Norman

10

Brother in law brought out some amazing wines for Easter dinner and his son’s birthday. Didn’t catch them all but these two were exceptional. This one got a short decant could have used more opening time but who are we kidding it was amazing with a pop and pour. The depth of flavor right out of the bottle - insane. Amazing nose, great flavors in the palate and a finish that lasted. Clearly WOTN and we should have given it way more time. I gave it as much time in glass as possible. To hard not to drink. — 3 months ago

Daniel M

9.2

You're not 40 every day and I wanted a special wine to celebrate that special day. Fortunately the wine bar / open kitchen restaurant we went to had that special wine, amongst 400 references, that I had been desperate to taste for a long while. I didn't take notes so it's all from memory, but the nose is what I liked the most. Coconut notes, leather, cherries, coffee... I spent probably 15 minutes in total smelling that wine. The palate was great with some acid drive, some matter but not in an overwhelming way, some gentle, well integrated tannins in the rear, before a long finish with savoury notes, red fruits, coconut and that gentle grainy tannic layer. A great experience to top up a day to remember.
Oh and if you happen to be in Warsaw, Poland and be looking for a great wine place, make sure to check out Kontakt - wino & bistro. — 2 years ago

Doug Powers

9.0

Apple and very subtle oak notes, balanced and not in any way over the top (oak or fruit), medium-long finish, lovely local (Margaret River) Chardonnay!! — 3 years ago

with Jim

Steven

9.0

Alright alright alright…back out with Rib at or favorite spot. Trying out a new red, and on first blush it’s a winner. Soft subtle aromas of Napa, with just as soft velvety smooth onset. As the old heartthrob for every black woman (Billy D) would say…”Don’t let the smooth taste fool you”. Best way to describe it in the dewars words…Lucious like my wifeys lips. — 4 years ago

Johnno Harris

9.5

Fantastic. Nothing out of place here. Open ripe cassis & blackberry fruit notes with a subtle lick of mint and dried herbs supported by some classy sweet mocha oak. Good to go now with a bright future ahead. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tasted blind. Dark reddish brown color, port-like in color and in the nose. Notes of raisins, molasses, tobacco. What is this? While it seems like it could be Madeira, the impact in the mouth and the tastes in no way resemble that. Someone threw out the guess that it could be really old Bordeaux. Yep. Drinking some history tonight! — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Thanksgiving wine 2019. Red cherry licorice and a hint of cola. At first this wine was a bit acidic but needed about 30 minutes to work itself out. Graphite hits in the middle. Medium + bodied wine. Got a little brambly towards the finish bit definitely not in a bad way. Going to hold nicely for the next 10 years. Beautifully done. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Quite a light to mid lemon in colour for its 11 years of age. Nutty (almond and cashew) aromas. Oak has integrated. The palate shows those same nutty notes together with that trademark pear character with white nectarine. Overall still youthful. My remaining 3 bottles will easily see out this decade. — 6 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Very dark Ruby - almost black - opaque at 19 years. Herbal and minty with cassis and tobacco leaf. On the palate still tasting young. An exceptional vintage for Moss Wood. I bought a dozen on release and have 5 left which I will drink over the next 10+ years. A brilliant cross between the black fruits of SA Cabernet and the Herbaceousness of Margaret River Cabernet. In the end the latter wins out in this exceptional Cabernet. See previous 4 Delectable notes on this vintage. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.2

Happy Labor Day holiday weekend in the USA!

We’re enjoying a night off from studying while sipping a lovely Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2011 paired with a grilled steak, baked potato, green beans, and mushroom / zucchini kabobs. Soon (and sadly) we’ll have to say “au revoir” to summer.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is situated on the left bank of Bordeaux, i.e., west of the Gironde Estuary, in the commune of Pauillac. Soils here are gravel-based, and free-draining, ideal for ripening the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grape, which dominates in this Bordeaux blend.

Pauillac is known for producing age-worthy, structured Cabernet Sauvignon wines due in part to the growing environment. No wonder it’s home to 3 out of 5 first growth wines in the 1855 classification, including, Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, and Château Mouton Rothschild. This particular wine ranks highly, as well, as a fifth growth and understandably so.

Based on our research the 2011 vintage in Bordeaux seemed to fast-forward many typical growing processes and timelines; grapes were budding and ripening ahead of schedule with warmer temperatures early in the season followed by notably cooler temperatures in August, ahead of harvest.

It’s remarkable how variable seasonal conditions can affect a wine’s profile, especially in less consistent climates like Bordeaux where vintage variation is a serious thing… still, this wine is lovely.

It is deep ruby with a medium (+) intensity of developing aromas offering notes of ripe blackberry, cassis, black cherry, plum, black licorice, anise, violet, tobacco, leather, clove, nutmeg, cedar, pencil shavings.

On the palate, this wine is dry with medium (+) acidity, high tannins that are ripe and smooth, a medium (+) body, medium (+) intensity of flavors consistent with the notes. The finish is medium(+).

This is an excellent wine that is drinking well now and could age further.

Cheers to the beauty born in 2011 in Pauillac AOC with this Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste! — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Megan

9.5

Loving this! Picked this up in Oakland on my way to the California coast. The wine merchant told me this is one of the few producers who still ferments in oak. I was intrigued! Tasting it, I’m totally sold. Toasty brioche and caramel on the nose, full body, roasted pear and apple cider notes on the palate. Will definitely go out of my way to buy again! (D: 3/2018) — 6 years ago

Steven Garner

9.2

Bright fruit at opening, cherry some graphite. As it decanted smoothed out with dark cherry, vanilla and tobacco notes. Really enjoyed the way this wine changed as decanted. — 7 years ago

Martin Bergo

8.9

Medium ruby; dark ripe fruits, baking spices and vanilla; oaky also on the taste which lasts into the finish. Made in the east in new french barriques. Because all the other wines on this tasting were made in large neutral oak, this wine stood out, and not in a good way. — 7 years ago

Rick Phillips

9.5

Private Dinner on the beach to celebrate my wife birthday. The Ritz went out of their way to find this 2008 Opus One. Flavors just burst open after decanting. Fruit was smooth with hints of blackberry and cherry. No earthy or leather just smooth fruit front to back. — a year ago

with Letha

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 2 years ago

William Douglas

9.8

3/6.75/9.75 = 19.5 out of 100 say 98
Eight year Kevin John - lovely with pear on the nose and pear with perfectly balanced acid on the palate. Sets a high benchmark for all premium Chardonnay. — 3 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

A cooler expression of cabernet is the usual Margaret River way and this shows all of the minty capsicum it can in balance with currants and red cherry fruit. Barely a trace of oak. Med+ tannin, med/med+ acids add a nice juicy mouthwatering med+ finish. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Aromatics of Talc, white flowers a little peach and grapefruit. On the palate citrus and peach with diminishing acid. Just a fabulous mature Riesling with just a hint of petro chemical developing in the form of paraffin. It stamps the Great Southern in Western Australia as one of the premium Riesling districts in Australia. One of the 1001 wines and deserves to be. James Halliday wrote “year in, year out, one of Australia’s best Rieslings”. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.3

One of the 2015s I opened to celebrate my 5yr wedding anniversary. In these early years, fruit forward/approachable wines from Napa are ideal while the other wines from the vintage rest and approach maturity.

After having the 2017 with Will at Mending Wall earlier this year (totally open and accessible), I expected this to be similar, but true to 2015 cabs, this was crazy coiled and tightly compact. The mid palate here is really dense with an extremely gripping and tannic finish. As I find a signature of TRB’s winemaking style, when the site allows it, he has a way of pulling the entire fruit spectrum...this wine showed red (black cherries) blue (crisp blueberries) and black fruits (tart blackberries and currant). The fruit is amazingly fresh, as though it was freshly squeezed. Oak is noticeable but definitely not a detractor. Floral, baking spices like cinnamon and vanilla, sandalwood, and a homemade mixed berry pie straight out of the oven. There is a lasting herbal/graphite type note toward the finish. I followed this over two days and it stayed strong. I’d hold for another 2-3yrs and see if it unfurls further. — 6 years ago

Joe Davant

9.4

I’ve been holding off on drinking any of the 2012 vintage from Hirsch because the folks at the winery said this vintage that needed time in the bottle. @Bill Bender’s notes about the 2012 Hirsch Reserve encouraged me to open a bottle, and I’m glad I did. The wine was deep and broad with more earth, forest floor, mushroom, and loamy notes than I have come to expect from Hirsch wines. The structure has settled down and the more beguiling feminine aspects of the West Ridge are now showing themselves. This was fanatic with crispy roast duck at Gideon Ridge. On a side note, I’ll give a plug to that restaurant. IMHO, it’s the best restaurant in the high country, with great food, service and views. Just plan ahead because reservations are often 6-8 weeks out during the summer season. — 7 years ago