romo

9.4

Fantastic funnel finish. A clear transparency shines with a naked truth. Wow. — 8 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.6

Crazy weekend and another crazy wine. Didnt see this coming. I always imagined this wine tasting completely different...massive and concentrated. In truth it was insanely smooth and silky...balanced and rounded. Nothing massively showy or crazy...just perfect refinement. An amazing experience — 2 years ago

Michelle M

9.1

Nice spiced berry nose of blackberry bramble, blueberry with notes of char, clove, and hints of brown sugar in the bouquet. Soft and smooth blackberry galette with weak black tea and a subtle spice on a medium long finish. Better on the second day, still holding up on the third. Great value, would buy again.
— 4 years ago

Chris Books

9.0

Not too sweet, light and crisp — 5 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

wine to decant two-three hours to fully enjoy its aromas. Strong notes of caramel, chocolate or tobacco. the tannins although present remain flexible. it is an organic wine from the south west of France that tells the truth. no oak barrels or other artifices, the fruit and the earth speak and give us to taste a robust wine without exaggeration that will be associated with a southern meal. Very good value for money. — 7 years ago

David Saenz

9.2

Delicious and tasty — 7 years ago

with Megan

Thomas Brenner

9.2

There are some places in the world where they view present day America as a place where we expect to be happy. Should we feel bad they live in places where you should just expect hardship? We live in a time and place where we can focus on building our inner selves and have a chance at....When we're not constantly putting out fires we can really focus on...should that be a source of shame. When the desperate struggle to find food and shelter is finally behind us, we can turn our attention to other sources of pain and truth.
This is the kinda wine you feel bad about being able to enjoy. I feel privileged. — 8 years ago

Muralee Murugesu

9.3

Very very nice sake at the offered price range. Lots of lovely character with smooth texture (almost like a condrieu). — 8 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Truth & Valor – Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Paso Robles – California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Paso Robles’ warm climate and calcareous soils make it a hotspot for bold, plush Cabernets. Truth reflects the authenticity of the vineyard, while Valor honors the winemaker’s courage to let terroir shine with minimal intervention.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe blackcurrant, blackberry jam, and plum dominate, accented by mocha, vanilla, and baking spice from oak. Subtle notes of dried sage and graphite bring a savory undertone beneath the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and plush, with generous tannins wrapped in a velvety texture. Balanced by moderate acidity, the finish is long, ripe, and polished.

Food Pairings
Best with grilled ribeye, smoky BBQ brisket, or lamb chops. Also pairs beautifully with hearty pasta dishes or a wedge of aged Gouda.

Verdict
A bold yet polished Paso Robles Cabernet. Fruit-forward, structured, and satisfying — a wine that wears its California sunshine with pride. 🍷cheers! — 9 months ago

Lars Miller

8.9

Compost on the nose, although we just opened this 6 year old bottle. So, ok. Truth time. We've had carmenere wines before and thought they were oddly flavored, off balanced, and overall not so great. Whew! Got that off my chest. This wine shows some real promise. Fully flavored with lovely red fruits, smooth tannins and silky finish. We enjoyed this and am sure it will open up. — 4 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.3

202 spring / summer. I wonder if my ratings are suffering from inflation, but the truth is often I would be happy doing all of my drinking from de Villaine’s range. This particular Fortune was notably more developed than the 2017 or 18, in a good way - lots of woodsy complexity over the brighter berry fruit. — 6 years ago

TheSkip

9.5

What a tremendous IPA. None of that annoying harsh bitterness but also not overly flowery. Delightful! — 7 years ago

Dean Bernal Sr.

9.5

2014 Voir Dire. n. an oath taken by jurors to tell the truth. Crisp & clean. Hints of light tobacco and soft corinthian leather with a light fruit finish. Smooth and silky. Great with a hearty meal of slow cooked pot roast and earthy mushroom rice. 👍🏼 — 7 years ago

with Jeff, April and 2 others

Isaac Pirolo

10

The truth is… over the years, I've had the occasional fanciful thoughts where I imagined picking up and moving to wine country. Those dreams always seemed so impractical and, of course, it’s never the right time. So, when my favorite winery – Theorem Vineyards – whose wines are made by my favorite winemaker – Thomas Rivers Brown – approached ME about moving to Napa Valley to work for THEM, I fell off my chair. Fortunately, I was more prepared when they asked me to join their team as Vice President of Sales and Marketing; my only condition was a bottle of their 2012 Voir Dire Cabernet Sauvignon – their first born. I will be relocating to Napa Valley at the end of May.

As for that 2012, I believe 60 cases were produced. I previously tasted the 2013 and 2014, so the 2012 was the only released vintage I had not tasted. It’s immediately recognizable as Voir Dire with its ethereally dense and exotically potent perfume. Drenched in wild and savory blackberry, luscious crème de cassis, and the most flawless graphite that will make you understand why diamonds exist. The primary components of its flavor profile are so pure and exalted, and so much so, that I’m reminded how right the decision is. What makes this world class, though, is the mosaic backdrop of secondary flavors that comes across like some sort of haute couture tapestry – polished and refined, yet pure and exotic – a mélange of herbs, black licorice, iron, cedar, truffle, game, and leather. It’s very Thomas Rivers Brown, but the terroir is undeniable. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

It’s a night of first year consecutive decades, 90 & 80. Enjoyed in reverse order

From the same technical team as Leoville Las Cases.

Another great Clyde Beffa direct purchase from the Chateau or Negociant.

Still ripe older Bordeaux fruits with smoothed out lead pencil. Blackberries, black raspberries that lean into pudding, black plum, darkest, cooked cherries, raspberries edges, baked rhubarb and hues of poached strawberries. There is nothing that bites back. Dark chocolate, smooth mocha, caramel, soften baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, old tobacco w/ ash, used leather, dry top soil, limestone powder, black licorice to anise, dry river stone, fresh & withering dark, red flowers, amazing, rainfall acidity and a well; balance, structured, knitted and smartly polished finish that lasts 90 seconds.

Steak slow cooked in the oven at graduating low heats and then seared at 1300 degrees, 30, 30, 30 & 30. .

“The Truth is Inside” is an expression about the very bottom of a bottle of wine. Tannin soaked & it never lies. Typically the best part of the bottle. 93 that lands 94 in truth. I always leave two-three inches of wine in bottle just because it is always slightly better than the rest of the bottle. It is more concentrated. — 2 years ago

Ericsson

9.1

Good wine but straight to the truth: herby finish on this merlot, gets better with time, but doesn’t quite turn. — 3 years ago

Matt

9.4

So happy to get this in the glass. Have not seen around CA, used to buy back home. Incredible terroir here, absolute truth in the glass. Steep, decomposed granite and old vine Syrah! Intensely deep black fruit, explosive florals, hot stones, iron, crushed apricot, resinous herb, cocoa powder. Loving the balance now, this will age beautifully. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Main course is a Beef Tenderloin Roast with Rosemary, Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes, Sautéed Greens. The beef is among the most tender (cut it with a fork) & flavorful we’ve had.

From magnum. The nose shows; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum, anise, dry soils, dry crushed rocks, some graphite, cigar, dark, rich earth, blue/purple fruit cola, very soft dark spice with blue and purple florals set in lavender.

The body full, lush & thick. The tannins, rounded, tarry and velvety chewy. The structure & tension have hit its stride but, a little leaner than I’m used to in a Phelps Cabernet. The length and balance are exactly what I expect from them. It’s elegant, ripe & juicy. Dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum, anise to black licorice, cinnamon, soft clove, vanilla, nutmeg, dry soils, dry crushed rocks, moist clay some graphite, cigar, leather, limestone, dry herbs, dark, rich earth, blue/purple fruit cola, very soft dark spice with blue and purple florals set in lavender. The acidity is a gentle rain shower. The long finish is delicious and persists into a dark spice.

Perfect with Hedy’s Boeuf.

Wine is peaking in Magnum with another 5-8 years ahead.

The “Truth” which, is the very bottom, concentrated part of the bottle is a 9.3.

Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅🤶🎁🦌❄️⛄️🍷 — 7 years ago

Keith Herrick

9.5

😂😂😂 this was popped with no expectations, next to the sink so we could quickly pour it down the drain. the wine ended up being beautiful! The fruit is all secondary of course, bust still tons of dried tart cherry and forest floor. It is refreshing and zero signs of oxidation. Not sure if there is truth to this, but I was told that it had belonged to R Welland. — 8 years ago

Mark McCoy

9.8

Bobby Moy, Winemaker "Layers of red plum, blackberries, and cassis explode from the glass. Spices mingle with the fruit giving way to notes of lavender, nutmeg, and cardamom. On the palate it is in balance due to a solid acid backbone and rich, but fairly-tight tannins. The finish lingers with red fruits and wisps of graphite. This approachable wine is rich in color, texture and flavor with an elegance not often seen in mountain Cabernets of this intensity. Delicious now and opens very well with a quick decant. Best from 2019-2030." chironwines.com $55.00 750ml — 8 years ago