Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2017 vintage. Last tasted 01.22.25 (9.4). Said no then but said yes this time. $50 a bottle on two cases. Medium body with dark fruit and grip for days. Vineyard planted to the Hartwell (Grace) clone. Helluva deal with many/most of the Napa cabs previously in this price range having rocketed up to the $80-$100 range. Needs a decant/air time but is a ringer in a blind Napa cab tasting. Decided, old-school stylings. 04.02.25. — a year ago

Daniel Bloom

9.1

Absurd value from @wtso
Pnp let sat for an hour or so, initially very jammy but that blew off.
N: Dark red fruits verging on black, Amarena cherries, tobacco, earth, iron.
P: That sense of iron repeats, virtually no tannins, Sense of place, yes.
As another reviewer said, you could drink this down easy.
We’re still looking for complexity though. — 4 years ago

Ron R

9.3

Virtual event with my boys.
This Syrah didn’t show as I expected. Wifey and I tasted it at the winery in 2018, and it was singing. Having said that, still nice.
Brambly, dark fruits lead to moderate sweetness and robust tannins. I did decant it for a couple of hours, but yes, in this case maybe more bottle age is required. — 6 years ago

with Rick, Andrew and 1 other

Greg Gregory

9.5

Spectacular. So much fruit. This came from a passive cellar, the fill was top label, yes I said it top label, and when I touched the cork it fell in! So expectations were low. Wow were we wrong. — 6 years ago

Justin Wittkopf

9.5

What a surprise! Best 2011 Napa wine so far. Had the 2011 Las Posadas from Abreu 2 nights ago and this is better. Yes, I said that. Pop and pour. Lovely fruit and structure. Seriously impressed by this. — 8 years ago

David L

9.4

11’ One night 12’ the next. I thought the 11 was slightly better. Yes I just said the 11. — 8 years ago

with Martin

Robert Harmelin

9.2

Wow. Almost 40 year old Barolo. Outstanding lots of fruit yes I said lots of fruit. Good color nice acid and a very good finish — 9 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Just a hugely expressive nose of dark berry fruit and huge amounts of crushed granite. Blowing me away. Insane clarity. Exuberant minerality. Stunning depth. A 10.0 nose. Yes I said it. This is a no brainer 10.0 nose. Palate is a bit behind but it is all there. Such fine, elegant and refined tannins and unreal purity and length. The length is truly crazy. 2+ minute finish. Nose gets some bittersweet cocoa, some spice and confectionary florals. Wow. The finish is maybe 3+ minutes. Unreal concentration and just so nimble and pure. This is young obviously but needed to taste: Will follow throughout the day. This will get better. 9.7 for now.

The 7 hour update.

Nose is perfect melange of blueberry/blackberry and granite. Also a meatiness has developed. So detailed and just perfect. 10/10. No more notes.

Palate has softened a bit but still is tight! The will be a 40 year Beliando. Wow the texture is velvety and the tannins are big but refined. Much more mineral at the juncture. Loooonf finish. But it has lost some midpalate effect. Will try one more time before midnight. — 2 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

Fucking burgundy!!!! Pretty much that’s the note.

Nose has earth, precise cherries. Just ... perfect fucking burgundy.

Palate. Precise cherries. A hint of cherry licorice. So fresh and balanced. So grippy. Great texture. Almost a hint of grapefruit pith to round it out. So well made. Just lasers the palate with fresh cherry juice. ... fucking burgundy!

As it opens you get some of that elegant richness that you want. Finish is gorgeous cherries. Cherry licorice. Almost a hint of chocolate covered cherries. So fucking good.

This is exactly what you want. Not an iota more. Not an iota less.

Like I said ... fucking burgundy! So awesome and classic.

And yes this needs another 5 years. Sue me.

Bought from fass selections.

— 6 years ago

Paul H

8.9

This is not a stand alone drinker for me because it is slightly sweeter than what I like. With that being said this works great with Thai food. With the lower price point from a great producer this makes a sweet find. Yes pun intended. The aromas were light and hints of the sweetness. Sort of like a honey crisp meets a pink lady. On the palate though light and fresh with hints of a clean pear. Enjoyed this with Thai food. — 6 years ago

aisforalan

9.1

yes please. quite delicious. last time i said la coudraye was better, but i haven’t tried it yet! soon. this week. in the meantime this was great. dried flowers. good tannins. velvet. black cherries. granite. soapstone. buy again. from flatiron. — 7 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.4

This wine is a full of contradictions. On one hand it shows tons of sweet citrus (grapefruit, tangerine, lemon pith) and hints of vanilla. On the other it shows more savory spice notes - basil - yes, BASIL - and hints of pepper. This so layered and complex. Creamy, polished and drinking so well (just as @David L said it would be). The extra barrel age and higher amount of Semillon shows. This was elegant and fun - totally delicious and great on a hot afternoon. — 8 years ago

Dennis P.

8.9

This may sound silly, but I bought this bottle after watching a Martha Stewart cooking show on preparing Coq Au Vin. Yeah, I admit it, Im A Martha Stewart fan . She said" I always use my finest cognac."

Yes I paid a small fortune to cook chicken with cognac, but I followed the recipe.

I'm not a big cognac guy, but ...........................

Very smooth, my guests love this stuff, and the dinner was a hit too.

40% alc/vol. Product of France. — 8 years ago

Timothy Lynch

9.1

Not for the timid if an in-your-face Cab Franc is one’s introduction to the varietal. That said, a few put away in the cellar will bring much joy down the road. At the moment the wine is defined by dark berries, orange peel, green pepper and yes, even herbes de Provence. Crazy, I know. While a Fleurie and Limniona will bookend tomorrow’s Thanksgiving meal, a sneak pour of this Cab Franc is all but guaranteed. Can’t wait! 🦃🇺🇸🦃 — 3 years ago

Michelle Abernathy

9.2

Yes to this!! Stopped and said “mmmmm, that’s goooood!” — 5 years ago

John & Erin

9.0

Erin: delicious, a bit sweet but quite adult. However, I was also drinking it right after getting engaged, so...

John: less dry than I'm used to, delicious. She said yes, so my judgement is currently suspect — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

I don’t hide the fact that I’m a massive fan of Brovia and their Freisa which they produce in a dry, still style is among my favorite values in all of Piedmont. The grapes for this wine come from the Villero cru and are aged exclusively in stainless steel. Production is extremely minuscule with under 1000 bottles made per year however, tracking some down is well worth the effort. The 2017 version has aromas of dark blackberries, roses, and tar while the palate is packed with strawberries, mulberries, blueberries and dried herbs. Impressive structure with mouth-drying tannins and snappy acidity leading to a long, tongue-smacking finish. Capable of aging? Yes, and probably would be an interesting one to follow over the next five to ten years. That being said, these are really meant to be consumed on the younger side while we wait for the Barolo’s to mature 😉. This bottle was paired with the “kamikaze” lasagna we got last night from Au Courant which, as it happens, was also my source for this bottle. — 6 years ago

Evan Bienstock

9.4

1917 Sauternes. Yes, WWI. Nuff said. — 8 years ago

Michelle Connely

9.1

Consumed May 2018. It is called Prisoner. When the bartender first asked me if I had tried prisoner, I said yes. But when he showed me the bottle I said no I have not tried that. He gave me a taste and I was hooked. Was great sipping by itself and also went well the food. — 8 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.4

Vintage schmintage. This is a fun one. Mark said leafy. That is a solid assessment.
Actually, can anyone tell me what was the first schm-anything?
Happy, Schmappy? Go, Schmo? Yes, Schmess? Must have been a winner. — 8 years ago

with Mark