Stephen Redenbaugh

9.5

My, my! I buy this wine every year… this just might be the best I’ve tasted. Dark, midnight inky purple. Whiff of new wood with ripe juicy blackberry… viscous, oily, weighted mouth-feel. Sweet, balanced, mouthwatering with an intensity that brings a huge idiotic grin to my face that has lingered long after the wine was gone. Way, way too young… but one of the huge reasons I adore American Zinfandel is that you can drink it anytime. Marvelous bargain! — 4 years ago

Marc Ouellette

9.4

A velvet rich plum color flanked with various aromas of rose, lavender and cherry. On the palate - intense fruit, black pepper, clove and tart black cherry. Smooth yet slightly bold, medium tannins and a sinful bite at the end! O’Lillo!! — 4 years ago

Jen Thierer

9.3

Luke’s favorite from prairie fire. Sweet red. Reminds me of Grandma’s spaghetti wine. — 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.2

Cab-quest goes on! And this is so good it made this goth heart grin. Although realized this is 52% Merlot whoops. And after that Cab S plus small shares of Malbec, Cab f and petit Verdot (which I personally wanna see more single varietal iterations of). All things aside DAMN it gets the super specific term “yummy”. Red and black cassis, bits of blackberry, allspice and licorice and chocolate goodness! Silky as sin—deceptively easy to drink quickly so beware/enjoy...I’m enjoying but then I’m home alone. Has a lovely refreshing earthy note that keeps on keeping on... — 8 years ago

Daniel McGeough

9.3

Pork ribs and Barolo make me Cheshire grin!! 😁😁 — 9 years ago

Gary Fenstra

9.7

Charlie said to pull anything out of his closet because he wasn't sure what was good. I said let's give this a try with a sh*t-a*s grin in my face. So this is what a fine wine tastes like. — 9 years ago

David Hale Smith

9.7

A sinful Cabernet. Thanks for sharing, boys. Happy New Year!🎈🎆🎊💯 — 9 years ago

Michal Rosenn

9.3

🤤 cherries, earth, funky deliciousness — 4 years ago

Marc Ouellette

9.4

Fit for a King! A majestic bouquet of noir cherries, sweet plum, cinnamon, anise and French lavender. Velvety tannins along with a medium complexity and a smooth texture allures a sinful bite at the end. The Portuguese outdid themselves on this one!!! — 4 years ago

susan Totten

9.3

Really good taste not real sweat. — 5 years ago

Sam Agami

9.0

Dark purple majesty at a bargain price. Leather, licorice, and dark fruit abounds! — 8 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.0

Smoky and recovery, paired with 🍫... sinful evening of early winter in Ithaca... — 9 years ago

Anand , Founder Share a Bottle.com

9.5

Super crispy and in balance. Kimmeridge pleasure and pure terroir. Craftmanship pur sang. Almost perfect. Big Grin When you smell this! — 9 years ago

Kim watt

9.9

Mineral forward and finish with pear. love it ,it's just sinful.
With Tim — 9 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.8

@Carl Fischer @Mike Rowe @David L @Ron R @Ron R as Mike would say, smiles, all smiles. Such opulence and fitness with globs of the layers upon layers. Everything is harmoniously In sync. The only drawback is it's youth!!!
Thank God I have 9 left and some magnums!! I know it's a baby, but I'm still drinking it with a big shit eating grin on my face. — 10 years ago

with Ryan and Christine

Adriana Fabbro

9.3

There are sinful, delicious things that we rarely make time for (in our health conscious, earth conscious, super productive busy lives) like T-Bone steaks and 15% ABV Priorat. And while restraint and abstinence are good practices 95% of the year, at least 5% indulgence is necessary for good living, and the final days of a birthday week are fine times for gluttony.

The appropriately named “stairway to heaven/the gods” opens with intense, hypnotic aromas of anise/licorice, garrigue, wet slate, camp fire, beef blood, incense, mushroom, cedar, red currant, black currant; black cherry, strawberry jam, spiced red plum, and more slate (who says 15% abv wines don’t express terroir?!?!? )

My only complaint is that the palate isn’t nearly as captivating, deep and varied as the nose. Don’t get me wrong, it’s got a lot going on, it just lacks the mid palate weight and length I was hoping for after such a promising first impression. — 4 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.2

Young, fruit-first, medium weight, friendly zin. Lively, smiley-face wine with raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, boysenberry melange with a touch of smoky oaky savory lusciousness…the rustic grin of good Sonoma zin is hard to ignore…long vivid dinner companion with Sunday Best Braised Harvest Stew on a cool Fall Sunday… — 5 years ago

Martin Bergo

9.2

Produced since 2000, this Tuscan Gaja-initiative promis-es and delivers a tasty return on my investment of 30 bucks. Mostly merlot and syrah and a-tenth of sangiovese - the grapes are fermented and macerated separately and then put in semi-new barrels for a year and then another in bottle. The nose is extremely floral (almost like Gaja’s more northen wines) and it is only after several whifs that the minerals, mintyness, and red and blue berries come through. Nice and round mouthfeel with smooth tannins and great acidity and fruitiness leaves a satisfying grin on my face. Ready now but will likely evolve, so I’ll revisit in a few years. — 7 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.9

When @Mike R passed me a glass of this wine, his knowing grin gave it away. This was “All Smiles” in a glass - thank you my friend for everything! — 9 years ago

with Eric, Mike and 4 others

Chris Zitzman

9.2

As I learn about some of these better White Burgundies, the element or really more a "consistent trait" is a simple joy that flows onto the palate that's like a warm smile from the right gal at the big party. Nothing at all sinister- just that warm welcome that promises to bring a good time along with it. The nose seems right in step with the aforementioned grin, with notes of nougat, golden-hued wrapped in a subtle, near-neutral bit of barrel. As it has breathed it's shifted into a more "relaxed gear", and is spreading out, revealing more of itself. Reaching the back of the palate and leisurely 'becoming' a finish it reflects the best bits of its strengths on the mid-palate.
#IpaidforthisoneoitnofnpocketandgladIdid — 9 years ago

with Beth