1/14/2024 - Brussels 1049 wrote:

This seems to have divided opinion; I'm on the side of those who expected better, given the Chateau and the vintage.

It has a bright colour, nose a bit indistinct apart from some menthol notes and a rather thin, cherry monotone palate, with a shortish finish. It's not exactly tired, just rather dull and lacking in zip and I can't see that changing with further time.

There are so many better Cru Bourgeois out there for similar money, such as Capbern or d'Aighuile, so no need to seek this out.

7/29/2023 - Muledog71 Likes this wine:

Sooooo drinkable, varietaly correct ,cool climate cab franc. Not overlycomplex,(NOT a backhanded compliment ). Seriously well made wine. For someone new to cab franc AND for lovers of this varietal. Rebuy all day long.

7/9/2022 - SirJ Likes this wine:

Completely hooked at Clos de L’Oratoire, had to try 2018 (1 of 6). Hard to get a better wine based on the price. The minerality is so good in form of summer wet stones, pencil, this in combination with the dark fruit, plums, black currants and even blackberries makes this wine absolutely fantastic. Decanted 2-3 hours, the tannins are wonderful, a finish that lasts for a long time. Right bank when it's at its best, buy if you get the chance 👌🍷🙏

7/9/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Deeply colored, initially you notice Cuban cigars, eucalyptus, coffee bean, flowers, blackberries, and cassis. On the palate, the wine is rich, plush, and polished with an opulence to the texture. The fruit is packed and stacked with wave after wave of mouth-coating fruits that paint every nook and cranny of your palate. There is fabulous sweetness, lift, and depth. There is no touch of heat. Even with all of this power, the wine is balanced. Completely effortless to drink, this is already sublime in your glass. But, give it a few more years in the cellar and it is only going to get better and better. An interesting point, 2015 marks the first vintage without a second wine, allowing you to experience the totality of what the entire 81-hectare vineyard produced. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Drink from 2025-2060.

5/31/2022 - epiphany Does not like this wine:

Two bottles in a row now bad. Not sure what’s going on? No score.

5/17/2022 - Alexander Tronstad Likes this wine:

I love this Chateau. And this wine in this vintage is by far my most drunk wine of the left bank classed growths. Just good easy drinking, yet has enough complexity and depth to satisfy the craving for some gravity and seriously made wine.. So be it that it may be lacking a bit on concentration as Konstantin Baum pointed out recently, but... at the price it is a big winner. It is a classed growth, and it tastes like a class growth, unmistakably.

With the other classed growths - too often I find myself trembling before opening one, "I spent so much money, what if it is not good enough?? What a waste! Why spend so much!?" I get nervous and over-analytical, I can't really relax, and wine isn't supposed to feel like that. Well... I am not so worried about that with Cantemerle.

This 2016 is around 45 $.. It's no everyday wine, it's still priced above that, but I can let my guard down, I don't need to worry when I find the occasion - opened too early? Who cares... Have a bit in the sauce for your meal? Sure, why not! Have half a bottle left over in the fridge that you drink at the wrong temperature the day after? Well, it is not optimal but again, who cares? You can afford it and it is YOUR wine, and this wine is robust; It takes a beating and is enjoyable throughout. It works with you, you don't have to tiptoe around and micro-manage it, I let my shoulders down, relax and enjoy. This is not a high maintenance visitor, this is home on a sunday.


It is delicious and I am not ruined, it reaches quite high, has great manners, it's well made... at the price it is punching well above its weight, it is balanced well between structure and fruit, not too sweet. What I find I need to dig for in a lean chianti, Cantemerle showers you with - the quality comes out quite eagerly without going into a too sun-sweet plummy cabernet - it carries itself better than that. It hits the right spots and my red fine wine-thirst is quenched. If I were richer I'd probably find better, but for a normal worker, this hits me right at my level. As Peter Koff said comparing a higher quality wine to one he liked better regardless: "Another wine is my favourite, but this wine is my friend."

2/26/2022 - Scott McDonald wrote:

Corked

1/24/2022 - melzar wrote:

Maddening reductive notes have disappeared. Tannic with muted fruit. Atypical bottle with maybe touch of cork. NR

9/11/2021 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote:

Red cherries, red raspberries, leather, tobacco, Mediterranean underbrush/garrigue. It's the latter note I like the best on this (I don't see it too often on Rosso di Montalcino). Medium body with great acid and pretty big tannins. Drink now; but will benefit from 2-3 more years. Good pairing with veal parm.

12/19/2021 - Delli Likes this wine:

Drinking well. Purple body with a crimson edge. More opaque than I’d expect a 13% alcohol cab franc. Floral nose with blue fruit. The plate is red fruit it’s a cranberry finish. Modest acidity. Good structure. Mouthfeel suggests more than 13% alcohol. 5+13+16+8=92

4/14/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Erin notes that is delicious this year. Green and full and fun.

1/15/2022 - Jonnytheneedle Likes this wine:

Well Made! I just dont understand it. Find it soft but delicious. Not a typical franc by any means. How can it keep without tannins? Drinks great now, it has good structure, but will it develop?

12/2/2021 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine:

Tasted at Caviste Christmas Tasting, Hampshire, UK. Cherry colour. Plenty of fruit on the palate, cherries, dark berries. Enjoyable. Good, but maybe a little overpriced?

12/18/2021 - mjwilliams2 Likes this wine:

Love this wine. Decanted this one for 2hrs.

11/3/2021 - epiphany wrote:

Fantastic deal on a 10yr Napa Cab. This is a great bottle of wine. Fully balanced with secondary notes throughout.

3/14/2021 - vespasian wrote:

Nice perfume, herbal inflected red berried fruits, pure and appealing; just a little grip on the palate. Lovely refreshment. Would be lovely with a slight chill on a sunny day.

9/19/2021 - Francophile Does not like this wine:

I thought that being Cab Franc (which I love) and labelled as dry, I would love this. It is very pink, which often spoils a Rose for me, much preffering the barely pinks from Provence, however, what we both found very disappointing for us was how sweet it was. So sweet after one glass we drank no more. A disappointing buy.

10/7/2020 - Brun Teditor Likes this wine:

Amazingly good for a NY state red, or for any Bordeaux blend from anywhere. Smooth, very balanced. Decanted for about an hour, which helps. Probably getting close to peak, and I'll guess has several more years at least at this level. Highly recommended.

2/5/2021 - cavedivr Likes this wine:

Great nose, but came across as overall flat on the palate. Not a whole lot happening, and a very short finish. Nice, but not great, wine.

1/29/2021 - fingers Likes this wine:

So exotic and feral, with loads of Cab Franc funkiness. Won’t be for everyone’s taste but it suits me in the right mood, which today was a rare stormy day in SoCal. Plenty of tannin and acidic structure to build upon with some more age. Fantastic bouquet.
4+13+17+8= 92

12/29/2020 - epiphany Likes this wine:

Love this producer. This wine is a fantastic Pnp at this stage. Just smelling the cork I knew this would be good. Great fruit, spice and mouthfeel with lingering finish. Just bought more of the current vintage.

12/14/2020 - repoper wrote:

Decanted for about 1-11/2 hours. Beautiful dark crimson. It smells of sweet honey, roses, and flowers. The mouth echos the nose except I pick up notes of citrus. Wow the best bottle yet. 91+

12/1/2020 - pjaines Likes this wine:

Now this is a proper grown-ups wine. No gobs of ripe fruit or Sucklingesque "I'm 95 on this". Its not about in-your-face or look-at-me or check-out-my-label..... its about a touch of serenity and calm and quiet confidence. Its Loire Cab Franc without a doubt - it is infused with the typical Chinon high-toned, rocky, minerally kick on the back palate. The palate is where this cranks up a gear - it is Chinon but with manners and good breeding. It has spent time with nicer children. It is rounded, but not rich and the crunchy notes you'd normally get on the palate of a Chinon this age are smoothed out. A touch of menthol, olives and aniseed wraps things up very nicely.

9/22/2020 - melzar wrote:

Great Cab Franc at a great price point. Fruit holds sway over the expected vegetal character. I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed the much hyped '98 Guigal La Turque Cote Rotie that I had last Saturday. Deep meaty nose, and a palate full of fruit and balancing acidity. No oak noticed. Run, don't walk, to your local wine shop (or your computer) and buy this wine.

4/2/2020 - John F wrote:

Not sure if I had a sourcing or storage issue along the way but this wine was tired and on its way to bricking a bit. Cork a bit truffle smelling which blew off from the wine over time.....but still felt underpowered relative to expectations. No way my bottle could last to 2040 for sure! This is the only bottle I had of this and not sure where I got it...so your mileage may and hopefully will vary.

1/3/2020 - winchester-xi Likes this wine:

Seems to have really opened up with a little more bottle time. Same muskiness on the nose, but complemented by lots of violet floral notes. Plenty of uncomplicated, ripe purple and red fruit, with equally forward herbal flavors and a mild rustic note in the background. Easy to drink, with very soft, slightly chalky tannins, and plentiful but not screechy acid. Basically, Loire cf that you can serve to the guests. Best consumed young, I think.

11/17/2019 - weinmatt wrote:

Second bottle from this batch of splits that has displayed some kind of flaw. This one had the whiff of oxidation on the nose. Wasn't totally undrinkable, but I can't score it.

3/19/2019 - epiphany wrote:

Not much to write home about, pass.

8/20/2018 - skifree wrote:

Remarkable bottle for the price. Very ripe, round fruit with good intensity, and some classic Medoc cigar box on the rounded finish.

6/19/2018 - NYCWineGuy Does not like this wine:

This is the wine that will ensure I never give WTSO a chance again. You can disregard the drinking window because these do not have the acid to age well at all. 2010 was a great year for other Sauternes producers but something went wrong here. this is a one-dimensional, unbalanced mess. With a lazy sweetness that is not backed up by anything else. skip

10/17/2017 - marco_graz wrote:

When I tried this wine in the winery I literally felt in love with it, it seemed to have all good characteristics of a Chianti Classico and still at a very cheap price. However of the case i got 2 were flowed, they smelled bad and the taste was simply not good. The last one that I am rating now was the best of the three but I cannot say it was completely ok, it was good to drink only the third day. I still have 3 more bottles but I think I will open them in the next few months and probably be done with the basic Chianti from this producer, while their Viacosta selection could still be a good buy.

2/23/2018 - mrooney wrote:

nose: oaky medium fruit; palette: earthy, oaky, light fruit with a lightly oaky finish

2/18/2018 - Slaz Likes this wine:

More complexity since my purchase in 2013. Has developed nicely, with less overpowering strawberry and more secondary notes.

11/5/2016 - epiphany Likes this wine:

Just fantastic and only $15 on WTSO

1/22/2018 - tomoem wrote:

I just had to open this as it was just sitting in the basement following my purchase. I allowed it to have 2 hours of decant.

Quite smooth and filled with an aromatics. Flavors are red fruits like cherry and some acidic like cranberry. The mid palette changes to darker flavors of cigar, tobacco and some bell pepper and vegetable. The finish was long and lingering. There was some mushroom on the back end.

Overall, the wine was well balanced and quite deep in flavor.

I am going to go on the limb and state that this is the leading candidate for WS WOTY. The think I paid $35

10/26/2017 - Andre Brattland wrote:

Drueblenden i 2014 er 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot og 5% Cabernet Franc. Vinen er modnet i 100% nye Barriques.

I 2014-årgangen er vinen medium + intens på nesen, nesten med litt kjemikalsk preg som blåser raskt over. Mørke plommer, solbær og et tydelig preg av blyant.

Vinen løfter seg godt opp på paletten med en middels konsentrasjon der flotte frukter av bjørnebær, litt mint, urter og blyantspiss dominerer. En lang og fin utgang. En bedre flaske enn den jeg forsøkte i august og øker et poeng.

11/8/2017 - Christine Havens Likes this wine:

Sporting classic Bourgueil notes of red berries, underbrush, orange pomander ball, and an ethereal top note of delicate florality. The 2015 Domaine Guion Cuvée Domaine Bourgueil is angular and tight with high-toned acidity, like crushed raw cranberry—it has a definite edge and considerable tartness, with tannins perched on the fore-palate. An earthy, mineral note emerges at the close. Best enjoyed with food.

11/9/2017 - harvardwines wrote:

$40

1/22/2017 - chatters wrote:

Double decant then left for 90 minutes. Consumed with a simple lamb shank stew...Aromas of cream, plums, black cherries over touches of butter, slight mint, balsamic and soy. It's refreshingly juicy on the palate but still has tight tannins. Time required for the other bottles but this is pretty handy.

9/19/2017 - epiphany Likes this wine:

Fairly consistent. A very nice Haut Medoc that seems to be hanging in there.

5/21/2017 - tantotinto wrote:

Good fruit, firm tannin and a dry finish. There are some pluses here but unfortunately they are overwhelmed by cork taint and wood. Could not finish. Hope this is just an off bottle.

4/24/2017 - Escher Cellars wrote:

- Garnet color - What a surprise; if this had been a blind-tasting I would have guessed '09 Amarone. Delightful, full-bodied but silky wine from the beginning only getting better through the night. Tastes of brandied-cherries with slight wood/burn aftertaste. Perfect to open now or maybe +2 years. Cheers.

4/25/2017 - mitsmats Likes this wine:

Very very well made pinot. A little sweet nose undeniably suggests that this is an American pinot. On palate, also there is some sweetness but only by touch. Silky tannin, complex forest scent with some mushroom, umami taste, good acidity are all there. Minerality on tongue is clearly different from Bourgogne. But I don't mean good or bad, it is just different. This is a great and serious pinot, one of a better pinot I came across over the last several years and recommend this highly to both worlds' drinker.

4/23/2017 - rehlfun wrote:

Unfortunately received this from WTSO and first bottle was corked and had to pour down the drain...hopefully other three don't have same fate.

10/17/2016 - pkbowen wrote:

Honeymoon in the Finger Lakes; 10/17/2016-10/20/2016 (FLX, New York, USA): Tasted at the winery. Great masculine character. Cedar, tobacco, salami, and herbs on the nose. Unexpectedly hollow on the palate; it lacks character completely. A possible case of shock, as it was bottled only a few weeks before release, according to the tasting attendant. Intelligence of that decision aside, bottle age doesn't magically impart concentration...
As we tasted it, "very good," 85/100.

12/15/2015 - Merky_Waters Likes this wine:

88-89
purchased at winery.

acidic and zesty style Cab Franc that highlights the grapes trademark aromas and drinks great young.

sharp and racy on opening, but comes into its own after 30 mins in the glass.

medium bodied but the structure makes it seem leaner. Prickly, almost effervescent acidity slices through the juicy mouth wetting tannins. like a cru beaujalais, it's electric on the palette but easy to guzzle. very subtle oak.

rich floral nose of spring flowers, asian spices, bell pepper and a loamy minerality.

clean and pure red fruit on the palate. pomegranate, cherry cough drop, and crushed raspberry. the spritzy acidity amplifies the cola and red fruit but are balanced with more savory green pepper, asian spice, and red clay notes.

one of my favorite Finger Lakes cab francs. the minimal oak presence and energetic structure make it closer to Lorie Chinon, then Mendoza or California Cab Francs. other Finger Lakes CF's i've tasted (ravines, damiani, red tail) opt for the more ripe and oaky new world style.

The QPR is not phenomonal (~$20-25) but if enjoy Cab Franc for it's green aromatics and lighter structure, this won't disappoint. I think this is best enjoyed young (2015-2017)

7/20/2016 - Nutty08 Does not like this wine:

My second time around on this one and I can't decide if there's a cellar contaminate or if this is a rustic Chianti that just isn't my style. Minimal nose. Some sour cherry on the palate, but quite narrow and metallic. Aciditc is quite angular on the finish and tannins prominent with little elegance here. Not particularly enjoyable. Will score this one as I can't determine any flaw (if present). 1 bottle left.

6/25/2016 - Nutty08 wrote:

Metallic and earthy, without any perceptible fruit. Seemingly Brett afflicted.

3/8/2016 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine:

I bought it based on a very strong 93+ rating from my favorite wine writer, but either this was a bad bottle or they had him taste a "special" selection, because this was not at all up to its published rating. This is a good, solid and versatile Chianti Classico Riserva with a good QPR, but nothing more. I will give those other bottles a chance, but after they've rested a bit.

1/12/2016 - Phoenix Rising wrote:

This wine was very good, I actually liked it much better than than the 2007, for it was much smoother. It presented with the typical deep garnet color of the 2007 although a bit brighter due to its age.It had a noticeable licorice flavor that was delicious. If you want to impress someone this wine will take you there and it's priced at an affordable $30. A big wine for the price tag from an outstanding vintage. Although I am still not convinced that it is worth the investment of having a few bottles in my cellar.