Nine Points

Wines of Substance, LLC

Cs Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth and pencil lead.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, raisins, vanilla, oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, coke, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Nice length on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon is always enjoyable. Drinking nicely now as a 3 years old.

Fruit forward with nice balance. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows the tannins (45 minutes).

Nice enough to drink by itself, but pairs nicely with food too.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$17.
— 6 years ago

Shay, Brandon and 16 others liked this

Nine Points

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

This my wine. Smooth. Deep flavor. — 6 years ago

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2009

Yep Mrs E popped another 🤣 the 09 Sass (10th try) & @ £138-£180 is going to be a lovely 😈 in time if Mrs E stops opening them 🤣 Notes similar as before but dryness is easing & other subtle changes appearing 😁

📍 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2009

🏵 96+ points

🍇 85% Cabernet Sauvignon & 15% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Deep opaque ruby

👃 Complex & elegant smoked cedar, damson, blueberry, spiced blackberry jam & purple flowers w/ raspberry liquorice, cocoa, light herb, mint, olive, leather, oak & flinty cracked minerals

👄 Med+ silky smooth body of ripe red cherry, rich spiced blackberry/currant, cocoa & liquorice in fine light dry tannins

🎯 Long dark fruity berry/plum herby mocha coating w/ touch dry minerals & creamy cherry tones
— 7 years ago

Chris, Shay and 40 others liked this

Nine North Wine Company

Hullabaloo Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel 2015

At da Baffone with Trudy and Jim. 2018. — 7 years ago

Seghesio Family Vineyards

Sonoma County Zinfandel 2013

Purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, sweet strawberries, plums, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, earth, pencil lead, peppercorn and tobacco.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity. Smooth with long legs.

Dry on the palate, and fruity with blueberries, cherries, plums, oak, vanilla, spices, licorice, earth, meats, green vegetables, herbs, chocolates and peppercorn.

Nice length on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

What a great Zinfandel from Sonoma County, California. Getting into the drinking range now. Well balanced with nice complexity and interesting acidity.
Good as a sipping wine, all by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (1 hour).

This is not the jammy Californian Zinfandel one might be used to. Spicy and interesting. I really enjoyed it this time.

This 4 year old is drinking very nicely now. I had this vintage a couple of years ago, and it was not very enjoyable. What a difference a couple of years in the bottle has done...

Could use a few more years to become even better.

Wine Spectator 92 points.

14.8% alcohol by volume.
— 8 years ago

Ted, Eric and 25 others liked this

Block Nine

Caiden's Vineyards Pinot Noir 2013

Love this wine!!! — 11 years ago

Meghan and Lundmark liked this

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989

Amazing wine - still fresh and light tannins. Fruit is elegant, balanced, black fruits. Heaven in a glass. 99 points. Super long finish. Coby- you should have bid more! — 12 years ago

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2013

Omg....
So I was given this as a blind tasting. I was able to surmise that is was 1) spectacular 2) cab dominant and 3) 2014... Was off by a year. I wish I had better metrics on my performance, but I knew I had never tasted this before.

95 points
— 6 years ago

Shay, P and 3 others liked this

Belle Glos

Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

Single vineyard pinot noir from Coastal California. Very deep purple for the grape. Viscous. Medium plus bodied. Perfume, floral nose notes but to me they are a bit overrun by oak. Belle Glos website says that this wine boasts bright acidity, but I would disagree. In the palate there is a ton of red fruit, almost candy, and very little acidity. Some residual sugar, and low to medium tannins. This is a good wine, but an odd Pinot. To me, it's almost like someone delivered Pinot Noir grapes to Ravenswood for processing as a Zinfandel.

PS it's giving me a headache.

DAY2 UPDATE: So I don't throw out wine, I'm giving it another whirl tonight. Done with dinner. If I wasn't on the Keto diet I'd slam this with a big 2 slices of cheesecake and I bet it would be perfect. The point is-- besides the fact that I miss cheesecake--this is a way over the top Pinot Noir, residual sugar and it's still at 14.6% abv!!! I'm adding the plus because I believe this was made with purpose, just not what I'm looking for.

89+ points
— 6 years ago

David, P and 8 others liked this
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

Try it as a 4 year old

Lone Madrone

Points West Red Syrah Blend 2012

S L
9.2

Nice with grilled honey Aleppo chicken (more so then the Tuscan herbed), and a Jose Llopis cigar. Very pleasing Rhone blend from Paso Robles. — 7 years ago

Nine North Wine Company

Rock & Vine Three Ranches Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

MGM minnetonka. Mild. Easy drinker. Little spice at the end. Would buy again. — 7 years ago

Bodegas Luis Cañas

Reserva Selección de Familia Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2010

First time with the 2010 vintage. Have had at least a case of 2009. Still having sinus troubles...

Some greenery, subtle licorice, nose.
Quite acidic. I bet this will be better than the 2009, needs more time to develop. Gonna buy and hold some.

92 points
— 8 years ago

P and David liked this

Long Shadows Vintners

Nine Hats Columbia Valley Syrah 2013

This is a solid Syrah that reaches above its price point by a notch. Big fruit and leather on the nose, juicy blackberries and bacon fat notes on the pallet. Lingers well, and great grip on the tongue. Yum! — 9 years ago

Cherish Hart
with Cherish
Tami liked this

Nine North Wine Company

Chasing Lions California Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Nice and peppery chairmans select for )13.99 & better than the Buried Cane for the same price — 10 years ago

Brownie Points Vineyards

California Red Blend 2011

Very nice table and casual wine — 11 years ago

Nine North Wine Company

Parcel 41 Napa Valley Merlot 2010

Cape May Cucina Rose with everyone. Good merlot from Napa — 12 years ago

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona

Pianrosso Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2012

Last bottle. Bought a case of this a while back. Someone really needs to give me pointers as to how to refrain from depleting my wine cooler.

As you may know, I love this winemaker. The 2012 is a bit more rigid than the 2010, but it's still dynamite. This bottle clearly could have been left alone for a long while.

There is a hint of spruce on the very top of the nose which rapidly gives way to cocoa, coffee, faint vanilla, and a hint of cherry. On the palate, the chocolate persists (mix with tea and tobacco) nicely and ends with still quite firm tannins. Medium long finish.

Other Ciacci wines with a little age have been better, but this is still an excellent bottle of wine.

93 points
— 6 years ago

P, David and 3 others liked this

Nine Suns

Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Wow, this is an amazing and unique SB. Bold, dense, yet very drinkable. Honeydew, apricot, apple and melon. — 6 years ago

Château Pape Clément

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Ken Z
9.6

Drank 1/18/19 at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux event in Miami. All wines from the 2016 Vintage.

Tasting pour, no formal notes taken. Most of these wines are very tight, and will require 5-15 years to really come together. Many will likely improve a few points with time.

Beautiful, well structured dark fruit. Complex, but more open than several left bank wines at this stage, as is usual for Pessac-Leognan.
— 7 years ago

JT
with JT
Ken and Ron liked this

Chateau Ste. Michelle

Indian Wells Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a great Cabernet from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose with blackberries, blueberries, sweet cherries, figs, light oak, vanilla, spices, licorice, pencil lead, black pepper, dark chocolates, dark coffee, earth and leather.

Medium to full-bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blueberries, cherries, plums, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, herbs, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, dark chocolates and pencil lead.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Cabernet from Columbia Valley. Nicely balanced with great complexity and mouthfeel. Smooth, elegant and very tasty. This 4 year old is peaking now.

This is not an expensive wine, but with proper short term aging, it drinks wonderfully. Worth giving it a try.

Good right out of the bottle and so much better after 2 hours in a decanter.

I paired it with cheeses, nuts, dried fruits and light appetizers.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$15.
— 7 years ago

Craig, James and 16 others liked this
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

Thanks for the kind words @Shawn Thompson 😊😊
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

Thanks for the kind words @Shawn Thompson 😊😊
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

Much appreciated @Shawn Thompson 😊

Bacci Wines

Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2012

Siena...

So this really never mellowed. Stayed pretty hot.. I think this could sit a while longer. Hopeful but when I drink a 2012 Ciacci Piccolomini, it's ready. So I don't know.

91 points
— 8 years ago

Matt, Mike and 6 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

I believe I’ve had this once...if it’s the one I’m thinking of, I really enjoyed it.

Hundred Acre Vineyard

Ark Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Parker gave this 100 points today! Hooray Jason delicious!Kevin insisted on drinking it tonight — 10 years ago

Long Shadows Vintners

Nine Hats Columbia Valley Riesling 2012

Antoine Pin
9.4

Wow! Medium all around. Medium dry finish $11 / 89pts — 12 years ago

Antoine and David liked this