MaJ CappS

9.0

Open for just an hour is all that is needed.

Carefully decanted, this has a nose of raspberry cedars.
Big boned, substantial, raspberry, blueberry, cedar stave, eucalyptus, classic Napa flavors here. A great showcase of the evening. — 3 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.4

Toscana wine evening #5
Infanticide, I know.
Reductive in the nose, even after 6h decanting. Very slowly, some bright, ripe cherry emerges, plus some tomato leaf and uplifting herby whiff.
Beautiful mouthfeel with finely grained tannins & bright cherry acidity. Currently the sun dried tomatoes and tomato leaf overpower the cherry, but this is really, really good. Just don’t open it for (at least) the next 5y.
A beautiful wine. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Monthly WTF wine group night. Our theme was American oak vs French oak. All wines tasted blind. We started off with two bottles of bubbly and finished with two non-themed reds.

My contribution for the evening. I’m posting my previous review of this wine below as it’s been consistent the few times I’ve had it over the last 12-18 months. Love these wines!

Youthful. Icredibly perfumed with typical sweet dill and coconut American oak on the nose. Gosh, I could smell this stuff all day. Aside from needing time away, it needs roughly an hour of decanting to hit stride. Tobacco, cherry tart, and great herbal nuances on the finish. — 5 years ago

with Jack, Ryan and 4 others

Randy Stilley

9.5

Very youthful for a ‘94. Awesome wine. Perfect for dinner on a cold evening. — 6 years ago

T Hammond

9.0

Gift from Abigail and Nicholas — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Can’t think of many better starters to an evening than with Billecart-Salmon Rosé. 🌹 Nose of; ripe strawberries, cherries, raspberries, tangerine, orange rhine, black cherries, bread, soft chalkiness & minerals with pink rose petals. The palate fruits seem richer & riper tonight. Strawberries, cherries, raspberries, tangerine, orange rhine, black cherries, watermelon near the rhine, razor soft chalkiness, baguette crust, sea spray, volcanic minerals, red & pink rose petals, beautiful acidity and long, rich, well polished finish. 375ml. Photos of; their beautiful Estate, a dark cellar I’d love to raid and one of their grand cru vineyards. @severngoodwin I guess I do have it on tap. 🤔 — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 7 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

Blair Campomizzi

9.1

Dark and rich. Red berry and cherry pop with some dried herd nots in the back ground. — 3 years ago

with Marilea

Michael Herzog

9.6

Just a basic pop and pour kind of evening...

Maybe not. Thanks to @Kuan Lim for sharing this 1971 (birth year wine) and a 1996. These age so gracefully and they were both spectacular in their own ways. I am going to give them both collectively a 96. Not often you get to taste such great wines together. Awesome! — 4 years ago

with Kuan

Shay A

9.4

Jack & Arden put together a wonderful evening of delicious food and great wines, and a few of us attendees contributed some bottles to enjoy as well. Great night!

Served blind. I actually thought this was older than the previous wine (it wasn’t) and that this could be older Napa. Color wise, there was more translucence and bricking. Bing cherry, bay leaf, and herbal notes. Saddle leather, pipe tobacco, black cherry on the palate. A favorite producer of mine. Thanks for bringing @Jack Thompson — 5 years ago

with Arden, Jack and 3 others

Paul H

9.3

This was a missed photo from the birthday evening a couple of posts ago. Wonderful evening of indulgence and great conversations. Enjoying the life long efforts of the pursuit of excellence by two incredible men, Robert Mondavi and Jose Padrón — 6 years ago

Junaid Mohiuddin

9.4

Classic Pinot. Soft on the tongue but full of flavor. — 6 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.1

Up against some serious competition tonight. — 6 years ago

with Mark

Mike Saviage

9.7

From an auction bottle that had a low fill and might have had some seepage in its past. Light amber color. Thin and translucent in the glass. At the start there is a huge sweetness from the nose of the bottle to the first pour in the glass. An exotic bouquet developed over the afternoon and evening as this gained weight from the air it took on. At the 5 hour mark it was rich in the mouth to go with the amazing complex bouquet it was giving off. Notes of sweet cherries, Asian spice, dry dirt and a little molasses. Was still riding high late into the evening, and everyone's views of the wine kept improving until the last pour. The next day the empty bottle still has the sweet complexity it had when opened. — 7 years ago

Pascal Jeangirard

9.0

A great wine for a great evening Had it with a selection of cheeses absolutely superb, vintage 1984. — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Well...this was one hell of a week. There is only one way to wind it down. Reach for an excellent bottle of vintage Champagne.

My first thoughts are how delicate this is on the palate. Further, how unbelievable it will be with another 8-10 years in bottle.

The nose shows; slightly sour lemon, the good parts of lemon Pledge, lemon meringue, white stone fruits, pineapple fresh with lots of juice, grapefruit, lime pulp, honeysuckle, soft, haunting caramel, brioche, limestone & slightly, dirty, grey volcanics, saline, sea fossils, sea spray, bread dough, vanilla, white spices-light ginger with spring flowers, mixed floral greens & lilies.

The body is light on its feet and dances on the palate. Delicacy abounds. Its soft, gorgeous mousse right there with the best money can buy. Slightly sour lemon, lemon meringue, green & with more bruised golden apple, white stone fruits, pineapple fresh with lots of juice, grapefruit, lime pulp, touch of apple cider, honeysuckle, soft, haunting caramel, ginger ale into cream soda, brioche, nougat, toffee notes, lighter nuts without skin, limestone & slightly, dirty, grey volcanics, saline, sea fossils, sea spray, bread dough, vanillin, marzipan, white spices-light ginger with spring flowers, mixed floral greens & lilies. The acidity is mellow yet lively, gorgeous and as good as it gets. The finish is all luxury. So well knitted & balanced, elegant, rich but not overpowering and gently persisting several minutes.

Photos of; The House of Taittinger, their caves so chalky white and built on the famous Crayères Cellars of Reims: 2.5 miles of tunnels (they own 1/4 to 1/3 of it) cut out of chalk by the Romans, the portrait of Thibaud IV who was a king, lord, manager, singer, conqueror, explorer & 11th century Crusader all rolled into one from which, this Cuvée was the catalyst creation and part of the 600 plus hectares they own in Champange.

Some producer notes; Taittinger's history can be traced back to 1734, when it was originally known as Forest-Fourneaux, founded by Jacques Fourneaux who worked closely with local Benedictine monks to learn how to produce wine. They were just the 3rd Champange house.

The estate was bought by the Taittingers – a family of wine merchants – in 1932, and thanks to the great depression and subsequent low land prices, the family also picked up huge swathes of vineyard. From 1945-1960, Francois Taittinger established the cellars in the Abbey of Saint-Nicaise, and after his death in 1960 his brother Claude took over, pushing the estate into a Champagne house of world renown. Such was the status of the label that the Taittinger family soon expanded its business into other luxury goods. However, this eventually led to financial difficulties, and in 2005 the Taittinger brand – including the Champagne house – was sold to the American owned Starwood Hotel Group. The sale was badly received by the Champagne industry, with many fearing the new owners – unfamiliar with the culture of Champagne – would put profit ahead of quality.

Just one year later, Claude’s nephew, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, who had always been opposed to the sale, negotiated a €660m deal with the Starwood Group, and the Taittinger family resumed ownership of the company.

In 2017, Taittinger planted its first vines in England, near a village in Kent, for its venture into English sparkling wine. The first bottle will be ready in 2023.

1/8/21 — 3 years ago

Neil Kudler

9.1

90% dark chocolate, black plum, long finish. Opens up with 20-30 minutes in the glass. — 6 years ago

Andrew S

9.5

Deep and lush with a multitude of flavors that seemed to pick up steam as the evening progressed. This has it all from apple/citrus to hints of red fruits, spices, minerals and a touch of earth. Well balanced. — 6 years ago

with Steven

Martin G Rivard

9.8

Our buddy Bill Derrick on the left with the one and only David Page!!! Opened this 63 port from his cellar for us to enjoy at the end of a glorious evening. You can’t help but have a continuous shit eating grins when you are hanging out with these 2!! Great times., great times!! The one & only Ted Mandes structured this evening at David’s home and brought a team of culinary experts to prepare the feast. @Ted Mandes What Ted was able to structure was nothing short of AMAZING!! I believe 4 chefs were in attendance whom all created an individual course. Spectacular to say the least!! — 7 years ago

with Christine and Ted

Jusden Aumand

9.3

Herbal, savory, Sage, scorched earth and orange peel rind. Delicate and very pretty. — 7 years ago