Bob McDonald

9.4

Ruby/crimson in colour - a tawny rim developing. A little porty to begin with - the trademark Wendouree/Clare Valley menthol/eucalyptus. A note of Iodine. Very earthy on the palate. This wine speaks of the ancient terroir where vines have been planted since the 1880’s. Full bodied, intense and powerful even at 25 years of age. A true icon of Australian wine but even Wendouree Shiraz does have an end point and I think this 1999 has reached its peak. — 3 months ago

Severn Goodwin

9.0

Blind dinner, open theme, at Little Cat Lodge, Hillsdale, NY. — a year 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. — 4 years ago

Sean BCS

9.0

Nice find at the liquor store — 4 years ago

Troy Dupuis

9.0

Had 2020 at Wine Spectator event and it was delicious. $15 a bottle — 8 months 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. — 9 months 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! — 4 years ago

with Josh

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. — 8 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

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

Paul T HB

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.
— 3 years ago