Decanted

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

Medium deep garnet ruby , quite thin garnet terracotta rim . This is quite classic and more austere on the nose after the 1990s , grafite , cedar, sweet spice , earthiness and mint. More dry and four square on the palate compared to the 1990s but enough stuffing to fill out. Cassis , plum and blackberry , coffee , grafite . Refreshing acidity , slightly grippy drier tannin. Sous bois , grafite , herbal character with good length and earthy cassis finish . This got better with time in the glass and probably should have been decanted . This shows there is some upside , from now , with time in the glass, and over the next 10 years. The wine that improved the most during the dinner , quite impressive . — 6 days ago

Scott@Mister, Ira and 11 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

A previous, all-time fave. Haven't had it in a larger format in the last decade which I feel would yield a 9.5-9.6 now. Out of a 750ml package currently, feel like the 1996 (difficult to source) is the superstar right now.
Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore Premium Badge

Yes @Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego I would imagine in large format this would be spectacular, in regular bottle still needs a little time to show its full colours . I remember having this at my 21st birthday party in 2001 …. Everyone complained it was too young and tannic , typical 1986 , though in 12 people (and pretty light drinkers I might add) we still managed to struggle through 7 bottles !

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2020

2020 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 1.5 hours. Chocolate covered cherry mixed with wet earth. Much too much too soon but still overtly delicious. 9.12.25. — 2 months ago

Ted, Dave and 12 others liked this

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1990

1990 vintage. Previously tasted 3x in the last 4+ years 01.20.23 (9.6), 05.16.21 (9.4) and 09.21.23 (9.5) Top shoulder fill. Excellent cork. Decanted and tasted immediately. Oodles of sediment as expected. Beguiling St. Estèphe nose. This. Was. Phenomenal. Best of the four horsemen/tastings. Enough structure to build the infrastructure for a new city along with a surprising amount of dark fruit. A well-stored, large format bottle of this might just show you the best time you’ve ever had. WoW. 08.14.25. — 3 months ago

Daniel, Ted and 23 others liked this
Jan A

Jan A

Nice!
Alexandre Pagliano

Alexandre Pagliano Premium Badge

Its indeed wow. Have you tried the 1989 ? Slightly less dramatic and more classical in style but can be as big an epiphany…

Shafer Vineyards

Hillside Select Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Opened and decanted for 2 hours before dinner and then really only opened up and truly hit expectations around the 3rd hour when paired with wagyu strip steaks.

This wine was savory tightly wound and tannic at first. Didn’t show much fruit until after the long decant and then it really changed.

With time, the fruits shown through with great complexity and great balance for the savory elements.
— 17 days ago

Bob, "Odedi" and 9 others liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

1982 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 30 minutes and 2 hours. Impressively dark color. Bit of mint and funk in the nose. Elegant and supple with more than enough supporting fruit during the experience. Thriving vs surviving. This specimen was showing very nicely. Been a while since last tasting this but no rush to crush. Thank you, Bill!! 09.21.25 — a month ago

Shay ABill Bender
with Shay and Bill
Scott@Mister, Shay and 26 others liked this
Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald Influencer Badge

@Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego @Shay A Possibly my all time favourite Bordeaux. Had a bottle about 6 years ago.
Paul T HB

Paul T HB

I see a bottle available locally, think I’ll head down this week to grab it.
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

It. Did. Not. Suck.

Château Cheval Blanc

St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend

Magnum, last part of the decanted bottelen — 2 months ago

Roman and Jan liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2018

2018 vintage. Last tasted 04.08.23 (9.5), 12.01.22 from a 375ml (9.5) and upon release 06.07.21 (9.5). Decanted and tasted after 45 minutes. Mysterious, dark-fruited and dusty nose. Medium body with excellent darkness of night color. Previous baby-fat overtures approximately 90% gonzo. Slimming down and getting more toned. In a state of transition with undeniable tension that can easily be misconstrued as underperforming. Last wine I tasted that was under this sort of metamorphosis at this level was the 1996 Pichon-Lalande about 1.5 years ago. Such a privilege to experience world-class wines in such a vulnerable moment. Everything is laid out bare/naked before you and you can see where the wine is headed and whether it will be following a trajectory that agrees with you. Definitely unusual to find this occurring in a wine this youthful but the 21st Century is smashing the old 20th Century clay tablets and digitizing. For most wine enthusiasts sampling this wine now, expecting some disappointment in the scoring. For myself, this is currently in the perfect symmetry of past, present and future. Will it show critically better in the future according to the accepted trials, palates, judges and juries? Probably. Will they experience the potential, doubts, insecurities and questions? Doubtful. This kid stays in this exact picture for another 2-4 years imho before striking another pose and I would love to taste this again during that time frame. An above and beyond thank you to FLB (Friday Lunch Bunch) regular Todd. 08.15.25. — 3 months ago

Dave, Ruud and 19 others liked this

Valdicava

Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2019

Great wine! Should've decanted more but this wine is a potential 10. Aged in large Slovenian barrels with rich red fruit and a combination of great acidity and tannins. Will evolve beautifully the coming years — 16 days ago

Serge liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989

1989 vintage. Opened but not decanted. Tasted after one hour open. More structure than the 1990 version tasted side-by-side but leaner with slight, vegetal tones, less fruit and better tannic structure than the 1990. Couldn't find this in my Delectable reviews but feel like I've tasted this once in the last 6 or so years. Apples (1990 version)/Oranges (1989). As with the 1990, the 1989 is in a good place for another few years in the 750ml format but if you want to truly visit a 35+ year old vintage at the height of its' powers, opt-in for a large format experience. 10.10.25. — a month ago

Jeroen, Dave and 24 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Opened this in 2019 for my wife’s 30th and I still think about that wine six years later. Stunning.

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

2005 vintage. Last tasted 11.23.23 (9.4), 11.15.19 (9.4), 06.01.17 (9.5) Last bottle. Respectable, low neck fill. Used a Durand and excellent cork. Decanted with sticky (to the bottle) sediment and not that much floating loose to navigate. Tasted after 30 minutes. Those inimitable, sexy Cos stylings. Medium/medium heavy (still!?) bod. Richness. Ample fruit. Slight amount of aged George Clinton/Bootsy funk. Highly restrained tannins. Woah. This. Did. Not. Suck. Time to reorder. 9.13.25. — 2 months ago

Jan, Jeroen and 25 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Still have not opened one of mine. Soonish.
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

@Somm David T Dunno how many you have lying around but if it be multiples, like 3+, I’d crack one for the holidaze or before to assess. If it is not at the top of the bell curve, it’s pretty damned close. Can’t imagine it getting better.