| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2008 Alban Vineyards Syrah Patrina Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
8/22/2012 - DonDon wrote: 92 pointsJust delicious. Again. As reviewed by everyone its totally a beautiful wine. Just how I like my syrah and if anything smoother and more refined than a Pax or other huge Syrahs |
| Red |
2008 Alban Vineyards Syrah Patrina Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
12/29/2012 - DonDon wrote: 93 pointsNothing much to add since my last not and everyone else's notes but is just beautiful |
| Red |
2008 Alban Vineyards Syrah Patrina Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
2/14/2013 - DonDon wrote: 94 pointsIt just really is as brilliant as everyone says. My fourth bottle of this wine and after scoring the others 92 and 93 - which is pretty radically high - this one gets 94. It just is everything which is sooooo brilliant about Syrah. Massive depth and length. Smells utterly enchanting. Smacks you immediately on tasting. It's a completely stunning wine and although I'm usually really good with laying down wines to age I consistently don't seem able to with this. Loved it. As you can tell. |
| Red |
2013 Alban Vineyards Syrah Patrina Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
11/8/2017 - DonDon wrote: 93 pointsDelicious. My 6th bottle of this wine and I’m wondering why I haven’t left a tasting note on this until now. This is full-bodied inky deliciousness but with good acidity and in my view a fabulous richness and balance. This is not a crazy over oaked thing - it has a fabulous purity of red fruit with medium tannin and good length. At this price point this is a massive buy. Was fabulous with a burger |
| Red |
2013 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
4/18/2019 - DonDon wrote: 97 pointsWell I lasted a whole 2 months before having this again despite having written to try and wait longer. Last time I had this properly decanted at home with a perfect food pairing. This time I was on holiday (yes I take my own wine and the coravin!) and had this over two nights with no food at all - the first on the hotel balcony while watching Netflix on my own after already having enjoyed champagne with dinner and the second watching an outdoor show with the wife and kids the next night. Anyway I suppose I should leave some form of tasting note since this is CellarTracker and not trip advisor! I’ve already described this wine in my last note so this time I want to concentrate on the actual feeling of having this wine and the best I can say is that on both nights this is one of those wines where every single sip is unbelievably hedonisticly delicious. It made both evenings immensely more pleasurable to end them in this way. It was slightly cold out which helped to be able to have this wine at a cooler temperature which really benefited it when drinking it without food. It is inky dark and blue fruits with some caramel and cassis with massive length that just makes you smile. I am scoring this a 97 compared with my first bottle which was a 96 and I think The whole experience was a brilliant wine memory for me. 6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2009 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
7/30/2019 - DonDon wrote: 94 pointsDelicious. Not as amazing as the 2013 I had recently but still fab |
| Red |
2013 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate VineyardEdna Valley more |
2/16/2019 - DonDon Likes this wine: 96 pointsMy first ever Reva and this has been a dream wine for me for ages. Just took delivery of 6 bottles (in London - quite rare here!) and couldn't resist opening one bottle immediately. This was as others have described a powerhouse wine and just bloody delicious with it. Dark fruits but fresh, not stewed, despite the obviously slight sweetness from the high alcohol (which by the way was in very good balance). We had this with lamb steak with caramelised onions and it was perfect - this needs a rich meat with it and pairs well with BBQ or sweetness in a sauce. Tannins I thought already starting to be nicely integrated. Fabulous I bet my remaining 5 don't last as long as they should! |
| Red |
2009 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del DueroTinto Fino, Tempranillo more |
2/18/2015 - DonDon Likes this wine: 93 pointsJust surprisingly excellent. Really enjoyed this |
| White |
2007 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Bien Nacido VineyardSanta Maria Valley more |
7/5/2012 - DonDon wrote: 92 pointsI've said it all already in previous notes on this wine. It's just utterly brilliant. Chewy for a white wine. Oaky. Buttery. Was great with a Turkish chicken in yogurt sauce |
| White |
2007 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Bien Nacido VineyardSanta Maria Valley more |
5/1/2012 - DonDon wrote: 93 pointsI absolutely love this wine. Perfect example of a napa chardonnay for me and excellent value. So buttery. Not too much oak but a lively smokiness to the wine. I continue to buy and enjoy this wine every time |
| White |
2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Bien Nacido VineyardSanta Maria Valley more |
8/3/2013 - DonDon wrote: 90 pointsJust a class act. More oak, vanilla and richness than is many Chardonnays - which is exactly how I like it |
| White |
2010 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Los Alamos VineyardSanta Barbara County more |
12/31/2012 - DonDon wrote: 89 pointsA lovely wine but not what I was expecting and to be honest not really what I was hoping for. It has notes of mineral, steel and acidity when i was hoping for more butter, oak and vanilla which I have found in other ABC Chardonnays and which I at least want from a great Cali Chardonnay. Need to think about food parings with this wine. I don't want to be too harsh however as it is clearly high quality and has some real charm but buyers be aware that this is not your typical flavour profile |
| White |
2010 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Los Alamos VineyardSanta Barbara County more |
2/13/2013 - DonDon wrote: 90 pointsI was possibly a little too harsh in my tasting note a couple of months ago. Whilst still a surprising amount of citrus for a Cali chardonnay it did have some oak to balance this out. I found it more interesting this time than my first bottle |
| White |
2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict VineyardSanta Ynez Valley more |
4/15/2013 - DonDon wrote: 88 pointsMy fault - predictably not great with curry! |
| White |
2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict VineyardSanta Ynez Valley more |
3/14/2013 - DonDon wrote: 90 pointsImproved when finished the bottle a few days later. Was properly vacuum sealed but was not expecting the wine to be so good after so long |
| White |
2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict VineyardSanta Ynez Valley more |
11/26/2012 - DonDon wrote: 88 pointsQuite unusual for a cali Chardonnay and unlike most othe ABCs I have tried. Very light oak and much more acidity than i was expecting - almost closer to a Sauv Blanc than a buttery Chardonnay |
| White |
2011 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate VineyardSonoma Coast more |
3/5/2021 - DonDon Likes this wine: 95 pointsBeautiful and huge wine - massive length; almost tropical notes; a lot going on, very ripe |
| White |
2020 Ballot-Millot & Fils Chardonnay Bourgognemore |
5/26/2023 - DonDon wrote: 92 pointsSuperb value and after 3 years now in a perfect spot |
| White |
2017 Ballot-Millot & Fils Meursault Les NarvauxChardonnay more |
11/27/2020 - DonDon wrote: 94 pointsI thought this was excellent. I know I have opened it young but it is already in an excellent place. Round and deep with classic stone fruits. Creamy but balanced with good acidity and huge length. Fantastic |
| Red |
2008 Castello Banfi Chianti Classico RiservaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
2/25/2014 - DonDon Likes this wine: 88 pointsI find Banfi consistently good especially at these price levels. Hints of barnyard on the nose if a little restrained. A bit simple on the palate and not the depth of flavour of more expensive Tuscan wines but a perfectly nice wine to enjoy with friends. |
| Red |
2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-PapeRed Rhone Blend more |
4/17/2014 - DonDon Likes this wine: 93 pointsPossibly even a 94. Decanted 4 hours before drinking and I think it really benefited from it. This is a deep rich wine with fabulous red fruit flavours with a delicious gamey undertone. Was just perfect with venison. I've owned this wine for about 6 years and ok so happy I waited as it's just gorgeous. |
| White |
2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape BlancWhite Rhone Blend more |
4/15/2013 - DonDon Likes this wine: 90 pointsA bit silly of me really having this wine with curry but did stand up surprisingly well! |
| Red |
2010 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
2/19/2017 - DonDon wrote: 93 pointsReally nice wine. Good cassis flavour which I love and a great nose. |
| White |
2013 Benovia Chardonnay La Pommeraie VineyardRussian River Valley more |
3/8/2019 - DonDon wrote: 91 pointsVery nice and I think 91 is a fair score here. Actually quite an interesting and fairly complex wine, especially at this price point. Absolutely not a Cali oak bomb. This is more elegant with a good creaminess to it. Quite an interesting mix of stone fruit and citrus without too much vanilla and I would say medium acidity (perhaps a little on the low side). I have a few more so looking forward to trying this again. |
| White |
2017 Benovia Chardonnay Russian River Valleymore |
6/23/2021 - DonDon wrote: 88 pointsDidn't love this today - too fat and oaky |
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- Tasting notes: 649 notes on 461 wines
