Bob McDonald

9.4

A lovely blend from Priorat of around 50/50 Garnacha and Carinena, sometimes with a little Merlot included in some years. A red and black fruited palate with ripe blackcurrant. Opulent. I have a previous Delectable note for this wine - 77? Weeks ago. Reinforces my love of Priorat and Garnacha in particular. From the producer’s oldest vines - approximately 110 years. The 14.5% Alcohol does not show at all. — a year ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Made in a small town at foot of Sierra Cantabria in the DO. A single variety Tempranillo from 50 year old vines has a deep Ruby red color and aged for 18 months in French and American oak. Aromas of red fruit and spice. On the palate ripe black fruit, fine tannins, well balanced with a medium+ finish ending with fruit, spice and some oak notes. Nice! — 2 years ago

Heather Rostker

8.9

Trying a 100% Monastrell - quite good. Found at Wegmans of all places. Highly rated by wine spectator. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

A joint venture of Jorge Ordonez, Bodegas Borsao and others, in conjunction with Chris Ringland. Dark Ruby with dark berry fruit aromas, from 40+ year old vines and aged for 16 months in oak. On the palate flavors of ripe plum and black fruits with cacao, spice and smoky notes. Soft tannins, vivid acidity ending with gentle oak spice on the long finish. Wines from Spain are superb and at great values, especially Bodegas Alto Moncayo wines. — 5 years ago

Greg Bencivengo

9.5

Petrol nose at first. Great complexity and evolution. Glossy, slightly gluey texture that coated the entire mouth, front to back. Acidic with sweet undertones. Pickle juice! — 5 years ago

with Josh

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Happy Valentines Day!

If you have not looked for this wine on WineSearcher.com or other, you should. Dan Standish has no American Importer. However, you can mail order off his list. Good luck with the Australian/United States import costs. Very prohibited.

Most quality Barossa wines take 15 years in bottle to show their ultimate beauty. Dan’s wines are no different. His Estate vines are 100 years old and produce 500 pounds of fruit per acre...very concentrated. Contrast that to extremely expensive & high quality Napa fruit, those Napa producers are at 2,000-2,500 pounds per acre.

We visited Standish in April 2017. We found Dan to be extremely talented & definitely marches to his own drum. He is salt of the earth and has traveled & worked in many of the world wine regions honing his craft and landing as Torbreck’s Winemaker in Barossa before starting, “The Standish Wine Company.”

As good as the 04 is tonight, it has 15 years of good life ahead...properly stored of course.

The nose is very intoxicating. It is a nice blend of purple, black & blue fruits. Mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, black plums, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, deeply extracted raspberries, some baked strawberries, black licorice to anise, dark fruit cola, black olive skin, medium dark spice, black pepper, charcoal, graphite, dry tobacco & underbrush, some bay leaf, alluvial soils, grey volcanic minerals/limestone with fresh & only slightly withering, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets & lavender.

The body is full, rich, ripe, lush and creamy on the palate after a two-hour plus decant. The structure, tension, length and balance are a little short of its peak and will hold there for 5-8 years. It’s a glorious glide on the palate. The fruits are ripe & lightly baked. Mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, black plums, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, deeply extracted raspberries, some baked strawberries, cherry kirsch, red & black licorice to anise, dark fruit cola, black olive skin, the dark spices are heavier on the palate & bring just the right amount of heat, sweet, dark tarriness, black pepper, used, dark expresso roast grounds, charcoal, graphite, dry tobacco & underbrush, some bay leaf, alluvial soils, grey volcanic minerals/limestone, moist clay, with fresh & only slightly withering, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets & lavender. The acidity is round, flush & perfect. The long finish is a unique even balance of; lush fruits, spice, herbs and earth that persists on the palate for minutes.

Photo on the left of Sofia’s 2 dozen long stems. Love you so much!

@Oswald — 6 years ago

Steve Dixon

8.9

Macedonian. Light and bright, predominantly red fruit. 100% xinomavro and reminiscent of a langhe Nebbiolo in its balance of acid and tannins. Just a bit lighter. $18 at Lou. — 7 years ago

Michelle

9.1

Very good. I really liked it. Happy Hour at the Keg. Bit of a spice. Dry. — a year ago

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. — 2 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.5

If Sassicia is 💯 points for 2016 you had to figure their other wine was good as well, give it another 5-10 years without any issues. 2016 was a great year over-there. This at $45 or 2016 Sassicaia at $400.00 if you didn’t buy at $175.00 early
Wine Advocate 94+ review as follows,

This wine is showing exceptionally well in this classic vintage. The 2016 Guidalberto (Cabernet Sauvignon and a smaller percentage of Merlot) opens to a full and generous bouquet and a beautifully rich and velvety appearance. This edition of Tenuta San Guido's mid-level wine offers a bigger aromatic profile, more texture and more volume as well. Dark cherry and blackberry segue to spice, tar, leather and sweet fruit at the end. The mouthfeel is elegantly shaped, silky and nuanced. This may well be the best vintage of Guidalberto I have yet to taste—and you can get this wine at a great price too.
Just south of Livorno, Tuscany, lies the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, and the Tenuta San Guido estate, where Sassicia is produced. The estate was originally owned by Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta, and has been managed since WWII by his son, Niccolo. A true pioneer in the Italian wine industry, his experimenting with the introduction of non-native varieties to Italy, resulted in the world-famous Sassicaia. In Italian, Sassicaia means "the place of many stones" and is used as the proprietary name for the estate's Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The vines of the Sassicaia vineyard were originally planted with cuttings from the prestigious Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. The wines of Sassicaia were so instrumental in creating the "Super-Tuscan" sensation that 1994, the Italian government granted Sassicaia its own DOC status in a sub-zone of the Bolgheri DOC. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, and the wines are then aged in French oak barrique for 18 to 24 months prior to release. Sassicaia produces a second label called Guidalberto and recently released a third wine, Le Difese, that is virtually unavailable in the U.S.
— 4 years ago

ESF

9.2

This was flat out delicious: squid ink, opaque dense looking and tasting w/gobs of black fruit: blackberry, cherry & plum. baked quality to the fruit. Hints of Earth and a minerally Iodine but by & large fruit focused. Infinitely smooth & caressing - went down (dangerously) easy as we had to do a double take at the empty decanter! .2 bump for QPR! — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Aromas of Iodine Earth Menthol/Eucalyptus, Bark of Medium plus Intensity. On the palate red and black savoury fruits which fill every corner of the mouth. A full bodied old school Australian Cabernet blend of amazing intensity coming from those ancient vines in the Clare Valley. Wendouree is an Australian vinous treasure which @Ceccherini Cristiano and I post about from time to time. The wine finishes with ultra fine persistent Tannins. I have not always been a fan of Wendouree (see previous Delectable notes) but this is an excellent wine. They probably need at least 15 years before they start to hit their straps. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Pip was a border collie at the winery and an entire line-up of wines was named after her. Important attributes of “Pip” wines are a shorter barrel age with less new wood using fruit from younger vines. These wines are drinkable upon release. Medium straw color, delicate aromas of stone and tropical fruits. On the palate subtle fruit flavors of apple and pear, with a mineral character. Medium finish enjoyable, good value! Tasting Sample! @delectable — 7 years ago

Jody Scharf

9.0

another find, nice wine at a cheap price, it's a buy. — a year ago

Phil Kessling

9.0

As good as Beaujolais gets. From the oldest vines at Roilette. Have had numerous bottles of Griffe and it always delivers. Darker and heavier then typical Cru Beaujolais. More cherry and less berry flavor. Little tannic and ages well. Just getting harder to secure bottles. — 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

Sean BCS

9.0

Nice find at the liquor store — 5 years ago

Morgan Reese

10

Dr. Steve Brule gets a 10! Drank the 3L at the ranch. Worth it!!! — 6 years ago

with Andrew

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Estate named Beau-Séjour in 1787 by General Jacques de Carle, proprietor at the time. Michel Bécot bought estate from Dr Jean Fagouet in 1969 increasing vines from 10.5 hectares to 15, acquiring Trois Moulins plateau in 1979, kept the name Beau-Séjour Bécot. Blend of 87% Merlot, 9% Cab Sauv & 4% Cab Franc. Nice berry aromas, ripe cherry & fresh raspberry flavors with notes of sweet cacao & tobacco adding some toasty notes. Firm tannins, not overpowering, lingering ending with tangy sweet oak.Tasting Sample. — 6 years ago

Teresa S

9.0

Maple jammy goodness. Very nicely balanced not overly peppery, how have I never heard of this one? Update: Loving it again at a 2nd visit 3 months later. — 7 years ago