A top vintage for Unico, and one to live forever, 04 is in an amazing spot, decadently layered and hedonistic with an impeccable balance of both power and elegance. The palate is expansive, silky and rich with melting tannins and massive length. A stellar Unico. — 10 months ago
Honoring my marvelous father with a meal and wine he would have appreciated with gusto. We wish he was here to share it with us, but are deeply grateful that his spiritual presence remains so strong in our hearts today and every day. 💕
This blend is predominantly (78%) Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot. 🍷 It hails from the Haut-Médoc region on the “left bank” of Bordeaux, 🇫🇷 more specifically, the Pauillac AOC. Pauillac is a highly-regarded commune, with favorable growing conditions, known for producing some outstanding quality wines. 👌👌 This wine is no exception. 😆
🏰 Château Grad-Puy-Lacoste is a cru classé, ranked among, and a neighbor to, the region’s top estates. It’s incredible to think the first vines planted on this property date back to the 1500s, making it one of the oldest properties in the region.
We decanted this wine for several hours, which helped it soften and release its layered aromatics.
👁 The color is deep garnet with notable tearing.
👃 On the nose it has medium(+) intensity and concentration of developing aromas. The aromas include ripe black fruit such as cassis, black cherry, blackberry, and plum, as well as other non-fruit notes like black licorice, pencil shavings, and violet. It has secondary notes of clove, nutmeg, allspice, cedar, also tertiary notes of wet earth, tobacco, leather, meat, fig, and mushroom.
👄 This wine is dry and its flavors on the palate are consistent with the nose.
This wine has balance, complexity, a strong structure, with firm, grippy tannins, and a long elegant finish. 👏👏
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, vintage 2011, ABV 13.5%. — 4 years ago
This wine amazed me, I’ve had it before and it’s never shown this well, maybe just hitting it’s stride? Beautiful perfumed floral nose ( never thought I would say that about a Dunn), exquisite balance, the fruit is slightly sweet, the tannins are fully integrated and refined, with just the right amount of acid in the finish. I would never guess mountain fruit or let alone Dunn if tasted blind. Can’t wait to try it again in a couple of years. — 7 years ago
Perfect full feel and good acidity. It's as expected, delicious old world balance. Fruit and spice on the nice finish.... — 9 years ago
First, a person has to pause and realize how lucky they are to drink this wine from 3L. Thanks Clyde for opening. This is in a perfect stage. Such evolution, length, balance, structure. Love the lower 80's alcohol levels. It's rich, lush and near perfect. Dark cassis; ripe and resolved blackberries, dark cherries, black plum w/skin, mixed berry liqueur, tobacco leaf, leather so soft you would wish it as a pillow cover, dry pebbles, dark rich earth, perfect acidity and a rich, elegant, ripe dark fruit finish. In 3L, this wine still has 10-15 years. — 9 years ago
Very impressive. Wild mint aroma finds seamless balance in mid palate after pure Cabernet attack. Tannins rise subtly on palate and betray their youth only briefly at the resolution. — 10 years ago
"How to get away with ....Cab Sav" nice balance with nice oak finish.... — 11 years ago
Popped and poured. We enjoyed this as an apéritif so no formal notes but this was absolutely delicious. So easy to love; phenomenal balance. Like so many 2013’s, this is great on the pop and pour and easier to appreciate than the 2012’s which simply need a lot more time. — 9 months ago
Good god. Peaking right now.
Huge aromatics on the nose. Superb weight, balance and texture. No rush to consume. Cedar and macerated black cherries transition to coffee and hints of maple. Blew me away. In raptures over this. Direct from the winery when I lived in Europe. — 10 months ago
One of the most pleasant and unexpected surprises in this tasting, the 2006 Pichon Lalande is gorgeous, which is something I can’t say about too many wines in a vintage marked by climatic ups and downs and irregular ripening. Dark, powerful and intense, the 2006 possesses exceptional balance. A host of black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and menthol flesh out in this decidedly somber, virile Pichon Lalande. In a vintage in which so many wines are so rustic, the 2006 Pichon Lalande is all class. This sleeper Pichon Lalande will drink well for at least the next two decades, perhaps longer. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Oct 2017) — 8 years ago
Outstanding purity and balance. Prime window now. — 9 years ago
Super drinkable - aawesome fruit nose, dry finish. A hint of heat but fantastic balance. — 11 years ago
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. No formal notes due to the setting. The 2018 is a fairly classic expression of Beaucastel with a mixed bramble fruit set, underbrush, herbs and spices in lovely balance. Good structure. While still on the youthful side, the 2018 is already showing well and was an awesome accompaniment with a wagyu burger. Drink now through 2038. — 9 months ago
Aroma is uncanny; a perfume of rose petals and coconut cream wafting from the glass. Totally beguiling. Vanilla and marzipan lead the way with fresh and dried red berries, red cherries, dried flowers and orange peel. So polished, but this needs more time for the oak and fruit to integrate. The 2010 Ardanza remains my favorite now for its classical balance. — 4 years ago
1988 vintage
Fantastic balance and complexity. — 7 years ago
A softened ruby color. Beautiful balance, everything in harmony. Wet earth, raspberry, cinnamon, a whiff of truffle, intoxicating nose. So much ripe, fresh red fruit on the palate. Such soft tannins, damson plum, a mineral streak running through. Drinking a 15 year old wine for 15th anniversary of diabetes. This is splendid in the moment — 8 years ago
Spectacular! Mind blowing. One of my top 10 of all time. On every serious wine lover’s bucket list, and here we had a nigh perfect bottle. While aromatically a little recalcitrant, you still got some of the Margaux violets and potpourri on the nose, hints of clove, all trying to shake off their doldrums. But on the palate, it was timelessly ravishing. The finesse, richness, balance and smoothness, with an underlying, almost flabbergasting mixture of complexity and delicacy, was just astonishing. The finish is marvelously sweet and intense, with chocolate and cassis and utterly seamless tannins. This is a miracle of wine making and an exaltation of vintage and terroir besides. Wow! And bravo! We can only pray for an encore of such a wine. — 9 years ago
Absolutely excellent. Even with 15 years in the bottle there was some spice, beautiful plum and coffee with fantastic balance. — 10 years ago
Extremely happy with Krug's 03. Great balance of ripe fruit, minerality and acidity. — 11 years ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2018 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 15 mins and one hour. Beautifully feminine and expressive nose leapt out of the decanter. Medium body. Nice balance of dark fruits and tannins but slightly disjointed. A bigg Napa vintage so either another decade or a three hour tour...er...decant would seem to be the ticket here. 01.31.25. — 8 months ago