Shefali Upton

9.0

Enjoyed and won’t forget the story that led to this bottle. Thanks Giri Uncle :) — a year ago

JeremyC

9.1

2016 in 10/23. From winery visit on our way to Sta Barbara in the cali yrs. Forget which one. Bought on faith. Didn't disappoint. Oak, acidity, fruit all played well w ea other. Love when new world chard holds up well. 14.5% — 3 years ago

Harold Duverge

10

Now we are taking about a new level of Cabernet Sauvignon. Forget all the basics you've seen before... A great experience with moderated tannins and it is good to think about the terroir of US for this Cabernet, which provides a good level of finesse. — 3 years ago

John Roselli

9.0

2020 vintage — 5 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

When I lived in Houston in the aughts, I drank a few fragrant Cotes Du Rhônes from this estate, so I was eager to try their Giggie, even though I’ve grown tired of Southern Rhônes as the climate has warmed and Phillipe Cambie seemingly put a spell over the majority of producers. Well, this is a bit better than the typical blocky, heavy wines that seem increasingly prevalent there. It’s densely colored (of course), but the nose has a bit more elegance and nuance than the typical Gigondas estate these days, showing fresh dark berry fruit, really interesting almost chaparral-like garrigue/earth notes, warm stones, and meadowy wildflowers. In the mouth it’s dense, but a little lighter than the new norm thank goodness, with nice savory flavors and decent acids. Tannins are soft. It won’t make me forget Giggies from the early ‘80s, but it’s nice. — 5 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.4

Wow. Nose is wide open: raspberries, blood orange peel, rose, minerals and spice. Palate has so much zingy red fruit. Day two and this has gained intensity and white pepper spice. Forget that this is a rose- it’s really so much more than that. Crystalline and elegant! — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have mentally thought about doing this post for quite awhile. Opening this 2003 Verdignan brought on the appropriate moment. I am a believer in paying respects and it’s the basis of this post.

We learn to drink certain wines from the regions we live near or from the people we learn & enjoy wine with as we walk the road to understanding what we really enjoy. I started as an exclusive CA Chardonnay drinker for many years before moving on to nearly every varietal and regions offer. Next was Napa Cabernets which, led me to my true love, red Bordeaux. It was a bit of curve getting there but, once I had them with proper aging, I was hooked for life.

While my curiosity got me to Bordeaux wines, there one person that helped shape my Bordeaux palate and I agreed with more than anyone else’s, including every well known wine critics at that time and even today after spending 10 weeks learning from several Master Sommeliers on my way to passing the Court of Master Sommeliers exam and becoming a Sommelier myself. This person is Clyde Beffa Jr., Owner of K&L Wine Merchants.

Clyde has been traveling to Bordeaux for over 40 years and sometimes multiple times in a year. His palate and experience are second to none. Especially, when it comes to Bordeaux.

I owe him a lot. He taught me the importance of letting good Bordeaux’s age 20 years plus. What were the jewel value producers. Brought in Bordeaux wines direct from the Chateaus that had 10 years of bottle age and older. Bordeaux’s that critics did not like young but, he knew something special had taken place over time as he was tasting them much later in their lives and often. I bought and drank a lot of these wines. They also kept temptation at bay in me reaching for my too young and more expensive wines.

He is very kind and kind enough to allow me to travel with him & key staffers to the 2014 En Premier to taste what was a very difficult 2013 Bordeaux vintage. You can go to En Premier and then there is going with Clyde. You have all the key appointments, Chateau accommodations/dinners and taste somewhere around 1500 plus wines in 6 days. He is loved by the Bordelais and for good reason.

So, I dedicate this post to him. He is the one who told me to buy this little known 2003 Verdignan at the same “Affordable Bordeaux Tasting” I mentioned in my Chateau de Candale post on Friday. As of Friday, that was the wine of the tasting. Well…until I coravined this slowly over the weekend. This 2003 was under $25 and it is one of the very best Bordeaux’s I had in some time. As well, perhaps the best QPR in my over 20 years collecting wine. Clyde knew that day just how good it would become. He said, forget about this for 20 years. So, I am a little early here.

Clyde has recommended more great Bordeaux’s to me that most people don’t hear about, let alone try. He told me to buy the poorly reviewed 91 Pichon Lalande when he brought more into the store seven years ago Chateau direct. It was a very difficult vintage with spring frost, hail storm and a difficult growing season. He described as “Heaven in a Bottle” and It most certainly the case. To this day, Pichon Lalande is my favorite steak wine and the 91 is still my favorite vintage. I purchased a 3L from him recently that he brought in direct from the Chateau for my 60th next year. Can’t wait to open that with our good friends and celebrate.

As for the Verignan, the nose reveals; dark brooding & slightly bake fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum, some poached strawberries & haunting blue fruits. Black tea, forest floor with leaves, anise, limestone, moist clay, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, beautiful, mid intensity dark spice, dry tobacco, graphite, mixed dark berry cola, understated, well layered baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, dry herbs, mint with candied; dark, red, blue and purple florals.

The body is full, rich, lush, satiny with plenty of well rounded, soften tannins. The tension, structure, length and balance are excellent and will continue to improve. This will last another 15 years and beyond with proper storage. This is a very classic Bordeaux well balance in fruit and earth. It is sheer elegance on the palate. It’s why I love Bordeaux more than Napa and I love Napa Valley Cabernet. Dark brooding & slightly bake, ripe fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum, boysenberries, some poached strawberries & haunting blue fruits. Black tea, dark chocolate bar, touch of mocha powder, light caramel notes, Expresso notes, forest floor with leaves, anise, limestone, moist clay, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, beautiful, mid intensity dark Asian & Indian spices with just right amount of palate heat, dry tobacco, graphite, dry twigs with a little sap, mixed dark berry cola, understated, well layered baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, dry herbs/sage, mint with candied; dark, red, blue and purple florals. The acidity is round and nearly perfect. The long finish is, classic, elegant, well balance fruit and earthy Bordeaux that persists softly on the palate for minutes with just the right amount of spice.
This is a heady wine that you really think about as you slowly sip and it affects your whole body. Can’t wait to have another in five years.

Photos of; Chateau Vergignan in Medoc near St. Estephe, their vineyard that reveals where Bordeaux gets its earthiness, Owner Jean Miaihle who acquired the property in 1972 and a wide shot of their vines. — 6 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

The Selosse flagship that uses a solera style blend with vintages dating back to 1986. May 2016 disgorgement is just superb, explosively aromatic and infinitely layered with magical depth of Selossien flavors and such a singular texture that you just can’t forget. It wraps around the palate with incredible volume and concentration before giving way to a salty mineral laced finale with stunning length and persistence. — 2 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

Tasted too young and not airy enough. Nevertheless: exuberant nose, big matter in the mouth, omnipresent tannins, alcohol present, sweetness, acidity, aromatic bouquets, everything is marked! The breeding is already relatively melted. A wine carved for the guard. To forget a few years in the cellar. Very nice product!

Bu trop jeune et pas assez aéré. Néanmoins: nez exubérant, grosse matière en bouche, tanins omniprésents, alcool présent, sucrosité, acidité, bouquets aromatiques, le tout est marqué! L’élevage est déjà relativement fondu. Un vin taillé pour la garde. À oublier quelques années en cave. Très beau produit! — 3 years ago

Sean Trapani

Founder/Educator Wine Fluent, Consultant ABC Fine Wines & Spirits

9.2

This makes me forget other GSMs. Complex but finished fast. White pepper and blueberries — 4 years ago

Kate Chamberlain

9.0

French Laundry welcome champagne — 5 years ago

Sam Friedland

8.9

Nice bubbly, some sweetness. Went well with deviled crab, — 5 years ago

Kathy Kroeker

9.2

Sempre Vive Petit Verdot is delicious. The dark fruits burst on the palette and the finish stays with you. Highly recommend for special occasions or just to forget about 2020! — 6 years ago

Eric Guido

9.6

The 2010 Auguste Favier Reserve is drop dead gorgeous with it’s fresh and bright ripe strawberry tones, giving way to zesty red florals, sweet smoke, white pepper and dusty cedar.  It’s velvety on the palate, yet not weighty, instead poised and remarkably fresh, as red and blue fruits cascade across the senses over a core of brisk acids, leaving a mineral twang with savory spiciness. The finish is long and structured, with youthful tannins still holding something back for the years to come, yet still so alive and focused on purity of fruit.  The 2010 is worth checking in on, but don’t forget to keep a stash in your cellar for at least the next five to ten years. Wow. — 6 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2020 vintage. Wowzers. Unexpected structure and fruit to vault this into the Must Buy category. Medium body. Clocking in at $22.50...errr...$22.60 (don't forget that new $0.10 per bottle CRV cost here in California) a bottle. Picked up a case. Let's see where it goes-or doesn't. 7.17.24. — 2 years ago

Roberto Carli

9.9

This is “will never forget the first time I tried it” level. Definitely greatest wine I’ve ever tasted in its category, possibly best sweet wine. Starts much paler than I expected, light gold. Nose is a journey, surprises with freshness, liveliness though with the highest concentration imaginable. White peach, white nectarine, lychee, rose water, intense white florals, an after-rain sense of freshness. On the palate yet another surprise: so much minerality (!!!) that the intensity gets carried by bright, almost riesling-like acidity and the insane amount of sugar is so well balanced that it’s barely noticeable until the crazy long finish. What a ride!!! — 3 years ago

Kellin

9.8

Today was not a day I will soon forget. Getting to walk through Harlan Estate with the legendary Don Weaver is truly a highlight of my career (and life!). A kinder and more hospitable man does not exist, I’m sure of it.

To top off Don’s hospitality was having the 2017 and 2020 Vintages side-by-side. In a word: breathtaking. Both vintages are very emotional due to tremendous pressures felt from fires, the pandemic, and other factors. You can almost taste that tension in the wine. But the Masterful wine growers and wine makers at Harlan Estate were able to find harmony and balance with some help from Mother Nature with both vintages.

The 2017, having had some time in the bottle expresses more floral and aromatic notes of leather and asphalt. The pallet it is expressive, structured, and broad shouldered with herbaceous bay leaf and dark cherry flavors that find their way into parts of your pallet reserved just for things that taste so good you get chills. Undoubtedly a wine that will age gracefully over time.

The 2020, by contrast, was tasted out of the barrel. It already shows a tannin profile that is a hallmark of Harlan Estate; I can’t wait to drink it once it’s been in bottle for a few years; drink it to remember 2020, drink it to forget 2020? Either way, it will be representative of the special place that is Harlan Estate.

Grateful, grateful, grateful. — 4 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.2

Still young and crackling with intensity after a little air exposure. Nose is herbal with fresh ripe peaches and creamsicle, palate is texturally supple with tangy tangerine, yellow pit fruit, apricot, pineapple, finish is stony and nicely bitter. I think it’s not too far away from peak given how quickly it opened up but could evolve a while longer. Going to forget about the next bottle for a few years — 6 years ago

Sailesh Jani

9.7

Quality and light, fragrant and easy to drink — 6 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

2017 WS wine of the year. Purchased 6 bottles on release at a decent price...forget the retail price now though!!

One hour decant(min sediment). A forbidding dark crimson color. Served on the cool side. On the nose: smokey vanilla, dark cherry, baking spice, and a slight spearment menthol at the end. Taste: Hello!..not shy....cherry liqueur, cedar, graphite. A medium body, soft tannins, with a prune/vanilla dry medium plus finish. Tried a year ago, and working better for me now with some age. — 6 years ago

with Brenda