3/16/2024 - VoteferPedro wrote:

very simple
no decant but drank this over 2+ hours

clearly a zin with enough umph to go with food but perhaps the least joyous least satisfying Ridge I have had in some time.

___
wrote this and later looked at others comments below: definitely not smoke taint nor any true flaw. There is fruit and acidity in balance and it is drinkable but in a rather uninteresting way.

12/17/2023 - YagerWine Likes this wine:

Big cab forward with grippy tannins and dark fruit. Nice structure, not sweet - savory with black pepper and leather. This is a well made BDX blend which drinks more like Paulliac than Napa. My big quandary with these wines is they don’t have a sense of place. Does that matter? I don’t know. But it’s like driving a Lexus. Yeah it’s well made but does it have soul?

11/24/2023 - VoteferPedro wrote:

ti---i--ight!
still not ready

oh well, one more left
need to bury it and forget it

4/15/2023 - cdimaro wrote:

Burgundian style Rioja packed with finess and character. Still filled with primary flavours such as sour cherry and floral, complemented with wooden scent and a touch of animal. Medium bodied, still loads of fruit in a sophisticated frame. A classic, old school and all but obvious Rioja, as it should be.

4/3/2023 - RobbieD68 Likes this wine:

Well now! Blueberries, coffee, currants, lots of various dark fruit and tar. Lovely wine; the acid up front gives way quickly and leaves noce soft tannin behind. Peak? Maybe! Age more? Probably. But this is my only 2016, so i'm going with peak

2/6/2023 - tedcholl wrote:

50% Merlot, 40% Cab Franc, 10% Cab Sauv. Had high expectations for this bottle which weren't met. Should have been in it's drinking window but 10 minutes of Vspin and another 3 hours and the wine hadn't changed. Not alot of fruit and prominent flavor of sandalwood and cedar. Dark muted fruits. This was a Wine Spectator #23 wine in 2012. I'm guessing this is just an off bottle so I'm not going to give it a 87 as I tasted it.

11/21/2021 - VoteferPedro wrote:

8th if 12 bought en premier and properly stored

served w food after 2 hour decant but was ideal at 3hours following a trajectory seen my prior notes

it is about the sane and for me still a 94 or higher not based on the volume or intensity of flavor (california can be cranked to 11) but based in balance, translucency of flavor and constant interest inviting another sip

10/9/2022 - greedy wrote:

Average at best

8/6/2022 - UKCatFan wrote:

Bright and clear. Bramble and tar on the nose. Wine seemed a bit thin relative to expectation even after decanting.

4/11/2021 - Pinot Peter Likes this wine:

This is awesome. Drinking very well now with ample aging potential. Dark red , good acidity and fabulous balance of dark fruit flavours and soft tannins. This just gets better and better with every glass. This has great weight in the mouth and coats the palate with its fruit flavours. An impressive Corton! A pleasure to drink.
This is excellent and what I love about Burgundy reds!

3/11/2021 - VoteferPedro wrote:

doh!
I wished I had read my note from last year

I gave it about same treatment - 2 hour decant
its really the same as 2/21/20
aromatically correct
a bit thin on palate
fruit present but tart.

I did not rate it then but it is really 87-88 range, which is not bad but after holding on to it over a decade would like a little more oomph.
perhaps I should have waited or perhaps this is done.

seems like my bottles do not drink as well as others but it has been ideally stored and purchased on release

1/13/2021 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

pop 'n pour
deep hue
comes across with a concentrated fruit that is tart and sappy. It has a density and weight that to me suggests it will age but would be best with food.
fascinating backstory of field blend planted in 1888...pre-phylloxera allegedly

1/16/2019 - fcxj wrote:

Zachys. Aromatically muted. Quite advanced, though rich.

9/30/2020 - pinoteer Does not like this wine:

Second bottle of this wine that I've opened in two days time. Both have oak treatment that tastes like wood and wet newspaper, rather than coconut or vanilla. The wood overpowers the other flavors. I opened the second bottle today thinking that maybe the first one was corked, but this second one is just the same. I really don't understand others' love of this Rioja. I like Riojas, but definitely not this one. Worst 8-bottle purchase ever.

Following the advice of Purple Tooth, I left the bottles in the frig for a few days and then left them open on the counter for 12 hours or more before drinking. The oak was much more subdued and integrated at that point. Because I'm updating this note many weeks later, I don't have revised tasting notes or even recall my sense of a revised score. Consequently, I'll go with my earlier 85 from a previous bottle. Next time, 24 hours of air before drinking and then I can maybe find greater appreciation for this wine.

9/23/2020 - Aberry126 Likes this wine:

Original notes from 09/23/2020:

PNP

Deep ruby plum color, sweet cherry nose with a slight hint of prune or dried fruit. Some toasted almond and hazelnut with hints of coffee or chicory. Dried mud.

Very well rounded taste, not too acidic, not too sweet. There is a jammy quality, but it's not overpowering. Cherry and ripe raspberries are the main fruits, with some light earthy tones coming in. Cedar wood, green grass, black tea, and just a touch of chicory. The mouthfeel is medium dry with medium to high tannins. Medium finish.

Pretty nice all around wine. Still has some time in it, but there's not much that's surprising me here. Three more bottles in the cellar to see if I'm wrong!

86/100

New notes from 08/18/2023:

If you have a bottle of this sitting in your cellar, it is absolutely perfect. Same notes as before, but everything is much rounder, more developed, light tannins, soft mouthfeel. Toasted nuts and bread is mixed in with game, grilled meat, mushrooms, and forest floor. It has developed beautifully, and I’m sad this is my last bottle! I bet there’s another few years in it, but in my opinion this is peak!

94/100

8/28/2019 - burgburgburg wrote:

Screw cap. Heavy black fruits and oak in nose. Tannin dissolved. Fruity palate. Medium body. Good acidity. Acceptable as a meat pairing fruit wine.

8/16/2019 - gouldcampbell77 wrote:

This was nice on day one with sweet round fruit and gentle tannins but now on day two it's turned woody and harsh. The char from the barrels is to the fore and while the fruit it still sweet and ripe, the main flavour is burnt toast.

This is the third from a case of six and I'm seeing a lot of bottle variation. Maybe still needs time. I hope so.

5/19/2019 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

Still en point
I would finish any bottles before the end of 2020
This is my last
Shame he stopped making it

5/24/2019 - Marc C wrote:

Complètement oxydée... Une Montee de Tonnerre 2008 (bouchage diam) ouverte en secours était par contre trop jeune

4/12/2019 - NickA Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely and feels fully resolved. Nose and palate both pretty high-toned (although not Porty). Dark fruit, liquorice, musk. It's got a note of blackcurrent strepsils that I don't particularly enjoy. Fresh and well-made, but glad this is my only bottle.

3/15/2019 - VoteferPedro wrote:

so so

11/14/2018 - VoteferPedro Does not like this wine:

tasted like a bad cannonau from sardinia
really not worth the money or the time
down the drain

9/23/2018 - SLB83 Likes this wine:

This bottle comes with a little tasting vial, which has the quantity of a large sip, the type you would take when having port. A brilliant gimmick this vial if you ask me.
We opened the vial two weeks ago, but I did not take any notes, so I am not rating this.
The glass went around my father, my mum and my sister, before I got to try it. So I ended up with a nip. What are family for ey?!
All I can say is that this is a very dark blackish brown, a bit like iodine.
The nose and the palate were extraordinary. My family all love wine/port/sherry/etc. and we all agreed this was one of the most special and peculiar things we had ever tasted.
What stood out most perhaps was the finish. It just did not want to end. Kept going and going, for over 10 minutes I think.
I have been told by staff at Berry Bros & Rudd (one of the world’s oldest wine merchants) that you can keep an opened bottles for weeks on end. So there is no rush to drink up. Using a vacuum cork and putting it in the fridge will have this stay good for months on end. There is a review on CT that confirms that.
A pricy bottle, indeed, but if you fancy something very different and very special, I can really recommend this.

4/15/2018 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

Really stupendous. My buddy decanted this about 2-3 hours prior to serving and it showed great body and fruit and was glorious at least another 3 hours. Seems this is in its prime!

7/15/2018 - Purple Grillz wrote:

I would love to put this in front Jeff Leve in a blind tasting, I would bet my house, 88 points wouldn't come out of his mouth. Not trying to pick a fight Jeff, I love your reviews and your website! The nose isn't as good as 2011 but much more delicious at this stage. Just 30 minutes in the glass and it has integrated into a silky, light weight, forward expression of Merlot and this terroir's telltale sauerkraut and dill character. The alcohol is lingering a bit long for me but this is drinking incredibly well right now, it was a clear favorite tonight over 2001 Cheval Blanc and 2007 Masi Mazano Amarone when I served the wines in a blind tasting to my friends. It has become my favorite thing to do, sneaking Roc De Cambes into high end wine tastings blind. I am stocking up on Roc De Cambes OWC of all vintages,I doubt it will stay at its price point much longer.

3/10/2018 - melzar wrote:

From 375: Not rated as this bottle is just not up to the usual standards of this wine. Neither corked nor premoxed, it just seems a little tired. Perhaps it simply spent too much time on a merchant's shelf. It's still a pleasant quaff, but it's not worth it's premium price. Overly yeasty, and a little flat. Bubbles don't last. Perhaps the problem is the small format.

12/18/2017 - VoteferPedro wrote:

seems correct in terms of a Ducru which tends to make me think of raspberry in some way or another but the tannins on this were too thick to enjoy the wine. Two days in the cellar later it is about the same. Not sure how others were able to enjoy it. it is not flawed just tannic. Not sure if the fruit will hang past the tannin..

I bought this on release and stored relatively cold cellar so it is drinking young...too young to rate at this point

7/27/2017 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

double decanted prior to transport to friend's for dinner

What a beautiful wine. I feel that it is a complete wine drinking beautifully now. We enjoyed it with pan roasted ribeye and potatoes a perfect pairing for this wine.
Aroma was beguiling with the 'Noxzema' note I get from great and fresh cabernets as well as some cedar and mineral notes.
Palate had a light feel but complete fruit flavor and lingering finish that is both seamless attractive and full.
wonderful wine.
98+
was it indeed 100, perhaps

6/16/2017 - Collector1855 wrote:

Wagyu BBQ dinner at my parent's home for my brother's 50th birthday. The best of many good showings so far of this wine. Much less heat, yet still plush and ripe on the palate with good freshness. Lots of aromas around dark fruit, cake, smoke, forest floor and game. Massive, complex, yet always aristocratic Medoc. WOTN next to the 2005 Mouton and 2000 Margaux.

2/23/2017 - VoteferPedro Does not like this wine:

I have gone on record as not liking this recently

Previously I have had great experiences with Fontodi chiantis and so bought a case of this.

I shared abottle with a buddy who found it disappointing. I found the first bottle so bitter and intensely tannic it was undrinkable. Years ago I had a similar experience with a '95 Dominus (horribly tannic in '99 but deliscious in 2009). Based on that I gave this another try...but after 6 hour decant.

At decant the tannins were furrier than the balls of Sasquatch. After six hours in the decanter It was much better...drinkable. It has palpable fruit that is on the bluer spectrum but texture dominates; thick chocolat-y, aftertaste more like a new world bordeaux blend.

My impression has not changed...it is too tannic in general and the fruit seems so atypical and is at such variance from other reviews that I even doubt my bottle s provenance. However I compared my lables to those posted and to other Fontodis I have had and dont see a variance

5/23/2017 - Fritts Likes this wine:

Screw cap. Night 1 had moderate fruit with fine grain tannins as others noted. However, marred by bitter finish. Night 2 (gassed and cellared 57 degrees f) about same, gassed and recapped. Day 8 reopened and bitterness is gone, fruit only slightly subdued, only slightest hint of oxidation. Still a big modern oaky wine. Possibly worst bottle of DA one experienced, but others have usually hit out of their weight class. Also first screw cap. Any connection?

5/17/2017 - vinhslee Likes this wine:

This wine needs long decanting. I poured half into a decanter, and left the other half in the bottle (to see which way the wine performs better). Below is a summary of how the flavours developed

Day 0: repulsively acidic and astringent. Fruity flavours are clouded by the astringency.

Day 1-2:

decanter: peach, grapefruit and honey flavours start to come through, but the high acidity was still off-putting.

bottle: flavours haven't changed much.

Day 3-4:

decanter: peach, grapefruit, pear, honey, wet stones and white flower flavours develop nicely. nice long finish

bottle: flavours are rather closed. still astringent.

Day 5:

decanter: the flavours are at its peak in terms of intensity, harmony and complexity.

bottle: peach, grapefruit and honey dominated flavours. not as complex nor layered as the wine in decanter.

Day 6 :

decanter: started to develop oxidative notes

bottle: same as day 5.

Day 7-8:

decanter: tasted oxidised. over the peak.

Bottle: similar to the flavours in decanter on day 3-4, but not as lively and complex.

5/8/2017 - Eclipse1 wrote:

Over the hill

12/26/2016 - The Wine Geek wrote:

One of the most disappointing wines I have had in a long time. I am a great fan of Dominus, one of the best wines I ever had was a 1991 magnum of Dominus, for New Years Eve 1999, it was phenomenal. This 2013 when opened, a tasting amount was poured into a glass it was ok but not as big, bold and refined as I expected. I then decanted it for a few hours and as time progressed the body and the fruit began to disappear. Quite a blow for a $300 bottle of wine. But as the experts say the wine has probably closed down. I have 3 bottles left and will not drink another until 2022. We will see how it performs then. The only caveat I have is that I have had a few bottles of different vintage Dominus in the last year and they have all been disappointing.

11/25/2016 - citizen1 wrote:

My first FH wine I have not liked. Very off putting smell upon opening - not the earthy, duffy smell which is good. This was more pungent. For taste, the back end was slightly metallic - almost that coppery taste of blood. After being opened for awhile, these issues lessened but the taste then felt just flat to me. So either (a) bad bottle or (b) I need to let this sit a bit longer before opening again.

12/11/2016 - vivt Likes this wine:

offered wine for holiday party decanted but stayed closed most of the time eventually opened up but was disappointed. black fruit but not impressive. oh well. no sediment. needed more time.

11/11/2016 - macliii Likes this wine:

This wine really is not as good as expected from my previous bottles from other vintages. It took sometime for the notes to appear on the nose and seemed average when tasted.
However, it is still was drinkable and has pretty good length. But not as good as expected. Did go well with a Manchego cheese sampler I had of cheeses aged 3, 6 and 9 months.

8/14/2016 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

fantastic balance between clean fruit and fine backbone. This holds your attention. This could last but wont improve. Enjoy now!

6/12/2016 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

En point. I acquired these in 2012 and kept cool and dry in my cellar. I pulled these out for my birthday celebration at FRANK and it was paired with their lucious 63.5 egg from local birds stuffed with a steak tartare. The mousse is more fine and the structure more vinous. I feel these are closer to the end of their peak than beginning. Drink UP

5/27/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:

In support of Wells and the winery, and seeing him exit the hospital after what was a tough week last week, I open this in a toast to him and the crew there. From 375, these were such a killer deal last year when the winery offered them by the case at like 25 bucks a piece. Much like the bottle from late last year, I find this drinking well right from the first glass. Plenty of fruit here, quite expressive, a mix of blue and dark raz, and coming off at least right this moment as very approachable. Some light acidity here but as I had said about the wine last time, this vintage of Kiser, both for EB and EH, will be in my view the earlier drinkers. This reminds me too of where the 2007 EH is at this stage--open, easy to drink and not a candidate to lay down for the cellar. I've got a good glass left for later/tomorrow and so if this changes or tightens up, I will come back and add that edit.

4/25/2016 - Ratpack wrote:

Corked!

12/3/2015 - *Vine* wrote:

CA Trousseau Fest (AP Milwaukee): Medium-light hue. Bright cherry fruits, florals, autumn leaves, stems and an impression of chalky minerals. Medium-light body. Crunchy red fruits framed in minerals, subtle spice and unobtrusive oak on the lingering close. Like an overachieving Côte de Nuits Villages, delicious.

1/14/2016 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

The most grandiose, and best PM I have ever tasted. Nose of sweet, over-ripe, rotten apricot, mango, pralines, a little Nutella, coffee beans, Valronha chocolate. Thick, rich, voluminous, creamy (the hallmark of 2009) palate of fresh blackberry, blueberry, fig, cassis, black cherry, gooseberry. What is hitting out at you is the incredibly dense and forward and powerful fruit, but it is not like marmalade. The mineral content of limestone, salt, and chalk gives the wine finesse, delicacy and raciness. Very Barolo-esque, very masculine, very handsome in a Saville Row 60s way. Extremely powerful, yet a wealth of finesse, polish and poise. This blew me away.

5/30/2015 - Bob in NC Likes this wine:

A wonderful Left bank Bordeaux in it drinking window..

1/24/2015 - VoteferPedro wrote:

most likely too ealy, nose was faint but with bordelais cedar note but palate was rich w fruit and full mouth filling structure and a slight acidic zing. After 2 hour decant the fruit was gone....suddenly dumb. i am not sensitive to TCA but feel it is more likely not ready than actually flawed

10/31/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote:

There is ample layers of licorice, boysenberry, blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, earth and smoke, with a richness and sense of purity to the fruit to keep any taster busy.

8/26/2014 - cmbond Likes this wine:

From half-bottle, served to Camille blind alongside 2009 Giulia Negri La Tartufaia
Camille's blind note below, tasted over 2-3 hours.

C:Garnet-purple to the rim. Nearly opaque.
N:Blueberry, blackberry, jammy fruit, vanilla, bit of black pepper, menthol, not much earthiness, driven by super intense fruit. Intense on the nose. Heavy oak, new world style.
P:Blueberry jam, vanilla, little bit of pepper. Dry, full bodied, medium acid, medium plus alcohol, medium plus tannin, medium plus finish.

Camille's guess: New world, Aussie or California Syrah.

Overall an intense, oaky, new world but well balanced wine. Perfect if you're in the mood for a big monster. Surprised since this is 9 years old and came from half-bottle (maybe it's the cold cellar). Tastes like a hot vintage that Michel Rolland got a hold of. Have had other 05 CNDPs lately (Vieux Donjon, Telegraphe, Clos des Papes) and this one is the least characteristic of the location of any of them. Great if you're in the mood for Aussie Syrah, but we were both pretty shocked by this one, especially having had many Beaucastels in the past.

12/20/2010 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

A so-so Chardonnay, with lovely curves and a bit of a sexy mouthfeel, but lacking any distinguishing complexity or lively acidity to carry the load. If I owned these, I'd drink them over the next year or so for maximum enjoyment. I was left wanting more minerality and acidic cut. Drink thru 2011.

9/2/2010 - Eric wrote:

STG does Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1998-2001 (Seattle, WA, USA): Noble bottle. My notes on this last wine were quite terse: "super pepper, fxxking awesomeness." A few hours later I am circling back and revisiting each wine, and for this bottle I am hard put to state it any better. This is crazily vibrant and peppery with screaming cherry notes, very pure, very clean, and quite powerful.

8/4/2010 - Wamrod Does not like this wine:

I've collected a bunch of these, based on their scores, sight unseen, and untasted... till now. Have 2005, 2006 and 2007 bottles in cellar.

I hope the 05 and 07 are much better. This 06 is just too full of oak and charcoal, completely drowns out the fruit. Sorry, not for me. Also, lots of bitter, like green or stems. Unfortunate for this bottle that I drank it with a 2006 Buoncristiani OPC, which had much nicer fruit and a lot less burnt muck.

I just cannot find anything attractive, nor artistic, about this level of over-oak, particularly just HUGE charcoal like this Dominus. To me there was some green fruit as well, which perhaps the oak can hide, but I just don't like this.

Some might say it's just too young, however I'm not one of them. I had an '05 Flinders Run and that was well young, yet delicious like veal. This Dominus was not in the same category. And I'd still feel that way at half the price. Damn... looks like I'll be giving away some as pres'ies..

Color me disappointed, but never fear, I'll leave the other bottles for a LONG time and hope it gets better. Sorry to be harsh... like this bottle.

NOTE: After 5 hours, it developed quite an attractive nose, which got my hopes up a bit, however, upon tasting the burnt forest slapped me back to reality. Whatever fruit I could smell was not able to come through on the palate... at all.