Bryan Vanderkruk

9.6

Valentine's 2026, wedding anniversary vintage. Paired with prime rib. Bouquet of a dark fruit salad, oak and leather. Absolutely gorgeous palate, cherries, blue berries, prunes, peppery spice, oak. Oh my. This is perfect at 10yrs in the cellar. Incredible. — 4 months ago

with Corrie

James Scott

9.0

Very nice lighter Pinot, needs to breath, at Foreign and Domestic, Austin!! — 4 years ago

Peter Sultan

8.9

Borgueils are creeping up in alcohol, as I remember this as a lighter affair in previous vintages. Still, a precocious 14$ wine, with classic cab franc dimensions but now with a thicker, richer mouthfeel. Given how Beaujo has crossed the 20$ demarcation border for some time, my go to summer mid week choice. — 6 years ago

October Cleveland

9.0

Very clean, westy affair. — 6 years ago

Elyse Imamura

9.1

Words can’t describe my love affair with this wine. My 6y describes it as “lemony. The sun, a treasure, smells like gold”. It’s hard for me to argue with him. Silky ripe lemon with a heavy mineral chalk component on the front palate. I wish it lasted a little longer in the finish but still soft and expressive. Out of magnum second day. — 8 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Hitting the decanter now... It's been 6.5 years (Aug 2011) since our last check in on this bottle, it was very good then, but still needed time. We hope tonight is the night; last bottle, thank you Crush NYC for providing us this opportunity.

Light green pepper notes on the nose, we are likely to come back to this 24hr+ for more enjoyment. Palate has green pepper, under ripe strawberry and golden raisen, tannins are in a perfect place. Damn you finicky Syrah.

24 hour update: As expected, this is a completely different bottle tonight, and truthfully the most apt description is as such, blueberry jam spread on old leather with a dose of black currant juice sprinkled over the whole affair, so good, glad we waited. (BTW if you never had black currant juice, seek it out, tasty stuff.) — 8 years ago

Meaghan Tullis

9.0

Easy drinking white — 9 years ago

Bryan Vanderkruk

9.3

Fantastic. Dried fruit, oak, spice, rich bodied. Damn. This is fantastic. — 7 months ago

with Corrie

Jess

8.9

Pale pink color.
Aromas of peach, red fruit, cherry.
Dry. Flavors of grapefruit, white peach. Delicious nose, but does not translate to palate.


Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 1/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 3 years ago

Bryan Vanderkruk

9.9

Oak on the nose, blueberry jam,oak, dried fruit, drying in the mouth, cherries, great acidity level, rich full bodied. Paired amazingly with wild game charcuterie and cheeses. — 5 years ago

with Corrie

S.S. Mandani

9.4

Elegant, classy champagne hue like I’m at a gala, but, let’s be real, it’s probably a B-list affair.

Asian pear, chalky, lemon pepper essence, no joke.

Excellent carbonation. Reserved, fine bubbles.

Definitely getting the asian pear, but also a slight undertone of licorice, and then finally some nice sweetness and acidity reminiscent of yuzu.

Wonderfully complex and fun to drink like a stimulating chess game is fun to play. I can’t stop, this one might become a go-to. — 6 years ago

Dean Bernal Sr.

9.5

Kelly Fleming Vineyards.
Sophisticated & elegant yet simply unrefined. Very approachable at such a young age but don’t underestimate the depth & complexity of this beauty.
I’ve tried so, not to give in.
I’ve said to myself this affair would never go so well
But why should I try to resist when I know so well
That I’ve got you, under my skin?
Slowly, softly, patiently...I wait... — 8 years ago

with April, Jeff and 1 other

Larry Wood

9.4

Ok ok.... it’s been a while! Maybe this is a holiday affair! I cheat on France when I’m away, shush, she’ll never know. I’m 40,000 feet/11k in meters high on Virgin Atlantic Wi-fi (this is clearly the future). ‘The Storey’
I bought two within the last two weeks. Bought and opened on recommendation (local wine shop in the village). The looks - label old skool European, 15%+ dark and stormy. I drank both bottles at two diffident occasions and felt the same emotion (bit 80’s I know)...... skiing in Whistler, snowy night with Mrs W. Kids sleeping and a plate of plastic North American cheese. Don’t be angry, I loved it. There are wines to be drunk in winter and there are cold wines. This one at room/blood temperature (27c/80f) with 40mins breathing time and it just floored us. I want to point out this wine is not a quick drink. I bolt red like blueberry/cranberry/black currant juice but it just wouldn’t be rushed. Smooth and I mean smooth. Salty, Carmel and Brandy/almonds....... No other description will describe. It’s just like maple syrup in consistency. It snowed outside but it shon in the glass. Second date: New Year’s Eve, -13 outside. 4 other people I didn’t really know on an impromptu dinner. We ate, drank and talked (I talked rubbish but I’ll never see them again) then it came time for the cheese board. The wine was too cold when we arrived. It was too cold for starter and mains but 3hrs in, opened and primed it was sit you down amazing (again). A NYE to remember. Don’t take it from me, ask the nobodies I’ll never see again. I thought maybe I’d/we’d just had a moment the time before but it’s that good (it really was). Don’t take my word for it, try it alone or with strangers but make sure you drink it slooooooooowly — 8 years ago

Bryan Vanderkruk

8.9

First post baby wine in 9 months. Didn't have time to plan for a decanter so used aerator and some more aeration to open it up. Dried fruit, berries, figs. Rich and delicious. Chocolate, spice, fantastic. — 10 months ago

with Corrie

Victoria Berry

9.0

Nice bite and dry finish — 4 years ago

Everett Waltrip

9.6

2012 vintage, opens with roasted peppers and dark fruit, dark earthy tones and briary tones. After some air it reveals more dark fruit, plums and black cherry, tannins are quite gripping, all natural tannins not wood tannins from oak. After a few hours the fruit has more presence, still shows a bell pepper tone on the nose followed by gobs of dark fruit and sun exposed earth. Some herbaceous notes intermingled with forest floor. Could age longer or drink now, all up to the drinker I suppose. I like the balance of fruit, earth, herbaceous tones followed by the grit of the tannins. No sediment when I got to the bottom of the bottle. It was a crowd pleaser and in a blind tasting people were stumped when it was revealed. They all thought it could have been an Italian Cabernet from a cooler climate region. Would definitely recommend, great quality and beats out almost anything in the same price bracket from other producers, foreign or domestic. — 4 years ago

Julianne Bell

9.0

Currently having a love affair with Alsatian and Austrian wines. Beautiful golden color, smells like musky green apple, honeydew, and sunshine. Very acidic, tense, brimming with energy, honey and apple and lime. — 7 years ago

Raphaël Dostie-Goulet

9.0

Ouvert, présent en bouche! Juste WoW! — 8 years ago

with Catherine

Josh Reeder-Esparza

9.2

I had a love affair with this wine tonight. It’s like a dusty fruit punch berry on the nose and remarkably balanced. Medium light tannin — 9 years ago

with Leila

Bryan Vanderkruk

9.0

Dry, oaky, lots of dark fruit, cherries, chocolate, delicious. Pairs great with smoked meat and duck confit. — 9 years ago

with Corrie