Pop 300

Pellet Estate

Pellet Vineyard Merlot 2021

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Reddish in color with medium plus intensity and a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of red fruits with light cedar, earth, tobacco leaf, black pepper, herbs and black tea.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, plums, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, tobacco leaf, herbs and peppercorn.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Fruity and rich. Complex and entertaining.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 90 minutes of airtime.

This Single Vineyard Merlot is elegant and nicely balanced. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

I had different vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.

100% Merlot grapes were aged in French oak barrels. A tiny production of only 300 bottles.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$100.
— 5 months ago

Dave, Ron and 12 others liked this

Scarecrow

Monsieur Ètain Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

1 hour decant (little fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: tart cherry, creme de cassis, eucalyptus, orange rind, cinnamon. Taste: smooth, soft, rich, juicy wine with cherry/raspberry, leather, herbaceous, graphite, little spiced chocolate espresso and a nice medium plus finish. YUM! Bodes well for the 2015 Scarecrow wine, and I should pop one to check it out. — 3 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Ron and 21 others liked this
Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

Had a 2012 Scarecrow in 2017, lost track of time. Just acid & alcohol. I would wait a few more years on the 15.
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

@Ron R Thanks. Cheers!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

@Paul T- Huntington Beach I like em with 10-15 years on em (07s are awesome now) to come together so still waiting on my 12, 13, and 14. Though I will pop open a 15, based on the M Etain, this warm year may be earlier. Cheers!

Chapelle St. Theodoric

La Guigasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache 2013

Pop and pour, notes from 1 hr open. Better than I remember my last btl being, but still not up to the level of that first '11. On the nose: lavender, incense, loads of garrigue, and soft red raspberry..very pure grenache. On the palate: serious acidity, hi-toned red raspberry, more herbal notes, with some salinity, almost olive brine/game, though I believe this is 100% grenache, and attenuated tannin on the finish. This has taken a very savory turn, and the tannin on the finish is slightly attenuated. Yum! — 5 years ago

Jason, Josh and 13 others liked this

Bonneau du Martray

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay 2006

Pop and pour. A majestic lite gold color. On the nose: crisp apples, lemon, almonds, floral, and honey. Taste: creamy, beautiful texture and nice acidity wine with apple, pear, lemon zest, saline, flint, and a minerally lime peel medium plus finish. YUM! Maturing gracefully and time to go. — 6 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Tom, Brenda and 15 others liked this

Château Cantemerle

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Shay A
9.2

92-93 for me.

Consumed half bottle at pop, then corked for another 4hrs before consuming the rest. No change.

What a beautifully elegant and refined ‘09. The highest compliment I can give this is that it was a simplistic joy. Some wines make it easy to get nerdy and command your attention…some wines are underwhelming and not worth your time. This was squarely in the middle. It was a joy to not feel the need to overthink…it’s exactly what it should be. No bricking at almost 15yrs. Decidedly black fruit heavy (black currant, cassis, underripe blackberries) with a sprinkling of raspberries and black cherries. Aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, dark florals. Integrated on the palate with good structure and acidity…not a massive wine, but it put on a bit of weight/length the longer it was open. Still sporting a fair bit of tannin at the finish, but it’s balanced. Drink or hold.
— 2 years ago

Ted, Ira and 22 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Fine description

Tenuta L'Armonia

Pop Frizzi Pét-Nat Sparkling Blend

Haute acidité, tanins impostants, bulles et belle amertume à la fin. — 5 years ago

Pommery

POP Extra Dry Blue Champagne Blend

Ni trop sec ni trop fruité. Très honnête — 5 years ago

Stony Hill

Napa Valley Chardonnay 2006

Pop and pour. A brilliant medium gold color. On the nose: lemon, grilled pear, crushed stone, apricot, caramel, and honey. Taste: chalky, lean acid driven style with pear, steely minerality, green apple, saline, orange/lemon rind, and a medium plus finish. YUM! My favorite Napa chardonnay. — 7 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Tom, Brenda and 11 others liked this

António Marques da Cruz e Tiago Teles

Pop COZs Vidal

Had this wine at Penny’s Wine Shop in Richmond, VA 9/3/2025 with Lisa. — 8 months ago

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2010

On the eye it’s definitely showing some age and sediment. The nose is dusty, leathery, and smokey with blueberry and plum. The pallet is earthy and well integrated upfront. No outliers just beautiful flow: mushroom, game, dark fruit, some vanilla, still bold, low alcohol, medium tannic and round finish.

This bottle and I have history; after ten years of carrying it, babying it, and nurturing it. I decided to pop it open for my forty second nameday. Could have gone several more years, easy, but it was perfect timing for me, and this is why I love wine. Cheers.
— 4 years ago

Andrew, Josh and 25 others liked this
Ericsson

Ericsson

Thank you 🙂
Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Sounds good. Happy Birthday. I have had some Brett problems with this Cuvée from the 2006 vintage.
Ericsson

Ericsson

Haven’t tried that vintage, better luck with the next vintage you try.