Jordin Page

9.2

Juicy but still some stuff going on. Fantastic burger pairing. — 7 months ago

Shane Walker

9.0

Clear, deep ruby colour. Clean, pronounced red fruits and pepper on the nose. Dry, high acidity and tannins, with ripe plum, red cherries and heaps of pepper! Full-bodied with a very long finish. Very good quality.

Great accompaniment to the beautifully cooked, glazed fillet.

Britannia Restaurant, onboard Queen Anne, in the South Pacific, en route from Tonga to New Zealand.
— a year ago

with Michele

Shane Walker

9.5

Clear, deep ruby colour. Clean, pronounced fruits and a touch of vanilla on the nose. Dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, with ripe black cherries and dry toast flavours. Full-bodied with a long finish. Very good quality.
Great accompaniment to the beautifully cooked chateaubriand.
Britannia Restaurant, onboard Queen Anne, somewhere in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. — a year ago

Bruce Leboff

9.3

An elegant queen. Showing her age. Elegant refined and a treat to drink. Google say 50% Cab franc on top of the classic merlot - but no harsh peppery notes. Lovely and elegant in its prime or perhaps cresting. Dark fruit and a hint of prune - even a hint of raisin A beauty. — 4 years ago

with Steven, Michael and 1 other

Ian Hamel

9.2

2021/8/4 with roasted duck breast, scallops with brown butter, May Queen potatoes roasted in pork fat, etc. This started feeling a bit “in-between”, with that plummy, blowsy note that I find in near-mature reds which are not quite ready on the pour. These wines always had that translucent, crunchy red fruit character and tangy acidity, and that was still in evidence here. But with more air (and especially in the bit let on day 2), there was more sous bois, truffle and other hallmarks of a really good, mature red Burgundy. Not the densest or rush eat, but very interesting and enjoyable. — 5 years ago

Steven

9.1

Happy bday to my queen...mother of my beautiful kiddos...my life partner. Perfect vino for the most perfect person. Definitely something for us to “revisit”. Full bodied, jammy, smooth on the front and back end. Perfect smell of Napa with just the right amount of tannins. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It’s a little birthday pre-celebration for the birthday girl before we head north tomorrow for a big Bordeaux tasting and dinner to celebrate.

That’s her enjoying the afternoon sun in the D&S Lounge on her day off. Happy Birthday Sofia! Love you.

As for the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, it never disappoints.

The palate shows beautiful mousse, green & golden apple, pineapple juice, some pear, a touch of cider, lemon & lime zest, kiwi, green melon, notes of caramel, baguette crust, mixed greens, saline, sea fossils & spray, grainy, grey volcanic minerals, low intensity white spice, thick, powdery chalkiness, spring flowers, jasmine, soft, crisp acidity and a well balanced & polished finish.

Photos of; the birthday queen on her throne, her birthday bouquet, long shot of our yard and a nice fall sunset with a glass of celebration nectar. 😜🎉🎊🎂🥂 — 7 years ago

Her Mir Tage

9.0

Domaine Armand Rousseau Père & Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 2012

For my first time tasting Domaine Armand Rousseau Père & Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, the sommelier said that if Chambertin is the King, then this wine, Clos de Bèze, is the Queen. The 2012 vintage is relatively easy to approach and didn't require a very long decanting time—two hours was sufficient.

The 2012 growing season was quite challenging, with a severe cold spring, but the summer was warm and hot. As a result, the fruit profile of this wine is quite expressive.

For the first hour, the reduction notes were very strong. It only started to open up in the second hour. The aroma is quite elegant. Since we were dining at a restaurant, the sommelier was very meticulous in controlling the temperature of the glassware, adjusting the wine's condition to a optimal state.

I didn't get very exuberant fruit notes. The overall state of the wine was restrained and elegant—like a lady around 30 years old. Not only is her beauty present, but there's also a feeling of poise and steadiness. Everything was in balance: the aromas, flavours, and acidity.

Notes of cherry, blackberry, liquorice sweetness, a hint of mint, and some dried flowers. There was a slightly creamy texture on the palate. The body was rounded but not quite what I would call voluptuous.

I didn't find any particularly stunning or breathtaking flavours or aromas. I can only say that this wine's performance was... correct. I had originally hoped for more complex layers, but unfortunately, I felt its expression was relatively simple, not very complex. It was just quite elegant and graceful.

This wine is exceedingly expensive. For a similar quality presentation, I believe there are other options at perhaps half the price that could deliver a comparable experience. — 10 months ago

Michelle Beer

9.3

Easy to drink , dry with with floral end notes. Light on tannin and funk but still not a white wine. Great with food — a year ago

Jose Lorenzo

9.2

I totally emotional purchase because it’s what I call my queen. Turns out on point (like her name sake). Straw yellow, subtle stone fruit, nice acidity…. Always buy with your heart. — 4 years ago

Steven

9.0

First sniff….Napa wine cellar. Definitely decant, but afterwards smooth, silky, fruit forward and delish., with no tannins on the front or back end. All must haves as I try to get myself out the dog house with my queen. Blessed to be forgiven…the liquid heaven helps distract the frustration 🤣. — 4 years ago

Gregg Congleton

9.2

A toast to Rosemary Cakebread as we sit to watch season 4 of the CROWN, highlighting other incredible Trail Blazers - PM Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Diana. This cab can really go another 10 years plus, but enjoyable now with some decanting. cedar and tannins on the nose - casis and fruit on the palette. — 6 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

Once again I indulge in this pretty sin... Cherry, almond, Raisin, pencil lead, maybe chocolate too? The palate is tremendous : it goes in every direction with a huge acid backbone, a superlative width, a dense and silky matter with a soft touch on the sides, a bright fruit which shows off all along, a bit of drying tannins that kick off a fantastic finish with fruit, a bit of bitterness, some raisins and a indisputable length. Man I love this one. This is bohemian rhapsody by Queen — 6 years ago

Matt Konopka

8.9

Lovely Sonoma Rhone blend from the Zin Queen, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. A delightful blend with family on a sunny Mothers day in NJ — a year ago

Shane Walker

10

Clear, deep golden colour. Clean, pronounced peach & apricot with lemon on the nose. Dry, with medium to high acidity. Medium to full bodied. Marvellous flavours of toast & honey with a long, lingering aftertaste. Just a hint of minerality. An outstanding wine and a great birthday present.

61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay.

Dining at Sir Samuel’s Restaurant, onboard Queen Anne en route from Samoa to Tonga. — a year ago

with Michele

Kurt Schuster

9.2

Deep, Rich, and elegant. The wine actually feels more viscous than normal, and it’s just heavily perfumed and flavored and thick in your mouth. It absolutely feels like chewing on a handful of fresh blue and red fruit mixed together. Perfume of violet and Queen Anne roses, as it faded over time it actually became a much more elegant and approachable wine. Absolutely delicious.  — 2 years ago

with Denise

Steven

9.1

In my best Ludacris imitation…alright alright alright, is out of town, south beach wine fest date night with the most amazing human on the planet. And she’s drop dead gorgeous too. Talk about being blessed. On to the wine. A definite winner. From the big bold fruity smell of Napa on the onset. To the jammy, fruit forward smoothie and velvety explosion on the palette. Great pick by my queen. We bout to do the damn thing called life together foreva. — 4 years ago

Ming L

9.1

Delightful nose of cherry, raspberry, strawberry complemented by tobacco, touch of balsamic and hint of truffle. The fruits feel lightly candied on the juicy palate. Medium body, and the tannins command attention.

If the Castiglione bottling is the king, this would be the queen: lively, graceful, yet authoritative. — 5 years ago

Marisa

9.1

Omg love this. Get at Southington’s World Wide Liquors on Queen St — 6 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

Fascinating how different this is from the Rocche 13' (from the same producer). Goes to show that Piedmont is indeed a great distraction from Burgundy, which has been reflected in the increasing prices. Thankfully, Brovia's wines are still "under the radar." Affordable, in the scale of things.

Neighbouring vineyards. The Rocche - blue-fruit focused, leaner, less tannic on the palate (but you could smell it), elegant if not firmer. The Villero - red-fruited, more classic on the nose, brawny palate, with big spice tones and a blood-like minerality. No preference of one over the other at the moment. Rocche, the queen of Brovia's line-up, and Villero, the king! Their purity, nuance, and turbo-charged aromatics are seriously impressive, though it doesn't make it any easier to drink them at this early stage. Definitely cellar these crus. Minimum 20 years! — 7 years ago