Gary Nishimura

9.0

Thanksgiving 2025. Good Pinot. — a month ago

Sonja

9.3

Petroleum notes, a very big wine. Lovely! — 2 years ago

Joan Ziegler

9.2

Drinking in Palo Alto on Saturday night with Ray — 4 years ago

Erik Helms

Sommelier/Wine & Beer Buyer Whole Foods Oakland

9.3

Blueberry pie and incredible freshness. Delightful garnet to the eye, it’s incredibly rich but equally elegant. — 4 years ago

Rob Havana

8.9

Música del Vi — 10 months ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

Da bomb, for sherry lovers: Palo Cortado versión. A shape shifter on the palate & ringing on the higher registers, this Hidalgo checks all the boxes for me, which includes a lightness & freshness heaven made for most food. Burnt pine cone & toffee bits, a subtle mushroom thing (oyster?), & a rather trim beef bouillon broth lurking on the back end. That may all be bs but it’s a wine that inspires….. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.5

This bottle was the fourth and final bottle part of our Barolo ensemble, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.

Served blind, like the others, after a lengthy slow-ox. We were all aware that we were drinking Barolo but all other details were hidden from us. This bottle showed no visual signs of age. It was actually quite gorgeous to behold with a deep ruby core and bright disk. The bouquet was powerful; the most powerful of the four we experienced on this night. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, exotic spices, tar, roses, dried herbs...even a bit of an umami thing was happening...everything was on full display! The finish was long and savory. Almost gave me the feeling of a buzz button which, I have only encountered once before in wine.

Of the four Barolos, on this night and to my palate, this exhibited the most sizzle. I was well and truly smitten. When this was revealed to be the 2012 Cappellano “Pie Rupestris”, it became an Archimedes moment for me...short of running through the town naked. Until now, I had only tried Cappellano’s Barbera d’Alba and Chinato; both extraordinary wines. This fits squarely into my wheelhouse and has become a new benchmark for me; recalling a similar experience to my first Lignier “Clos de la Roche”. A monumental wine that is already drinking so well but has everything necessary to age with grace for decades to come. Scary thing? There remains upside, I’m sure of it. — 4 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

Other bottlings tasted more layered, I’d like to think, but for the peni-ultimate wine equivalent of salted caramel, this is it. Caramel not sweet at all,& the more fluid body from Palamino. Perhaps a tad too salty- but who doesn’t like salted caramel? 375ml bottle. Kinda cool how many deals are to be had in the Barbadillo line up. — 10 months ago

with Owen

Daniel Bloom

9.5

Oh My!
Between 50-80 yr old wines in there.
N: Shoe Polish, Oranges, Caramel Wood, a myriad of things...
P:Oranges, deep caramel,Bright acidity, unctuous and light at the same time, drying, A beautiful wine to behold and ponder. — 4 years ago

Sylvain Rhainds

8.9

Nez super mais en bouche. Extreme. — 4 years ago