Over three years since I opened up the first bottle. Still young-ish but much easier to drink after a quick decant of half an hour. All the typical scents and taste of C9DP. Very balanced. Clearly from a warm climate but retaining ample freshness. Like it a lot. Hope I can keep my hands off it in the coming years to check in on the remaining bottles every couple of years — 8 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Beautiful ruby in color, with a very wide reddish rim. Bricking at the very top.
Light nose with red and black fruits, light cedar and tobacco leaf.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with black plums, currants, cherries, earth, black coffee, oak, herbs, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates and black tea.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 26 year old from the great 1998 vintage in Southern Rhone is drinking beautifully now. Soft and smooth, elegant and earthy.
Not so good right out of the bottle, and needed 90 minutes of airtime to open up properly, so be patient.
Robert Parker 95 points. Wine Spectator 94 points.
Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.
Showing nice complexity and good balance.
I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
14% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$120 (current vintage). — 9 months ago
A little thin at first, but then got going after an hour or so being opened — 2 years ago
Light, good flavor. Doesn’t have the bad aftertaste like some. Fresh, vanilla notes — 4 years ago
First time tasting and what a treat. We balanced, subtle with flavors that keep evolving. — 7 years ago
One of, if not my favorite, rioja producers. Fruit on the 03 is a bit crisper than other vintages. Cranberry, tomato (leaf?), deftly deliberate oxidation, earth and savory balsamic, all framed in lovely oak. Fine integrated tannin. Long savory finish — 9 years ago
Funk on the nose. A little juice, earth, minerality, and balanced acidity. Smells like your grandparents basement. — 10 years ago
#AgedWineTuesday
This is a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley.
Dark ruby in color with a brick rim.
Full bodied and smooth.
Dry and fruity on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vegetables, coffee and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 23 year old is elegant and powerful. Rich and extracted, with a nice mouthfeel.
Good by itself as a sipping wine. Well balanced with great complexity. I just love these Napa Bordeaux blends.
Robert Parker 98 points. Wine Enthusiasts 94 points.
A great quality wine that will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
A blend of of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
14.1% alcohol by volume.
96 points.
$400. — 8 months ago
Yeah, what can I say. Nice wine for sure, but for some reason when I see the Silver Oak label my expectations rise. Realizing this is the Alexander Valley version. But 2011! Thirteen years old. Still rather single note, strong oak tannins still overshadowed what maybe underneath it. A bit disappointed I am afraid. We pulled it out with my first ever Tomahawk ribeye… so yeah. — 9 months ago
It was Father’s Day and I had decided on grilled rack of lamb for dinner so I selected this bottle of 2011 Chateau Musar rouge from our cellar. According to Musar’s records, the 2011 vintage was one of the most challenging since the early 1990’s. It was ultimately a late-maturing vintage with harvest taking place on October 13th, the latest since the 1983 vintage!
I decanted this bottle about eight hours prior to dinner. It should be noted that immediately upon opening, the bouquet was strikingly gorgeous with powerful aromatics that were obvious from several feet away and this trait carried through until dinner time.
In the glass, the wine presents a deep garnet color. Slightly turbid with a near opaque core. On the nose, black plums, blackberries, cassis, tobacco, organic earth, exotic spices, leather, spiced meat, and pomegranate. I detect a touch of VA as well. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the nose with an added bit of red rope licorice. Lovely, long, savory…amazing. This was a brilliant compliment to the lamb (which was served with beets and goat cheese and fattoush) and everything I wanted in a Musar tonight. Drinking well now with a hefty decant and I expect well cellared examples to drink well past 2035. — a year ago
Intense cherries and cassis aromas. Dark Cherry, Plum and Blackberry flavors with hints chocolate, earth and leather. Dark color and chewy tannins. Well balanced. Thanks for sharing, Keith — 7 years ago
Drank for Sean's birthday. Drinking very well. Beautiful, velvety tannins and acidity. Leather, earth, mushroom, red fruits. — 8 years ago
2005 is amazing. Leather, blood, scorched earth while maintaining youthfulness and ripe red fruit. One of my favorites — 9 years ago
Leoville Barton is one of my favorite St. Julien producers and still one of the best values upon release of Left Bank Bordeaux’s. If my memory is correct, I think this was WS’s wine of the year a few years ago.
I haven’t had this since the release at UGC. It was so fresh then. It has definitely put on weight and showing some nice evolution. But, Anthony made his wines for the ages. This will rise 2-3 points with 20 years bottle age.
It is round and lush. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, purple fruits, blueberries, some creamy raspberries & dark cherries. Anise, light graphite, tobacco ash, leather, dark, rich earth with dry leaves, dry river stone, limestone marl, dark spice, dry herbaceous notes, hints of black olive, black licorice, dry stems, mix of dry & candied dark flowers, very nice round acidity and a well; balanced, structured, tensioned and polished finish that last minutes.
Would open this in 2032 and beyond. — 8 months ago
+1 hour decant(some fine/cloudy sediment). A prodigious medium ruby red color. On the nose: red fruit, licorice, herbs, sandlewood, smoked meat. Taste: Still youthful and energetic with red raspberry/plum, dark currants, tea, earth, and a clove/dark chocolate med plus finish. YUM! — 9 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.
Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.
Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.
This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.
So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.
A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.
13.9% alcohol by volume.
96 points.
$250. — a year ago
Nice elegant bordeaux blend. I ranked it first in twenty year old cabs tasting — 10 years ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
1989 vintage. Tasted 5.5.23 (9.5), 4.4.23 (6 different btls-avg 9.4) and 12.9.22 (9.6). Above average fill for the age and impressive cork (about 70% saturated). Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Threw a decent amount of powdery sed. Medium nose slightly muted for the first 10 minutes or so but then came roaring to life. Yes, still the hallmark blueberries and cocoa powder along with a dash of raspberry but bigg graphite with this bottle. Drank consistently great for 1.75 hours, then seemed to lose a little steam at the very end. Not improving but still think cellar dwellers need to be popped in the next five years to enjoy the magic before it fades. 3.28.24. — 7 months ago