We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from October 14, 1999:

97 Clos de l'Obac (Priorat)--Closed up aromatically. Cherry, acidic, citrus juice. Smooth finish. Not too much oak showing. Overpriced at $43. 88(+?)

96 Dominio de Pingus (Ribera del Duero)--Not the Flor de Pingus. Dark color. Blackberry aromas. Sweet nose, sweet attack. Brooding wine. Just hinting at  its future. Iron, minerals. Dense, intense tight black fruit. Long, talcky, tannic finish. Needs 6-8+ years. 95+

96 Caprai Sagrantino de Montefalco--Medium dark. Initially closed bouquet. Unusual flavors: Raspberry, anise. Acidic, tart finish (what more could one ask of an Italian wine?). Not bad, but weird. Over the course of a couple hours, it smoothed out and actually went nicely with pizza margherita. 88(+?)

97 Ralph Fowler Shiraz--OK. Now we're starting to take off. Huge nose. Jammy, briary, black fruit. Balanced, lovely. Good acid. Spicy, chewy. Delicious. 93+

98 Clos D'Estaing Shiraz (Kangaroo Island, Aussie)--Inky dark purple. Somewhat closed compared to Fowler. Briary blackberry aromas. Suave, silky texture. Good  complexity, lowish acid, slight briny quality that affects many shiraz. Good long finish. Blueberry, oak. Surprisingly, very little back-end tannins. 92+

97 Garretson Aisling Syrah (Paso Robles Fralich and Barry Vineyards)--Medium dark color. Unusual menthol, eucalyptus nose. Sweet fruit bomb. Lush. Orange, cherry, bubble gum (did someone say "tutti fruity"?). Good fun wine with a lot of acid, long finish. It had been decanted for several hours, but there is a  possibility that it was a touch gassy, but had mostly blown off. 89

97 Alban Syrah "Lorraine"--Dark! Very forward funky, oaky, Rhonish nose. Suave, Cote Rotie-like. Very classy. Black fruit, silky tannin. Balanced. Sweet fruit. Hell of a wine! 94+

98 Clos D'Estaing Cabernet--Very dark. Forward nose of toasty oak, cassis, game, meat. Lush, low acid, silky smooth. Very different, shiraz-like, briny with blueberry (!). Not especially varietal. Soft finish. 90

96 Bacio Divino Proprietary Red (66% Cab, 17% Sangiovese, 9% Petite Sirah, 8% Merlot)--Medium dark. Nice and stinky nose. Briary. Sweet attack. Good acid and tannins. Sweet cherry, oak. Very long, tannic finish. Very dense. Needs 4-6 years. I like it a lot. 93+

96 Dalla Valle Cabernet--Dark. Flavors of Burgundy cherry, vanilla, cocoa, oak. Black fruit, chewy coarse tannins. Long, somewhat clunky. Dominated by hefty oak. A hint of adhesive tape holds all the elements together. Needs 6-8 years. 91+

96 Araujo Cabernet--Medium dark. Somewhat closed. Lush, suave, classy, integrated. Lacks some mid-palate density. Seemless flavors. Cherry, chocolate, blueberry. Good length. Expect to gain weight with time. 94(+?)

96 Bryant Family Cabernet--Medium dark. Closed bouquet. Typical Bryant treatment. Suave, vanilla oak dominated. Silky tannins, big classy finish with good grip. Seemless. Drink over next 5-15 years. 98+

97 Ojai Syrah Henry Daniel Cuvee--Very dark. Minty, vanilla nose. Syrupy, over the top. Sweet fruit. Really incredible, almost indescribable. Fantastic! A  complete package. Very long. Spicy, berry concentrate. 97

I hear Tom shouting from the choir stand for a BLOODY PULPIT! His wish is granted:

Lafon Volnay? Probably needs a few years. Last night it was in a larval stage.

The Pingus is impressive, but it is also very tight. Once it emerges, it should be thrilling. Worth $110? I'm glad I got some.

I'd not heard of the Fowler and D'Estaing producers. Their shiraz were very different from one another, but very good. But priced over $40 I have to wonder whether the Aussies are going to price themselves into oblivion before they even get a toe hold here.

Aisling is pronounced "Ash-ling". Priced at $23 a bottle, it's a better wine for the money than, say, Eberle. Good effort. Fun wine. Gotta see what the future will hold for Matt Garretson.

John Alban's syrah is BETTER than even Tom Hill gives him credit for!

I've read some negative comments about Bacio Divino. Despite the clatter from the rafters, I have to say that their 96 Red is damn good. Is it worth $65 when you  can get CAYMUS CAB for the same money?! Well, it's different. And enjoyable.

The Dalla Valle Napa was a disappointment. Too clunky to compete in their price range. Next...

96 Araujo is less a wine than the 95, but not by much. I expect it will gain weight over the next 3-5 years, not that it needs to. It is wonderful to drink now, just not the heavy hitter of the previous 2 vintages. 

96 Bryant has more substance than the superb 95. While the 95 showed immediate plushness and seductiveness, it lacked depth. The 96 supplies the depth and shows more in the finish. This will be long-lived by current CA standards.

The Ojai Henry Daniel Syrah is unlike any syrah I've ever had, though it has more in common with the 96 Clarendon Blewitt Grenache in terms of sweet candied fruit elements. Truly exotic, mind-blowing wine, regardless of what it is made of. If  Tom Hill hasn't already piped in from the choir (with his distinctive, piercing falsetto), I'll sing its praises thusly, "World Class!" Find it. Get it.