Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

It is really no surprise that this 05 is incredible and yet still extremely youthful. This 05 will out live almost anyone 50 years old. It is good for another 45 years.

I had their 16 La Dame last weekend & commented it should not be opened for another 10 years.

The core on the nose is dark velvet black currants. There’s a bit of melted dark chocolate-mousse. Ripe but subtle blackberries, black raspberries, black plum-plum pudding, very dark cherries, some mulberries, mocha powder, dark, rich earth, dry river stone, limestone, anise, mix of dry/fresh herbs, fine, undertone of baking spices, moist grey clay, slightly dry tobacco, sandalwood, mild, elegant spice, just the slightest hint of mint, very, slightly candied, dark, withering flowers & red roses.

The palate is rich, round with velvety M+ tannins. The core is dark fruits blended in melted dark-mocha chocolate. Blackberries, black raspberries, both plums w/ heavy skin, dark cherries, poached to slightly baked strawberries & raspberries over the top. Dry bay leaf-sage, moist clay, rich, dark, turned earth, dry river stone, limestone powder, stem inclusion, red licorice/cola, anise to black licorice candy, sandalwood to soft cedar, slightly moist tobacco, used leather, mild, dark spice, a touch & just a touch of tomato leaf, hints of cardamom, dark/red withering flowers with just a touch of violets, perfect acidity and a very well knitted, tensioned, balanced, structured, elegantly polished finish that last two-minutes and lands on nice earthiness & softly muddled spice.

Paired w/ their bone-in Ribeye. Best steakhouse steak that I’ve had out and not made by friends and or myself. Rich fat, tender and nice flavor. Lacks a bit of char and Napa Valley Rub from wholespice.com.

Open in another 15-20 years.

A real shot at a 💯 in another 15-20+.

@Delmonico Steakhouse Las Vegas — 5 days ago

Brandon Boesch

9.6

Wow! So glad I bought a bottle of this. Funky on opening. After 2 hours it is so good. Violets, roses, cherry, baking spice is in background, there’s an earth/herbal component I cannot pinpoint. It is so drinkable but evolves with almost every sip. Need more Pinots like this in my life. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Deep ruby , thin pink rim . Fresh cassis , blackberry , quite spicy with a touch of vanilla, red plum . Quite open and enticing . On the palate this is somewhat linear with cool dark fruits , cassis , red plum , grafite and saline touch . Fills out well with quite grippy , cool tannins , fresh acidity , and good length with grafite , cassis finish . This is obviously not ready , however it was an enjoyable wine to drink over dinner , the freshness and cool fruit character are quite apparent , and the tannins though gritty are somewhat in the background . Though it was worth the experience , I would leave bottles a further 10 years before trying another. This is an elegant and well judged wine . — 2 months ago

Vino Joe

9.6

Elite wine experience. Decanted and poured in two halves. Needed a short while for footing but was ready to party after 20-30 minutes. The bouquet was phenomenal and had a very complex mix of earth and fruit. Some figs. Some cedar? And it was all amazing. — 7 days ago

Michael Walker

9.8

This might be OTH at this point - nose is great, full of fruit, but the palate comes up short and a bit wooden. I think this is part of the batch that froze in the garage at Verona - might have something to do with it — 11 days ago

J Ferrugia

9.5

Decanted for 30 minutes. On the nose: cedar, sandstone, currents, hint of leather.
On the palate: dissipating tannin, softening cedar, emerging black cherry fruit and soft sandstone.
This is a big, beautiful Bordeaux at its peak with all the softness in the last sip that comes with age.
Drink it now. — 2 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.6

An exceptional wine that shows its age ability to endure and improve over time. The 2009 vintage has 76% Cab Sauv, 18% Merlot, 4% Cab Fran and 2% Petit Verdot and was aged for 15 months in French Oak barrels. Extremely opulent and luscious, though tannins were already falling, but its elegance and finesse was compelling. All ripe red fruits with a persistent perfumed aromas. Elongated finish with some fig notes as a bit of baked raisins. It can continue aging for another 15 years without compromising its elegance and complexity. This is a show stopper!! — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Quite light spices , coffee , sous bois , herbal hints . On the palate this has good density and spicy , menthol , dark coffee stained fruit , some slightly gritty tannin . It comes across as quite ripe but with balanced acidity and quite good menthol tinged length . This was served blind from a half bottle . I was putting this in the 80s and Napa , not Bordeaux! This had to do with the texture and quite ripe , generous fruit profile . Drinking perfectly now , I wouldn’t wait any longer — 19 days ago

Christian Fischer

9.4

I was going through my La Chapelle section today and my eyes got stuck on this 1999 - bottle looked absolutely pristine and I decided it was a perfect age to drink. Cork was in great condition and the wine was powerful and youthful with no signs of oxidation. Could have kept the bottle for a few more years, but it was probably perfect today. All the complex leathery earthy goodness you expect from this wine was there. — a month ago

Ericsson

9.4

Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.

The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 2 months ago