Eye Of The Needle

Eli Madyson Vineyard

California Red Blend 2012

Wine, Brews, Blues fest in Escondido. This was the Cabernet. Probably my favorite of the evening. Will be keeping an eye on this local producer. — 7 years ago

LM, Eric and 6 others liked this

Realm Cellars

The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2004

Total beast. Did a quick double decant since it's 12 years old but should have let it open for a couple of hours. Eye watering nose of dirt, nutmeg, cinnamon, bramble, and camphor. Massive palate with plenty of fruit and tannin left. 45 second finish. What an awesome cab blend! — 8 years ago

Ron, Paul and 18 others liked this
Jody Scharf

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Fave of mine
Shay A

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Very nice @Eric Shanks. I've never experienced a Realm wine, but I always see great things about it.
Eric

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I've only had a few @Shay Aldriedge , but all were amazing. Especially the Beckstoffer. Older vintages on the secondary market are pretty reasonable too.

TintoNegro

Co-Ferment Malbec 2013

Outstanding wine with spicy Vietnamese food. Reasonably priced, and delivers on the promise of its name "Tinto Negro" (Black Wine)....the black fruits give it a color and aroma that is pleasing to the eye, the nose, and the palette! — 8 years ago

Masae Wiley
with Masae
Sean liked this

Cannonball Wines

California Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Great with a steak! The flavour profile unravels with a bit of time to decant and the tannins soften with the fatty rib eye revealing dark fruit/cherries and a nice touch of oak — 8 years ago

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

Every time I open a bottle of this (and I've kept my eye on it for a decade now) I think it's flawed. It just retains this dumb tannic hold for the first day after opening it. So I sucked the air out of it and kept it in the cabinet for 72 hours. Now it tastes great! Not a lot of primary fruit left but a seriously delicious musty blackcurrent compote. If the secondary berries that seem to be poking their buds through the soil now develop as I hope they will over the next two decades, this will be a very nicely integrated, balanced, and textured wine. It'll be fun to find out! — 8 years ago

Anthony, Chris and 4 others liked this

Château Moulin Haut-Laroque

Fronsac Red Bordeaux Blend 1998

After opening, it reminds me of a northern Rhone syrah: translucent ruby red, not a Bordeaux nose, lighter, higher acidity and all. Now after 2 hours, it's become darker to the eye, nose, and palate. Opaque, almost pitch black. Milk chocolate and smoke on the nose. Some sweetness and less acidity on the palate. Some grippy tannin left. Plummy finnish. A good deal for €18 in 2015. 50+3+12+17+8=90 — 9 years ago

Thomas Fogarty

Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

Yes that says 1990!!! Fuckin' cool and holding up like a champ. Aging potential of these wines has been an eye opening lesson to me and astounding to experience!!! — 9 years ago

Tommy Fogarty
with Tommy
Tommy Fogarty

Tommy Fogarty Influencer Badge

I think the bottle shot may have gotten mixed up, but the '90 was totally intact. I liked it very much!
JeremyC

JeremyC

Wtf?!?!...I never even had the '10...not sure how that happened. ...gotta find the 90 pic!

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 1937

1937 Lafaurie-Peyraguey: seventy-eight years had nothing on this still-fresh show-stopper. Lucid amber color, tangy marmalade-tinged flavor, medium-weight that is not tiring to drink at all. Threads the needle with perfect balance of honeyed intensity and bright acidity. One of the best ‪#‎Sauternes‬ ever to grace these lips. The perfect ‪#‎wine‬ when the wolves of life are howling outside your door. — 9 years ago

Daron, Erik and 2 others liked this
Blake Conklin

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Holy crap, this is amazing!

Jean Vesselle

Oeil de Perdrix Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne

Jessica Tousignant
9.8

100% Pinot Noir.

'Eye of the Partridge' is named as such because of the light orange/pink hue of the wine. Couldn't be more elegant. Bright red fruit drive the well-balanced acid with an undertone of delicate brioche.
— 10 years ago

Anthony and Sybaritewino liked this

Château Haut-Sorillon

Bordeaux Supérieur Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

Dark red almost purple on the eye. On the nose it is earthy with spice. Tastes of black berry, black currant with a smokiness (wet gravel) taste. — 7 years ago

La Kiuva

Arnad-Montjovet Nebbiolo 2014

eye level gravel with my hands dirty, nine pm, fifteen years, give or take, we wanted to carry, hold eachother, push, scared of what's to come and the 'what to do', i once told you, whispers, humming bird, beak-heart, "i would love to fast forward", and now, cliche on cliche, i just want to speak to you and imagine the 'what to do', clean hands at nine pm — 8 years ago

Julien Courtois

Originel Heidi Kuka Menu-Pineau Romorantin

Chris Scanlan
9.0

She's temperamental. And expressive. It ain't no a Billy Joel Song; it's a Soings en Sologne, sung by the son of a son of a viticulture (well maybe only the cousin). Very fucking cool wine. Unique for this region. Kind of Sebastian Riffault-like in his rule breaking to Sancerre, but perhaps more... tame. Oxidative for this vintage, maybe that's consistent? Tastes like there's some skin contact on the romorantin, a roller coaster of acidity and sapidity across the tongue, and Menu Pineau, I can find it if I look. If you don't like oxidative wine, you probably won't appreciate this. But I judge a wine whether it's empty or not, and this one didn't stand a chance. Tastes better when it's warmed up and breathed for an hour. vintage is technically 2012 -not on label. Wife (New Zealander) Heidi Kuka makes the eye-catchingly, ornate almost Maori-like tribal tattoos for the labels. Julien Courtois is able to knock it out of the park on occasion, but mostly, he makes very good, expressive and interesting, but most importantly drinkable wine from the western Loire. — 8 years ago

Jonathan, Vanessa and 5 others liked this

Alma Rosa

La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

One of the best Pinot Noir's I have ever tasted, paired splendidly with a Rib Eye, stood up to it! — 8 years ago

Cherry Pie Wines

Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir 2012

Ryan Carey
9.2

Finally trying Cherry Pie (from Hundred Acre). 3 different single vineyard Pinots from 2012. Stanly Ranch is dynamite (and a vineyard to keep an eye on). Reminiscent of Kosta Browne. Next up is Rodgers Creek. Darker fruit. Less explosive, but a nice wine. Third up is Carinalli. Way lighter, though some spice to it. It's fine, but doesn't hold a candle to the other two. (Thanks Mastro's in Scottsdale for hosting me!) — 8 years ago

John, Velma and 10 others liked this

Bouchard Père et Fils

Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus Grèves Beaune 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2008

Big baby Jesus! ODB. Love it. Classic undertones of Beaune funk, earth forest floor and moss. Decanted for 45m and amazingly open and giving. Impressed at readiness here. Acid is awesome and carries through and makes this wine go great with bigger richer food. Rib-eye and acid cut it great. — 9 years ago

Anthony and Bill liked this
Bill Bender

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Makes me want to open a bottle and watch Talladega Nights!

Ramsay

North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Great cab. Subtle notes with a smooth oaky taste with a hint of what appeared to be cherry and smooth aftertaste that disappears in the blink of an eye. Excellent. — 9 years ago

Jacob Westerbeck
with Jacob
Jacob, jesus and 1 other liked this
Jacob Westerbeck

Jacob Westerbeck

Cabtastic!

Wren Hop

Needle's Eye Chardonnay 2012

Coffee piss in color. Toasted brioche and butter on the nose. A full mouthfeel and a long finish; loads of minerals, aluminum, celery salt, plant stems. Paired beautifully with rich, fatty pieces of nigiri. — 9 years ago

Pahlmeyer

Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 2010

Big, bodacious & tons of fruit! Paired well with rib eye dinners! — 9 years ago

Mas L'Avail

Terre d'Ardoise Vielles Vignes Carignane 2011

An eye-opener, the first sip provides a great bouquet of flavor. Creamy, & medium-full in body, I look forward to a glass tomorrow. — 10 years ago

Rich Laster

Rich Laster

Day 2: medium body, & great depth of flavor. It's amazing with a piece of Toblerone!

Michael David Winery

Petite Petit Lodi Petite Sirah Petit Verdot

The label obviously catches you eye, but I think the taste surpasses the "effectiveness" of the label. — 7 years ago

Kandarian Wine Cellars

Blue Eye Sauvignon Blanc 2015

fresh cut grass with tropical nots of passion fruit, guava, and citrus — 7 years ago

Umathum

Rosa Rosé Blend

totally unique crisp but full of mouth eye of cranberry with eli's deconstructed succotash grilled pork chops and local heirloom maters wowser did this work — 8 years ago

Frances KingEli Scott
with Frances and Eli
Jane, Chris and 1 other liked this

Kayra

Single Vineyard Collectible Series #5 Vintage Öküzgözü 2011

What a nice Turkish delight this is.
Beautiful color of dark ruby/inky core with a purplish rim.

The nose is similar to a Napa Cabernet. Lots of vanilla and oak that drown all the fruits. Some chocolates, licorice, cedar, coffee, cola, smoke, blackberries, black currants, black pepper and spices.

Full bodied and bold, Smooth and elegant with medium plus acidity and gorgeous legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with oak, vanilla, blackberries, currants, sweet cherries, dark chocolates, cola, figs, raisins, tobacco, coffee, peppercorn and spices.

Long finish with full, firm tannins and black pepper.

A great Single Vineyard red wine. Big, bold and beautiful. At a Blind tasting I would call a young Napa Cabernet.
Balanced and Enjoyable by itself or with food. I Paired it with a Turkish lamb dish, and it held its own nicely.

This 5 year old needs some additional bottle time and will be even better in 3 years.
Needs 2 hours in a decanter.

Fun fact:
Okuzgozu, the grape varietal, means an ox eye for being the largest among the grape varieties grown in Turkey.

14.5% alcohol by volume.
— 8 years ago

Ted, Willie and 19 others liked this

Curious Beasts Wines

Blood California Red Blend 2014

One of the best red wines I've had in a while! It caught my eye because of the label/packaging and I ended up picking it up to accompany a prime rib dinner because of the description on the back recommended that pairing specifically and it was perfect! The other guests raved about it as well. Very affordable. — 8 years ago

Domaine des Sablonnettes (Christine & Joel Ménard)

Les Copains D'Abord Anjou Grolleau 2012

Burgundy-like bubblegum notes on the nose. Light and zippy, reminding first and foremost of slightly carbonated cranberry juice, but with the acidic complexity of a great lambic, tinged with hay, ginger, forest floor, light warm spice and wild raspberries. Extraordinarily floral, offering up a strong bouquet of cut tulips, violets, and lilies. Delicious and eye-openingly singular. — 8 years ago

Marqués de Cáceres

Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 1994

A wine that's often drunk very young - waiting 10 years rewards the patient. A thin film of water at the rim and a hint of candied cherry ahead of a dark core; oven grilled sweet bell-peppers, pepper, figs , sweaty leather, vanilla fudge; well integrated tannins but still a bit of a bite, like an old cheetah sleeping with one eye closed. — 9 years ago

Ted, Ira and 3 others liked this

Ballast Point Brewing Company

Big Eye IPA

Lovely amber with just the right balance of hops. — 9 years ago

Eagle Eye Wines

Voluptuous Napa Valley Red Blend 2005

One of my all time favorites. Excellent wine for any occasion. — 9 years ago

Hawkes

PYR Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Depth and character that is expressing subtleties of leather and salt and perfect for a cabin hideaway with grilled dry aged rib eye. — 10 years ago

Fish Eye

South Eastern Australia Merlot 2011

One of my favorite reds — 11 years ago