Mike Lev

8.9

Nervous acidity, slight citrus and green apple and ripe pear. — 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

Cedar and mint hints complement depths of musky red currant and dried cherries as the darkly alluring 2016 Brunello di Montalcino smolders up from the glass. This is a model of purity, with textures of pure silk. It's vibrant, verging on nervous acidity, mixing ripe strawberry with a tart cranberry crunch as orange traces add further depth toward the close. Still structured yet not aggressively so, the 2016 finishes long and staining. A gentle tug of fine tannins adds youthful poise as the cheeks pucker for another sip. This is already showing beautifully, yet patience is recommended. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2023)
— 3 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Rosé of Syrah, Chehalem Mountain, Willamette Valley. Flavors of raspberry fruit leather, cherry with depth, slight medium-grained skin astringency on the finish. Medium body, just enough acidity. — 3 years ago

Luis Arguero (@winefromAtoZ)

8.9

Blackford Wine Co. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004: Full-bodied. Light tannins. Dark berries. Plum. Tobacco. Vanilla. Mild oak. Long smooth finish. This was a special ‘birth year bottle’ I opened up this past weekend for my niece as we celebrated her cross-country departure to college this week. Excited & nervous for her. All in all, time softened the richness of this wine however it still delivered satisfaction (despite its age!) with nice smooth flavors. Great week to all! Cheers🍷 — 4 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.5

From mag. I was very nervous about this as the cork was partially pushed out and weirdly moist under the foil. But it was totally gorgeous—go figure. The wine is in a great place, high toned raspberry and cherry, sauvage and animalistic, herbal, mesquite, feral but composed and texturally resolved. — 5 years ago

Seth Dunham

9.0

One of the best Pinots I have ever had. Very good! — 6 years ago

with Michelle

JeremyC

9.4

The last of these 12's. Was getting nervous it could be close to post peak but.....wow! Intense, balanced, complex acidity, oak, fruit. A wine that makes you consider qualities of Burg and Rhone tho this btl perhaps not AS MUCH as the last. Very old world in nature. Could hv waited but very happy to hv enjoyed it and shared. Wnehse. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina captivates. It’s perfumed and floral, with enriching notes of almond paste and confectionery spice that perfectly accentuate a smoky core of white peaches. There’s more lift on the palate, but it's a little backward, possessing wiry textures and an intense mineral core that adds depth to its citrus-inflected orchard fruits. Nervous acidity forces the mouth to water and maintains a dazzling freshness as inner florals resonate and a sour lime concentration settles in. The 2019 is just an infant today, compact yet complex, balanced and loaded with character. It will be a gorgeous Etna Bianco to follow over the next decade or more. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 2 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Cooler Shades of Pinot, 66/34 blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Willamette Valley. Pale golden, excellent clarity. Floral and citrus aromas, good acidity, rich mouthfeel, stone fruit, citrus flavors, lemon and lemon peel finish with length. Very well crafted — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Gorgeous and ebullient nose. Green veggie and herbs and super mineral. Zippo fruit. Some confectionery herbal aromas as well. Wow so good. Palate is rich and ripe but has so much nervous energy and purity. Lovely herbal and vegetable flavors as well and super clean and sappy. German whites under $30>>>>>>>> — 3 years ago

Jan A

9.2

New vintage just released and could not resist to check-in. Golden yellow color, rich scents of tropical fruit. On the palate overripe fruit, orange peel bitters, citrus fruit. This is thick, full and on the sweet side. No oak used and it doesn't need it either. Still nervous with rough edges so this can use some additional cellar time. Upon aeration the last glass revealed honey and gave a glimpse of what is to come. I see this moving to 94 with some age. Next bottle in 2 years. — 5 years ago

Jared O'Connell

8.9

Had no idea if this would be drinkable. Cork looked pretty good. Opened and drank over about 90mins. Was nervous that it would die after too much air but it did evolve in a decent way over time. Lots of sediment. It’s drinkable and pretty good.

overripe strawberry and mr bubble. A lil bit of mentos.

Lots of tar, tobacco, menthol. Prob wouldn’t guess 1995 as the vintage...more fruit than expected.

I think this is Cab/Syrah but I’m not sure? — 6 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.0

Pale golden in colour.
Shy nose, bright acidity and a saline, stony minerality on the palate.
Lemon juice, starfruit, some green herbs, seabreeze, wet pebbles. Actually, this shows very young, nervous and tight and IMHO it could use a tad more charm, rondeur, richesse. Maybe some extra cellartime will do the trick..? — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This one is a 93+ at this stage with room for improvements with some more age.

The Farella showed a more savory character than the rest. It’s body thicker than the others. Ruby; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries & raspberries. Herbaceous notes, soft minerality-rock powder, limestone, volcanics and just drying top soil, dry tobacco, sandalwood, perfectly executed baking spices, dark spice, vanillin, withering dark, red, blue and violets, nice round acidity, nice tension, structure, well knitted & balanced structure with an excellent full minute finish.

Pano photo of Pritchard Hill from the estate (what a stunning view), barrel room, the estates wine collection; which given the excellent producers in it (bottles of Petrus just one of very expensive producers), I’d be a little earthquake nervous & lay some thin wire over the bottles to hold them in place and their tank room. — 2 years ago

Mike Lev

8.9

Burgundies Sauvignon Blanc, pale gold, aromas of citrus, grapefruit, peach, and something floral. Medium body, medium + finish, light malo, rather fresh and nervous acidity. — 3 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.4

Excellent Barbaresco! Already approachable, little bit nervous but bottle age will help for sure. — 4 years ago

Seth Masterson

9.0

Opens on the nose with the smell of lees, underneath are early summer red 🍒 and a touch of balsamic and a touch of wood- maybe slovanian oak?
Tart, nice balance, refreshing and very drinkable. I was nervous to order it because it was listed under the 'Natural' wine selection but turns out that it's only organic and not bottle of kombucha. Excited to see that I might be able to find this for under $25.
Paid $54 at Commune in Columbus. — 4 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.0

2021/5/3-4 with Ningbo stewed pork with red fermented tofu and yakitori, itadori and mayonnaise, warabi and takenoko yaki onigiri. I was both curious and nervous about this considering my experience with the Montestefano. This also started out a bit ponderous and volatile, but on the second day it had calmed into a nice, bitter cherry dolcetto. — 5 years ago

Stuart Rasley

9.2

Interesting wine. Cork didn’t come out in one piece so was nervous but lovely upon opening up. — 7 years ago

with Lisa

Antony Comyns

9.1

Very good value wine from Handfords. — 7 years ago