Middle Earth

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 1998

#AgedWineTuesday

Beautiful ruby in color, with a very wide reddish rim. Bricking at the very top.

Light nose with red and black fruits, light cedar and tobacco leaf.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, currants, cherries, earth, black coffee, oak, herbs, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates and black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 26 year old from the great 1998 vintage in Southern Rhone is drinking beautifully now. Soft and smooth, elegant and earthy.

Not so good right out of the bottle, and needed 90 minutes of airtime to open up properly, so be patient.

Robert Parker 95 points. Wine Spectator 94 points.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Showing nice complexity and good balance.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

14% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120 (current vintage).
— 4 months ago

Jose, Martijn and 24 others liked this

Domaine Tempier

Bandol Mourvedre Blend 2011

Paul J
9.5

Fantastic as always!! Dark red color. Cedar, earth, and cherries on the nose. Lovely texture with a subtle sweetness I haven’t experienced before but was nice. Complex and high quality. Loved it! — 6 months ago

Brooke Weaver Jakubowski
with Brooke
Severn, Tom and 5 others liked this

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

David T
9.3

Happy birthday honey. 🎂🥳🎉❤️

The Chateau that got my wife Sofia to finally love Bordeaux (1995). Expected more from the this property in 2000. But 2000 is still either the stubborn I think it is or just not as good as critically advertised. 20 years in bottle and think it needs at least 10 more years. Also, a touch of v/a-bandaid. It has nice balance with soft fruit & earth. It just lacks the wow factor for the property & vintage. Maybe, it is in a dumb faze. But, I’ve been waiting 20 years for 2000 to come out of its shell. I love this property but it is not up to its reputation…even for lesser vintages. It might be outstanding in another 20. This bottle is a little flawed and perhaps maybe (?) a better 2nd day wine. Tonight it is leaner than I would expect. Ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, plum, dark cherries, poached strawberries. Sweet lead pencil, charcoal, volcanic ash, spice, nutmeg, some cinnamon, vanillin, dry tobacco, sandalwood, limestone, dry crushed rocks , dry pebbles, dark, rich earth w/ dry leaves, dry herbs, hints of Worcestershire sauce, moist clay, withering mid floral bouquet with excellent acidity and a wire to wire finish that is balanced, nicely tensioned and elegance that lasts minutes. One of the few slightly flawed bottles in 25 plus yrs of collecting. I can count them on just over one-hand.

Picture of Sofia picking the 2012 Mouton Rothschild Merlot.
— 7 months ago

Jason, Bob and 18 others liked this

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

Celebrating with a couple nice wines tonight

2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). An imposing dark magenta color. On the nose: very aromatic with dark cherry, currants, herbaceous, smokey earth, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: soft, silky, dry tannin wine with black fruit, pencil lead, cedar, tar, crushed rock, and a minerally mocha dry medium plus finish. YUM! More time to go.
— 9 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Paul and 18 others liked this
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

@Shay A cannot wait to try em again in a few years. Cheers!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

@Rob Brobst III Gotta have some fun with the cellar. Cheers!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

@Sharon B Thanks. Just a fun little b-day celebration. Cheers!

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1991

Dark tawny with some purple in the center. Opaque but bright. Killer nose. Notes of rich black cherries, plums, cracked walnuts, earth and a little eucalyptus. Medicinal. Ripe. In the mouth it’s velvet glove with what it touches and lush. Minute long finish. This is the whole package. — 6 years ago

Shay, Severn and 9 others liked this
Severn Goodwin

Severn Goodwin Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Nice! I'm sitting on a '96, waiting to open with a buddy.

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

Drank for Sean's birthday. Drinking very well. Beautiful, velvety tannins and acidity. Leather, earth, mushroom, red fruits. — 8 years ago

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

Loads and loads of Indian spice, liquid smoke and earth on the nose. Cinnamon and dark liquor cherry and pipe tobacco coat the tongue. Tannins and supple but ever present and the finish is long with notes of menthol and truffle. — 8 years ago

JJ liked this

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2006

Cloves, herbs, meat, earth, some sweet fruit. Young but very good. The 2006. — 9 years ago

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2001

So enticing.... Herbs, tobacco, leather, savoury, meaty, cooked fruit, liqueur. Probably peaked a few years ago it goes superbly with h middle-eastern food. — 10 years ago

Joanne Goodenough
with Joanne

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1996

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a cloudy reddish/ brick rim.

Earthy nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, plums, cooked cherries, earth, wet leaves, herbs, light vegetables, coffee, eucalyptus, mediterranean spices and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 28 year old is still drinking very nicely. A great Second Growth Bordeaux.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.

Complex and engaging. Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. Aged in (65% new) French oak barrels.

13% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$200.
— 4 months ago

Joe, Doug and 27 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Bosconia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2011

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days. Best on Day 3. The 2011 “Bosconia” pours a ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of sour cherry, dill, leather, dried earth and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium++ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, elegant and leans towards the bitter side of the spectrum. Good on its own but I think these really excel with food. I’ve probably covered this before in previous TN’s but the wines of LdH might not be for everyone but I find them to be truly special and while there tends to be quite a bit of variation, they are always full of soul. Drink now with patience and through 2036. — 6 months ago

Ely, Shay and 12 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2002

Celebrating with a couple of fun bottles tonight. 2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A stunning dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: lightly fragrant notes of stewed red fruit, cassis, floral, little cigar box, herbaceous. Taste: silky, elegant, soft wine with a great mix of dark plum, currants, iron, scorched earth, tobacco, and cedar/bitter chocolate medium plus finish. YUM! Drinks well with the decant and more time to go. — 8 months ago

Brenda, Shay and 23 others liked this

Rare Earth Wines

California Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Lori K
9.2

Todd really likes, great vanilla and current blend, good mouth feel — 9 months ago

Château Talbot

Saint-Julien Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1906

Night two at Bern’s. We’re going for some incremental age tonight. Chosen for its good color, despite a low fill. Reddish tawny color, a bit cloudy, and has a high pitched nose at first. Notes of red fruit, cedar and cranberries initially. With more air, the nose settles down to show more Bordeaux character including dusty earth, wood desk and gravel stone. This blossomed after 30 or so minutes, then began to decline. At peak it had a 95 point nose. Overall it was a great experience. — a year ago

Shay, Jan and 19 others liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Intense cherries and cassis aromas. Dark Cherry, Plum and Blackberry flavors with hints chocolate, earth and leather. Dark color and chewy tannins. Well balanced. Thanks for sharing, Keith — 7 years ago

Château Léoville Poyferré

Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1972

Amazing. Nice earth, some subtle fruit. — 8 years ago

R.J. Pittman
with R.J.

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2004

Wonderfully oxidative nose full of soy & such followed by red fruit & earth & finishing with telltale American oak. A powerful Rioja! — 8 years ago

Justin RazzaM Femi Oyediran
with Justin, M and 1 other
M, MICHAEL and 6 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha 2005

Jim Reed
9.7

2005 is amazing. Leather, blood, scorched earth while maintaining youthfulness and ripe red fruit. One of my favorites — 9 years ago

JJ liked this

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2013

Funk on the nose. A little juice, earth, minerality, and balanced acidity. Smells like your grandparents basement. — 9 years ago

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2008

A pretty color of ruby, with a wide brick/ reddish rim.

Full bodied and elegant.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing red currants, plums, cherries, wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 15 year old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice complexity at this point.

Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. A very tasty aged Rioja, and a good food wine.

Robert Parker 95 points.

I Had this vintage a year ago, and it feels pretty much the same.

A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano. Aged in used American oak barrels for 6 years.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55.
— 5 months ago

Iwan, Severn and 30 others liked this

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2008

Drinking beautifully. Blackberry, strawberry, musky earth, pepper, anise. Should hold just fine — 6 months ago

Lyle, Serge and 6 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2020

John W
9.2

Deep dark ruby coloration. On the nose, cherry. Blackberry, earth, and currants. On the palate, full bodied, cherry, chocolate, oak and vanilla. Medium to longer finish. — 7 months ago

Joe, Ericsson and 7 others liked this

Château Palmer

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Decant and pour. A wondrous garnet color with bricking. On the nose: captivating nose of dark plum, wet forest floor, herbaceous, spice, some funky barnyard. Taste: dark plum, cedar, earth, pencil lead, and a spiced green bell pepper/tobacco medium plus finish with a moderately tight tannic kick....drinks like a younger Bordeaux. — 8 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Shay and 14 others liked this

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2005

A very nice showing from a somewhat overseen vintage of Sassicaia. It is a very elegant, fragrant yet full bodied wine that is really showing it’s best sides today. Complex and balanced. Currants, flowers, earth, spice and a mineral and fresh finish. — 9 months ago

Ira, Edward and 2 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

Funk on the nose- old books. Needed more time than we had to decant. Barely opening at an hour. Lots of earth, tobacco, but thinner than expected — 2 years ago

Corison

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Black and blue berries, earth, tobacco. Layered beautifully. Power and elegance in harmonious balance! Has so much more to go! Wish I saved this opening for about 10-12 more years! Makes me fall back in love with CA Cabs!!! — 7 years ago

Mike liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Mitzi Inglis
9.3

The year we were married. This is great bottle. Earth, leather, tobacco and fruit. #dunnvineyards — 8 years ago

Anthony, Steve and 1 other liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1954

What a treat. From the company to the antics of the cork removal, all was fantastic. Not surprised with some immediate mustiness on the nose, giving way to a rich but smooth aged blue cheese, mushrooms, soy sauce, earth, and just a faint hint of dried red fruit. Over the next 20 minutes the glass development was out of control, changing with each and every whiff and sip. Earthy umami, oxidative, and and slightly stewed reds to begin quickly opened to nice dried strawberries on the palate and nose, and advancing to moderately subdued ripened strawberries and cranberries- after 61 years and still kickin with fruit! Amazing. Then after about 20 minutes of rapid metamorphosis, it gave in and decided to fade to a very pleasant sipper...awesome. — 8 years ago

Rajiv AyyangarTim Herrmann
with Rajiv and Tim
Rajiv and Chris liked this

Château Rayas

Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache Blend 1988

An earth driven nose with overtones of garrigue. This wine was terroir driven vs fruit driven. Compared to the other vintages I found this wine benefited the least from air. — 9 years ago

Domaine Serene

Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2010

Very old world style Pinot. Lots of fruit and earth. Extremely complex yet soft and easy to drink. — 10 years ago