Black Oak

La Rioja Alta

Viña Alberdi Reserva Rioja Tempranillo 2020

Tasted during WSET Level 2 class on 6/9/25. Very good tenparanillo. Mix of red and black fruits, hints of spice! — 11 days ago

Domaine Jamet

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2013

2013 vintage. Sweet fill and cork. Trashy label. Slightly less sed than expected. Big nose on the decant. Tasted after 1 hour open and 5 hours open. Medium heavy body. Roasted nuts, earth, plummy fruit and grilled beef nose and flavors. Finishing palate added a finely ground black pepper note. Consistent throughout and absolutely delicious. 05.23.25. — a month ago

David, Bob and 11 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2010

Somm David T
9.4

2010 is a vintage to leave to your children if you bought this at 50 years old forward. This is a 50-60 year wine with proper storage.

The nose shows nice ruby, fruits of; dark cherries, cherries, strawberries with a dark currant center, blackberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Chocolate mousse, melted, milk chocolate, light caramel, moist sage, warm, slightly sweet dark earth with withering dark & red florals.

The palate is warm, inviting & beautiful. Easy to drink. Dark cherries, cherries, strawberries with a dark currant center, blackberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Red cola/licorice, dark chocolate, melted, milk chocolate, light caramel, moist sage, warm, oak barrel shavings, moist, dark earth w/ dry leaves, celery, used leather, moist tobacco, with withering dark & red florals. Perfect acidity with an excellently balanced, nicely knitted, perfect tension & structure with elegance for days the falls evenly on ripe fruits & soft earthiness.

94-96 in another 10 years. Outside chance at 97.
— 2 months ago

Rob, David and 24 others liked this
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

Great wine from a great vintage

Oak Ridge Winery

OZV Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel

Pleasantly surprised how good this is for less than $9. Bright fruity nose. Sweet dark cherries, raspberries, baking spice. Full bodied slightly jammy and smooth as silk with pleasing lingering finish. — 3 months ago

Trefethen Family Vineyards

Oak Knoll District Chardonnay 2023

Beautiful and light on its feet. Dry - very well made! Fantastic fruit. Very fresh. Honey. Meyer lemon, mandarine, just a faint touch of 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN) aka Diesel. Touch bitter on the back palate. As a chemist i just had to bring this up. At 24 suns in Oceanside. 2 Michelin Chefs cooking. Grab this bargain before it is gone!!!!!! — 4 months ago

Tom and Shay liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Deep Ruby with aromas of blue & black fruits, sweet spice & slight mineral character. A blend of mostly Cab Sauvignon with small amounts of Malbec, Petit Verdot & Cab Franc from their estate-owned Napa Valley vineyards, aged 18 months French (62%) & American oak (38%) (about 50% new). Palate, complex flavors, blackberry, plums & cherry with sweet spice, oak & tobacco notes. Well balanced with good acidity & developing tannins. Full-bodied, long finish ending with pepper & wood spice. Nice! — 4 months ago

Neil, Joe and 5 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2005

An extremely well-cellared bottle with pristine cork. Deep, complex, full-bodied and tasting like it still has many good years. Notes of black cherry, currant, leather and spice. Comparable to the best left bank Bordeaux. — 4 months ago

Penfolds

Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet Shiraz 2022

Ripe blackberry jam, black fruits, violets and milk chocolate on the nose and palate. Light notes of leather and smoke are also present. Should pair well with mint & cumin lamb chops. — 8 days ago

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

Decant for sediment (lots of chunky/fine sediment) and pour. A stunning medium ruby red color with little signs of aging. On the nose: big inviting notes of dark fruit/currants, worn leather, herbaceous, smoked meat, funky earth, menthol. Taste: silky, evolved, expressive structure with brambly plum, currants, old leather, dark chocolate, graphite, and a black raspberry-iron-dried herb long finish. YUM! It's what's you want in an aged Napa cab, and glad to have just acquired 3 more bottles. — a month ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Deborah and 18 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Another tip: I keep a bottle in the fridge to pour decanted sediment dregs into, and use it (except for the muddy bottom part) for cooking. That way my coq au vin or daube is braising in really good stuff from my cellar!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

x Tom C, good notes. Thanks for the tips. Cheers!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

x x I find the sediments can be bitter and usually try to remove them so they don't impact the wine. Hate them all over the side of the glass. Cheers!

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2004

At over 20 years old, the 2004 Opus One is showing beautifully, striking a balance between maturity and vibrancy. On the nose, it opens with an inviting bouquet of ripe blackberries, cassis, and dark cherries, layered with subtle notes of violet, tobacco, and espresso.
On the palate, the wine is smooth and full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a silky texture that coats the mouth without being heavy. The core is rich with dark fruit—black plum, currant, and a touch of blueberry—balanced by earthy undertones and a whisper of leather. Definitely one of my favorites.
— 2 months ago

Michael Cammarata
with Michael

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

Somm David T
9.5

From 375ml. @Lira Restaurant The Chef is the Gordon Ramsey winner.

Resolved, velvety M+ tannins. Ruby fruits of; blackberry pie, black raspberries, blueberries, both plums, dark cherries & raspberries. Dark chocolate bar, slightly moist tobacco, sandalwood to barrel shavings, dry top soil, dry crushed rocks, black licorice, sweet tarriness, dry herbs, light cinnamon, clove, vanillin, mocha, dry, volcanic clay, dark, withering flowers, some lavender framed in violets, excellent round acidity with incredible, balance, perfectly tensioned, softly structured, elegance finish that lasts a full minute.
— 3 months ago

Tom, Joe and 14 others liked this

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

It has a nearly opaque, dark fruited appearance that opens up to very appealing and persistent aromatics and flavors of blueberries and blackberries.

There is still a good amount of primary fruit; it is medium/full, well structured with a good balance of juicy acidity and refined tannins at the finish. New oak is there, but unobtrusive.

Overall, this 2010 is a reserved and savory St. Julien that doesn’t whack me over the head with gobs of oak and loads of sweet jammy fruit. It is definitely “worth a search” if you don’t have it.
— 4 months ago

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

Dark and brooding. Tangy plum fruit, roses, blood and dried herbs, iodine. Very intense and serious. Blackcurrant and black pepper with plum and black cherry. Long and quality. — a month ago

Bex GreenMajor-General Sir William Biddles CurranDavid Schachter
with Bex, Major-General and 1 other
Mario, Shay and 12 others liked this

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003

So rounded and glossy. High toned with black cherry and some mocha and good acidity. Excellent stuff. — a month ago

Rick K
with Rick
Jay, Shay and 10 others liked this

Black Stallion Estate Winery

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Big but still pretty restrainted. — 2 months ago

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

This was rich with black fruits, mocha, graphite, cedar, leather, under brush & tobacco — 2 months ago

Ira, Aravind and 11 others liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

This had red & black fruits, earth, cedar, leather, sweet, savory spice with tobacco — 3 months ago

Jan, Jeroen and 10 others liked this

Robert Biale Vineyards

Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel 2022

Pair with the Mongolian Pork Chop — 4 months ago

David, Joseph and 3 others liked this
Joseph Barsky

Joseph Barsky

Love Mustards and Brix!

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Considered by some to be the Wine of the Vintage, the 2005 Léoville-Barton
Is a full bodied mouthful of black currants, minerals, spices, grippy tannins and enough energy to evolve for another decade.
— 4 months ago

Neil, Paul and 4 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1986

Flight 2 , wine 1 . Quite deep garnet , less terracotta rim . This had a whiff of oxidation about it at first which seemed to somewhat dissipate with time . Some dark spiced fruits , liquorice and menthol hints , cedar and sous bois . On the palate good ripeness and spiced dark cherry hints . Good acidity and rounded tannin . Nice length also , offering some spiced black fruits and menthol hints . Don’t think this is a pristine bottle but was enjoyable none the less , I was unsure at first if this was Napa , but coming back to it … and reading my notes , it became quite obvious . However I had this down as the Ch Montelena , not the Dominus — 4 months ago

Anthony, Jan and 8 others liked this