Five Points Brewing Co.
La Grange Neuve de Figeac
St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2009
Had this with the filet served on our last leg of flying home on Emirates.
This is Figeac’s second wine. Starting with the 2012 vintage going forward, this wine was renamed Petit Figeac.
The nose reveals, soft, slightly muted; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, plum, black raspberries & floral purple fruit mix. There’s a good presence of well layered baking spices; cinnamon, soft clove & nutmeg, vanilla, mocha powder, light caramel, dark cola currants, dry clay & top soil, dry stones, sandstone minerals, leathery notes, hints of graphite, anise, dark rich soil, fruit tea with dark red, purple flowers with violets that are slightly withering.
The body is not quite full with dry, fine earthy tannins. The mouthfeel is warm and ripe. It shows beauty & elegance. The structure, soft tension, length and balance reveal the quality of the 09 vintage. Ripe; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, plum, creamy black raspberries & floral purple fruit mix. Nicely layered baking spices; cinnamon stick, soft clove & nutmeg, vanilla, mocha powder, light caramel, dark & milk chocolate, dark cola currants, dry clay & top soil, dry stones, powdery, dry crushed rocks, sandstone minerals, cedar, leathery notes, hints of graphite, fresh, soft tobacco, anise, dark rich soil, fruit tea with dark red, purple flowers with violets, lavender that are fresh and slightly withering. The acidity is round excellent. The long finish is good but still needs five or more years to further integrate and soften. It shows a somewhat earthy dominance over fruit. but, it’s still very nice and persistent for minutes. 91 now and room for two to three points more down the road.
If you can still find this at a reasonable price, buy it. It’s going really beautiful in five more years.
Photos of; Chateau Figeac, my Emirates filet, which actually pretty good considering it was airline prepared, both sides of their lounge in Business Class. — 5 years ago
Cayuse Vineyards
Cailloux Vineyard Syrah 2013
A wine I’ve been eager to try & found cheaper in 🇪🇸 vs 🇬🇧 @ €140 - Very Côte Rotie esq & a rather superbly made 🇺🇸 wine 😉 oh & Mrs E enjoyed in the hotel hot tub 😁 as you’ll see if you scroll on Instagram ⏩
📍 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard 2013
🏵 95 points w/ more on age potential
💥 13.8% ABV
🍇 Syrah co-fermented with 5% Viognier
🍷 Opaque blackened ruby
👃 Loaded with smoked dry cured Iberian ham, cherry cola, dirty muddy piggy 🥓 & rock minerals w/ peppered raspberry liquorice, cocoa, olive tapenade, oak & black berries - just fabulous 😍
👄 Med+ body of chocolate infused blackberry & dark spiced cherry w/ wild sharp raspberry & herbs in med acidity
🎯 Long blackberry/raspberry/cherry mocha boom boom w/ a touch of dryness
— 6 years ago
Brooks Winery
Brooks Estate Vineyard Pinot Gris 2016
From Brooks' estate vineyard, this is old vine Oregon Pinot Gris at its best. Aromatically, minerality that dominates this nose with wet stones co-mingling with white peach and tender spring blossoms. In the mouth, a lithe ribbon of chalk and talc course through it, along with bright lemon pith. Very nice. Sample | 8.9 Points — 7 years ago
Château Teyssier
Le Carré St. Émilion Grand Cru 2010
Review #1400! Here is a French beauty...
Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.
Strong fruity nose with blackberries, cherries, sweet plums, raisins, licorice, cloves, chocolates, alcohol, peppercorn, spices and pencil lead.
Medium to full bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.
Dry on the palate, and very fruity, with blackberries, sweet plums, raspberries, vanilla, licorice, coffee, tobacco, chocolates, oak, pencil lead, black tea, peppercorn and spices.
Long long finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a wonderful Right Bank Bordeaux. Still very young and needs five to fifteen years too mature, but already drinking nicely. Almost balanced and very complex. Reminds me of a high quality California Cabernet.
Great for sipping by the porch or with food like BBQ Meats.
After a few hours in a decanter, it feels like a Californian Petite Sirah. Very interesting wine.
I wish I had another one to keep in the cellar.
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are grown on limestone soils with a thin layer of clay at the top.
Robert Parker 95 points.
This Single Vineyard is just yummy and delicious.
14.5% alcohol by volume. — 7 years ago
Domaine Gros Frère et Sœur
"Musigni" Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2002
Decanted for 4+ hours, and it needs more time. Hits the burgundy high points for me with some other interesting notes, black cherry, stems, heavy juniper, five spice, tobacco, earth, then some heat...labeled at 14% and I can tell, definitely detracts from the package, but still a very good bottle #burgundysunday — 8 years ago
Five Points Brewing Co.
Five Points IPA
Loving these smokey London porters. This one is quite intense and rich with bitter chocolate coffee a hint of smoke. — 8 years ago
Abreu Vineyards
Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Yesterday I gave the 2002 Abreu Thorevilos five stars, if I could give the Madrona Ranch 5.5 stars, I would. Like the Thorevilos, Madrona Ranch Cabernet is limited production wine, only 500 cases were made, and it, too received a perfect 100 points from Parker. Thankfully, I tasted this before knowing anything about the producer. Utterly seductive and elegant. Black raspberry, blueberry, graphite and lilacs. Opulent, silky and expansive on the palate. Glides to a finish with tobacco, clove and cocoa powder. — 9 years ago
Five Points Brewing Co.
Five Points Pale Ale
Hackney local beer — 10 years ago
Moonlight Brewing Co.
Points North Aged Sour Lager
Makes one thirsty — 11 years ago
Cedar Knoll Vineyard Co (Palmaz)
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
This is a tasty Napa Cabernet. Showing black fruits, cedar, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, chocolates, mocha and coffee.
Full-bodied and smooth with soft tannins with nice length on the finish.
Good by itself or with food. Showing a nice mouthfeel with nice complexity. Spicy and tangy.
This will be beautiful in 5 years.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$80. — 5 years ago
Westerly Wines
Côte Blonde Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara Syrah Blend 2014
Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.
Fruity nose with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, oak, licorice, vanilla, earth, vegetables chocolates, coffee, beef jerky, bell pepper, vinaigrette, light barnyard, dust, smoke and peppercorn.
Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and fruity on the palate with plums, black currants, sweet raspberries, cherries, wood, licorice, bitter herbs, spices, light vegetables, dark chocolates, alcohol, graphites, earth, tobacco and peppercorn.
Long and spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a great Syrah from Santa Ynez Valley in California. Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel and nice complexity.
Drinks way easier than it should, with all that alcohol, but still a little hot at the back of the throat. This is not a wine for the faint of hearts... Showing great complexity on the nose.
Needs an hour in a decanter to open up properly and remove some of the stinky nose. After an hour, it changes every 20 minutes. I love these kind of wines. Too bad it's my last bottle.
I had it 6 months ago, and it is already drinking better. Will age nicely in the next three to five years, and will probably get to 94 points.
Good by itself as a sipping wine and good with food. I paired it with Brie cheese.
A blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new).
15.7% alcohol by volume!
91 points.
$45. — 6 years ago
Five Boroughs Brewing Co
Make Good Decisions Double Dry Hopped Double IPA
Today is international beer day. I haven't been exploring my beers recently but if ever there were a day to do so, today seems appropriate.
This beer is a sexy, fruity, tropical with pineapple and papaya, yet bone dry, complex New England style double dry hopped double IPA. Make good decisions indeed. 👏🙌🎉 ... 🙈🙉🙊
#internationalbeerday — 6 years ago
Sine Qua Non
Just For the Love of It Syrah 2002
2002 Sine Qua Non “Just For The Love Of It” Syrah. 15.2% Alcohol. So I have a confession to make. When this wine was released and Mr. Parker rated it 100 points (and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this might have been the first Parker SQN 100 pointer), I couldn’t wait to pull the cork. And when I did, I was totally.......underwhelmed! I began questioning Parker. Questioning Manfred. Questioning my palate. What was I missing? What was my problem? Could I continue on in this world? Well, I never did reconcile things, and then “Papa” was released and all was right with the world again. So here we are, 15 years hence, and I’m here to report that Mr. Parker knew what he was talking about after all. We’re talking absolute perfection screaming from my Zalto stem. Notes of exotic flowers, toasty oak, anise and spice box on the nose. Just gorgeous. I could swirl and sniff all evening. On the palate, a predominance of sweet black currant, white pepper, blackberries and plum jam. Juicy, opulent, intense, pure. Stunning really. Endless finish. I haven’t tasted this wine in ten years because as I said, it never impressed me. But it just jumped up to co-number 1 SQN Syrah with me along with “Poker Face” and “The 17th Nail In My Cranium.” One addendum to Mr. Parker’s review which stated this wine would drink well for 10-15 years. This piece of art is just getting started! Remember, “...never for money.” — 7 years ago
We want to open all SQN Bottles 5 hrs in front. In the carafe and back in the bottle
Bedrock Wine Co.
Dolinsek Ranch Heritage Red Blend 2011
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1983
1983 drinking like a champ! Super tight at the table so we took it home and came back to it he next day. Warmed timber, dried oak leaves, craisin and tea on the nose. Drinking with brilliant tannin and sharp acidity. Bordeaux-esque in all of the right places. High five. — 8 years ago
Clos du Val Wine Co.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Marston Family Vineyard
Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
This is a classic example of when bottle age and proper storage pays off. Had the 2004 three years ago and the tannins were too much. Drinking incredibly now at 10years. I have one left I'm saving for five years from now. Blackberry, ripe ripe raspberry, cocoa powder, dusty rocks (if that makes sense) maybe some cedar. Tannins are velvety now and run all the way through. 97 points -DRUMS — 10 years ago
Thomas George Estates
Estate Starr Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010
Five Points in Marblehead. — 11 years ago
Château Montrose
La Dame de Montrose Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2015
It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious one from France.
Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.
Strong nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, coffee, eucalyptus, black pepper, dark chocolates, wet leaves, earth and leather.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, dark chocolates, bitter herbs, vegetables, wet leaves and peppercorn.
Medium plus on the finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.
This young Bordeaux is already drinking very nicely. Needs at least five years to come to its own, and will be better in the next 20 years.
Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel.
Robert Parker 90 points.
This is the second wine from this second growth winery, and from a great vintage.
Very tasty, yet not fully balanced. Needs 3 hours to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.
A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot.
I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$65. — 4 years ago
Cedar Knoll Vineyard Co (Palmaz)
Hagen's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
A great Cabernet from Napa Valley. Showing red and black fruits with earth, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, spices and Cedar.
Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (a couple of hours).
Aged for 24 months in French oak barrels. A blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
Still young and needs 5 to 10 years of bottle time.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$80. — 5 years ago
Castoro Cellars
Estate Grown Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
I like their big tannic Reserve reds to lay down for five years plus. But what about their regular reds? Heavily pigmented purple-red in color. Briar, leather, cherry notes in nose. Touch of barnyard, mint-eucalyptus in nose as well. Black currant and cherry flavors, mild tannins initially, dry finish on palate. Plum flavor emerges with time. Skin astringency moderate; sharp chewy tannins emerge after 30 minutes, but soften two hours later. Red fruit finish and aftertaste. Well made for a basic-entry Cabernet; certainly there are more complex and costly Central Coast Cabernets but this is a solid choice in the mid price points. Better than I expected, tastes even better with time or decanting — 6 years ago
Château Brane-Cantenac
Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 6 years ago
Bedrock Wine Co.
North Coast Syrah 2013
Young, young, young. Beautiful, boisterous Syrah fruit. QPR world beater. Put a case in your cellar, drink 'em for the next five years. — 9 years ago
Lail Vineyards
J. Daniel Cuvée Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
100 points. Sho nuff! Bordeaux has got some competition. Bravo to Robyn Lail & Co! — 9 years ago
Matchbook Wine Co.
Old Head Dunnigan Hills Chardonnay 2012
Five points — 10 years ago
Cotes du Tauch
Fitou 2011
Bevmo $16.99 five scent sale $8.50. 94 points. — 11 years ago
"Odedi"
It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a nice one from Pomerol.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.
Fruity on the nose with blueberries, black cherries, sweet strawberries, black plums, vanilla, licorice, leather, earth, light vegetables, dark coffee, oak, pencil lead and peppercorn.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity and nice legs.
Dry on the palate with cherries, plums, earth, wood, spices, vegetables, vanilla, vinaigrette, black pepper, tobacco leaf, black tea, leather and wet leaves.
Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.
This five-year-old Merlot from Bordeaux is starting to drink very nicely now. Starting to show some age and nice complexity. Elegant with a great nose, from a great vintage.
Nicely balanced now and good to drink by itself or with food. Will get even better in the next 15 years.
Needs 2 hours to open up properly, so do give it time.
A good quality wine. Tangy, easy drinking and very tasty. Kosher.
I paired it with cheeses and crackers.
14% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$100. — 4 years ago