Domaine Du Touch
Vieux Château Certan
Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2004
The 2004 Vieux Château Certan was picked starting September 20. This is a little fuller on the nose compared to the 2002, with more fruit concentration, red plum and raspberry, wilted rose petals and a touch of thyme. This is very endearing and open, yet there is vigor. The palate is well-balanced with finely chiseled tannins. While not the most complex vintages of this decade, it is very well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced with a dash of cracked black pepper on the finish. I have admired this Pomerol since first tasting it from barrel, and I still do. Drink now or over the next 12 to 15 years. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— 2 years ago
Dunn Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1990
Decant for sediment and pour. Still a wondrous dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: beautiful gotta keep coming back notes of dark plum, smoked meat, cigar box, touch of barnyard funk, vanilla spice. Taste: silky smooth with brambly cherry, dirt, leather, cedar, grilled peppered meat with a medium plus finish. YUM! Still drinking well at 33 years old. — 3 years ago
Ridge Vineyards
Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Blend 2018
Blend of 72% Zinfandel, 18% Petite Sirah, 8% Carignane & 2% Mataro. Deep Ruby color with aromas of berry fruits, tobacco and earthy spices. On the palate flavors of blackberry and raspberry with black pepper, tobacco, citrus spice and a touch of earthy herbs. Fine firm tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy spice and some cedar. Nice! — 4 years ago
Caymus Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
I corvined this last weekend and put it back in storage for tonight. I had a very different experience & thoughts on this wine last weekend un-decanted. This is wine comes from a period when I loved Caymus. After 2011 when they started picking later and at higher brix’s, they lost me but, got higher Parker scores and rave words from people that like sweeter Cabernet that drinks young.
Last weekend without a decant, very dominate bright cherries and vanilla.
Tonight, the nose reveals, dark, slightly syrupy currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, creamy, black raspberries, blueberries, black plum with lots of skin dominate, baked strawberries, black licorice, vanilla, some clove and a touch nutmeg, underbrush, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, volcanic minerals, black tea, touch of black coffee expresso, liqueur/dark berry cola, used leather, hints of graphite with ruby, fresh, dark, fresh, dark, red, blue florals with violets.
The body is full, sexy, gorgeous and voluptuous. The structure, tension, length and balance are at the start of its high point with another 7-10 years of good drinking ahead. Dark, slightly syrupy currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, creamy, black raspberries, blueberries, black plum with lots of skin dominating, baked strawberries, black licorice to deep anise, vanilla, some clove and a touch nutmeg, caramel, mocha, dark chocolate, dark spices with just a touch of palate heat, underbrush, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, volcanic minerals, black tea, touch of black coffee expresso, liqueur/dark berry cola, used leather, hints of graphite with ruby, fresh, dark, fresh, dark, red, blue florals with violets. The acidity is like a needed waterfall shower. The long finish is, deep, dark, well balanced, elegant, ruby, ripe, polished and persists endlessly.
It’s been awhile and I’ve missed it. This is a very good example of why I used to adore Caymus. — 7 years ago
Krug
Grande Cuvée Brut Champagne Blend
Bruised golden apple, pineapple, golden raisins, ginger ale, brioche, citrus blend, touch of honey, yellow lilies, quince, orange peel, nut skin, toffee, brilliant acidity, chalkiness and rich long finish. — 9 years ago
Olga Raffault
Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2011
Purple/red flower on the nose, candied cherry, tiny touch of black pepper, thyme, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, medium plus tannin, a touch of tobacco, cocoa powder, beautiful and velvety. A very nice Chinon. Had pasta asparagus/mushroom pasta with anchovy garlic butter sauce with it. It's a wonderful pairing. — 10 years ago
Silver Oak
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Just beautiful. A touch of American oak. Vanilla. Perfect companion for Christmas dinner. — 10 years ago
Domaine François Raveneau
Montée de Tonnerre Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 1998
1998 vintage. Earthy and roasted almond. Ripe lemon rind. Full bodied. Rich mouth feel. Mocha. Acidity not overbearing - touch light? Long concentrated finish. Excellent — 11 years ago
Louis Roederer
Cristal Brut Champagne 2006
Medium yellow , touch of gold . Fine bubbles , though not a lot noticable in our wine glasses . Bit of development with brioche , orange rind , mocha , touch of honeysuckle and crushed stones . On the palate this is fine boned , elegant, lemon rind , baked pastry , fine chalky notes . Quite high grippy acidity , this is linear and quite direct in style , but enough volume on the palate to cover its bones . Good medium length mineral and crystallised lemon pith charged finish . This is drinking well now but will probably last well over the next 5-10 years. — 9 months ago
Château Montrose
Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2023
So elegant Montrose. It builds up an epic journey in the aftertaste. Rich and opulent as usual but with a fine touch of incredible level.
Softer extraction resulted on a fruitier, more sapid and rounder wine than usual. It feels it’s going to be approachable in its youth. — 2 years ago
Tenuta San Guido
Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 1988
a touch of tang. Sour black cherry and good acidity — 3 years ago
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1989
When it comes to my B-day, there is only one fit, an old Pichon Lalande with my Ribeye. As a lover of Bordeaux, these two are my favorite pairing. It’s a very slow walk to the finishline. A small bite of steak and a sip of 89 Pichon Lalande. Then, repeat until finished. I had some concerns about this bottle. A slightly slippery and crumbling cork. The first sip was not bad, but not what you want or are expecting. After some time in the decanter, it really started to shine. On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral cassis, blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The body is full, round and silky. Tannins are well resolved at around 80%. The texture, length, tension and length are in a sweet spot. The fruits are ripe, ruby & expressively floral. Blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The acidity is just a little off but still nice. The finish is divided nearly equally in fruit, earth, florals and herbaceous. It’s very enjoyable but falls just a little short in longer, lingering length. This bottle had good storage, not great. Even so, still has another three to five years ahead. A bottle with excellent storage has another five years beyond this one. Photos of; the backside of Pichon Lalande, angled terrace view of their vines right next to Latour, my steak & twice baked potato (so good) and CEO Nicolas Glumineau. — 8 years ago
Taittinger
Comtes de Champagne Grand Crus Brut Blanc de Blancs 1993
Can't say enough about the depth and complexity. Brûlée, dulce de leche, saffron, cumin, cashews, touch of coconut, kaffir, ginger. Silence-inducing on the palate.
This is perfect. — 10 years ago
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1985
This is the 1985 Napa Cab and was tasted out of 5 liter. This wine was excellent! Herbal notes with a touch of saddle. I was so surprised by how much red fruit was on the pallet with a wine this old! Amazing! — 11 years ago
Jean Foillard
Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2022
Finally got to drink one of the famous #morgon producers. Sappy red fruit, touch of enticing funk, purple floral notes and some sous bois aromas. Lushly textured on palate, iron, lofty acidity. Sure it’s a bit young but had to seize the day on this occasion. #foillardftw — a year ago
Château Haut-Bailly
Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé Red Bordeaux Blend 2007
Happy New Year!🎈🎆🎊
From mag. Who said the2007 vintage was bad? They didn’t taste it 16 years from inception or 14 years in bottle. Excellent as our first prime rib wine.
2nd night tasting with leftovers. One glass left. It’s dark inky, round, mushy velvety tannins, dark currants, blackberries, blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, plum pudding, strawberry highlighter, dry stones, limestone powder, dark turned earth, soft, fresh & dry tobacco notes, soft lead pencil shavings, wet volcanic ash, moist clay, charcoal, sandalwood, understated dark spice, dark chocolate, just a touch of baking spices, dark & red withering flowers, violets, excellent round acidity and a well knitted structure, balanced fruit & earth, good tension with a long elegant finish that falls on a dry mineral finish lasting 90 seconds.
I always leave an inch to inch and half in the bottle to pour a bit to all at the end. I believe the expression for that is, “The Truth! From the expression, the truth is inside. It doesn’t lie and makes for more extremely concentrated sip(s). You might say it is a lot like monosodium glutamate…everything you tasted in the wine previously, taste more. — 2 years ago
R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 1991
Fab 27yr Old Rioja @ £62 drinking like a Burgundy & perfect in a Zalto Burg glass
🏵 92 points
🍷 Garnet cherry w/ brown hue
👃 Leather & balsamic infused mulched spiced cherry w/ soft smoked oak, sherry, wet earth, cocoa, red berry, herbs & gooey date jam
👄 Med smooth, touch tart, red cherry & berry bathed in balsamic w/ a mocha touch
🎯 Med+ touch dry oaky driven red cherry & berry fruits w/ an earthy balsamic caramel figgy linger — 8 years ago
Paul Jaboulet Aîné
La Chapelle Hermitage Syrah 2005
Grabbed @ £125 in Selfridges for Mrs Es birthday hotel room night slouch cap 😁 even bough a decanter to decant 🤣 great but will show better w/ age 😉
🍷 Opaque ruby
👃 Peppered cherry pie, a treacle raspberry bakewell tart tone & cocoa sprinkles w/ a light earthy dry cured meat herby smokey oak backbone & black berry fruits
👄 Med+ bodied dark cherry & raspberry chocolate pie w/ fine dry tannins & a blackberry undertone
🎯 Med+ touch dry dark cherry & raspberry chocy licky lips w/ a dark fruit linger — 8 years ago
Dominus Estate
Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003
The nose on this wine is stunning baring the alcohol heat. Perfumed red florals and candied dark and lighter red fruits. While the wine is truly elegant, the alcohol is seriously burning the back of my throat. The bottle reads 14.1 but I think over 15 degrees. Maybe, they wanted to save on the higher alcohol tax. The wine starts so beautifully only to burn the back of my throat. The fruits are ripe, elegant and beautifully soft. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, faint back palate of strawberries, sweet/soft leather, black licorice, violets & roses, rich delicate & sweet wet black earth, soft light baking spices, caramel, milk chocolate, figs & dates, amazingly sweet dark minerals, touch of black tar, touch of spice and a rich long elegant dark fruit liqueur finish. I would score this wine higher if it didn't punish my palate and throat with the burning alcohol finish. — 10 years ago
Château Pontet-Canet
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1996
Drinking really well. Wonderful notes of tobacco, lead pencil, earthy and a touch of bell pepper. — 10 years ago
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1992
Thought this would be a bit lean, but pleasantly proved otherwise. Still very full fruit with a touch greenness. — 11 years ago
Marcel Lapierre
Morgon Gamay 2009
2009: quite dense appearance; ripe black / red fruit w a faint touch of horse hair (Brett ); generously proportioned attack of ripe red and black fruit, leads onto medium weight palate which finishes fruitfully but without the verve of a "classic" vintage. A satisfying and quite delicious drink without being memorable. A lot of 09 burgundies would fit these descriptors. — 11 years ago
Freddy R. Troya
Opus One 2011
Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸
Overview
A Bordeaux-style blend from one of Napa’s most iconic estates, co-founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The 2011 vintage was a challenging, cool year in Napa, producing wines of lower alcohol, more restraint, and higher acidity compared to the opulent, sun-soaked vintages before and after. Blend typically centers on Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.
Aromas & Flavors
Opens with blackcurrant, cassis, and dried cherry layered with graphite, violets, tobacco leaf, and hints of cedar and espresso. As it evolves in the glass, notes of leather, savory herbs, and cocoa powder emerge.
Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied compared to more powerful Opus vintages, with fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. Elegant and balanced, showing more finesse and structure than richness. The finish lingers with red and black fruits, spice, and a touch of earth.
Winemaking Notes
Aged in French oak for 18 months. The cooler season resulted in smaller yields, but a style closer to classic Bordeaux restraint rather than plush Napa ripeness.
Food Pairing
Beautiful with herb-crusted lamb, grilled duck breast, wild mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses like Comté.
Verdict
A vintage that divided critics due to its lighter profile, but for those who enjoy elegance and classical structure, the 2011 Opus One is a refreshing outlier. Drink now, though it still has a few years of graceful life ahead. Cheers!
— 9 months ago