David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I’ve eyeballed this 05 over the last couple of years...thinking, I should drink this up. One thing about Heitz wines made by the Heitz family is they will age very well. We’ll see what happens to their wines now that they have been sold to corporate owners.

This 05 was pulled from my secondary cabinet storage; which means not EuroCave.

I spent three days sending 200 plus bottles to auction and rearranging my collection. So, this was standing free. Time to drink up, right? Nope. This still has another 5-7 years plus of good drinking ahead even if I laid it down in a dark closet with added humidity. I can, because I live in a cool climate. So, it would be just fine.

The nose reveals, ripe, still fresh fruits of; dark currants, blackberries & black raspberries. Black plum pudding, black cherries, baked strawberries and beautiful blue fruits that always come out nicely in older Heitz wines. Anise to black licorice, steeped dark fruit teas, purple & blue fruit liqueur/cola, limestone minerals, crushed rocks, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, mocha, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, touch of nutmeg, dark spice, dry & fresh herbs, mint, some soft leather & dry tobacco, graphite notes, dark, rich, black, earth with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple flowers with violets and hints of lavender.

The body is; full, ripe, lush and has beautiful texture. Velvety, dark, tarry, tannins. The tension, structure, length and balance are where I love them...just over the top of the bell curve. This is still so fresh. Dark currants, blackberries & black raspberries. Black plum pudding, black cherries, baked strawberries & rhubarb shine on the long open & palate set with beautiful blue fruits. Anise to black licorice, steeped dark fruit teas, purple & blue fruit liqueur/cola, red licorice, limestone minerals, river stone, crushed rocks, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, mocha, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, touch of nutmeg, dark spice with just the right amount of palate heat, dry & fresh herbs, mint, some soft leather & dry tobacco, graphite notes, dark, rich, black, earth with fresh & withering; brilliant, dark, red, purple flowers with violets and hints of lavender. The acidity is round and perfect. The long finish is; very well balanced fruit & earth, rich, lush, ripe, elegant, delicious and dances on the palate with long persistence.

It’s a steal today considering I paid $29 in 07/08. Delectable tracks it at $130. Beautiful wine tonight.

Photos of; their tasting bar on Hwy 29, sign and tasting room vines in Saint Helena, tasting room building and sitting area just outside their tasting room. — 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Happy birthday to my wife Sofia! She wanted to go have a birthday lunch in Big Sur at Nepenthe. With these views, who wouldn’t want to go celebrate there? Great vistas, good food and an even better wine list. Krug by the glass and so much more! Good warm up for lunch.

It’s a combination of reductive and oxidized style on the nose. Bruised apple, bruised Bosc pear, well overripe pineapple, marmalade, touch of caramel, creamed cider, understated honey notes, chalkiness, seashells, some oysters, volcanic minerals w/ fruit blossoms & withering yellow lilies.

The palate shows more reductive style than oxidized. Less pronounced bruised apple, bruised Bosc pear, well overripe pineapple, white citrus, marmalade, touch caramel, creamed soda, apple cider, understated honey notes, chalkiness, seashells, some oysters, volcanic minerals with fruit blossoms & withering yellow lilies. The acidy is quite nice. Very good; structure, length & balance. The long, beautiful, rich, finish is just what you’d expect from Krug.

Photos of, the outdoor bar with that view, whew, Nepenthe pumpkin, with the cell tower signal so bad & no wi-fi, they need a antique phone booth and the outdoor lounge/waiting area, complete with a ping pong table.

@Nepenthe Big Sur — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.7

1️⃣9️⃣6️⃣9️⃣

🗞 Man On 🌙, 'F word' on 🇺🇸 TV
🎵 Suspicious Minds, Leaving on a Jet Plane
🎥 Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, The 🇮🇹 Job
🗣 That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind
🌍 3.591B

Divine 49yr old beauty @ £235

🍇 48% CS, 45% Mer & 7% CF

🍷 Garnet brick ruby

👃 Gravel, pencil lead, soot, faded black fruits, soggy earth, old leather, herbs, dried meats & smoke

👄 Med smooth body of earthy berry/cherry w/ a mocha liquorice tone

🎯 Long mineral charred black fruit mocha 🙂 — 6 years ago

Camille Rogine

9.6

Incredible. Everything I've ever wanted! Full, dark fruits, jammy, wonderful!
— 7 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Classic Graves with plum & red fruits, cedar, graphite, gravel & mineral notes. Good complexity with floral, pepper and herbal spices. This is one of my favorite vintages of SHL for current drinking. — 7 years ago

John L

9.0

Complex dark fruit, leather and clay-gravel. Pairs well with grilled lamb steak. — 8 years ago

Elizabeth Urquhart

10

Bar boulud London yummy red with dad — 9 years ago

Robert Scholl

8.9

1966- Still with some youthfulness; dark red fruit spectrum with tobacco/leather and gravel. Nice balance and good bottle. — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.4

In perfect drinking condition, excellent. Forest floor, iron, the smell of a cracked cacao bar, savory spice and believe it or not a tad of blue cheese. Good palate intensity that is precise and controlled, medium to fine tannins caress the haunting dried fruit and savory long and fresh finish. #bluesheeseinmywinearoma #stestephe #lafonrochet — 10 years ago

Eric Stec

9.0

2017 on 9/25/19. — 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

In the ski chalet or in this case, the bar- Salmontini that overlooks Ski Dubai inside The Mall of the Emirates. Sofía is skiing and I’m having a glass Laurent-Perrier. Two bad discs don’t make for enjoyable skiing. Perhaps, the worst thing I could do for them. I’m getting the better end of the deal! 😋

We already spent a half-hour playing with King Penguins! 🐧 What fun!

As for the champagne, the nose reveals, green apple, lemon lime, pineapple, some hints of green melon and honey, vanilla, cream soda, beautiful soft chalkiness, sea shells, gentle volcanic minerals, spring flowers, Jasmine and yellow lilies.

The body is nice and glides easily over the palate. Nice mousse and mouthfeel. Green apple, lemon lime, pineapple, some hints of green melon and honey, vanilla, cream soda, notes of ginger, baguette crust, beautiful soft chalkiness, sea shells, more pronounced volcanic minerals than the nose and penetrate into the palate, spring flowers, Jasmine and yellow lilies. Really nice soft acidity and micro bubbles. The finish is rich, elegant, nicely polished and persists minutes.

Happy Good Friday and Easter weekend!
🐣 🐰 — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.8

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) — 6 years ago

Chris Paul

Wine Educator Copain Wines

9.1

Balanced and showing both medicinal and herbal notes in its development. Exhibits classic signs of VA, but at a level that’s pleasant and intriguing. Drink up! — 6 years ago

leon egozi

9.4

This is their new release cab. 👍👍👍 — 7 years ago

Kim Stanbro

9.2

The butteriest (is that a word?) sauv blanc I've experienced- first sniff had me thinking it was a chard! Nice enough to grill out. — 7 years ago

with Amy and Dave

Jon Ruyle

9.3

Wow! This was very much in the style of a northern Rhone, with herby aromas and flavors of bacon fat and minerals. It evolved nicely throughout the evening. What a balance between fruit and herbs! This went amazingly well with rosemary garlic rib eye. — 8 years ago

GaYoung Kim

Graileys Fine Wines. Sommelier. Broker

9.3

Powerful yet seamless!! Dried dark fruit still present amongst a plethora of earth, gravel, dark spice notes. — 9 years ago

Steven W Alexander

9.2

1990 Pape Clement - touch of green pepper and loads of gravel. Fruit was a little lacking, but totally enjoyable bottle that kept me coming back to smell. Fun drink. Drink up! — 9 years ago

Jeff Natland

9.2

Buddha bar prague with Wes/Kyle — 10 years ago

with Wes

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 13 was a brutal tannin vintage when I tasted it at En Premier. The tannins are still bitty but, nothing like they were out of barrel.

The fruit in the 13 shows the difficulty in the vintage. They are duller and it’s really stands out from other vintages and not in a good way.

It’s lean and there is nothing that really draws you in. Fruits are; dark cherries, rhubarb, blackberries, some blueberries@and the strawberries show some ripeness the other do not. Lots of dry earth, dry stones, some herbs, dark withering florals, decent acidity and a uneventful dry finish.

Photos of; Clyde and Alfred at the bar, their Amphora style cement tanks they ferment part of each vintage now, road signs of the good neighbors they keep and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Tasted blind. Light tawny but there's a nice brightness in the color. Great old Bordeaux nose. Notes of black raspberry, cherry, moist forest floor, gravel and a little mocha. Amazing complexity in the mouth. This has more going for it in the mouth/finish when compared to the 55 Palmer next to it. The 55 Palmer overall was a better experience, but this was best in class for its complex mouthfeel. Guessed 1961 Palmer. — 5 years ago

Stanislav Lobanov

9.0

16.5/20 (90/100) Аромат спелых ягод черешни и ежевики, слив, молочного шоколада и конфет. Тельное с умеренной кислотностью и интенсивными, вяжущими, но бархатистыми по текстуре танинами. Типичный Стелленбош. #capewine2018 — 5 years ago

Chris England

9.2

This £126 Talbot feels a few years past its peak but still enjoyable; mainly on the aromas 😉 prefer 03, 05 & 86 but better than 81 😁

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Gravel, soot & burnt smoked oak driven mineralised herby faded dark berry fruits w/ melted liquorice, dry cured meats, gravel, pencil lead & dirty earth

👄 Med body of liquorice infused dark fruits w/ a red berry undertone & dry mocha blackcurrant tickle

🎯 Med earthy liquorice charred dark fruit silky finale w/ a red berry kick — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.3

1️⃣9️⃣7️⃣1️⃣

🗞 Intel 1st microprocessor, Disney World, 18 🗳
🎵 Maggie May, Brown Sugar. Ain’t no Sunshine
🎥 Clockwork Orange, Willy Wonka
🗣 I know what you're thinking Did he fire 6 shots or only 5
🌍 3.72B

Fab @ £95 for a 47yr old 😁

🍷 Ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Gravel, gun smoke, soot, pencil lead, minerals & faint dark fruit w/ mocha

👄 Med body of mineral laden faded dark fruit w/ black currant coming to life in the mouth & a mocha & liquorice touché

🎯 Med mineral & dark fruit w/ liquorice mocha

Bonus 🗣 Weebles wobble but they don't fall down 🤣 — 6 years ago

Jordi Pazo

9.2

Bar Charly.
14.12.16 — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, with a hint of green bell pepper, charcoal, flint, mushrooms, black cherry mocha bar, beautiful minerals, moist dark earth, pepper, green pepper, slight touch of Grand Marnier, black olive, dry pebbles, stems, nice acidity and lush, rich, elegant dark fruit finish. Out of magnum. — 8 years ago

Dave Wood

9.1

Really big full Pinot in a detonate Cali style. Lacks some acidity and clocks in at 14.5% so not a great food friendly wine but makes a great cocktail. Cheers. — 8 years ago

Joseph Colao

9.1

A very good bottle of wine and even better for the price. Price v quality makes it one of the best values in my opinion. — 9 years ago

Anoush d'Orville

9.7

Beautiful and rare find! Great wine bar/restaurant too with a wonderful wine list! — 9 years ago

Miguel Tortosa Iglesias

10

Sabores a frutas silvestres, olores a madera de roble y regaliz. Final largo y muy suave. — 10 years ago