Bob McDonald

9.1

Our final lunch in Cairns last Sunday on the waterfront. This wine chosen for the few guys who were having a steak instead of the stellar seafood curry on the menu. No formal notes but a good workmanlike Argentinian Malbec. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Pale Lemon in colour. Aromas of Talc and citrus with a little herb. The palate has filled out somewhat from its austere acidic youth, in fact the acid has softened but still enough there if you wanted to keep cellaring for a few years. A quality Riesling from an excellent district for Riesling in Frankland River WA. Pristine clean flavours - purity is the key. Tasted another bottle 131 weeks later on 4th September 2022. Tasting quite lean after the Fat Bastard Chardonnay Ted brought last Sunday. This is a great Riesling with a big future. No kerosene aromas. Aromas of talc and limes. Still M plus acidity. Had another on 6th June 2023. Starting to develop some paraffin notes on the nose. Still mainly talc and lime. Have 2 bottles left - next in a year’s time. — 6 years ago

Chris Plance

9.2

Sunday snacks. Italian cabernets tend to be lean and impressive. This one is no exception. @winelibrary killed it on this deal, should have bought a case — 7 years ago

Ashlee Howarth

9.6

Excellent dry cider. Light and crisp. Perfect after a pound of donair. — 8 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.4

Scenes from last night’s dinner:
‘15 Accendo Sauvignon Blanc
‘13 Relic Ritual (not pictured)
‘12 Entre Nous Estate
‘12 Entre Nous Secret Acre
‘13 Entre Nous Secret Acre
‘12 Checkerboard Estate (Aurora)
‘12 Mithra Mt. Veeder
‘98 Chateau d’Yquem
‘16 Brilliant Mistake Sauv Blanc
‘06 Detert Cab Sauv

Thank you @David L @Shawn R @Martin G Rivard @Joe Lucca - for coming to Brooklyn on a Sunday night!

————
This wine is super refined and elegant. The amount of acid was noticeable at this point - and the tannins are strong even after a four plus hour decant. This is one for the long haul. It was cool to taste this side by side with the ‘12 vintage as well as next to the ‘12 regular Estate. All so different yet all so good. Such wonderful wines it’s sad they’re no longer making them. — 8 years ago

with Martin, David and 2 others

A E Weber

8.9

A Cab that is more of a whisper, no shouting or loud noise. Like a Sunday morning brunch buffet with beautiful berries on the menu.. — 9 years ago

David Lieberman

9.0

From a half bottle, the 1992 to reward myself for finally getting the 1/2 bottle drawers up and running in the cellar. While laboring on this, two beautiful organic chickens hit the soup pot on Saturday morning and were reducing into an incredibly rich broth by Sunday night, when I pulled the cork on the ZH to accompany the reduced chicken on a bed of good spaetzle. The wine is really right where I wanted it; beautifully golden with age, shimmering with scents of marmalade and coconut. Yum - ZH was making wines with too much rs for my palate at this time, but time heals all wounds and now the sweetness no longer corrupts the breed of the Brand vineyard. This wine seems like it will go on and on for many more years... — 9 years ago

Mike R

9.4

What a treat - Sunday night with the WNH gang on zoom - this 09 reminds me of the classic style of the 1982 vintages - super vibrant ripe dark fruit - merlot dominated with the cab franc woven in for length and full body - all the hallmarks of Pomerol with this chateau bordering St Emilion which means a blend of softness of the merlot from one region integrated with structure and power from the other - balance was immediate on the the palette and nose - the complexities were evident with mocha toasty wood and some dried fruit but this remarkable wine was more new world than old - @Antonio Galloni mentioned Messato as Michel consults for Messato and I see this but the ripeness was amazing and the cab franc for me separates itself distinctively for the Le Bon Pesteur - bet this wine has 20 plus years left but definitely in the drinking window right now so no need to wait - great call to try the 2009 vintages of Bordeaux @Shay A and @Bill Bender - I think you are going to like hearing what others had from the 09 as we all agreed that this vintage delivers and at the price point it gives really good challenge to the red blends of Napa — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Mid to dark ruby in colour with a tawny edge. Lovely perfume with roasted meats, dried flowers, and earthy notes. With time in decanter more barnyard cowyard notes developed, but in no way was this Brett. On the palate ultra savoury but also quite sweet initially. Soft resolved Tannins and ready to drink. Not unlike a top Burgundy with more fire power. After about 6 hours it had developed tarry aromas with coal dust and liquorice. Loved this wine. Usually have our top wine of the week at Sunday lunch. This matched well with Roast Pork. — 6 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.0

Curiosity got the best of me. Steve Mnuchin and Jared Kushner bro’d out over a bottle of this 2015 Arbalest on Sunday. Apparently it’s newsworthy when a wealthy politician brings a ‘cheap’ ($22) bottle of wine to a bro out. I wonder what price gets the ‘politician drinks expensive bottle’ story (see Paul Ryan at Bistro Bis in 2011). No matter, it’s brilliant product placement — I’m surprised Trump didn’t tweet about it... “Did everyone see Poor Stevie’s wine? So Sad. My 2015 Meritage is So Much Better.”

The wine is made by Benoit Touquette. Here’s his background courtesy of critic Jeb Dunnuck, “Born in Lyon France and gaining his education from the University of Bordeaux, Benoit worked at numerous French wineries before getting a job (with the help of his friend and mentor Michel Rolland) in Napa Valley with Andy Erickson. He consulted for the likes of Screaming Eagle, Ovid and Arietta. Today, Benoit is the winemaker for Realm Cellars, Hartwell, and Kata, as well as numerous other labels, including his own project Fait-Main.” Who wouldn’t want to try a $22 bottle of wine from a winemaker with that kind of resume??

Dunnuck also scored the wine 91 points, calling it “Full-bodied, ripe and rounded, with a sexy, opulent style, lots of mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it's well worth your time and money and is a smoking deal at 20 bucks.”

The blend is 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It needed about an hour to fully open up... one of my fellow tasters called it soapy... which I think was because of its noticeable herbaceousness. Focused black cherry, pipe tobacco, clove. Juicy, but dry, with lots of grip. I’m not doing backflips over it, but you could do much worse at $22. 90+ — 7 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.2

Okay... I admit it.. another hidden/forgotten wine in the cellar...but after 10 years, with slow braised swiss steak on the first cold blustery Sunday of the fall... this wine was wonderful. Smooth, soft, just a hint of brown on the edge...I admit to adoring old California zin with comfort food. With no end in sight to pricing for the next cult cab... screw it—I’ll take six bottles of this any day. — 8 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.0

Sunday night having the Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne Maison Fondee 1812. No occasion just enjoying a Champagne Apertief.

The nose gives you lemon, green apple, creme brulee, creamy light vanilla, minerality and river rock.

On the palate I have lemon lime, citrus peel, green apples, toasty bread and an earthy minerality.

There is a high acidity with a crisp clean long finish. A very nice champagne for the price.

Have a wonderful work week. Mine will be a short one. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🖒 — 9 years ago

Yasemin

9.0

Yellow apple, citrus, butter and almond on the nose. I am by all means no expert but this is a very enjoyable wine on a Sunday afternoon. — 9 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.4

N:OLD Apples, spicy! Cinnamon and nutmeg. Old boats. The wharf. Shoe leather.smoke.( How is this possible?)
P: Old dessicated oranges , wood, chocolate,really pleasant bitter finish.
I could go on and on...
Oh my! — 4 years ago

Fabio Franchella

9.2

Opened 4 years after the first bottle. The change is unbelievable and it rememberd me why I bought it. Drunked on a lazy sunday afternoon with no food pairing. — 5 years ago

Clive McNish

9.3

This is a powerful Cabernet, initially restrained on the nose it opens up very nicely after a short time in the decanter. No such restraint on the palate, thick, silky and packed with fruit, leather and vanilla. This is not a delicate wine but it’s not overdone in my opinion, it was the perfect pairing for a Sunday roast beef. — 7 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.1

One of the best QPR California wines out there. Black and blue fruits, smoke, meat, olive and a good glug of acidity. Complex? No. Powerful? Nope. Clean Syrah with personality and balance for cheap? Yup. Every day and twice on Sunday at this price. And yeah, it ages well too - a little less exuberant fruit and a little more savory brine and everyone's happy you stuck a few of these in the cellar. — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Another 09 to celebrate our anniversary last Sunday. Bottle no. 085. Deep and dark ruby red with a purplish hue. Tight nose even after an hour, with notes of dark cocoa, spices, anise and dark cherries. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Lots of dark spices on the palate with some black cherries, anise, and dark bitter cocoa. Long and lingering finish, a touch dry too. Drink till 2028. (93+) — 8 years ago

with Sean and India

Mike R

9.6

So so good - 60 min decant - so glad I opened to celebrate some victories for my wife who was not happy with the first Sunday wine - this baby is beyond singing and to quote my friend @Martin G Rivard and singing like a rockstar

Color is deep deep red - nose is extremely aromatic - taste is magnificent which is rich and smooth, balanced but structured - tannins are releasing - finish is long warm but no heat and lasts forever - I love Moone-Tsai and the Howell MTN speaks to me - it says Big Bold and Beautiful - just incredible - SMILING on Sunday - all is good in the universe — 9 years ago

Ron R

9.4

I had high expectations with this example, and was not disappointed.
Nutmeg, cinnamon and maraschino cherries on the nose. The palette is quite soft, with tannins that are fully evolved. I can taste the Rutherford dust, along with coffee and maple syrup. It's so succulent - no food required. Finishes with an uncommon presence. This is turning out to be an outstanding Sunday treat. — 9 years ago

with Anne-marie