Byron C Mayes

8.9

Dark purple. Blackberries and patent leather on the inviting nose. Full-bodied palate echoes the nose adding, in addition, blackberry, cassis, and a hint of dark chocolate. Medium acidity. Medium tannins, mostly on the finish. A classic Argentine Malbec that checks off all the boxes. Enjoy with beef (of course), lamb, or hearty root vegetable dishes. Drink now through 2027. — 4 months ago

Rebecca Cooper-Mullin

9.0

Funky to the nose sweet to the palette. Root fruit. Like rhubarb. Citrusy. Fun! Happy Birthday Sarah! — 5 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.8

This wine has a nose full of lemons, limes and that good Paso Robles minerality. There is a nutty angle that plays in, too, but not as strongly as I anticipated given the presence of Roussanne. The palate is tasty and ripe, with citrus taking the lead ahead of those minerals. It’s a great white wine for winter, with a touch of warming oak. Pair it with root vegetable dishes or any kind of fish.
— 6 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.0

Third times a charm! App keeps crashing on me.
thanks @Les Doss for the gift!

Tarragon and pomegranate seed permeate the nose, and give a the impression of a huge punch getting ready to smack you up side the pallete.

Yet, the wine comes on light and full juice blackberry, then starts its filtration through gravel, and root. Valencia orange like acidity and young sapling tannins bring this wine to a very interesting finish. Yum. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

Office Holiday party on Rustic Root rooftop. Dense chewy blue and black fruit, cocoa, lots of oak but it works well here. — 9 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.1

Granny Smith apple, toasted biscuit, and ginger root. — 10 years ago

Emily Martinez

9.0

Dark, rich fruit flavors, hint of root beer — 12 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Great stuff. Wants air. Primary fruit beginning to soften. Root beer. With lasagna tonight. Will try to hold the other couple bottles. — 8 months ago

Loren Grossman

Vintner Wilde Farm Wines

9.5

Essential. 5 hour decant. Wonderful notes of roses, tar, shoe polish, licorice root and blackberry. Orange oil. Palate staining front to back with fine coating tannins. No hurry here. Absolutely lovely. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

It has taken a long time for this 95 Calon Segur to settle in. Finally, after two previous bottles. If you buy this producer, expect to wait 20 plus years for really good things with better vintages. While it’s very good, it has not revealed its best self. I think another 5-8 years before it peaks with another 15 years of good drinking ahead. Properly stored of course.

This still needed a two hour decant to settle it earthiness & funk.

The nose still reveals a fair amount of earth but, it has calmed. Classic Claret older nose. Ripe, candied & floral fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strewed strawberries, baked plum, macerated cherries, cooked rhubarb with hints of blueberries and raspberries softly over the top. Old tobacco, old, soft leather, limestone, dry stone, dark spice, nutmeg, vanillin, dry twig, graphite, dry crushed rocks, steeped fruit tea, forest floor, mushrooms, raspberry cola with withering to fresh, dark; red, purple, blue florals framed in violets.

The body is round & leaner from age. It’s clean wire to wire. The structure, tension, balance and length are just starting to hit their stride. It is gloriously lush on the palate. Ripe, candied & floral fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strewed strawberries, baked plum, macerated cherries, cooked rhubarb with hints of blueberries and raspberries softly over the top. Old tobacco, old, soft leather, limestone, grey volcanics, dry stone, dark spice, nutmeg, vanillin, dark chocolate, some caramel, shades of black licorice, dry twig, graphite, sage, hint of cooked green pepper, sweet tarriness, dry crushed rocks, steeped fruit tea, forest floor, mushrooms, raspberry cola with withering to fresh, dark & candied; red, purple, blue florals framed in violets. The acidity is dead on. The long finish is; balanced fruit & earth, elegance that slides into persistent earth and dark spice with just the right amount of heat.

Paired with New York Strip w/ Root Vegetables Tain, Cipollini, King Trumpet & Peppercorn Demi-glaze & Duck Fat Fries.

Have yet to have anything but a very good meal @Compline Napa. As well, they have a very nice selection of reasonably priced wines in their retail shop. Owned & operated by Master Sommelier Matt Stamp & partner(s). — 6 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.2

Clear, medium ruby

Clean, med+ notes of black pepper. Might be fooled into thinking Northern Rhone (also triggering a Susumaniello response), unidentified red fruit ontop of deep dark gnarliness.

Dry, medium acid tannin . Body is in the acid driven lean category. Weight of a Beaujolais @ 13% ABV. Red fruit and pepper. Holds its own as the black pepper in the mix of celery root, parsnips, Dittmer’s smoked turkey (oh yeah) and even kale. Cote Rotie of Chile. Rockstar.

Kick ass organic old vine and natural Cinsault (90%) wine from Chile. Could lay down 1.5 years.

NOTES: ”Located in the Guarilihue district of Chile's Itata Valley, Rogue Vines is one of the relatively recent producers to make expressive, organically farmed, minimal intervention wine. Cinsualt is abundant around these parts, and oftentimes dates back to the 1940s so they are nicely mature. *Natural Wine*” — 8 years ago

Evan Bienstock

9.3

An interesting 28yr old. Cork was 1/2 dry and broke. Managed to get the other half out. Gentle decant. The first sip was intense funk, but it quickly mellowed with air and is now showing such pretty dried fruits and some leather and chocolate notes, as well a some root vegetables and pepper. I really enjoy how a well aged Bordeaux can be exciting as it changes in your glass over a few hrs. More about the Hartford later. — 9 years ago

John Willison

9.0

Black cherry, licorice root, sarsaparilla, a bit herbal. Sweet berry and tannic finish. — 3 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.2

Lime peel, green candy, petrol, yellow Gatorade, marjoram, sage, slate, jasmine, fresh ginger root, saffron on finish — 4 years ago

David Kline

9.3

Precise nose of beeswax and juniper that becomes clove and chive, jasmine carnation and magnolia, candied lemon peel, ginger and dill. The palate is juniper berry leaping from the glass, juniper flower, bee pollen, orange blossom, lemon blossom, coriander, violets, lavender, peppercorn edge, celeriac root, and depth! This is thick fare, with heat and resonance. #barrhill #barrhillgin #caledoniaspirits #caledoniaspiritsbarrhillgin #gin #moderngin #vermont #vermontgin #juniper #rawhoney #craftgin — 6 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.3

Delicious. Like chewing on a root. — 7 years ago

Robert Torretti

9.3

Excellent Barolo with 17 years. Nice nose of leather, smoke and dark fruits. Opened for about two hours. Good mouthfeel with a little bit of grit. Earth, mushroom and, toward the end of the bottle, anis. Served with rabbit stew with mushrooms and root vegetables, and pasta. The last bits enjoyed with creme caramel for dessert. — 8 years ago

Roy Piper

9.6

This is the third bottle of this I've had the last 5 years and I think this might be the best wine SQN has made since it stopped sourcing fruit. Potent, extreme concentration of black fruit and celery root. Had years ahead. Just a killer wine. — 9 years ago

with Dan and Richard

John Willison

9.1

Standard AHF. Like an adult, good, complex version of Dr. Pepper. Loads of cherry, a bit of cola and root bark, some forest floor. Bright finish. Good QPR. — 10 years ago

Michael Descamps

9.2

Dried figs, root beer, mint, spicy cinnamon. This makes me so happy. — 10 years ago