S.S. Mandani

9.5

Tertiary aromas of vanilla cream are dominant. I could breathe this in all night. Its frangrance is nutritious. Grapefruit, lemon, and baked pear.

Beautiful mouthfeel of lemon oil translates to the palate as well. A hint of vanilla bean and grapefruit. Transports me to the treelined downtown streets of Santa Barbara and the rolling hill drive up to wine country windows down, pacific breeze, mountains around. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Lanolin, citrus and citric acid. Only 11.5% ABV. From the excellent 2014 vintage in the Hunter Valley. A good Hunter Semillon without the intensity of their premium Semillon Cuvée, Lovedale. Very clean and fresh. I think its best days are in front of it when it should develop more complexity - toast and honey. Many recommended drinking windows are too short now that I’ve tasted it. — 3 years ago

William Paley

9.5

like sucking candy coated stones thru a straw……so-called salamander sassafras, you’ve heard of it. car crushes. weed windows. blanket statements. torch songs. — 4 years ago

with Jess

Brendan Devine

9.6

Just incredibly smooth and balanced. Blueberries, blackberries, cinnamon, and some notes of cedar. Probably would be better with time but babies don’t care about drinking windows. Welcome Rhys. — 5 years ago

with Briana

Bob McDonald

9.3

Toasty oak with black fruits and liquorice. The palate latent and brooding promising a big future. A little early to be drinking this at 8 years with projected drinking windows going up to another 20 years. I love Grampians Shiraz - this is more dried black Cherry than my favourite, Mt Langhi Ghiran - the latter more pepper/spice and Northern Rhone in style. Just a personal preference. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Just on the other side of peak. Love it.

So this wine is critically in its last year. Not the case at all. Still had five years of good life in it.

I think people are so used to drinking wine young, critics purposely conservatively set their drinking windows to the younger side.

This 06 is just and I mean just the other side of its bell curve. I enjoy them at that stage and in fact, live on those descriptive edges quite often. .

The nose reveals; ruby, ripe & slightly baked fruits of; sweet, black plum, blackberries, black cherries, stewed strawberries, black raspberries, plums, raspberries, cranberries, pomegranate, raspberry cola, dry, crushed rocks, dry twig, dark spice, anise to black licorice, soft sweet tarriness, sage, graphite, dry tobacco, limestone minerals, soft leather, blonde volcanics, dark, slightly moist soils with candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in lavender.

The palate is; round, juicy, voluptuous & sexy. Tannins are rounded yet firm & tarry. The tension, structure, balance and length are peaking. Ruby, ripe & slightly baked fruits of; sweet, black plum, blackberries, black cherries, stewed strawberries, black raspberries, plums, raspberries, cranberries, pomegranate, raspberry cola, dry, crushed rocks, dry twig, dark spice, anise to black licorice, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, soft sweet tarriness, sage, Provence herbs, graphite, dry tobacco, limestone minerals, soft leather, blonde volcanics, dark, slightly soils with candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in lavender. The acidity is round & like a gentle rain shower. The finish is rich, lush, ruby, nicely polished, elegant & finishing with persistent dark spices for minutes.

Photos of our visit to Vineyard 29. Our tasting area, two shots of the walk to their tasting room and display room of their love for a guitar artist I can’t remember. — 6 years ago

Alex Moura

9.4

94 in San Francisco. Windows open, music blasting, cold wine flowing. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Solid producer. Their entry level n/v is quite nice, consistent in 375ml and still a good value in today’s champagne pricing. A producer that uses a bit more neutral wood than most other champagne houses. They were one of my stops in October 2023.

Lemon/lime w/ zest, grapefruit w/ pith, oranges w/ rind, pineapple, white stone fruit, baguette crust, grainy, pronounced volcanics/limestone/chalkiness, white spice, sea fossils, frothy cream, very light caramel, vanillin, yellow and white flowers, lively acidity and a well balanced, nice tension/structure with a nicely polished finish that lasts 90 seconds and lands on splendid minerality.

The owner is quite a talented stain glass maker. He made all their tasting room windows in authentic 13th-14th century style. — 6 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

I had a previous bottle earlier this year with similar notes. A lovely perfume, typically Vosne Romanee - red florals, earthy, mushroom - forest floor. Sweet fruited reflecting the warmer vintage. Lacked a little complexity. I was following Jancis’s drinking window (Julia Harding MW) of 2019 - 2025 which I feel is too early. This could easily go on for 3 or 4 more years. As a point of comparison I have another 2015 Les Chaumes made by Domaine Francois Lamarche where the drinking window from Jancis is 2026 - 2042 which is a big difference. Drinking Windows are an inexact science. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Mid to deep Crimson in colour. Fairly contained nose - hints of raspberry, violets and a peppery note reflecting some whole bunch in the ferment. Palate is also latent showing much promise - still with raspberry notes, red fruits and plum. I have had this “latent “ experience with Dry River Pinot Noirs before which is at odds with the pros drinking Windows. This is my first of six and will have the next in 2023. Tempted to say a Shiraz drinkers Pinot but it’s better than that. — 4 years ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.4

Oh mama is this good right now. Love that Jeff posted a chart on their site about drinking windows. Would have happily drink this whole bottle by myself. — 5 years ago

Ely Cohn

8.9

Wine for sucking on cherry pits and making fresh pasta sauce at 4pm. Goes quite well with open windows, the smell of roasting garlic, and Nona stories. For the pre-meal, rustic and fruity, not to be dissected, not to interrupt. Fluffy strawberry taffy, cherry cooler, and tomato acid. — 5 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.5

Fantastic. Was concerned that it might be overly tannic given the drinking windows I saw on-line, but this was approachable right out of the gate. Incredible nose of blueberries, blackberries, currants and bittersweet chocolate, this is a rich, hedonistic wine with an amazing full mouthfeel, sweet, integrated tannins, and a lingering, balanced finish. Reminds me a bit of the 2002. Has a long life ahead of it (no hint of secondary flavors...yet), but is worth a try right now. — 6 years ago

with Vanessa

Chris Shultz

9.2

Smoky, like a struck match. Good lemon and orange on the palate, slight lime brown sugar mojito scent, lots of rocks. Melon, cantaloupe or honeydew. Some cucumber. Smooth acid, lots of it, round and lush moving along the cheeks. Mint. A honeyed finish. A bit out of balance, but good still. I’ve got the windows open, getting ready to eat some sushi. It’s a good night to be stuck in an apartment in Brooklyn with the right supplies.

Gets better after a day open in the fridge. Integrates and becomes slightly sweet balanced on a sharp knife edge of acid minerals and swimming pool vibes. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

The colour is a surprisingly a youthful deep Ruby with purple tinges considering its 17 years of age. Dusty plum and herbal aromas. Ultra savoury on the medium bodied palate. An excellent example of perhaps the best terroir for Mourvèdre - Provence. Jancis’s drinking window was 2010 to 2020 which proves yet again how drinking windows are an inexact science considering that this wine was still kicking goals in 2025. — 8 months ago

Ely Cohn

9.1

Smells like your kitchen on a Saturday morning.

Warming blueberry pancake syrup, splattering bacon grease, chicory steeped coffee, baked cinnamon and nutmeg, and fresh air passing through open windows directly through a bouquet of violets.

Charismatic and vibrant, it's also chewy with a rich, sweet concentrated core of raisins, dates, and compote.

Not as complex and distinct, and multilayered as I was expecting, but hard to complain in a weekend state of mind. — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Normal Barolo descriptors but in this case a little detuned. Notes of earth, red savoury fruits and a touch of orange peel. Persistent tannins need to be resolved. In hindsight this is my first of three bottles and may have been drunk a little too young but drinking Windows from the Pros are widely divergent here. Ornato is only produced in outstanding years. James Suckling liked it with a 98 point score. I must be missing something. — 4 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.1

The nose of a cooling blackberry pie on a windows ledge.

This has heft, and you can tell the love that went into this. All the dark berries, yet in the brighter side - elegant, I wish I had bought a case. So, so good. Tangy lip smacking acidity with tannin overtures. — 6 years ago

David Kline

9.1

Expected purple-black without variance. Ripe plums and rich prunes dance the dance of dawn and dusk. Dried blackberry and red currant trace their steps. Clean waters flow and blueberry and elderberry emerge. Even bacon fat. This is plump Bordeaux. Graphite washes thinly, revealing black currant and lingonberry fleetingly before settling on dried lavender and dried mallow blossom and briny violet. True to the rue. Tart cherries peek through windows in the rain-slicked, cobbled alley. Cranberry skin. #Bordeaux #chateauFéretLambert #Grézillac #BordeauxRouge #FrenchWine #wine #redwine #bordeauxsupérieur #merlotblend — 6 years ago

with Courtney

Bob McDonald

9.2

Mid Gold and crystal clear. Trademark aromas of Lychee with a touch of nutmeg. Lychee and honey on the full bodied palate. I have seen very long drinking windows for this Cuvée but for me this is ready to drink with very little acid. It remains a delicious drink and one of the 1001 Wines. — 7 years ago