇹🇺🇸
Probably not. The Nebbiolo vine is *not* for beginners. It flowers early and ripens late, making it susceptible to both spring and autumn frosts. It loves the occasional fog bath (some say the name is derived from ‘nebbia’, Italian for fog ☁️☁️☁️) but is prone to the mildew that may result from such humid conditions. Its fussiness would make Pinot Noir blush: it demands southwesterly exposure, a proper gradient, constant sun above, and fog licking at its toes. #diva
Sound anything like California’s Central Coast? 🌅
In the Santa Maria Valley, where the East-West Transverse Range bends back into the North-South Coastal Range, it’s possible. Vineyard selection still requires extreme discretion - an eye like @JimClendenen’s, perhaps.
Jim began the Nebbiolo program at the legendary #BienNacido vineyard in 1994. Production is small, but if you track down his “The Pip” Nebbiolo, it will only run you about $30. You’ll believe anything is possible when you have real California Nebbiolo of this quality come wafting out of the glass at you! 🙌🙌
🏞.“The Pip” is named after Jim’s old cellar dog Pip, a border collie. So it only seemed right to include one of our own pips! 🐈 — 24 days ago

Urvika Gupta

9.1

Great sip on a beautiful rainy Maldivian night — a month ago

Will Stanley

9.3

Writing this retrospectively, which is a shame, but this wine enjoyed a week or two ago was so impressive. Very fat, rich, creamy and better than numerous BdBs that I’ve had from Champagne. Very nice stuff. — 2 months ago

Mike Peo

9.1

Dinner 27/7/2019
— a month ago

Jason Keefer

8.9

Pretty interesting South African white blend. Very dry, lemon drop sweetness and bitterness. — 3 months ago