Brooks Note

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend

Complex nose. Bread, nuts, lemon merengue, slate, and a reductive smokey note. On the palate, the wine is stuffed with substance but is yet to unfurl and bubbles are quite pronounced which distracts from the flavour profile. Slightly disappointing but full if potential. — 7 years ago

Racquel N
with Racquel
Billy liked this

Brooks Winery

Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc 2018

Really enjoyed this Pinot Blanc. Paired well with creamy food. — 7 years ago

Château Lafleur

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2004

An oxidative note initially which blew off to reveal Florals with notes of mint and Liquorice. On the palate normal transmission is resumed with black fruits and tobacco “mouth perfume “ A beautiful wine and probably my WOTN. — 8 years ago

Simon, Anthony and 9 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2014

I will preface this note by disclosing that I am generally not a fan of Super Tuscans. I like old school Toscana. But I will try to be objective here. The nose is very evocative of a classified growth Bordeaux: lots of cedary, gravelly scents and some dark berry fruit underneath. In the mouth it is concentrated and soft, but develops weight in the back half of the palate. Some peppery heat from alcohol at the end too. I know it’s predominantly Sangiovese, but it really does taste very Left Bank, except for a little note redder fruit at the end. — 8 years ago

Angelo Casagrande
with Angelo
Mike, Ira and 17 others liked this
Pinotman /// Andreas

Pinotman /// Andreas

Good review and i agree with your bias on Super Tuscans.
James Forsyth

James Forsyth Influencer Badge

Great note.

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

This wine had some tobacco and earth FUNK after it was opened up. The herbaceous and tobacco ash note on the nose was almost identical to the 1980 Beringer State Lane cab. This did blow off after an hour, but the wine was less fruit than I thought it would have been. Lots of dark figgy jam. Tobacco and cigar box. I'm sure the fruit came back after I left, but this would have been 2 hours after opening and just didn't have the time to see this one though, hence the "NR" rating. Impressed by this wine, and probably one of the older Monte Bello wines I've been able to drink. — 9 years ago

Cantina Bartolo Mascarello

Barolo Nebbiolo 2004

2004 vintage. From Jay. 2004 Bartolo Mascarello - Brief Note from Galloni Historical Retrospective Held in London April 26, 2016. Dark ruby colour. Fresh violets on the nose together with cherries. A little tobacco wrapper. Cracked cloves. Nice fruit on the pallet and very silky. This is both elegant and old school in all the right ways. 92+/100. Drink 2017 to 2028+ — 10 years ago

Domaine François Raveneau

Montée de Tonnerre Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2010

What a beauty! Creamy, defined and rich. Perfumy with flowers, mint, sweet apples, minerality and very concentrated honest power. Acidity is angular, very bright and holds this huge palate together nicely (and oh boy, I wish I had a time machine to see how it evolves in 10 years). I'm still trying to crack that dominant aftertaste note — it's almost cake-like sweet, with some nutty backbone and caramel on the top. Absolutely in love. — 11 years ago

Greg, Beau and 17 others liked this

Heitz Cellar

Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1977

Max Kogod
9.7

1977. Floored by extreme caramel note on nose and palate completely backed up by gorgeous purity of fruit, acid, levity and all the tertiary elements that make Martha's Vyd what it is. — 12 years ago

Anthony, Bill and 11 others liked this

High Note

Elevated Uco Valley Malbec 2012

Slight fruit up front, dry finish — 12 years ago

Alessandro Viola

Note di Rosso Terre Siciliane Red Blend

Cherry fruit and bright acidity. Short,
spicy finish.
— 7 years ago

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

A lot of power, plenty of fruit and acidity for days. This is in a nice spot, but still on the way up. There’s a nice dusty/tar note, fennel, a touch of leather, maybe even a hint of violets. Best with a big rich meal. — 7 years ago

Shay, Ron and 17 others liked this

Taittinger

Comtes de Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay 2000

Color : White
Wine estate : Taittinger
Designation : Champagne
Name : Comte de Champagne
Country : France
Vivino : 5/5
Note : A Blanc de Blanc? This one is wonderful! A greed from the beginning to the end. A golden robe, a toasty nose, apricot and citrus, a roundness in the mouth with a superb balance of aromas.
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Un Blanc de Blanc ? Celui là est merveilleux ! Une gourmandise du début à la fin. Une robe dorée, un nez toasté, abricot et agrumes, une rondeur en bouche avec une équilibre des arômes superbe.
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👍🏻Vivino, FB : GabWine | IG : gabriel_dvl 🥂
— 8 years ago

Keith, Daniel and 3 others liked this

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

Shay A
9.5

One of the highlights of the day was meeting @David T and his wife for a tasting at Joseph Phelps. I’d never had the privilege of trying Insignia, and we were given the ‘12 and ‘14 to taste today.

This vintage of Insignia had a splash of merlot, compared to the ‘14, which had zero. Gorgeous texture. Very smooth and elegant. Black cherry, cigar box, peppercorn, BlackBerry tart. Every note on the wine seemed put together...nothing was out of place. Gorgeous property and gorgeous wines! FYI, their viognier is awesome!
— 9 years ago

Mark, Jason and 42 others liked this
Bret Barker

Bret Barker

Bam! Glad you had a chance to drink some phelps!
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Awesome day on the Phelps terrace, beautiful weather, nice wines and fine company.

Tendril Wine Cellars

C-Note Whole Cluster Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2013

My favorite Pinot in a lineup from Tony Rynders. — 9 years ago

Doug Sayed
with Doug
Doug Sayed

Doug Sayed Premium Badge

Punching way above it's vintage wieght, the whole cluster fermentation really stands out in its structure. Bravo.
9.2

Brooks Winery

Temperance Hill Pinot Noir 2012

Can't think of a more perfectly beautiful wine while watching American Wine Story. — 11 years ago

Lucas
with Lucas
Lucas, Liz and 4 others liked this

Big Table Farm

Brooks Estate Vineyard Riesling 2012

Almost amber in color with tropical and floral nose. The color belies the fact this is not an over extracted sweet juice. Beautifully bone dry with great acidity. Super. — 11 years ago

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend

Jimmy Smith
9.4

2001: going into a black olive, black truffle note. Rich meaty notes, vibrantly meated, smoky, leather, tobacco, cigar. Towards full, complex, chewy. Light liquorice, light black truffle. Tip top. — 11 years ago

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 1989

Fabulous and would have been even more so save for a dominating tobacco note — 12 years ago

Domaine Jamet

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2008

Blackberry jam, pepper, a bit of celer, tar, meat juice with a gamey note too. It's intoxicating and it calls for a quick dive. The palate starts with a very nice blackberry jam layer which expands on the width but soon comes a massive acid backbone which pushes the structure toward the end of the palate. It's super powerful yet very complex with different layers: some grip on the side, a buttery, creamy touch and mouthfeel, the acid backbone and some tannins which kick-start and expending finish, very fresh, with blackberry and pepper and a slightly bitter note, just underlined by the gently drying tannins. This is magnificent and comes easily in my top 3 wines all time. I love it and it's an understatement. #birthdaytreat — 7 years ago

Alex, Peter and 22 others liked this
Daniel M

Daniel M

Thank you @Ken Z !
Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Daniel Maquin Happy Birthday. Great to have one of your top 3 wines of all time.
Daniel M

Daniel M

@Bob McDonald yes, Thank you!

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1999

Celebrating our daughters Christmas homecoming after two years. Pipe tobacco drenched in dark dry fruit with an herbal under note of thyme and basil. Earthy organic hints of barnyard. Well integrated tannins. High acid and it took a while before it fully integrated. We decanted it for one hour. Could use two hours. — 8 years ago

RoAnne de WeerdTammy de Weerd
with RoAnne and Tammy
RoAnne and Skip liked this
Skip Smyser

Skip Smyser

A real home run🍷
RoAnne de Weerd

RoAnne de Weerd

Thanks for sharing ❤️

Alessandro Viola

Note di Grillo

Wonderful Sicilian natural wine! Deep gold (let’s call it light orange) in color. Hints of grilled lemons with a hint of smoke. Beautifully “funky.” A true winner! Great with appetizers! Thank you Franky Bella for this selection. — 8 years ago

Kasey Vanderhoff
with Kasey

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay

Medium ruby color and a pronounced nose of raspberry, violet and a spice note reminiscent of sandalwood incense. Lovely medium body with silky texture. Good acid balance for food pairing and a long lovely finish. Wonderful evocation of serious Beaujolais — 9 years ago

Douglas and Greg liked this
Douglas Heye

Douglas Heye

I remember when you first had that!
Lyn Farmer

Lyn Farmer Influencer Badge

You have a very good memory!

Misha's Vineyard Wines

The High Note Pinot Noir

2009 seems a little lighter then the last I tried good acidity — 10 years ago

Serge, Steve and 4 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1991

1991 vintage. Rating 9.4. Beautiful garnet color. Incredibly smooth. Note the fire in the background in the outdoor fireplace. Lovely evening with my beautiful wife. Life could not be better! — 11 years ago

Zachary liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2004

Scorewine
9.3

Revisiting this splendid wine almost two years since my last tasting note and it is delivering above expectations for this undervalued Bordeaux vintage. The color is deep garnet almost black, the nose in enchanting with lairs of black current, cherries, cassis, coffee, dark chocolate and a touch of spice, the body is full round and delicious with velvet tannins and precise acidity, a true pleasure that continues with a delicious long finish. A wonderful wine. My score 93, drink to 2024 perhaps longer. — 11 years ago

Dick, Spinning_spins and 26 others liked this

Brooks Winery

Oak Ridge Vineyard Gewürztraminer

Awesome — even after a day open — and with some basil, squash and quinoa salad. — 11 years ago

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend

Une petite note d'amertume mais c'est un régal — 12 years ago

Maxime liked this

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo

Kevin Walsh
8.9

2008. Dried cherry, black tea, dried mushroom and rose, prosciutto. Minerality is reminiscent of standing on a dry, dusty dirt road. Only criticism is that it falls off in the mid palate, but finishes with a nice gamey note. — 13 years ago