Kurt Schuster

9.1

An excellent depth of flavor for such a light wine. Nose of dried roses, dried flowers, dusty roads. Light, ethereal flavors of grabby red fruits, underripe strawberries, red brick, light pepper. Strong structure to stand up to a dry aged ribeye. Excellent. — a year ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Started out closed, and smelling like a lumber yard. But with an hour or so of air, its Oregon roots start to show. Still shows significant but high quality toasty oak, together with sappy cherry fruit and earthy/sweet spices. In the mouth it’s balanced, with loamy, ripe fruit, crushed gravel, and a bit of black tea. Good concentration and length. The tannins are very soft. — 3 years ago

Justin Felker

9.1

From Back Roads OR wine club — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

This Stellenbosch Cabernet blend gets its name from being 393 metres above sea level. Deep Ruby in colour. Aromas of coal dust, liquorice, Tomato Bush, Capsicum and stalky green Notes. On the palate initial impressions were lacking in fruit. More austere than expected. Certainly very different to most Napa Valley Cabernets that I’ve had. Medium bodied. I bought this wine in 2012 at the cellar door and it was quite the trek to drive to de Trafford over many dirt roads. One of the 1001 wines. — 7 years ago

Sarah O'Kelley

9.1

Turns out Mourvèdre goes great with ramen - both earth y & delicious! Red fruit & dry dusty roads...thanks @Hardy Wallace !! — 8 years ago

Barb Anderson

8.9

With back roads woodsy aromas, smooth tannins, mouth filling red fruits and complex undertones, Adentro! Is sure to compliment any meal or conversation. An earthy wine. — 9 years ago

Ellis

9.0

This wine is tasting really well right now. For this price, it's what you want in a blend. Good fruit with a nice yet not overpowering spice. drink by itself or wth red meat — 9 years ago

Katie Bickel

8.9

Drinking this wine tastes like driving on the country roads of my home state of Wisconsin with the windows rolled down; the grainy dust and the sweet smell of manure in the air. Yes-- the sweet smell of manure :) — 9 years ago

Manda D

9.3

Delicious! Worth the dirt roads!
Smooth with a tiny bit of effervescence. — 2 years ago

Julia Bourne

9.1

Fruity. Australian. A&W liked. Shiraz. Succulent black fruits. While Berry. Floral, blueberry, spice & mocha. Nice finish. 14.5. — 3 years ago

Deo Almazan

9.8

Don’t usually drink white wine but it was a gift & it’s been tucked away for a number of years. Decided to have it with my fish & it’s quite refreshing especially to have a chilled wine on a scorching hot day. Highly recommend it!!! — 5 years ago

Keith Crump

8.9

Fresh and citrusy — 6 years ago

Marla Frederick

9.4

I have rated Shelburne’s Marquette Reserve over and over, but here I am again. I love this grape so much, and I suppose a major blizzard is as much a special occasion as anything. Today I am getting very strong clove, a little cinnamon, and a whole lotta “what are you gonna do, fire me?” attitude. Realistically, the roads are impassable, 99.9% of Boston has decided work is not worth an early death, and winter wines refuse to die. — 8 years ago

Jordan Shapiro

9.1

My second bottle. Interesting and cheap. Lighter body than expected. Tastes like driving slowly through winding mountain roads with the windows open. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

In looking for some older photos, I ran across photos of the 14 En Premier. Since I wasn’t using Delectable then, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a story and some key Bordeaux history. One night during the En Premier, we went to dinner with the Director of Chateau Latour, Frédéric Engerer at Lion d’ Or. Frédéric reached into their library cellar and pulled; a 78 & 90 Grand Vin, 99 & 03 Forts De Latour and a Mag of 67 Grand Vin. Overall score is an aggregate of the evenings wine. Certainly one of the best nights of food & wine in my life. However if you go to Lion d’ Or, read the menu carefully as they cook with every part of an animal. Oh...the menu is all in French. So, ask for assistance if you struggle with French. While remembering this night, it got me thinking about another piece of Bordeaux history I thought I’d share for those that might be unaware. Did you know we have the Dutch to thank for making these wines possible? Here are my historical and producer notes... the earliest history of Bordeaux dates back to the Romans in 60 B.C. They were the first to plant, cultivate and make Bordeaux wines. They referred to the area as Burdigala. The Bordeaux appellation was perfect for cultivating grapes for wine. It offered the unique combination of the right soil for growing grapes used in the production of wine coupled with easy access to the Garonne river, which was needed to help ship the wines. The marriage between King Henry and Eleanor made sure Aquitaine, which included Bordeaux, was owned by England for over 300 years, coinciding with the conclusion of the hundred years war; which really lasted 116 years and ended in October 1453. By the time the Hundred Years War had finally concluded, Bordeaux wine had already been discovered by British wine lovers! In fact, Richard the Lionheart, the son of Eleanor and Henry II made Bordeaux wine his everyday beverage. The Bordeaux wine buying public agreed saying, if Bordeaux was good enough for the King, it was good enough for all loyal British wine lovers. From that moment forward, the Bordeaux wine trade began expanding. Bordeaux wine continued taking on more importance in trade with England. Twice a year, just prior to Easter and Christmas, several hundred British merchant ships sailed to Bordeaux to exchange British goods for wine. The next major event for the Bordeaux wine trade took place when the Dutch needed to build roads to make it easier to transport goods/wine throughout the region. The Dutch, along with the British were major purchasers of Bordeaux wine. They needed their Bordeaux wine to be delivered more quickly, before it spoiled. Their short-term answer, the Dutch merchants came up with was to burn sulfur in barrels, which aided the wines ability to last and age. However, more needed to be done. By the 1600’s, numerous Bordeaux vineyards were already planted, cultivated and producing wine. However, much of the region still consisted of unusable, swamp land and marshes. Dutch engineers came up with the idea to dredge and drain the marshes and swamps. This allowed for quicker transportation of their Bordeaux wine. And suddenly, there was a lot more vineyard land that was perfect for growing grapes and making more Bordeaux wine. Yes, we have the Dutch to thank for creating Pauillac. For this post, specifically Chateau Latour. Had the Dutch not dredged and drain it, many great Chateaus might not exist today. The man in charge of the project was Dutch engineer, Jan Adriaasz Leeghwater. He changed the face of Bordeaux forever. At the same time they dredged, new water channels were created. This helped improve the drainage, so the swamp like conditions would not develop again. Many of the original water channels are still in existence all over the Medoc. So, the next time you drink your Medoc (Pauillac) Bordeaux wine, drink a cheers to Dutchman...Jan Adriaasz Leeghwate. Photos of; our dinner bottles, the Latour library cellar, stainless steel tanks, barrel room and the iconic and majestic 17th century tower the property takes it’s name. The Latour cellars are so clean and pristine, you could eat off the floors.

— 9 years ago

with Shay

Aaron Tan

10

One of the best evenings of wine I’ve had this year, and it was just focused on this duo. Opened as inspirations for this year’s red pick at Miao Lu (a name to remember for those reading. I’ll say it here first - some of the best Pinot’s and Chard’s in the world will be coming out of this project high up in Yunnan!), they both gave great context to the task.

Gerard Potel is a true master of his craft. So much so that he rarely made bad wines in spite of vintage conditions (maybe except 83’ which many claim can be hit or miss). 1988 is by no means bad, not touted as the best but good by most accounts. My experience with the vintage, limited of course, has been a little mixed, but my feeling when drinking this wine was that it transcended the vintage. Heck, I thought it flirted with the very best I’ve tasted - an epitome of aged Burgundy beauty and a perfect example of why “all roads lead of Burgundy”.

Like all of Potel’s wines from this era, the 88’ 60 Ouvrees carries a weightless intensity, with a silky texture that glides while maintaining a sense of immense depth. Crystalline and perfumed, it offers layers of damask rose, incense, strawberries, orange zest, white peach, nutmeg, white pepper, and hints of turned earth. With air, it grows sweeter, brighter, and even more primary - its youth is renewed like an eagle’s. Absolutely insane! To me, the wine straddles this perfect balance between youthful energy and serene maturity. Incredible, and easily the best red I’ve tasted this year.
— 2 years ago

Sarah Rudolph

9.3

Dusty dirt roads, quiet small towns in the middle of the day. The feeling of finding the ordinary opulent, a long lunch with nothing planned later — 6 years ago

Severn G

9.0

Starting my afternoon with a gentle session IPA while I hope all my flights go as planned today. Love necessary travel during snowstorms...👎

Malty grapefruit, yum. 4.8% ABV — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

Perched high atop the North Atlantic plate in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Ridge’s Monte Bello property boasts a rich lineage that goes all the way back to the 1880s. Even today, the drive up the winding roads that lead to the top of Monte Bello is arduous. It’s virtually impossible to imagine what conditions must have been like 130 years ago. Ridge's 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is fabulous. Beams of tannin and acidity make a strong opening statement, but there is more than enough fruit to fill out the wine's frame. This is an especially dark, virile Estate. Then again, that is 2013. Inky blue-purplish fruit, licorice, sage, exotic spices, and lavender grace the exquisite finish. This is an absolutely delicious mountain Cabernet endowed with real pedigree and class. It is also arguably the single greatest value in California Cabernet Sauvignon. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Jul 2016) — 9 years ago

James Forsyth

8.9

A really well made beer but a little much for me. Tastes more alcoholic than the reported 7.2%. Hugely hoppy. — 9 years ago