First Drop Wines

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2009

So for those who don’t know, this wine is a collaboration between one of the most famous California winemakers and one of the most famous Bordeaux wine makers (the grapes are from Napa).

The young expression when I first had it 10 years ago was big bold ripe fruit, probably the quintessential Napa cab.

The aged expression had more secondary and tertiary characteristics, terroir, and represented Baron Rothschild in respects of crafting a wine that could grow and develop and express the care that goes into winemaking as opposed to simply growing good fruit.

The young version of it perfectly expresses Mondavi and Napa. The aged version captures the elegance of Bordeaux winemaking and Rothschild’s fingerprints. You cannot fully experience this wine unless you’ve had it young and old. Unbelievable experience tonight.
— 9 months ago

Dave liked this

Benton-Lane

First Class Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Deliciously decadent, yet balanced Pinot that held up nicely with a Porterhouse steak! Ample plum, black cherry and sweet earthy notes with velvety-smooth tannins — 5 years ago

Paul liked this

Taittinger

Comtes de Champagne Grand Crus Brut Blanc de Blancs 2002

Great wine for the birth of our first grandchild Cheers Congrats Timmer and Laura — 5 years ago

Paul, Timmer and 9 others liked this
Timmer McCarthy

Timmer McCarthy

Cheers!!! I know @Laura Tanghal McCarthy is ready for a glass!
David L

David L Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Nice champagne & special bottle.
Eric L.

Eric L. Premium Badge

Congratulations to Timmer and Laura! And to you too on being a grandpa! 🎉

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1997

Had friends over for lunch on Saturday and had a match off with this 1997 Dominus with a 1997 Wynns John Riddoch - both from magnum. This Dominus I first tried at TriBeCa Grill in New York about 8 years ago and it was a wow wine for me. In fact the best Cabernet I had ever had outside of Bordeaux. No detailed notes but this was more savoury and less fruit driven than I remember. The consensus around the table was in favour of the Riddoch with me as the sole vote for the Dominus. No detailed tasting notes. — 7 years ago

Clive, Anthony and 16 others liked this

First Drop Wines

Mother's Ruin Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Lättfotat och förföriskt vätskgodis. Omogna hallon. Småpartierna på systemet. — 8 years ago

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

Drank this over the course of 6 days using Coravin...still too young, but the wine really opened up by the last day. Smells and tastes like a Grand Bordeaux St. Julien wine as it should. I used to this wine to test the Coravin. It is clear that oxidation starts right after the first pour. — 10 years ago

Domaine Jamet

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2008

First time tasting Jamet. Nice deepness on this hard vintage. Hints of smoky lard, cumin and pepper with a touch of flower. Ready to drink. — 11 years ago

Martine liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Aside from the cork disintegrating, this wine was quite tasty. First sip was after 3 hours of decanting and there was still much more to open up, as there was a dominant layer of funk hovering over it. — 11 years ago

Krystal VentoTaryne Ela
with Krystal and Taryne
Ryan and Craig liked this
Ryan Vento

Ryan Vento

We found a liquor store out in Cypress (the same liquor store that provided alcohol for our wedding) and they have a large stash of Caymus leftover, surprisingly. We bought our fair share, for sure.
Ryan Vento

Ryan Vento

And now we're moving on to a 750ml '10 Caymus. Delightful.

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1981

Um yeah... #BOOM status granted for this at the #yulwinethrowdown . 81 not the best of vintages and wines are reportedly past peak but this first growth was not. Very interesting flavour profile, certainly secondary characteristics but structurally still pretty sound. I was glad to find it still alive and in my opinion had many more years left before the big decline. Awesome privilege to have tasted. — 11 years ago

The Prisoner Wine Company

The Prisoner Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend

Needs to breathe a bit at first, but drinks well. Tastes more expensive than it is. Good red! — 13 years ago

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Pretty deep ruby , thin ruby rim . This is quite closed at first , but very focused mineral and grafite , oyster shell notes with dark blackcurrant and blackberry notes , spicy touches too . On the palate this is really focused and reserved , lots of mineral tinged black fruits , tobacco , oyster shell . Quite rich yet very good balance, fresh acidity . Ripe but gritty tannins , saline and really long finish . Accessible now , but really destined for the long term. Wait another 5-10 years , will drink well a further 20 . At Vinous Icons, Pier 60 NY, Feb 2025 — 9 months ago

Dave, Tom and 12 others liked this

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2000

Second time I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this. The 2000 is in the pocket right now, firing on all cylinders. Complex, layered, and eye opening. Was fun to watch the reactions of those who were tasting Musar for the first time. Talk about a wine that gets the gears turning. Outstanding. — 4 years ago

Anthony, Scott@Mister and 11 others liked this
Severn G

Severn G Influencer Badge Premium Badge

You bet, ultimate contemplative wine, any vintage, but older is better.
Ely Cohn

Ely Cohn Premium Badge

Totally agree. Just opened 2017. Wonderful but so much structure. So much time to smooth out

Georges Dubœuf

First Wine of the Harvest Beaujolais Nouveau Gamay 2020

Red berries on nose. Strawberry, blackberry, plum and leather with bright acidity and assertive tannins. Too tannic on its own, but excellent with Thanksgiving dinner — 5 years ago

Spottswoode

Family Estate Grown St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

B
10

1997 Spottswoode Cabernet. Opened and poured. Served with burgers and homemade fries. A little flat with a sharp finish at first. Not sure if it might have been stored incorrectly. However, it opened up as we ate and all that unpleasantness blew off. Blackberries, blueberries, cassis, vanilla, leather, spices. Should have decanted before serving. — 6 years ago

Heitz Cellar

Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1980

Fill into the neck and beautiful cork. Not as compelling asa 1978 or 1984 a couple of years back, but still a marvelous example of aged Cali Cab. Remarkable to me that there were about 3,000 cases each year. Hard to pick a winner in the first Cab flight. All showed well for their age - a really fun flight. — 7 years ago

P, Severn and 13 others liked this
Michael Meyer

Michael Meyer Premium Badge

I loved this

Gros Ventre Cellars

First Born Pinot Noir 2013

Magnum...love it! — 10 years ago

Rachel Caggiano
with Rachel
Rachel liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Really happy to find this 1 litre for only $129 especially considering 750ml sells for $100 in the store. First time for the 2013 vintage. Very similar to 2012 and another winner for me. — 11 years ago

Slava, Rick and 1 other liked this

La Rioja Alta

Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha

This 2005 is a very classic Rioja great to drink it now. In the mouth a fruit explosion and lots off 'drop' — 11 years ago

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2001

Needed decanting as it was hard as nails when first opened. Great balance of fruit and acidity with tannins quite pronounced. Beautiful with assorted pastas at Collichio & Sons — 11 years ago

Richard liked this

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

First off. You have heard about decanting.... This is a great example. Open and it tastes flat, give it time to breath and the flavors come out. The nose has a nice oak, smokey texture. Taste has a predominant black cherry flavor with nice ripe fruit flavors. Oak remains throughout the taste from start to finish with american oak flavors. An almost cigar smokiness hits immediately with a slight spice....not sure where to compare this to because it's not like a Zinfandel pepper, but more like an allspice. The overall feel is medium bodied with rich cherry flavors and well balanced for a smooth feel. This is a great introduction to Stags Leap without spending $150. — 11 years ago

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Buttery on the nose. Very light at first and complex and dry finish — 10 months ago

Beaulieu Vineyard

Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

1984, surprisingly tanic, acidic, and Heavy dried fruit, prunes and dried figs. over oxidized tasting at first but interesting. From producer to cellar at breakers in palm beach. Small leak out the bottle on one side of the cork. Over time it settles and the dried fruit subsides and then the lighter acidic flavors of fresh berries comes forward. — 4 years ago

Jean Foillard

Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2011

This bottle was a lovely gift from our friend Tim who visited Omaha this past Spring. Our only instructions were to enjoy it together with food; challenge accepted! While I have experienced many wines produced by Foillard, this was my first with his “Cote du Py”. The wine pours a deep ruby color; slightly hazy in the glass. On the nose, at least initially, there are signs of some Brett giving a barnyard characteristic but that sort of blows off (or at least becomes less obvious) with cherries, earth, blackened poblano, underripe plum, and purple Sweet Tarts taking a more central role. On the palate, it’s mostly dark cherry and blackberries showing very little in the way of evolution. Medium+ acid, medium- tannin. The finish was super long. I was really impressed how young this wine was coming across; hardly an indication of anything that would indicate ten years of age. Yet more proof that Beaujolais can cellar quite gracefully. We loved how this paired with grilled rack of lamb and a light salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, mozzarella and prosciutto. Grazie Tim! — 5 years ago

Andrew, Daniel and 16 others liked this
Daniel M

Daniel M

A favorite!
Daniel M

Daniel M

A favorite!

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne 1990

Delectable Wine
9.7

The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago

Screaming Eagle

Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

My first ever "Eagle" and it delivers ! Clear 100 pointer for me - beautiful !
— 9 years ago

Dick, Stef and 5 others liked this

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

Yellow Label Brut Champagne Blend

Look what we found in our cellar and cupboards before we left. Veuve (not Grande Dame) in plastic flutes (not crystal), caviar (not Beluga), and a huge hunk of smoked salmon (not King). We're on a tight budget, but we're celebrating our RTW departure with the view of Vancouver in the background. This is the first bit of time to relax that we've had in a month and we're still trying to do it with a little style. — 10 years ago

Brian, Hermes and 7 others liked this
Dan Fredman

Dan Fredman Influencer Badge

Context is everything..

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2002

Crazy good paired with dipping into gamba al ajillo (emphasis added), at Napa's groovy/real Zuzu, catching a classic deeply dirty nose while still sporting sun-drenched fruit that initially reworks one's first blush front mouth with an iodine edge that morfs into red and black fruit edgy with acid/tannin slow dancing to the depths and begging for another pinch of broth soaked chewy freshly baked bread and the associated next swig of this sweet juice...rhythmically stellar by day or by night😎🌌👣🍷🌀🎼

PS hit Zuzu (friendly, delicious and real...

— 11 years ago

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2005

Not my first bottle from this case... This one is not the best, but is still good. Herbal menthol nose subtle berries, nice acid. — 11 years ago

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

An incredible complex layered Bordeaux blend, is better now than when I first experience it out of barrel. @winewatch @cheapwinefinder #WINE @Sassodoro @sociallybrenda @larrywyn — 11 years ago

Erik and Joseph liked this

First Press

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Great wine with pork or chicken — 13 years ago