Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Grenache (88%), Syrah (10%) and Mourvèdre (2%). Dark ruby color. Aromas of ripe red and blue fruit, fresh herbs as well as red and purple flowers. Flavors of red cherries, blueberries, black pepper and those lovely fresh Southern Rhône herbs. Long bright and savory finish. Full bodied, well structured and fresh tasting. Medium bodied, with ripe tannins, high level of complexity and very harmonious for such a young wine. Solid now as just a baby. Will continue to improve with age. Thanks so much for sharing, Keith S! Happy 60th Birthday, Karyn! — 6 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Another solid vintage of this 100% Corvina gem. Dark purple/ruby color. Aromas of ripe and cooked red fruit, burnt chocolate, cola and purple flowers. Flavors of cherry compote, red currants, cocoa powder, coffee and black pepper spice. Long and luxurious finish with some sweet oak overtones. Rich, dense, complex and plush. Tannins are so smooth. Easy drinker that can handle a chill. Not quite as outgoing as the stellar 2016 Vintage but still quite good. Thanks for bringing this one out at the New Year’s Day brunch, Keith S! — 9 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Pretty light straw , green reflexes . Quite taught and herbaceous on the nose, cut grass with grapefruit , honey , wax , touch toasty , nutty richness . Lemon and lime , slightly toasty notes on the palate, quite long and fresh , saline on the finish . While quite light and not that intense this is still young and could go on like this for another decade or more . — 2 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Grenache based Red. Light garnet color. Intense aromas of tar, asphalt, rubber, and dark cherry. Pallet is still reasonably fresh with notes of cooked dark cherry, plum tobacco, roasted nuts and herbs. Hints of watermelon on the long and Smokey finish. Oak has integrated very nicely. Acidity is well balanced. This is an example of a wine that has improved with age. Thank You for sharing Keith S! — 4 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Nice Chianti Classico. Sangiovese with a touch of Merlot. Big black berry and black cherry fruit aromas and flavors. Slight touch of baking spices, tobacco and wet earth. Bright with mouth watering acidity. Bold with a Brilliant texture and wonderful balance. Elegant. Thanks Keith S. — 6 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

Incredibly fresh tasting for a wine of this age. Deep ruby color with a slight garnet rim. Aromas of black figs and plums, dried cherries, purple flowers and iron. Same on the pallet along with hints of leather and tobacco. Long and lasting finish. Plush, full and round. Tannins are present but well in check. Amazingly youthful expression of Agloanico. Pleasant surprise. Outstanding!! Thank You Keith S. Revisited in November 2025. Still fresh and even more smooth. More life left. — 6 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Interesting Super Tuscan. 60% Sangiovese with the balance a blend of Cab Sauv and Merlot. Powerful but bright. Nice red fruit notes. — 7 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Yet another outstanding vintage (2020) of this consistently excellent Co-Op produced Barbaresco. Aromas of red fruit, dried rose petals and anise. Flavors of bright red cherry and raspberry fruit, mint, Asian spices, minerals and orange zest. Long and earthy/smoky finish. Fantastic balance, structure and depth. Fine grained tannins and a silky texture yet still firm and powerful. So delicious now, but built to age for at least another decade. The quality consistency of this wine vintage to vintage is incredible. Outstanding value! Thanks so much for opening this one, Keith S! Happy 60th Birthday, Karyn! — 6 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Medium golden color. Aromas of white flowers, green melon and fresh herbs. Melon, pear, green apple and citrus fruits (grapefruit and pineapple) on the palate with hints of butter and those fresh herbs. Pleasant mineral component on the finish. Lovely smooth and creamy texture (malolactic fermentation) but no sign of oak. Medium acidity. Nice start to the day, Keith S! Revisited in November 2024. Aging beautifully. Taking my rating up to 9.1. Revisited again in May 2025. Still outstanding! — 2 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Bright garnet color. Aromas of red cherry, raspberry and a hint of earth/barnyard funk. Ripe red fruit on the palate with additional notes of minerals. A pleasant bitter note on the finish. Complex and juicy with a bit of power. Nicely balanced. Interesting. Thanks for sharing, Keith S. — 2 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Dark ruby color. Beautiful aromas of dark cherry, freshly tilled soil and expressive menthol. Dark cherry, plum, mushroom, mineral and earth on the pallet. Nicely integrated oak and beautiful acidity. Dusty tannins. Hint of that menthol on the long and lingering finish. Outstanding! Thank You Keith S! — 4 years ago

Joe Estrada

9.7

An AMAZING Cab Sav from @Keith Saarloos — 5 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Aromas and flavors of dried black cherries, dried currants and prunes. Hints of minerals and Forrest Floor. Long (but a bit astringent) finish and smooth tannins. Good structure. Revisited in March 2023. This bottle was less astringent. (Thanks Keith!) Taking rating up to 9.0. Revisited again in October 2023. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Great pull by Keith. My first Relic. Up front, holiday baking spices, eucalyptus/Andes mint, and sandalwood aromatics. The palate was rich without being dense or flabby, showing chocolate dipped blueberries and blackberries, ripe jam over graham crackers, cocoa, and some sweet tobacco. Delicious. Thanks @Keith Fisher — 7 years ago

with Dan and joe

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Another excellent vintage of this Barbaresco favorite. Light ruby color with garnet highlights. Aromas of red fruit, rose petals, orange zest and toasted wood. Delicate flavors of sour red and black cherries, sweet baking spices and red and black licorice. Lengthy finish, gentle (but tight) tannins and plus/tangy acidity. Medium bodied, feminine and harmonious. Still young with time to progress. Thanks for opening this bottle, Keith S! — 8 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Fragrant and structured. Densely colored with no bricking. Lovely nose shows rich cassis fruit, a bit of scorched earth, a little clovey oak (not too much), ashy cigars, and a note that reminds me of collard greens simmering with a smoked ham hock. Very youthful in the mouth, with vigorous tannin giving lots of structure. Clingy but somewhat austere in the mouth. This plainly needs more time than I thought it would. It’s still nice on its own before dinner, but should be better with rich food.

UPDATE: Now, after two hours open, this has become soft and friendlier than it was. Still nicely structured, but the fruit is more welcoming. — 8 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

100% Sangiovese. Deep ruby color. Quite noticeable aromas of bramble berries, black cherry, spice and vanilla. The very busy pallet features fresh and dried black cherry/berry, black licorice, blood, tobacco and herbs. A bit of spice on the very long finish. Quite savory, concentrated and medium/full bodied. This one can stand up to hearty and robust foods. Thank You Keith S! Revisited in September 2023. Still excellent! — 4 years ago

JKT

9.1

At a wonderful Nebbiolo place of earth forest mature fruits lively yet firm texture and finish. Wilson Mabel visit at Mom with hock roast duck. — 5 years ago

Peter H. Kaufmann

9.3

French macebeu madness. Coffee? Banana and almonds. Creamy and complex. — 6 years ago

with Guy and Tabea

Shay A

9.6

A few wines from last week’s 4th Friday event!

The sheer opulence of this is astounding. Obviously young, this was actually my first Realm BTK courtesy of @Keith Fisher . When thinking back to the last stunning 2016 BTK I had (MacDonald), where the MacDonald is more dusty, slightly more herbal and full of tightly coiled BTK power, this was an embarrassment of rich dark fruits, baking spices and sporting a creme de cassis like profile. Classic To Kalon power, with so much to unpack. Thank you, Keith! — 7 years ago