2012 Wine

The 2012 Cappella, probably has less Cabernet Franc than his other cuvées but at least 25-30%. This wine has closed down since I had it from barrel last year, but that probably reflects more on its post-bottling dormancy. A wine... Read More

Once again, the 2012 Thorevilos struts its enormous potential. A deep purple color is accompanied by wonderfully sweet blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with notes of licorice, spring flowers and forest floor.... Read More

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is gorgeous, a flamboyant and dramatic wine with terrific fruit intensity (blackberry, cassis and blueberry), subtle background vanilla and toast, a hint of lead pencil shavings and floral underpinnings.... Read More

The 2012 Solaia is the ultimate comfort wine: It serves as a beautiful monument to the potential of Italian wine. Let me give you some context. My lukewarm review of the 2011 vintage caused some heads to turn. Happily, the previous... Read More

Attractive toffee and caramel notes on the nose with pear tart, apple crumble, praline, chalk and nougat. Rich, creamy and delicious with soft and rounded bubbles. Well integrated. Caressing and delicious finish. Chardonnay from... Read More

Attractive toffee and caramel notes on the nose with pear tart, apple crumble, praline, chalk and nougat. Rich, creamy and delicious with soft and rounded bubbles. Well integrated. Caressing and delicious finish. Chardonnay from... Read More

No tasting note for this wine. Mark Aubert is one of the contenders for California's finest practitioner of Burgundian-styled, yet classic, California Chardonnays. His offerings are all made like grand cru Burgundies with... Read More

No tasting note for this wine. Mark Aubert is one of the contenders for California's finest practitioner of Burgundian-styled, yet classic, California Chardonnays. His offerings are all made like grand cru Burgundies with... Read More

No tasting note for this wine. - Robert M. Parker, Jr. (30-12-2014)

One can't say enough about the amazing job that Alain Vauthier and his daughter have done at this historic property on the decomposed limestone slopes of St.-Emilion. Not surprisingly, the 2012 Ausone is one of the candidates... Read More

Aged in Taransaud (75%) and Darnajou (25%) oak, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Tin Box is more backward than the perfect 2011 was last year, but it reveals similar decadence, opulence and velvety texture. Its opaque blue/black/purple... Read More

The grand vin, the 2012 Beychevelle, is one of the stars of St.-Julien. Opaque purple, with beautiful crème de cassis notes, the wine has floral underpinnings, sweet tannin and a nice layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel. This... Read More

For the 2012 Pinot Noir The Coast, the winemaking team went for muscle, structure and density with the Calera, Mt. Eden and Swan clones. It exhibits a dense ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a sweet bouquet of raspberries, black... Read More

From a 7-acre parcel on Spring Mountain, the 2012 Pluribus Proprietary Red Wine exhibits the white flowers (acacia?), blueberry and black raspberry fruit that comes from this high elevation site. It is full-bodied but very tannic,... Read More

The 2012 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from 2.5 hectares of vine, equivalent to one-third of the surface area. It has a generous bouquet with scents of lime flower and cold stone, hints of chestnut on the background. The... Read More

Bryant's 2012 DB4 is rich, round and silky in the glass, with plenty of the vintage's trademark silkiness and suppleness. Pliant and expressive, the 2012 offers gorgeous depth in its dark, resonant fruit. Savory herbs,... Read More

A blend of 97% Zinfandel and 3% mixed blacks, the 2012 Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard offers briary, raspberry and black cherry notes. This earthy, peppery, spicy, medium to full-bodied Zinfandel possesses good acidity and headiness.... Read More

(no tasting note available)

They appear to be immune to some of winedom's less than intelligent trends and fads that we see from time to time, and the result is a spectacular 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary offering. Its dense purple/black color... Read More

Another longer-term prospect is the 2012 Syrah Armada Vineyard. One of the more burly, structured releases from this estate, it's always poured after the Bionic Frog and is the last Syrah we taste in a vintage. The 2012 gives... Read More

Structured and backward, the 2012 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers lots of framboise, black cherries, bouquet garni and spice to go with a full-bodied, seamless, elegant feel on the palate. It picks up more and more... Read More