Peter Wong

9.0

Ripe red fruits with good acidity to balance. Sweet tannins on the finish. Needs some time to open up — 2 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

The follow up to the 03 Leonetti. @Paul T- Huntington Beach & I have been telling readers about older Jones Family Vineyards for some time. If you haven’t had or not tried this producer it will be the last time I try to entice to you to try this producer. Talking about it more will only drive up the prices on the secondary market.

This 09 is damn beautiful after nearly a four hour decant but it is still fairly youthful.

It is ruby, lush, gorgeous, ripe fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, plum, hues of purple, blue fruits & raspberries, poached strawberries, black licorice, mixed, dark berry cola, steeped black tea, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry top soil, dry herbs, hints of eucalyptus, dry clay, dry tobacco, new leather, spice, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, withering red & dark florals framed in violets & lavender, beautiful round acidity, beautiful; balance, tension, structured, smartly polished finished that lasts minutes.

Still needs another 5-8 years to show its best self.

The Jones Family vineyard is located off Bale Lane in Calistoga and was planted to all five Bordeaux varieties by David Abreu in the early 1990s. Heidi Barrett made the wines until 2008, and Thomas Rivers Brown now makes the wines. — 3 months ago

Vino Joe

9.5

Tropical fruit mixed with such harmony. Absolutely delicious. Very good to Superior vintage. — 2 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

93 that leans into 94 and will see another point or two with 10 years in bottle.

Sofia and I used to go to their futures luncheon for many years. This vineyard consistently yields fruit that makes one of their best Cabernet’s.

It’s lush as it enters and falls onto dry, meaty tannins. Blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries & purple fruits. Dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, limestone & volcanic minerals, moist clay, dry tobacco, new, raw leather, still very woody, mixed mid & dark berry cola, plenty of baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, dark spices with some heat, some dry herbs, dark melted, chocolate, cocoa powder, caramel notes, bright, fresh & candied florals that are dark, red, blue and framed in violets & lavender, ver nice round acidity with a highly structured, tensioned, well balanced and polished finish that lasts 90 seconds but still lands squarely on wood. — a month ago

Marco Rodriguez

9.2

Very nice wine. Dark fruit with tabaco and some spice mixed with dark chocolate. Well balanced oak and acid with medium to long finish. — 7 months ago

Bobbi Jo Broxson

9.4

Annual favorite, only 3 years left. Smooth and bold. Decanted about an hour. Heavy sediment. Love it, but also sad to see it go — 10 months ago

with Brian

Cole Butaud

9.6

Few wines have hit me like this one hit me: the wonderful complexity of it stems from the sweet notes of plum and strawberry mixed with herbal spices, complemented ever so ironically by just a tad of smoke — 3 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1982 vintage. Great, upper shoulder fill. Long, aging cork fully saturated but removed with a Durand. Splintered a little upon removal. Decanted and threw less sed than expected. Decaying leather, cedar, hot gravel and lightly roasted button mushrooms in the nose. Light-medium/medium body. All this + some undying cherry and plum flavors mixed in amongst remaining tannins. More thrust and fruit than anticipated with expected structure firmly in place. Really beautiful specimen. Based on this bottle, can hold steady without dropoff for another 4-5 years. 1.12.24. — 3 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.3

2020 vintage. General manager Laure Canu states that Cantemerle has never followed trends and will always be a wine of elegance, never showy. And that is exactly what it is. After 15 minutes in the glass, it displays bright cassis fruit, mixed with flowers and cedar wood. Medium-bodied, fresh, and elegant, with more complexity and more refined tannins, compared to the 2018. Very good length too.This is the finest Cantemerle I have ever tasted. Incredible value too. Abv. 13,5 %. — 6 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium ruby still , with some light bricking on the rim . Surprisingly open when opened , tobacco with mixed red fruits , truffle , grafite , lovely definition , touch of blackcurrant and marine , oyster shell . On the palate good weight and mostly ripe red fruits , almost like a fruit jelly in style , but with great acidity and balance , noticeable rounded fine tannins on the finish . Good length , tobacco and mineral notes . Great now , gets better , really grows in the glass . Now and for the next 15 years I would imagine . — a year ago