Ira Schwartz

9.3

Another blind serving. 5 year old Chablis? WRONG, again! Aromas of lime, oranges, sea salt and flower. In the mouth I felt as if I was blindsided in the ocean by a wave and knocked underwater and swallowed a mouthful of water.. The saltines was joined with palate cleansing acid, and notes of kiwi, citrus and dried flowers. Silky well balanced body. — 6 months ago

Ira Schwartz

10

Wine stimulates our sense of smell and taste but in this case it also created a tidal wave of emotion. Through a tremendous act of generosity a dear friend shared this special bottle when he heard me lament I was not able to secure a bottle of wine to celebrate my mother’s 100 birthday. My friend stood the bottle up for several days. We decided it made sense to PnP. As you can see the cork was intact and the color of the wine defied its age. The excitement to take that first sniff was overwhelming for me. Old but alive scents wowed me. Lots of tobacco, leaves, leather and dried fruit. In the mouth those same scents were transferred to my palate thanks to a tsunami of acid. At about the one hour mark the wine quickly entered a death spiral. I cannot imagine another bottle of wine that will ever conjure up that amount of emotion and happiness. When I described my experience to my mom, a very broad smile came over her face. A blessing to share this experience with my mom and a privilege to taste a wine like this. — 2 years ago

with Richard

Kyle Zeman

9.2

Vanilla, light, sage — 6 years ago

S.S. Mandani

8.9

Deep magenta hues.

A wave of tobacco soaked cinnamon scent on the nose.

Forward kick of black pepper spice, culminating in a dark cherry mid palate, and ending with a welcome coupling of plum and star anise.

Its good. It’s fruity. It’s spicy. It’s dry. It’s not focused. — 6 years ago

Sean Beck

10

Buy, yummy — 8 years ago

Francesco Federico

9.8

Spectacular expression of terroir. You can actually feel the 2006 heat wave! Wonderful notes of acacia honey, spices and yellow flowers. A masterpiece. — 9 years ago

Roberto Carli

9.3

Big big concentration in the roussanne-heavy blend, with enough minerality and great texture to hold the big wave of alcohol — a year ago

Elle West

10

This wine blew my mind. A complex wine with brighter fruits and warm oak, earthy and light and tanginess softened. What a trip! — a year ago

Charlie Tapp

9.0

The perfect crushable 4.4% lunch / shower / beach golden ale. — 3 years ago

Delectable Wine

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8.9

The 2019 Sangiovese Superiore Le More explodes from the glass with a perfumed wave of chalk dust, wild berries, shavings of cedar and pine. It’s soft and energetic, with mineral-tinged plums, cherries and savory herbal tones. The 2019 tapers off with a sour twang of citrus and inner rose. $14.00 (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2021) — 5 years ago

Joseph Barsky

9.5

2018 Vintage. Heat wave in San Jose again, went to 107 deg F! Consistent with prior notes. — 6 years ago

Peter Coulthard

9.4

Waitrose. Excellent SB. Zesty but subtle zing to it - hints of lime - freshness in the finish, touch of mango to it. A really good wine. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

The opportunity to enjoy a small glass of this came rather unexpectedly yesterday afternoon and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the experience. I was looking over a collection of wines that needed a new home and a friend of mine who was the collection’s custodian, mentioned that he had something he had been meaning to share with me and without any fanfare, he walks back into the room with two small glasses and this ancient bottle. I hardly had any time to react before he poured me a small glass....as I looked three times to confirm that I was, in fact, drinking from a pre-war bottle of Madeira. The nose was stunning. A massive wave of confected fruit like candied citron. You know those beautiful syrup glazed orange (and other fruit) slices you’ll often see in European chocolate shops? Yeah...it smelled like that. Just a touch of VA. On the palate, this was totally mind bending. It’s almost all hazelnuts; remarkably dry; and there is pronounced acidity. The finish lasted for minutes. I can categorically state that this wine is very much alive and well but it’s a nerd’s wine as it’s super rustic and best served as an aperitif. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

One of the wines I supplied for an annual lunch hosting (co-host this time). I was really hesitant to open this given the fanfare of this specific wine, but also how DrCrane can be an in-between wine for me (so explosive young, shut down at 5-10yrs, re-open 10+). Decanted two-three hours.

Classic deep purple-black DrCrane in the glass. Aromatics are immediate with ripe blue and black fruits, baking spices, mocha and graphite. Just a little bit of high-toned EA to make it pop, along with this roasted character I always get from DrCrane wines. Opulent and polished in every way on the palate, this is a tidal wave of flavor with no hard edges. It’s a towering wine in the sense of so much concentration and depth on the mid-palate, but it’s so incredibly polished at the finish…almost shockingly so. The ripe fruits and the dark chocolate linger longer than any Napa cab I can remember. Iron first in a velvet glove.

No need to worry, these are open for business. Plenty of structure to carry a while, but this window seems like it was made for how this wine is drinking now. — a year ago

Skip Smyser

9.4

Rolls over the tongue with a wave of red fruit, followed by flint, tobacco and a very pleasant minerality.Goes great with braised oxtail tenderloin. Outstanding 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 4 years ago

Aravind A

9.6

So much more open than my last btl, and stunning. Notes from 2 hrs open. Loads of lemon and soft underripe peach, leesy notes, and then wave after wave of minerality. On the palate: fantastic acidity; lemon peel, which is so dense. Lemon oil and loads of minerality. So long on the finish. Just amazing, but still so primary. Wow. — 5 years ago

Shawn Summey

9.0

Fruity Golden Ale — 6 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.4

This rich, golden, sweet wine smells like honey and dried apricots. There's a layer of earthy minerals, a chalkiness, that beautifully counterpoints the sweetness. On the palate, a viscous mouthfeel carries marmalade-like fruit flavors along on a subtle wave of acidity. This is dessert on its own, but why limit such a wonderful wine? Have it with hard cheese, almonds or a lobster roll. — 6 years ago

Bret Barker

9.0

Tasting at Copain. Beautiful winery with some sweeping views of Sonoma. Again no bottles so just the menu. The Laurel grades was an amazing wine, parcel of land by the ocean. It had that salt/mineral undertone and was crisp. Tidal wave was also very good and similar to a savignon blanc. The high rock Syrah was very good they let’s us try an 09 to give an idea of how it evolves. Solid wine. The 2014 was too tannic to get a good feel for the wine. — 8 years ago

Deborah M

8.9

Fruit jumps out at you. Then a wave of smokiness hits you. Cherries and red fruit dominate in this most un-cab like red blend. Dense. Deep red color. Good bottle overall. Drank 2013 — 9 years ago