Old and Rare Wine

92 points Robert Parker’s Wine advocate: “The estate’s 1998 Brut Cuvee Louise is a linear, focused wine endowed with layers of smoke, flowers, minerals and white fruit that come together with impressive length and clarity. This deceptively mid-weight wine closes with a long, elegant finish. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018.” (12/08) 92 points Wine Enthusiast: “As it ages in bottle, this Champagne is showing real class. It remains as delicate as when reviewed last year, but it is now showing much more mature toastiness and bread flavors, and less of the gr... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

The steep rocky slopes of the vineyards at Mayacamas yield small crops of tiny grapes. This small fruit is intensely flavored and results in very full character development in the wines. Winemaker Robert Travers designs winemaking procedures to preserve this intensity. 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

According to Wine & Spirits: "Very rich and creamy, reminiscent of lemon curd and Key lime pie, this is summery and cool, a nice afternoon sipper." 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Wine Spectator: "Tightly wound, firm and crisp, with a complex core of plum, black cherry, blackberry, cedar and toasty oak. Finishes with a rich aftertaste and fine length. Best from 2001 through 2008. 613 cases made." (09/99) According to Robert Parker: "Readers should be aware that Hartwell's labels are confusing in that the vineyard designation is at the bottom right hand side of the label. Their dark ruby-colored 1996 Sunshine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon offers an attractive bouquet of cedar and spice, open-knit, ripe flavors, medium body... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Spectator: "Light, pleasant and mature, showing a distinctive spicy, smoky character. Smells smoky and leathery with raspberry notes in the flavor." (03/90) 

Inventory: Redwood City

90 points Wine Spectator: "Lots of concentrated fruit flavors with sweet cherry, raspberry and plummy fruit that's very ripe. It's full-bodied and fairly tannic on the finish, but altogether it's a well made wine. Needs some time in the bottle to smooth out." (09/87) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

91 points Robert Parker: "Petite Sirah lovers will go ballistic when they taste the two 1993 offerings from Turley Cellars. The 1993 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard (from a vineyard planted in 1950) reveals a dense purple color, full body, an earth, pepper, and black fruit-scented nose, concentrated flavors, and a muscular, tannic finish. These are extraordinary wines!" (06/95) 91 points Wine Spectator: "Big, ripe, dark and richly flavored, this has a tight core of juicy plum, currant and black cherry, and finishes with a mouthful of chewy tannins and a spi... Read More » 

Inventory: San Francisco

One of the successes of the vintage. Meaty, spicy nose; ripe flavors, dense, and firm on the palate. Still has life in it. (Joe Zugelder, K&L Old and rare Buyer) 

Inventory: Redwood City

96 points Robert Parker: "The newest release, the 1992, offers a dense purple color, and a splendid sweet nose of minerals, blackcurrants, toast, and spice. Opulent and rich, with full body, and well-integrated sweet tannin, this expansive yet graceful wine possesses layers of flavor that caress the palate. The wine is accessible, yet still youthful and unformed. It should drink well for 20+ years. Dazzling wines! I urge interested readers to get their names on the winery's mailing list if they want to purchase these wines." (12/96) And according to the... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

We love these so-called off vintages from the classic producers because you get much more bang for your buck. This 1967 is archetypal claret with cedar and red fruit notes mingling with hints of oak and subtle spice. Delicious now, and a birthday bottle that would be hard to beat. 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

96 points Robert Parker: "The 1996 Pichon-Lalande is just as awesome from bottle as it was from multiple cask tastings. For Pichon-Lalande, the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is atypically high. This wine normally contains 35-50% Merlot in the blend, but the 1996 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Only 50% of the estate's production made it into the grand vin. The color is a saturated ruby/purple. The nose suggests sweet, nearly overripe Cabernet Sauvignon, with its blueberry/blackberry/cassis scen... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

According to the Wine Spectator: "A ripe, rangy style, with plenty of strawberry and plum flavors intertwined with spice and leather overtones. Not a lightweight by any means; may need until '95 to settle down." (11/91) 

Inventory: Redwood City

93 points Robert Parker: "Tasting through Robert Mondavi's portfolio continues to reinforce my impression that this winery is undeniably the spiritual and qualitative leader of that sector of the California wine industry dedicated to producing world-class wines. What is so admirable about the entire Mondavi operation is that they continue to push their wines to higher and higher qualitative levels. Their nearly obsessive pursuit of bottling the wines with no manipulation has led to the majority of Mondavi's white wines being bottled without filtration - ... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City

94 points Wine Spectator: "Dark ruby, with rich raspberry earth, and fruit aromas. Full-bodied with an excellent balance of full tannins and generous berry flavors. Impressively hard and powerful, It should age for many decades." (01/89) 93 points Robert Parker: "This is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1977, still a baby, is fabulously scented, very rich and concentrated, and has a potential longevity of at least another 30-50 years." Great value! 

Inventory: San Francisco

90 points Wine Spectator: "Superclean and racy. Medium-dark garnet color, with pretty plum, floral and currant aromas. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, very fine finish.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2002." (08/2000) 

Inventory: Redwood City

"...another very good source. Recent vintages have been most impressive." Clive Coates, Cote d'Or 1997 

Inventory: Redwood City

90 points Wine Spectator: "Tangy, open-textured and distinctive for its lemon, tangerine, quince and fresh-mown grass aromas and flavors, mingling seamlessly on the delicate finish. Drink now through 2017." (Web only, 2009) 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

92 points Robert Parker: "Forman's 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon may be this winery's best effort to date. This deep purple-colored wine displays a super-expressive nose of blackcurrants, licorice, and vanillin. With a beautifully etched, medium to full-bodied feel, exquisite concentration, decent acidity, and firm but soft, sweet tannins, this is a graceful, authoritatively flavored Cabernet for drinking over the next 12-15 years." (06/93) 

Inventory: San Francisco

Rated 95 points Wine Spectator, upon release, and desribed as: "Soft, lush and elegant, but with a steely backbone and complex Cabernet flavor." (02/87) According to Robert Parker: "A decent deep ruby color is followed by light intensity aromas of herbs, cherries, and vanillin. Rich fruit jumps from the glass...Charming in a lighter, medium-bodied style." (08/94) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

97 points and a Highly Recommended designation from the Wine Spectator: "This is a seductive and delicious California red, ripe and juicy, fruit-driven, with luscious currant, black cherry, wild berry and plummy Cabernet flavors that are sharply focused and long, complex and concentrated on the finish. Best from 2001 through 2009. 350 cases made." (11/98) 94 points Robert Parker: "The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford (300 cases) possesses the most developed aromatics, consisting of black currants, cherries, loamy soil scents, and pain grille. It is th... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City

According to Wine Spectator: "This has an earthy, leathery edge to the currant and cherry flavor, but it turns supple and elegant on the finish." (11/94) 

Inventory: San Francisco

95 points Robert Parker: "The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain reveals an opaque black color, huge tannin, terrific purity, and density, a broad, heavyweight mouthfeel, and gobs of ripe tannin. It is a massive Cabernet Sauvignon that requires a decade of cellaring - at the minimum." 90 points Wine Spectator: "Young, tight and marked by cedary flavors, working its way into a core of currant, sage, mineral and spice flavors before the tannins kick in. Typically backward for this wine, so it's best cellared into 2001." 

Inventory: Redwood City

From an extremely successful vintage on this bank of the Gironde, this Merlot-based value is packed with rich plum and red berry notes with vanilla spice and oak tones filling in the middle and ample though integrated tannin apparent in the finish. A great all-around red for use at table with a host of foods. At over ten years of age, it is drinking its best now. 

Inventory: Redwood City

Celebrate the holidays or your special occasion with the wine that is the epitome of style. A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, Roederer's "Cristal" Brut Rosé is classic, silky bubbly with a generous perfume full of red berries, toast and figs. The wine's fine bead, lively acidity and luxuriant finish will continue to linger on your palate and in your mind. 

Inventory: Redwood City

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The domaine's Pernand-Vergelesses-Ile des Vergelesses has lots of rich raspberry and blackberry fruit, married beautifully with the toasty, spicy oak. Medium bodied, well structured with good acidity and tannin, this wine should last for up to 10-12 years." (01/90) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

2006 bottling 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Robert Parker: "Although rounder and more supple than the 1993, the 1992 displays tell-tale curranty, menthol, and floral notes in the nose, spicy, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors, and outstanding elegance and finesse. Viader is one of the most magnificently situated California vineyards I have ever visited. Located on a steeply terraced slope on Howell Mountain, the vineyard consists of 18 acres planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc. With nearly 2,000 vines per acre, this is a more tightly spaced vineyard than most con... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City

94 points Wine Spectator: "Wonderful and concentrated, with intense, complex aromas of chocolate and berries. Full-bodied, with very ripe fruit and well-integrated, velvety tannins. Better after 2002." K&L's notes - Elegant, feminine, quite delicate for the vintage, a lovely Bordeaux, showing beautifully. (Joe Zugelder, Old and Rare Buyer) 

Inventory: Redwood City

"Marc and Therese Maniere have been running this family domaine since 1972, and today make their wine by Accad methods: total destemming, and a week-long maceration a froid before fermentation. After that the wine is matured using a goodly proportion of new oak. In recent years they have ceased selling off any of the produce in bulk. There are good things here..." (Clive Coates, "Cote d'Or") 

Inventory: Redwood City

95 points Robert Parker: "This hedonistic Cabernet Sauvignon's saturated purple color is accompanied by an exuberant, sweet, enveloping fragrance of smoky new oak, and jammy blackberry and cassis fruit. In the mouth, this lavishly wooded, black fruit-filled Cabernet is extremely full-bodied, with superb levels of fruit, glycerin, and extract. Like many 1994 Cabernet Sauvignons, it possesses extraordinary equilibrium, with the sweet tannin giving the wine considerable accessibility. The finish lasts for nearly 30 seconds. This will be a fun wine to drink ... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City

Colheita Ports are single year Ports that have been matured in wood for at least seven years, though they are generally bottled just before they leave the cellar, which is usually long after the spirit's seventh birthday. 1982 was a relatively dry year with a very cold winter and warm summer. Budbreak hit earlier than usual, providing lower yields for a small, but delicious Port. These gems are known to take on the mahogany color of old Tawnies with age, along with a complex bouquet, nutty palate and silky texture. 

Inventory: Redwood City

94 points and a Spectator Selection designation from the Wine Spectator: "Distinct currant, cassis, cherry and vanilla flavors are elegant and well focused with harmonous tannins and subtle oak flavors around the edges. It's well balanced and very pretty, finishing with cassis-like flavors. Drink in 1994." (12/88) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

93 points Wine Spectator (05/90). According to Robert Parker: "Very highly regarded by the chateau, I have found the 1978 to be very good... It is dark ruby with a moderately intense bouquet of herbs, black cherries, spice, oak, and leather. On the palate, the wine is medium to full bodied, with a dusty tannic texture." (Bordeaux book, 1998) 

Inventory: Redwood City

According to the Wine Spectator: "Generous and supple up front before the tannins kick in. The plum, cherry, spice and cedar flavors are concentrated and very rich, finishing with good length. Drink in 1995 and beyond." (02/91) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

Philippe Gilbert and his oenologist Jean-Philippe Louis make a great team on this property founded in 1768. From the very first smell, this wine's aromas of citrus and exotic fruits are firmly present. The impression left by the attack is one of suppleness; then an edge that is not completely without fat comes to the fore, giving good tone. Seafood will suit it swimmingly! 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Robert Parker: "The medium-bodied 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon displays some of the attractive gravelly notes often found in this wine, along with black currant fruit, lavender, subtle oak, sweet tannin for the vintage, and a well-balanced, pure finish. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2016." (01/00) 

Inventory: Redwood City

92 points Wine Spectator: "Packed with fruit, layers of plum, cherry, anise and spice, and firm with tannins and oak, it's built for the long haul with deeply concentrated flavors that are just beginning to reveal their potential..." (12/88) 

Inventory: Hollywood

94 points Wine Spectator: "This is an extremely racy and totally harmonious VP, with wonderfully fresh aromas of flowers, fruit and berries. Full-bodied, with a sweet yet firm palate. Long, long finish. Super.--Dow vertical. Drink now." (12/99) 

Inventory: Redwood City

This Chardonnay has Mayacamas' usual fresh and slightly lemony tone with a suggestion of pear, almond and wood. And, as is normal, it will gain depth and complexity for several more years even though we are much enjoying it now. Aged for 18 months in barrique. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

90 points Wine Spectator Issue: Nov 30, 2002 Harmonious red. Plums and blackberries, with hints of flowers, turning to fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, with soft tannins and a long fruity finish. Best after 2005. 500 cases made. (JS) 

Inventory: Redwood City

90 points from the Wine Spectator (Aug. 1992) From Robert Parker...'This 1982 is plump, rich, and concentrated...It offers thick, jammy fruit...There is some tannin in the finish.' (Dec. 1995) 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

91 points and "Highly Recommended" designation from Wine Spectator: "Bold, ripe, smooth and polished. The layers of plum, currant, cherry and blueberry flavors are focused and lively right through the finish. Has the tannin and concentration for cellaring through the decade." (10/94) 

Inventory: Redwood City

Allen Meadows writes: "Note of reduction, which eventually blew off to reveal strong oak hints and sweet black fruit though the rest of the wine was quite closed, and borderline austere in its flavor delivery. There is acceptable density, good structure and nice length. A good if not exceptional effort." (Burghound, 01/01) 

Inventory: Redwood City

This is a new DI property for us producing great wines from some of the top sites in the Kamptal. Michaela Haas is the 4th generation of this family to run the 15 ha domaine. This is Allram's best Riesling, and we think it's one of the best in the Kamptal! Offering peach notes and very full and ripe on the nose, it is wonderfully thick and juicy on the palate, offering both sweet and spicy acid. Delicious now, though there is potential for improvement with cellaring, too! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Robert Parker: "In my October tasting both 1993 Cabernets were more tannic and closed than the 1992s. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is one of the more tannic and backward wines I have tasted from Silver Oak. Now that it has been bottled, it has closed down, displaying far less lushness and obvious concentration than it did last year. The color remains a healthy dark ruby/purple, and the nose offers earthy, toasty new oak, and sweet black fruit aromas. Tight, yet powerful and rich, this full-bodied, dense, atypically backward Cabernet ... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Spectator: "Bright, crisply focused aromas and flavors of apple, pineapple and minerals are tightly wrapped in a sturdy frame. It needs time to lose its austerity and start picking up texture. Drinkable now with oysters, and maybe around 1993 with fish." (01/91) 

Inventory: Redwood City

91 points from Parker: "The 1987 Pickberry will ultimately turn out to be one of the best and longest-lived red table wines Ravenswood has produced. It is more forward, perfumed, and elegant than the more muscular and brawny 1986. However, do not think for a moment that it is anywhere close to maturity. The wine needs at least 4-5 years in the bottle. It displays impeccably pure, rich, herb-tinged red and black fruit flavors, a whiff of spicy oak, and splendid depth and balance. Readers who taste it along side of the 1986 will probably think it to be for... Read More » 

Inventory: San Francisco

95 points Robert Parker: "In 1978, I had the 1961 Pichon Lalande from a magnum in which it was quite unready, but since then I have had the wine several times from a regular bottle (most recently at the chateau in March 1988) where it was equally impressive, and approaching its apogee. The wine is dark, almost opaque in color, with a huge, ripe, plummy bouquet and savory scents of cedar, toffee, and chocolate. The 1961 Pichon Lalande is rich, full bodied, viscous, and deep on the palate with a luscious, silky finish. Stylistically, it is reminiscent of t... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

91 points Wine Spectator: "Typical Martha's Vineyard character, sporting its minty currant overtones. On the palate, sage and cherry notes add dimension...With aeration, the supple texture shows its polish and the flavors turn elegant. Drink now through 2006." (04/96) According to Robert Parker: "The 1991 reveals a deeper ruby/garnet color with a hint of purple, and a shy but attractive perfume of red and black fruits, wood, spice, and a vague notion of mint. On the palate the wine exhibits very good to excellent depth, medium body, and admirable tannin... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The Domaine Leflaive has enjoyed many successful vintages over the years - 1979, 1985, 1986, and 1989 come to mind immediately - but the 1992s are the finest young wines this domaine has produced. Yields averaged 45 hectoliters per hectare, far below most recent vintages. The wines are renowned for their purity and elegance, but the 1992s also display a special level of richness and intensity." (10/93) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse