Brad Jensen

9.2

This is a big one, bold, juicy, with real presence of the 16% alcohol despite the age. Nose of blackberry, pine wood, vanilla, band-aid, somewhat musty clothes, and cacao. The age is definitely there in the musk and dustiness, but it’s unclear what to expect with a beast like this. Full bodied, dark purple/red and deep color, but no sense of the age in the color. Palate shows more of the age, deep chocolate notes, overripe plum, driftwood, slate and some malo-like milky elements. The alcohol is definitely there, with a finish like menthol, softened but present, well integrated tannins, with those Chico-raspberry like hints lingering for a long time into a finish that’s round and somewhat meaty. Weirdly, VERY strangely, tastes a little bit like skin. — 5 months ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Big, full blend that is cab lead, both sav and franc with the former the dominant. Deep dark berry with a soft leathery thing going. If you guests like a big wine, this is the ticket. This vintage needed little coaxing to be ready. — 4 years ago

Andy Hall

9.3

This is a very, very, very young wine. Decanted for 5 hours. Big juicy wine. Could use a little more acid. This rating reflects this wine today in it’s immature state. It will drink and score much higher in 5 years. — 5 years ago

Xavi

9.3

Great Priorat. Black fruit and spices in a background of low earthy notes. Nice medium finish, maybe a little bitterness. Im beginning to feel Porrera is my favorite Priorat town. Edit: 91 to 93. Best Priorat on the 20 euro range. — 6 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.1

Celebrating my son’s first #birthday certainly merits the serving of some lovely wine 🍾🍷 What a wonderfully challenging yet humbling year it’s been raising a tiny baby into a little boy with a big heart, a loud laugh, and a captivating smile. I hope and pray today’s celebration is but one of many chapters.

Incredibly young (of course) and quite dormant. Decanted for 3 hours, probably needed another 1-2 at a minimum. Only until the final glass did some more defined notes begin to unveil themselves: vanilla, blackberry, baking spices, cassis, coffee grounds, mocha froth, and herbaceous qualities. Super powerful, yet it’s the blossoming gracefulness that will have me circling back on this in another 8–10 years. — 6 years ago

with Krystal

Randy Fuller

9.1

The 2018 Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc comes from the hilltops above Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. It shows 12.5% abv and sells for $22. Erica Crawford says, “New Zealand’s signature varietal tends to be bold and big,” thanks in no small part to her husband. This wine, she says, “focuses on texture rather than enhanced aromatics.” It went through 25% malolactic fermentation in order to soften the wine. Sure enough, it’s tamer and fruitier on the nose than their previous efforts. The minerals are still there, but the sometimes overwhelming greenness is replaced by a great fruit flavor. The 2017 vintage is a little grassier on the nose and palate, but still mild in comparison to the earlier profile. — 7 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.0

It's been a year or so since I last had this. A little too much sugar left for my taste. Nice smokey nose, charcoal, but on the palate... Some sweet. Big tannins. Deep, dark color. Decent, but there are better options at this price point.

91 points — 8 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

I think this is peaking. From a marginal year but really nice. Lots of cedar and a little roasted peanut note augmenting some nice, mellow cassis fruit on the nose. A big whack of intense flavors on initial entry, with tannins still there but softening. A teensy bit drying on the finish, but damn this is nice with grilled butterflied leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary. — a year ago

Mike Beltran

8.9

Another bottle we tasted that came from the cellar of a person who passed away. This little beauty is so soft and gentle with muted Merlot that has actually held up for 49 years. Not a big wine but with finesse and a flowing aroma that matches the palate. Still drinking well if paired with light cheese or pate . Glad we had it today.👍🍷🍷 — 5 years ago

with Joe

PM

8.9

A big wine. Very lush mouthfeel. A little sweet to me, one glass is fine. — 5 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

1 hour decant (some slightly chunky sediment). A beguiling inky ruby red color with some browning. On the nose: red plum, floral, wet forest floor, some blueberry, and a little creme brulee. Taste: red fruit with a touch of blue fruit mixed in, earthy, cedar, and a red licorice mid palate. A soft approachable wine with fine, sweet tannins coating the mouth ending in a cherry espresso medium finish.

Michael Trujillo winemaker with a lower alcohol restrained cabernet for Napa(note: vineyard used for initial Colgin wine launch). 2016 LAST VINTAGE...vineyard now leased to Thomas Rivers Brown going forward...get ready for a TRB HL vineyard wine....more oak, more ripe.....big scores. — 6 years ago

with Brenda

Joe Weinberger

9.2

Great bottle of this. Tons of crunchy red fruit and minerality. — 7 years ago

Gunja Gargeshwari

9.1

Very muted and not like i remember it al all - a little too soft to have on a night with big Napa wines. — 7 years ago

with Amit and Norman

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.4

One of their best vintages so far! Bit of barnyard and dark berry on the nose. Maybe a little spice too. Nice and smooth mouthfeel. Nice time to drink, would probably still hold in the cellar for a bit longer too. So lovely. — 7 years ago

Hayden Hamilton

9.1

As always nothing not to like. Tons of big bright red fruit. Cola. Little bit of minerality/potting soil. Not that it’s usually a problem with Kosta Browne but drink right away. Was notably worse a few hours after opening. — 3 years ago

Deborah M

9.5

WOTN for me at the La Sirena wine dinner. Heidi Barrett’s daughter, Remy, offered a lively conversation about her mom and the wines. We tried the ‘14, 15, and 2016 of the B&B and ‘15 was by far my favorite. Much more concentrated fruit. 2015 was a struggle vintage with little rain, hence the bolder fruit concentration. This was a much more nuanced wine IMO. Well balanced. Big wine, but everything was in balance. Stunning. @55Seventy — 4 years ago

Jared O'Connell

8.9

Cloudy AF. Super sour in a way that matched the tartness and gaminess of a yogurt sauce on lamb meatballs. Ocean spray & hi-c juice. — 5 years ago

Paul K

9.2

This is great for $22. I may be a little conservative with a 92. 92.4 then. #Delectable, can you add another decimal place?
Big and jammy. Wish there was just a little more structure to it to get to the WS 93. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A pre-tasting of my heavy meat red sauce in order to fine tune the spices and seasoning it before serving for 30 people for our friend’s 60th birthday party tomorrow night.

The sauce is 9 cans of whole tomato’s crushed & drained, 9 can cans of tomato sauce, 3 cans of tomato paste, 6.5 pound whole pork roast braised in diced garlic & olive oil that falls apart & shreds when done, 5 pepperoni sticks sliced, 4 pounds of meatballs (with Italian bread crumbs, garlic salt, coarse black pepper, eggs with warm water) and 14 seasonings & spices slow cooked over 36-48 hours. It’s a blend that once it’s done is magical harmony in the mouth like a well crafted & aged wine.

The wine works well but, I’ll have better pairing wines tomorrow night.

The nose reveals; dark, sweet & slightest sour dark cherries, cherry kirsch liqueur notes, ripe, bright blackberries, baked black plum, ripe, juicy, strawberries, slightly candied black raspberries, blue fruits, mixed berry cola, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry stems, soft, leaner, sweet, tarriness, touch of dry herbs with the most amazing, bright, red, dark blue florals, violets and shades of lavender.

The body is medium full, round with great mouth presence. The tannins nicely, rounded, slightly tarry and baby teeth. The tension, structure, length and balance have just started to tango. Dark, sweet & slightest sour dark cherries, cherry kirsch liqueur notes, ripe, bright blackberries, baked black plum, ripe, juicy, strawberries, slightly candied black raspberries, blue fruits, mixed berry cola, medium intensity dark spice with a little palate heat, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry stems, leathery, dry tobacco, shades of graphite, soft, leaner, sweet, tarriness, nutmeg, clove, a touch of dry herbs with the most amazing, bright, red, dark blue florals, violets and shades of lavender. The acidity is nicely executed. The long finish is nicely knitted, balanced fruit and earth, polished with soft, brilliant florals and persists minutes.

Third largest Co-op in Europe and they produce some quality wines. Especially, for the volume the make.

Delectable has this @ $99. I bought it at Costco upon release for $28.99.

Photos of, the beautiful, quaint hilltop town of Barbaresco, my meat sauce, their tasting room just to the right at the feet of the clock tower with Gaja just a little further down to the right of there and the best Michelin star restaurant we’ve experienced for lunch. We dined there right after our visit to Gaja. What service, food and a day!
— 7 years ago

Scott Wren

9.5

I usually don’t drink wines this big. But it was a warm day and I cooked a NY steak so wanted something substantial. It didn’t disappoint. Dark fruit, a little bit sweet and some spice. Perfect for the day and meat. What I appreciated was the touch of acidity it delivered so you still want the next sip. It’s got its place in the firmament. — 8 years ago