So This Happened...

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2021

Very pleasant blend out of Pauillac; 67% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cab Franc work so harmoniously together that delivers an enjoyable medley of red berries and black currant aromas and taste. This particular wine has been aged for 18 months in 75% new wood French barrels, which shows it finesse and precision on the elegant finish and mouthfeel. Unbelievably smooth and noble on the palate. Enticing finish and incredibly structured tannins. This wine can age beautifully! — 3 months ago

Daniel 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 . — 5 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 6 others liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 2013

Popped and poured. We enjoyed this as an apéritif so no formal notes but this was absolutely delicious. So easy to love; phenomenal balance. Like so many 2013’s, this is great on the pop and pour and easier to appreciate than the 2012’s which simply need a lot more time. — 5 months ago

Jan, Billy and 15 others liked this

Domaine Jamet

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2021

Okay this wine was amazingly delicious but was undoubtedly quite young in this present moment.

There is so much more potential to unveil over time.

It has concentrated plum, fig, red currant, pomegranate, boysenberry notes next to licorice, meat, earth, peat, clove notes. Tannins and acidity are firm.

With time, we anticipate edges will be soften and complexity will be deepen with more tertiary notes and we cannot wait to revisit this wine down the road again.
— 6 months ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Ira and 19 others liked this
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

2021 was such an outlier from the previous seven vintages in the Rhône, which were all warmer and made fairly powerful wines. For the record, I love the ‘21’s as they remind me of the 2014 vintage which I found to be more Burgundian and showed more of the rotundone I adore in Syrah.
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Jay Kline Thank you for your note! We can see what you mean. It was elegant, refined, with classic spicier notes. We are fans! We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for the 2014s, too. 👀 Cheers!

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

1990 vintage. Excellent fill and halfway saturated cork. Used a Durand but surmise a regular waiter's friend, wielded carefully, could have done the trick with the cork. Decanted and tasted after 30 mins, one hour and two hours. Some obvious sed but not troublesome or overtly noticeable. Original owner-château direct on original release. Super cold cellar because this was lagging noticeably behind other '90's and LB's. Bigger tannic structure (for a generally feminine-styled house) than anything save a Latour, Mouton, Ducru Left Bank property. Even more guts than Lynch-Bages or Pichon-Baron '90's currently stored above 55 or so degrees. Surprising but made sense. Light-medium body. Appropriate color. 3-4 years left in this stage unless larger format in play. Slight, fleeting burst of richness in the frontal palate and a tad brickish and then it just flowed on, without speed bumps. A little cocoa powder and cedar/tobacco. Suspect 750ml specimens not stored as cold/religiously will be showing more in the 9.0-9.1 range and farther down the backside of the bell curve. 10.26.24. — 8 months ago

Ira, Jan and 17 others liked this
Ron R

Ron R Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Good notes, mate.
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

@Ron R Hey there! It's been a spell.

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2003

Annual Holiday Dinner. So much life to this wine. — 7 years ago

Thierry Allemand

Cornas Reynard (R) Syrah 2007

Henrik Möbitz
9.6

Wow, wasn't expecting this to be so young and full of steam... Luxuriously padded powdery Cornas tannins delivered with the Allemand package of cassis liqueur. — 8 years ago

Marc and Anthony liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Wow. More flavor, much better than their regular cab. Silky, velvet, smooth. Chocolate. Rich fruit. Big, full flavor, lots of flavor. Not old world style for sure, not subtle. It's a big bomb. We would pay up to $75 for this so a bit overpriced to us.
— 9 years ago

Roy, Jerry and 3 others liked this

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)

La Tâche Pinot Noir

The rating scale goes up to 10 for wines like this. Insanely enchanting nose. Reminded me of smelling a perfectly cooked duck drizzled with pomegranate reduction. More aromatic inspection leads to rose water, hibiscus, subtle dried oak leaves and so many more tiny lovely things. Bright, vibrant but not sharp, this is the definition of great wine. Mind blown! — 9 years ago

Lucas liked this

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2013

Rachael Ryan
9.5

Why is this wine so good? Fantastic value. Wondering why there isn't more Gamay in the US. — 10 years ago

Gregory, Olga and 10 others liked this
Thomas Monroe

Thomas Monroe Influencer Badge

Me too! Working in more Gamay !!
Sasha Agapov

Sasha Agapov

Gamay is awesome

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1983

Shay A
9.3

(Two previous 1983 wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from my CT).

Continuing a run of ‘83s over the last 3-6 months, this not only showed quite well, but it was at its best after almost two hours in the bottle. Whereas the ‘83 Pichon was clean and elegant, this was a bit more dense and powerful. Beautifully expressive aromatics of potpourri, espresso, fig and leather with a flavor profile mostly on the red/black fruit side of the spectrum. The mid-palate showed good weight and continued to bulk-up during the evening. Old cherry-tobacco note at the finish. Honestly, this drank like it was more early ‘90s than it was early ‘80s. Good.
— 4 months ago

Scott@Mister, Jan and 34 others liked this

Château Cheval Blanc

St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby again. This is a bit greener , spicier , with some red pepper , smokier and darker fruit on the nose . Spicier and a bit more plush on the palate . This actually improved a lot in the glass and was changing quite a lot , became more floral with crunchy fresh dark berries . Polished tannin but nice fresh acidity , quite velvety on the palate . No lack of weight either . Really quite liked this and will no doubt age gracefully even if it is enjoyable today with time in decanter. For enjoyment over the next 10 years or so. — 5 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 5 others liked this

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

This is really at an excellent point where fruit and some tertiary notes are combining so good together. — 6 months ago

Jan, Vanessa and 18 others liked this

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2004

Lovely wine that took about an hour to really open up. Sad that this has gotten so pricy! — 6 months ago

Lauren
with Lauren
Lauren, Bob and 9 others liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

A physically pristine example from a well established cellar, the cork pulled clean and without so much as a hint of compromise. It was subsequently double decanted several hours in advance. The 2000 Margaux pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. The nose: developing and simply stunning. A cornucopia of cassis, black bramble fruit, purple flowers, tobacco, new leather, cocoa, fine woody notes, dry gravelly earth and gorgeous baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid; the structure acting like the flying buttresses of Notre Dame. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is forever long and impossibly silky. Sensationally balanced.

To my palate, this falls into the very small category of wines that require no additional inquest. It is utterly complete. And, when I consider the company and circumstances, perfect. Drink now with a healthy decant and through 2100.
— 7 months ago

Peter, Juan and 21 others liked this
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Lyle Fass thank you…and I believe it. Were/are you celebrating your 50th?!
Lyle Fass

Lyle Fass Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Jay Kline yes sir! 50th is in the books!
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Lyle Fass congratulations!!!

Enderle & Moll

Baden Spätburgunder Rosé 2020

Notes are cumbersome, so no notes today but plus side, scores are honest and I should be a professional reviewer, LOL. (Good, but not 2019 good, detailed notes on future bottles...)

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this final afternoon with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our guest conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is leading IVES (Psalm 90) and BEETHOVEN (Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125).

After a two-year pause, we arrive again to the day when Beethoven concludes on these hallowed grounds. The 9th by Beethoven is always bittersweet for us, as it marks the end of the official Symphony and Pops season for the BSO at their Summer home. It is a wonderful and singularly emotive piece moved with the full force of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (110+) conveying the message of a divine spark of joy that makes all people one. The music and the day almost bring me to tears on an annual basis...
'Freude, schöner Götterfunken!' / 'Joy, beauteous, godly spark!'
— 3 years ago

Daniel, Andrew and 20 others liked this

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

La Chapelle Hermitage Syrah 1996

Incredible. Jaboulet family apparently inconsistent in final years of ownership, but this one had everything. So dense still, with lots of kalamata olive, olive brine, cherry, blackberry, black pepper, leather, cured meat, earth. Savory, sweet, powerful, elegant, hit every end of the taste spectrum. Super long. In magnum — 8 years ago

Belle Glos

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2014

I don't ever drink Pinot Noir anymore, as I'm a Cab/Zin lady all the way. This was a recommendation from the wine store guy, and it's so good. It's a cab drinkers Pinot for sure. — 9 years ago

Kristen and Brenda liked this

Taittinger

Comtes de Champagne Grand Crus Brut Blanc de Blancs 1995

Excellent, the oldest vintage I have tasted for Champagne. Taittinger's blanc de blancs is my favorite! The color on this was phenomenal as were the depth of the flavors, richness, yet still balanced so well with acidity. — 9 years ago

Rodolfo and Jaime liked this

The Prisoner Wine Company

The Prisoner Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend

Wow... So many flavors in this wine. It's quite a treat to your mouth. Smooth with a great mid taste and a long finish — 9 years ago

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1983

Shay A
9.3

(Two previous 1983 vintage wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from CT).

My experiences with 1983s has been fairly positive, and this PL certainly is among the better I’ve had from the vintage. Holding color nicely with deep ruby and slight bricking around the rim. Started off a bit dense and muddled, but hit stride about 30mins later with a mix of red and black berry fruit, cassis, a streak of herbal green down the middle (something I always get with PL). Excellent example of the fruit showing lots of flavor without being overly ripe. Leather, sweet pipe tobacco, graphite, and still some vibrancy at the finish with tannin structure. Clean and elegant at this stage. Showed well over the course of two hours. Drink up and enjoy.
— 4 months ago

Scott@Mister, Jan and 34 others liked this

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . medium deep ruby , medium bright ruby rim. Quite spicy a little oak noticeable at first . Mixed dark fruits . A bit more round and juicy on the palate , good acidity , slightly grippy but polished tannins . This becomes a bit more restrained and reserved after a while. Served blind , I actually put this as Haut Brion , due to its generous personality, and polished tannins. Overall showed well in the flight was my top wine (though the Cheval Blanc may well be better in absolute terms) . Can be enjoyed now , though has the substance to last a further decade or so, a good showing for the Mouton. — 5 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 10 others liked this

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2011

It’s 10 years since Serge. Hochar’s death whilst swimming in Acapulco on NYE 2014 and I think it’s appropriate to celebrate his legacy that is the modern Chateau Musar.
I first tasted Lebanese wines in London circa 1986 when I used to go to a couple of Lebanese restaurants in Shepherds Market near Mayfair in London
Al Hamra is still in business
I’ve been to Beirut several times and always stock up at the airport duty free
So a toast to a departed icon of the wine world
Since my last 2011 4.5 years ago (see note) this has aged wonderfully and I’ve up my rating several points
Another few years and it will be further improved
Optimal decant time was around 3.5 to 4 hours
Ethereal stuff
— 6 months ago

ESF, Bob and 1 other liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2007

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of black fruits, cedar, spices, chocolates, coffee, licorice, light vanilla and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, cooked cherries, tobacco leaf, dark coffee, cedar, earth, dark chocolates, licorice, cola, spices, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 17 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon feels more like a Left Bank Bordeaux. Fruit forward with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Showing great complexity and delicious, but I expected more from this great 2007 vintage. I had the 2001 not too long ago, and it was so much better.

Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food. A good food wine too.

A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$350.
— 6 months ago

Paul, Juan and 15 others liked this

Cantina Bartolo Mascarello

Barolo Nebbiolo 2015

What a wine, so fresh, juicy, harmonious and elegant. This will evolve nicely and gain even more complexity. 97++ — 7 months ago

Lisanne, Daniel and 6 others liked this

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Like a lot of the older SO this Alexander Valley didn’t last long. Opened to lots of bright fruits but died quickly. — 10 months ago

Letha Phillips
with Letha
Rick, Shay and 4 others liked this

Château Léoville Poyferré

Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1961

Mid-shoulder fill. There was a slight indication of oxidation on the nose with some interesting cheesy smell. However on the palate this wine was so complex expressing all sorts of things ranging from sour cherry, mushroom, earthiness, strawberry (!), fresh vegetation or herbaceous note (in a good way). — 8 years ago

Billecart-Salmon

Brut Rosé Champagne Chardonnay Blend

Somm David T
9.3

Everything about this BSR is perfect right now. Certainly, one of my favorites and the start of Christmas dinner makes it all the better!!! The fruit is sensational strawberries, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon, touch of tangerine, the acidity so fresh and perfect, powdery gentle chalkiness, soft minerals and a finish I simply love. — 8 years ago

Shawn, Paul and 17 others liked this

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2010

Meghan Hamilton
9.8

Very young but lovely fresh apricots, peaches and pineapple. Honeysuckle and white flowers. What really makes this wine amazing though is the body. It's big and round the whole way through where so many Sauternes fall either in the middle or finish. Lovely. — 9 years ago

T.Sean liked this

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1998

Bordeaux in style, but apparently my wife disagrees so not sure if I had the right wine. Didn't pick up on much fruit on this one but heck maybe i grabbed one of the Bordeauxs. — 9 years ago

Janet CarabelliJorge CarabelliIlida Alvarez
with Janet, Jorge and 1 other
Jorge, Riccardo and 13 others liked this
Jorge Carabelli

Jorge Carabelli

Very good wine, well balanced but starting to fade.