Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Deep Ruby, aromas of sweet red and black fruits with pepper spice and oak. 4 grape blend from some of CVNE's best vineyards in the Rioja Alta (85% Tempranillo, rest Garnacha, Mazuelo & Graciano), aged in both French and American oak for 24 months. On the palate flavors of blackberry and currants with licorice, vanilla, tobacco & toasty oak tones. Soft full ripe tannins, wonderful balance, lively acidity on a long finish ending with an earthy mineral character. Very nice! Tried several bottles! — 5 years ago

Michelle Connely

9.0

Consumed 01/2020. Received in a shipment but not sure when. I am afraid I have cellared it for too long. The cork broke off and I made a mess getting the cork out so that I could strain it into a decanter. The wine stains are evident on the label.. They use for varietals to make this. At the time that it was released it was phenomenal. But now that I have kept it too long, I would say not as good. I need to drink the rest of it pretty quickly. 14.1% alc/vol.  — 6 years ago

Severn G

9.3

Nose has lightly oxidized yellow apple peel, wet seashells, freshly cut pear, light creamy oak, fresh lemon pith and light honey.

Palate has light salinity, lemon skin, honey on oak slab and under-ripe peach.

Beautiful wine, great (medium) acidity, yet still young. Likely this will benefit with another 4-6 years of rest. Oliver Lamy is one of the best Saint-Aubin producers, and this bottle is proof, chaotic vintage and still shining.

Decanted ~3hr. Easter 2019. — 7 years ago

edward Simpson

9.4

Purchased after a visite, Sept 2017, was excellent then and for a first excellent when sampled back home, lovely berries, soft tannins, almost note of graphite, of the terroir, lovely 4th Growth, so happy with the visit and purchase...will lay the rest down... — 9 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.9

2002 Cariad. A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and the rest Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. Dark purple in color with a little brickiness on the rim. Opulent and sexy old world bouquet of graphite, smoke, Blackberry liqueur and expresso roast. Yet another one of those wines that I could swirl and contemplate into the evening. On the palate, dark berry, sage, cedary tobacco leaf and loamy earth flavors, along with Asian spices, duck sauce and exotic herbs and spices. Rich and intense with silky tannins. Beautiful structure. Intense. Complex. Elegant. Ethereal is the word I'm searching for. Endless finish. Just sensational. I stopped buying California Cabernet as I was simply priced out of the market. I had to choose, and I went with my main man Manfred and never have looked back. But whenever I taste one of these gems from my favorite Cabernet producer, @anncolgin and @colgincellars, I'm reminded of how compelling a truly great California Cabernet can be. — 9 years ago

Levi Glenn

9.1

Had all the Beaucastel character, but just wasn't firing. Maybe in just a bit of a closed/weird phase. Time to let the rest, well, rest. — 9 years ago

Wulf Losee

9.6

2011 tasted April of 2021. While the flirtatious wines of Bordeaux will, with rare exceptions, betray my trust, I can always depend on Joseph Phelps to provide me with a solid bottle wine.

Year after year, no matter what the stresses of the vintage were, the wine makers at JP know how to produce perfectly balanced Cabs and Cab blends (but they’re not as successful with the non-Cab varietals).

This bottle of JP’s Cab is decade old, and it’s just hitting its stride. Lots of leather, rust, and a hint of mint on the nose. Ripe cherries and pomegranates on the front. The original velvety tannic balance has become just a wee bit tattered over the years. But this new-found roughness provides a youthful and boisterous counterpoint to the rest of the component that are entering a staid middle age (in wine years that is). It’s like your 45-year-old dad going wild and buying a Harley Davidson, then cruising off down the road. You say, “WTF! That’s is the way to live!” Lots of gravely high notes on the mid palate, but the old velvety tannins reassert themselves on the long finish. This is a damn lovely wine! — 5 years ago

Roman Ochocki

9.2

I don't know why none mentioned a strong and sweet currant nose (blackcurrant or red currant - I won't argue). It striked me hard. The rest: a subtle leather, The palate is mild, I expected some pepper, but I found a chocolate. The finish is short. A nice beginning of the New Year's Eve. — 6 years ago

Boris Mathiszik

8.9

Good blend just like previous vintages. Lower rating because I think the wine hasn’t integrated enough yet and needs at least two more years of rest. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Deep, dark extracted fruit. The nose on this one is initially black licorice, a hint of truffle, dark fruit and chocolate. As this wine opened up, it started to develop a LOT of dark, deep blackberry and mulberry. The middle of this wine is dark, deep, black cherry notes start to develop but also an herb note. This is a thick and dense wine. Finishes still with quite a bit of stiff tannin and some acidity. I think that this wine is still developing in bottle, and if you've got one of these, please rest assured that it is just now starting to get to peak, but probably won't be there with a 2-hour decant until closer to 2020. This basically means that my 2012 and 2013 needs to hang out for about 5-6 years before they are anywhere close to ready. — 8 years ago

with Dan and Keith

SV

9.3

Honeysuckle, beeswax, chamomile and lemon curd nose. The acid hits first and then evolves into underripe peach, and pith, and aromatic citrus like yuzu or pomelo. A wine that makes you want to stick your nose in the glass and rest your forehead on the rim to enjoy. — 9 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.5

Winner of the night!! Hands down!! Had it an hour in the decanter (should go longer), and it just opened up nicely, as you can tell by the empty glass. Phillipe Melka is at his best with Brand. I need to hide the rest of these from myself for another 6 years. Balanced, beautiful color and a great finish. — 9 years ago

Brian Nickerson

9.0

Too young. Need to let the rest rest — 9 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.5

Tonight I have continued on from my Birthday on Monday and have opened another wine from one of my favorite wineries. I have opened the 2016 Chappellet Donn Chappellet Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

On the nose there is beautiful fruit, black cherry, blackberry, plum, black currant, vanilla, lilac, pencil shavings, mint and a fresh earth aroma.

The palate has notes of black cherry, blackberry, plum, black currant, vanilla, violets, oak, spices, mint, pencil shavings and fresh earth.

This wine is full bodied that has a beautiful soft savory mouth feel with medium + acidity and medium + grainy tannins that lead into a long clean dark fruit finish. I hope everyone is doing well and making it through this event the best we can. Please stay safe and healthy and have a great rest of the week. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Pale yellow with pleasing aromas of citrus and sweet peaches. One of the few barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc's which adds a wonderful toasty oak flavor setting this wine apart from the rest. Complex palate of flavors, fresh fruit, lemons, grapefruit, peaches, Asian pears and baked apple with tea and spicy acidity. Slight herb notes with a smooth and creamy well balanced finish ending with a gentle sweet character. A Fav! — 6 years ago

Paty Garza

9.4

La MESA rest Cesar Palace LV — 7 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.3

One of the very few Tuscans I reliably enjoy...love the high toned, exuberant cherry and hibiscus tinged with fresh herbs. A fresh, aromatic and lively take on Sangiovese. A “Super Tuscan” that is actually worthy of the title. Maybe I should give the rest of the region more of a chance...*thinks*...naahhhh — 8 years ago

Rakesh Tondon

9.4

Love the nose on this. This is like a burgundy — 9 years ago

Lisa Evans

9.8

Wow, this wine takes me back to wine tasting at Arista. While it is still so young, the smells and flavors that you experience while drinking it, take you right back.... lovely!! — 9 years ago

with Rob

Barbie Fiallo

9.5

Our New Year's Eve dinner bottle. Fabulous! Decanted for an hour or so. Saving the rest for aging. Yummm. @Benoit Touquette does it again!!! — 9 years ago

with Jonathan