Ron R

9.4

An experiment. So consistently strong, and clearly has longevity. No rush to consume these…
So decadent, going close to the explosive line, but doesn’t cross it. Blueberries and rich black fruits mesh with sandalwood and brown sugar. Weighty on the mid palate with relaxed acidity. This is epic. Still in its prime so consume now. — a month ago

with Anne-marie

Joe Weinberger

9.0

Best on day 3! Had this wine a number of times but was most impressed with the longevity of this most recent bottle. — 2 years ago

Conrad Green

9.3

This is dark and primary still. A tarry nose with a medicinal twist (Benadryl?). The palate is ripe and blocky. Few signs of its substantial age- deep and rich. Like an old school Cornas. Apparently these has 3-6 months contract with skin with minimal punching down which explains their unusual longevity. Amazing stuff. — 2 years ago

with Tony, Walker and 2 others

Bob McDonald

9.5

Rich Ruby in colour. Aromas of mocha oak, plum, cherry and blackberry. Hints of prune and dark chocolate. Great fruit quality - Cabernet 52% from Coonawarra and 48% Shiraz from the Barossa. The percentages are correct - they may tinker with the source from Penfolds vast resources. Dry but polished tannins. Typical of the longevity of nearly all Penfolds Reds, this is the first of 6 bottles at 13 years of age. Richard Hemming MW has a drinking window of 2020 to 2043 so this is just the beginning. Have the next in a few years. — 3 years ago

Jason Keefer

9.0

Juicy and tart, just a mild bit of chalk. Really elegant with structure for longevity! — 10 months ago

with Natasha

Glen Shikunov

9.0

Unique and worth the try. Olives mixed with currant. Good depth and longevity that gets more unique as you go. Would buy again. — a year ago

Paul T- Huntington Beach

9.6

Inexpensive enough to pop one straight off the truck after its week long journey from the east coast. Right there with the 16, less botrytis than the 14 & 15 which is what I was hoping for.

VM94
Rated 94 by Vinous Media
The 2017 Viré-Clessé, which will be bottled at the beginning of 2022, has a killer nose with an almost Germanic feel, intense nectarine, melon and damp earthy scents with just a hint of petrol. The palate is beautifully balanced with a line of acidity keeping everything taut and linear. The 2017 is a little waxy in texture with orange rind, stem ginger and white pepper furnishing the very persistent finish. This is superb - a Viré-Clessé with genuine substance and longevity.
Winery
100% Chardonnay. Bongran is Thévenet's original home estate (Domaine de Roally, also in Viré-Clessé, was added later). Cuvée Tradition is its single bottling of dry white wine (in certain vintages, a sweet botrytized wine is made). The old vines are organically farmed and harvested manually and notably late at a very high ripeness level. The grapes are pressed very slowly and gently. After settling, the juice is fermented in tank with indigenous yeasts, very slowly, taking up to two years to finish; there are often a few grams of residual sugar remaining in the wine. The wine is aged in tank only, then in bottle for several years before release. It has an extraordinary richness of flavor and texture along with firm acidity and minerality. — 2 years ago

Bruce Gunther

9.1

Nice, unique...a mistaken random grab at the store that turned out well. — a year ago

with Trish

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days. Best on Day 1. The 2011 “Caravina” pours a deep, we’re going to call opaque, garnet with some slight browning towards the rim. There appear to be signs of very light sediment. Medium viscosity and medium staining of the tears. On the nose, cassis, tobacco, bell pepper and the faint smell of baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry and notes from the nose are confirmed. Medium tannin and medium acid. Finish is a bit clipped so I would place at medium-. On Day 2, the wine was still intact but it seemed to have lost some of the energy that it had on Day 1 and now came across even more green and earthy than before.

This 2011 Caravina is probably the most “2011” Cabernet from Napa that I’ve had in some time. It’s green and lacks the structure I would want for longevity. While I would still call this a good wine, it’s not the charmer that Caravina is in most vintages these days. Drink now with a meal. In this case, it worked well enough with Cincinnati-style chili 😋.
— a year ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m between a 91-92 (same as I was for the Brut Reserve). After going through 6 of these and 6 brut reserve over the last year, I feel confident in the longevity of these Blanc de Blanc champagnes.

For a Blanc de Blanc, this shows plenty of yeasty/toasty notes with fleshy characteristics. Sea salted flaky honey buttered biscuits with lemon scone and honeysuckle aromatics. While the palate is similar, the finish is so drastically different than the rest of this champagne…almost too tart. Palate profile is rich with yellow fruits, kiss of nougat, and some classical limestone. The finish is just crazy underripe and again, tart. Razor sharp acidity. I think this is a champagne that benefits from time, whereas the Brut reserve is perfectly fine to consume now. — 3 years ago