Chris Albin

Winemaker, Azari Vineyards Winemaker, Corskcrew Wines

9.7

Rich, textured, majestic — 9 months ago

Mike Saviage

10

Tasted blind. Light gold color, youthful and heavy in the glass. Notes of citrus, white clay, sea shells, wet river stone, kiwi and some honey. High pitched. Massive fruit and structure. This powered along all night and never slowed down. Easy to guess as the 90 Raveneau Clos as we've had this many times. A debate ensued about what is a perfect white burgundy and where this sits... it would be really hard to get better than this, IMO. Spectacular. — 4 years ago

TwiLea Fletcher

8.9

We move on from the great cherry debate. — 5 years ago

with Neal

Chad Anderson

10

So nice it almost made the debate tolerable. — 6 years ago

Lindsay Corrigan

8.9

Enjoyable PN with unusual tasting notes. Nose was light maraschino cherry & brown sugar essence. Appearance is transparent electric red & legs are skinny. A debate on tastes between myself & my trusty intern...I had splash of raspberry with flavour of Kahlua throughout mouth & end of sweet chilli warmth. The intern had flavours of Lowney’s chocolate Cherry 🍒 Blossom nugget bar. Maraschino Cherry + syrup, milk chocolate, shredded coconut and roasted peanut pieces. #Grasshopper👏🏻 well played. Bargain @ $15 🍷! — 6 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.1

There was a debate on poop vs horse blanket around the table. Luckily I’m OK with a bit of brett 😍 — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Think my rating here is slightly below others, but the only reason that is is due to its current stage. I believe this will jump 2 points or so in the next few years. Right now though, it’s a bit disjointed. I don’t have much experience with this vineyard so I’m not sure of its normal profile. Very dark red and black fruit dominant. Pipe tobacco, charcoal and blackberries. A bit hot on both the nose and palate. Boysenberry, tar, licorice, cassis, black cherry with a tannic-grip finish. Needs a few years to strut what it can be. — 8 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 1 other

Michael Walker

10

Stellar Barolo. Definitely of the new school, lighter color, lightly structured, but radiant fruit in a refined style. Decanted 2hrs. Perfect pairing for veal/osso buco, maybe less so for a roast. Some debate whether more age would refine the fruit further or cause it to dissipate. No idea but have two more so can experiment! Made me want to get on an overnight to Piedmont tonight. — 2 years ago

Ted Corvey

9.1

@Kyle Harvey (insert “Wrong” debate gif) — 4 years ago

Turd Ferguson

9.3

Dark fruit, high acid, grainy tannins, long finish. Elegant power. For Bordeaux varieties in CA and IT I always end up liking the cool vintages best. Scorching a giant flank steak to pair with this and Trump’s impending debate meltdown. Bring it on. — 6 years ago

Matt Forester

9.2

Decided to go with a non-partisan selection for Presidential Debate Night imbibing. Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel from Martinelli. Because one or both of these septuagenarians fits the description! Just delicious! — 6 years ago

Chris MacLean

9.0

What’s the latest on the debate about Pigato and Vermentino being genetically identical? In this wine, there’s plenty of Pigato on the nose, but the evergreen flavor is uniquely Vermentino to my palate. — 6 years ago

with Sarah

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Back to The Debate. Had to get to wines that were running low.

This is round, soft and elegant. Fruit is ruby ripe. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, cherries, dark & milk chocolate, coco powder, big layered baking spices, love the medium dark soft spice with subtle heat, dark red florals and great tension, length and balance. Round acidity and well polished finish that persists endlessly. — 7 years ago

Jan A

9.3

The nose screams lemon and then you are hit with round acidity on the palate. Quite rich with pear and peach (I'm drinking this on the chilly side). A little astringent note on the finish gives away the appellation. Great to see what can be achieved with a Bourgogne Blanc in the right hands. Worth the 100€ a bottle retail price? That's another debate 😉 a joy to drink anyways, happy to be able to buy some bottles and curious for their higher cru's 🚀 — 4 years ago

romo

9.2

Some debate on whether this was flawed. I was in the “no” camp. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny color, seems younger than previous bottles in the glass. Youthful nose. Notes of black cherry, hickory, plums, gravel, black truffles, some smoke and some unsweetened dark chocolate. Silky and light on its feet despite the youthfulness of its presence. Debate ensues if this is right or left bank. We settle on a guess of 61 Cheval Blanc. While the 61 Tratanoy is all about the mouth feel, this is all about the incredible nose and its youthfulness. (M's 60th bday 8th of 14) — 5 years ago

Jared O'Connell

9.2

Got me through the debate. — 6 years ago

Ming L

9.0

The debate was painful to watch, as expected. A good glass of wine would certainly help.
My last bottle of this magnificent 07’ Merlot. I don’t think I will able to find another $10 bottle that will age this beautifully. — 6 years ago

May Congdon

9.3

Loved it! Found this bottle hugely discounted at Berkeley Bowl, and greatly enjoyed drinking it while watching the Democratic Debate (a shit show - wine was necessary) and sharing a special HQ dinner with my roommates. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.8

M’s bday dinner (7/12). Tasted blind. Bright tawny color. Has good weight but suspect it’s older. Exotic powerful nose. Everyone smiles, this is special. Notes of red cherries, Asian spice, rose petals and dark earth. Flamboyant in the mouth. “Amazing” underlined 2x in my notes. Memorable. We started enjoying this after 4 hours of air was given to it and even 3 hours after that this was still singing. Guessed 69 La Tache. This ended up being my favorite wine of the evening. The emotional impact was more than the other 2 slightly older DRCs. There was a long, mixed debate on this though. — 7 years ago