2016 vintage. Always understated style. Lean throughout. Light-medium body with dedicated, yet delicate, push. Distinctive producer. Enduring delivery currently. Obviously not for everyone but for those that get it, borders on obsession. Mushrooms. Drying earth. Light cedar. Cassis. Subdued sandalwood. Very close to being the Burgundy of St. Julien. Last tasted 9.20.21 and scored same. 3.16.24. — 2 months ago
1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 2 months ago
#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). — 3 months ago
We opened the 2016 La Rioja Alta S.A. Viña Ardanza Reserva. This is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from La Bastida, Spain.
On thr nose there was cherry, plum, strawberry,black currant, anise, leather, herbs, baking spice and forest floor.
On the palate was cherry, raspberry, strawberry, herbs, baking spice, balsamic and anise.
This wine is medium to full bodied with a silky mouthfeel medium+ acidity and medium to medium + fine supple tannins that lead to a long red fruit forest floor finish. Welcome to another weekend and I hope everyone has great plans with wine in mind. Please enjoy the weekend and please stay safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 7 months ago
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. — 5 years ago
Had this on my wish list & my boyfriend got it for our anniversary. It was so smooth & flavorful. — 9 years ago
At our second special Caymus dinner on Sky Princess serving this wine. I’ve had lots of Caymus wines over the years. This is in line with the brand, but not what I remember from the wines from the late 70’s. As the price increased, I lost interest. It’s ok, but I feel there are better wines at the price point for the Cabernet Sauvignon. — a month ago
I compare the Heitz Napa to the Joseph Phelps Napa in many ways. I believe the Phelps is slightly less vintage dependent than Heitz. But, this 07 like the vintage in Napa, sensational.
This 2007 is peaking. Perfectly ripe & juicy; brambly blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries/kirsch, blueberries come on late and poached strawberries on the edges. The tannins are still dark and tarry. Rich, sweet, dark soils, mid & dark berry cola, anise, steeped black tea, dry tobacco, used leather, cedar/sandalwood, clove, nutmeg, some cinnamon & vanillin, moist, grey volcanic clay, dry crushed rocks, limestone, mid spice, hints of grilled meat, some fresh/dry herds, a tad of eucalyptus, stewy/tumble weed, fresh & withering dark, red, blue florals framed in violets, excellent round acidity, the scope of the finishes encompasses; balance for days, nice structure & tensioned, elegant, polished and lasts two minutes.
Photos all taken around their tasting room on Hwy 29 when their tasting was still the last free tasting in Napa. Still not over the family selling to a corporation that has no wine experience. — 2 months ago
Blend of mostly Tempranillo with about equal amounts of Garnacho, Graciano and Manzuelo, deep Ruby with a graceful bouquet of berry fruits, cigar box spice with fresh earthy tones, a traditional Rioja, still reticent. On the silky smooth palate, elegant with layers of flavors of ripe blackberry and cherry, tobacco, smoky cedar, dark fruit, vanilla spice, very well balanced with fine soft tannins and a clean structure ending with a nice long chalky earthy character. Delicious! Still has room to age. — 2 months ago
Some specials on today at the Chelsea lounge at JFK. Thought I’d ask and look what we got. It doesn’t have as much of the typical Dom taste for me and it is still very very young, definitely still a baby. Great nose and packs a lot of citrusy flavors - they will certainly mellow over the years. Not a bad rendition, not quite hitting the super high marks with me right now, but very pleasant early p.m. bubbly on this holiday — 3 months ago
Deep garnet color; graphite, blackberries, and oak on the nose; medium acidity; medium plus tannins; tastes like casis, crushed gravel, and leather with a long finish. It may be a little past prime, but it still has a little fruit. Best wine I've ever had. Nellie, Leslie, Ana, Sanjay, Jason H., Jason D., Desiree, Maddie, Ryan, Jose, Thy, and I loved it! — 4 months ago
Too young I know but was hoping with a 5h+ decant this would still deliver. It did, though I’m not sure it showed as distinctively as I was hoping. On cork pop a medicinal note that blew off. Lots of dark red fruit and purple flowers. Tannins are there but alongside a ribeye weren’t overbearing. Quite nice but was hoping for something more. — 6 months ago
Huge red fruit, soft tannins. An absolute baby with at least 20 years to evolve. Long lingering aftertaste on the mid pallet. Minerality and tannins will continue to become a bigger part of the taste profile. I won't try again for a few years. Huge upside. You can and should purchase while still available. A great addition to the wine cellar. Now that Phelps has sold it will be interesting to see what they do with Insignia.🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 8 months ago
Old school. Has some of that over extracted warmth but nothing compared to the Napa Valley juice from the same year. Nice leather tones. Good stuff. Will only get better with age. On the upward slope. — 7 years ago
I guess I’m drinking this too soon! Need to better manage the cellar… tremendous fruit on the nose as I decanted that became more vegetal with time. Bright and leathery on the tongue, rich and luscious in the mouth. Strong tannins — easy to see how others are enjoying it at twice the age. — 2 months ago
Black cherries stand out against earthy beet and blackberry. Graphite rings and smoke curls around bay and sage, acanthus and peppercorn. Green in spots and muted on the palate, this one is unfortunately young and missing something. Pepper and cedar overpower the fruits and the tannins are aggressive here, giving a stemmy impression. May develop over time but gangly and awkward here.
#chateaupichonlonguevillecomtessedelalande #pichonlongueville #2016 #pauillac #appellationpauillaccontrôlée #bordeaux #grandcruclasséde1855 — 2 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
This is a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley.
Dark ruby in color with a brick rim.
Full bodied and smooth.
Dry and fruity on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vegetables, coffee and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 23 year old is elegant and powerful. Rich and extracted, with a nice mouthfeel.
Good by itself as a sipping wine. Well balanced with great complexity. I just love these Napa Bordeaux blends.
Robert Parker 98 points. Wine Enthusiasts 94 points.
A great quality wine that will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
A blend of of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
14.1% alcohol by volume.
96 points.
$400. — 2 months ago
Blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months all in new French oak, deep Ruby with aromas of berry fruits, floral, tobacco and flinty notes. On the palate flavors of rich berry fruits and black currants with cacao and tobacco spice, on a well integrated frame. Fine soft fluffy tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy spice and tobacco cedar mineral character. Impressive! A wow factor wine! Will last for several decades! — 3 months ago
Rim to rim color density. Red and black cherries poke through cedar and sweet tobacco on the nose with dark chocolate chunks, plum, prune and date, toasted sesame, cinnamon, rose petal, and cardamom. Chewy tannins that roll satin-smooth initially, then cassis, black currant and licorice flip the script. Graphite and blackberry frame dark chocolate and mocha-tobacco, oak and black bread.
#dunn #dunnvineyards #howellmountain #howell #napa #angwin #cabernet #cabernetsauvignon #cab #cabsauv #2014 #2014napa — 3 months ago
Quite light ruby , quite light pink watery rim . Quite floral and exuberant nose , with wild strawberry , violet and blueberry notes. On the palate juicy with strawberry , raspberry , spiced cherry , good acidity and nice juicy balanced length , soft tannins . Well made and moreish . Drink now and over the next few years — 5 months ago
Deep purple in color; plums, black cherries, and oak on the nose; high acidity; high tannins; a little hot; tastes like black plums, licorice (I think), and blackberry jam with a long peppery finish. Nellie likes it. I do too, but it's more fruit forward than what I prefer lately, but very good — 8 months ago
Someone else hit it right on the head...for Cab lovers — 9 years ago
Ira Schwartz
Tasting group meet up with many of the regulars not able to attend . I knew the organizer invited someone whom we had not tasted with in about 15 years . He certainly made an entrance bringing this, in magnum no less. When poured it showed a fine mousse but it faded quickly. A very broad nose that hinted of some age. In the mouth it was like a sports car traveling a highway. Almond , brioche and some oxidative notes sped thru my mouth. The flavors accelerated only to linger similar to when you take your foot off the accelerator. Coasted effortlessly with no need to step on the brakes — a month ago