Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

NV. Crispy here and there with rounded features within. Nice baseline of acidity thumping throughout. Pretty in places. 3.27.26. — 3 months ago

Serge Mismetti

10

Une bouteille magnifiquement conservée , bouquet hyper complexe , une grande longueur malgré l’âge et en accord avec le mets — a year ago

with Thierry

Karen Tripson

9.6

Dangerously smooth. — a year ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Vilmart is a producer that I don’t see posted often. I visited this property in 10/22. Ate the fruit they left behind two- three weeks after they picked the Pinot Noir in their Clos des Goisses vineyard. So bloody delicious. Once you’ve had a steady diet of vineyard grapes, you can no longer eat table grapes. The thing to know about Vilmart, they embrace neutral wood barrels. It’s what makes their cuvées so complex…the wood & air. This is one of their entry level cuvées.

Tonight is a four-course…finishing w/ apple tart from the farmers market. Pairs nicely. The palate is; golden & green bruised apple, Bosc pear, tropical fruits-green melon, kiwi, pineapple juice, lemon & lime flesh, tangerine hues, saline/sea spray, toast, brioche, vanillin, cream, touch of ginger, moist, fine chalkiness, grey volcanic minerals, beautiful acidity, yellow lilies, jasmine, well balanced and polished finish that lasts minutes. From 375ml. — 3 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.4

Lovely to see all the elements in this integrate over the three hours we enjoyed it. Beautiful accord of juicy Sangiovese fruit, light tannin, acid. Mid is youthful & juicy but the finish is ethereal. Drinking nicely with a long decant — 5 years ago

with Alsu

Dawn E.

9.0

Finishing leftovers from Saturday. I have posted this previously and was not impressed per the level of white flowers on the palate.
This bottle same vintage is so much better, softer profile on the WF! Not sure why. 🤷‍♀️
Just wanted to present a fair rating; post 2 bottles of good vs. 1 bad. — 5 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.3

Lovely nose, will really show in a few years. Blueberry/violet accord, graphite, minerality, good tannins, lower acid. Rustic & balanced, lovely work. — 6 years ago

with Alsu

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

This is one of the values you buy in futures in excellent vintages (2005 is) and hold it until now & the next 5 yrs for its best. Yet, will drink another 5 yrs. 2005 I believe is the best Bordeaux fruit in nearly three decades I’ve noted.

Also, this one is not to be confused with the same name Chateau that is Pomerol. Think this was around $20 on release.

If you note the Right Bank map I posted, you’ll see the region of Cotes de Castillon is an outlier region just east of St. Emilion. While a lesser region than SE, it still makes some nice wines like this one.

This bottle has been well stored for nearly 20 yrs. Cork like new with next to no wine stain on its side. One of the prettier 91’s I’ve had in memory.

The color is still deep opaque with a lighter glass edge. No brickish tones.

The nose shows ruby, floral, candied; dark currants, blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries, black plum, poached strawberries & raspberry hues,, dark tarriness, black licorice, mid berry cola, steeped tea, coffee, some lead pencil, dry tobacco, dry river stone, dark, rich forest floor w/ dry leaves, light caramel with understated/layered baking spices & soft dark spices, red, dark florals framed in liquid violets.

The tannins are medium, well rounded, plush & velvety. Palate shows a more pronounced ruby quality, floral to just candied; dark currants, blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, poached strawberries & raspberry hues, dark tarriness, black licorice, mid berry cola, steeped tea, dry crushed limestone, moist herbs w/ a sage lead, coffee, some lead pencil, dry tobacco, dry river stone, dark, rich forest floor w/ dry leaves, charcoal w/ ash, warm, dark chocolate sliding into milk chocolate, light caramel with understated/layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin & soft dark spices, red, dark florals framed in brilliant, liquid violets, perfect acidity, balance for days, softly knitted, mid tension, very good length with an elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds and long sets on gentle, mid spices and beautiful earthiness.

It is an elegant beauty. It’s a gentle, even palate tug of war with the wine & Wagyu Ribcap. 91-92 with the Ribcap. More 92 w/ the steak. — 3 months ago

Serge Mismetti

9.6

Accord magique avec le homard — 2 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

8.9

Not any better than the bottle I had last year, not even a Wagyu New York strip helped it out. Strangely didn’t realize I had this last January until I posted it just now and looked up others rating’s🤷🏼‍♂️

I should look these things up before I open a bottle — 3 years ago

Brandon Beldengreen-Karas

9.5

Pure decadence! Initial impressions of lemon custard rippled heavily with pure sweet vanilla eventually give way to flavors of baked apricots and peaches.

Luc Morlet, the previous wine maker from Peter Michael, certainly knows how to make a good wine. A few of you that have posted other wines from their portfolio can vouch on the increasing difficulty to find their allocations. Definitely buy when you find! — 4 years ago

Matthew W.

9.3

Well rounded, with fruits and spice as the main accord. — 5 years ago

Nicolas Duchesneau

9.2

Lafon Rochet 2005

Nez principalement sur les fruits noir, cuir, eucalyptus! En bouche, c’est très bien, les saveurs typique bordelais, fruits noirs, tabac, cuir, cèdre , roches mouillées. Le vin est quand même puissant, les tannins sont présents et le vin a un bel équilibre. Va tenir la route encore
Longtemps mais c’est très bon en ce
Moment. Excellent accord avec le boeuf Wellington. — 6 years ago

Rafael Landestoy

9.4

It’s been forever since I last posted but this is an appropriate wine to start posting again. First time having this well balanced, elegant pinot. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.

I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.

The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.

The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.

What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle. — 7 months ago

Cathi Swanson

9.1

Not sure if I’m connected to the correct wine. This was rated 90 on some review (posted at Pruetts) and highly recommended by Bill the Wine Guy. $32. Smooth, sweet without being sweet. Not oaky but a bit buttery. — 2 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.4

Impenetrable minerality & acid of young GG Riesling meets saline/citron accord of Chablis. Full of energy & verve but needs time. Lovely work. — 4 years ago

with Alsu

lindsay Hall

10

Notes of coffee and cranberry. Absolutely wonderful. Not as full bodied as a zin but still great. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

If you have not had this producer of Shiraz from Barossa, you are missing out on some special wines from very old vines. In the case of “The Relic” 100 year old vines. We walked the Standish Estate vines w/ Dan in April 2017. They yield a paltry 500 pounds of fruit per acre. Normally, very high quality wine are around 2,00-2,500 pounds of fruit per acre. So, his wines are from small concentrated berries.

You won’t find his wines in the US except on the secondary markets. He doesn’t have or need a US importer as he sells everything he makes through his mailing list. However, worth seeking out. Also, his wines need to age and you can find them this old. I have numerous times.

Dan started out in Barossa and then gathered much of winemaking knowledge working his way through Europe for several producers and a majority of them in France.

When he returned to Australia, he became the Winemaker at Torbreck before starting “The Standish Wine Company.”

I’ve posted several of his wines with detailed notes and will let them speak here. Cheers!

— 5 years ago

Wendyyay

9.0

Good, semi sweet. 12.7% — 6 years ago