Alex Michael

9.0

Red fruit, cola, spice. Long finish. Medium tannins. Balanced Pinot noir — 25 days ago

Vanessa

9.2

Tonight, we’re sipping a delicious Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (2012).

The vineyards of Poggio Antico are situated on some of Montalcino’s highest hills (>1,500 ft elevation), overlooking the beautiful, sun-soaked landscape of Tuscany.

In a warm climate, high altitude sites like this benefit from a comparatively lower air temperature, greater diurnal range (warm days, cool nights), and enhanced solar intensity, particularly when vines are planted on hillsides, angled towards the sun.

These conditions (among others) are important for quality winemaking, for example, the intense sunshine promotes grape ripening (sugar accumulation; development of flavors, tannins, color), while the cooling influences help retain acidity and more delicate aromas in the grapes; they also enable a longer ripening period overall, setting the stage for a well-balanced, concentrated wine.

It was interesting to learn that Poggio Antico vinifies and matures its Sangiovese according to detailed soil units, leveraging what it calls a “geological symphony,” as a significant part of the terroir expression. It later blends (or “harmonizes”) these units with the aim of creating balance and complexity.

As a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, this wine must be 100% Sangiovese and could not be released from Poggio for at least 5 years from the harvest, during which time it aged for at least 2 years in oak. Poggio exceeded these legal minimums by aging this wine for 4 years, including 3 years in traditional Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle.

We paired this wine with a homemade Bolognese. The spices of the sauce lent symmetry to the spice (nutmeg, clove) notes in the wine, which didn’t compete, but, rather, complemented each other. Also, the fat in the ground sirloin (along with the salty parmesan and decade+ of maturing) helped smooth the high tannins of the Sangiovese, enhancing our palates’ experience of other delicious dimensions.

It was molto bene! Cheers! — 3 years ago

with Deked1

GHol

8.9

In first on QF1. Lots of citrus flavour which works well in the cabin of an aircraft. Would like to try again at ground level to check the real taste. Very enjoyable. Would certainly consider buying but might wait for a better vintage. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.5

An extremely generous Secret Santa gift from @badphotographer29 aka Mami - this Lynch Bages is nearing peak drinking I’d say & in a lovely spot 😍 but will live 10-15 more years easy 👍 Thanks Mami 😘 🤗

📍 Lynch Bages 1996

🏵 95 points

🍇 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc & 2% Petit Verdot

🍷 Slight garnet ruby w/ a brick edge (⏩ scroll for pic)

👃 Earthy smokey charred oak infused blackcurrant, berry & spiced dark plum through mineral rock, pencil lead & gravel w/ soot embers, mint/herbs, old leather, leaves, prune, date & mocha grounds - an imperial nasal entanglement from the dark side 😍

👄 Med body of smooth earthy black currant & dark plum bathed in minerals w/ blackberry, mocha & liquorice

🎯 Long char-grilled deep dark fruits in slight dry minerals with a touch bitter ground mocha liquorice herby wallop
— 7 years ago

Chris England

9.7

A review of 9️⃣’s for fun 😁

The 2009 was made 9 years ago @ £39 & 19 years after the 1990 @ €90 😁 so I thought it would be fun to compare how my favourite Pomerol has evolved 😁

💵 Oh & Petrus next door to this Chateau is 90 times more expensive 🤣

🥊 So 90 vs 09

🏵 90 - 97-98 points
🏵 09 - 94-95 points

🍷 90 - Garnet opaque ruby w/ bricking
🍷 09 - Opaque ruby

⏩ scroll for colour pics on Instagram ⏩

👃 90 - Bordeaux nasal sex of soggy earth, sooty underground 🚇, char-smoked oak, old leather, damp musty cellar, mushroom, mirabelle plums, damson compote, obliterated blackcurrant, herbs, toasted fig, bitter mocha & liquorice
👃 09 - Dark jammy plum & blackcurrant through smokey oak, choc mocha, flint, pencil lead, soggy earthy leaves & wet rock minerals

👄 90 - Med body of creamy earthy smooth silk dark plum & berry bathed in ground mocha & liquorice
👄 09 - Med+ creamy smooth ripe dark plum & blackcurrant body w/ a mocha infusion & mineral tone

🎯 90 - Long mocha liquorice dark fruits mouth filling linger w/ a big happy smile 😃
🎯 09 - Long smooth ripe dark fruit, minerals & rich mocha linger - oh & still big happy smile 😀

⏰ 09 I can’t wait to revisit you in 19 years 😘

👏 @josephjanoueix @jeanphilippejanoueix 😍
— 8 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Cult chard tasted alongside a 2010 Aubert Lauren Chard....this one lost by a unanimous vote (and it wasn't even a blind vote either). I think everyone WANTED the Judge to win, but there was nothing to Judge here. At least for THIS COMPARISON, in 2018, the Aubert was the winner. BUT, this Judge chard did have more acidity up front than the Aubert, and IMO this wine has more aging potential than the 2010 Lauren Chard, which was pretty much right on the top of the hill tonght. Hard to beat a wine in its prime window, but goes to show you that Aubert makes chards that will compete with this kind of opponent. Lots of acid up front. Stone ground fruit entry, mineral-rich middle. I think that I was getting more pear than anything else here, but there was a hint of youthful butter and some dates. Finishes with actually a really nice fruit/nutty/almost gritty/tannin character for about 60 seconds, which is the one thing I will say that I give advantage to the Judge. Bravo! — 8 years ago

with Dan, Shay and 1 other

Dana Fritz

9.0

Jammy & concentrated. Good bulk find — 3 months ago

Tripp Kaelin

9.5

Intensely lifted, fresh, and concentrated and showing incredible youth at nearly a decade in bottle. Perfectly ripe blackberries and black cherries are enveloped by aromas and flavors of fresh ground coffee, wet fall leaves, leather, menthol, and vanilla. The wine finishes long and with a crave-worthy mineral/graphite finish. This can cellar for years to come but is excellent now with herb-roasted lamb chops or grilled steak tips. Delicious! — 3 years ago

Steve Cunneen

9.2

Very nice. — 5 years ago

Jay Wyper

9.2

A nice middle ground between oak and steel finish. Not overly fruity but the Chardonnay fruit is there. Smooth finish with a little butter. Great with food. — 6 years ago

Lindsay Corrigan

8.9

Bright Red Cherry front to clove and finishes with light smokers oak. Soft tannins & youthful acidity that worked well with fatty meat. We enjoyed it with Chuck Burger topped with Provolone, Avocado, Tomato, Mayo on Egg Bun and side of Root Veggie fries🍷 — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Very Dusty on the nose - so dusty I thought it might be corked - TCA but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Unmistakabley Bordeaux. Some barnyard reduction which blew off. Very harmonious and balanced on the palate. No berry fruit - more cedar chest of drawers. After 2 hours strong aromas of Capsicum (red peppers). I am a big fan of Chateau Palmer. At a 2009 International Cabernet tasting I attended, the Palmer was a standout. In a reclassification it should be at least a 2nd Growth. For this wine no further cellaring required. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.3

One of my of time favourite Margauxs & this toop vintage @ £65-£85 is a great price for the top quality 😉 good now but great in 5 more years 👍

🏵 93 points with more potential

🍇 71% Cabernet Sauvignon & 29% Merlot

🍷 Opaque blackened ruby

👃 Rich dark creamy blackcurrants through soft smoked oak, soggy earth & dark plum w/ minerals, gooey cocoa, broken pencil lead & melted liquorice

👄 Med body of silky goo mashed blackcurrant in an earthy mineral infused mocha liquorice splatter w/ a touch of fine dry tannins

🎯 Long rich dry bitter ground mocha liquorice dark fruit boom 💥 — 8 years ago

Devin Brown

9.2

The description: "Flavours of garrigue, black cherry, blackberry, ground herbs and crushed-rock-like minerality. It has a traditional feel, yet does not lack for purity, balance or polish either." Wine Advocate 93/100

The opinion: actually brilliant value (125 per bottle) I have tasted much worst at a lot more. This is brilliant! I am going to buy a couple more bottles — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2016 vintage. Last tasted 7.7.21. Dark cherry, ground black pepper and spicy oak nose. Medium body with enough plushness for those looking for a palate pillow and enough acidity/tannins for those looking to retain red street cred. Plummy finish. Maan…this is getting mo better. Need to pick up another 3-6 bottles and bury them. The nice price. — 4 years ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

v18. Very nice. Soft white pepper and smashed black cherry nose. Rich black cherry and blackberry fruit. Smooth, tight, cola, mocha , soft leather and ground pepper finish. Lot of words , but well balanced! — 5 years ago

Tracy Hall

9.2

Love this! No decant (imho it doesn’t need it). This is everything you want. Balanced fruit and acid. Served with bbq ribeye (the rub with brown sugar and ground coffee is what brought these together). Second night sautéed chicken with rosemary and a pesto pasta was also perfect. Love this! SS — 6 years ago

Dawn E.

9.1

Here is my #fridaycabernetfix ! Not sure of the "somewhat low ratings" on this! This wine is really good! Super Smooth...dark fruits..molasses..sage..leather...vanilla..nice long finish! I picked this up for $40..pretty comparable ..previous purchases at a much higher price point.

Update..post 4 days vacuum pumped and in Refrigerator..this wine has lost some ground ..once being opened. Not bad..but heavy on the oak..and loss of acidity present post 1 hr. Decant. Not bad....just different.... — 7 years ago

Ellen Clifford

8.9

Nan Helgeland makes extraordinary wines because she pays attention both to the wines and the people making them. That’s a whole other story though. This wine: red red fruits for sure(cran-rasp-blackrasp) well balanced but the tannins are gonna play hard to get, then they flirt with you then hide again. It’s intriguing — 8 years ago

Peter UPA

9.2

Medium nose with notes of sweet plums, blackcurrant, blackberries, leather, forest ground and dark cherry notes. Medium body and fruit, still young tannins.
Will the fruit be there for the tannins to soften? , would in that case benefit from a few years in the cellar. — 8 years ago