5/13/2024 - MariusA Likes this wine:

Opened as part of comparing three bottles of bottles from the Margaux appellation from the 2005 vintage at three different price points. The bottles were 1.) Ch. Margaux, 2.) Ch. Palmer, and 3.) Ch. Brane-Cantenac

Decanted for 2 hours. Blockbuster aromatics and nose. Full bodied, great moutful but tannins are still quite pronounced. WOTN for me but I'm confident it will be even greater in 5 years. Love this wine. 97

If you want to watch our @ourpourdecisions Youtube videos, try this:
https://youtu.be/ug0boNecFQU?si=WHNK_ItSko7mBrBW

Lots of fun and unscientific. The '05 Margaux was terrific but needs significantly more time while the Brane-Cantenac performed really well because it's in a great drinking window.

5/22/2024 - Brady_goat12 wrote:

Very good
Tropical fruits
😉🫶🥂

5/21/2024 - Ikesmith wrote:

Most proper

3/16/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Big and bold, well balanced with Blackberry and Cherry with hint of Pepper. Firm tannins and bright Acidity. Long bold finish, another excellent Melka wine.

5/22/2024 - Schönibert wrote:

Immer noch gute Tanine und nach ner Zeit viel Vanille. Steht sehr gut da und wird offen erstmal weiter besser! Gute Konzentration.

2/3/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Another Hall winner, bright fruit with matching tannin and acidity. Shame it was only a half bottle

5/17/2024 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

White flowers and apple on nose

On palate, juicy acidity, apple and pear. Nice tension, intense long fruit. Acidity is the big marker on this

1/6/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Fine Alexander Valley Cab - Cherry and Blackberry with hint of Spice, slightly chewy Tannins and balanced Acidity.

5/22/2024 - mattym19 Likes this wine:

By the glass at SCA Resto in Buenos Aires. Nose is slightly dried berries with plums and chocolate cherries and a bit of worn leather. Palate is full bodied with great balance—definitely tastes like a cooler climate wine; more plums, barely ripe, and dark chocolate with a little savory spice and a dash of cinnamon. Very plush, low tannin but good acidity to balance the plushness. Perfect with the lamb rump but even on its own this is a killer value for less than $20 a bottle.

5/17/2024 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

Light spice and smoke on nose

Less creamy than 2022, lots of lemon spice on palate, medium+ length, nice acidity balance

5/22/2024 - Cacio Pepe Likes this wine:

Watermelon, strawberry, cherry, and lemon, a rain water freshness. A real purity of fruit on this one. Not a lot of complexity on this rosé, but also not that you would want there to be. This is the perfect wine to be drinking poolside, with a smoked salmon salad beside you.

5/22/2024 - MJReb wrote:

Golden color, on the nose passion fruit and petrol, on the palate again exotic fruit, pear, the strong petrol notes getting quickly lesser with aeration. Well in its drinking window.

5/22/2024 - johnrm wrote:

As for my Feb note. However, it seems ever ‘sweeter’ and less well balanced for me so I have dropped it a point or two.
My wife likes it so she would raise it a point or more. So:
Average ca. 86

5/13/2024 - MariusA Likes this wine:

Opened as part of comparing three bottles from the Margaux appellation from the 2005 vintage at three different price points. The bottles were 1.) Ch. Margaux, 2.) Ch. Palmer, and 3.) Ch. Brane-Cantenac

Decanted for 2 hours. Still in primary phase but absolutely silky smooth and in harmony. Very enjoyable to drink now but will undoubtedly drink better in 5-10 years. Hard to give score but 95 for now with upside.

If you want to watch our @ourpourdecisions Youtube videos, try this:
https://youtu.be/ug0boNecFQU?si=WHNK_ItSko7mBrBW

Lots of fun and unscientific. The '05 Palmer seems to show a bit better right now and the Brane-Cantenac performed really well because it's in a great drinking window.

12/16/2023 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Excellent Alexander Valley Cab, dark cherry with cassis and hint of oak. Tannins have softened over time and meld well with the fruit and acid. A perennial favourite.

5/22/2024 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:

This is alluring and pampering a Lafite I've ever head. The texture is refined to pure silk. You cannot take a sip without sinking back into your chair, closing your eyes, and succumbing to instant relaxation like a spa treatment for the inside of your mouth. The fruit is still deep, dark, and impenetrable, black-toned and loaded with black truffles and other deeply pitched savory elements. This is in a prime drinking zone and will coast there effortlessly for a long time.

2/24/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Alas the last bottle. Again another Jordan winner. Solid Cab with rich body with Bright fruit and balanced Acidity and Tannins.

5/22/2024 - J_Gran wrote:

Very drinkable. Red and dark fruit. Not very complex. Medium tannins, medium acidity. It’s pleasant. Would have liked a bit more depth

2/10/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Value Cab from Happy Canyon in the Santa Inez Valley. Cherry and Blackberry with hint of Pepper and Thyme. Well balanced with slightly chewy Tannins. Finishes Med to Long with plenty of bright fruit.

4/12/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Bright fruit cherry and blackberry with a hint of cedar. Ripe Tannins with pepper and thyme, with a complex and satisfying finish.

5/18/2024 - Sp@rk Likes this wine:

Medium nose and body. Smooth and well balanced. Singing after 1 hour.

5/22/2024 - penmoalic wrote:

Robe dorée légèrement ambrée
Premier nez moyennement aromatique. C’est fermé de la réduction. On sent les agrumes, le pamplemousse et un l’ananas. Géranium, fleur de lys qui monte en puissance puis vient le citron confit.
Je dirai que le pinot gris se révèle en premier puis le Gewürztraminer et enfin le riesling. L’aération fait ressortir l’alarme fraîcheur de l’acidité et le sucre d’orge. C’est diablement complexe au nez
En bouche, ça goûte demi-sec voire moelleux. La bouche est au diapason du nez. L’acidité est présente en fin de bouche. Bonne longueur. Un équilibre parfait
Grand vin qui commence à être sur son plateau

2/10/2024 - pommieba@cox.net Likes this wine:

Concentrated, blackberry blueberry, and cocoa. Very rich with well integrated tannins and bright acidity. Ends on a long and fruit forward. Great value at under $70 - will they make any more?

5/22/2024 - djinc01 Likes this wine:

A diamond in a rough vintage. Still drinking beautifully, but no need to wait further.

5/22/2024 - the player Likes this wine:

Surprisingly good given vintage is not a star in Burgundy reds. Opened and aerated and drank hastily over an hour, lunch an injustice! Blackish cherry color, dense, almost a hint ot browning but no Bret. On the nose dedicated black cherries, sweetly spiced blackberries, perfume, a hint of stem, powerful fruits at play with a bit of crushed rock.
Medium bodied, rich, well crafted finishes with such finesse and fatness on the palate. Great surprise.

5/22/2024 - diggydan wrote:

A little creamy with a nice dose of oak. Good yellow fruit, acidity, and length. 45E for a half bottle at Steireck.

5/22/2024 - SuperSomm Likes this wine:

Medium purple colour. Medium and developing nose with dark plum, charred wood, blueberry, potting soil, dark chocolate, mocha, baking soda and prune. Medium (+) taste of dark plum, blueberry, potting soil, chocolate, mocha, charred wood, vanilla and prune. Long and dry finish. High acidity. Medium and velvety tannins. Full body. A very good Californian Red Blend. Drink now or over the next ten years. Goes well with duck or pork.

5/22/2024 - Rupert wrote:

Tba

5/22/2024 - 100pp wrote:

Yellow/gold. Tastes like liquid quince with a touch of raisins. Losing its fresh fruit but still delicious. Aged but very soft; not harsh at all.

5/22/2024 - danme Likes this wine:

Dark red. Aromas of oak, vanilla, smokiness, sundried dark fruits. In the mouth add coco and you have a red wine with a hint of bourbon. The 14,5 ABV adds to the heavy appearance. A homemade hamburger is a safe combination. 😋

5/22/2024 - DWStyle Likes this wine:

Decanted at the restaurant and started drinking promptly. Wine was open for business and paired well with several courses. Noticed a faint taste of what I perceived as TCA in the background on the finish but it was not on the nose!
Delightful wine just entering it drinking window IMO ’

5/22/2024 - bobbylion Likes this wine:

Still 91, but nice trajectory. Shouldn’t touch it for 4-5 years. Then could be 92-3. Needs a bit of gravitas of age I think.

5/22/2024 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine:

This was pretty intense and would benefit from a few years aging. With that said, has all the elements to be very good for a while. I will pick up another bottle or two.

5/22/2024 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

Shared with Xavier94, I defer to his fine note. 94+

5/22/2024 - ovenmitt wrote:

Drank as part of unicorn tasting. There were some really amazing bottles opened beside this. On its own it may have shone brighter. Having said that, there was a note of brett that blew off after 20-20 minutes - the cork was super funky. Still it had a note of funk that didn't sit real well. A nice although somewhat disappointing bottle given the pedigree. Typical N. Rhone notes.

5/22/2024 - DrSpalding wrote:

We found this in the back of the mother-in-law's refrigerator where it had been hiding for years, evidently. It was used to cook a beautiful shrimp scampi dish and then drank up the rest. Surprisingly fresh and just a hint of sweetness.

5/22/2024 - Minimog411 wrote:

Starts to open up. Nice Syrah with dark fruit and fermented meat. Tannins sorting of but still some bite.enjoy now and for the next 5 to 7 years. Maybe more more.

5/22/2024 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

Pale straw color; Granny Smith apple nose with fine minerality; amazing extract and substance with firm acidity. Much better than Aligotes I’ve had from the DRC guy!

5/22/2024 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

Pale straw color; nose of slightly unripe pear and green apple, some slightly reductive notes and crushed gravel; aromatic, full bodied; good heft and impact; youthful still. Wildly good value at $27!!! 92+

5/8/2024 - ozziewine Likes this wine:

Like the early drinking aspect of the Garbro Ranch Pinot. The Dehlinger Single Vineyard Pinots almost always need 5-6 years in bottle from the vintage date, but not the Garbro Ranch.
This is great on PnP (another plus, not much fuss) and is smooth and fruity in the classic Russian River Valley style.
Will hold for a few years and is drinking beautifully today.

5/22/2024 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

Having two of these in the cellar, chose the one with lowest fill (top shoulder); glorious mature fruit and enchanting smokiness; savory qualities of sous bois and umami on steroids; classic “iron fist in a velvet glove”; great balance, richness and underlying power. WOTY. Shared with Xavier94. 97+

5/22/2024 - norsktorsk wrote:

Very mild smoke effect. nice with carbonara made with prosciutto that was a little smoky itself

5/22/2024 - Tgood wrote:

Light clear yellow green - green grassy herbals and sweet white florals leap at corkpull of chilled bottle - creamy mouthfeel with restrained yet adequately present tartness - a big success - bravo

5/22/2024 - CarpeVinum wrote:

Mature and drinking perfectly

5/22/2024 - richno wrote:

Tennis Group BHGC

5/22/2024 - ccarlucci Likes this wine:

Definitely on the younger side, as this bottle did not enjoy the time it needed to decant before being fully consumed. Other bottles were better on day two, this was gone within three hours of opening. One to let sit and breathe. Don't rush it!

5/22/2024 - cweiner Likes this wine:

Wonderful balance of fruit and acidity with some herbal notes. Drinking really well now but I expect it will be good for at least a good couple of years.

5/22/2024 - cweiner Likes this wine:

Just delightful. I have ordered several cases.

5/22/2024 - fadincvaros Likes this wine:

Decisamente piacevole al suo quinto anno

5/22/2024 - BoxerBee Likes this wine:

Passion fruit, flowers, asparagus, and bubblegum. Deserves some aeration. Fresh and harmonious, with a long citrussy finish. Reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc, and better than the 2022 Calafuria tasted next to it. Drink now - 2025.