“This is a rad Chardonnay,” said one of our guests. Jeff Stewart, the winemaker, does a fantastic job of letting the grapes and terroir speak for themselves. There is a focus and precision about this wine and an internal tension that makes it feel alive. — 9 months ago
Medium light garnet core , wide light terracotta rim . This is quite evolved , with spiced old wood, touch of smoky dried meats , herbal hints , some sous bois , and dried wild strawberry . On the palate this shows more elegant red fruit focus , quite linear and refined , delicate raspberry , smoky anis tinged strawberry . High refreshing acidity and still noticeable but fine and sweet tannin . Good menthol , medicinal tinged finish . Drink now and over the next few years . — a year ago
Medium deep ruby core , medium wide ruby garnet rim . Quite slow and fat tears. Quite exotic nose , slightly high toned, lots of ripe spicy blackcurrant , dark cherry , blackberry and underneath a grafite and earthy note , marine scents also . On the palate round, ripe and sweet dark fruits, blackcurrant , blackberry and dark cherry , touches of grafite and cigar box. Surprisingly good , even refreshing acidity , ripe ample tannins; there is great intensity here. Balanced alcohol even though it is quite decadent and rich, lots of glycerin . Very long and succulent but balanced finish with touches of mineral and tobacco. The plumpness and exoticism does come across as pretty atypical for Latour , though it is a real success for the vintage and an undeniably enjoyable wine. Drinking ok now , with a decant of an hour or two but really did improve over the 5 hours we had it open. Will obviously last and improve over the next 20 years and I’m sure go further still . — 3 years ago
Super bright red cherry, sour cherry fruit profile. Intense on the acidity. A bit too far perhaps? Nice richness and weight but the fruit wasn’t balanced. Honestly a bit underwhelmed since this is a 100 pointer! A nice wine but not my idea of “perfection”, at least not right now...maybe in a few years it will mature and evolve more? — 7 years ago
WOTN hands down. Superb intense nose of currant, blackberry, mocha, cigar. Ample and wide palate with currant, still very young. Long finish with traces of bitterness. Huge wine. Once again a blast to be able to share it with friends born the same year — 8 years ago
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Very fruity on the nose and full bodied with medium minus acidity.
Dry to off dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing black currants, blackberries, cooked plums, oak, vanilla, dried fruits, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, light herbs and peppercorn.
Short finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 8 year old Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County is still drinking very nicely, but will not get better from this point.
Complex and easy drinking. Fruit forward with a touch of RS. Rich and extracted with a mouth coating feel.
A nice sipping wine.
14.6% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$50. — 9 months ago
Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Nose of red and black fruits with light wood, tobacco and chocolate notes.
Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, light oak, licorice, chocolates, spices and earth.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This young Grenache blend is starting to drink very nicely now, with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.
Elegant and rich. Interesting and engaging. A very traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape in style.
Well balanced and good by itself as a sipping wine. Will also pair nicely with food.
A blend of all 13 allowed grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but mostly Grenache. Hand picked and whole cluster. Aged for 2 years in large French oak barrels.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$110. — a year ago
Medium deep ruby , medium wide ruby rim . A bit more mineral , oyster shell, and dark cassis on the nose , wood spice touches . On the palate quite mineral and dark fruit focused , blackcurrant , cassis . Good focus on the palate , saline with good acidity and grippy but ripe tannins . Promising , though needs time , better in 10 years and will last a further 10-15 . — 2 years ago
Bright. Easy to drink gruner. — 6 years ago
It’s a B-day double dip of Pichon Lalande. Following up the 89 with the 96. I Coravined this 96 about a year ago and put it back because it wasn’t ready. I still feel that way, but my trust in Coravin has been a little shaky lately. So, I figured I’d I finish it just in case the Coravin advanced it too far or to spoil as I’ve experienced in the last year. On the nose; scorched earth, spearmint, cigar, dark currants, well baked blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, cherries, strawberries, steeped black tea, slight tarry notes, herbaceous character, soft, subtle spice, dark chocolate, black licorice, expresso grounds, cedar, used leather, dry, decayed & fresh red florals with fresh violets. The body full and putting on weight as it continues to open up. The tannins have softened & are rounder but still have big teeth. The structure, length, tension are still quite big. The balance is in a very good spot and will continue to evolve to a better place. The palate fruits are like the nose with lots of dark currants. Well baked blackberries, sweet & sour dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, cherries, strawberries, steeped black tea, slight tarry notes, scorched earth, spearmint, cigar box, herbaceous character, soft, subtle spice, dark chocolate, black licorice, expresso grounds, cedar, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry river stones, dry, decayed & fresh red florals with fresh violets. The acidity is round & well done. The finish is big, thick, rich, long with split evenly with dark currants/earth and lasts minutes. Still needs at least 5 years plus in the bottle to really get to a sweeter spot with another 15-20 years ahead. Personally, I’ll wait 10 years to open another. Photos of; Pichon Lalande, Virginie de Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, their library cellar I’d love to spend a weekend opening bottles and their barrel room. I remember being at dinner about 8 years ago where their Director told us they had recently opened three bottles of 1897 and one was still good! Wish I’d been in line with a glass. 😋 Anybody notice the difference in the 96 & 89 label? — 8 years ago


Bought from Far Niente in Napa, 2025. We both love it. — 9 months ago
Had the 2012, 2013, 2016 and this was by far the standout. Amazing longevity — 9 months ago
Medium light garnet , quite wide terracotta rim . Top shoulder ullage . Slightly herbal , old mahogany, hickory , chestnut, minty , dried fruits with sous bois underneath, hoisin . On the palate this has some sweet red fruits , touch of coffee , old wood , earthy , meaty hints . Good acidity and slightly grippy tannins . Not bad length. This bottle shows surprisingly well considering its state , and is very drinkable . Drink now , as this deteriorated quite quickly once in the glass — a year ago
My favorite Yquem so far, the explicit apricot and marcona ride over a smokier, spicier background. Clean briquettes of fine Japanese coal with a skewer of white champignons and allium petals are roasting and carbonizing. Super compelling. — 7 years ago
Love it.. Best red so far — 8 years ago
Kland Aida
15.5% alcohol… Very big, high in tannin and dry. Almost didn’t taste like a new world wine. — 9 months ago