Tom Garland

9.2

2017 Wine Spectator #1 wine of the year.

Hour decant(some fine/cloudy sediment). A majestic dark crimson color. On the nose: beautiful notes of cherry, vanilla Graham crackers, floral, mint. Taste: smooth, creamy, balanced wine with a little dark plum, dark chocolate, graphite, pepper, and a medium dry oaky tar finish. YUM! unfortunately my last bottle, though I would drink em if you got em, seems to be at the end of its peak. — 2 months ago

with Brenda

Jonathan Wall

9.1

Great BBQ wine! Initially a bit sweet and sappy, yet not as heavy or dark as previous years. This either smoothed out, or complimented grilling. Sang with burgers and hot dogs. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious one from California.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Nice nose of blackberries, sweet plums, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, spices, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, light earth, liquorice and black pepper.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, figs, vanilla, cedar, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County in California. Fruit forward with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Still young and would be better in a few years. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. I gave it 90 minutes to open up and show the tannins.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a nice piece of steak. Very tasty.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels. A small production of 150 cases.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60. — 3 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.4

Beautiful label with original artwork. Aged well. Color is still very dark. Smells meaty. Floral too. Hints of violets. Berry melange. Flavors are dense and very tannic. Fairly complex and very chewy. Clean and clear with the lovely flavors. Plenty of savory and licorice-y stuff. This is Petite at its best and it’s still going strong 14 years on. — 2 months ago

Deborah M

9.3

Really great one to enjoy with or without food. I enjoyed this one paired with a delicious tomahawk ribeye. Full bodied and well balanced. Plush mouthfeel. Dark fruit, but not too much fruit. This is a really easy one to enjoy. Will revisit in a year or so. — 2 years ago

Morten Nilsen

9.8

The dark color will blow you away even before the nose and palate. Nose tells you this is going to be a deep and heavy full body cab from Mike Smith. Palate is amazing, fruity (did not get the blackberry some have mentioned) and the finish is nearly creamy/buttery. This one would go great with a nice stick from Cuba or Dominican Republic too, love it. — 3 years ago

with Wade

John Kuhn

9.0

Another great Lodi cab! Black fruit on the nose. Nice dark fruit on pallet. Well balanced and lingering finish. — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

8.9

Dark garnet color. Fresh red berry/cherry aromas with hints of minerals and fresh herbs. More sour cherry and cranberry on the palate with hints of earth, black tea, black licorice and rhubarb. Medium-plus body, soft texture and light tannins. Pretty good. Thanks for sharing, Keith S! — 8 months ago

Shay A

9.4

This was served during my annual WWC hosting. Typical format of sparkler, three whites, four reds, one dessert, all served blind.

Poured alongside the 2003 Mondavi VHR as a comparison. 60 cab/40 merlot.

Decanted an hour. The similarities between this and the ‘03 Mondavi VHR the first hour was shocking…even as the host, I wondered if I switched the wines. Slight hint of brett but certainly not overpowering. Leather, herbs de Provence, sweet vanilla pipe tobacco, graphite up front aromatically. Dark roast mocha, red and black berry fruit, cassis, really nice vein of acidity and tannin. This remained unchanged during the lunch. Seems like it’s in a peak window (maybe close to the top?) where I imagine it will hold another 5-7yrs easily before turning more tertiary. — 9 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

One of the few producers that I purchase each and every vintage. I find that Laurence Feraud’s wines are consistently some of the more interesting and enjoyable wines made in all of Chateauneuf du Pape; particularly when value comes into play. This bottle is my first experience with her 2018 vintage and the first bottle of a small tranche that I swooped up upon release. Popped and poured; consumed over 5 hours. The color is deep ruby with a near opaque core; glossy and gorgeous to behold. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this is classic Pegaü with loads of dark cherry and bramble fruit, a veritable hillside full of garrigue, lavender, black pepper, and something that reminds me of old books. On that palate, the fruit is equally generous, brambles and cherries, exotic spices, Herbs de Provence and a somewhat sanguine-like character to it. Substantial structure, though it seems to be a notch lower than the previous three vintages at this point in its young life. The tannins are very sneaky. Almost imperceptible for the first hour and yet, by hour four, they were very much making themselves known (in the Medium+ range). Acid is also Medium+ indicating these have an exciting life ahead. The finish lasts for well over a minute. All in all, another lovely Pegaü that will likely live in the shadow of some of the more heralded vintages in the last ten years however, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a stunner. Absolutely lovely stuff and I very much look forward to enjoying these well into the 2030’s. — 3 years ago