Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Two things were true tasting this 2022, it wasn’t their best bottling & it was no near ready to drink. Hard to tell which is more true. Maybe, it improves in time?

2022 Napa Cabernet’s more than less boil down to when did you harvest, before or after the 10 days of intense heat during the harvest window. #

2026 Taste of Oakville. — 7 days ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

Feel that this has closed down a lot since our last try. A lot less lively and hard to put your finger on. Still gorgeous and silky...will always remain one of my most favourite wines! Paired with pasta putanesca. — 8 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Always so good. Opulent and incisive. Deep nose. Lots of amplitude. Huge limestone. Herbal. So complex. German Chardonnay is so awesome. What a palate. Huge core of apple and pear fruit and stacked with minerals and a malo sweetness. So long and nimble. Gorgeous wine. Almost 9.5. — 4 years ago

Justin Farrar

9.3

A little tight upon opening but then came to life. Easy to drink, hard to stop. — 5 years ago

JFP

9.2

Opened very well. Excellent sipping wine with pate and hard breads. — 7 years ago

KA

9.3

Probably the most interesting Rose I’ve ever had . Extremely rare and hard to get and I can see why. — 7 years ago

Nick Yungner

9.4

Hard to rate this early — 9 years ago

Pooneet K

9.4

In perfect condition and drinking much more youthful than nearly 40 years!! Paired with grilled chicken thighs which went very well given the tannin structure has mostly receded. Acid still very much keeping things together and in check. Nice balance - still some good fruit, great earth, long finish. Hard to argue! — 2 months ago

Matthew Sparling

9.2

I nice solid Chardonnay. Fruity with a nice finish and not sweet. — 4 months ago

Jeff Simpson

9.9

Tar and roses. Soft yet anvil hard. Red brick dust. Anis. Power & subtlety. — 9 months ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Deep and intense and very pure. Dark, brooding fruit hard to unwind but loads of depth. Minerality and savory fruit in spades but densely packed right now. — 4 years ago

with BOT, Gregg and 2 others

Ed Lehrman

9.3

Hard to fully enjoy as the outdoor temp was 95 but still delicious. — 6 years ago

Tony Garcia

8.9

Sings of storage issues, low neck, slightly materized, tea leaves, tad gritty, some of the classic LaTache elements were under the surface if you focused hard. — 7 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.3

So smoove. Mellow, aromatic, no hard edges, Brett or greenness to be found. — 9 years ago

Manj Gunawardane

9.1

Lovely ripe nose - dark fruit, spice. Not dense on the mouth, ample fruit and soft tannin. Depth, a little heat, elegant and with years ahead. Felt like a baby even on day 2 and 3. Decant needed on day 1. — 2 months ago

Roberto Carli

9.3

Lots going on here as the nose unwinds but unfortunately in a tasting scenario it's hard to see it evolve. There's a surprising amount of red fruit and subtle florals that are fully enveloped in sandalwood and cigar box. The oak shows up prominently but elegantly, like smelling the inside of a very nice guitar. On the palate, acidity and red fruit dominate with plenty of freshness, signaling longevity and less velvety tannins than I expected. They still hit the side of the mouth. — 2 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Liked the 2014 even better. This is less earthy. Lime, black forest herbs hard to describe. Raspberry, Oregano, Cherry .🍒 crushed rock - drink up! — 10 months ago

Will Stanley

9.4

The 2016 Chateau Musar, the winery’s latest vintage on release, is much less forthcoming on the nose than the 2013 and ‘15 that I’ve tried recently, despite - or perhaps because of - the fact that the Hochars consider 2016 to be a successful and very ageworthy vintage.

The nose is quite dense and tightly wound, much like a left bank Bordeaux presents in its youth, not yet revealing its cards besides aromas of cedar, steeped plum, smoked beef and cinnamon. The palate, however, is open for business - powerful and saturated, striking that wonderful Musar balance between dark fruit and tangy acidity, expanding towards a puckering finish with good length.

The lasting impression here is of a very modern rendition of Musar, with great clarity and purity to the fruit, fine tannins, refreshing acidity on the palate and great drinkability now (though equal potential to age). My preference of late remains the 2013, but that’s now quite hard to buy - so I’d happily have a case of this instead.

94+ — 4 years ago

Jay Bergesen

9.2

Hard to beat. Rose truth in a bottle. Unparalleled roundness with mouthfeel. Strawberries, garrigue, acidity, and the hint of a green olive. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2014 Barolo Monvigliero is quite refined and gracious, although it is also surprisingly dark, dense and concentrated by this wine's standards. A shy, reticent wine, the 2014 is going to need time in bottle to flesh out, especially in the midpalate. I have seen this with other vintages, and expect that it will be the case here as well. The precision, clarity and silkiness that are so typical of Monvigliero start to emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Readers should plan on being patient. If that is not possible, try to taste the 2014 as soon as possible, because these wines have a tendency to shut down hard post-bottling. As always, Monvigliero is fermented with 100% whole clusters. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2018) — 7 years ago