11/3/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

Careful planning and consideration went into which bottles to pull for our first trip to the “farm”.

I landed in Thorevilos with consideration to all the recent changes to what is now called Ecotone Vineyard. Brilliance in the bottle under the guidance of David Abreu and winemaker Brad Grimes. Thorevilos is a unmistakable name and so is the wine.

2010 Thorevilos is true to vintage and terroir. The structure of the cooler vintage with the energy and ripeness of a warm vintage. Decanted one hour in advance of our main course at the Dogwood, this wine continued to develop in the glass down to the last drop. This complex wine has a lot going on in all the right ways. Dark fruits on the savory side of spectrum, Thor is the Yin to Madrona’s Yang.

On the early side of this wines drinking window.

98+. Approach with a proper decant. Drink over a long siting with the best of friends.

Closerie Les Beguines
Chateau Simon Blanc 2012
Abreu Thorevilos 2010
JL Chave Hermitage 2019

10/19/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): This wine was pitted against a 1993 Mouton, and for my palate, was the clear winner! A stellar showing and a classic MV!

The nuts and bolts: The nose was sublime, with the tell-tale sign of eucalyptus, earth, red fruit and some spice. Palate was equally up to the task, with plenty of red and black fruit, mushroom and forest floor, eucalyptus, anise and tar, with notes of forest floor and sweet toasted oak. The tertiary flavors were more toward the forefront than with previous bottles, sharing the spotlight with the fruit.....just where my palate enjoys wine the most! This bottle was in a perfect spot for my palate! Easily 95+ and I don't see it improving, but I also don't see it fading any time soon.

10/19/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): This wine had a 3-4 hour decant.....This wine was pitted against a 2008 La Violette Pomerol. The showing was a little disappointing, but I believe can be attributed to two factors: First, the wines that preceded the flight were older wines (see story); and second, there should have been a palate cleanser between the older wines and this flight. I was kind of surprised, even though La Violette is one of my personal favorites, that it beat out this wine, as I enjoyed my last bottle so much! Admittedly, I did think it would be a great match up, but both wines suffered greatly from my lack of thinking this through in terms of flighting all the wines. In retrospect, I should have had two different tastings....one with older wines and one with newer wines....sometimes, it is difficult to go from apples to oranges!

The nuts and bolts: The wine was very good, but not as stellar as the last bottle. Several reasons could be responsible, and I can't even venture a guess as to which one(s) could be responsible: (1) Bottle variation (but doubtful); (2) Second time drinking this and expectations may have been unreasonably high based on how much I enjoyed this wine the first time (still doubtful, but possible); (3) This wine followed much better wines (unlikely the reason); (4) Our (my) palate(s) was synchronized to much older wines, and relative to that, nuances and tertiary notes were lost, which would otherwise have been detected (my best guess). Regardless of the reason, this wine did not show as well as it should have.

Nose was floral and full of red cherry, spice and bramble. Palate was chalked full of chocolate covered cherries, some baking spices and some cigar box. Even with the disappointment, this wine was still a 94 for me, which is a great score, but this wine was likely even better than that! I think it is harder to be totally objective when you are drinking it with other wines, especially, as in this case, much older nuanced wines. Also, this wine didn't feel like it had those velvety tannins of the first bottle, but I attribute that to a tired palate.

10/18/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Marvin (WineBurrowingWombat) Visits Minnesota; 10/16/2023-10/23/2023 (Jason's House): One nice thing about friends is that it is a great excuse to open up some nice wines! Today, I picked the bottles! We started the day with this wine, and it was every bit as good as I remembered!

TN: Nose showed plenty of perfumed flowers, blueberries, and spice. Palate was glorious, with plenty of blue fruit, turning to red fruit with time and air. Also, notes of earth, sweet tobacco, some bramble, and toasty oak. Tannins were pure silk and lead to a rich mouthfeel that begs you to keep sipping. Solid 96! May get better, but so good now! No danger of falling off....drink or hold!

10/19/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): PnP....this wine was a treat! A perfect ending to an awesome night! It has been over 20 years since I last had this wine, and it is still stellar! The wine showed impeccable balance, as expected, between sweetness and acidity. I will admit, I expected much more caramel, which was present, but not dominant. However, there was a burnt sugar taste present, along with orange marmalade, some dried apricot and some toasted coconut. A very flavorful, well balanced wine, and a super way to end a stellar tasting! Easy 96 for me! I gave the rest of the bottle to a friend and attendee as this was his birth year wine!

10/25/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

TXRDW/Lucio's Houston.

Rob was a very generous host and brought some incredible wines to the table from the 2019 vintage. All wines sourced from Vine Hill Ranch.

VHR

Keplinger

Arrow & Branch

Memento Mori

The most structured and complex wine of the night for my palate was Francoise Peschon's VHR. The evolutions at the table of all these wines was fun to follow.

98+

Hold

10/19/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): Not sure if this bottle was a hair below the last one, or if the "WOW" factor was slightly less having had this wine before. Still, an excellent wine for my palate and I am a big fan of this style. Not sure I can put my finger on why I love this wine, but probably because I find it so different from many others. Yes, I have oxidative and reductive Champagnes in the past, but this is different, while it is totally in that style, it still retains some youthfulness and a lot of complexity, minerality and fruit. This is what I imagine a top aged white Burgundy with a little effervescence would taste like.

Nuts and bolts: This wine was golden in color, showing its age...2010 disgorgement. The bubbles were so fine, they were hard to observe, but very present on the palate, albeit, it came across as a delicate Champagne. Plenty of baked apple, citrus, Unami and saline, with hints of fresh ginger and honeycomb. Just as delicious as I remember. An expensive Champagne, but worth the money in my book. Wish I had a lot more! Easy 97 for my palate!

10/29/2023 - galewskj wrote:

This was very reminiscent of a 2014 Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain that we tried at the fancy-pants Tusk house in Napa. Except this time I got to share a whole bottle with a generous friend who had already decanted it 2 hours. Layers of savory flavors, blue fruit, peppers, chocolate, tons of structure that will likely continue to age well. While the flavor is full, there isn't much for secondary/tertiary flavors, which makes it hard for me to score. But the structure and the fruit are undeniable, which makes it even more impressive since its 10 years old. To me, this is a wine you want to sleep with but not marry.

10/19/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): This wine was pitted against a 2012 Blanket Rive Droit. First, as others have noted, this flight may have suffered because everyone's palate was well intrenched in older wines....I know a 10 and a 14 year old wine is not exactly young, but everything is relative, as we just drank several 30 to 40 year old wines. In retrospect, I should have had a Champagne palate cleanser right before this flight to refresh everyone's palate. Oh well, live and learn! Between the two wines, the La Violette was the class of the flight, which was semi-amazing in that the Blanket showed so well just a few weeks before. I chalk it up to timing and pairing. But isn't this one reason we drink wine....to keep learning?!

The nuts and bolts: This wine was drinking nicely, but the nuances of the tertiary flavors were lost due to the more nuanced wines that preceded it. The nose was perfumed and spiced with hints of earth and bramble. The palate showed classic violets and gobs of red and dark fruit and some chocolate along with hints of earth and leather. Still a 94 for me, but likely would have scored a point or two higher if drank at a different time, or following different wines.

10/7/2023 - levinml wrote:

I don't get it. I wait 30 years and this is what I get? I mean, it's good and everything, but why? So many better wines, so much younger and for so much less. Sorry I don't have any more. I'd sell the lot for $500 each (Benchmark price) any day. Someone please explain this to me.

9/22/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

My super-cute friend brought this for dinner at Persimmons in Providence, RI. It was a welcome addition to a very nice dinner! We decanted upon arrival, waited about 30 mins, then drank it over the next 2 hours.

Nose showed classic dark fruit, bramble and spice with hints of tobacco, tar, bark and cedar. Palate showed lots of dark fruit and some tart cherry with some cocoa, pencil lead, and river rock. Toward the end of the bottle, hints of earth, tobacco and leather were lurking in the background, but not fully developed yet. I think this is great now, but will be something special in another 5 to 6 years. Will hold my bottles for a while, or will give a 3-4 hour decant. 95+ now, but will very likely improve!

10/6/2023 - eschaefer Likes this wine:

I’m gonna drink my bond 2013 box this week lol. I’m going in the order of my favorites from the past. Vecina number 2 slot. It was excellent. Unfortunate it’s paired agains the 100 Pt PluribusI drank last night. Deep opaque ruby core. Black tea, grilled herbs, plum and cassis on the nose. Similar flavors on the palate but coffee and red fruits join. The tannins weren’t as silky as the Pluribus and there was an alcoholic “bite” but the wine was fabulous I’m splitting hairs here. Long finish got it an extra point to land at 95. Highky recommneded

4/7/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Another stunning TR! I tasted this with coravin (pnp), opened a few days later and decanted for several hours, and finally a glass the next day. All were great—on opening it is a big wine but so well integrated, crunchy fresh fruit, something green and stemmy (in a good way) and baking spices. Similar if a bit smoother after the decant. On day two the nose explodes to life, incredibly pretty florals, more fruit, more spices. I am very sensitive to high abv but this never crossed my mind until I looked at the reviews later. Of course, will only get better, lots of room for development.

10/4/2023 - lolo66 wrote:

its a travesty that I had this at a dinner after tasting so many other wines that it was lost on me. May the Gods let me drink this again with a clearer head and palate.

10/4/2023 - AlexPS Likes this wine:

Decanted for about 1 hr. Nose: very good 8/10. Ripe strawberry. Palate: 9/10. Medium light body. Soft, bitter tannin, accompanied by strawberry tart. Dark cherry. Good acidity. Finish: 9/10. Long and complex finish. Smoky. Earthy. A touch of greens at the end. Price: 7/10 ($88 in 2023. Enjoyment: 9/10. Drink now. Would buy again: maybe.

Don't think it will improve. About the same a year before. This bottle was a bit flat and acidic at the beginning, but opened up nicely after an hour.

10/1/2023 - gteran76 wrote:

My top wine for my birthday celebration weekend.

Decanted for 2 hours as recommended by several CTs. The body is medium plus to full body, dark notes and fair complexity. Finish in the short side. It’s my first time drinking the Madrona version so I have no way of comparing it, maybe this bottle was not well stored since I bought it at WineBid…

In any case this is the least exiting Abreu wine I have ever had, just decent and considering the price tag a total failure.

We had it with Australian Wagyu Filet Mignon medium rare. The fat helped it a bit but never god better despite leaving a glass for 2 hours later…

10/1/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

The stars aligned yesterday and to celebrate I pulled this 2017.

Splash decant/magnum decanter and consumed over 1.5 hrs. If I had to do this all over again I would have prepared with a double splash decant and 3-4 hrs of air. Regardless all the signature notes of Vine Hill Ranch was present. In fact the wifey guessed the wine just on the nose!

Even in a challenging vintage this wine holds tremendous potential. I've seen 17's floating around in the mid 100's and I think that's a fair price for those who would like to explore this vineyard at a discount.

I'll hold off on opening another till 2027 which might be the start of a desirable window for my palate.

95 today

95-97+ potential

9/23/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Drank this several weeks ago so going from memory. 5 hr decant, probably not enough, some tartness that improved to a bigger rounder mouthfeel with time. Great fruit and complexity but not necessarily a wow wine in the moment. We liked it a lot but would like to try again and pay more attention.

10/1/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Three hour decant. Deep dark intense magenta color. Blackberry, boysenberry pudding, birch wood, peony, and subtle sage. Dusty, tongue drying palate. Firm, slightly grippy tannins on the longish finish.

This is youthful, but very pleasant and well-structured. There’s really nice flavor on the palate. It’s not fully integrated. Currently all fruit.

10/1/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

PNP-consumed over three days. Day three it was just hitting it's stride and now I get the vinous score of 97.

A beautiful expression of Semillion w/Sem Gris. Glad I loaded up on these as I can only imagine this will continue to get better over the next few years. According to Neal Martin, the drink window is through 2045.

96 on day three.

10/2/2023 - wineton.mee wrote:

Huge wine with an enormous bouquet. a ton of coconut, American oak, tobacco, ripe cherry whip cream, blueberries, cocoa powder, roses, liquorice, and orange peel. Spanish wine at its apogee.. Kaleidoscopic flavours. As big as it is, this retains its elegance, silky and with firm, dusty tannins. I’m more inclined to give this a decade to be more integrated and developed.

9/28/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

Second of 3. Largely consistent with my TN from 10/22 as this moves slowly but steadily toward peak drinking window. .5oz taste off the pour, then aerated for 3.5 hours, and it still needs every bit of that and more for my palate before excess oakiness, vanilla and an ever so slight touch of booze dissipates. But when it does, wow, what another winner Mark has crafted again, with wonderful and diverse fruit notes mixing with marzipan, ginger, jasmine, spices, hay and white florals, all trued by a wonderful steely backbone. 94-ish off the pour, but a solid 96-97 by the last glass on night 3, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes higher in a couple of years. For anyone who likes chards whose range of desiderata extends beyond drinking chalk dust through a limestone filter, this is wildly recommended, but hey, when you saw this cuvee under my name, you knew it would be, right? I don’t do much DtC buying—Aubert is one of the few estates I do so from regularly as they give a reliably great price break over the secondary market—but my one regret when doing so is that it’s so hard to keep hands off, as opposed to buying older wines which fall more in line with my palate as the delivery truck leaves the driveway. 96+ if scoring

9/14/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Guys Night - Wines with a story behind it! (Jason's House): Decanted at 5:00 and served at around 10:00 (approx 5 hour decant for those who hate math)

I typically do not decant Sauternes, but I thought it would be interesting to try it....after all, it is like a 100 year wine, so what could it hurt? Unfortunately, in my haste to prepare for the tasting, I forgot to take a taste at the time of the decant. So sorry, no comparison notes for before and after the decant.

First, let me say, this wine has Yquem like balance between acidity and sweetness. Far from cloying, yet rich with just the right amount sweetness! A brilliant job by Climens, and as good as Rieussec and Suduiraut were in 2001, this surpasses them, and even Yquem (in certain vintages). Note: This wine is 100% Semillon and does not contain Sauvignon Blanc, thus providing a different profile than Yquem or Rieussec, for example.

Nose showed honeysuckle, apricot jam, and saffron, with hints of citrus oils. Palate showed lots of creamed honey, stone fruit (peach and apricot), with hints of butterscotch, orange oil and caramel.

Solid 97 for my palate right now. I may increase the score if gains some rich caramel character with additional age. So good now! Wish I bought more instead of some of my other Sauternes/Barsac wines!

8/3/2015 - rikipedia wrote:

Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, Sauternes (Groot Constantia): Deep, old gold with light orange and amber hues. The bouquet is slightly aldehydic with developed notes showing burnt sugar, ginger ale, candied orange and some dried mango. Slightly fatigued, however. The entry is exceptionally sweet (RS apparently 147g/l!) with an oily, unctuous texture and concentrated intensity. There is minimal botrytis influence but the mid-palate is smooth and seamless, lacking any harsh edges, resembling more an eiswein with its concentrated sugar profile. Flavours of Creme Brulée, almond paste and raisins. Full-bodied, it finishes long and syrupy (the acid is medium at best), it reminded me of the modern style of De Bortoli's Noble One with its weighty, almost overburdening presence. 2003 was exceptionally warm, especially in June. Didn't excite me.

9/20/2023 - mxpbuy wrote:

More golden than I expected. Not TCA. Not Brett. Not really oxidized but maybe slightly cooked from bad storage? Drinkable (89 points) but clearly off. Nose and palate dominated by apricot marmalade with touch of excessive grey mold (vs sweet botrytis) that materially muted and cut off the other classic d'Yquem notes.

9/12/2023 - DAN BAILEY Does not like this wine:

Weirdly cheesy nose. No bubbles/mousse? Bit of treacle on the nose. Rich, sweet palate but lifeless without the mousse or acidity to lift it. Hopefully, not a representative bottle.

9/18/2023 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine:

Don't pay attention to my rating here; hard for me to really assess, as this was my very first Sauternes (and what a gift this was, from a generous friend.) Not only that, I'm fairly unfamiliar with good sweet wines in general, save for a couple of serious Rieslings and a couple experiences with vintage port. All I can do is describe what I got from it.

The sweetness was pretty overpowering in many ways, but I can certainly see what people describe as balance here, and it shows some pretty intriguing complexity beyond the rich, viscous fruit. On the nose I got tons of apricot preserve, honey, touches of candied lemon and ginger, and what I'd definitely describe as "hay", sort of a dried grassy thing, permeating the whole experience. The palate is incredibly viscous, almost sticky with honeyed apricot and so on, but there's some real acidity there, sort of like a bright orange oil note giving lift to the whole thing. Slight accents of oxidization with bruised apples, etc.

It got to be a bit cloying after a glass, and the oxidized vibe continued to increase which I didn't love, but it came back to life a bit with some simple cheddar cheese (I don't think that's a classic Sauternes pairing, but it certainly balanced out the richness well.) I should mention that I'm really, really not a dessert/sugar guy in general, but even so this was a good time.

Not the kind of thing I'll be hunting down yet, and for the (average) price it didn't grab me as much as those experiences I mentioned with older German rieslings and vintage port, but I was really into it, and look forward to trying more someday.

9/15/2023 - MAkita Likes this wine:

Really an excellent benchmark and showing extremely well now. Chocolate and dark cherry to black currant right up front, with some truly lovely notes of coffee, slight hints of menthol (maybe eucalyptus--I think this is the same thing that others have described as spice. Whatever it is, it's subtle) and something floral like lilac or lavender. The wine is mellow now but still rich and full without being syrupy. Really epic.

9/17/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

After a recent 2009 I was on the hunt for a current release. These 19's are so primary right now I can image significant bottle age is needed if the desired outcome is like that of the 2009. I'm sure there is vintage variation but missing is the minerality & subdued fruit that blew me away.

Hold

9/9/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Minnesota Valley Wine Group Syrah Tasting (Amy & Scott's - Eagan, MN): I enjoyed this wine better than the 2013 Contender. Nose showed even more sweetness with purple flower and cedar dominating, along with some roasted meat and plum notes. The palate showed lots of red and black fruit, with quite a bit of spice (mostly asian spice and baking spice) coupled with toasty oak. I didn't notice any heat, and a more velvety mouthfeel. Solid 93+ for my palate.

9/16/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

90-minute decant. Nearly opaque vibrant magenta color. Boysenberry, blackberry, sour cream old fashioned donut, bay leaf, chamomile tea, pencil lead, and subtle toffee. Dry palate, with vibrant acidity. Very firm, full tannins on the longish finish.

This took a modest step backward since I last had it almost a year ago, but it’ll certainly rebound. Longer decant could help. The sour cream donut evolved into crème brûlée over an hour of drinking. Palate and finish still very youthful/intense.

9/14/2023 - galewskj wrote:

Guys night - a bottle with a story (Jason's house): Decanted 2 hours, drank a good-sized glass over an hour. Vanilla, oak, lemon and a streak of minerality. At this time it seems slightly new world and big, probably need a few years to integrate.

9/16/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Definitely time to drink up. This one is on the downslope, glad we drank it now. Nice mix of fruit and savory, structure seems to be fading and short on the finish. Like it almost could be really good…

9/15/2023 - Bob23 Likes this wine:

Double decanted the night before - delicious dark fruit, warm texture, integrated oak. Unmistakably American fruit, but with impressive balance.

9/14/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Guys Night - Wines with a story behind it! (Jason's House): I typically (and by typically, I mean never) do not decant white wines. However, because I expected this to to be pretty big, and because it is fairly young, I double decanted this wine for an hour before guests arrived and then another hour went by before we actually poured this wine. The bottle was kept chilled in a cold metal holder the whole time after a double decant.

I am surprised by some of the scores CTers are giving this wine. Is it young? Yes. Does it have a fair amount of oak? Yes. However, I thought this wine rocked! Of course, it could be because of the decant time, as I thought it initially came across as disjointed, but came together with some time in the glass and as it warmed.

Nose showed white flower, lemon oil and oak. Palate also showed quite a bit of oak, which calmed down after a few minutes to reveal layers of pear, honeydew, apple and citrus, and some lemon zest. I thought the wine was tasting very good, but could also sense that it will improve with more cellar age. Will likely not open another for a couple years. 93+ today for my palate, but should pick up a point or two with additional age.

2/26/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

This is pretty excellent right now but I would give it another year or so to settle down. Deep delicious fruit, some chocolate. Drank quickly and with non-winos (mistake) after a 2 hour decant. Never had time to really talk about it and reflect and then it was gone before I put away 4 oz for day 2 oops.

9/8/2023 - CobraCommander Likes this wine:

Classic Bordeaux. 55 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 % Merlot, 6 % Petit Verdot. More elegant with soft tannins. Easy, drinking wine.

9/8/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Greener than my last bottle, almost to green pepper, outweighing the red-black fruit. Medium-bodied, soft like you would expect from a 30+ year old wine, with a fine acid line. Not bad, but the green detracted from the overall experience.

9/8/2023 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine:

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Napa valley. Rich, extracted and opulent.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward.

Showing black fruits with tobacco, cedar, coffee, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, light earth, herbs and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

Easy drinking, smooth and elegant. A great sipping wine to have with good friends and talk about.

This great 2012 vintage will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years. Showing great complexity already.

Wine Spectator 93 points. Robert Parker 96 points.

I've had many vintages of this wine, but this is one of my favorites.

Good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with barbecue meats.

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$450.

9/7/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine:

Napa day trip (Promontory, Dakota Shy, Detert) (Napa): Aromas of really dark plums, almost a bit stewed, with a bit of chocolate. Almost port-like, but not in a bad way. In this fruit is some wet and damp earth as well.

Similar plums on the palate, dark graphite, and deep earth. This is dense (flavor, not weight) and packed full of flavors. Imagine you can put all of these flavors in a sachet and have it steeped it. It's like the tannins are completely saturated with the flavors and have become really bold.

Admitting bias here, I love this kind of packed intensity. Host recommended to not touch for another 10 years and can still mellow out. I think this is pretty tasty now but to each their own!

Ranked as second but not very far behind first.

9/7/2023 - bsumoba Likes this wine:

Promontory - double blind tasting. 18 Penultimate, 12 Prom and 17 Prom. 21 Prom in barrel, not part of blind tasting.

Last in the blind for me, but clearly the one with the most long term aging potential, even at 11 years from vintage. I wouldn't touch this for another 5-10 years. So much structure here and IMO, will surpass the two in the lineup at some point. Quite big and still tannic now, but time will reward with this wine. 93 today, but do not let the score fool you. This will be much more in 5-10 years.

9/7/2023 - cawinenerd wrote:

Really outstanding wine. Drinking beautifully right now, classic cabernet qualities that are all in perfect harmony. The fruit is a marvel to behold - so pure, so clean.
No rush on drinking this, but I would not put this at the back of the cellar - too much joy in drinking now.
Bottles like this are what make this hobby fun (and not just expensive)

9/6/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Two and a half hour decant. Deep dark ruby magenta color. Blackberry, boysenberry, thyme, terra cota, and walnut brownie. Smooth, tongue drying palate, with dusty acidity and a dash of strawberry. Firm, full, grippy, medium intensity tannins on the long finish.

This is god, but very youthful. It’s got a fun, overall dusty quality. It’s not yet refined and likely to be 98-99 points in two years. Unfortunately, I only had the one bottle.

9/6/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Carol's bd wine. Given the option of a big BCellars or Aubert, she chose Aubert.

Kickoff wine for her celebration with the HMCs. Chilled bigly. Pnp'd into white glasses. Immediate nose of pineapple, other tropicals, florals and cream. Palate of creamy chard fruit with a hint of vanilla and sweet oak. Eased into more cream as it warmed in the glass. Tough to say what temp serves this wine better? I'm torn between a 94 and 95 with this one. I have one more bottle in the cellar that I'll use as the tiebreaker later this year. Happy Birthday, baby!

8/13/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

Lindsey Dale (Almacerro GM) was kind enough to leave a few bottles behind after the tasting.

Notes based of Coravin pour off a fresh bottle. This wine if given enough time in the glass starts to open and show a nose of flint, crushed rocks, blueberry cassis and lavender. It's all hidden at first by fine firm tannins. Acid to balance it all out. Once open this singular expression reminded of OP True Vineyard just with more precision and restraint. Less sweet.

This needs time or food if approached now.

95+

Hold till 2024 or later if possible.

9/2/2023 - mclanew Likes this wine:

Decanted one hour. Full bodied, layered, flavors of ripe black currant, woodsmoke, lead pencil. Has just enough acidity to keep this in balance. Very giving and long on the finish.

3/7/2019 - EyeDoc Likes this wine:

It has been over four years since I had this bottle (the tasting date is 3/17/19) and it still resonates with me as the best bottle of wine I have ever had. Just absolutely seamless - fruit, tannin, alcohol all perfectly balanced. A long finish with sweet tannins. I admit I have never had a bad bottle of Schrader but this stands out as the best of the best. 605 tasting notes on this platform and this is my only 100 pointer.

9/2/2023 - RJWallis Likes this wine:

This is as close to perfection as it gets. Rich, luxurious, palate drenching with legs that go on forever. Opened 30 minutes before drinking and it improved significantly over the next 2 hours. Lived up to its reputation in every way, our guests were visibly, verbally and absolutely floored.

2/14/2022 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Slo O for 2 hours - Drank with my niece. Took a sniff on opening and overwhelming purple flowers on the nose and a small sip revealed dark fruit and violets, with some cedar notes. After the 2 hours, the wine opened up much more, still showing a lot of purple flowers, coupled with some dark fruit, some tar and some sweet tobacco notes. Palate showed a nice mixture of black, red and blue fruit, some dark chocolate, some earth and spice and hints of bramble and eucalyptus. Nice finish and silky tannins with no alcoholic heat. Quite a pleasure to drink! No hurry, as this still seemed quite young, even though drinking quite well. Hold or drink, you will not be disappointed.95+ with ease....if other vintages show as well or better, I could have a new favorite Bordeaux!

8/26/2023 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine:

Napa 2023 - The Sequel; 8/23/2023-8/28/2023: Red fruited beauty with accompanying earthy notes that I always find in the VHR wines that usually take many years to manifest in other wines. Even more refined and restrained than its peers, this is a delightful rendition. Bought more. I would not hesitate to pop another with a little air in the short term and follow the rest over several years.