Pin It
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2021
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.
Beautiful nose of blueberries, black currants, cooked cherries, light oak, vegetables, licorice, earth, chocolates, Indian spices and peppercorn.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with plums, currants, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, coffee, light tobacco leaf, herbs, peppercorn, earth and black tea.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux. Showing a nice mouthfeel. Fresh, complex and rich.
This second growth wine is still young, but already enjoyable, even by itself.
Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 7 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.
Well balanced, and good by itself as a sipping wine. A good food wine too.
A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
12.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$215. — 2 months ago
Château Margaux
Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1996
Next level. Actually the air from the decant did it well. Could have aired it out longer but we had Warriors game to get to!!! — 2 months ago
Silver Oak
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
It has been 15 years or so since I’ve had a Silver Oak. Thought I check in. Nothing has changed, every vintage basically tastes the same. It almost like they add flavoring. 🤷♂️ One red you could not fool me blind. Short Rib was excellent.
At Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.
The ticket to this event has a pretty big price tag. But when you consider what a Napa etc. tasting or two and lunch would cost you, you are pretty much there and there is so much more than that. It ends up having great value. It’s wine, spirits and food candy land. — 3 months ago
La Rioja Alta
Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2004
90% Tempranillo; 10% Graciano. Red fruited perfume, earthy with medium plus intensity. Palate at 21 years is developed, balanced and soft with fully integrated tannins. Medium weight with declining strength to its inner core. Not near as good on the 2nd night. This aged overnight and finishes a little sour. I was going to give it 94 points but will now give 90 points. — 3 months ago
R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2012
Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.
The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 4 months ago
Château Musar
Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2006
It is customary for the wines of Chateau Musar to be released seven years post-vintage. However, in 2013, the decision was made to hold the vintage back. 2006 was unusual for two reasons. The first, were the cool climatic conditions in the Bekaa; the likes of which had not been seen since the 1950’s. There was a two-week period in winter where the valley was blanketed in snow and mild temperatures remained in effect throughout much of the growing season. The second was much more tragic: 2006 was a war year in Lebanon. On July 12th of that year, Israel and Hezbollah engaged in a bloody conflict that lasted (officially) a little over a month. Sadly, thousands of lives were lost. In 2017, eleven years after harvest, the 2006 vintage was deemed ready for release.
Poured into a decanter about 90min prior to service. The 2006 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of black cherry, blackberries, black currants, tobacco, horse blanket, leather, some red and purple flowers, dried herbs and Eastern spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and absolutely delicious. A triumph and perfect with lamb chops. Drink now through 2046+.
How Chateau Musar endures to make wines from the Bekaa remain one of the great examples of human grit and determination available in the world of wine. Frankly, it’s a minor miracle this vintage ever made it to the winery. — a month ago
Dunn Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1987
From a really fine, structured Napa vintage, this shows dark fruits and mineral notes aromatically, still has loads of Dunn Howell Mountain structure and tannin, long, lingering finish, but the finish suggests that it needs 10-20 more years of aging, simply an incredible, old school (13% ABV) Napa mountain Cabernet with amazing length and freshness, a true WOW wine (if you’re moderately unoffended by the enormous structure still remaining)!!! — 2 months ago
Château de Beaucastel
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2019
Pretty.
Glassy Cherry leather stone.
Too pretty. Could use some more personality as it matures. Half bottle. — 4 months ago
Dominus Estate
Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2001
Big lush, dark fruit that has not reached its peak window yet. But she ain’t far away. I was able to obtain a vertical of 01,02,03,& 04. My first foray into that vertical. No rush on this one but very impressed. Leather, pepper, if not cigar leaf here . Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on here and my lack of Cali knowledge has new intrigue — 4 months ago
Château Latour
Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1983
Château Latour is an iconic estate in the Pauillac commune on the left bank of Bordeaux, achieving coveted ‘First Growth’ status in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
The estate has roots dating back to the 14th century and derives its name ‘La Tour’ from a fortress tower built during the Hundred Years’ War, which no longer exists but is prominently featured on the label in recognition of its history.
We weren’t sure what to expect, as many have predicted these 1983s are likely past their prime, but this wine was a masterpiece. 🤩
It was medium garnet in color with expressive notes of cedar box, cigar, clove, peat, leather, forest floor, fig, prune, dried black cherry, plum, cassis, blackberry compote, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, dried violet, potpourri, kalamata olive, pencil shavings, graphite, & bacon fat.
It had the most velvety, fine-grained tannins that washed across the palate with ease, with a gentle but notable acidity that maintained lift and balance. It was concentrated, complex, and had a long, elegant finish. — 2 months ago
Château Montrose
Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2005
It is really no surprise that this 05 is incredible and yet still extremely youthful. This 05 will out live almost anyone 50 years old. It is good for another 45 years.
I had their 16 La Dame last weekend & commented it should not be opened for another 10 years.
The core on the nose is dark velvet black currants. There’s a bit of melted dark chocolate-mousse. Ripe but subtle blackberries, black raspberries, black plum-plum pudding, very dark cherries, some mulberries, mocha powder, dark, rich earth, dry river stone, limestone, anise, mix of dry/fresh herbs, fine, undertone of baking spices, moist grey clay, slightly dry tobacco, sandalwood, mild, elegant spice, just the slightest hint of mint, very, slightly candied, dark, withering flowers & red roses.
The palate is rich, round with velvety M+ tannins. The core is dark fruits blended in melted dark-mocha chocolate. Blackberries, black raspberries, both plums w/ heavy skin, dark cherries, poached to slightly baked strawberries & raspberries over the top. Dry bay leaf-sage, moist clay, rich, dark, turned earth, dry river stone, limestone powder, stem inclusion, red licorice/cola, anise to black licorice candy, sandalwood to soft cedar, slightly moist tobacco, used leather, mild, dark spice, a touch & just a touch of tomato leaf, hints of cardamom, dark/red withering flowers with just a touch of violets, perfect acidity and a very well knitted, tensioned, balanced, structured, elegantly polished finish that last two-minutes and lands on nice earthiness & softly muddled spice.
Paired w/ their bone-in Ribeye. Best steakhouse steak that I’ve had out and not made by friends and or myself. Rich fat, tender and nice flavor. Lacks a bit of char and Napa Valley Rub from wholespice.com.
Open in another 15-20 years.
A real shot at a 💯 in another 15-20+.
@Delmonico Steakhouse Las Vegas — 2 months ago
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2010
Even more fantastic than the previous bottle of 2010 I enjoyed a year ago. Decanted and enjoyed over 7 hours. This was good from first pour but became great and then magnificent over the next 3.5 and 7 hours. It was still full of verve on the last sip! Early only it was more dark fruit but over time the wines softened and became a bit sweeter and rounder. Tremendous length and complexity. — 3 months ago
Château Lynch-Bages
Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2009
An exceptional wine that shows its age ability to endure and improve over time. The 2009 vintage has 76% Cab Sauv, 18% Merlot, 4% Cab Fran and 2% Petit Verdot and was aged for 15 months in French Oak barrels. Extremely opulent and luscious, though tannins were already falling, but its elegance and finesse was compelling. All ripe red fruits with a persistent perfumed aromas. Elongated finish with some fig notes as a bit of baked raisins. It can continue aging for another 15 years without compromising its elegance and complexity. This is a show stopper!! — 4 months ago
Andrew McIntyre
Always a pleasure and has an enjoyable luxury about it...this bottle was a bit muted though — a month ago