6/25/2023 - BellevuePhil Likes this wine:

In the realm of wine, where stories and flavors intertwine, the 2019 Patrimony stands as a masterpiece that resonates with the soul of a helpless romantic. This wine was a gift, and never would I think of purchasing an unknown, but what an opus of passion and longing. Partnered with 80 Mouton, and a 90 Special Selection, it was the talk of the table (wish I could name names) and this wine stretches beyond the boundaries of words.

As I take the first sip, my fingers instinctively find their place on the fretboard, like a musician finding the perfect note. The wine's color, a deep crimson reminiscent of midnight sad moon resonates in my soul, evoking emotions that only true artistry can convey. It is as if the wine itself has a voice—a haunting melody that beckons me to listen, to surrender to its seductive charms.

The aroma dances gracefully towards my senses, weaving a tapestry of scents that elicit memories of passion and heartache. This is my muse, I swear I'm getting a case for the studio….

Notes of blackberries and dark cherries intertwine with whispers of vanilla and warm spices, creating a symphony of fragrances that echo the soul-stirring blues. With each inhalation, I am transported to smoky blues clubs, where the air is thick with the sweet agony of unrequited love.

As the wine graces my lips, its flavors unfold like the chords of a blues progression—each sip an invitation to delve deeper into its complexity. The dark fruit, rich and luscious, mirrors the bittersweet melodies of a love song. There is a touch of mocha, a hint of smoky oak, and a gentle embrace of velvety tannins—a combination that elicits a cascade of emotions, leaving me vulnerable and craving for more.

In closing, the 2019 Patrimony transcends mere wine—it becomes a channel for the human condition, a testament to the power of love of higher altitude and good soil. They figured this out and it’s working.

With no guide to help me, I decanted for an hour, and finished it glass by glass and was rewarded with a romantic experience I was not expecting…..

7/28/2021 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

This went from the winery to 53 degrees. Drinking very well with a future in it. Darker side of syrah. The nose cherry fruits. The fruit starting to fade a bit, maybe resolve is the right word. Smooth yet a bit tangy. Tanins in the background. Lovely wine.

11/15/2021 - jmottern Likes this wine:

Deep dark red wine. Nice plum and blackberry fruit. Perhaps needs several more years to achieve its potential.

3/21/2023 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine:

Sweetness, fruit, balance, and a firm, authoritative acidity on the finish - everything I like about Wiliams Selyem. Drinking very well - I won’t say at peak because I don’t have enough experience with very old Willie.

12/31/2022 - jvwine wrote:

Sediment in bottle

5/30/2022 - etc Likes this wine:

From 375. Super cloudy and the color showed its age. The only thing that really stuck in my head as I drank this was Maderia. Carmelized goodness in a bottle. Please Cali producers go back to your roots and make it in this style again. Boy these old school wines can age beautifully.

1/13/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

Bruce was kind enough to sell me three bottles from his cellar in early 2020. I was waiting for the perfect reason to pull a bottle and that came yesterday with an email from Benchmark Wine Group. A new cellar acquisition brought in 3 bottles of 2008 VHR. With that I made the decision to pull a bottle and decide about adding more.

PNP, at 14 years of age this wine is still exceptionally youthful. Dark garnet in the glass. Cassis, licorice, dark cherry and coco with some spice tobacco on the finish. Beautiful fruit behind a wall of bright acids that are still very much front and center. 95

Slow ox half bottle in the cellar. Plums, cassis, spice and silky smooth tannins. Acids have tamed and the youthful fruit is front and center. This is a bottle in my estimation while age at least another 10 years. So enjoyable now but will reward laying down for another few years.

97+

Needless to say I have three more bottles on the way from Benchmark. Bravo Bruce on your inaugural vintage. Still cruising at 14.

7/13/2019 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine:

I tasted this blind alongside a 59 Lafite (also blind). I am an avowed old world supporter, and my host wanted to finally show me how beautiful, graceful, elegant, age-worthy and balanced a new world offering could be. Well he succeeded in spades - I was trying to figure this wine out with no success but I can tell you it was a worthy peer to the 59 Lafite! And probably sold for a tenth of the price.

Tasting it blind, the wine was not to be confused with Bordeaux but I asked myself : could this be an old world wine, maybe from Italy? Could this be one of the first Sassiscaias perhaps? I really didn’t know but then decided that if the host really wanted to humble me it would be from California. But that was only after a few hints.

This was an immensely enjoyable wine, clearly old, but still with fruit and kind of a tart/sour backbone which held it together well. The light fruit gave hints of cherry and perhaps raspberry. But the combined whole was what impressed me.

I will never say a new world wine cannot compare to an old world one again!

1/1/2021 - gooner1221 wrote:

My first Monte Bello, and disappointed. Mouth-puckering acidity hiding the fruit. Tannins of course need more time. Quite long. Lacking complexity and balance. I guess everyone would say it needs a lot more time, but I’m not sure this will ever be a great, or even very good, wine.

8/3/2020 - wiscgrad wrote:

solid napa cab but a bit underwhelming for the price. I'm also concerned many of TRB's napa cabs are starting to taste the same

10/9/2020 - Ron Slye wrote:

Wow. On day 2: Lovely aromas of mint, eucalyptus, sage. Those and violets and earth notes on
the palate. I forgot how good a classic Napa can be. Day one lovely nose but not much giving
on the palate. Day 2 – so smooth and well put together. I drank this alongside a 2016 of one of
my favorite WA cab producers. This appears smoother and silkier in the glass – and that
translates to the nose and palate. I am letting my others sleep for years. The tannins are very
present but very smooth. This is superb.

8/20/2019 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

Day 2 remainder half of bottle.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, lemon colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of white flowers, citrus lemon drops, saline wet stones minerality, clean slates, a hint of toast butter nut and there seems to still be some matchstick even after so much air!?. Developing.
On the palate, dry, refreshing high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of thick citrus lemon drops, lemon curd, saline wet stones minerality, clean slates, bits of honey butter and toasty nut. Sneaky long finish.
Very good quality. High impact citrus lemon attack and then the high acidity cleanses your soul, followed by the mineralic long finish. The oak is there but very much in the far background here, may have been more apparent due to extensive air-time in bottle.
What a thirst-quenching late night bottle to drink. Wonderful development ahead. Try again in 3-4 years' time. Points will only get better.

2/2/2019 - PVJC Likes this wine:

Medium-bodied, very smooth, fruit muted. Very nice and paired well with short ribs although slightly underpowered. But, had high hopes for this one and it wasn’t as interesting as hoped for, probably wouldn’t buy again.

11/24/2018 - AValdes Likes this wine:

Drank at L’Escale for Ms Bday with 08 Leflaive BBM.

A hearty Pinot with good balance and wonderful fruit. This is not a silky Rousseau-like Pinot - no this is more like a course in it of itself: it lingers in your mouth, stopping you from swallowing and asking you to let it percolate. The flavors are rich but you need to hunt a bit because the shell of the wine, at least at this stage in its development, is still quite prominent. It’s a rewarding wine and I can’t wait to drink the other one in a few years time.

2/10/2018 - GiWineDoc wrote:

Solid Syrah.

1/8/2016 - AndrewSGHall wrote:

Gross. When the truly repellent reductive notes receded to a less than nauseating level, the stressed oak notes took over to an equally ghastly level. This wine was truly awful. This was genuinely one of the worst wines I have had in my life.

9/1/2014 - River Rat wrote:

At 4hrs there is still a hint of alcohol on the nose. The fruit profile is black cherry and merde up front, prevalent acidity, stemmy mid palate, gritty finish with spicy cherry and strawberry. Fun to follow but too young. Needs more time to integrate the oak and acidity. Not sure if there is enough fruit to keep up with it though. As this was my only bottle I will never know for sure.

7/16/2014 - odds Likes this wine:

Josh Raynolds gave only 92 points?!? he must have a palate of a yak! he better go drink some cheap vodka. Get this s#!t outta here!

5/10/2014 - AllRed wrote:

Tasting with Phoebe Bass & Ceritas Wines (Santa Rosa): Bright yellow with a green tint. Aromas of lemon blossoms, apple, wet stones, lemon cream and white peach. Minerals abound on the palate, with orchard fruit and citrus nuances in the background. Terrific finish. All their whites are aged in neutral French oak. An impressive start to the tasting. 93-94 pts.