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Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2023

Dark ruby/ inky in color with a short purple rim.

Red and black fruits on the nose with cedar, chocolates, spices, tobacco, coffee and black pepper.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, black currants, black plums, cedar, licorice, chocolates, herbs, coffee, light earth, spices, tobacco leaf and light pencil lead.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley is starting to drink beautifully now. Rich and easy drinking.

Fruit forward and complex, soft and smooth. Spicy and entertaining, powerful yet refined. Showing good balance albeit a little hot at the back of the throat, at this point.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years and shows good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with food.

A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot.

15% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$250.
— 2 months ago

Dawn, Paul and 15 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

@Doug Powers - You’d be surprised how many Napa Cabs have broken the 15 barrier these days.
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Tom Casagrande, I understand with Zinfandel, but my recent experiences with those 14.5%+ inexpensive Bordeaux made me realize I just don’t care for Canernet or Merlot pushing 15%! 🤔🤷
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

@Doug Powers - I’m with you. Hard stop at 15 for 95% of wines (exception if I ever get a shot at a Rayas or the like)

Caymus Vineyards

Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Delicious @caymus with wife m. The bartender Steve let me know that this is what 90% of people come in for and it’s incredible. Super smooth. — 2 months ago

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2009

2009 at Caruso’s in Montecito. So freaking good. Well balanced. Dark fruit, some hints of pepper, cedar, more fruit, there’s also a freshness of herbs and lighter fruit that was lovely. Had with steak and beets in like 6 different preparations. Perfect pairing. — 2 months ago

David liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

Decanted for 4 hours and was floral with hints of spice. Smoothed out over the evening to lush flavors of plum, cherry, blackberry and blueberries. Finished with lite taste of tobacco and old leather. — 3 months ago

Letha Phillips
with Letha
Rick, Bob and 6 others liked this

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2012

From magnum. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2012 pours a garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with punchy notes of Morello cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, orange rind, red flowers, and a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and the texture is almost chewy. The 2012 is still an awesome value; really tasty stuff. Drink now through 2042. — 3 months ago

Tom, Jan and 6 others liked this

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 1988

Super clean and still quite youthful, this is a GREAT example of a 1980s CdP from a vintage of little surmaturite, so awesome balance and perfect acidity suggests this vintage will easily last another 5-10 years!! — 4 months ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Scott@Mister, Tom and 5 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

What a triumvirate of CDPs!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Tom Casagrande, another example of a great bottle outperforming critical reviews — of the 3 CdPs, the ratings given years ago would have been higher for the ‘89 Beau and ‘90 Pegau!!

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Paul K
9.7

This is incredible. Such great balance of so many parts. It’s dense, savory, smoky, floral, and juicy with great acidity. The fruit is there but not pronounced, blackberry and cassis- just a balanced part of the whole. I could drink this every night. — 6 months ago

Tom, Dave and 15 others liked this
Rick Phillips

Rick Phillips Premium Badge

Down to 3 bottles but still one of my favorites!
Paul K

Paul K

@Rick Phillips I’ll trade u one of my kids for a bottle. I have an extra…. 😏

The Prisoner Wine Company

The Prisoner Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend 2016

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates and black pepper.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, cooked cherries, light green vegetables, spices, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old red blend from California is still drinking beautifully. Complex and interesting. Nice to see that it aged nicely.

Showing slight RS on the palate, but I can live with that.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Charbono.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.
— 8 months ago

Andrew, Ted and 9 others liked this
Dick Schinkel

Dick Schinkel

Big Cheers dear Winefriend 👌🍷

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Paul K
9.1

Glad I picked up a bunch of these from Costco a few years ago. Great value! Looking forward to enjoying for the next few years. Don’t think this is a long term lay down but over next five years a great mid week bottle. — 3 years ago

Vanessa, Severn and 27 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2012

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — 2 months ago

Dave, Barny and 10 others liked this
Tegan Marriott

Tegan Marriott

Ever try vintage 2010 for this particular?
Joel Lara

Joel Lara

No I haven’t. This is actually the my first Lopez de Heredia. Have you tried it?
Tegan Marriott

Tegan Marriott

I have tried their bosconia & cubillo. Haven't tried the tondonia reserva, but do have the 2010 in my cellar.

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2022

Couldn’t get enough of the 2013 so opened this split of 22. Has years to grow with its floral raspberry & hint of the boldness it will achieve. Just hope Im still around to still taste it in 10 years! — 2 months ago

Letha Phillips
with Letha
Rick, Ted and 15 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Drinking magnificently. Ready to go. Lots of life left but really nice. — 2 months ago

Michael AronoviciDavid Stein
with Michael and David
Bob, Jan and 6 others liked this

Shafer Vineyards

Hillside Select Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

2003 vintage. Opened and decanted without issues or concerns. Used a Durand to open and cork was in great shape. Tasted after 30 minutes. The usual light-medium body. Plenty of polish at the 20+ year marker with unanticipated, ruff splash of chunkiness on the finish. Approx 4-5 years away from the absolute, top of the bell curve now but, given the pedigree, could possibly absorb that timescape another 5-spot and I wouldn't argue. Drink now or later. Either or. Ain't gonna disappoint unless you swing exclusively on Napa mountain fruit vines. 7.1.26. — 3 months ago

Jeroen, Ted and 22 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

You know I have had this young and I have had it aged like. Oddly for me, some of the younger vintages were really good, which is strange for me. Cheers! 🍷

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2022

2022 vintage. Medium-heavy body. Needs time/patience but shows pretty well currently if you're out of either/both. 6.3.26. — 4 months ago

Jan, Ruud and 10 others liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

Jan A
9.9

Peak, flirting with perfection. Others called out farm/barnyard notes, I thought it was more hansaplast plasters. Anyways, this was very Bordeaux for a napa wine and very napa for a Bordeaux blend. Catching the perfect balance between sweet napa generosity and cooler bdx notes. — 4 months ago

Peter, Sharon and 11 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Premium Badge

Yah...jelly. Always wondered about how those completely sealed wax tops fared as the wines aged. I suspect we are finding out exactly noww...such a favored producer.

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1966

It’s nice to be born just inside of a great vintage across Europe. Sound and fim, still. at Laurelhurst — 5 months ago

Brian, Tom and 2 others liked this

Arianna Occhipinti

SP68 Bianco Terre Siciliane Albanello Muscat of Alexandria 2022

2022. Love this wine with oysters and umami rich seafood dishes. Second time having this vintage and loved it even more tonight! — 7 months ago

ESF, "Odedi" and 5 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano

Beautiful tempranillo led wine with 10% graciano from one of the benchmark vintages in the past 25 years. This Gran Reserva has legs for the long run but perfectly approachable now! — a year ago

Theodore, Jan and 2 others liked this

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2011

Really nice, and showing quite well with 7 years of age. Medium color, extremely well balanced. Dark earth, black olive, savory notes for sure. Long finish with great acid. Excellent food wine. — 8 years ago

Ira, Jason and 15 others liked this
Jason Gelman

Jason Gelman

fan of olga.

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2018

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 “S” pours a slightly hazy garnet/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of pomegranate, cranberry, strawberry, licorice, purple flowers, green herbs and crushed rock. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is medium+. I love me some Lapierre. Drink now through 2038. — 2 months ago

Somm, Tom and 10 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

@Jay Kline Did you grow those veggies? Looking good.
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Somm David T the tomatoes, yes. The peaches were grown by a friend. We made a burrata peach salad with the latter.
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Got my garden in late. So, waiting. But garden grown tomatoes & burrata, 👌.

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2015

Leaning into a distinctly understated style, this vintage keeps things subtle rather than overwhelming. On the nose, it offers a gentle mix of dried herbs, earth, and soft red cherry. On the palate, the wine feels graceful and light, focusing entirely on proportion rather than heavy extraction or punchy concentration. While the tannins remain firm, it ultimately feels like an elegant wine where you just expected a bit more.
​The wine is perhaps at it's quieter window...well-made and structural, but lacking the mid-palate fireworks or dramatic nose you expect at that price point and prestige.
— 2 months ago

Joel liked this

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

Somm David T
9.5

There are a number of things I can say about Leoville Barton. For me, it is a storied property and experience.

To this point, I have had quite a few 2000 Bordeaux’s, none of them ready as this one. Given what I know about Anthony & his legacy, most of his good vintages were made for your children. So, color me surprised.

While this 2000 is drinking well, it is far from its precipice. There is another 20 yrs plus of road here.

Sofia and I have had the pleasure of dining at the same table with Anthony Barton and his wife in the early teens of 2000. He was a salt of the earth gentleman. His wife, lovely. At dinner that night, he told us a story I will not forget. A story prompted by a question from my wife. He and his wife drove from France to Switzerland. They were stopped at the border and asked to get out of the car as they had a case of wine with them. At that time and maybe still now, you can’t take wine over the border into Switzerland. The border guard called the powers to be and recanted the story of them trying to bring wine into Switzerland. He told them their name. The person on the other end of the phone said, who? They said, Anthony Barton. The reply, was let him through. That’s respect!!!

His daughter Lilian has taken the helm. She is also salt of the earth and a great Bordeaux Ambassador. May Anthony RIP.

This 2000 is classic Bordeaux in every way.

The nose shows steeped & candied fruits that are; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, black cherries, purple & blue fruit hues (classic Barton). Graphite, dry tobacco, dry leather, dry limestone bits, dark Asian spices, dry herbs, dry river stone, dark, rich, forest floor, anise to black licorice, mid colas, fresh, candied to withering florals that are; dark, red, blue and violets.

The palate shows, M+ rounded, fine grain tannins. The nose mirrors the palate in many ways. Steeped, candied, ripe, juicy fruits that are; brambly blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, black cherries, raspberries, purple & blue fruit hues. Leoville Barton shows purple & blue fruits more than most other left bank producers. Graphite, dry tobacco, cedar, dry leather, dry limestone bits, dry top soils, saline, caramel, mocha powder, German chocolate cake, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, dark Asian spices w/ some heat, dry herbs, touch of black pepper, grilled meats, dry river stone, dark, rich, forest floor, anise to black licorice, black tarriness, mid colas, fresh, candied to withering florals that are; dark, red, blue and framed in liquid violets, acidity is grand, well balanced/structured, highly toned, elegant & smartly polished finish that lasts minutes and settles on earth & dark spice.

Decanted 90 minutes and enjoyed over nearly three hours.

Appreciated the 12.5% ABV. Many would say that is not possible in the modern wine era. Anthony says otherwise w/ his 2000.

95-96.
— 3 months ago

Tom, ESF and 12 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Love the story

Krug

Brut Champagne Blend 1996

Still fresh but definitely lots of secondary notes. Pear and wet stone and a light sweetness and salinity. Good tension. Excellent — 4 months ago

Ara AslanianPaul Woolls
with Ara and Paul
Shay, Bob and 4 others liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne 2012

Lemon yellow. Fine bubbles. Elegant aroma with something in the deep area. Creamy. Aged flavor. Changed a lot. Dried brioche came out later and quite impressive. Louis Roederer Cristal 12 @9750, wine plus - vic, 260510 — 4 months ago

Ira liked this

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 1998

One of the best wines to sit on. — 5 months ago

Ted, Juan and 10 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend

I am not a big lover of Bordeaux but this one is quite light in taste, tender and goes perfectly with red meat. — 7 months ago

Jean Foillard

Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2014

Wine of the night and more. An incredible example of how good Morgon can be. Complexity, length, structure, and the rest. — 8 months ago

Sarah Bignami
with Sarah
Doug, John and 17 others liked this

Wines of Substance, LLC

Cs Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Gott drack på Barbro hög syra och fyllighet. Lagom strävt. Svarta vinbär plommon kaffe. Ok — 3 years ago

Domaine Jamet

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 1988

From the wine list at EMP bought by a new friend at the table next to us to go mano a mano against the 88 La Turque I shared. Slightly darker red and more pure in color. Amazing aroma that is more linear than the animalistic La La but in the same league. Hit its stride right out of the pop and pour gate. Lovely perfume with a more briary nose but speaks Cote Rotie from the get go. Perfectly integrated fruit and structure. Best Jamet I've had. Thanks to Danny for this treat. — 10 years ago

Ira, Keith and 7 others liked this
Alan Weinberg

Alan Weinberg

Cool. Bet dinner wasn't half bad either!