5/8/2024 - JorgePrlta Likes this wine:

Purplish with medium-plus intensity and a high extraction.

Aromatically intense, showcasing ripe black fruit, warm spices, and a distinct vegetal-earthy beetroot character.

On the palate, ripe black fruit and warm spices dominate, accompanied by a hint of chocolate. The wine boasts fresh acidity, medium-plus alcohol and tannins, and a medium body with a long finish.

5/8/2024 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:

Recent library release

aging red color- still deep but now with substantial brick at the rim, after 5 hours of airing a broad and genteel nose of aged cassis with ample sous bois, hints of bell pepper, plums, iron notes throughout, on the palate my description from 2021 remains right on- "a lively plum and cherry fruit, aged and genteel yet substantial", iron notes more noticeable now as is a broader scale of forest floor, more intense pepper notes as the fruit seems now to be at the start of decline and giving way to tertiary elements, still a beauty- but yet another recent 1985 experience that suggests this most lovely and singular Bordeaux vintage is at last beginning to show its age- though happily still wearing it quite well.

****, drink soon

5/8/2024 - mcj2001 Likes this wine:

Great Albarino!

5/8/2024 - Condrieu82 Likes this wine:

Pure hedonistic pleasure. This is singing right now. Intense nose of apricots, ripe nectarines, honeycomb. Lush and dense palate with dried apricots and honey, good acidity but intense sweet flavors. Long ending that lingers for quite a while. 2001 definitely a stunner - and this bottle showed better than my previous one a couple of years ago as it was more integrated and better composed. A long life ahead for this one. A crowd pleasure for sure.

5/8/2024 - Papies wrote:

By the glass at the BA Lounge, LHR. Freshly opened.
Lightly if any oak here and quite a pure and firm expression and definitely out of the norm but also maintains a structure and core unlike some others that in order to stay light feel a bit fruit juicy. 89

5/8/2024 - Winemaker51 Likes this wine:

At it’s peak. Exquisite notes of chalk, oak, oriental spice and red cherries. Indeed, a very silky, elegant style; so unlike Bonnes Mares of other producers with more extraction and firmer tannins. So inviting on every sip and so much alive with fruits. Does, perhaps not the concentration (as with a lot of 2001’s) but for those seeking grace over power; what a perfect example of Burgundy Terroir and pure silk.

5/8/2024 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:

Popped and pored; paired with Salisbury Steak. Nice purple color, and viscous. Nice Syrah fruit in the nose, nothing overpowering but very pure. Excellent palate, with acid perfectly playing foil to the rich fruit. Amazing how this producer makes such stellar wine from non-classified-area fruit. Yes they are more expensive than other wines from the same environs, but the quality in the bottle makes it a bargain. To me, Clape stands alone. Marvelous! 5-12-17-8: 92/100.

5/8/2024 - Papies wrote:

By the glass at the BA Lounge, LHR. Freshly opened.
A bit confused why this has no vintages since 2013 so maybe we made an error here but for what ever it’s worth this clean and pure, soft and to the pint albeit entry level white works wells. 88

5/8/2024 - SacAxeman Likes this wine:

Probably the best champagne I’ve ever had; not acidic, can taste the chard, custard… really nice

5/8/2024 - SonnyChiba wrote:

Bottle was in good condition. Beautiful color - looked dark and rich, appearance only I would've guessed it was from the early 2000s. Holding up well overall, still has a good amount of fruit, dark fruit, backed by classic cedar and cigar wrapper. Worth noting that it faded quickly. Best to pop n pour and drink!

5/8/2024 - Papies wrote:

By the glass at the BA Lounge, LHR. Freshly opened.
Clean, neutral and we would not have guessed this as Rioja Blanco in a million years . More of an international take and albeit it works ok it’s not a typical one. Better than the average for sure. 87

5/8/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Quite spicy and a wild sage note to the aroma. Delicious red berry fruits have a tart, savoury edge. It has good depth and balance and is silky of texture and expansive.

5/8/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Smoked meats and wild game. Musky and has some gunflint notes. Interesting.

5/8/2024 - Papies wrote:

By the glass at the BA Lounge, LHR. At 6:15 am we guess it was freshly opened or overnight..
Probably the least confectionery rose Prosecco we have come across and for that we will give it the thumbs up. Difficult to say more at this time of day but for sure if much better quality than the majority of its kin. 89

5/8/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

This thing is tart and wild but not pushed too far. Plenty of rindy citrus things and a big squeeze of grapefruit. Quite cheesy. Dry and textural.

5/5/2024 - rocknroller wrote:

Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank a glass plus over 3 hours at the Ranch. Consistent with a recent note. Showed a bit younger tonight, cassis, a little herbaceous, dense and full bodied, cassis, dark black berries, spice and wood tones. 91+ to 92pts.

5/8/2024 - Papies wrote:

By the glass at the BA Lounge, LHR. At 6:15 am we guess it was freshly opened or overnight..
A good surprise really, restrained and not at all confectionery albeit has that Prosecco sweetness that is to be expected. Good result even at 6am.. 89

5/8/2024 - soyhead wrote:

disg 12/22. dosage 6gr/L 70% 2020 base. 1/3 each grape varietal
nose - apple, honey
mouth - very round but perhaps its a reflection of the dosage? has a homey apple pie quality to it. very easy to suck down, great balance. no harsh edges whatsoever.

5/8/2024 - ta75 Likes this wine:

91-92 Really balanced wine and the oak helps make this very rounded and enjoyable. Powdery and slatey with nice rounded mouthfeel without being too heavy.

5/8/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Nose is mostly absent and fruit is minimal. What shows through is velvety tannins and flavors of anise and baking spice on the back end. Finish is medium in length and enjoyable.

5/8/2024 - ta75 Likes this wine:

I feel like this wine is in a semi closed phase. We didn't decant but should have, last glass was the best.

5/5/2024 - rocknroller wrote:

Very dark red/purple color with a garnet hue. PNP, drank a couple glasses over 3 hours. At the Ranch for opening weekend. This has a big nose with plenty of black and a bit of blue fluit; black raspberry liqueur, plum, black cherry skin, menthol, green pepper, fresh herbs. The palate is also full bodied, well textured with plenty of glyverin, creme de cassis, black raspberry liqueur, menthol, plush with a somewhat medicinal vibe. This is layered, deep and has plenty of power while the age has also served it well. In a good spot now, though certainly no rush.

5/8/2024 - ta75 Likes this wine:

92-93 no formal notes. really expressive and well made.

5/8/2024 - cofidis2 wrote:

From what I'm told, blended by David Guimaraens from old stocks of Cristiano van Zeller for the anniversary of the Confraria do Vinho do Porto. A vibrant nose of tea leaves, maple and orange zest. On the palate there is an immediate wave of citrus followed closely by toffee, bitter tea leaves, maple, searing acidity, and licorice root. A very long bright and fresh finish that is atypical of many 40 year tawny's. Which leaves me wanting to come back again and again for another sip. I often find many 40 year old tawny's to have a dusty, slight lack of freshness, side to them. Which is why I often like 30 year tawny's better. This, however, balances the nuances of old with the freshness of slightly younger. In car terms, this is an elegant, yet powerful, Rolls Royce. Not an overbearing muscular Ferrari. Not an easy achievement, but one in which David Guimaraens has managed to do. This is a rather rare old tawny, being available only to members of the Confraria do Vinho do Porto. However, if given the opportunity to try it, do not say no. 95 Points.

5/8/2024 - KVM wrote:

Cork was spongy at the bottom, so a few bits of cork in the first glass. Fresh, clean nose of blackberries and cherry candy. More developed on the palate, so tertiary, smoothly tannic. Not the typical Montelena concentration but a fine wine indeed, in top condition.

5/5/2024 - rocknroller wrote:

Very dark red color. Splash decanted and drank a couple glasses over 3 hours at the Ranch in the opener. The nose starts off with some funk and earthiness, leather, dried violetsm cassis and eventually an enveloping pencil lead aroma. The palate is so even handed, well integrated, and suave; earth, funk, cassis, mint, leather, pencil, wood spices, edging toward a full boded impression. This was a lovely example of GdL in full stride for my taste. 93+ to 94pts.

5/8/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Highly perfumed, with notes of raspberry, cherry and violets. Lovely balance, silky of texture and finishes with minerally clarity.

5/8/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

A hint of toast to the aroma along with white peach, lemon and almond. An accessible wine with precision too. Nice shape in the mouth and citrus cut to the tail.

4/26/2024 - Srod Likes this wine:

Love wine from happy canyon

5/8/2024 - df1962 wrote:

PnP

Structured complex raspberry pate de fruites garrigue espresso. Baby Chateau Neuf des Pape.

5/8/2024 - 560 B&W Likes this wine:

Massively better on night two. I would give this at least a year, probably two years. 12.5%

5/8/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Peppery notes and the heady scent of lantana. Some preserved lemon too. Tangy, salty, textural and tart.

5/8/2024 - OaktownRush Likes this wine:

Drinking another bottle of this and it’s a little fresher than the last, but like the last is drinking very very well. Christmas spice, red berries, a little smoky jerky, and a touch of cool salty air. The nose has a really nice intensity to it, the palate is cool and restrained. This is quite good.

5/3/2024 - portman63 Likes this wine:

I don't think I can improve on the two most recent reviews. This is one of the most delicious Chablis I have ever enjoyed. It had buttery richness of the ""-Montrachet wines and the crisp citrus and briny shell bed from it's region all in one. All with some sweet apple elements in the middle. I bought this on release back when it was merely expensive - for Chablis, but when I drink my last few bottles, that'll be it given what they go for now. Obviously wonderful and I'm glad I held it until now, but I'd guess 5-10 more years in it.

5/6/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Another lovely btl. See previous note.

5/8/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Hmm. On the nose: sappy red fruit, pomegranate molasses, soft green herbs. On the palate:.lovely acidity, good density, but a bitter herbs/hard red candy note that I'm not finding so pleasant on the mid palate and finish. Bitter herbs and soft tang om the close. Will follow over a few days to see what happens. Never had a Zieresien at 15 before.

5/2/2024 - portman63 Likes this wine:

I got this on auction since it is a domain wine and a good buy. While not the intensity and depth of fruit of the Simon Bize, it had good mouthfeel with blackberries and some earthiness. Completely resolved, it is a drink now vintage.

5/8/2024 - KHDXB wrote:

Drunk from magnum and won in a blind tasting against a Petrus from the same vintage.
Enjoyed with Claves liver and pancetta, the perfume was evocatively long and finish had a length that surprised me. Still has many years to go but has reached a soft and very quickly approachable age, though it did benefit from an hour of decanting.

5/8/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $60. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (). 50% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier. This was one of the 200(+?) wines at the Wine Spectator Wine Experience in New Orleans and the winery's representatives suggested that I take a couple bottles of this wine. Um. OK? Quite nutty in the glass: macadamia, almond, and perhaps walnut on the nose with a touch of citrus and pear. Lovely. The palate is tart, rich, and quite yeasty. Outstanding. 93 Points.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

5/7/2024 - WetRock wrote:

This seems to be in a nice window. The fruit is just dropping out of its primary phase where the flashes of fresh cherry get overwhelmed by the more leathery, foresty cooked fruit characters. The tannin still has strength but its later coming and doesn't overpower the lengthy acids. As always, the more air the better but this was drinking very well right after opening. Could go decades of course but the fruit depth would tell me to drink it in the next decade for best results. Very good.

5/8/2024 - KeithSorem Likes this wine:

Well balanced, fruity aroma, good legs, aroma of apricot and plum, rich yet dry finish, excellent balance.

5/8/2024 - JShipman Likes this wine:

Silky smooth and easy to drink yet has layers and a bright finish. Would pair well with poultry, light pasta, or a leaner cut of beef like a New York strip.

Our Upland Grenache is a silken mix of red fruit and wild herbs. This brilliant ruby wine opens with wild strawberry, rosemary, and cardamom accents. The expansive palate is deeply saturated with lengthy soft tannins. Long maceration with 50% stems and 50% whole berries lends wildness to those aromatics and length to the finish. This 100% Grenache is aged in neutral 500L puncheons for 22 months before bottling.

Upland Vineyard is a rolling, extremely sloped site located in the Snipes Mountain AVA. Snipes Mountain was named for Ben Snipes, an early Yakima County pioneer who built a house at the base of a mountain in the 1850s. The area was first planted in 1917 by Washington State wine trailblazer William B. Bridgman. The vineyard on Snipes Mountain was one of the first to plant Vitis vinifera in Washington. Snipes Mountain is a seven-mile-long anticline ridge created by fault activity. The "peak" is 1,290 feet high, rising from the floor of the Yakima Valley with unique, rocky soils. Soil deposits below the area are composed of gravels and sediments left by ancient riverbeds, deposits range in size from a fist to a football. A truly unique site in Washington and a standout for Grenache.

5/8/2024 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

Better than a bottle enjoyed in June '18; more tertiary with a depth of sous bois and classic old burg notes.

5/8/2024 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

Sadly my last bottle of this; showed well. 94+

5/8/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $22. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (). 92% Chardonnay, 8% Pinot Noir. I first tasted this wine as part of the Third Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine and I loved it (92 Points). This iteration? Certainly solid with plenty of green apple, baked pear, and a significant salinity. The palate is tart and lively, with green apple and bruised pear, a vibrant sparkle, and a hefty verve. Yeah, I know there is a ton of this made, but that is not a disqualifier, this is pretty stellar. 90 Points.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

5/8/2024 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine:

This Châteauneuf is a deep ruby blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, aged entirely in concrete. Serially sampled over four hours from a bottle that had been decanted through a Vinturi aerator, it was still on the upswing at the conclusion of tasting. Offering red and black bramble fruits, Provençal herbs, licorice, menthol, pipe tobacco and loam on both the nose and palate, it is a medium-bodied, fresh red with medium-weight tannins and nicely integrated alcohol (14%). Solid in the middle, it finishes medium-to-long and with a modicum of tannic grip. If you choose to pop the cork at this stage, give this wine as much air as your patience allows. Drink now-2030.

5/8/2024 - jmoore431 wrote:

I've been enjoying several bottles of different disgorgements of this wine for at least ten years (and several different label variations). Still a light golden color; enormously rich and complex, creamy and showing what seems like a little pop of acidity into an extremely long finish. A great showing! 94+

5/8/2024 - drwine2001 wrote:

Double decanted 6 hours prior to pouring. Pale red with fading rim. Pretty aromas of tobacco, sage, and a squeeze of orange joined later by dark red cherry. Light weight, earthy base, and it never develops much texture. Mostly savory and soil elements in the mouth without any sweetness of fruit, then a tannic finish which is disproportionate to its weight. I've had better luck with past bottles, but this one fit the prevailing narrative about Monprivato underperforming in this outstanding vintage. The fact that some fruit unfolded late is a point in favor of remaining optimistic, but this just seems to lack the material and intensity to play in the same league as truly great 2010's. Delicate is good, but undernourished is not.

5/8/2024 - VAGenius Likes this wine:

PnP. Sharp raspberry and cherry nose with vanilla extract and plenty of oak. Massive wall of vibrant peppery raspberry and wild red berry fruit is quickly met with an equally imposing wall of oak, fat chewy tannins dripping with black cherry and lots of spice. This is a nice wine but it's wild and unkempt - give it at least 4-5 years (perhaps longer) in the bottle to balance itself. 91+ points.

5/8/2024 - jmoore431 wrote:

Clean style, floral and youthful with apple and ripe peach notes. Excellent value!