Better Half

Taittinger

Comtes de Champagne Grand Crus Brut Blanc de Blancs 2013

Working is always better with Champagne. Deep acidity, bright citrus notes, racy on the palate, and a lasting finish. Cheers. — 8 months ago

Andrew, Ted and 16 others liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Pretty deep , narrow ruby rim. Quite rich , almost exotic nose , dark cassis , dark plum, rich spiced blackberry, touch of cocoa , vanilla, smoke. On the palate this is quite rich but also very elegant with balanced refreshing acidity . Cassis , mineral , grafite , dark cherry. Ripe but very present tannins . Long and refined finish . After a while becoming more mineral and quite serious . Needs time , better in 5-10 years and last well a further 10-15 . This is a very successful showing and though obviously very young is enjoyable and involving to drink at the moment. — 9 months ago

Daniel, Jan and 14 others liked this

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1966

Opened earlier in the day and double-decanted to be served several hours later. The 1966 pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core. This is red fruit heavy and sanguine with ferrous earth, leather, and old wood. The tannins are firm still. An almost evergreen St-Estèphe that’s iron clad and tough as nails. Better than good but at nearly 60 years old, will it ever relax? Hard to say. It would likely survive another 60 years but it’s hard to imagine it evolving a lot considering where we’re at today. So...drink now, I guess? — 9 months ago

Lyle, Jan and 14 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Ain't getting better. Tasted two bottles in 2023. Holding up more than expected but time's a ticking...
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

👏 👏

Silver Oak

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Big and bold but also balanced. This time it is better than I remember. Cheers. — 2 years ago

Ericsson, Lyle and 14 others liked this

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2003

2003. Last bottle was 3 years ago, and this one I liked better. Starts out austere with evidence of a difficult hot year. But after hours in the decanter it cycled thru some almost port like caramelized tapenades and ended the evening with a somewhat strange but delicious red crème brûlée thing. So if you have one… I suggest patience thru the awkward opening hours to get to the awkward good part. Cheers. — 4 years ago

Jason, Andrew and 11 others liked this
Trixie

Trixie

Like the sippy cup! 🥤 Cheers!

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Pulled this from the cellar for an international guest. Still holding up well; much better than the 1983. — 6 years ago

Beaulieu Vineyard

Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1981

Happy birthday J. Fantastic at 38 years. Not showing any ill affects of age. Velvety with nice juicy fruit and secondary notes of leather, bitter chocolate, forest floor and only soft thread of tertiary notes on the finish. Still had tannins. This was 2 of 2 and this drank as good, if not better, than the one last year. A pleasure.
Paired with A5 NY strip.
— 6 years ago

Shay, Mike and 6 others liked this
P A

P A

@WC Fields Cheers 🍷

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Very nice, different from the traditional Napa cab. Firm tannins, should be decanted. Last glass the next day did better (under vacuum) — 8 years ago

Matt liked this
Matt Duncan

Matt Duncan Influencer Badge

That's some fine Alexander Valley Cab! Thank you @Jim Enloe !

Jordan Vineyard & Winery

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Old school. Has some of that over extracted warmth but nothing compared to the Napa Valley juice from the same year. Nice leather tones. Good stuff. Will only get better with age. On the upward slope. — 9 years ago

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2013

2013 vintage. Tasty stuff. Better than 2012. — 10 years ago

Anthony liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2019

Just a half bottle test.. way way too early. Decanted and it needed a solid hour before it unfolded at all. Great structure lurking but this experience was impaired by immaturity. — 8 months ago

Andrew, Jan and 19 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2014

I had the 2014 Latour a couple of years back. It was from a half bottle and I remember it was rather disappointing. But this wine has really come around. Or maybe it has been developing much better in a full size bottle. Today it’s graceful, with great posture and in perfect balance. A timeless beauty. I had a few 2014 (both left and right bank) lately and I find them very appealing right now. A unsung vintage that turned out pretty good imo. — 9 months ago

Billy, Andrew and 3 others liked this

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2006

Solid but not elite Yquem. Possessed all the depth and complexity you would expect but was more narrow without the focus you get in a better vintage. — a year ago

Jan, Ira and 17 others liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Paul H
9.4

When they say bring your A game you can think of this bottle. This is an amazing glass of wine. It benefits from decanting for a good bit. Upon opening I thought of dusty plum and cedar on the nose. Tasting brought plum, currant, blackberries, vintage leather plus an array of other items indicative of this style of big wine. There is a good mix of tannins and acid that makes this a classic great glass of wine. I want to try it again in a few years to see how much better it may get. — 4 years ago

Matt, Shay and 6 others liked this

Krug

Grande Cuvée Brut Champagne Blend

Krug is always most welcome, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. This is edition 169. A bit more yeasty and slightly less acidic than previous versions, to my taste. But if you like the Krug style - which we do very much - it hits the spot per usual.

My wife used to work with Fritz Hatton, proprietor of Arietta wines and auctioneer for Zachys. Fritz always says to have a half bottle of champagne waiting in the fridge in case you need a “midnight snack”, and I have to agree with him!
— 5 years ago

Severn, Michael and 13 others liked this
Severn G

Severn G Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Reminds me, I need a Krug split in the fridge!

Château Léoville Poyferré

Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2004

One of the better drinking 04’s. Full bodied with red berry, plum fruits, leather, sweet spices & tobacco. — 6 years ago

Iwan, Paul and 18 others liked this

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2010

Cathy Corison
9.7

Pinch me. Half bottle. Earth, plums and flowers. Buttered toast. Leather and cassis. — 7 years ago

Brad, Guy and 49 others liked this
Shawn R

Shawn R Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Nice pull!

Ridge Vineyards

Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Blend 2011

Showing a touch of integrated wood and lots of big black cherry fruit, with good persistence and a nice dry finish. Excellent now but should be better in 2-3 more years. — 8 years ago

P, Riddley and 22 others liked this

Krug

Brut Champagne Blend 1985

1985 en magnum. Disappointing. Starting to turn oxidative. Seemed to get better over time. Has been in my 52 degree cellar since release. Other bottles have been fine. Even 750's. Go figure. — 9 years ago

Conrad, LM and 1 other liked this

Heitz Cellar

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

1973. Awesome. Tasted better than a lot of wines produced in this decade — 10 years ago

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

My second time trying the 2016 vintage. I’ll hang on to my remaining bottles as it’s only getting better. — 8 months ago

Somm, Peter and 4 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2007

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of black fruits, cedar, spices, chocolates, coffee, licorice, light vanilla and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, cooked cherries, tobacco leaf, dark coffee, cedar, earth, dark chocolates, licorice, cola, spices, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 17 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon feels more like a Left Bank Bordeaux. Fruit forward with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Showing great complexity and delicious, but I expected more from this great 2007 vintage. I had the 2001 not too long ago, and it was so much better.

Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food. A good food wine too.

A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$350.
— 9 months ago

Paul, Juan and 15 others liked this

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2013

Double decanted two nights before service. The 2013 Insignia pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing but still quite youthful with notes of tart and ripe dark fruit: dense brambles, purple flowers, tobacco, vanilla and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. At 11 years of age, this remains tightly coiled and needs more time to open up and tell more of its story. All that being said, this is very good now…but to my palate, better after 2027 and through 2043. — 10 months ago

Ely, Jan and 12 others liked this

Château Cheval Blanc

St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1988

jesus g
9.4

Way better from large format — a year ago

Shay A
with Shay
Shay, Vanessa and 32 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

This makes me want to cry.

Justin Vineyards & Winery

Isosceles Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2016

We had the 2016 Vintage on 4/11-12/21. Medium purple in color. Black fruit and a floral bouquet. Black cherry, plum, current, oak and vanilla on the palate. Full bodied, very fruit forward, smoothed out tannins. A good representative of Paso Robles. One of the better wines from there. Would buy more. — 4 years ago

Corison

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

Holding up very well. Magnum helps. Keeps getting better with time. Not even beginning to fade. Wine Tasting at Andy and Elaine’s. — 6 years ago

Bonnie Hodur
with Bonnie

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1955

From a great old looking bottle with a top shoulder fill and solid cork. Old light brick color, translucent. Notes of tart cherry, cola, some wood and some dry earth. Rustic. Still has reasonable fruit and structure. This bottle was better than the last one. — 6 years ago

Byron, Eric and 10 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2004

My 28th/29th/30th & 31st bottles of the beautiful 04 & @ £40 & they are still superb value for a stunning old world Rioja 👍 & keep getting better & better 😁

🍷 Garnet w/ brick edge

👃 Old world Seduction of soft smokey oak, leather, plum, spiced cherry, vanilla, red berry & fig jam w/ a balsamic prune tone

👄 Med body of silky creamy red cherry/berry driven earthy & oaky mashed fruits with cocoa, fig & thick balsamic

🎯 Long soft smooth oaky rich cherry fruit linger with earthy cocoa & balsamic
— 7 years ago

Chris, Greg and 34 others liked this
Ruud Verhagen

Ruud Verhagen

Great value Chris !!👍🏻
Chris England

Chris England

@Ruud Verhagen agree & can’t wait to try the 09 just released 😁👍🍷

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

Hermitage Syrah

Darn. Not showing tonight. Dominated by acid and tannin. Fruit just isn't ripe enough to hold up. Did better with food — 10 years ago

Jon MaxwellMichael OchsnerJon Robinson
with Jon, Michael and 1 other
Anthony liked this