Pat Mead

9.2

2024 vintage of this delicious Sauvignon Blanc! Citrus, pineapple notes and crisp and lively on the palate. Great with appetizers! Will definitely buy again! — 3 months ago

Joe Roth

9.2

Nice and crisp. Beautiful acidity. — 4 years ago

with Jeff and Michael

Bob McDonald

9.0

See several previous tasting notes for this wine. This was made back in the day when Hunter Valley reds had strayed from their medium bodied, savoury, sweaty saddle origins to being riper and more full bodied like a South Australian Red. This was declared in a speech by Chief Winemaker at the time, Jim Chatto, at a dinner I attended at the winery. Also plenty of oak still evident at 15 years of age. I prefer the original Hunter Valley style which Mount Pleasant has wisely reverted to utilising the wonderful old vine fruit at its disposal. Tasted again 35 weeks later on 26th March 2022. Nothing to add to the note here. A Hunter Valley wine trying to look like a South Australian wine back in 2006 with ripe fruit and oak. Thankfully HV reds have returned to the medium weight savoury long living style that Maurice O’Shea made in the 1950’s. — 5 years ago

Pooneet K

9.4

A marvelous wine in an absolutely beautiful place. The first sip gave me goose bumps. Just such a classic Bordeaux in the best sense. No decant, slight chill, this is ready to go and fully integrated. Blackcurrant on the nose and palate. Incredible freshness and acid. Completely mouth filling and balanced. Certainly one of the best Bordeaux’s I’ve had in a long time. Amazing with grilled dry aged ribeyes. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.8

From a pristine bottle with a 4cm fill and an appropriate cork. Reddish tawny color with reddish amber rims. Barely translucent. Looks young for its age. Notes of rich warm fruit, cassis, smoke, some cedar planks, and a whole lot of leather saddle. Incredibly rich in the mouth. Silky. Long impactful finish. This wine appears to have no end of life in sight for it. Guesses were all in the 1980’s. Amazing wine. BDay dinner 10/12. — 8 years ago

Tyler Felous

9.2

Rating a few wines from back in January. This was great Oregon Pinot. Robust. — 5 months ago

Sean Lyons

9.5

I hate to say it, but this stuff really is a higher class of vodka. No off, medicinal notes. No cloying artificial sweetness. It just tastes like the cleanest, purest spring water was made magically alcoholic. — 4 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

8.9

The wine I have opened is the 2021 Goose Island South Island Sauvignon Blanc. From Upper Moutre, New Zealand.

On the nose there is lime, grapefruit, tangerine, gooseberry, honeydew melon, grass, herbal notes and minerality.

On the palate is grapefruit, white peach, lime, jalapeno, herbaceousness and flintiness.

This wine is light to medium bodied with a fresh clean mouthfeel medium + acidity that leaves you with a long citrus mineral finish. We now have 3 1/2 days until Christmas and everyone has all their shopping done. Please stay safe and healthy on these days before Christmas. Nostrovia! 🥂🥂🥂🥂 — 5 years ago

Jonas Johansson

9.1

Great with Calamari — 6 years ago

Chase Jordan

9.4

Delicious red wine mix. Subtle tannins. Flavor with hints of plum, blackberry & coffee. Bland smell, but made up of in terms of taste and finish. — 7 years ago

Michael Seely

9.4

Enjoy the cool yrs, this 2011 is well structured — 8 years ago

with Joe

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

From magnum and paired well with three different Tri-tip steaks sources and marinades.

On the nose, sweet & sour, ripe dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, some ripe, slightly rustic rhubarb with just a hint of blue fruits. Glycerin, touch of fruit liqueur, vanilla, dry stones, crushed rocks, hints of dry herbs, used leather, saddle-wood, dark rich soils, soft dark spice, underlying white pepper and dark red fresh and slightly withering florals with a touch of violets.

The palate is med and beautiful. The length, structure, tension and balance are at its peak harmony from magnum. Sweet & sour, ripe dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranate, some ripe, slightly rustic rhubarb, burnt orange, with just a hint of blue fruits. Glycerin, touch of fruit liqueur, vanilla, dry river stones, crushed rocks, hints of dry herbs, used leather, saddle-wood, dark rich soils, limestone minerals, dry stems, more presence, soft dark spice, underlying white pepper and dark red fresh and slightly withering florals with a touch of violets and blue flowers. The acidity is waterfall perfect. The rich, ripe, fresh fruit, well balanced finish is simply beauty on steroids.

Photos of, Lopez de Heredia, Vat fermenters that are still in use and somewhere between 100-200 years of age (they repair them as needed to keep them tight), their cooperage and Maria José López de Heredia who now runs the family business. — 8 years ago

Tiffanie Evenson

9.0

Super good! Would get again! — 3 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Taken to Hawksmoor in NYC for our uncle’s 75th. Decanted in hotel for 7 hrs before dinner. Dark reddish amber edges with dark tawny color center. Opaque. Great aged Bordeaux nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco and cigar, cassis, old desk wood, saddle leather, some anise, some barnyard and a little mint. Rich and silky in the mouth. Long finish. The bottle (mid shoulder) wasn’t in as good of condition as the one we had a few weeks ago, but the outcome was similar. Family and the Somm all loved it, as did I. — 4 years ago

Chris Bomba

9.4

Had the 2012. Delicious, glad we kept it. — 5 years ago

Jeff Orlowski

9.4

Mild earthy nose. Medium body, dry, smooth and balanced. Plum, raspberries on palate. Lovely. — 5 years ago

with Michael and Joe

Jason Miller

9.0

Amy likes it but may have been influenced by prior wine taster. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.5

Few wines are as near and dear to my heart as Montelena estate. My birthday eve dinner with my daughters and we had my daughter Bailey’s birth year to celebrate. Delicious mature cab, saddle leather, cherry tobacco and stewed plum. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 8 years ago