Deep Gully

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 . — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister, Ira and 12 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Premium Badge

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 !

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2014

Deep gold color. Aromas of botrytis, dried apricot, pineapple and honey. Stunning! 2014 wasn’t the best D’Yquem I’ve had, but it always exceeds expectations.

🥇 96-99 points - Wine Spectator
🥇 96-98 points - Robert Parker
🥇 97-98 points - James Suckling
— 5 years ago

Tom, Peter and 33 others liked this
Trixie

Trixie

Champion wine ! 🏆Cheers!🥂
Neil Valenzuela

Neil Valenzuela

Indeed @Trixie! Cheers my friend!

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 1999

17.5 still deep red, with amber rim. Good acidity, fruit better than I thought at the outset . Decanting wise, oddly the fruit emerged. — 6 years ago

Roots Run Deep Winery

Educated Guess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Pleasant aroma, fruity on the tongue with a dry finish. — 6 years ago

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Delicious!!! Ripe dark fruit, long finish, deep dark color with a soft pallet! — 6 years ago

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

1995 vintage. Still deep purple red, subtle earthy leather aromas with a burst of fresh red raspberries mid palate. Lots of herbal hints like anise and tarragon. Finished with graphite and iron. Changed with each sip. Very nice mature and fully approachable left bank beauty. — 7 years ago

Trixie liked this

Belle Glos

Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014

Deep fruit flavored. My friend who is not a Pinot Lover tried this wine and thought it was amazing! Said it did not taste like a Pinot. — 9 years ago

Craig Larson
with Craig
P liked this

Bodegas y Viñedos Vega Sicilia

Unico Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Blend 1989

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET
9.3

Deep and round. Longest of wines. It's perfect and mature at this stage of its life. Aromas like tacos or a perfect chuck. Perfect steak wine. Curiously still tannic. Delicious. — 10 years ago

Reinhard, Anthony and 18 others liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

V13. Very good today, great tomorrow! Very nice cedar bouquet, deep blackberry and plum fruit with a spicy and very slight green pepper finish . Wine is really good today , but there is a slight "newness" that will eventually round out. Enjoyable dinner wine. — 11 years ago

Paula, Mike and 2 others liked this

The Prisoner Wine Company

The Prisoner Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend

Favorite wine ever. Very fruit forward and smooth, strong and complex. Deep, dark berry notes, slight charcoal and spice middle with smooth, cool, rich, complex finish. — 13 years ago

Michele Key

Michele Key

One of my faves!!

Beaulieu Vineyard

Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Deep ruby color. Red fruit, black currant, and cedar on the nose. Dry and bold. Flavors of blackberrt, chocolate, oak, and coffee. Medium+ tannins and acid with a great finish. Number 2 in top 100 in Wine Spectator. — 7 months ago

Bob, Ron and 2 others liked this

Mollydooker Wines

The Boxer Shiraz 2011

Deep, dark Ruby color with a fruity nose and tons of ripe berries with oaky notes. Jammy big and bold blackberry flavors with some spice, cacao, cedar and leather notes with nice mouthfeel. Big fine tannins with berry fruit carried over to the finish with oak and sweet spice. Nice! — 8 months ago

Juan and Paul liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Here’s a gem from Howell Mountain AVA, Napa Valley!

Dunn Vineyards, Howell Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon (2013).

It’s a deep ruby wine with subtle garnet influences. The nose and palate offer medium(+) intensity of ripe black cherry, blackcurrant, plum, blackberries, blueberry, creme de cassis, violet, black licorice, anise, cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco, leather, clove, balsamic, olive, peat, vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg…

On the palate, this wine is dry with medium alcohol (13.9%), medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, and high tannins that are silky smooth and fine grained. The finish lingers.

It’s absolutely delicious - cheers!!
— 3 years ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Sharon and 20 others liked this

Montes

Purple Angel Colchagua Valley Carménère Petit Verdot 2017

The Purple Angel lives up to expectations. A great blend of Carmenere and Petit Verdot which actually has a vibrant purple edge in the decanter. It is early days for this one but it can already be enjoyed with some decanting time but I think it is better than the 2016. Deep ruby and purple colour, the nose is a combination of Napa Cabernet and Australian Shiraz, rich, smokey, plenty of dark fruit and some nice burnt rubber and tar. On the palate there is blackcurrant, cherry, smoke and green and black pepper. This has a nice long finish and while it is definitely young, the tannins and acid are not overpowering. Definitely plenty of ageing potential and I think this will get better and better. Rating now is 9.2 but I’m sure it will end up at 9.5 in the future. — 5 years ago

Milissa, Severn and 23 others liked this
Ray Vanderhoff

Ray Vanderhoff

Great analysis, Clive. Montes PA is a brilliant wine! You are correct (my opinion also) that a few more years of bottle age will be beneficial.
Clive McNish

Clive McNish

Thanks Ray. I know I’m enjoying something when I start looking for places to buy a case before finishing the first glass. Five years and this will be a stunner.

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc

Joe Ho
9.8

Deep currents in the nose with a beautiful round smooth mouth full of flower petals light citrus and berries. — 6 years ago

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

The 2013 Opus One is an absolute stunning release, and is certainly one of most impressive young wines I have ever tasted from this estate. This shows a darker, more forward profile from this warm vintage, and is clearly one to contemplate, as there are so many complexities and working parts to this compelling wine. This instantly impresses as it opens to intense aromatics of crème de cassis, black cherry, blackberry compote and black plum woven together with mocha, sandalwood. The mouthfeel is voluptuous and beautifully concenrated with deep and penetrating flavors of black cherry, créme de cassis, blackberry cobbler, anise, sage and anise, which all resonate beautifully across the palate. This is already extreamly appealing, but try to resist this hedonistic wine for at least another few years, as there is undoubtedly a long future ahead. Drink 2019-2035-99 — 7 years ago

Shay, P and 3 others liked this

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1985

One of the best Bordeaux I've had in years, great structure and mouth feel, well defined and deep fruit and that touch of leather we all love. Amazing bottle! — 10 years ago

Greg, David and 2 others liked this
Martin G Rivard

Martin G Rivard Influencer Badge

😍🍷🍷😍 Awesome!!!!

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Still fruity and fairly fresh. Elegant, deep concentrated fruit with just the first hints of tobacco and leather starting to emerge, mainly black currant, lavender. Has many many more years of cellared properly. 1990 vintage — 11 years ago

Far Niente Winery

Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Nils W
9.4

Silky smooth with deep tones that kept resonating wonderfulness — 11 years ago

Linda liked this

Penfolds

Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet Shiraz 2019

Deep, dense red-purple hue. licorice, toasty oak, and subtle mocha notes. Dark fruits like blackberry and plum are noticeable, but it's more restrained than overtly fruity.
full-bodied, with sultry dark fruits (black cherry, plum), dark chocolate, licorice, and spice. Can’t wait for at least another 5 years before I try this again. Didn’t feel too you but feels like it will be better with age.
— 7 months ago

Faust

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Deep ruby color.
Aromas of black cherry, oak spice.
Dry. Flavors of stewed black cherry, dried cherry, licorice, cedar, black raspberry. Rich, chewy tannins.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 3/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5
— 3 years ago

Tom, Martin and 1 other liked this

Roots Run Deep Winery

Educated Guess Carneros Pinot Noir 2018

Dark fruits and well balanced tannins highlight this excellent wine. More in the medium to full body Pinot noir‘s which I prefer  — 4 years ago

Concha y Toro

Don Melchor Puente Alto Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

AMAZING! This is well above my price range, but was a wise choice for a splurge bottle. Deep structure, blackberry, vanilla and leather. This is a super-premium cab and worth the C note... — 6 years ago

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1984

1984 vintage. Cork difficult to extract, ended up in several pieces. Beautiful deep color, little to no bricking even at this age. Seductive at one hour+ of air with black cherry, raspberry, some vanilla, green pepper, graphite. 12% ABV. From the FIL’s collection. — 6 years ago

Navarro Vineyards

Deep End Blend Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

2013 vintage. Vibrant ruby color, med bodied, soft mouthfeel & tannins. Bright cherry, cola, plum, strawberry, vanilla notes. Nice lasting finish. — 6 years ago

Michael David Winery

Petite Petit Lodi Petite Sirah Petit Verdot

Deep Purple! Lovely full bodied red wine and a great value. The blackberry and blue berry notes pair with the vanilla and hints of cocoa. Think pie with cookie dough ice cream. The taste is smooth, spicy. — 8 years ago

Brandi Cossairt
with Brandi
JJ liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Birthday wine! First impression: deep and inky. I'm certain if I drank this regularly I would have deep purple teeth. Took a bit to open up -- initially the 15% ABV is a bit much -- but once it breathes it really is quite nice. Loads of dark fruit, some oak, and spice. That all said, this still fell a bit short of expectations given the price point. — 10 years ago

Rob liked this

Caymus Vineyards

40th Anniversary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Fruit forward, deep red purple color. Mouth feel is awesomely smooth all the way through the finish. This is a favorite of mine! — 11 years ago