Looking Glass
Domaine François Raveneau
Montée de Tonnerre Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 1990
Nice golden hue, looks heavy and rich in the glass. Honeyed fragrant nose. Notes of sweet apricot, mango, lemon, white clay, tan spice, and stones. Nice intensity in the mouth, with gobs of fruit matched against acidity that built over the afternoon. Telltale aged Raveneau honey, exotic today but not over the top. I brought this and it was the best of the couple or so bottles of it that I've had. Was at its best with ~5 hours of air, and leftover was still singing the next morning. — 7 years ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1953
Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 7 years ago
Marcel Lapierre
Morgon Gamay 2016
Juicier than ‘15, simpler than 14’
Tasty and super drinkable, but i was hoping for a more expressive wine. Looking forward to seeing where this will go with time. — 8 years ago
Dom Pérignon
Brut Champagne Blend
Rich though lacked some oomph. May have been open awhile (by the glass) — 8 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
Vieux Château Certan
Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
2003 vintage. From Jay. Very nice. Much better than expected. Goes down all together way too easily when you're surrounded by snow! Deep ruby core washing out towards the edges. No bricking...yet. Nose is a preponderance of dark fruits together with blueberries and ripe cassis with slight under tones of cloves and a hint of graphite. This is a very fruity affair- takes me back to Christmas. The wine expresses on the palate as it does on the nose. Layers of rich fruit with traces of brown spice. There's a lovely sweetness here that makes the wine a pleasure to drink despite the relatively modest acidity. The tannins are soft and lush. The finish is good with a continued preponderance of fruit right to the very end although it is moderate in length. This is a very quaff able wine...could be at this all night with pleasure just sit me down in front of an open fire and hand me a Montecristo! 92+/100. Drink now to 2028. NB - no need to decant. This wine can happily be poured from bottle post opening and allowed to open in the glass. — 10 years ago
Louis Latour
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay 2008
Thank you BTG in Salt Lake City for having this by the glass !! — 10 years ago
Château de Beaucastel
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend
One of my favorite of the appellation. Spice is perfectly balance with red fruit. It´s earthy, complex and refined. A piece of beef tenderloin on barbecue, fleur de sel and a glass of Beaucastel, what else?! — 11 years ago
Mas Coutelou (Jean François Coutelou)
Classe "A Touch of Class in a Glass" Grenache Blend
Fressssshh — 6 years ago
Dunn Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 6 years ago
J.K. Carriere
Glass Willamette Valley White Pinot Noir 2017
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
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
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
Château d'Yquem
Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 1993
After all the napa cabs directly from the barrel this weekend for premier, I was really looking forward to tonight. The Oscars call for bubbles, sauternes and dessert — 9 years ago
Jean Foillard
Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2013
My favorite dd! Probably had 2013 15+ times, and it never disappoints. reduction at first blows off each glass after a few minutes after pouring. Some Brett in these wines, that I seem to notice more recently, but still beautiful, floral, complex Beaujolais, with a very smooth texture. — 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
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1934
5-Oh Bday Dinner... From a half bottle. Deep red and purple color. Mostly opaque and thick in the glass. There is still some good fruit in the nose with gravel and soil notes. Very round in the mouth. The wine hung in there over the hour it was consumed. Nice experience with an 80+ year old wine. — 10 years ago
Beaulieu Vineyard
Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Pours clean dark purple into the glass showing no age. I'll be damned if one couldn't enjoy the dark fruit aroma from 5 feet away. Wow. Dark fruit, leather and pleasant oak quality supplemented with a silky tannic structure that gave a 60 sec finish. Not the most complex Latour I've enjoyed at this point but this bottle actually tightened up over an hour after opening indicating much life ahead. Sheeeit! — 11 years ago
Château Lynch-Bages
Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1993
1993 Lynch Bages looking fresh. Paulliac structure perfect for a 4hr 70C rib roast #FilthyGoodVino #Bordeaux #FromTheCellar — 12 years ago
Ridge Vineyards
Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1992
Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 6 years ago
Château Latour
Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1953
First glass w Coravin, drank w duck. Took a while to open up. Pleasant but not remarkable. — 7 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
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1985
This was just a blockbuster--lavender and pencil lead burst from the glass and warm blue and red fruit follow. Impressive precision and length. Lush, silky and just plain gorgeous. — 8 years ago
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1926
Label was very very new looking. Questionable as to real or not. Cork is correct. Wine us correct. On the way out but just won't leave. Brown to rust color. Better as it went on. Light fruit. Amazingly long Finish. Wow. — 9 years ago
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
Bolgheri Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
@Bruce Leboff we saved you a glass. But hurry it won't be around too long. :) warm vintage adds a little heat to this Bordeaux influenced Tuscan wine. Well balanced. — 9 years ago
Château Haut-Brion
Graves Red Bordeaux Blend 1966
Dense, a deep crimson with a solid core - it looks less than half its age(!); incredibly distinctive (unmistakeable) nose of driftwood bonfires, sweaty leather bike-saddles and tarmacadam, cedar, Trinidad tobacco - never mind the palette, the NOSE lasts for 30 seconds AFTER you've put down the glass. It's still lightly tannic - not ambivalently, but elusively complex, and forcefully insistent. This has truly cemented me as an Haut-Brion convert. I cannot imagine a greater expression of the Graves. Utterly sensational - though after an hour and a half it started revealing a hint of VA and lost an inch of its engorgement. Oh well, it's only the first of my bottles and had the lowest level by far (4.5 cm)... — 10 years ago
Château Gruaud Larose
Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2001
2001 vintage lovely dense plumbs, currants, violets and spice on the nose. Rich and warm, headily inviting, with the perfume jumping out of the glass capturing and demanding attention. Tightly packed mouthful as well, surprisingly medium bodied, good fruit and tannin, but closed and needing time. Good aftertaste, probably needs 3 to 5 years before opening up to its best. — 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
Delectable Wine
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
A ravishing Saint-Julien, the Léoville-Poyferré is also very clearly one of the wines of the vintage on the Left Bank. Raspberry jam, blood orange, mint, spice and mocha all race out of the glass as this sumptuous, flamboyant wine shows off its exotic personality. With its vertical lift and explosive energy, the 2017 has so much to offer. It has been nothing less than stunning on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. In 2017, the Grand Vin is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Because of the late season rains, only 3 out of the 5 parcels that typically inform the Grand Vin were used. This a tremendous effort from the Cuvelier family. Don't miss it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2020)
— 6 years ago