It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Nice color of dark ruby with a reddish rim.
Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and black tea.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, coffee, herbs, chocolates, light oak, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco leaf and black pepper.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious Merlot based blend from Saint Julien. Elegant and spicy. Fruit forward and chocolatey.
I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent and always delicious, especially with age.
This 7 year old 4th growth Bordeaux is starting to drink beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
Well balanced, complex and interesting. Rich and inviting.
Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.
A blend of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$150. — 4 months ago
13.5% ABV Salute to Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier in France. Lulu’s father owned the vineyard , and she along with her husband took it over. Sadly we lost her in October 2020 at the age of 102 y/o. This is a blend of old vine Mataro and Grenache. Light salmon color, watermelon initially , later apple. Very nice! — 4 years ago
Got this at Look’s Market in early fall 2021. Was a ready good Zin. Price was in the mid $40’s. Would buy again. — 4 years ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim. Doesn't show much age.
Beautiful nose with red and black fruits, chocolates, tobacco leaf, vegetables, forest floor, black tea, earth, coffee, herbs, spices, black pepper and wildflowers.
Full bodied and soft with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, black plums, currants, oak, light chocolates, coffee, mushrooms, licorice, tobacco leaf, earth, herbs and spices.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a gorgeous 24 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Saint Julien. Rich and elegant. Spicy and very complex. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.
Drinking at its peak now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.
A great sipping wine that is so much fun to drink by itself.
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (33% new) French oak barrels for 18 months.
13% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$150. — 2 months ago

(Two previous 1983 wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from my CT).
Continuing a run of ‘83s over the last 3-6 months, this not only showed quite well, but it was at its best after almost two hours in the bottle. Whereas the ‘83 Pichon was clean and elegant, this was a bit more dense and powerful. Beautifully expressive aromatics of potpourri, espresso, fig and leather with a flavor profile mostly on the red/black fruit side of the spectrum. The mid-palate showed good weight and continued to bulk-up during the evening. Old cherry-tobacco note at the finish. Honestly, this drank like it was more early ‘90s than it was early ‘80s. Good. — 10 months ago
This current vintage, 2020, is the best I’ve had over the last few. This funky, crunchy blend of mostly Carignan with a splash of Pais, has been a consistent favorite in my house for its immense drinkability, freshness, and individuality. This wine scratches a specific itch every time. — 4 years ago
Cleaning out my cellar for a move or at least reduce what i have. All 3 E&M‘s 14,15,16 Liaisons should be consumed within 30 minutes upon opening they are good to go drink up! Within 2 hours they loose appeal. I stand corrected - this one went through a down phase and then came back after 24 hours. The freshest and brightest of my recent trifecta of E&M and also the most pale. Still quite tannic. Touch peach? Sour raspberry, hint lime 🍋🟩. Crushed marble. Quite acidic. The 14 was the clear winner. In all cases the cork was quite soft and almost all the way moist to the top. — 4 months ago
Plenty of tannins left. 25bucks. Those were the days! 14%| Quite classic. Browne tinge. Needs at least 2-3 hours of air. Quite harsh and astringent. Roses, earthy and dusty, very dry. Hint of truffles. - Not super exciting at first (15min) so wait. Will last another 10 years - but i do worry about the fruit component if you need space in your cellar - i would suggest drink up. I will. Some folks tend to hype these wines i don’t - after all this is their most basic version with a large production volume. Total volume is 500,000 bottles a year at this cooperative. My guess they to make a lot of this one. — 7 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
This is a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley.
Dark ruby in color with a brick rim.
Full bodied and smooth.
Dry and fruity on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vegetables, coffee and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 23 year old is elegant and powerful. Rich and extracted, with a nice mouthfeel.
Good by itself as a sipping wine. Well balanced with great complexity. I just love these Napa Bordeaux blends.
Robert Parker 98 points. Wine Enthusiasts 94 points.
A great quality wine that will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
A blend of of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
14.1% alcohol by volume.
96 points.
$400. — 2 years ago

Doug Powers
I’ve waxed (eloquent? Well, at least waxed!! 🤔) about the virtues and quality of this excellent 2020 Zinfandel multiple times, but this wine is still punching well above its weight (the so-called “leftovers” that didn’t make the single vineyard cut), long finish, lovely!! Going to the Bedrock pickup party in Sonoma tomorrow to get some of the 2024s I’ve already purchased, so this is a great warmup!! — 2 months ago