Wine & Spirits

The perfect kind of Bordeaux. The vintage 03' is put on display here for its warm, fruit-driven, extracted beauty. The aroma lunges at you with the elegance of a ballerina; plums, licorice, cacao, violets with hints of aged oak and humidor. The palate is a subtle beast, it lures you in with its silky allure and cages your palate in an wealth of full-bodied intensity; blackcurrants, cassis, plums and damp earth leading into cedar, pencil shavings and licorice all while the tannins are mellow and gentle. --NickBeNimble 97 Wine Spectator“This is a really long wine. It lasts for minutes on the palate. Full and dense yet refined and linear. Very racy, with plum, berry and floral character. Fantastic. No jam here. This is a wine that shows strength but maintains elegance. Superb.” (3/2006)

Read more less

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: A muscular and classic Barbaresco with long aging potential. Ripe plum, violet, leather and licorice greet the nose and flow through the palate. Enrico Dellapiana uses “both hands” to create Riserva Boito: one to make the wine, the other to paint the original label for each vintage. 2016 is an homage to Kobe and Gianna Bryant, and his personal history and love of basketball. 100% Nebbiolo; alcohol: 15%; grown in the upper “saddle” of the Rizzi Cru, on geologically younger soils, more clayey-calcareous and deeper; hand harvested 10/1 – 10/2016; fermented in stainless steel tanks < 30º C for 4 weeks; 1 month malolactic fermentation; aged in large Slavonian oak barrels for 20 months; aged in bottle until 50 months after harvest; 2016 label designed and hand painted by Enrico Dellapiana, in homage to Kobe and Gianna Bryant and Enrico’s love of basketball. TASTING NOTES: ots of beautiful pure fruit to this with ripe strawberry and black cherry aromas and flavors, with some sliced lemon and wet earth. Medium to full body. Firm tannins and a slightly chewy finish. Just opening now and shows the glory of the vintage. Drink or hold.

Read more less

Deep ruby red colour. Medium nose with dark plums, blackcurrant, tobacco, leather, black pepper and cedar. Medium taste of dark plum, blackcurrant, leather, tobacco, black pepper and meat. Long and dry finish. High acidity. High and edgy tannins. Medium body. A very good Pessac-Leognan that is still a bit rough and could benefit from some more years in the cellar. Goes well with beef and lamb. --William

Read more less

Winemaker Notes Dark fruit with dried blackberries, mixed spices, with plenty of density and body. It is approachable but serious. Bold and memorable. Blend: 70% Petite Syrah, 30% blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel Critical Acclaim Wilfred Wong of Wine.com COMMENTARY: The 2019 Prisoner Wine Company Saldo Red Blend is bold and demonstrative on the palate, with a complete balance from start to finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of bold black fruit and oak. Pair it with a grilled, thick ribeye. (Tasted: December 9, 2021, San Francisco, CA)

Read more less

whow, opened too early, great left banker, soft and mellow, at the same time bold and rich. Classic Bordeaux blend flavors, medium intensity nose blackberry, blackcurrant & plum, delicately earthy, sweet tobacco and dried herbs, mouth follows nose, just maybe hint of dried plum, med+ acidity, med+ tannins and round plushy & smooth fruity medium length finish. Wine is developing, best wait few years and enjoy some more pronounced tertiary notes. Paired perfectly with reindeer steak 🥩, which was soft & tender. --Seba Stian

Read more less

Wine Spectator A touch old-school, featuring savory, tobacco and rosemary accents amid a core of concentrated black cherry, red currant and plum paste flavors. Slightly austere, with chalky minerality harnessing the finish. A savory edge peeks in at the last second. For fans of the style. Best from 2022 through 2035. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2016 Reserve de la Comtesse is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with beautiful kirsch, cassis and redcurrants with hints of red roses, black tea, black pepper, chocolate box and cloves. The palate is medium-bodied, very elegant and fresh with gorgeous silken tannins and loads of bright fruit, finishing spicy.

Read more less

Winemaker Notes Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot Critical Acclaim James Suckling Complex aromas of blackcurrant, black olive, clove, oyster shell, pencil lead and tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Concentrated and focused with a very long, spice and mineral finish. Fantastic bottle. Try from 2026. Decanter Armailhac has held its success from en primeur and has further gained in weight during ageing. This is a wine that is changing a little in style, deepening in profile and upping the new oak for ageing from 30% to 50% (and staying in barrel for a little longer). Unusually high alcohols for this corner of Pauillac, likely from the concentration that happened in September on the Armailhac gravels (there is less clay in the soil at this spot). It comes through in a rich mouthfeel, chewy tannins and chocolate-covered damson fruits. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Bottled mid-May. New winery under way. Drinking Window 2026 - 2044

Read more less

Region: Rioja Alavesa Grape Variety: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo ABV: 13.5% Stopper: Cork Full bodied red wine. Intense red with purple reflections in colour, on the nose, aromas of plum and cassis with notes of spices. Medium tannins. Well-balanced in acidity. Savory and classic red wine in style. On the palate, dry, oaky, rich, intense, bold, structured, spicy, jammy, soft, silky, smokey, fruit-driven, lengthy, hint of tobacco, touch of dark chocolate, delivers red fruits character. It has a long finish. --Morteza Afshar

Read more less

Starting the holidays right with this special blend from my favorite wine maker - Heidi Barrett. Dusty cocoa and blackberry fill the inviting nose. This red blend finishes smooth, with cherry, lots of oak, vanilla, and spice. The blend includes cab, syrah, petit verdot, and garnache.--Scott Reinhold

Read more less

Fruit sourced from core vineyards on Santa Rosa Rd corridor of Sta. Rita Hills. Ruby in color. Aromas of cedar, some earthy notes, darker and more brudding than the Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. More fleshy, rich, ripe, more integrated with a soft mid-palate. Great acidity, great length and balance with fine tannins. Would of given another half point but the price held me back. --Trevor Loomis  

Read more less

Winemaker Notes The 2020 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz is a black ruby plum color. A magenta rim with black core. Benchmark Penfolds Shiraz. A generous kaleidoscope of warm-climate aromatics. Blackcurrant, black plum, ironstone, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, cola. Chocolate gateau, adorned with candied cherries. Earthy North African spices: ‘Ras El Hanout’ - paprika, cinnamon, pepper, cloves, and fennel. On the palate, always honest, warm, and approachable. Chocolate mud cake, cinnamon syrup, poached red cherries. Coconut shavings, milk chocolate... wait, a Bounty bar! Summer plum pudding with currants and crème anglaise. Bone marrow broth, Vietnamese Phò - layered complexity and texture. Turmeric, cinnamon, star anise clove. Cola with a suggestion of Chinotto bitterness. Sweet, layered fruit with earthy spices. Mouthcoating, chewy tannins. Cherry pip acidity. Critical Acclaim Wine Spectator Ripe and generous, but the aromatics take this to the next level, with notes of cardamom, paprika and dried rose petal, plus touches of candied violet and cocoa powder, to complement the core of fleshy blackberry, black cherry and cassis. The tannins are dense but velvety, and this finishes with warm chocolaty notes.

Read more less

Smooth, smoother, Salon 2012. Chassagne with bubbles! The nose sucks you right in and flirts with you, wildy but elegantly. Omg it is so big dense and concentrated, carressing your palate with a symphony of candied Granny Smith and spiced lime confit and buttered apricot and saline grapefruit and nutty macchiato, underlined with a highly intense chalky minerality, so deeply powerful and looong. Most approachable young Salon yet. 🚀 Paired w/Gougères. --Champagne Spy  

Read more less