Open Skies

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

This needed a couple of hours decant to shed some of its tannin structure & open to show mostly black fruits, spice, earth, leather, pepper & tobacco — 4 months ago

Tom, Juan and 10 others liked this

Domaine Auguste Clape

Cornas Syrah 2011

This was open & drinking well showing cherry, berry, plum fruit, game, pepper, olive with lots of mineral & spice — 5 months ago

Deborah, Ira and 7 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

Age 30 has 1995 Latour is in an amazing place, finally, fully open and giving wafting unmistakable Pauillac perfume, integrated and seamless and liquid velvet in the mouth with melting tannins and an explosively long finale. My fav first growth 💯 — 8 months ago

Jay, Jan and 11 others liked this

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Bolgheri Red Bordeaux Blend

Good color and nose. Needing some time to open up. — 8 months ago

Tom, Juan and 3 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2021

Pair of 21’s tonight where the Tignanello is youthful & not as open as the Ornellaia. Will be a great vintage that needs a few more years — 9 months ago

Jan, Jonathan and 8 others liked this

Cantina Bartolo Mascarello

Barolo Nebbiolo 2018

AEL
9.0

If you're going to open the 2018 in 2023, you have to at least let it breathe. Nose is light but well defined, with sour cherries, a metallic note, and a hint of earth. Palate silky, with a smokey note. Classy. A gift from Doug B. at year end. — 2 years ago

Andrew liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Seemed like the right time to open this. The candy like flavor that I see people complain about had blown off this wine and it just had this incredible purple inky color and rim to it. Very enjoyable. Still had good fruit and sweetness without losing too much luster. Caymus used to age forever but I would drink these up by 10th bday. — 4 years ago

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2013

Those who follow me will know that this is a rare one for me, but I don’t have too many half bottles and my alcoholism took over late tonight and made me open something. This is one of the lightest Cabernet Merlot blends I’ve ever had. It’s still quite tannic but the winemaking is there. Seems to open a little over time and you can taste the French terroir. — 5 years ago

Eric, Shay and 19 others liked this
David L

David L Influencer Badge Premium Badge

I get it. Longing for an extra glass.

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2019

Last had this vintage a couple years ago. These obviously have a long life ahead of them. With some nice air, this does open up. Wonderful dark fruit and earth aromas. Tannins are quite present and a bit bitter (not in a bad way at all). Excellent acid on the finish. Delicious pairing with kinderhook pork chops with tutto porchetta seasoning. — 4 months ago

Dave, Lyle and 13 others liked this
Dave

Dave

Sounds wonderful!

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2008

Private Dinner on the beach to celebrate my wife birthday. The Ritz went out of their way to find this 2008 Opus One. Flavors just burst open after decanting. Fruit was smooth with hints of blackberry and cherry. No earthy or leather just smooth fruit front to back. — 7 months ago

Letha Phillips
with Letha
Rick, Joe and 12 others liked this

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

When confronted with an open bottle of Silver Oak Cab on a Wednesday night, you step up and finish it, no questions asked. — 8 months ago

Yianni, Ted and 6 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby . This seems a bit more advanced . This is a bit harder and more structured on the palate , more tannin , less velvety and a bit more astringent . More spicy , drier on the palate . This needed more time to open . This was quite difficult to judge , I wasn’t 100% convinced about this bottle as it just seemed a little oxidative, however it did actually seemed to come together better after an hour or so , but still quite hard and astringent in comparison to the others (especially La Mission) . Showed a touch more mineral and grafite on the finish too after a while. This needed time , and I would imagine another bottle might tell a different story . — 9 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 6 others liked this

Silver Oak

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Just wow! Let it open, and then drink! — 2 years ago

Peter, Ted and 4 others liked this
Joe Lyons

Joe Lyons

Good juice!!!

Shafer Vineyards

Hillside Select Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

After a coffee chat at work yesterday that ended discussing Hillside Select I was motivated to open one for the holiday weekend. Initially I was very disappointed as the wine was flat and uninspiring considering the pedigree and price tag. Read some reviews that this 2013 needs A LOT of air and sure enough after hours the wine began to evolve and markedly improve. It is an intense wine that lingers in the mouth for a long time. Smooth tannins, red fruit and tobacco flavors. Not my most favorite wine and not at the $229 I paid, but nonetheless a very good wine once it had the chance to get some air for a few hours — 4 years ago

Jonathan liked this

Domaine François Raveneau

Valmur Chablis Grand Cru Chardonnay 2010

Lush and open. Expansive fruit with corn, honey and slate. Salinity and tang. Complex and long. Great — 4 months ago

Walker StrangisDavid Schachter
with Walker and David
Jay, Jan and 9 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

Drinking well with its perfumed aromatics, fruit & spice that needed some air to open — 6 months ago

Mario, Tom and 8 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2021

Deep ruby , thin pink rim . Fresh cassis , blackberry , quite spicy with a touch of vanilla, red plum . Quite open and enticing . On the palate this is somewhat linear with cool dark fruits , cassis , red plum , grafite and saline touch . Fills out well with quite grippy , cool tannins , fresh acidity , and good length with grafite , cassis finish . This is obviously not ready , however it was an enjoyable wine to drink over dinner , the freshness and cool fruit character are quite apparent , and the tannins though gritty are somewhat in the background . Though it was worth the experience , I would leave bottles a further 10 years before trying another. This is an elegant and well judged wine . — 8 months ago

"Odedi", Shay and 15 others liked this

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2018

Incredible. Open it and decant it. — 9 months ago

Jonathan, Neil and 5 others liked this

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)

La Tâche Pinot Noir 2013

2013 vintage. Both excellent fill and cork. Decanted with infinitesimal sed. Slightly silvery color. Tasted after 1.5 and 2.5 hours open. Medium body. Nose slightly reticent during both tastes. Black tea and eucalyptus prominent first go round with both those still present but minimized second pass. Sprinkle in some cracked black pepper and white sage for round two and we have a winner. Finish lasted over a minute and the concentration was as expected given the decent street cred. No rush to crush but open waay early/decant this if enjoying in the next handful of years. 10.24.24. — a year ago

Ira, Bob and 24 others liked this

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1976

This bottle of 1976 Chateau Lafite Rothschild was cellared in a wine cave part of its life and a modern cellar the more recent part of its life. The fill for this bottle was mid-shoulder and the label had been tattered from back when it was in the cave. Using a Durand, I was able to pull the cork intact and it was saturated but seemed to have done its job. The color was good and the wine was sound; in fact, it was very much alive and full of character! Opened about four hours prior to service and decanted for sediment (of which there was plenty). No formal notes. At this stage in its life, the 1976 Lafite pours a garnet color with an orange rim. The nose is straight up old-money. Classy aromas of desiccated red cherries & red currants, dried tobacco leaf, graphite, a mix of organic and inorganic earth, leather and dried baking spices. On the palate, the structure was still quite palpable with tannins till present and acid doing its job with aplomb. Confirming the notes on the nose. The finish is long and graceful with some nice stoney minerals. Drink now but well cellared examples could hold longer if you wanted…but if you’re even thinking about it, just open it! — 2 years ago

Andrew, Shay and 15 others liked this