12/23/2021 - Senft Does not like this wine:

Over the hill. Nose is enticing with ripe black fruits. Sour black fruit taste. One dimensional. Short, sharp finish. Not worth the dollars or your time. Very disappointing.

10/3/2021 - BradA Likes this wine:

Outstanding! Like a young lady entering her 20’s , the wine is reaching its prime. Firm, supple with a dash of wit. Fresh cedar, great aromatics and a nice finish. Years of advancement ahead, but if you are seeking a prime time Bordeaux— here it is!

Night two

Drier, smooth and no rough edges. The fruit is far more muted and the finish lacks the strength of last night. I miss the fresh power it showed last night….

5/18/2020 - Jammy Wine wrote:

Interestingly this bottle of Chianti Classico was bottled in screwcap, a closure I personally quite support. Tasted blind – Fragrant profile of dark chocolate, rich and juicy blackberries and smokey wood. Rich and concentrated with great ripeness. Bold and structured but it doesn’t lack fruits or charm. 2013? Brunelle di Montalcino? (85/100)

12/30/2019 - mustardman wrote:

Fine for midweek

1/16/2017 - Hebrew Hammer wrote:

- Brick color.

11/28/2017 - Rangel wrote:

This is a nice Rioja. It is well aged with clear oak notes. Good for Crianza, but not spectacular.

10/10/2018 - msuwine wrote:

This polished and bright Cabernet is drinking fine right now, but it tastes a bit too linear to be that exciting. Cherry red in color and medium in body, the wine offers (somewhat muted) aromas of raspberry, fresh strawberry, and cloves. Tastes of blueberry, cranberry, rose petal, and graphite, with a pleasantly lingering, though somewhat tart, finish. Blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. 15% alcohol. A little better on second day, when it gained more thickness and depth. Wait until 2019 or later.

This wine is... meh. It's not bad, but it's not unique, either. You could swap out the top wines from any number of traditional producers (e.g., Mondavi, Krug, Beringer), and this would fall somewhere in the middle (regardless of what Jeb and Lisa say). This reminded me of an even more generic version of Quintessa - middle-bodied, dusty, and a bit indifferent. To mention another comparator, this had less fruit power than a Kathryn Hall 2015 I had last night, but the Raymond tasted just as concocted. There are a number of impressive, unique bottles of Napa Cabernet at the $125 price point, but I don’t think this is one of them.

3/22/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine:

Gorgeous young Bordeaux blend from this stellar new producer. Lots of deep fruit and acid, perhaps will improve with age.

9/4/2018 - Arch57 Likes this wine:

I did a Coravin taste-off between 2010, 11 & 12 vintages. The one word that I would use is consistency.
2010 - (92) Smoothest tannins (likely as the oldest of the trio) and a very rewarding finish but a bit shy on the nose.
2011 - (91) Detected a bit of "stewed" fruit on the nose but otherwise was a solid performer in a weaker vintage
2012 - (93) Most robust nose, with spicy notes and the tannins were evident still. Longest finish and likely a long life ahead.
Overall I spent a good 45 minutes going over each one side by side and if tasted blind I could have easily been convinced they were all the same bottle but maybe the 2012 would have stood out.
I view this as a strong testament to outstanding wine making and vineyards as WS rates the Napa Cab Vintages 2010 and 2012 at 96 while the 2011 only garnered 86. That is why CVV is always one of my go to producers.

2/24/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:

Very light ruby with faded edge. Beautiful cherry and tobacco aromas. Light, supple, perfect ripeness, early complexity, lifted orange peel, wonderful balance. Along with the Brovia, I can't imagine a better entry level Barolo. Very pretty, and I'd bet that it will last longer than this friendly, open impression suggests. Great value.

7/11/2016 - Bryan004 Likes this wine:

well now...finally opened another from a case. Started very muted for a few hours in the decanter. Underwhelmed after a glass. Then.....Boom, the big boy reputation came in full stride. Huge dark/dried fruits, powerful yet integrated alcohol, nice acidity and grippy tannins. Notes of violet, licorice and iron carried through the palate to a very long finish. After 5 hours it was on top. Got darker and a bit more raw towards the last sip. This wine never gave up and only kept changing in a positive way. The alcohol while big never really got much in the way. I'm very happy purchasing this at the release price and only see good things in the long future. I accept it for what it is and that helps with a wine like this.

1/15/2017 - thomasjjackson Likes this wine:

First of 24 bottles - beautiful red color with orange glances - long legs; nose fine with cherry, plum and graphite - flavor fruity still with tannins - should last 2 - 3 years

10/6/2017 - PeterFromThePan wrote:

This was a rather disappointing showing, especially considering the high WE score of 96 and the price. I would echo the review from someone who recently rated the 2012 vintage. I decanted the bottle and then drank a glass over an hour. The wine clearly has good structure with soft/mild tannins. From that perspective I can see that this is a wine that was made with care. However, this is where it ends for me. I do not get very much fruit of any kind. Re-reading the WS review, I get very little from what is being described. Maybe if your palate is refined to the point where you can make out the most subtle of flavors ... but I am not trying to impress others with what I can pick out ... I want to enjoy the wine! Before I told my wife what we were drinking, she guessed that this was one of the cheaper bottles in our cellar. So, overall, I was clearly disappointed based on the $55 I paid. Unfortunately, I have still 3 bottles left. Maybe things will open up with a few more years of cellaring?

2/1/2016 - yesillhaveanotherglassplease wrote:

A unexpectedly Shiraz-dominated Cab/Shiraz blend. A muted nose of dried prune and nail polish with a touch of menthol and mildew. Hot on the palate with less than medium weight. Tannins are present and young - though not overwhelmingly so - and end short, exposing with their sudden departure a somewhat flimsy acidic end. Not so much a fruit-bomb as a fruit-blip, the wine has no coherent structure and can be just as deflating to one's expectations as an over-promising Wonderbra. Then again, perhaps it's the drinker's fault for expecting more of an $18 bottle. A wine that's certainly worth its price, but no more.

8/22/2016 - Petiger Does not like this wine:

Howell Mt my A$$. This tasted like any jammy $15 grocery store cab. WineAccess should be ashamed to be selling this and I wish I could meet "Chad" one day so I could kick him in the nuts for selling "$150" cab like this.

3/11/2016 - Old Amarone Likes this wine:

This wine is made by Nicola Ferrari who spent years working with Giuseppe Quintarelli who was responsible for the famous $500 Quintarelli Amarone. Quntarelli died recently and Nicola Ferrari now has the knowledge to make that spectacular Amarone! I bought 6 bottles at $70 each and the prices will probably skyrocket when word gets out! As of now, no reviews are yet available for the Monte Santochio, but I bet it will rate 95 or better when Parker gets a taste!!

5/27/2017 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Beautiful red cherry/cassis nose....strong, slightly alcoholic but nice cherry entry with loads of currants. This wine is still quite young. Think infancy. But it's a beautiful Napa cabernet....this is a mid-heavyweight. Lots of red fruit, raspberry, cherry, maybe some red plum, too. Great juice....lively on the tongue with good acidity. Tannins are integrating nicely, not too overpowering even now. Might be around for a long time, but maybe only a couple of layers of complexity vs. 4 or 5 layers of the really great cabs of the world. But then again they go for multiples of this price. More fruit on the finish, but this time black fruit on the end, with a hint of black tea. Nice finish, goes on for 30 + seconds. I would buy more of this if I could. It's a very nice thrill ride at this prp.

6/16/2017 - Michael777 Does not like this wine:

Ripe blackberry, some nougat, attractive bouquet, fine spices. Elegant, juicy, ripe cherry fruit, very well-balanced, well-integrated tannins, fresh structure, delicate extracts in the finish, rather slim

2/15/2017 - ddemetri Likes this wine:

Rich complex nose.

Palate is very nice. Very full bodied and tannic. Subtle earthy flavors and dark fruits well interwoven. Needs to age quite a bit I'd say.

6/21/2016 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:

A cleaner but fresher example than last bottle, softer tannin and riper red and darker fruit; tasty just under developed.

2/14/2017 - ddemetri Likes this wine:

Nose has cigars and prunes.

Very balanced. Standard cab. A good deal of dryness. Short finish.

11/5/2016 - dcwino wrote:

2016 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly, Alan and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/3/2016-11/12/2016 (Villa D’este, Lake Como, Piedmont, Milan and Frankfurt): Absolutely hedonistic, incredibly decadent Pauillac nose displaying intense crème de cassis, dark caramel, lead pencil, floral dust, tobacco and cedar. Incredibly concentrated and intense yet so polished and sensual, starts with intense sweet cassis and ends with a strong note of lead pencil. This is at the youthful peak, still showing intense cassis but also the secondary and tertiary elements. Absolutely perfect showing. Mind bogglingly perfect!

11/24/2016 - NavyVet6874 Likes this wine:

I'm not a pinot guy, especially if I haven't tasted before buying. I bought this on a strong recommendation, which seemed justified when this got rated #3 on WS Top 100. It was good, but whatever it was that the pros got out of, I didn't see it. Had with Thanksgiving dinner.

4/12/2015 - S1 Does not like this wine:

Blindly watching The Masters (Chez S1): Tasted just after 2010 Janasse Chaupin and just before 2010 Domaine du Pégaü "Cuvée Réservée. Decanted for two and a half hours. Of the seven wines on the tasting this was the favorite of no one and the least favorite most tasters (my least favorite). Right now this wine is a hot, bitter, dark-fruited, oaky mess. The fruit is muted; I get very little sense of place. Maybe it will come around at some point. I drank 2009 at the domaine in 2011 and absolutely loved it. I sure hope that time heals these wounds.

9/16/2014 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine:

Okay I wish I could go back and order a case of this. For that $60/bottle price range this is definitely in my daily drinker wheel house except that I need much more of it. I believe this is about 98% cab and that dominates the nose (obviously). Dark purple with a red brick hue to it. On the nose you get warm purple fruit with cassis, black currant and a hint of graphite or even lead pencil. Very big in mouth feel with firm gripping tannins. Nice long lingering finish and something I really enjoyed. If you find it for $60 buy a case. It's worth it.

5/25/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Still holding on to its dark color, the wine is deep, rich and intense. There is a sweetness to fruit and a lot of crushed rock sensations in the powerful, intense finish. Give this 5-10 more years and this should be a super wine.

4/10/2016 - wforster2@gmail.com Likes this wine:

RP said 100 but I did not wait to taste in 2018 one gone 6 in cellar :--)

10/24/2014 - Mathijs81 Likes this wine:

Initially, it was a punch in the face - opening the bottle, an amazing aroma of dark chocolate emerged.
Tasting and after-taste was very pleasant, somewhat spicy in the beginning and mild acid finish.
Read through other comments here on this vintage and understood not the best vintage around.
As I have not other vintages to compare to ( yet ), must say I'm quite pleased quality / price for this wine.

10/24/2015 - Arch57 wrote:

Hmmm, 96 pts Wine Spectator? Well I don't think this bottle was anywhere close to that. It was a recent vintage so I thought it needed decanting, which I did but absolutely no tannins so we started to consume the wine. This wine reminded me a lot of Quilceda Creek wines from Washington, which I dropped off the mailing list in spite of the high scores because I found them lacking depth. The Lewis was one-dimensional, with smooth vanilla but again lacking any "personality" that one would expect from a $100+ bottle. I had to stick my nose deep into the glass to get any aromas. To me a great wine should show fantastic aromas 2-3" from the glass and should show different flavors on the palate.
Maybe this is a "new world" wine that will wow the critics but to me the complexity is missing. I will hold my remaining bottles for a few years to see if this develops into something worthwhile.

12/21/2015 - JCali wrote:

Awful - threw them away after the 1st two.

11/16/2015 - wine-enthusiast wrote:

I was expecting more from this wine. It got this huge write up about how this young winemaker is an up and coming star, works with Melka wines (easily $100+ a bottle) etc. Most of the wine off Wine Access have been pretty close to the description.... This wine is NOT the HUGE wine they described.... is it nice, yes. I do NOT taste the Rutherford dust I am so fond of. I also ordered 6 of the Stags Leap from Nichols... we will see.

6/16/2014 - Rosengoo wrote:

Although some people will take a knock at this wine based on it's price, I prefer to judge it solely on what was in the bottle. This wine was drank at a local restaurant before dinner. It was chilled as we were drinking it. The wine was clear and a mid level yellow in colour. Although in the onset it had a slight barnyard nose to it, this gave way to a bouquet of citrus smells and some petroleum once it met a proper serving temperature. The wine showed flavours of butter, lemons and a hint of grass and it also had a slight tanginess to it. Overall, this rare treat of a wine was very enjoyable.

1/20/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote:

This wine continues to flesh out. The textures are softer, the wine feels fatter, yet with more velvety, sensuous qualities, since I last tasted it. Full bodied, potent and rich, with a true, licorice, black cherry, chocolate and plum personality. This should be very long lived for a 2001.

10/14/2015 - Zweder wrote:

Monthly Tasting Group HWS #102; Rioja (By CvR): Beautiful and mature bouquet with beautiful oak and raisins. On the palate red fruits, chocolate, sweet spices, coffee, good acidity and round tannin. A bit rustic as well. This bottle was more ready than the one I had earlier this year. (A storage issue? Don’t know…) Nevertheless a score of 90 again for this beautiful wine.

7/10/2015 - ageverett Likes this wine:

First time with this wine since I had the 2007 a couple of years ago. This was a pop and pour at a party. Just really impressed with this wine. Had a lot of depth, dusty tones and a really pleasant finish. Had some Old World qualities that I did not expect, and that really hit the spot. Would certainly pick some up if I come across it.

2/21/2015 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:

If I recollect correctly, and drinking can sometimes compromise this, the Rocks was one of our first Wine Access purchases. This third bottle, now some five years on, confirms that it was a wise decision. Intensely extracted, dense inky purplish red, fragrant if not overpowering aroma, the wine seems quite mature but yet with years of life ahead. Of course lots of ripe berry fruit, medium acidity, menthol, eucalyptus, even a hint of caramel on the finish, notable sweetness. The one irritation was the cork that seemed welded to the neck of the bottle, requiring some emergency surgery to remove. Never experienced that before.

11/11/2014 - Sheila62 Likes this wine:

Impressive...This is a really great 2010 barolo. I tasted this wine at the Elvio Cogno winery with Walter Fissore on 10/29/2014. Excellent Barolo with great elegance and finesse. Wonderful depth of fruit with perfect acidity. Drank out of Zalto Burgundy glasses. I only wish I had bought more at pre-arrival pricing.

3/6/2015 - phillyboyP wrote:

I picked this up on sale for $20 and I thought it was awesome. Perfect amount of fruit and oak. 91

3/7/2015 - scott w Likes this wine:

Fantastic bottle IMHO, bright tropical nose, cork was soaked through, creamy light lemon oil tropical fruit peach orange still had a light silky texture with a bit of oak that imo added to the complexity. Delicious 20 year old cali chard wtf.

2/5/2015 - GTFreek wrote:

Aromatic nose, old world style, musty but bright, citrus, clean slate, crisp and a touch of butter, very interesting mix of Old and New World notes. Nice QPR, recommend.

1/10/2015 - Bryan004 Likes this wine:

It's always so rewarding to catch a wine in the apex of its integration. Lush raspberries and cherry, Oregon dirt mixed with spice and a touch of brown sugar. Beautiful acidity and silky tannins. Very smooth, long 30 sec finish, nothing stood out but everything was in perfect balance. This could hold for a few more years at least. I believe a 93 is the max for what this wine could ever offer...impressive

7/4/2014 - MC2 Wines wrote:

Willamette with a touch of Wedding Planning (or vice versa); 7/2/2014-7/4/2014 (Willamette Valley): Again this wine had more fruit than the 2011 Dijoinais, but fruit is still very sour, unripe Pinot, maybe some earthy flavors.

10/12/2014 - Bandreas wrote:

Medium ruby color, purple tinge. Powerful and fruity nose (too much so for my taste)
On palate some pepper and some bitterness.. The wine finishes dry and with noticeable bitter tannins.

12/14/2014 - wineweirdos Likes this wine:

from half bottle at dinner with Mark and Shannon in Scottsdale.

particularly engaging and balanced. a very nice wine. i would like to find more of this.

12/1/2014 - Bryan004 wrote:

Maybe I am missing something or taking the WOTY into too much consideration but this was just decent for Kosta Browne. Where the F was the fruit?! Earth, spice and cola on the nose...bits of fruit on the nose...palate just earth and spice with decent acidity for an hour. Maybe this was great years ago and that is why it was the wine of the year, meaning it has to be drunk within the year because the more this was left open, just turned to a sad excuse for a 95 point super highly touted wine.

10/26/2014 - Shrages wrote:

I feel like Wine Access, normally a reliable source of well-priced wine special deals, took me for a ride on this one. I paid $34 (with case) for this, which sounded from the pro reviews as though it would be a steal for a high-class barbaresco. But though it does have nebbiolo typicity, it does not hold together as a solid wine as a whole. Traditional, but still -- does that mean it has to be tough from entry to finish? Little body, medium to light color, strong new oak, not enough fruit in my opinion to hold out the at least 10 years it will take for the oak/tannin/acid to come into integration. Sorry friends. Didn't enjoy this, and I doubt I will in the future. Anyone want to buy 11 bottles from me?

Retasted 2018. Same rating. 8 years old now. Less unyieldingly tough, yes, but this is not developing into the beauty my nebbiolo-loving friends promised. Still overly dry, now raisiny and even hinting at the dreaded cough-syrup. Still not a fan.

6/18/2014 - Bryan004 wrote:

Same notes as before, slightly more approachable after the 2 hour mark....overall, meh

9/13/2012 - beezer6 wrote:

California Wine Country with Jill for our 30th's; 9/9/2012-9/15/2012 (California): Private tour and tasting with Michael Browne. Special Barrel Sample taste intended for James Laube the following day!
Limited notes, but this wine is extraordinary. Robust and bold with luxurious Russian River finesse. I can sense some KB styling but it's different, more refined and elegant.
Aromatically the juice is rustic and earth driven with a strong backbone indicating this will live for a few decades with ease.
Cannot WAIT to get my hands on a bottle or two of this. Worth the wait and the coin - I can tell that already.

5/4/2014 - Okjanetp wrote:

Cork was dried...not drinkable. Very disappointed

3/1/2014 - ledocq Likes this wine:

For all of you who like myself took a chance on this, relax. It's great and of course it's ridiculously young. I decanted it for 2 hours and the first sip was stupid with shrill tannins...and then there was this finish that was so long I wish I'd had a stop watch. I seriously think I had a full minute of lovely cassis and tobacco and all the things you'd want in a California cabernet. I waited another 2 hours and found the wine to be lovely and charming and smooth and way way way too immature. How imamature? I vacuumed the air out, sealed it up and popped it the next day and the tannins were still to noisy for the first 3 hours it was open. That's good news, because when it ages it's going to take over the planet earth. I for one welcome our new Melanson overlord. It's a powerhouse but it also manages a certain elegance. Terrific experience and I look forward to tasting this again in a couple of years. I had it with lamb and kale and that was a good idea. I'm reluctant to give it a grade yet, but just know that I'm very happy to have a few more bottles.