Ted

9.2

Different chenin blanc for me. Have not had many from the US. Lovely. Citrus skin and has a mineral component. — a month ago

with Jeni

Lee Lightfoot

9.2

Tremendous acidity, bright fresh mineral lemon. Only 50 cases and from a vineyard 4 miles from the ocean in Avila beach — 3 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.5

Tasted at a private seminar in SF with importer Terry Theise and it is showing amazingly well. Yet another example of the power of Riesling. This nearly 14-year-old Spätlese is still a toddler, not even approaching a tertiary stage any time soon. Golden straw color with great clarity, green reflections. Massive nose of smoke, slate, passion fruit, apricot and melon all coated in honey. The aromatics attack your palate from 8 inches away. 100 g/l RS, but impeccably balanced. This is what I adore about the great sweet Rieslings- the inherent sweetness lends wonderful body and texture and carries all the intensity of the fruit all the way through the finish which I find to be amazingly persistent. Loving the spice character in the mid palate and the lovely floral quality up front. This is a masterful Riesling from a top Nahe producer, and Meddersheimer is arguably one the top vineyards in this subregion. The mosaic of soil types here lend the wines a great deal of nuance and complexity and all different ripeness levels, but this is my favorite Spätlese from the Nahe at the present moment due to its outward and flamboyant nature. Very versatile food wine with great individual character. — 7 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.2

Very good. Strawberry and watermelon jolly rancher for days. Light bodied. Some stone. Not complex, but not the point. Crushable. Glouglou — 3 months ago

Rachel Black

9.0

Carbonic maceration? Fun but not really worth $40 — 2 years ago

David Kline

9.1

All celebration in an ebulliently uplifting, white, cloud wall. Huge fruit cup of cherry and peach, pear and strawberry bounces from the glass, wafting outward. A funkiness evokes ripest dragonfruit, and yes, guava. Sourest lemon-orange combo pushes forward in a citrus hammer, with tart tartaric energy evoking lime and hybrid citrus fruits at various stages of ripeness. Tangy and sour while still maintaining the vestiges of a skin-and-all kumquat sweetness. Finishes dry, and acid-refreshing. — 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 7 years ago

Turd Ferguson

8.9

Definitely feels like a slightly challenging, cooler year. Less outward fruit and complexity, but still good extraction for a blowfish from Australia. Moric is a master. — 7 months ago

Stephanie Cain

8.9

Pepper and limestone on the nose. Light and zesty. Low tannin, high acid. — 2 years ago

David Kline

9.5

Aromas of gingerbread, apricot, cut red apples, lemon pith, tea biscuit and caramel. What a smooth and amazingly deft whiskey on entry; lifting off the palate like a smoldering Phoenix immolating in slow-mo as it becomes engulfed in various smokes layering endlessly outward in its bourgeoning expansion. It evokes congnac’s finest offerings, showing mixed apple and baked orchard fruits and complex spice and pastries, but cask choices leave no doubt to its whiskey-ness. All the nobility, but with the sinewy strength of a seasoned warrior. #scotch #whiskey #whisky #macallan #No4 #HighlandWhiskey — 6 years ago

with Courtney