Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Château Prieuré-Lichine 2023 – Margaux, Grand Cru Classé en 1855. BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A developing Margaux showing early aromatic charm and layered complexity, with youthful structure and noticeable oak integration that will benefit from short-term aging.

Aromas & Flavors
Red cherry, raspberry compote, wild strawberry, subtle vanilla pod, sweet baking spice, light cedar, emerging floral tones and faint graphite.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with tight but refined tannins, good mid-palate tension, clean line of acidity, and a structured finish that signals further evolution ahead.

Food Pairings
Duck breast, herb-crusted lamb rack, porcini risotto, roasted chicken with thyme, aged Gruyère.

Verdict
Already expressive and layered, but still in its formative phase. A couple more years will soften the tannins, integrate the oak, and elevate aromatic precision and depth.

🍷 Personal Pick
Not ready to fight for my podium of winnings wines for immediate consumption yet — but the engine note is promising. Worth revisiting soon.
— 5 months ago

Ellen Clifford

9.2

Delightfully herbal and slightly spicy, infinitely fresh. It will draw you in with fennel whimsy and keep you there with citrus zest familiarity but then it finishes with a slightly minty kick. Utterly playful and mouthwatering (surely there are more connections between those synonyms than wine). A really good wine I think could…age. There I said it. This white wine could age. — 2 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.3

Gets me every time. Giovanna should be on the podium with the best of Italian women winemakers. — 6 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.2

Of the five Beaujolais on the table, this was on the podium. — 7 years ago

OMG PEDRO

9.1

Thanks to missionliquor.com ... Smoky, leathery, cinnamon, coffee, thyme with a cherry and berries background with a mineral finish put this magnificent wine in the podium of excellence ! ... — 8 years ago

LM Segal

9.2

Most of the group had this as WOTN, but though it was beautiful and rich, there was a stewed fruit element that kept it off my podium. Otherwise beautiful saddle leather, soft cherry. — 9 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.5

Opening night of the Bastion, patron selected, five course, back room restaurant in Nashville. Feeling very privileged and fortunate to be under the guidance of sommelier extraordinaire Chelsea and the staff of passionate chefs behind the round with Josh at the helm. I am not popping my collar but I have been lucky enough to have purely memorable meals in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Italy, France, and in the US. Bastion, with praise, lands on my Olympic podium of memorable meals. Visit soon. I see only 22 seats in the room. — 10 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Château Kirwan 2023 – Margaux, Grand Cru Classé. BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A poised and expressive Margaux showing immediate charm while clearly structured for further evolution, delivering finesse, persistence, and a notably elongated finish compared to its peers in the flight.

Aromas & Flavors
Red cherry, wild strawberry, ripe raspberry, crushed rose petal, subtle vanilla, sweet spice, light cedar, gentle graphite undertones.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, excellent mid-palate energy, lifted acidity, and a long, persistent, and increasingly intense finish that carries well beyond the sip.

Food Pairings
Duck confit, herb-roasted chicken, veal chop with mushroom jus, lamb loin, aged Comté.

Verdict
Head-to-head with Château Prieuré-Lichine in overall quality, but Kirwan separates itself on finish length and persistence. Already surprisingly enjoyable today while still clearly benefiting from additional bottle age.

🍷 Personal Pick
The surprise overachiever of the Margaux flight, already fun now, but patience will unlock its real podium potential. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

8.9

Swooped this up in hopes that Ferrari would win at Monza. Unfortunately, the MV33/RB18 combo is just too strong this year. Anyway, I’ve been watching the drivers spray this stuff on the podium over the last couple years so I figured I would give it a try. Popped and poured; no formal notes. Mousse dissipates. Leesy and a little cheesy on the nose. Lemons, limes, nuts and minerals. Decent acid. Thought I’d be down on this but it’s pretty decent. Particularly for the sub-$20 price at Eataly. — 4 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.7

This has got to be the top Pinot Noir from the Southern Hemisphere. Who else is fighting for the podium?! Chacra in Patigonia has a shot. Burn Cottage from NZ I like. Ochota from Oz is worthy of a podium. But yeah, Sailor is winning gold in my book. — 7 years ago

with James

Ned Gray Creed

9.5

Could very well be the finest Oregon Chardonnay producer going today. Definitely on my Olympic podium with 00 Wines and Cameron. — 8 years ago

with Mark

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.2

Very rich and deep. Lovely. — 8 years ago

Jill Judt

9.0

Sweet and refreshing on a warm summer evening in Sahuarita, Arizona . In my opinion this is better served chilled. — 10 years ago

with Chris

Billy L.

9.8

30th Anniversary Champagne 🍾 🥂@ Restaurant where I met my Wife 👍🏻👏🏻❤️
The Cristal was great!
Etiquette Question: What should the restaurant have done for compensation when our Server dropped my bottle on the floor; She dropped it like an “F1 Podium Scene”Cristal flying everywhere; after removing bottle foil, Cage & cork! Bottle bought upon release, cellared etc. Asking to be informed in case there is a next time! — a year ago

Silvia Rossi

9.0

Happy Bday Lety!! — a year ago

Megan Werling

9.0

A very nice Pinot! Robust, warm, lots of tannins. — 6 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.2

Of the five Beaujolais on the table, this was the other one that made the podium. — 7 years ago

Goran Špiranec

9.6

2011 is still overwhelmingly fizzeling with incredible freshness and strength! That famous merlot's sweet charm is still there, but this wine is far more than just being lovely. Gorgeous velvety tanins dance with acids so harmoniously, on a large podium of ripe red plums and dark cherries, and all decorated with black soft olives and bay leaflets. Vanilla, tobacco and other "oak" signs are submissed to the original aromas, and they play only a role in the overall empowerment of flavours. Excellent! — 8 years ago

Adam Gäfvert

8.9

Verdicchio från La Marche fortsätter hålla nivå. Päron och lite stenfrukt. Blommig och påfallande salt mineralitet. Intensitet och fyllighet men samtidigt inga fat och bra fräschör trots vinstilen. — 8 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.8

@Dan Petroski this was on the Pork Chop wine pairing podium but maybe not as sensational as the Monprivato. — 9 years ago

with Mark