Bob McDonald

9.2

Aromas of lemon, lime, mineral and white flowers ( the white flowers from an orange tree) - with a touch of paraffin (TDN). The light to medium bodied palate has intensity. Grown organically in the Polish Hill district of the Clare Valley. Definitely in the top 3 Rieslings in Australia - such purity. — 8 months ago

Mark

9.3

A Blue Hill purchase near the top end of their inventory, this well balanced chardonnay didn't disappoint and is very much worth finding again. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind. Bright straw color in the glass. On the nose, medium+ intensity and crazy complex with orange, lemonade, stone fruits, tropical fruit, pineapple, Carmel apple, white pepper, toasted sour dough, saddle soap, and cotton candy. On the palate, the wine is dry and quite round. Deeply fruited and primary with juicy fruit bubble gum and holiday spices. The finish is long. Medium- acid, medium+ alcohol. Complex, rich in texture and slightly bitter. This vintage was 100% Marsanne from the Maison Blanche lieu-dit at the top of the hill. Whatever grapes don’t get used for the Domaine’s Hermitage Blanc are put into this bottling and made more or less the same way. I have a couple bottles holed away for down the road as I suspect these will drink very well for many years down the road. — 5 years ago

Flobaco

9.2

Lovely sweet fruit. Delicious — 6 years ago

Nicholas Evans

9.1

Heaps of sediment, big heavy Shiraz — 7 years ago

with Michelle

Mark Flesher

9.4

Cult chard tasted alongside a 2010 Aubert Lauren Chard....this one lost by a unanimous vote (and it wasn't even a blind vote either). I think everyone WANTED the Judge to win, but there was nothing to Judge here. At least for THIS COMPARISON, in 2018, the Aubert was the winner. BUT, this Judge chard did have more acidity up front than the Aubert, and IMO this wine has more aging potential than the 2010 Lauren Chard, which was pretty much right on the top of the hill tonght. Hard to beat a wine in its prime window, but goes to show you that Aubert makes chards that will compete with this kind of opponent. Lots of acid up front. Stone ground fruit entry, mineral-rich middle. I think that I was getting more pear than anything else here, but there was a hint of youthful butter and some dates. Finishes with actually a really nice fruit/nutty/almost gritty/tannin character for about 60 seconds, which is the one thing I will say that I give advantage to the Judge. Bravo! — 8 years ago

with Dan, Shay and 1 other

Mark Flesher

9.4

Firing. On. All. Cylinders. Wine was purchased about 3.5 years ago in a six-pack and was intended to be consumed rather fast. Back story: ran into a 12 pack of 2005 "Prima Voce" close to 10 years ago at about 10 bucks per bottle and was told it was "ok" for an Italian blend but it wouldn't last longer than a year or so (but noone knew for sure). It. Killed. Come to realize the only reason it was available readily in the states was because Kendall Jackson acquired them. Fast forward about 6 years from that and requested to find this one. Today, Arceno is still under the KJ umbrella. Have slowly been drinking on the ones I found a few years ago. This wine is rather aromatic even from Coravin. Dirty raspberry, grilled meat, Italian spice on the nose. Medium + density and mouthfeel. Acidity has died down quite a bit, allowing a floral dirty raspberry to show up front, losing a lot of sweetness. that I remember,Leathery and "bloody" in the middle. Finishes with some brambly herb, green olive, and a hint of black pepper spice. This wine is RIGHT at the top of the hill now. There are many 12 year old Chiantis that I would gladly pass on, but this one is a definite "yes please" even at 12 years of age. Ratings likely in the 8's because people just don't give this one the time that it needs. D — 8 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.1

Adelaide Hills

Nose: gooseberry. Intense. Not super over the top

Palate: delicious. Balanced some mineral.

Grapevine

$14.50 on 2 maybe $15.50 otherwise. — 9 months ago

Ed Chin

9.4

I really enjoy FP wines. This bottle has aged very nicely not necessarily elegant but not an over the top bruiser — 3 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.5

There is really only one grape variety that I know of in the world that deserves to always have an exclamation mark: Juhfark! Or as I like to shout, Juhfaaaaaaaark! (pronounced you-fark). Grown only on the tiny little hill of Somló, an ancient underwater volcano, in Southwestern Hungary, it is among my favorite grape varieties and simply one of the world’s coolest wines. @sap_somlo is one of the best producers of it, coaxing out its bee pollen and chamomile scents and electric neon lemon, citrus peel, and yellow herb flavors, all layered on top of the deep volcanic minerality. The longer you let these wines age, the more they taste like rocks. Tired of the same old flavors in your white wines? Get thee some Juhfark! — 5 years ago

Allen Perry

8.9

It’s peach and it’s sangria.... not sure there is much else to say. If you like peach and you like sangria you’ll like this. — 6 years ago

with Kathryn

Mark Flesher

9.4

A very nice bottle of wine. I would say this one is drinking the way it was intended to drink. Ready to go. Full throttle for a Chardonnay. Nose of dried herbs, kettle corn, youthful fruit, minerals. Entry a lot of peach, guava, popcorn kernel. Lots of stone ground fruit, dried herbs, dense. Powerful. I don't think this one could drink any better than it is now. Opened to thank a friend for serving an excellent lineup of Peter Michael and Colgin four days before! This one is at the top of the hill right now. — 7 years ago

with Dan

Wade Taylor

9.5

Sweet like black current — 8 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.0

Ten year-old imperial porter! Just slightly over the hill. Lacings of froth disappear quickly, but carbonation is at medium and still present. Opens up with notes of coffee, cream, vanilla. Not at all sweet. Nice work. — 8 years ago

with Alsu

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.2

(all neutral French oak) Limpid yellow. Mineral- and lees-tinged citrus and orchard fruit aromas show very good clarity and hints of honeysuckle and sweet butter. Displays deeper pit fruit character on the palate, offering juicy, smoke-accented nectarine, pear nectar and Meyer lemon flavors that show depth as well as strong tension. The mineral quality comes back on a very long, juicy finish that echoes the Meyer lemon and mineral notes. In the context of top-drawer, Burgundy-inspired New World Chardonnay, this bottling delivers uncanny value. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, Feb 2018)
— 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This one is a 93+ at this stage with room for improvements with some more age.

The Farella showed a more savory character than the rest. It’s body thicker than the others. Ruby; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries & raspberries. Herbaceous notes, soft minerality-rock powder, limestone, volcanics and just drying top soil, dry tobacco, sandalwood, perfectly executed baking spices, dark spice, vanillin, withering dark, red, blue and violets, nice round acidity, nice tension, structure, well knitted & balanced structure with an excellent full minute finish.

Pano photo of Pritchard Hill from the estate (what a stunning view), barrel room, the estates wine collection; which given the excellent producers in it (bottles of Petrus just one of very expensive producers), I’d be a little earthquake nervous & lay some thin wire over the bottles to hold them in place and their tank room. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

Initial impressions - Earthy, Herbal, Soy. Cherry complex and long. Much intestinal fortitude ie. guts. Thankfully not overly menthol/eucalyptus (just a trace) as you often get with all Wendouree Cuvées. Amazing the intensity provided by those old vines going back to the 1890’s. Could easily last another 5 to 10 years but pretty much at its peak right now. This is as good as Australian Shiraz gets - up there with Grange and Hill of Grace and recognised as such by Langtons. With time in the decanter, like all great wines, they develop and change. I was getting raspberry and mineral after a few hours. An exceptional wine and in the top 5 or so wines I have had this year. In good vintages I don’t think Wendouree Shiraz should be approached at under 20 years of age. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Pale Ruby. Some clove and tarry nuances on the nose. The pale colour belies the M+ Intensity. Very Burgundian in aroma, structure and palate. Even better on the 2nd night. The 2nd wine of Bell Hill made from younger vines from the top Cuvée. Very impressive. Only 1897 bottles made from Canterbury NZ and difficult to source even in Australia. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Very odd yet fun wine. And honestly I'm not sure if this one is nearing the top, at the top, or just over the hill. But it is delicious. The wine smells like ripe peach and some butter. Entry is viscous. Butterscotch. Mango and butterscotch dominated front. Seems to have some kind of basil note in the middle. Tame citrus to a butterscotch and heavier finish with some tannin still present. Opened alongside a 2010 Aubert Hyde and was a good sparring partner. — 8 years ago

with Dan, Shay and 2 others

Martin G Rivard

9.4

This will take a bunch of you by surprise but this is my absolute first bottle of 2012 edge Hill Bacigaluppi that did not literally blow my mind! I consider this one of the top five Chardonnays that I have ever had from Napa and I’ve had a lot of Chardonnays from Napa! It was not Corked but definitely fell 100% flat tonight. No depth, no structure simply fruit. I had friends at the house and was trying to impress them But literally threw this bottle down the drain and open to something else. Oh well, shit happens as they say! @David L @Shawn R @Joe Lucca @Mike R @Ron R @Howard Greenfield @Shay A — 8 years ago