Bob McDonald

9.8

Still a very dense crimson with no tawny rim, at 28 years of age but the tawniness is beginning. A certain feral, Animale, earthy note. Palate is ultra smooth, medium bodied / very savoury yet with a sweetish earthy note with a hint of raspberry. Jancis Robinson was invited by Stephen Henschke to a vertical tasting at the winery in May 2013 to cover vintages back to the late 1950’s. She described the 1996 as “pure hedonism “ and gave it 19/20. Medium plus intensity on the delicious palate with those gnarled old 160 year vines showing through. An absolutely stunning wine - one of the best we’ve had this year. — 9 days ago

Kadua Tukvaga

10

Delicate stone fruits: apricot, Nectarine, grape,

Hay, blossom, ripe lemon, lemon zest orange peel marmalade.

Medium - intensity
Dry
High acid
Medium finish
Medium- body
Medium alcohol

Delicate taste on stone fruits and lemon, tight

Very good - drink now/ or I would keep it for another year at least as it is suitable for further long-term ageing

Unfined – vegan and vegetarian friendly.

Elevation: 460-480 metres.

Soil Structure: acidic loam over clay on rock. — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.2

From mag

Pop and pour. A wondrous medium gold color. On the nose: Asian pear, oyster shells, lemon, floral, toasted nuts. Taste: great creamy-chalky mouthfeel with lemon, minerals, tart green apple, honey, cider. YUM! Still delicious at 27 years. — 5 months ago

with Brenda

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Bruce Phillips and his wife were pouring their 2021. Talked w/ him at length. Very nice couple.

The 2021 showed well young with room for improving with 10-25 years in bottle and beyond. It showed some evolution, wasn’t all primary. Elegant, very well balanced with excellent structure and finish. Drink 2033-45 properly stored.

The general Napa consensus on 2022 vintage will be a story of did you pick before or after the 6 days of extreme heat during the harvest window. One producer told me his would add 5% of 2023 to some of his 2022’s, which is allowed. He mentioned that he was going to add 15%. But, I think he just misspoke? Get ready for an amazing 2023 vintage from Napa. It was a cooler, not hot-hot, which was a near perfect growing season for long slow even ripening. Some say a vintage of a lifetime and others would only say exceptional.

The Saturday-Sunday Pavilion tasting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine is an excellent four hours to taste a lot wine, taste curated dishes from chefs from all over the country and meet the people behind the bottle. These short ribs were one of the top two or three things I tasted at the Pavilion Saturday. — 24 days ago

Scott E. Becker

9.0

[Tasted on March 15, 2024 at Richland Country Club in Nashville]

49% Cabernet Sauvignon; 21% Malbec; 17% Merlot; 8% Petit Verdot; 4% Syrah; 1% Carmenere. Chalk Hill AVA is a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley AVA and is known for its chalky white ash soils. Restrained red currant fruit with mineral and graphite notes. Balanced and Bordeaux-like. — 2 months ago

Paul T- Huntington Beach

9.6

Concerned at first with the stewed fruits nose but it blew off within 30 minutes. My first Rattlesnake! Very enjoyable — 5 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Pale to mid yellow in colour. The wine was a little cold to begin with. Aromas of talc and lime marmalade, dried flowers - a faint paraffin note - No Kerosene or petrol (TDN). A beautiful aged Riesling from the Clare Valley from Petaluma - a long time favourite producer of Riesling. With air and warming up, some yellow peach notes developing. I see HH said this benefits from decanting which I didn’t do. Drinking at its peak. Sadly my last 2012. — 6 months ago

Rick Castaneda

9.0

Black currant, black raspberry, gentle earthiness, black pepper, and slight star anise at the end. Lovely example of a Willamette Pinot. Medium to full body with medium tannins. Performed even better after decanting. — a month ago

with Kimberly

Jay Kline

9.4

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a deep ruby color with a somewhat translucent (fine sediment), near opaque core fading out to a garnet with a slightly watery rim. Medium+ viscosity with pretty significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of plums, cassis, dark cherries tobacco, some leather, some faint pyrazines, dried purple flowers, clay-like earth and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and luxurious with soft and attractive texture. Initial conclusions is this could be a Merlot, or Bordeaux-based blend from France, USA or Italy but since I seem to get more non-fruit characteristics, I’m calling this a Merlot-based blend from France, Bordeaux, Right-bank, St. Émilion, 2000 vintage. Whoa! 2005 Togni! Dang…this baby has some real Bordeaux sensibilities. Delicious stuff that is drinking very well right now. Apparently, this bottle had been opened the night before so it had plenty of time to breathe. I would expect well cellared examples should drink well through 2035. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Brief notes. Peach and pear together with spice and a trace of pepper. Plenty of power on the palate. Probably one of Australia’s best examples of Gruner Veltliner. Bought at the Cellar Door in the Adelaide Hills in March 2021. — 5 months ago