Five Glass Vineyard & Winery
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2016
This is a sample of the 16 Insignia still in barrel.
On the nose, the dark fresh florals exploded. The fruits are very dark currants and well extracted. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries and blue fruits hues on the edges of the glass. Sweet tarry presence, loads of baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark spice, black tea, pipe tobacco, dark rich soil, core of anise and fields of violets.
The body is thick and full. The wine still very fresh. The tannins big, meaty and chewy. The dark fruits are quite floral. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries with blue fruits. Sweet tarry presence, loads of baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark spice, black tea, pipe tobacco, dark rich soil, crushed dry rocks, river stones, tough leather, cedar, core of anise with red flowers and fields of violets. Very good round acidity. The long, big, ruby, lush, well balanced finish is beautiful.
The fruit, tannins and acidity all speak to it being 95+ and a long cellar.
— 7 years ago
Bodegas y Viñedos Vega Sicilia
Unico Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Blend 2002
I feel as if this would be amazing if not following the Rayas. Great nose but pretty wound up and tight still. Didn't open up much after being in glass an hour. Need to revisit. — 9 years ago
Salinia Wine Company
Twenty Five Reasons Petillant Sauvignon Blanc
With homemade pesto and fresh garbanzos. — 9 years ago
Glenelly Estate
The Glass Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Dark berries, cherry, dried herb,
Same palate as nose, cigar box, coffee, high tannin, high but well balanced tannin, full body — 10 years ago
The Seventy Five Wine Company
Red Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Sooooo good!! 👍👍 — 11 years ago
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1949
A treat. Dark in color, slightly cloudy. A powerful nose with dark, very mouton fruit. Incredibly aromatic, blackcurrant, mint,graphite, dried herbs, eucalyptus. The palate is extraordinary. So dense and powerful for a wine of almost 70 years. Dark fruit with a savory undertow- leather, thyme, sour cherry, dark chocolate. Really precise flavors and long. After an hour or two in glass there’s notes of coconut and soft wood. Extraordinary. Clearly there’s a lot of age on this but the sheer quality makes for a really dynamic wine. An exceptional bottle, and a teal treat. — 7 years ago
Silver Oak
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Very nice, different from the traditional Napa cab. Firm tannins, should be decanted. Last glass the next day did better (under vacuum) — 8 years ago
Gargiulo Vineyards
Five Seventy Five OVX Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Who says 2011 was a bad year? Beautiful garnet from the glass. Elegant floral and blue fruit on the nose. Deep blueberry, black berry and currant tastes on the palate. Excellently structured with sweet tannins and beautiful acidity. These grapes come from a great Oakville neighborhood. Great family owned winery! — 9 years ago
Chateau St. Jean
Eighty-Five Fifty-Five Sonoma County Merlot Blend 2011
Wow! Great Petit Verdot and Merlot blend. We bought it when we were in Sonoma in 2015. — 10 years ago
Marcel Lapierre
Morgon Gamay 2013
2013 gam gam to pair with thanksgiving bird. Wo needs cranberry sauce when you've got this scrumptious was in your glass? — 11 years ago
Sine Qua Non
Five Shooter Grenache 2007
Elegance and punch both mixed well in this bottle. First Sine Qua Non! — 11 years ago
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1978
The 1978 La Mission Haut-Brion is a candidate for the greatest Bordeaux wines produced during the 1970s. Without question, it is the highlight of the vintage. I have tasted it several times over the years and each time, my appreciation is heightened further. Still youthful in appearance, the bouquet soars from the glass with almost high-toned blackberry, cigar humidor, warm gravel and that signature trait of black olive. You could nose this all day. The palate is medium-bodied yet there is much more density than you will find on other 1978s. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf, graphite and earthy tones, the latter emphasized with aeration. Decanting is strongly advised because it responds to a long opening, deepening all the time, developing a sustained cedar tincture that lingers in the mouth. It is a fabulous La Mission Haut-Brion that at 40-years continues to give so much pleasure. Tasted at a private dinner in London (ex-château bottle). (Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2018) — 7 years ago
Domaine Coche-Dury (J.F. Coche Dury)
Meursault Chardonnay 2002
Fresh, light gold. Bright and vibrant in the glass. Even more vibrant in the nose. Exotic, notes of lemon peel, wet river stone, petrol, slate, apricot and spice. Great rich fruit matches some impactful acidity. Long finish. This is great juice, still young, and has some more to give down the road. — 8 years ago
Château Montrose
Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989
Caymus Vineyards
Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Lovely fruit. Drinking well. Fades with time in the glass however — 9 years ago
Caymus Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Amazing wine. If it's drinking this good this soon, I can't imagine how good it will be in three, five or ten years! — 10 years ago
Tenuta San Guido
Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 1983
The wine was medium to dark garnet in colour. On day one it offered red fruit, cherry, balsamic vinegar, cola, leather, mushroom, earthy and vegetal notes and a wet sewer component on the nose. On the palate the the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, tobacco and earthy notes, the acidity was quite pronounced, the wine became slightly drying and even more acidic after some time in the glass, and the fruit faded a bit. Two days later, on day three, the medium-bodied wine was more balanced and showed red and dark fruit, some chocolate, some tobacco, spices and earthy notes on the nose, and red fruit, cherry, leather, tobacco, earthy and balsamic notes on the palate, with just a faint touch of greenness, paired with medium-plus well-integrated tannin, medium-plus acidity and very good length. I had almost written-off the wine on day one and then, surprisingly, it showed much better the third day. Holding-up well. 90 — 11 years ago
Peter Marks
Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands
Rose petal and violets mixed with fresh nectarine. Medium-full body for a rose and with nice dry texture on the long finish. — 7 years ago