Core
Château de Beaucastel
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend
Might be the bottle but just a bit past its prime. Still good - sweet core, good acid, dark fruits. — 7 years ago
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2016
This is a sample of the 16 Insignia still in barrel.
On the nose, the dark fresh florals exploded. The fruits are very dark currants and well extracted. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries and blue fruits hues on the edges of the glass. Sweet tarry presence, loads of baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark spice, black tea, pipe tobacco, dark rich soil, core of anise and fields of violets.
The body is thick and full. The wine still very fresh. The tannins big, meaty and chewy. The dark fruits are quite floral. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries with blue fruits. Sweet tarry presence, loads of baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark spice, black tea, pipe tobacco, dark rich soil, crushed dry rocks, river stones, tough leather, cedar, core of anise with red flowers and fields of violets. Very good round acidity. The long, big, ruby, lush, well balanced finish is beautiful.
The fruit, tannins and acidity all speak to it being 95+ and a long cellar.
— 8 years ago
Beaulieu Vineyard
Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Deep garnet red with ruby core. Tasted blind. Very tight and dark on the nose with dark cocoa, dark spices and soft dark berries. Heavy tannins (8/10) and full bodied. Very dark palate as well with black cherries, cassis, black currants, dark cocoa and a little woody. Long and lingering finish. Thought this was a bit older than a 2013 but powerful, needs some time to fully develop. Drink till 2032. (93+) — 9 years ago
Château Latour
Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1962
Another level... Still dense at the core, with steady, attractive bricking: Wonderfully dense nose of blackcurrents, pencil shavings, fine tanned leather, and a hint of woodland floor (fine moss, leaves, and fresh soil after an autumn shower). Velvety tannins and great acidity. Along with the '66 this is one of my all-time favourite Bordeaux vintages. Seems to be keeping up better than the '61s I've had over the last few years!
We drank half of it from the coravin before waxing the top in case the cork had lost too much elasticity to self-seal. I'll have the rest with my brother in a few weeks' time! — 9 years ago
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1990
1990- Dark ruby/purple with aromas of ripe dark red and blue fruit and grilled notes. Big and creamy mouthfeel. Nicely textured and plush core. Still youthful. — 11 years ago
Paolo Bea
Riserva Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Sangiovese Blend 2008
I'm floored.. Seriously... Dark and brooding with masses of dried black cherry and cedar up front, yet beneath it, notes of exotic spice, tobacco, dried flowers, crushed raspberry, and undergrowth gained volume and depth with time in the glass, until they permeated the senses entirely. On the palate, soft, silky textures, which seem to hover on the senses, offset by a tart acid core, yet also complemented by enveloping bittersweet cherry, quinine, spice, and inner earth tones. The finish is incredibly long with saturating dried cherry fruit, sweet inner florals, hints of gruff tannin--yet juicy and fresh, with a note of hard red candies and licorice which seemed to literally last for minutes on the mid-palate. — 5 years ago
Dominus Estate
Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2001
Fine integrated tannins combined with a plush core of blackberry fruit, lead pencil, coffee grounds and sweet licorice. This was truly phenomenal. Not fading in the least. Powerful and dense with a velvet smooth sexy finish. — 7 years ago
Oakville East
Core Stone Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012
Gorgeous. Complex. Nice tannin trap at the end. — 8 years ago
Spottswoode
Family Estate Grown St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 1989
A little bready now but still sweet core and melted tannins. Cork was dry though but wine seemed fine. — 9 years ago
Azienda Agricola Fontodi
Flaccianello della Pieve Colli Toscana Centrale Sangiovese 2005
Dusty sour cherry and cocoa nose on a beautiful dark cherry, sour plum and dark chocolate core. Long, fine tannins. One of 2 bottles was off but the "on" one more than made up for it! Not one of those super-long-term Flacc's, but quite yummy, very much a food wine. — 9 years ago
Azienda Agricola Montevetrano
Core Campania Aglianico 2012
Nice big balance of berries, earth and velvet finish. — 11 years ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1953
From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1990
Quite a young looking colour , ruby core still with garnet rim. Lovely expressive nose . Ripe blackberry , Asian spice, licorice , leather lots of complexity . On the palate rich and rewarding , sweet tannins and balancing acidity . Lovely ripe fruit , real length also , goes on and on. Lovely wine . — 8 years ago
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1990
Super fun wine to get us ready for the Bordeaux Masters Class this afternoon.
Medium garnet core with bricking in the edges. Layered nose with some definite bret, not off putting at all. Notes of barnyard, leather and dried red cherries. Well integrated and balanced. Moderate tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. Very rustic on the palate with some dried red cherries, forest floor and cedar. Long finish. Enough finesse to go another year or two but why wait, drinking well right now. Drink till 2019. — 9 years ago
Château Cheval Blanc
St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1997
Great breeding trumps a below-average vintage. Blind, the nose alone gives away the DNA of this phenomenal wine. This Merlot-dominated Cheval has a beautiful core of cocoa powder, prune and plums. Structure from sweet oak and cab franc skins come through on the finish. Excellent, but a world away from the 2000 that's a palate-reference for me. Don't wait on this one, this well-stored bottle felt past its apex. — 10 years ago
Marqués de Murrieta
Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2004
Regrettably the one Bodega I missed from a stomach bug on my trip last week, though I still love love you Spain and look forward to going back. Now back to the wine....
A beautiful ruby core with some orange and pink at the edges.
The nose is elegantly fruited, with dry flowers, cherry and American oak notes of coconut, dill and toast.
The palate is elegant, refined, while masterfully complex and persistent at the same time. The finish is long and crazy silky. One of the few GR from a very older producer that uses only proprietary fruit.
— 10 years ago
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2010
2008 very light color cigar box spice fresh earth coffee very pretty and classic bouquet. Fresh and lively on the tongue with a spicy finish tangy red currant berry fruit fonish40 very good + 2009 herb fresh loam peppery spice and a good hand of red currant berry fruit toffee coffee very fresh nice core of red currant berry fruit zesty spice coffee and herbs long finish very elegant wine finish 50 most excellent 2010 ripe currant berry fruit toasty oak spice very youthful a bit musty pnthepalate with good grip with firm tannins and along finish classic pitching contessw finish 50+ most excellent — 13 years ago
Delectable Wine
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
The 2005 Palmer has been absolutely magical both times I have tasted it recently. Still wonderfully deep to the core, the 2005 is dense, packed to the core and luxuriously opulent. Even with all of that intensity, the 2005 remains vibrant. Lush red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal, lavender and sweet spice build into the towering finish. The 2005 is an epic wine that will have no problem reaching its fiftieth birthday. It is a rich, dramatic Margaux that checks all the boxes, and then some. I rated a second bottle even higher. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2021)
— 5 years ago