Doug Powers

9.1

Big, rich, ripe LBV with awesome fruit and structure, lacks the subtlety of the 1977 Graham’s vintage, but a great LBV as a sipper!! — a month ago

with Jim

Jeremiah Diaz

9.0

Deep purple in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced intensity primary and secondary aromas of blackberries, dried herbs, and vanilla; on the palate, it's dry, with high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, full body, and pronounced primary and secondary flavors of plum, baking spices, a hint of black pepper, and crushed gravel with a long finish. This wine is intense and balanced, but it's difficult to differentiate the flavors. Overall, I rate this wine as very good. — 9 months ago

Mike Holzer

9.3

End of night with Naranath and John . Drank with chocolate cake. As suspected perfect match. Very smooth delicious dark fruit hint of coconut love it — 2 years ago

with Ania

Ken Z

8.9

Drank 10/5/21.


On the nose, black cherry, earth, and tar dominate. Similar flavors are well balanced and backed by medium plus tannins. Finish is longer than average, and dominated by black fruits and tar. I haven't had this wine in a few years, but earlier vintages seemed a bit better. Certainly not bad, just not as good as I remember.

3/21/7/4/4 + 50 = 89 pts. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Brought to Tasting Group as a fun wine as it’s technically not testable. As usual, this was served double-blind. In the glass, the wine is a bright ruby color with a translucent core. It’s noticeably darker than it was when I first had this wine back in 2018. Back then, it was shockingly pale. The nose is powerful, massive in some ways with intensely perfumed fruit. Almost smelled like the taste of a Bomb Pop when you get to the part where the stick becomes exposed. On the palate, Rainier cherries and ripe brambles, with star anise, and a hint of pepper. Medium…bordering medium + acid with some really sneaky tannins. Finish is long. This wine still comes across quite primary yet, not quite as interesting as it was when I first tried it shortly after release. I’ll hold my remaining bottle to see what some additional age brings. I think some secondary characteristics could really help round this out. — 5 years ago

Carter White

9.2

Good LBV, juicy berry fruit with high everything...acid, tannin, sugar, body, and alcohol. Balanced and not too sweet. As with any good LBV, tremendous value if you can find it. — 7 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.2

Started of as a bar of steel, an armed fortress. Too tannic and closed. After a couple of hours the first lines of defense dropped and it started to reveal its red fruit as well as balsamic and menthol notes. Pencil shaving too. If you have any put them in a forgotten corner of your cellar as this upcoming star will need quite some time. — 7 years ago

Doug Powers

9.4

[8 hour decant] This smells and (in particular) tastes like Dow’s, the drier style of classic Vintage Port, still shows lovely fruit and depth, just not as sweet as Fonseca or Graham’s, nor as structured as Taylor’s, longish finish, very, very sneaky fine!! — 6 months ago

with Jim

Jan A

9.2

Battle of the ports. We had a port/cheese night with some friends and I opened 7 late bottled vintage ports from well known producers. Some notable wines included:
Favorite was 2019 Taylor's LBV: as with the vintage port of Taylor's which is always amongst my favorites, this LBV was balanced with hedonistic fruit and just the right amount of tannins.
2020 Dow's LBV was dark and dusty
2020 and 2019 Grahams LBV were very structured, needing a couple more years of cellar time.
2018 Quinta do Noval gave the most floral vintage port profile on the nose, close after the Taylor's.
2020 Niepoort LBV was also notable, with a different, typical Niepoort profile compared to the rest with the least amount of tannins. — 7 months ago

Byron C Mayes

8.9

Dark ruby with near black core. Black raspberry, black cranberry, and ash lead the abundant nose. Medium full palate echoes the nose adding firm tannins from entry and hints of berry compote and birch. Finish is long and dark. Antinori’s Nobile arm has a rich history and under their watch is producing as expected. A fine expression of Tuscany’s Duke that’s ready for hearty meat dishes now, but can lay down for a decade or so. Drink now through 2030. — 4 years ago

David Miska

9.1

Very flavorful, good as a cocktail and with food. Needs 30 min plus to bring out the best of this wine. — 5 years ago

Doug Powers

9.9

Another absolutely spectacular 1977 Porto, this smelled fantastic right after the 8-hour-ago decant, marginally less sweet than last night’s 1977 Fonseca, but more structured and seemingly with 30-50 more years ahead of it!! Great Porto!! Both of these 1977s were purchased at McArthur’s in DC in the mid-80s, and both were imported by Majestic Wine from New Jersey — each interestingly showed seepage around the neck as well as having disintegrating corks, yet both bottles were absolutely fabulous!! Not sure what this means, exactly?? — 5 years ago

with Jim

Brenda McKeough

9.0

Bought as Anniversary gift from Waggs — 7 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Catena Zapata – Adrianna Vineyard “White Stones” Chardonnay 2014
Mendoza, Argentina 🇦🇷

Overview
A single-parcel, 100% Chardonnay sourced from the legendary Adrianna Vineyard, located at extreme altitude in the Gualtallary subregion of Mendoza, among the highest and most distinctive vineyard sites in the Southern Hemisphere. This parcel, known as White Stones, is defined by limestone-rich, calcareous soils that drive tension, minerality, and precision. Fermented and aged with restraint to allow site expression to dominate, this wine delivers a powerful yet cerebral interpretation of Chardonnay.

Aromas & Flavors
Crushed limestone, green apple, lemon zest, and pear skin lead, followed by subtle notes of white flowers, wet stone, and faint almond. Oak is present but discreet, adding texture rather than flavor, allowing the mineral core to shine.

Mouthfeel
Electric and tightly wound. High acidity provides drive and focus, while the palate remains dense and layered. There’s a striking contrast between power and precision, broad on entry, razor-sharp through the mid-palate, and persistent on the finish.

Food Pairings
Raw oysters, scallop crudo, ceviche, grilled halibut, or aged goat cheese. Also compelling on its own for contemplative tasting.

Verdict
A benchmark New World Chardonnay that challenges Old World expectations. Intense, mineral-driven, and intellectually engaging, this is terroir speaking loudly and clearly.

Did You Know?
Adrianna Vineyard sits at nearly 5,000 feet above sea level, where extreme UV exposure, cool nights, and limestone soils contribute to naturally high acidity and profound mineral expression , often compared to Grand Cru Chablis.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
It’s like Chablis on steroids, same mineral backbone and tension, but amplified in scale, depth, and presence. A thrilling wine that always leaves an impression. Also, what’s truly remarkable is how incredibly fresh and vibrant it remains despite being a 2014, showcasing Adrianna Vineyard’s extraordinary altitude, acidity, and aging potential. — 7 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.5

Vino nobile from Montepulciano is one of our most favorite Italian wines. Made from a strain of Sangiovese called Prugnolo gentile. It requires a bit of an acquired taste as it is super minerally, earthy with a very present iron ore/rust note. But when it all comes together in perfect harmony it is an experience. And so was this wine. — 2 years ago

with RoAnne and Tammy

ESF

9.4

I think @Josh Morgenthau really nailed this note: recently finished Taylor Fladgate 20 yr which was always a favorite, but I picked this up in Duty Free and was blown away. Similar notes & flavor profile as TF, but the mouthfeel really sets this apart & above. So elegant, so refined, such great tension & harmony - the defined acidity highlight & elevate intense flavors. Bravo! — 3 years ago

Raun Kupiec

9.1

Dry, blueberry, cassis, dusty cocoa, minty fresh. Nice finish. As it got air it evolved and improved. — 5 years ago

Roman Ochocki

10

Fantastic, as always. I love 2015 vintage. The best Argentinian wine. — 6 years ago

Tom Bantz

9.0

Drank 2015 vintage in January 2020 with a nice homemade baked mostaccioli. Perfect complement to the meal. Nice and dry as a Sangiovese should be, and smooth, with a good draw. — 6 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.2

Silky and complex. Plum and appealingly bitter fruit pits on the finish. 2 hour decant. Bottled in 2018, fresh as milk. — 7 years ago

with Alsu