Doug Powers

9.5

Cigar box, cassis, lovely, complex and layered on the palate, long, lingering, very clean and fresh finish, this bottle is hitting on all cylinders, beautiful old Bordeaux to go with the rib roast!! — a day ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.3

This wine seems finally mature, with tannins fully resolved, but still showing a firm backbone and structure, fresh acidity, very good balance, lingering finish, always a good wine for me. Funny anecdote about Sociando-Mallet, at least in the 1980s they used the worst “glue” on their labels, so about 1/3 of them fall off — as long as the bottles are in OWCs, not a big deal, but this is one where the label did fall off. 🤔🤷 — 5 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.5

Violets, violets and more violets aromatically, after sitting in the decanter for 15 minutes, this wine decided to show its still youthful tannin, likely to inform me that it was still way too young to drink, long finish, but ideally needs more cellaring, one of my favorite Bordeaux ever, I have some more bottles so will wait on those, amazing!! — 7 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.3

Lemon, intense minerality, saline, sea breeze, wildflowers, incredibly complex without heaviness, long, lingering finish, great Sicilian Bianco!! — 2 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.2

Lovely aged red Rhone, this wine has 15 varietals (red and white) co-fermented and aged 12 months in oak barriques, 14% ABV, though no hint of too much, great balance and complexity, lingering finish, very fine and Special!! — 4 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.2

Medium-dark red-purple color, beautiful redfruit aromas and flavors, with medium-toast oak showing as a seasoning the background, pretty sound structure and backbone, solid acidity, long, lingering finish, excellent California mountain Merlot (w/25% Cabernet Sauvignon). The sheer quality and complexity of this bottle is a wonderful tribute to the vision of Barbara and Jim Richards, who I am certain would be very proud, with Paloma now being ably run by their son Sheldon and his family. — 5 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.9

So, my long time wine group buddy brought this bottle from his cellar, absolutely stunning 36-year-old Bordeaux, but honestly, it tasted like a 10-year-old wine, so fresh and so amazingly long on the finish, honestly needs another 25-30 years in the cellar, nigh perfect!! — 7 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

8.3

Good color, faint VA aromatically detracts, better than the 2001, but just OK (albeit a little better than the 2001). Rough night?!?! — 3 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

8.1

This CdR blend (mostly Syrah, a dollop of Grenache) is light, simple, and has completely faded from its former glory (Eric Solomon was importing this from, I believe, a southern Rhone co-op, we drank a fair amount of the 1995 & 1998, which were terrific.). Oh well, my fault for losing this bottle in a box with other really good stuff. I would note that an identical bottle from 6 years ago showed great (shrug)!! — 3 days ago

with Jim

Doug Powers

9.4

Gold Cap (Bessards-Meal blend), purchased at Marche-aux-Vins in Ampuis in January, 2009, this shows lovely aromatics of iron, mineral, some floral as well, very tight, structured palate with mostly black fruit flavors, clean, balanced, very long finish, ideally needs more cellaring, but I think I only bought 1 so that’s not happening, great Syrah from Hermitage!! — 6 days ago

with Jim