Paul J

9.5

1hr+ decant. Lovely dark red, maroon color. Well balanced with rustic elements integrated with dark cherries. Lovely texture. Always fantastic! — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Neal and Judy Ibbotson have been viticulture pioneers in Marlborough with over 30 years of viticulture knowledge of the region. Pale lemon with aromas of citrus and tropical fruit with herb and floral notes. On the palate flavors of peach, guava, grapefruit and pear fruit with some floral tones, lively acidity adding mineral notes. Medium+ finish ending, citrus, with fruit, herbal, floral and salty mineral notes. Nice! — 9 months ago

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9.8

The 2009 Latour has an open and generous bouquet: a mixture of red and black fruit and touches of graphite and loam. This vintage displays a light marine/brine influence. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, a firm grip and superb balance. This is very focused, with impressive salinity on the finish that lingers nicely. This is an extraordinarily beautiful Latour. Tasted blind from double magnum at a 20-year retrospective at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2024)
— 2 years ago

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9.5

The 2008 Cheval Blanc is one of the go-to wines of the vintage. Now at 15 years old, it has retained the energy and focus it displayed from the outset: black fruit, crushed stone, wilted violet petals and touches of forest floor cohere wonderfully in the glass. The Cabernet here is more expressive. The palate has a slight chewiness on the entry, but it "relaxes" in the glass. It shows off its delicate lattice of tannins and perhaps a bit more backbone than I have observed on previous bottles. It's very intense on the finish where, as before, the Cabernet Franc takes charge. Superb. Keep it another three to four years if you can. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 2 years ago

Paul J

9.8

Merry Christmas!!

1hr-+ decant. Dark red color. Cedar, dark cherries, and subtle pencil shavings on the nose. Drinking at its apex! Could be mistaken for a high end Bordeaux. Silky texture, juicy but elegant with lovely terroir, and complex. Nice depth and long finish. This is right in my wheelhouse!!

Pairs perfectly with ham!! — 5 months ago

with Brooke

Delectable Wine

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9.3

The 2004 Vieux Château Certan was picked starting September 20. This is a little fuller on the nose compared to the 2002, with more fruit concentration, red plum and raspberry, wilted rose petals and a touch of thyme. This is very endearing and open, yet there is vigor. The palate is well-balanced with finely chiseled tannins. While not the most complex vintages of this decade, it is very well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced with a dash of cracked black pepper on the finish. I have admired this Pomerol since first tasting it from barrel, and I still do. Drink now or over the next 12 to 15 years. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

Tasting the 1990 Léoville Las Cases just a few days after the 1989, it is clear which is the best vintage…this one. It has a sublime nose of melted black fruit, tar, cedar and bay leaf that shrugs off the heat of that summer better than most others. At 33 years of age, you could just lose yourself in these aromatics. The palate is clearly holding up well: beautifully defined and supple yet with typical Las-Cases backbone and depth. It builds magnificently in the glass toward a harmonious finish that reminds me of the 1985 in terms of its fleshiness. Wonderful. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 2 years ago

Celeste Player

8.9

Nice pick up for the house — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Opened some time prior to service; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2022 Zinfandel pours a ruby color with a nearly transparent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of Bing cherry, black plum, red and purple flowers, tobacco and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. To my palate, this needs some years on its side to gain some complexity but the components are there. Drink now to experience its fruit dominated youth; best from 2027-2042. — 9 months ago

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9.0

The 1975 Batailley is a vintage poured at a vertical at the Pauillac estate with Frédéric Castèja a few months earlier, but perversely, this bottle shows better. There’s a strong marine influence on the nose, and kelp and crustacea intertwine with slightly rustic but attractive black fruit, austere, compared to recent vintages, albeit typical of that period for Batailley. The palate is gentle, perhaps a little angular, though this bottle exhibited a touch more black fruit on the finish to counterbalance its obdurate tannins, a trope of the 1975 Left Banks. The aforementioned vertical will appear this year. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2024)
— 2 years ago