It's Friday and I'm ready for my Cabernet fix. This week it's one from Washington State. 
Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim. 
Fruity nose with blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raisins, figs, vanilla, licorice, oak, spices, earth, leather, green tea and black pepper.
Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, vegetables, leather, earth, chocolates, peppercorn and pencil lead.
Medium plus on the finish with firm tannins and tangy cranberries.
This Washington Cabernet is drinking very nicely now. Well balanced with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel. Showing a nice structure with ample black fruits and a touch of earthiness.
Last time I had it, it needed an hour to open up properly. I used the #VSpin this time, for 10 minutes, and it did the trick, and brought in tannins and complexity. 
Will be good in the next couple of years. Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a cheese plate, nuts and crackers. 
14.5% alcohol by volume.
89 points. 
$17. β 7 years ago
Here for this like the hook in a Carly Rae Jepsen song. Bright and fresh with disco ball acidity, you can tell she went to private school but is just longing to let loose at the club in the city. Getting a very Britney Spears βHit Me Baby One More Timeβ vibe. Plan skits and pony tails for Gods β 8 years ago
"I get by with a little help from my friends...."
Knee deep in renovations and th out it warranted a phenomenal bottle to help make the pain go away!!!  πThis bottle did the trick!! What renovations?????
Awesome structure, incredibly luscious blue fruit which I adore, took about 1 1/2 hours to open and then the Floral notes began to sing!!
Badass in a glass as I Always say!!
Thank you to my Hawaiin brother from another mother @David L whom is THE one and only Mr. Lentine!! π. Love you brother!
And another π to the remainder of the WNH! ππππ β 8 years ago




This one did the trick. Driven by acidity. Citrus fruit, lemon. Had it on seafood linguine. Great bang for the bucks (24.000οΏ¦, Shinsegae). β 8 years ago
Picked this one up at TJs today. Naturally, I was initially very skeptical but after allowing this Nero time to breathe, what was a one trick pony actually turned out to be quite an enjoyable wine. Full of soft tannins, this wine is incredibly spicy with a nice jammy finish. The new #qprsuperstar on the block. At this price point, I expect a few more of these to be gracing my wine racks in the near future. β 9 years ago
One of Beaβs βlighterβ Sagrantino. Drinkable now, but so much more to offer over the next decade-plus. Tannins are smooth but herculean. Red-fruited of course but with some smokiness and spiciness that begs for hearty fare. Mussels and shrimp in spicy squid ink pasta did the trick... β 8 years ago
Wanted one more glass tonight so thought this might do the trick. Usual drama with the cork even though this has been perfectly stored since 2007 in this house! Have had this a couple times the last few years and have always been impressed with how dark it is. Surprisingly fruit driven tonight, some gritty tannin hanging on leads me to believe this one could go one for years. It isnβt particularly special, but good. Originally bought to get some of the 05s in the cellar in my early days of collecting. 92 Spectator, I believe, on release. β 8 years ago
OMG!!!  Iβm going to save myself some time and post these all at once. It was one of those epic nights!!!!!! LOL
8 of us began on a mystical journey of friendship, food & WINE!!
we began with five bottles of Haber which just arrived at my office yesterday! OMG! Now I only have three left! LOL!!!!!!!! I absolutely adore this wine and so did my friends. It was actually their WOTN which is a lot to say given the company it was in. I then opened a bottle of 2012 Memento Mori which was its usual opulent self!! Two of us preferred this wine over Haber but the remainder preferred Haber. I pulled this trick out of my butt from David Lentine!!!! A palate cleanser after heavy Cabernets and we opened a gorgeous Beaux Freres- The Beaux Freres Vineyard. We then got things going again with one of my favorite Chardonnays  in Napa! This stuff absolutely rocks and should be bought by  all. Nuf  said, itβs that freaking good!!! Last but not least I decided to mix it up a little and pulled one of my favorite under the radar GSM blends that I know. Domaine de la grange des Peres. Every single one of my guests Took a sip and immediately snap their head up to say βwhat the heck is this!  βthatβs good!" You will look like a hero pouring it at anyoneβs party and the cost is negligible at $95 a bottle! Bad ass in a glass as I always say. Every single one of these bottles proved to be as such! Love you guys sand cheers to you all!   The individual rating for each wine was slightly different but I would say as a collective it was definitely a 9.6 type of evening. 
Good time., good times β 8 years ago
Always a staple for me. It is one of the most balanced, inexpensive, Grand Cru Champagnes I think you can buy. Mostly all Pinot Noir, and a little Chardonnay, no P.M. 
Trick to Champagne: Don't drink it to cold, it's a waste of a unicorn in the wine world. 45-50Β° is where you get to experience how great it can be. 
Cheers to 2017. β 9 years ago
Β‘Feliz dΓa de los muertos!
Time to scare the dead back to the beyond.
A wine from gnarled Vinceβs should do the trick.
Smells of gun powder tea.
decanted for 4 hours, and the fruit is lush with dark ripened berries, and heavy handed spices. the burn will not blow off so one must integrate it into the  tasting. High octane. 
Expensive for a Zin, yet so well crafted, as we know Turley does.
The lingering acids seething with the alcohol burn. Enjoyable still.
 β 7 years ago
One of the trick wines brought to a Burg tasting. Only remember the floral nose with a bit of greenness (stems) and tinge of sweetness at the end. The last bit should have revealed the producer. On the second day, the wine is very much more Rhone like and reminds me of Fonsalette but much more ethereal and airy. Nose is dominated by figs compote, prunes, raisins. Luscious and has nice density that I don't come across from Burgs. Lovely! β 8 years ago
Freezing snowy night New York City quick glass of wine. Did the trick on the urban hike. One point behind the Greek cup of Joe. β 8 years ago
The 2015 Syrah Charles Heintz Vineyard is an outrageously beautiful, vivid wine. A rush of blue and purplish fruit, lavender, licorice and dark spice make a strong opening statement. Today, the tannins are a bit overpowering, but time in bottle will do the trick. The 2015 was fermented in concrete, with 10% whole clusters, and aged in a combination of concrete and oak. Readers who can find the wine should not hesitate. Heintz is one of the top vineyards in California. Getting a glimpse of the site through the lens of Syrah it makes for a deeply fascinating experience. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Mar 2017) β 8 years ago
Superb Cremant - not just a one trick bubble pony. Balanced structure. β 8 years ago
This was our second bottle. First was uninspiring and despite the 97pt RP rating, found it to be disappointing. The trick is to let it breathe for at least an hour to let the flavors develop. It is no Opus One but very satisfying with a juicy steak or just plain enjoyment! β 8 years ago
Penultimate bottle of my case. Ripe red fruit is still prevalent, but the flavor has deepened and any sharp edges (there weren't many) have faded away. Possibly even more delightful than I remember. Wish I had more than one bottle left. β 9 years ago
A CA chard dressed in Burgundian robes. Even with full MF it's still lean, brimming with acidity and fresh minerality. Full and round, there's a lovely creaminess without being too over the top and still letting the fruit shine. Florals, pie crust, citrus and apple. Wouldn't usually describe a chard as thirst quenching, but this one does the trick. Great QPR. β 9 years ago
Paul J
The age either did the trick or there is crazy bottle variation with this wine as this one was shockingly awesome!! Very refined and well structured. The dark cherry fruit was integrated well with modest oak. Possessed some nice French elements in tar and earth. I was impressed! Hope my other bottles taste this good! β 6 years ago