Bob McDonald

9.0

At a local community restaurant full of locals where the pricing was a respite. This was a MURI GRANDI Liguria di Levante - from the north. A blend of Vermentino and Albarola. Great QPR. — 3 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.4

Deep blue and black fruits, and mocha spice define this full-bodied and concentrated wine. Dried fruit and Asian spice character with some full body, round and velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. This is an age worthy wine with many years in front of it. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Dessert Sonoma/Napa Valley Cabernet for the second half of the Allen Brothers Wagyu Ribcap.

This Alexander Cabernet was preferred in a tasting upon release with the same release of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The twelve non professional panel preferred this at the time, 12-0. Not entirely surprising for young Sonoma/Napa Cabernet vs. young Bordeaux.

The palate is riper, hotter with more razor backbone the 05 Bordeaux. The fruits are, ruby, riper & juicer than the 05 Bordeaux. Blackberries, black raspberries, very black plum, dark cherries & violet laden raspberries. dark berry cola, steeped, fruit tea, mid, dark spices, savory meats, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, mocha, caramel, very sweet tarriness & wet, forest floor with dry leaves, graphite, tobacco, limestone, dry soil & crushed.rocks, dark, melted chocolate bar, saline with ruby, candied florals that are, dark, blue, purple dominated in violets. The acidity is round and perfect. The finish is, well balanced, elegant, lush with outstanding polish that lasts for days.

The 06 still an adolescent.

Paired with an Allen Brothers Wagyu Ribcap which was a 100. — 6 years ago

Daryl Calhoun

9.0

Winter wine at the summer house! Usually not a fan, but the 08 is smooth and refined. Probably a year past peak, but pairing well with my feta stuffed olives. Enjoyed as an end-of-the-work-week respite and prep for the weekend. Nod to the WNH! Anyone skiing in Tahoe in March? — 7 years ago

Evelyn

9.2

This wine is super chill. Cranberries. Lots of cranberry. Little bit of blackberry. Little bit of “sticks and rope.” It tastes like something you should be drinking on a cloudy not-quite-spring day (which this is). Not velvety enough to be wintery, not quite light enough to be summery. Super smooth and not messing around. A pleasant respite from heavy shit that won’t slap you in the face. It wears stripes and has a scarf in its hair. — 8 years ago

Dmitri

8.9

A welcome respite from bland or loud malbecs and cabernets. — 9 years ago

Veronica Castro

9.1

Did you ever have the feeling you were going to like a wine before you tried it? Or at least hoped to like it, based on other wines you had by the same producer (?). Such is the case with the Terre Nere Etna Rose. Crushed flowers, melon, nectarines and lemon all float along. Dry and delicious. Good respite on a hot summer night. — 9 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2016 vintage. Precious little baby fat left and already plenty of the aged Bordeaux stank in the nose. Supple but has the palate footprint of a pinot. Some blue fruit and cocoa powder on the delicate finish. So much finesse. Drink now or forget for a solid 15-spot…it matters not. Texturally gorgeous and definitely not your average Napa Cabbage-now or then. Ric Forman is the rare producer that straddles the verry old school and new school in Napa and, yet, his wines still remain classical and true vs the 2nd "cult" wave/post-1991 obscenely-scored/fruit bomb/über-extracted/distilled/dance party/reduction sauce-styled ridiculousness so in vogue for the last three damned decades. A welcome respite. 2.28.23. — 3 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.1

Monterey is my new respite from the world. Their wines...well for starters quality for price. But also my goodness the subregions are as nuanced as Burgundy I know I’m committing wine crime.
Anyway this is quite ripe. Rather ripe. There is some fun oak.
You’ll probably overshare with it. — 5 years ago

Kai Wright

9.0

Medellin isn’t a wine town, but a nice selection at Justo in Poblado. Funky verdejo with tropical fruit, lemon zest, and kernel is a nice respite from the valley sun — 6 years ago

with Jedd

Ryan Vento

9.2

Birthday celebration for @Cody Uzzel at Lucio’s with a bunch of friends. All wines (except sparklers) tasted blind.
.
Always gotta finish with bubbles 🥂 my third and final contribution of the evening and the perfect bottle to end on. This got downed fast as our palates were in need of respite. I lament that this was my final bottle of this stuff, but I couldn’t have asked for a better way to kill it off 🍾 — 7 years ago

with Krystal and Cody

S.S. Mandani

9.4

This bouquet is straight up raw honey.

Apricots, subtle hints of fresh ginger, limestone mineral bouquet.

Fruit-forward. Slightly puckerish, tartness.

Smooth mouthfeel. Silk and luxurious.

Not all wine brings up such strong images while I drink it. This one absolutely does. I think of Greece and the sea and turquoise and limestone and old architecture. I think of the respite of love and the adventure of life.

~$20 at Astor Wine & Spirits.

Steal. — 7 years ago

Severn G

9.1

Enjoying some bottles along side the warmth of the chimenea, today is a brief respite for the seasonal weather, tomorrow brings snow again.

Nice bottle, gaining complexity with air time. Enjoyable, but for $50 we've had better bottles for less cost. — 8 years ago

romo

9.2

No acid. Nada. Syrupy and bass clef. A delicious summer respite. Did I mention no acid? — 5 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.0

A high-acid, mouth-puckering assault on the palate. Tightly wound even with a decant, I can’t imagine this on a pop n pour. Layers of mineral & tart fruit; hint of petrol comes almost as a respite from the onslaught. Ok maybe I’m slightly exaggerating. Cool wine. — 5 years ago

with Alsu

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.3

Harvest moon is up there somewhere. You’d never know with the smoke from the Glass Fire choking us. Nice respite. — 6 years ago

with Rose, Grace and 1 other

Connor Smith

9.2

With the Wine Blight laying waste to her vineyards, France went from 8:1 exporter in 1870 to 6:1 importer in 1887. Legions of wine farmers faced total financial ruin. With no cure - or even a proper diagnosis - in sight, many saw no option but to flee to lands not yet affected.

The influx of institutional knowledge that flooded into former backwater wine regions like Rioja catapulted them into relevance, and soon matured into a world-class standard. The farmers had found respite, but couldn't run forever. By the time Phylloxera crossed the Pyrenees, however, there would be new ways to fight back.

French botanist Jules-Emile Planchon had a theory. If the blight was caused by a microscopic American insect as he suspected, perhaps grafted European varieties on American rootstock would be resistant. This would be confirmed by Missouri entomologist Charles Riley, and with millions of rootstocks supplied by Texas horticulturalist T.V. Munson, the Wine Blight was soon in remission.

(This is adapted from notes for Le Dû’s Wines ‘History of Wine 1453AD-Present’ seminar, where this wine was poured) — 7 years ago

romo

9.2

A brief respite from #whole30 January. First time w Weller and it is very nice. — 7 years ago

Severn G

9.0

Enjoying some bottles along side the warmth of the chimenea, today is a brief respite for the seasonal weather, tomorrow brings snow again.

A typical P-F in my opinion, a little more oak influence than I typically like, but it's growing on me. It's young and had about an hour decant already, but still needs more air. — 8 years ago

Danny Bayston

9.3

Super tasty And a good respite after a day at the Iguazu Falls, most excellent all round.
— 9 years ago