Michael Herzig

9.6

One of the most lush, harmonious wines I’ve ever had. It was stored and prepped perfectly by Brett Taylor. Absolutely mind blowing wine — 3 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.4

A timeless gem that escapes boundaries. Poised, elegant, unconventional.
The nose is somewhere between a fino sherry, a v. light Vernatsch and southern Rhône white. Nutty, salty with dried strawberries, hibiscus, but also some sharp lemon freshness. A meditation wine - changing, evolving, enticing.
Silky & a bit creamy on the palate, with a touch of tannins, sharp, salty acidity, almost fruitless - and yet with such depth, precision & presence. This is as far from the avg. rosé as it gets. A mind boggling, delicious, slightly funky, grand wine. Amazing.
And at 13y - a baby. — 3 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.6

My last bottle of 1980 Yquem. Don’t mind the label (I broke another bottle in the case a few years back). Showing beautifully. Lovely golden color. Aromatically explosive. Typically Yquem. Buzzing with sweetness and minerality. Excellent bottle of wine!!! — 5 years ago

with Lee

Shay A

9.7

An absolutely stunning lunch from @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.

One of the best examples of champagne I’ve ever had. The moment I saw it in the glass, I was sold. Then I smelled it, and I was in love. Just absolutely mind boggling. I was between Jacques Selosse or older vintage Krug, and eventually felt very confident in my JSelosse guess. Supremely and beautifully oxidized. Sherry, candied ginger, honey drizzled stone fruits with orange marmalade covered scone. Nutty too. I can’t get enough of this style of champagne. — 7 years ago

with Mark, Dan and 1 other

Weijie Shi (Jay)

9.1

Exploring Greywacke with Kevin Judd. The wild sauvignons were mind blowing. — 7 years ago

Josh Weinstein

9.7

Mind Blowing! — 8 years ago

with Kristen

Thomas Weber

9.2

Insane wine. Petrol off the bat then leading into orange zest, citrus, peach and some honeyed notes. Mouthfeel (waxy/creamy) acid balance is mind blowing with plenty of salivation as per descriptor on back label. Loved it. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Not the champagne I had in mind for tonight, but sometimes circumstances play their part.

This is pleasant enough. It will go well with my almond tart later.

The mouthfeel shows nice mousse, somewhat lively acidity, bruised golden/red/green apple to apple sauce, bruised pear, white citrus blend-grapefruit w/ pith leading, quince, touch of brown sugar, some yeastiness, baguette crust, graham cracker, volcanic minerals w/ clay, white spice, caramel notes, vanillin, sea spray, grippy, grainy chalk, sea fossils-oysters, limestone marl, withering lilies, spring flowers, nice acidity and a well balanced, good length, elegant finish that lasts nearly 90 second and lands on mid intensity minerals and spice.

Photos of; the champagne house of Veuve Clicqoit and the widow herself. You see her under the metal gage and plated over the cork.

#DSLounge — 5 months ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.2

Stunningly good at 22 years old. Deep and dense. Soil’y with aromas of black currant and bittersweet chocolate. I’ve been enjoying a lot of 00-05 medoc wines lately. While not mind blowing they are wonderful all alone or with the right food. Shows what a $30 bottle from a great terroir / producer is capable of. Not every wine needs to cost hundreds of dollars to be enjoyable — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.3

In my mind, there’s no better way to celebrate another trip around the sun than with loved ones, watching the sunset, while sharing a delicious meal and wine pairing. This evening hits the mark!

This wine is a 2nd growth Saint-Julien from the Médoc, left bank, region of Bordeaux, France. When I say 2nd growth, that means the Château from which this wine hails received the second highest quality designation as of part of the “1855 Classification” that took place during the Universal Expedition in Paris in 1855. This quality designation remains intact today despite the centuries that have passed.

This wine is clear with a deep ruby hue and garnet rim variation. On the nose this wine has medium intensity(+) of developing aromas with a large focus on blackberry, fig, cassis, prune, potpourri, incense, anise, cedar, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, earth, leather, and tobacco. On the palate this wine is dry. It has medium acidity, a medium(+) body, medium alcohol, high tannins, and medium intensity in flavors consistent with the nose. The finish is long.

Interestingly, the fermentation took place in various vessels, including those made from oak, steel, and concrete and then this wine aged in oak barriques (small oak vessels) until it was ready for bottling.

It was also cellared at the Château from harvest until shipping in 2015.

Château Léonville, Grand Vin de Léonville du Marquis de Las Cases, Saint-Julien, Médoc. Vintage 2005. ABV 13%.

This wine has complexity, balance, structure, and length. It’s outstanding. I’m not surprised to see a 100-point rating from Wine Spectator. Thank you @Deke for the amazing Birthday selection! — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Shawn R

9.8

My first time experiencing this wine and what a fantastic display of Bordeaux. Decanted four hours and drank over the next 4+. 50% Cab Franc and 50% Merlot and oh so sexy. Something about the blend that emits this fragrance that is very alluring...sandalwood and black currant come to mind. On the front of the palate gives a hint of BBQ smoke and cocoa with those flavors carrying through to reveal a sweet side. Finish that goes for well over a minute. After the 7th hour the wine had faded and closed. — 7 years ago

with Jennifer

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

10

This blew my mind too, witnessed it slip in my glass and totally fade away. Wouldn’t have happened to a 1982 — 8 years ago

Alex Mutch

9.0

fun drinking chilled red with unexpected grapes — 5 months ago

Victor Hsu

9.1

This IS Santa Barbara County Pinot! First taste was a big burst of fruit. Not too sweet, not simple and unsophisticated, not a jammy Zin bomb, mind you. Instead, more like a zing of bright, pure, winey fruit. Remarkable and memorable. We had the 2022 vintage in a magnum bottle so perhaps that helped preserve its freshness and purity. We enjoyed this Big Mama at the Palm Restaurant in downtown LA, celebrating my daughter Rachel’s graduation from UCLA Law School. Congratulations, Rachel! — 2 years ago

Joshua Sadono

9.4

Light sparkle, crushable — 5 years ago

Kai Wright

9.2

This is weird, but if you read NK Jemisen’s Broken Earth series, and you think about the all-powerful onyx obelisk—that’s what it feels like I’m drinking. Overwhelming in every way—Big, bold, ripe, boozy. But balanced and smooth and soft like velvet glove. I just fall deep into the glass and wanna stay there. The dark, juicy fruit — a blackberry/blueberry cobbler comes to mind—lingers forever. — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

Translucent red. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes red fruit preserves, incense and potpourri, with smoky mineral and Asian spice accents building as the wine opens up. Juicy, appealingly sweet and concentrated yet lithe on the palate, offering intense raspberry, cherry liqueur, spicecake flavors and a hint of candied rose on the back half. Delivers solid punch but comes off graceful, showing absolutely no rough edges on its extremely long, vibrant, red fruit-driven finish. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2019) — 7 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

The word that comes to mind when drinking this wine is POWER! Big blueberry/blackberry/plum fruit with hints of chocolate, coffee and licorice. Mint and dried spices on the finish. Even though it’s a full bodied powerhouse (15.5% alcohol) it is still elegant and well structured. The tannins are amazingly soft and the wine has wonderful depth. Great effort! — 7 years ago

with Mark, dmakris and 2 others

Willem Booij

9.4

Wine from another league, mind twisting from left to right. I’ll be back — 8 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.1

The 2012 is absolutely mind blowing good. I decided to open a 13 to see how it would compare. It needs more time in the bottle. It wasn’t showing as I would have expected from this legendary vineyard. It was good but nowhere near as awesome as the 12. — 9 years ago

with Christine