Fourth Leaf

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2021

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.

Beautiful nose of blueberries, black currants, cooked cherries, light oak, vegetables, licorice, earth, chocolates, Indian spices and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, currants, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, coffee, light tobacco leaf, herbs, peppercorn, earth and black tea.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux. Showing a nice mouthfeel. Fresh, complex and rich.

This second growth wine is still young, but already enjoyable, even by itself.

Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 7 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Well balanced, and good by itself as a sipping wine. A good food wine too.

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$215.
— 7 months ago

Vanessa, Daniel and 19 others liked this

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2000

Last bottle of this vintage. Heavenly. Rum raisin, cranberry, old strawberries, carob, fig, earth, tobacco leaf. Silky, delicate, and resolved. Loads of sediment, not out of life but on its decline. — 3 years ago

Severn, Ely and 2 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2008

Expressive, enticing, aetheric.
Dusty cherries, tobacco leaf, leather, (very) dark chocolate, wood finish, a hint of cigar box. So fresh, so uplifting, so youthful!
On the palate amazing purity, zingy cherry acidity, a hint of orange peel, present, juicy yet very, very fine tannins. After a few hours this shows a darker, richer side. Really nice flow and great energy!
Brilliant, just brilliant. And amazing vale, for this quality!
— 4 years ago

Daniel, Juan and 13 others liked this
Severn G

Severn G Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Fantastic wine 👍

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1953

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago

Tom, Alex and 28 others liked this
Iwan

Iwan

Amazing
David L

David L Influencer Badge Premium Badge

One hell of a pull

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

Dusty, earthy nose of tea leaf, humidor, caramel-latte, leather and damp soil. The structured palate echoes the nose but also reveals cedar, graphite, beef blood and dark forest fruit. Tannines are wonderfully rounded and ripe. Medium to full-bodied, this is a gorgeous 95-leftbanker. 🤙🏻 — 6 years ago

Freek, Thijs and 26 others liked this

Black Ankle Vineyards

Leaf-Stone Syrah 2012

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 7 years ago

William, Velma and 9 others liked this
James Cahill

James Cahill

I’ve enjoyed this wine as well. Thoughtful winemaking here.

La Rioja Alta

Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha 2017

Mo
9.2

WS: 93. Baked cherry, raspberry ganache and warm fig flavors are ripe and expressive, with a pleasing counterpoint and added detail from rich notes of loamy earth and leather, plus accents of bay leaf, vanilla and red licorice. There's a supple generosity on the palate, trimmed nicely by fine-grained tannins and a tang of orange peel acidity. Tempranillo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2032. 35,000 cases made, 9,000 cases imported.

Alison Napjus
Issue Date: Aug 31, 2024
Release Price: $45/750mL
— 7 months ago

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cooked cherries, spices, oak, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, light earth, light vegetables, herbs, tobacco leaf and black pepper.

Medium finish with grippy tannins and raspberries.

This 15 year old, Fifth Growth Bordeaux, is still young and tight. Needs 5 to 10 years in the bottle to mature properly.

I gave it 90 minutes in the decanter, but it probably was not enough.

Robert Parker 96 points. Wine Spectator 92 points.

Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Grippy and rich.

Definitely needs food at this point, like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

13% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$125.
— 2 years ago

Paul, Joseph and 27 others liked this

Château Bel-Air Lagrave

Cru Bourgeois Moulis en Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

Surprisingly youthful for 35y, served from a magnum.
Still deep in colour, with not much evolution towards the rim.
Uplifting aromatics with cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, some kirsch, but also some black currant jam.
Medium bodied on the palate with nice balance, the tannins still surprisingly grippy, though a touch dry.
Nicely poised, with good flow and high drinkability.
What a surprise!
— 4 years ago

Daniel and Ira liked this

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2017

what a phenomenal job the crew did with what Mother Nature threw them ~ this is an elegant & approachable example of Sassicaia ~ upon pulling the cork Mediterranean scrub & herbs fill the nose and flavors of red licorice and Razzles pop on the palate ~ in time the red fruits become less candied and the the scrub & herbs, along w tobacco leaf & hints of gravel, finish the flavor ~ though a samurai sword of acidity slices through!

If you’re looking for breadth this doesn’t have it ~ but what is there is focused and sings!
— 5 years ago

Rob, Ira and 20 others liked this
Ericsson

Ericsson

Nice review.

Oak Leaf Vineyards

California Sweet Red Blend 2004

Not bad for the price def drink again! — 6 years ago

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2007

La Rioja Alta 2007 Grand Reserva 904- cherry, forest spice, forest red and black berries, cinnamon, slight leather, mushrooms, bay leaf, dried herbs, sousbois, smooth drying resolved tannins that are fondue like, a small element of astringency. The color has fallen out yet very traditional style Rioja. — 7 years ago

Ira liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2001

Big lush, dark fruit that has not reached its peak window yet. But she ain’t far away. I was able to obtain a vertical of 01,02,03,& 04. My first foray into that vertical. No rush on this one but very impressed. Leather, pepper, if not cigar leaf here . Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on here and my lack of Cali knowledge has new intrigue — 10 months ago

Vino, Andrew and 5 others liked this

Pertimali (Livio Sassetti)

Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2014

Ming L
9.2

Nice BdM from a weak vintage. Lively red and black berry fruits upfront followed by cedar, fresh herbs, incense, and autumn leaf. Juicy palate with supple texture. Dusty powdery tannins. — a year ago

Tom, Severn and 1 other liked this

Heitz Cellar

Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

A bit linear. Cranberry!!! Strawberry, strawberry leaf, strawberry yogurt. Long finish, medium+/elevated acidity. Silky tannins that — 4 years ago

Douglas and Ira liked this

Bodegas Faustino

Gran Reserva Faustino I Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2010

Vanilla is known as ‘the salt of the baking world’ and this wine embodies that. Velvety smooth vanilla, maybe black cherry or Concord grape, peppercorn, tea leaf. I was skeptical at first finding an 11 year old wine in 2021 that had bottle gimmicks like fake gold wire, but is worth the 30$CAD if you can find it! — 4 years ago

Milissa, Trixie and 1 other liked this
Trixie

Trixie

Sounds good! Cheers!🍷

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

Youthful & drinking like a 10 yr old Cab. Lots of red & black fruits, cassis, menthol, cedar, leather, licorice & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Shay, Severn and 17 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2016

Acidity, sweetness, and tannins very well balanced. Medium full body. Black cherries with a distinct tobacco leaf finish. This Sangiovese Cabernet blend is less sweet and more cerebral than the typical Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc supertuscan blend. — 6 years ago

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1978

Beautiful drinking claret showing red berry fruits, leather, tobacco leaf & rose petal wrapped up in an elegant & floral style. — 7 years ago

Shay, Arden and 8 others liked this

Fourth Leaf

Rob and Angelina Mondavi's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Outstanding. Winner of the weekend. — 8 years ago

Shawn liked this