Adam Kincaid

9.1

Birthday Pinot for Jill. A really wonderful bottle with great expressions of all its profiles. Bright red and light. Has a strong knack for cherry cola, dark plums and wonderful spices. Just a bit heavy, but typical Carneros. — 2 years ago

with Jillian

S.S. Mandani

8.9

The Swiss Army knife my father gifted to me in 2002 on a trip to Niagara Falls has been a prized object in my life. From etching initials into tree bark to camping to building furniture to opening bottles of wine, this glorified knick knack has transcended that category for me and will always have its place on my desk wherever I may be.

Rich and creamy bouquet. Black pepper and vanilla and unusually, goat cheese.

Light in terms of tannins, but a medium to high acidity makes this stand out. Intense red cherries. Packs a punch berry fruit up front, the acidity rushes in at the midpoint and then ends with a slight, yet welcome, astringent note. — 4 years ago

David Barker

9.8

Magnificent, full bodied, plush, decadent Aussie personalisation of a 'Super Tuscan' Cab Shiraz blend. Crafted by master winemaker Andrew Seppelt through Brett Hayes' pioneering newish kid off the block 'Hayes Family Wines'. Don't be fooled by the youth of Brett's venture, these wines display a history and heritage steeped in barossas's finest terroir, knowledge and nous. These are grapes from Barossa's hallowed Ebeneezer dirt, and Shultz vineyard dirt at that. But it's Andrew's knack for oeniological alchemy that extracts the finest from the blend, making a wine that is so plush, rounded and powerful it feels like donning your red velvet smoking jacket and sinking into a soft armchair in your best old slippers.
The only disappointing thing about this wine is that, in my humble opinion, it really needs a good 8-10 years of cellaring to reach its full potential. Have one now to enjoy it's youthful vibrancy and stash the rest of you can leave it alone!
I hear that this will be the only vintage blending both grapes from Barossa soil, so grab this unique vintage while you can. I believe future vintages with be Barossa Shiraz and Coonawarra Cab Sauv. The Aussie finest bride and groom upbringing of this pair. I can't wait to see what the future holds.
NB: the author is neither commercially connected to Hayes Family Wines' or receives free bottles to sample. All wine was purchased by the author. — 6 years ago

A. R.

9.0

Interesting sulphur-free natural wine from a varietal I’ve never heard of (Mouchtaro) Nose of red fruits, baking spices. In the mouth, cherry and blueberry with medium acidity, medium tannins, medium/long finish. Quite good. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

This was a blast from the old Grateful Palate days; one of those producers, in that somewhat infamous book, that flew under the radar. Rob Gibson, a self described “dirt man”, made his name at Penfolds where he spent over two decades, which culminated with him leading the viticultural team that identified the best Shiraz for Grange. With his experience and knowledge, he has a knack for knowing where all the best sites are and it’s from these vines that his Old Vine Collection are made. This particular bottling uses fruit from some of the oldest Shiraz vines in Australia, planted in the 1860’s. Heck, even the “young” vines were planted in 1910! It’s almost needless to say that annual production is minuscule with only about 6 barrels made each year.

Popped and poured; consumed over two hours. The wine pours a deep ruby with medium+ viscosity and loads of sediment. On the nose, medium+ intensity with soft blue fruits, purple flowers, black pepper, sweet pipe tobacco, bacon fat, baking spices, and just a touch of eucalyptus. On the palate, there’s a bounty of blue and red fruits, some of them dried. There’s also blueberry pie, leather, tobacco, and baking spice. Tannin comes across medium and well integrated at this point. The acid is medium+ and gives the fruit the freshness and lift it needs. The finish is long, rich and velvety in texture. This is what I want out of an Australian Shiraz. I have two more bottles that I’m in no particular rush to drink but these are fabulous now and should be for at least another 5-10 years. — 3 years ago

Mike Mayer

9.4

Another example of how great the wines being made by Dakota Shy are. Todd Newman and Tom Garrett have a knack for making great wines. This Cabernet, even very young, sends a message to every other iconic Napa cabernet they have something to contend with. Lots of black fruit and blue fruit on the nose with incredible flavors of blackberries, plums, and currants. I love this wine. — 6 years ago

with Lisa

Adriana Fabbro

9.0

@Delectable Wine I don’t believe the 21 vintage is technically a rosé (despite its almost transparent magenta color).

Anyhow, Chris Brockway has a knack for making “Hawaiian punch for grown ups wines” (and I mean this as a great compliment!) in that his wines are consistently & addictively drinkable in that fruity-glouglou-sorta-kinda-natty-but-clean-accessible way. They are wines one can drink at any occasion and that will please almost any palate, sophisticated or not.

This was one of the wines that stood out to me at the spring release this year. Trousseau with a little Zin blended in. Pomegranate, red plum, carbonic crunch, and a touch of volcanic ash spice on the finish. Fragrant and fresh. — 2 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.1

If you know this, you probably know the best place to taste Riesling in the Mosel. Ingrid's got a knack for spotting the local rising stars, so she often engages them to make wines for the store. Daniel's Krover Steffensberg feinherb's all finesse! Sourced from younger vines, minerally, tight. — 6 years ago

Donald Williams

9.3

Jeff has a real knack for Spanish varietals. — 6 years ago

with Bonnie

Christopher Losa

Owner/Wine Director Bar Bambino

9.2

drink more wine imported by José Pastor. the man has a preternatural knack for bringing in the coolest juice evah! this one will shred every misconception of Verdejo plonk you have. — 6 years ago