Château De Bel Air

Domaine François Raveneau

Butteaux Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 1996

Straw gold with great weight and heaviness in the glass. Killer nose. Notes of apricot, tan spice, apple cinnamon and sweet honey dew. Impactful in the mouth with lots of acidity and a lasting finish. With 5 hours of air this was singing. — 4 years ago

Alex, Conrad and 16 others liked this

Bonneau du Martray

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay 1986

Deep yellow gold, heavy in the glass. Great leesy old white burg nose. . Notes of sweet lemon, apricot cardamom spice, more lemon peel and some river stone. Rich in the mouth. Tons of structure and acidity. Needed 5 hrs of air to really come on. — 5 years ago

Greg, David and 18 others liked this
Alan Weinberg

Alan Weinberg

This and 85 are unmatched twin titans. Always great.

E. Guigal

La Landonne Côte-Rotie Syrah 1983

Reddish tawny, transparent. Fragrant nose. Notes of cranberries, menthol, slate stone, roses, and black soil. Medicinal. Angular in the mouth. Has a little more structure than fruit. Chewy. Gives that exotic La La nose and has a nice richness that comes with a few hours of air. No need to wait more on this. — 6 years ago

Severn, Billy and 12 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Shay A
9.4

Our monthly 4th Friday event at the storage facility. No requirements, just wine you want to share with others! Always an enjoyable time.

Special place in my heart for this winery. A few months ago, I had an '88 go celebrate my birth year. It was STELLAR. This is pushing forward easily...after an hour of air, the fruit and secondary earth and funk notes came out. So good! Thanks Walter!
— 7 years ago

Mark Flesher
with Mark
Eric, Isaac and 37 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Mike R : Yes, it really was! Amazing stuff!
@Benjamin Keator : There were only a few wines after a while, but it was like once someone mentioned bringing out an amazing wine, everyone went and did the same.
Bret Barker

Bret Barker

Love this chateau. What a night!
David T

David T Influencer Badge

Special place for me as well. You need to pair a good older bottle with you favorite steak. Absolutely, my favorite pairing with a very good vintage.

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

Drinking phenomenally well. This is going to be fabulous in 5-7 years. Air helps now, give it an hour to open. — 7 years ago

David liked this

Domaine du Bel Air

Grand Mont Bourgueil Cabernet Franc 2009

Prefer it freshly opened with limited air while it's still tight. Really good. — 8 years ago

Anna Murphy
with Anna

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2003

Matt Austin
9.2

Walks a tightrope between far too young and past it's prime. I'm leaning too young. Really developed with air. Fascinating stuff as always. — 8 years ago

David, Anthony and 4 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2001

A little less exciting than I expected. Definitely opens with with air, but I did not experience the dense tastes some have described. Well balanced with soft tannins, but not much nose or finish. Maybe the 2001 is past its prime. — 9 years ago

Domaine du Bel Air

les Vingt lieux dits Bourgueil Cabernet Franc 2017

Wine club selection October 2019, tastes like a crisp cold fall day - nice tannin, rich with a light peppery dark fruit taste — 5 years ago

Château Villa Bel-Air

Graves White Bordeaux Blend 2015

Honey and flowers. Well-integrated oak. Rather lovely. — 5 years ago

Alsu Shakirova
with Alsu
Keith, David and 1 other liked this

Bel Ormeau

Les Hérits Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

Well balanced. Easy drinking, but complex. — 6 years ago

Kelly Barrows
with Kelly

Château Bel-Air Lagrave

Cru Bourgeois Moulis en Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

Rick K
9.0

Cedar, iron, tight knit, but enjoyable. Opening with time to plum, graphite. A little thin but nice. Reconditioned in 2017. — 6 years ago

P and Keith liked this

Domaine du Bel Air

Bourgueil Cabernet Franc

If a wine can be honest (& a farmers wine to boot), this is it. Even threw off a bit of sediment for such a youngin'. Much much better the 2nd day. Doesnt have the acidic snap that some of my fave Bourgueils do, but Im rootin for it — 7 years ago

Domaine Taupenot-Merme

Bel-Air Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Pinot Noir

Prototypical 06 burgundy. Good stuff. — 8 years ago

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1962

I suspect this didn't get quite enough air. Not quite pop and pour but it was only open for 45 mins before we drank it (we were perhaps over-concerned about the mid shoulder level). Lovely (and lively) russet core with long legs as a ruby rim; nose of pencil shavings, cigar tubes (hint of metal with lots of tobacco), blackberry stalks, and lingering aromas of compté cheese rind and venerable (on-the-edge) rose petals; long and satisfying - persistent tannins and well integrated but still present acidity. From half bottle - need to give the next one more time!!! — 8 years ago

Ira, lessrof and 5 others liked this
Sasha Agapov

Sasha Agapov

Baller wines.

The Withers Winery

Bel Canto El Dorado Grenache Blend 2013

Nathan Adams
9.2

This is super tasty El Dorado goodness...thanks for this @Chris Pittenger and @Sarah Mason Pittenger!!! — 9 years ago

Claire Owen
with Claire
Chris liked this
Chris Pittenger

Chris Pittenger Influencer Badge

Glad you liked it.
Nathan Adams

Nathan Adams Influencer Badge

Sure did!

Goedhart Family

Bel' Villa Syrah 2010

Hy's Steakhouse, Vancouver, BC Canada w/ James - Hemlock — 11 years ago

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1999

More power w air. — 5 years ago

Peter, Shay and 4 others liked this

Clos Ste. Magdeleine

Bel-Arme Cassis Blanc Marsanne 2017

One of three new wines from Clos Sainte Magdeleine. Oh my. Nothing in the world like standing in that vineyard, then tasting their lineup, then going for a swim in that cove afterward. What a day. — 5 years ago

Iwan, Keith and 1 other liked this

Domaine François Raveneau

Montée de Tonnerre Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 1990

Nice golden hue, looks heavy and rich in the glass. Honeyed fragrant nose. Notes of sweet apricot, mango, lemon, white clay, tan spice, and stones. Nice intensity in the mouth, with gobs of fruit matched against acidity that built over the afternoon. Telltale aged Raveneau honey, exotic today but not over the top. I brought this and it was the best of the couple or so bottles of it that I've had. Was at its best with ~5 hours of air, and leftover was still singing the next morning. — 5 years ago

Eric, Severn and 13 others liked this
David T

David T Influencer Badge

Very nice.

Vincent Dauvissat

La Forest Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2007

Or
Nez réduit sur l huître puis anis miel avec l air
Attaque ample pleine avec une superbe matière sèche
Milieu plein
Finale longue crayeuse et miellée anis en rétro
Très beau vin
— 7 years ago

El Vibro
with El
Riddley and Serge liked this

Château Bel-Air (Domaines Henri Martin)

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

Very smooth. Great value — 7 years ago

Raul, Trixie and 4 others liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Initially showing some oak and grip, but this settled into a cedar-y, spicy, elegant wine. Initially lagging behind the '01 La Mission, the intensity and integration built with time and air. By the end of the night, it was neck in neck. Great wine that will improve with another few years. — 7 years ago

Chris MacLeanAlessandro Nardi
with Chris and Alessandro
Chris, Alessandro and 25 others liked this

Bow and Arrow

Air Guitar Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

50 Cab Sauv 50 Cab Franc from Willamette. Dark fruit but lifted aromatics and acidity with a core of minerality. Really tasty stuff. — 8 years ago

Roy liked this

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 1992

Yeasty, lots of apple on the palate at first, although with air gave way to a richer more bready flavour. Tinge of oxidative notes — 9 years ago

Alice et Olivier De Moor

Bel Air et Clardy Chablis Chardonnay 2012

Alice et Olivier putting you in you're happy place because you deserve it! — 10 years ago

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

.
9.4

Keeps getting better with more air. — 11 years ago