Donald Williams

9.5

Don’t see this varietal on a restaurant menu very often, so I grabbed it. Great choice. With rack of lamb and braised beef short ribs, it was truly wonderful. — 4 months ago

with Bonnie

Vijay Parikh

9.5

Truly amazing after a 20 minute decanting a profound Margaux 1982with all the intellect that left bank demands — 7 months ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.5

Medium dark robe, nose of steak tartare and cedar. Very complex and elegant in the mouth, great acidity and balance, licorice, dried flowers, a hint of dry port. Finishes on a beautiful acid note and is such a companion. Truly great bottle. You can barely tell the vintage. — 3 years ago

with Jose, veronique and 1 other

Kellin

9.8

Today was not a day I will soon forget. Getting to walk through Harlan Estate with the legendary Don Weaver is truly a highlight of my career (and life!). A kinder and more hospitable man does not exist, I’m sure of it.

To top off Don’s hospitality was having the 2017 and 2020 Vintages side-by-side. In a word: breathtaking. Both vintages are very emotional due to tremendous pressures felt from fires, the pandemic, and other factors. You can almost taste that tension in the wine. But the Masterful wine growers and wine makers at Harlan Estate were able to find harmony and balance with some help from Mother Nature with both vintages.

The 2017, having had some time in the bottle expresses more floral and aromatic notes of leather and asphalt. The pallet it is expressive, structured, and broad shouldered with herbaceous bay leaf and dark cherry flavors that find their way into parts of your pallet reserved just for things that taste so good you get chills. Undoubtedly a wine that will age gracefully over time.

The 2020, by contrast, was tasted out of the barrel. It already shows a tannin profile that is a hallmark of Harlan Estate; I can’t wait to drink it once it’s been in bottle for a few years; drink it to remember 2020, drink it to forget 2020? Either way, it will be representative of the special place that is Harlan Estate.

Grateful, grateful, grateful. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Allen Brothers Ribcap wine.

2004 not the best Bordeaux vintage but, certainly not bad. What was disappointing was how not ready this was to drink. Normally, a lesser than grand vintage 14 years in bottle Cos would have blossomed better. Good but, not what I was hoping for with my Ribcap. Still showing a fair amount of primary characteristics & a touch astringent.

It will be 5-8 years before I open another.

Truly one of the more grand Chateaus in Bordeaux. — 6 years ago

Rob Sternthal

10

Continues to be one of the best wines I own and have ever had. Truly incredible how this wine develops and how it finishes. Amazing. — 7 years ago

Lawrence Solum

10

Changed dramatically. Every sip had a different profile. Intense fruit early on, but then one change follows another. Truly superb! — 8 years ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.6

Excellent...are truly impressive wine. Power and finesse combined. Still loads of fruits but dark and heavy. Very enjoyable — 5 months ago

Jack Krawczyk

10

Truly under appreciated vintage. Retains a fruit forward nose - shockingly ripe blackberry with a caramel and cocoa nib finish. — a year ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.6

Amazingly fresh & expressive, very Brunello’esque with some Balsamico notes, a bit of tomato leaf, black currant leaf, but also some ripe black fruit. Amazing energy here!
Incredible nose, just insane!
On the palate this is nicely evolved, with mid weight, brilliant balance and freshness.
The tannin management is impeccable- fine, dusty, so delicate yet with the proper grip. Dusty, cocoa’s with a hint of savoury mocca.
6h decant and this is in the perfect spot.
A truly stunning wine. — 4 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.2

Full of life
Intense and vibrant
Quite complex
From plum to rasperry
Rhubarb to dates
Cinnamon to chestnut
Incense to licorice and quite irony
Perhaps just a touch warm at the end but hopefully it might adjust with time
Long and truly enjoyable — 5 years ago

Bruce Leboff

9.4

Spectacular. Nose of refined tobacco, a hint of Clove and prune. Elegant and well balanced with a spectacular long finish. This is a truly lovely wine. — 6 years ago

with Michael and David

Sipping Fine Wine

10

To me Shafer is among the worlds best wineries. Aged 32 months in 100% new French oak. Vivid deep purple color, and outstanding aromas of red/black fruits, cherries and blackberries, with hints of cedar, floral oak & spice. Tasting this wine was absolutely magnificent, concentrated dark berry fruit flavors, spices, leather and oak, exploding on my palate. Soft velvety subtle tannins provide a nice deep lingering finish. Truly an outstanding Cab, one of the best. If you can find yourself a bottle, do not hesitate. Should last at least 10 more yrs. — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.5

I truly am not a silver oak Fan but their old stuff has some Kung pow to it. It actually evolved after being opened in the glass for an hour. I prefer it to a new vintage hands down, no questions asked. This actually surprised me and is definitely the WOTN between these two. Truly, truly surprised me. Can’t go wrong for this price point! I found this one for sale for 80 bucks. Winner, winner chicken dinner in my book! — 8 years ago

with Christine

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Lynch-Bages 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A powerful, structurally driven Pauillac showing serious depth and long-term ambition, built on a 71% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot support. The wine carries muscular architecture, dark fruit density, and firm tannic authority, currently showing some youthful rough edges but clearly positioned for future greatness with proper cellaring.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis liqueur, blackberry skin, graphite, cedar plank, crushed gravel, tobacco leaf, dark cocoa and subtle savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, youthful tannins, strong mid-palate grip, vibrant supporting acidity, dense core concentration, and a long, structured finish that signals serious aging capacity.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, grilled lamb chops, beef short ribs, rosemary-crusted venison, aged hard cheeses, slow-braised meats.

Verdict
A high-potential Pauillac still in its formative phase. The structure, depth, and terroir signature are undeniable, but integration will require time. A climber rather than a polished performer today, patience will be rewarded handsomely.

🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a future star in development, powerful, slightly raw, but absolutely loaded with upside. Not a wine for instant gratification, but one that will evolve into something truly special with time. I’d happily cellar this and revisit around 2029 when the polish finally matches the horsepower. — 5 months ago

Frank Artale

9.6

A truly great Cab. So much ripe dark cherry plus menthol cocoa violets smooth oak notes. The tannins are really soft giving a smooth mouth feel. The color is still vibrant and the wine shows no real signs of decline. The great question is whether or not it's going to get any better. I like it where it is. — 2 years ago

David Koenen

9.4

Sweet, ripe black fruit. Charcoal, fresh and elegant acidity, brilliant balance. Starts very strong, then perhaps lacks a little length (in comparison to the Pichon Longueville ‘08). Powerful, but truly beautifully balanced, gorgeous exotic sweetness in the nose. — 4 years ago

Dawn E.

9.6

Splurge Sunday evening! I truly was going to wait until WE vintage chart signaled ready to drink.
Second bottle of this and it is exceedingly more developed and yummy! NO regrets!
This is full of rich flavor...apple butter, pears, brioche, apple orchard, vanilla pudding, jasmine
and graphite! 😁🍅🥐🍐 — 5 years ago

Hugh O'Riordan

9.5

This 2000 vintage was glorious. It’s ready. Dark fruit wonderful aroma. Layers of flavor. Seemed to change sip by sip. A truly extraordinary wine. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

If you want to impress a Somm with a bottle of wine, bring a Grand Cru Gamay. I hate using the term Beaujolais. It gives a lot of people the lesser impression of Beaujolais Nouveau which, equates to the impression left by Blue Nun in the 70’s/early 80’s and Yellow Tail in and around 2000.

This is one of my favorite producers of Gamay, a member of the “Gang of Four”; Lapierre, Thevenet, Foillard & Breton. There is a fifth honoree member to the “Gang of Four”, Yvon Metras, who I enjoy equally. If you want to finally appreciate this varietal, look for one of these producers from Morgan or Fleurie.

The nose reveals; dark cherries, blackberries, dark plum, stewed plum, baked strawberries, blueberry hues, spearmint, granitic minerals/soil, dark berry cola, thyme, rich forest floor, touch of cinnamon, very light caramel, dark chocolate, Indian spices, berry bubblegum, touch of band-aid, steeped fruit teas, limestone minerals, a whiff of black pepper, dark red, purple fresh flowers with shades of violets.

The body is full, rich and guides over the palate. It shows some tannins. The structure & tension are still big. The length and balance are at the beginnings of truly rounding into butterfly form. Still will benefit from 5 plus years in bottle. Bright red florals are far more pronounced on the palate. Ripe/bright; dark tart cherries, blackberries, dark plum, stewed plum, baked strawberries, half baked rhubarb with lovely blueberry hues, blood orange & dry raisins. Spearmint, tree sap, granitic minerals/soil pressed in to the palate, dark berry cola, orange peel, thyme, rich forest floor, touch of cinnamon, very light caramel, dark chocolate, Indian spices, berry bubblegum, touch of band-aid, steeped fruit teas, limestone minerals, hints of black pepper, dark red, purple fresh flowers with shades of violets. The acidity is like a warm summer rain shower. The long, rich, ripe, well balanced, elegant finish is nicely persistent for minutes.

12% ABV 👍

Photos of; Domaine Marcel Lapierre, Marcel Lapierre (may he RIP-2010), Marcel’s son and current Winemaker-Matheiu Lapierre and their Morgan Vineyard.
— 7 years ago