Jeroen Koenen

9.3

Dead… was my first impression.
So I put the remaining 2/3 of the bottle in the fridge.
On day two this showed more balance and depth. Dark fruit notes and grilled meat as well. Alas, the brown notes of cola, raisins and dates were still present. Although this must have been a suboptimal bottle, I finished the remainder with pleasure! — 8 days ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, eucalyptus, chocolates, spices, vegetables, coffee, herbs and black pepper.

Full bodied and rich with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, spices, toast, coffee, light vanilla, dark chocolates, peppercorn, earth and black tea.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This gorgeous 21 year old red blend from Saint Julien is drinking beautifully now. Powerful and fruit forward. Nicely balanced and elegant.

Peaking now, and still feels very fresh, with a lot of power to take it even longer. Will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.

This Third Growth Bordeaux is showing great complexity with a great mouthfeel. Spicy and entertaining. A great vintage in Bordeaux, and it is definitely showing.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 21 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$125. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — 2 months ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.6

Crna team lider @ grand cru MAGNUM — 3 months ago

Chris MacLean

9.3

Big winner at dinner tonight — 6 months ago

with Alessandro, Sarah and 2 others

Diane M. Napolitano

9.8

From Thirst Wine Merchants. Berry juice, milk chocolate. — 8 months ago

Daniel M

9.0

R. Lopez de Heredia, Viña Cubillo, Rioja Crianza 2017
This is one of the many bottles we brought back in the trunk of our car from Spain and France after our summer stay over there. The nose shows dark berries, prune, meat juice, autumn forest soil after rain, oak. This is rather complex and layered. The palate is very well made and defined. There is a good acid drive, some nice dark berries and dark cherry notes all along, some width, some spices, a good tannic wall in the rear, disturbing ever so slighlty the mouthfeel by leaving a grippy, drying layer over a long, fruity, spicy finish which goes on for quite a while. The meat juice note that was showing in the nose makes a come back in the very end, adding a savoury, umami touch which is pretty nice, I must say. It's not at the level of the viña tondonia 2011 I tasted a while ago (and it costs only a fraction of the price) but it's very good Rioja Crianza in its own right. Not in-your-face, fresh and balanced winemaking style. Great effort !
90 out of 100 — 8 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Still youthful — 21 days ago

romo

9.2

Just when you think it’s going to Thelma & Louise, it spawns wings and lifts off. - at Franklin PT — a month ago

Holly Morgan

10

Blood orange and cloves as well as cherries in the nose. A bit of vanilla as it opens up. Tastes of tangerine and clove with a sweet cherry after taste. — a month ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.4

Touch of over the hill but still OK. Lost color. More for the geeks and aficionados - than the casual wine drinker. So this review is for you guys. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

I have dreamed of the 1981 Grange for many, many years. Why? Well, it’s quite simple: I’m an ‘81 baby and that year doesn’t have the strongest reputation for producing great wines. Spain and Italy faired better and of course, there were always exceptions. However, most have long been drank or forgotten as it was a tough year in many of the classic wine growing regions. All of that being said, Australia didn’t suffer the same conditions and Penfold’s managed to make a very good expression of Grange in 1981…if only one could find it and then of course, afford it. But, sometimes you just have to put it out into the universe and she answers. Tonight, a dear brother in wine who also happens to share 1981 as a birth year, provided this bottle from his cellar to share. And while my 45th remains a couple months off, we were celebrating life and friendship tonight!

Opened prior to dinner and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1981 pours a deep purple color moving towards a garnet rim and a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and desiccated tart black, red and blue fruits and rotundone: blackberries, raspberries, plum, tobacco, purple flowers, black olive, cocoa, coffee, eucalyptus, leather, toasted coconut, earth and baking spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is looooong. What a stellar showing and this bottle certainly lived up to hype. Drink now through 2041+. — 6 months ago

Paige Donnell

9.5

Are with beef, great flavor - rich and delightful — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Splash decanted and enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2014 “Viña Bosconia” pours a deep garnet/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Montmorency cherry, dill, toasted coconut, tobacco, leather and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and elegant. Delicious already in its relative youth and there’s a long, bright future ahead. Drink now with patience through 2044. — 13 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Château Rieussec — R de Rieussec 2020
Bordeaux AOC, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A seriously over-delivering dry white from Château Rieussec, the celebrated Sauternes estate of Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite. The 2020 is 57% Sauvignon Blanc and 43% Sémillon, combining Sauvignon’s freshness and energy with the texture and richness of Sémillon.

Aromas & Flavors
Passion fruit, citrus, grapefruit, ripe peach, and tropical fruit lead into subtle smoky and mineral nuances. Expressive and succulent without losing its Bordeaux identity.

Mouthfeel
Smooth and beautifully balanced, with enough volume from the Sémillon to give the wine substance while Sauvignon Blanc provides a sharp, refreshing backbone. Generous through the mid-palate, yet precise and lively through the finish.

Food Pairings
Oysters, grilled shrimp, scallops, crab, white fish, or seafood pasta. Equally enjoyable on its own.

Verdict
A hidden gem that punches considerably above its weight. Fresh, layered, succulent, and remarkably approachable, yet with enough structure and complexity to reveal its serious Bordeaux pedigree. One glass becomes two remarkably easily.

Did You Know?
Although 2020 may not be a headline vintage for white Bordeaux, R de Rieussec was a successful individual performer. The year was unusually warm and early, but Rieussec’s limestone-marl soils handled the dry summer well, with Sauvignon Blanc harvested exceptionally early in August to retain freshness.

🍷 Personal Pick
It took me a while to find other favorable vintages of this white, and I wasn’t sure 2020 would deliver, but I gave it a shot—and I’m glad I did. Succulent tropical fruit, beautiful balance, precision, and a sharp refreshing finish. Affordable enough to open casually, yet sophisticated enough to make you pay attention. Standalone or with seafood, this is exactly the kind of overlooked Bordeaux Blanc I love discovering. — 18 days ago

Pierre Gourinchas

9.9

Absolutely stunning. — a month ago

Ed Tostanoski

9.5

Wine of the trip so far - just everything you would hope it to be (of course @ sacre bistro) — 3 months ago

DJ Johnson

9.3

Starts out similar to a Pinot then gets heavier. Very nice! — 4 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Referred to as the “Baby Grange,” blend of 53/47 Cab Sauv & Shiraz, aged for 12 months in American oak, partly in previous-vintage Grange casks. Dark Ruby with aromas of fresh black fruits, complex with sweet spice. On the palate flavors of juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors with notes of cacao, oak and toasty spices, from cooler vintage. Well balanced with acidity, full ripe tannins, long ending with smoky spice, fruit well integrated with oak, drink over next 10 years+, will only get better. Nice! — 8 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.8

The times I helt a bottle like this in my hands, I can probably count on only one hand. Even for Delectable this is a rare occasion because it didn’t know how to correctly recognize it. When a wine connects like this, lifts you off the ground and takes you to a beautiful place, you know it is good. Intense, but perfectly balanced, so many instruments playing that still echo for minutes in a lingering finish. 26 years old yet so vibrant and wild with dark punchy fruits encapsulated by aged mahogany wood that released different flavors every time I took a sip… yeah… life is good. Offered by a friend who loves wine and even more loves to share! — 9 months ago

with Skip and Tammy