Louis Martin

9.4

Smooth, hint of sour cherry, cigar and leather flavor, bolder than a normal Margaux due to the higher level of Petit Merlot in the blend, paired beautifully with a rich pumpkin ravioli dish. — 10 days ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.6

The 2017 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 12. This has a perfumed and quite floral bouquet with blackberries and violets. It shows lovely definition and mineralité, that hint of wild heather coming through but none of the previous menthol scents. The palate is exceptionally well-balanced with chiseled tannins, which are a perfect bead of acidity. I adore how this gathers momentum towards the lightly spiced, persistent finish. This shows better than when I tasted it just after bottling six years ago, hence my higher score. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— a year ago

Jan de Weerd

9.4

Lots of dark, tart plum and blue berry upfront, converting into into a mineral earthiness on the mid palette and settling in a balanced, lingering vibrant finish with fine polished fully integrated tannins. Full body, but lacking evolving layers of complexity for a higher score. Had expected just a little more from this 2010 5th growth from Pauillac. — 4 years ago

with Tammy

Fredrik Finn

9.0

GD Vajra Barolo Albe, my first wine-aha moment, the white rabbit which I followed down the rabbit hole into the wonderland of wine. The 2016 vintage does of course not awake the same tingling experience as back then, nevertheless it is a very solid perforermer and a well representative of its provenance, probably one of the better Barolos of Systembolagets standard assortment.
Primary red fruit with fresh raspberries, red cherries, rose hip and cherry liqueur followed by a perfumed lift of rose water and bitter orange with a vague, but nonetheless present savoury meat stock character that is luring in the background. A mouth watering acidity and a strong grip from the high but approachable and fine grained tannins directs the palate and surrounds the red, slightly tart (cranberries) but pleasant fruit character through a good finish. Give it a couple of hours in the decanter and a nice spin in your glass and its will drink beautifully today. Falls a bit short on the length to qualify for the higher division but it can walk out the ring with its head held high. — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.7

@ Silverspoon. Open 30+ minutes in the bottle. This was amazing!! Bold yet refined. Savory with that Napa sweetness present. Could mistake for a higher end Bordeaux with cedar and anise. Simply great! — 8 months ago

with Brooke

Doug Powers

9.9

Redfruit aromas and flavors, this is still hopelessly young, though the tannins have softened a bit and it seems to be inching towards maturity, impeccable balance and great depth of flavors, super long, lingering finish, just an absolutely fantastic, old school California mountain Cabernet. I have always believed this to be the best Dunn Howell Mountain ever made (I’ve tasted 1981-1992, with a distinct style change towards riper and higher ABV starting around 1992, after which I stopped buying the wine). $15 full retail when I bought it in late 1984. — 3 years ago

with Jim

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Dark Ruby with aromas of black fruits and complex notes of spice, herb and earth. It was a cooler season in 2010, resulting in higher acidity that made this wine big and needed a lot more time in the bottle, than the last time I tried in order to soften the massive tannin structure. On the palate plum and blackberry flavors with some nutty notes, wet stone and earthy herbs show harmoniously on the palate. Full body, fine tannins with a deep rich long finish. A Gem! Tasting well now! — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.6

1hr+ decant. This was great, but did fade faster than expected so I’d drink up. Very complex nose and palate that can only be found in higher end Bordeaux’s. Great depth and long finish. Not sure if this is being produced any more, but if it is, I’m a buyer. — 9 months ago

with Brooke

Joe Santiago

9.0

Rating this a little higher because I am having delicious blue cheese that is pairing very well with it. A bit light for a Malbec, but holding up well with blue. — 3 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.0

Lamy’s En Remilly is usually a wine I hold in higher regard, but this bottle was knocked back by a touch of… dare I say… premature oxidation. With Diam 30 and a thick white wax cap (plus a great track record), you can be sure this was again a function of bad cold chain in Malaysia. Sigh. Having said that, it was still a decent showing - loved the mineral saturation the wine displayed from start to finish. The nose was rich and still detailed with aromas of popcorn, wheat grain, iodine, pear, unripe pineapple, lanolin, and a tinge of mint as well as the dreaded oxidative musk. The palate was dense, saline, expectedly taut, and had a lovely texture that seemingly enveloped the tongue. The oxidative honey note was rather distracting in the finish, but a chill did help mask it. Actually superb with confited ocean trout, but I can’t help but feel robbed of the full enjoyment of this wine. — 4 years ago