Ryan Vento

9.3

Cracked the seal on this tonight. Really delicious stuff. Sweet, malted grains, hazelnut, ginger root, maple syrup, apricot, fig, and wintery spices. Lovely balance. — a month ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 4 months ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.0

Not a bit of Georgian script anywhere on the bottle, but a big square of marketing copy on the back label. Ok, great—these wines need more exposure! Medium amber (amber—so much nicer than “orange”), light tannin, apricot, great acidity, and refreshing in a brilliant way. Perfect with a range of foods. A stunning value. #georgianwine — 6 months ago

with Alsu

David Walser

9.9

My wine of the year. I bought 4-5 cases of this amazing wine and this was my second to last bottle. I’m not even a Merlot fan but this stuff has been great! Christmas dinner with Bevan and short ribs. The cork crumpled upon removal but still created a perfect seal. Might have given this a 10 if I didn’t have to deal with the floating cork pieces. — a month ago

Seiji Takeuchi

8.9

Wine red as any red wine. :) Black cherry taste. Was on sale with recommendation by the wine shop in the neighborhood. Bordeaux flavor with that French air. — 4 months ago

Evgenievna

9.7

I’ve been scripting the life philosophies of those closest to me:
1. My parents’ determinist universe: born into a predetermined script, Can’t veer too far from you class, status, culture, genetic talents. You still have to work hard to attain what can be yours. You can fail, become an alcoholic, waste your birth given place in life. But you can also ease in to life knowing things were meant to be certain ways for everyone.

2. I see life as a pinball game. You get spat out like a ball. Bump up against various circumstances. Some can keep the game going by feeding it more quarters. Others learn the rules or teqnique better. Some enjoy it. Some just float through. In the end we all end up in the same hole.

3. Ivison’s are in an action adventure. No plot. Typical characters. Loads of special effects and a ride.

4. Tim? He has a strong sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair. His life philosophy comes close to a balance board.
— 4 months ago

William Paley

9.4

19 hrs open but 14 in a vacuum....someone help me with the math, cuz I know it’s still trace developing under decanter seal....fantastic and worth the wait. Purple shifts to garnet. Jam to stewed fruit. A Utah-like powder emerges. A shout becomes a suggestion. Wonderful Thursday afternoon wine, for considering the phenomenon of simultaneous forward momentum and stasis. — 7 months ago

with Jess

Peg Hanssen

9.5

This wine has been produced using selected grapes from the vineyards located on the slopes of the “Sierra del Carche” in Jumilla, Spain – 700m above seal level. It has a fruity character, as well as being smooth and balanced on the palate. 80% Monastrell; 20% Syrah. Splash Wines — 3 months ago

JKT

9.2

Another incredible oldie that held up amazingly well. Cork looked like it’s ten years old with only bottom third stained through though it did break apart when pulled and lead seal is in excellent condition. Wine level showed no loss. Wonder if recorked at some point. Nice ruby color with little bricking. Whiff of worrisome sherry note that dissipated very quickly. Again like that Souverain Pinot a beautiful endlessly sniffable nose of almost fermented fruits and apples and autumnal forest floor carrying through to firmly textured palate but a relatively short finish. It’s a class act that still plays well. So second gem of the four. — 3 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From what can best be described as a bottle that was clearly not in great condition... 6cm ullage, faded light-kissed label, shrunken loose cork but the sludge around it at the top kept a good seal. Opened and let sit for 2 hours in the bottle, then decanted and left in decanter for 60 min. Dark amber tawny, opaque with some age showing in the rims. Killer old Bordeaux nose with notes of black cherry, tobacco leaf, cigar ash, old cedar wood and gravel stone. Silky in the mouth. Luscious. Lasting finish. This was a bottle that was part of a larger auction lot I bought a few years back and I knew there were risks with this particular bottle. Thus its amazing how what clearly wasn’t the best stored bottle can tonight still deliver a most memorable experience. — 5 months ago