Steve Somermeyer

9.1

Pure cherry & plum notes with a very satisfying smooth finish on palate. Tasting really good right now. — 3 months ago

Steve Somermeyer

9.3

Great rich Syrah nose & finish A memorable wine. — a year ago

Steve Somermeyer

9.3

Excellent dark berry fruit notes with a soft/dry finish - very nice balance. — 3 years ago

Raul Puga

10

Ribs. Rafanelli. Family. Florida Keys!!! Happy 4th to everyone. — 6 years ago

Steve Somermeyer

9.2

Great complex nose with long smooth finish. Tannins softening nicely. — 6 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.5

The decision to hold this wine until ready made me think of a musician tuning a guitar. He’s turning the keys and plucking the top two strings until the A and the E are the same. And then he strums a heart melting deeply harmonic E chord.

I imagine this wine was tasted, tasted again, then when everything was in tune, magic happens and it’s time for sharing.

It’s glowing gold. Burnt popcorn kernels. Honey. The sweetest indulgent peach preserves. — 7 years ago

Adrian Mata

10

This little joe I had when I was faded, it tastes good but would be better with steak & potatoes... ya boiiii is faded — 7 years ago

Kirk F

9.0

Perfect choice for the masses on Christmas Eve. An excellent value, even the creepy little hand agreed. 😂🎄 — 8 years ago

Raul Puga

9.3

Delicioso 🇪🇸 in the Florida Keys!!! — a year ago

with Joe and Mariana

Raul Puga

9.4

Happy 4th of July. Nothing better to pair with the 100 degree heat index in the Florida Keys🇺🇸🥵🍷*from a magnum- #berserkerdaybuys — 3 years ago

William Paley

9.4

drinking gorgeously and an absolute steal. reckless abandon in a bottle. prepare to lose your keys and other things......this is a horse that refuses to be saddled. — 6 years ago

with Ron, Marisa and 1 other

Weston Mallgren

9.4

Ohhhmmmmm yeah! Take my keys to the convertible and I’ll grab my scarf, we’re getting old school delicious here. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I’ve been staring at this vintage in my collection for some time now. Decided it was time even though further benefits would come with more years in bottle. That’s not to say, we are not throughly enjoying this on a lazy sunny evening.

The nose reveals; lemon custard to meringue, green apple, lime zest, pineapple, grapefruit with pith, amazing honeysuckle, fruit blossoms, honey, flinty notes, some dry herbs, nuts, hints of butterscotch & toffee, some very light vanillin, crushed limestone minerals, jasmine and white spring flowers.

The body is round and voluptuous. The mouthfeel is incredible and creamy. Flat out gorgeous and sexy. lemon custard to meringue that falls into lemon sourness, green apple, lime zest, pineapple, grapefruit with pith, stone fruits, amazing honeysuckle, fruit blossoms, honey, steely & flinty notes, some dry herbs, nuts, more butterscotch toffee than the nose, some very light vanillin, more white spice with a little heat than the nose, crushed limestone minerals, powdery chalkiness jasmine and white spring flowers with greens. The acidity is amazing pure and simple. The long, round, voluptuous, gorgeous, elegant, incredibly well balanced and persists several minutes. Such a great producer! Believe the hype.

Excellent with Brie & white crackers with a drizzle of honey. As well, with the dry white Grand Queso which, has some nice nuttiness that plays well into the wine.

Notes on their vinification. Their viticulture is largely natural, with the old vines severely pruned in winter to reduce yields. After hand-harvesting, the fruit is pressed immediately and settled for half a day. Fermentation is largely in cuve, and the malolactic proceeds at its own pace, followed by a year’s aging in small oak barrels called feuillettes.

The feuillettes, about half the size of a barrique, are one of the keys to the expressiveness of Raveneaus wines. Averaging seven to eight years in age, they don’t contribute new oak aromas and flavors, but serve to gently open the wine during the élevage. This enhances the wonderful perfume and creamy texture that are the hallmarks of these wines, particularly when they are mature.

Their Foret Vineyard is only .67 ha. and the vines are roughly 15 years of age.

Photos of; Owner-Son and half of the winemaking team Jean-Marie Raveneau, Isabelle Ravenea in the cellar and the metal work sign that hangs above their facilities. If not for that sign, you would never know they were there on a quiet back street not far from the center of town. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.8

One of the two or three most moving wines in this vertical, the 1988 Cristal is eternal. Deep and vertical, with Gothic spires of soaring aromatic, flavor and structural intensity, the 1988 has it all. At thirty years of age, the 1988 is fresh, vibrant and incredibly powerful. Lemon peel, white flower, chalk and almonds are all given an extra kick of vibrancy from the bright acids and underlying energy of the vintage. Even after three decades, the 1988 remains searing, classically austere and beautifully focused, with tremendous pedigree and stunning balance. The 1988 is a rare Cristal where the Chardonnay, at 48% of the blend, is on the higher side. “When I joined Roederer in 1989, we were blending the 1988s,” Lécaillon explains. “They were such hard wines to work with because the acidities were so high. My teeth suffered. I thought ‘am I going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life? Maybe I should change jobs?’” Luckily, he did not. “In 1988, flowering was very bad for the Chardonnay. Yields were quite low and flavors were super-intense and concentrated. This, to me, is one of the keys for making great Champagne with real dimension. Interestingly, the same is not true of Pinot Noir. Keep a glass of the 1988 to compare with the 2008 later. In my opinion, 2008 is the new 1988.” (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 8 years ago

Ed Chin

9.2

I’m not a big fan of SB, though the amount of semilliion makes it more pleasurable for sure. The grassy note is minuscule. Need a bit of air to blow off. — a year ago

Neal Ferry

9.0

We ordered multiple bottles of this tonight for a group of construction stiffs who usually drink Busch Light. They acted and drank like this was the greatest wine that is on earth. I was perfect with Filets & Jumbo Scallops. I recommend eating at Ziggie & Mad Dog’s in the Keys — 2 years ago

Paul K

9.3

I remember loving this the last time I had it (August ‘19). Still lovely. Not as juicy as previous notes. Still Blackberry, blueberry, and vanilla. Less fruity than I remember but that makes sense. Black olive / almost iodine blew off in an hour replaced by pencil shavings. There is a molasses quality to this I associate with the ‘13 Roy estate and ‘13 Roy Cor Leonis. A ‘13 thing? This wine makes me think of a song by Black Keys - Thickfreakness for some reason. Look it up you’ll thank me. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Finally getting around to posting wines from my annual Napa trip from two weeks ago. Always goes by quick! Lots of fun new stops this year.

Our visit to Arietta was one of the favorite visits of our trip. I had the pleasure of attending an Arietta lunch a couple months ago with owner Fritz, and a lot of the wines we had during our visit were poured during the lunch (2017 White Keys, 2016 Merlot, 2016 H Block, 2006 H Block) which I posted about back in November.

Close to pushing this to a 9.5. Everything in check and firing on all cylinders. This is a good balance between cool climate Cali Syrah and Walla Walla Syrah. It shows wonderfully lifted and perfumed aromatics of potpourri, wild smoked game, licorice and rhubarb tart. Nicely integrated and beautiful fruit paired with savory peppercorn, cherry jerky, sweet tobacco smoke and a good balance of tannin and acidity. Structure is here to cruise for a few years, but I think this is at peak. — 6 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.0

Wafting sweetgrass and coriander..

Great structure, and has more of the ripened fruit style than the austere. Plum, rhubarb, wild strawberry, cassis. Wrapping up with solid acidity to wood. Heat shining through, as this was a superbly ripe vintage. I will always gravitate to an bottle that has a pair of Papel Keys.. — 7 years ago

Natalie Griffin

9.1

Very tasty, spicy, medium tannins. — 7 years ago