It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Dark ruby in color with a purple rim.
Beautiful nose and medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing red and black fruits with cedar, licorice, chocolates, herbs, light earth, spices, tobacco leaf, dark coffee and light green vegetables.
Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This iconic Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Santa Cruz Mountains in California is still very young, but already delicious, even by itself.
Needs a few hours to open up properly, and will continue to age nicely in the next 30 years. Showing good potential to become a 95+ point wine.
A great sipping wine that paired beautifully with my Lamb chops.
A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in American oak barrels for 20 months.
13.8% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$300. — 12 days ago
At first I scored this 99 points, flirting with perfection just like the 1999 Dunn Howell Mountain we had in our glass moments before. However after 15-20 minutes in the glass it began to fade and aged characteristics like tea leaves and Maggi began to emerge and the color went much more brown. Still a very good wine. — 2 months ago
Tasted blind . Médium deep ruby with medium wide ruby rim , slightly younger looking than the rest. Quite spicy dark fruits , touch of pain grillé , mineral , grafite , cedar . On the palate this has a lot of grip and density , but also great balance . Spicy dark fruits , touch of grafite and earthy cedar . Quite rounded mouthfeel. Balanced acidity and grippy ripe tannins . Long balanced finish . Overall this showed well , with a roundness and balance , lovely fruit still , really quite open and fresh . With more time this show a floral character with lovely precision . Of all the wines this though very young is probably showing the most today . Even better in 5-10 years and will last well a further 10-20. Had this down as Haut Brion . This took the silver medal . 96
— 3 months ago
Medium deep ruby with a thin garnet ruby rim . Quite closed with some grafite, hickory , cedar and crème de cassis , dark cherry , red plum , quite dense but with quite a classic , dusty profile . On the palate this is again quite classic , with crème de cassis , cedar , blackberry, plum . Good acidity and fine , gritty tannin , well balanced . Pretty good length with a saline, grafite touch. With time
in the glass this is drinking quite well , still showing dark fruit and youthfulness but at the same time quite classic and serious. Probably will improve over the next 5 years or so and last well a further 5-10 — 4 months ago
Drinking this pre-release bottle of this iconic wine from Bordeaux.
Light gold in color.
Strong nose and Full-bodied.
Sweet on the palate with high acidity to balance the sugars.
Showing melons, tropical fruits, apples, light earth, guava, herbs, spices, papaya and honey notes.
Long finish with herbs and tropical fruits.
This is a gorgeous sweet wine from Bordeaux. Sexy, seductive and fresh. Creamy and buttery.
Showing great potential, but oh so young. Already delicious and complex. Round, opulent and powerful.
Loved the nose once it opened up (20 minutes in the glass).
Rich and extracted. Fruit forward and intense, yet elegant. Well balanced with a soft mouthfeel.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food. Drunk from a Magnum.
A blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.
154 g/l sugar.
14% alcohol by volume.
96 points.
$500. — 4 months ago
2003 vintage. Opened and decanted without issues or concerns. Used a Durand to open and cork was in great shape. Tasted after 30 minutes. The usual light-medium body. Plenty of polish at the 20+ year marker with unanticipated, ruff splash of chunkiness on the finish. Approx 4-5 years away from the absolute, top of the bell curve now but, given the pedigree, could possibly absorb that timescape another 5-spot and I wouldn't argue. Drink now or later. Either or. Ain't gonna disappoint unless you swing exclusively on Napa mountain fruit vines. 7.1.26. — 14 days ago
Super clean and still quite youthful, this is a GREAT example of a 1980s CdP from a vintage of little surmaturite, so awesome balance and perfect acidity suggests this vintage will easily last another 5-10 years!! — 2 months ago

Medium lemon straw , some fine lightly persistent perlage . Quite steely and minerally on the nose , some lemon pith , orange rind , white flowers , buttered brioche . Quite classic and lean in style. This has drive and persistence on the palate , electric acidity , with intense mineral , lemon rind , chalky depth . Still pretty young , taught , with good freshness and long length . With time drinking well but will improve over at least the next 5 years and last well a further 5 - 10 — 3 months ago
One of the best Pinots I’ve had from anywhere this year. Also I should state the only note I’ve been able to put on Delectable out of 4 attempts. The previous 3 have disappeared. Light in colour and a beautifully fragrant wine with Medium + intensity. 98 points from Huon Hooke and he made this comment, “A mesmerising wine - surely one of Bindi’s best ever “. I can only agree. This is a top quality Pinot Noir no matter the origin and will probably reach the end of HH’s drinking window of 2034. This Is easily of Premier Cru and in some cases Grand Cru standard. — 4 months ago

This is lovely wine and 10 years later, it’s still not quite ready for prime time. It’s a long runner so no real hurry. The cassis and cocoa will integrate with the dark berry eventually but I’m gonna let this rest another 5-10 years to enjoy as this vintage and this wine deserves. It’s very good now. Don’t get me wrong and it’s perfectly approachable but greater potential lies Ashe’s — 4 days ago
Phenomenal wine. Tannins are completely softened with dark fruits. Incredibly enjoyable. The 2009 still going strong 17 years later. This can easily stay in bottle another 5-10 years. — 3 days ago
Tasted blind. Medium deep garnet ruby and medium garnet ruby rim . Quite cool and restrained , again lots of grafite and mineral , dark fruits . This is quite deep and dark spicy cassis , blackberry and sea spray , saline . Quite dense and robust on the palate again , lots of fine but ripe tannins. Very long , dense , cassis , cedar grafite saline finish . This is a complete and great example of 2005 , great balance and enormous length , the longest of all on show here. Drinkable now , but surely it’s best days are in the future , wait another 5 -10 years , will last well a further 20 - 25 if not more . The apex of 2005 ? For me this had to be the Latour , and an archetypal example of Latour no less . 1st place and the gold medal . — 3 months ago
2nd wine . Medium garnet ruby, thin garnet rim . Quite serious and mineral , more grafite and , tobacco , seaside scents , spice . Quite cool and elegant in the mouth , sweeter tannin though quite dense still on the palate . Cassis , grafite , cocoa and tobacco finish . Quite rich , good length , spiced finish. This is quite refined and elegant , well balanced freshness , if rounder , more plump than the others (alcohol perhaps ? This is 14,5% but it doesn’t stick out ). Again quite young , needs another 5 years and will last a further 10 or so . Had this down as the Margaux ! — 3 months ago
On the nose I get spectacular dark fruit and spices, on the palate not so much: notes of graphite, licorice, grilled bacon, cocoa nibs, coffee grounds, charcoal and black olives show up.
LW5 is mainly from vintage 2015 and 2014, with a splash (14%) of 2013 and 2012; only 4955 btls made.
PS: even better on day 2! — 4 months ago
Big Wave Dave
Outstanding block 5. Much more concentration and power than precious vintages. Strawberry, raspberry, pepper, wood spice. The power of the very best from Central Otago but with an elegance.
Really great pinot.
— a month ago