Ted

9.1

Herbs, cinnamon and hints of incense. Light color. Pretty damn good. — 5 months ago

with Jeni

Tegan Marriott

8.9

Santa Barbara highlands radiance in a glass! Yo, I'll pretend I'm rolling through da Wine Ghetto! — 7 months ago

Jeremy.Buss

9.2

We visited this winery a few days ago. Thoroughly enjoyed the conversation with the winemaker, completely enjoyed how he makes the wines and were drawn in by how good the wines tasted. Out tonight enjoying salmon and this bottle shows beautifully. Some light dark berries and earth tones couple to make a very soft, wonderful Pinot. — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2021 vintage. No 2020 made for obvious reasons and only 90 cases of the 2019 vintage made so realistically not in the marketplace. 2018 (9.6) yielded a whopping 152 cases. 2021 was slightly more prolific but not exactly easy to run into. Same eternal, quiescent pace and style as the 2018. The rare Napa Cab effort inviting conversation versus attempts to dominate/control/stifle it. You can keep all your assorted vintages and producers of Beckstoffer This and Thats. I'll take this, any vintage, over any interpretations/producers of that, any time. And, frankly, once you taste it, you likely will too. @me with your impressions. 01.29.25. — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

Initial impressions - Earthy, Herbal, Soy. Cherry complex and long. Much intestinal fortitude ie. guts. Thankfully not overly menthol/eucalyptus (just a trace) as you often get with all Wendouree Cuvées. Amazing the intensity provided by those old vines going back to the 1890’s. Could easily last another 5 to 10 years but pretty much at its peak right now. This is as good as Australian Shiraz gets - up there with Grange and Hill of Grace and recognised as such by Langtons. With time in the decanter, like all great wines, they develop and change. I was getting raspberry and mineral after a few hours. An exceptional wine and in the top 5 or so wines I have had this year. In good vintages I don’t think Wendouree Shiraz should be approached at under 20 years of age. — 4 years ago

Ben Lehman

9.3

What can I say I love anything Angela makes, and the new Tribute to Grace tasting room in Los Alamos is a gem. My Dad declared this was his favorite wine ever and my mom is from nearby Cucamonga, so let’s just say everyone was happy. For that reason, wine of our trip out west after not seeing the folks for 18 months. As always, just incredibly elegant Grenache, light on its feet, but not without its nuanced power — 5 years ago

Kurt Schuster

8.9

Vivid clear, color and tight, concentrated fruit. Cherries and plums and juiciness. Very delicious, but also seem to fade very quickly and it’s flavor. Corked it for a day and a half and came back to something that was quite quickly on its way out and had become round and just grape juicy. Maybe that’s on me for leaving it.  — 6 months ago

with Denise

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Etude – Heirloom Pinot Noir 2012
Grace Benoist Ranch, Carneros AVA – California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Estate-grown from the celebrated Grace Benoist Ranch, this Heirloom Pinot underscores Etude’s mastery of Carneros terroir. Over a decade since harvest, it has aged with remarkable poise, offering proof that Carneros Pinot can rival the greats for longevity. This one delivers the wow-factor in spades.

Aromas & Flavors
Dried cherry, black raspberry, and plum layered with rose petal, tea leaf, and subtle leather. Mature accents of forest floor and truffle bring savory depth to the fruit core.

Mouthfeel
Silky and seamless, with tannins fully resolved into finesse. Bright acidity carries the wine gracefully, while the finish lingers in layers of spice, earth, and fruit. Quite literally, the wine dances in the mouth.

Food Pairing
A natural match with duck confit, wild mushroom risotto, or aged Comté cheese. The wine’s silky texture and earthy notes intertwine beautifully with savory, umami-rich dishes.

The Verdict
A captivating Pinot Noir that reaffirms Etude’s finesse and Grace Benoist Ranch’s pedigree. This 2012 shows the sweet spot for Etude Heirloom around the 10–12 year mark, where fruit, earth, and structure harmonize in peak expression. Among Carneros’ top benchmarks for age-worthy Pinot. Cheers! — 9 months ago

Raul Puga

9.6

So Freaking DELICIOUS!!! — a year ago

with Mariana

Bob McDonald

9.7

This is the current release of Hill of Grace, the 2019, priced at $975AUD and incredibly Sold Out according to the website. Matched with the 2008 as both were from hot years. Initially a sooty, minerally earthy note on the nose. Then came Satuma Plum, blackberry, spice and pepper. Stephen said only 25% to 30% of the normal volume for sale. (Hence the Sold Out). He let us in on a secret that there will be no 2020 released. I asked if the fruit is used in another Cuvée. The answer is No - the grapes are removed and thrown out. Seems a waste. He went on to explain that H of G has a different spice character to Edelstone - more of an Asian spice. Mostly used oak is used to lessen the oak influence. Elegant yet intense and without a doubt one of the world’s great wines. Will live for decades. — 2 years ago

J

9.1

What a pleasant drinking wine. Easy go to for this Pinot. — 4 years ago

James Carter

9.3

Showing tremendous grace for a ‘99. No sign of old legs. Good structure, decent tannins, great blend of whatever flavors you want to ascribe to the wine. Hugely enjoyable drink — 4 years ago

Sean Townley

10

Celebrating birth of DMH — 5 years ago

with Mairead

Doug Powers

9.2

Medium-dark red-purple color, beautiful redfruit aromas and flavors, with medium-toast oak showing as a seasoning the background, pretty sound structure and backbone, solid acidity, long, lingering finish, excellent California mountain Merlot (w/25% Cabernet Sauvignon). The sheer quality and complexity of this bottle is a wonderful tribute to the vision of Barbara and Jim Richards, who I am certain would be very proud, with Paloma now being ably run by their son Sheldon and his family. — 6 months ago

with Jim

TwiLea Fletcher

8.9

07.1125
Quite quite nice. — a year ago

Tooty Frooty

9.4

Kanonvin, grapefrukt och mineraler #systemet #småpartierna — a year ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

Delicious Grenache. Fonsalette lite — a year ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.8

Voted WOTN for good reason. This has been a bucket list wine for me. Some sections of this famous vineyard were planted in 1860 but all of the vines are ridiculously old. It’s bombastic and really stands out from the crowd. Very expressive both on the nose and on the palate. Full bodied and multi layered. Creamy and rich texture. Dark berries, plums, coffee, cigar, orange peel, eucalyptus, soy, cigar box and an array of oriental spices. Probably at a peak right now, such a joy to drink. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Located halfway up the hill dominating principal valley of Barolo, lined by vineyards, lies a precious 15th century Abbey of Annunziata. Medium Ruby with complex aromas of berry fruits, oak and fresh floral scents. On the palate dried cherry, tobacco, licorice, espresso and fresh herbs give this full-body wine grace and elegance. Soft fine dusty tannins, with earthy notes, on a well balanced frame makes this hot vintage wine approachable today as well as have room to run over the next decade. Very Nice! — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Quilt pays tribute to Napa Valley’s wines, sourced from a patchwork of prime Napa Valley vineyards. Met Joseph Wagner a few times and tasted his wines, Joe signed a few bottles for me. Pale lemon color with aromas of fresh fruit, citrus and honey floral scents. On the palate flavors of apple, pear and lemon zest with toasty nutty notes. Lively acidity, well balanced on medium+ finish, great mouthfeel ending with creamy mineral tones. Very nice Joe! — 5 years ago