Hard Six Cellars
Dunn Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1993
Wax was hard to get off. Essentially scrapped it off. Before cork even came out I could start smelling the wine. I thought it would be corked. Cork melted off even with an ah so. First sip just had a little bit of funk but overall very drinkable. Much like a French Bordeaux. Fruit is muted, dry. Dark fruit finish. Smell definitely is dry and has an older funk, herbal, medicinal - not in a negative way. Would have loved to seen how it would have done decanted but had no time. — 6 years ago
Fulldraw Vineyard
Hard Point Paso Robles Grenache
Interesting comparison between the Fulldraw and Tynan wine. Both were opened about 2hrs. The flavor profile is somewhat similar between the two, showing chocolate and dark blue fruit for the Tynan and red fruit for the Fulldraw. Great spice and pepper with each. The main difference is with the tannins and finish. The tannins on the Tynan are fairly noticeable (in addition to some heat) while the Hard Point’s are already integrated. The finish on the Hard Point is incredibly long and luxurious. @Connor McMahon exceptional wine — 7 years ago
Château Lynch-Bages
Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1995
Six hour decant. Smooth velvety tannins. Blackberry and tobacco. Smooth and sophisticated. — 9 years ago
Château Cheval Blanc
St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1998
Decanted four hrs. Opened up. Soft and integrated. Wished for a little more backbone but hard to get with merlot and can franc. Beautiful, light wine. — 5 years ago
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)
La Tâche Pinot Noir 1966
Sings of storage issues, low neck, slightly materized, tea leaves, tad gritty, some of the classic LaTache elements were under the surface if you focused hard. — 7 years ago
19 Crimes
Hard Chard Chardonnay
19 crimes, can't go wrong. — 7 years ago
Big Six
3 Months Aged Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 2015
Really enjoyed this as an evening sipper by itself. Subtle notes of the bourbon barrel, fairly well balanced. Would get again, especially for price. — 8 years ago
Château d'Yquem
Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 1996
Okay, I get what all the fuss is about. Hard to believe that something so layered and 'sweet' can have such refreshing acidity. Like being inside a leaking beehive during the lightning storm — 9 years ago
Caymus Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Caymus is just hard to beat. So smooth, bright yet subtle red fruit tones — 5 years ago
Kenwood Vineyards
Six Ridges Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2016
Very smooth - similar to white Bordeaux. Very good — 7 years ago
Comm. G.B. Burlotto
Vigneto Monvigliero Barolo Nebbiolo 2014
The 2014 Barolo Monvigliero is quite refined and gracious, although it is also surprisingly dark, dense and concentrated by this wine's standards. A shy, reticent wine, the 2014 is going to need time in bottle to flesh out, especially in the midpalate. I have seen this with other vintages, and expect that it will be the case here as well. The precision, clarity and silkiness that are so typical of Monvigliero start to emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Readers should plan on being patient. If that is not possible, try to taste the 2014 as soon as possible, because these wines have a tendency to shut down hard post-bottling. As always, Monvigliero is fermented with 100% whole clusters. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2018) — 7 years ago
Lemelson Vineyards
Six Vineyards Pinot Noir 2014
Julie's birthday — 8 years ago
Peirano Estate Vineyards
The Heritage Collection Six-Clones Lodi Merlot 2014
Delicious with fried chicken! — 9 years ago
Will Stanley
The 2016 Chateau Musar, the winery’s latest vintage on release, is much less forthcoming on the nose than the 2013 and ‘15 that I’ve tried recently, despite - or perhaps because of - the fact that the Hochars consider 2016 to be a successful and very ageworthy vintage.
The nose is quite dense and tightly wound, much like a left bank Bordeaux presents in its youth, not yet revealing its cards besides aromas of cedar, steeped plum, smoked beef and cinnamon. The palate, however, is open for business - powerful and saturated, striking that wonderful Musar balance between dark fruit and tangy acidity, expanding towards a puckering finish with good length.
The lasting impression here is of a very modern rendition of Musar, with great clarity and purity to the fruit, fine tannins, refreshing acidity on the palate and great drinkability now (though equal potential to age). My preference of late remains the 2013, but that’s now quite hard to buy - so I’d happily have a case of this instead.
94+ — 3 years ago