Middle Earth

Clos des Papes

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2016

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Red fruits on the nose with light oak, spices, earth, garrigue and chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, black cherries, spices, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates, earth and black pepper.

Nice finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 9 year old Grenache blend from Southern Rhone is drinking beautifully now. Powerful, yet elegant. Fruity, rich and smooth.

Still feels very young, and more fruit forward than I expected it to be. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Complex and interesting.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour of airtime. Spicy and entertaining.

This 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhône was exceptional. Will continue to age beautifully over the next 10 years.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with food.

A blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah.

14% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$140.
— 9 months ago

Ted, Tom and 23 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Such a good producer.

Château Talbot

Saint-Julien Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2009

An absolutely wonderful Talbot. Perfect condition and with a 2.5 hour decant this is drinking wonderfully. Excellent pairing with a medium rare dry aged strip steak. Quite seamless on the palate with excellent acid and a hint of menthol. Deep dark fruit and earth. Just lovely. — 4 years ago

Jason, Severn and 4 others liked this

Rare Earth Wines

California Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Easy drinking wine. No aftertaste. Good table wine. — 7 years ago

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2011

Really nice, and showing quite well with 7 years of age. Medium color, extremely well balanced. Dark earth, black olive, savory notes for sure. Long finish with great acid. Excellent food wine. — 7 years ago

Ira, Jason and 15 others liked this
Jason Gelman

Jason Gelman

fan of olga.

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend

Education wine, awesome earth and acid. Still has time in the bottle — 9 years ago

Andrew Pienaar
with Andrew

Château Léoville Poyferré

Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Aristotelis Protopapas
9.5

Outstandgly balanced. Savory yet still fruit will appear in its most delicate dark ripe plum that has smashed against earth and let dry for few hours. The fact that is a magnum btl has benefit in its evolvement perfectly to one of my favorites ever! — 10 years ago

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2004

Awesome! Everything I love about VT and CDP. Earth and fruit in perfect balance. — 11 years ago

Anthony, Sasha and 1 other liked this

Enderle & Moll

Liaison Pinot Noir 2021

Wow! So glad I bought a bottle of this. Funky on opening. After 2 hours it is so good. Violets, roses, cherry, baking spice is in background, there’s an earth/herbal component I cannot pinpoint. It is so drinkable but evolves with almost every sip. Need more Pinots like this in my life. — 9 months ago

Vanessa, Austin and 9 others liked this

Château Cheval Blanc

St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

From a just opened owc purchased on release. This needed a little air to show mostly black fruits with spice box, dried herbs, earth, leather & tobacco notes. — 2 years ago

Severn, Vino and 17 others liked this

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

Scorewine
9.2

Visiting again this splendid Paulliac from the 2011 vintage. 2011 vintage was labeled as mediocre in Bordeaux and this lovely wine showed that it is actually a classic vintage with some great wines, so trust the chateau not only the vintage. The nose is tempting with notes if coffee, earth, oak, cassis, black fruits and hints of chocolate, the body is full with round tannins, acidity is splendid and finish is long. My score 92, drink to 2026, perhaps longer — 7 years ago

Scorewine, Aaron and 22 others liked this

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

La Chapelle Hermitage Syrah 1999

1999. Beautifully showing. Nice balance of fruit, earth, and freshness. Pretty finish. — 7 years ago

Kevin liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Bosconia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 1991

Light reddish amber, translucent color. Beautiful bouquet in the nose with notes of cherries and earth. In the mouth the fruit is less present and the finish is short. Great old rioja nose, but fruit is past it's prime. Drink up. — 8 years ago

Bill, Eric and 5 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003

Somm David T
9.2

The nose on this wine is stunning baring the alcohol heat. Perfumed red florals and candied dark and lighter red fruits. While the wine is truly elegant, the alcohol is seriously burning the back of my throat. The bottle reads 14.1 but I think over 15 degrees. Maybe, they wanted to save on the higher alcohol tax. The wine starts so beautifully only to burn the back of my throat. The fruits are ripe, elegant and beautifully soft. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, faint back palate of strawberries, sweet/soft leather, black licorice, violets & roses, rich delicate & sweet wet black earth, soft light baking spices, caramel, milk chocolate, figs & dates, amazingly sweet dark minerals, touch of black tar, touch of spice and a rich long elegant dark fruit liqueur finish. I would score this wine higher if it didn't punish my palate and throat with the burning alcohol finish. — 9 years ago

Eric, Paul and 14 others liked this
TheSkip

TheSkip

Great post and picture!!
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Thank you.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2007

1 hour decant(lots chunky/fine sediment). A gorgeous inky purplish garnet color. On the nose: dark fruit, forest floor, smoked meat, floral, cigar wrapper, pencil lead. Taste: smooth, rich, creamy mouthcoating wine with blackberry/dark cherry, dark chocolate, earth, tobacco, baking spice, and a cedar/graphite medium plus finish with some slight dusty tannins. Had this 2 years ago, and it's improved. In the beginning of its drink window at 18 years? Wow — 9 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Steve and 20 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Love this JP vintage!

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

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

Can’t get better than this. Intense red color and earthy aroma. Dominant tannins, with a firm grip drenched in deep dark dry fruit with hints of burned earth, fall leaves and earthy compost. Intense, complex, deep but narrow on the pallet. Grippy finish that kept lingering for minutes. Set the bar very high for our old versus new country Bordeaux wine comparison with the Jacksons. — 7 years ago

Tammy de Weerd
with Tammy
Skip, Mike and 7 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 1997

Very enjoyable. Dark fruits, earth, leather, flowers. — 8 years ago

Andrew, Shay and 16 others liked this
David L

David L Influencer Badge Premium Badge

97 Tig nice

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

From magnum...took a while but opened up nicely. Great texture and just the right combination of earth & spices — 8 years ago

Leo, Mike and 1 other liked this

Château Palmer

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1966

Faded fig compote, dusted cherry. Round mid palate with shallow inflection. Lovely herbaceous quality with hints of earth and black tar. — 10 years ago

Anthony, Yianni and 1 other 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. — 11 years ago