Sum Of The Few

Realm Cellars

Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

From back when I could afford Realm (was one of the early people on their mailing list thanks to a chance meeting with Juan Mercado), this wine was absolutely breathtaking. Classic Napa cab…and one of the few 10s I’ve ever given out. Just amazing. — 5 years ago

Vanessa McCaffrey
with Vanessa
David, Shay and 9 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1970

Kirk F
9.2

Special birth year bottle for a milestone birthday this week. The cork was almost entirely intact and we double decanted to catch all the sediment. A beautiful brick color in the glass, evolving over 4 hours and drinking nicely. Plenty of fruit left and I also picked up a little salinity/olive savoriness. Glad a few friends popped by to share this with me #50inquarantine #socialdistancing 🍷😷🙌🏻 — 6 years ago

Shay, Dawn and 9 others liked this
Dawn E.

Dawn E.

@Kirk F Happy Birthday! 🎂
Ron R

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Hope you had a great day, @Kirk F 🎈
David L

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Enjoy a week of celebrations. Happy birthday! 

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1983

Just had this in Bordeaux a few weeks ago. Like most wines of this vintage it took a bit of imagination to fully appreciate. It is clearly time to drink this wine, it may be on the downhill side of life. Overall a good experience for what was not noted as a premium vintage, but is a very solid wine. — 7 years ago

Andrew liked this

Chappellet

Signature Donn Chappellet Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Ron R
9.2

This bottle isn’t as sharp and focused as the one we had a few months ago. It’s a little warmer than we normally serve, and that may be the cause of the friction here. Still very charming, tho... — 8 years ago

Paul, Severn and 34 others liked this
TheSkip

TheSkip

How would you rate the value?
Ron R

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On this showing, not so highly. Many $35 bottles surpass this. I was quite surprised, actually.

Domaine Tempier

Bandol Rosé Blend 2013

En magnum. A whole kaleidoscope of animal complexity for the first few hours, meats and poultry coming off in a beguiling way. Opened up into what could have been mistaken as a solid white bourgogne and ended in a deep subdued rich orange wine. Nice to see what happens over the years of this and the thanksgiving group experience had today. 👌🏼 — 9 years ago

P and James liked this

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1929

Tasted blind. Tawny brownish red color with amber rims. Huge bouquet in the nose of roses, berries, pencil lead, minerals and some dusty dirt. Light on its feet in the mouth. Round soft fruit. Better than the last bottle of this a few months ago. — 10 years ago

Keith and Matt liked this

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo

Drinking great, but the tannins creep up on you and point out that maybe you should wait a few years before opening another. Spectacularly floral, red cherry and a mouthful of rose petals. — 10 years ago

Château Cheval Blanc

St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1998

B
10

Magnum 1998 Cheval Blanc. Third red for dinner at the house w B&K K, J&L B, and M&R H and BP. Awesome! So much fun to try this Bordeaux after the 2002 Domaine des Lambrays burgundy. This wine felt young, even though older than the Lambrays. A bit tight at first, despite decanting a few hours. Fun contrast of round vegetal and green noted, stronger tannins. Such a treat. Probably the fave of the night. — 10 years ago

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2008

Complex and opens into a spectacular wine with richness across fruit balance and depth of body including a tannic edge. Wish I had a few more in the cellar. — 11 years ago

Château Palmer

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

Great 07 -- very nice depth, for the vintage. Should be a lot of fun in a few years. — 12 years ago

Anthony liked this

Shafer Vineyards

Hillside Select Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

After a coffee chat at work yesterday that ended discussing Hillside Select I was motivated to open one for the holiday weekend. Initially I was very disappointed as the wine was flat and uninspiring considering the pedigree and price tag. Read some reviews that this 2013 needs A LOT of air and sure enough after hours the wine began to evolve and markedly improve. It is an intense wine that lingers in the mouth for a long time. Smooth tannins, red fruit and tobacco flavors. Not my most favorite wine and not at the $229 I paid, but nonetheless a very good wine once it had the chance to get some air for a few hours — 5 years ago

Jonathan liked this

Merry Edwards

Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017

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! — 7 years ago

Shay, Dawn and 1 other liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 7 years ago

Bruce F Taub
with Bruce

Château Haut-Bailly

Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Ken Z
9.6

Drank 1/18/19 at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux event in Miami. All wines from the 2016 Vintage.

Tasting pour, no formal notes taken. Most of these wines are very tight, and will require 5-15 years to really come together. Many will likely improve a few points with time.
— 8 years ago

JT
with JT
Ken liked this

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2009

9 y/o non-sulfite bottle stored impeccably. What a difference since my last tasting a few years ago. This is cruising at its peak. Soft tannins. Earthy complexity. Trademark garnet color persists, but red fruit subdued and mature. Proof that Marcel was the king of Beaujolais. — 8 years ago

Elise Weinberg
with Elise
Alan liked this

The Prisoner Wine Company

The Prisoner Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend

Nice blend of Cab, Zinfandel and a few others. Very smooth and nice finish. Looking forward to the filet with this. — 9 years ago

Casanova di Neri

Tenuta Nuova Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese

With a lot of time in the decanter it opened up quite nicely, still would wait a few years — 10 years ago

Anthony liked this

Château Cantemerle

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend

Oak dominates with hints of blackberry, black plum, and violet. I would like try the 2011 vintage again in a few years to see how the tertiary flavors develop. — 10 years ago

Jean Foillard

Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2010

Roel van der Burg
9.4

So nice after a few years of bottle aging. All the way elegant. From magnum @ Saignant Angers — 11 years ago

Piet SandersAlessandro da FiesThéo Cauchois
with Piet, Alessandro and 2 others
Piet, Anthony and 24 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2012

The few bottles of 2012 I drunk this week confirms another great year for Tignallo. Quite in line with the 2010 and 2011. — 11 years ago

Vincent and Francis liked this

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 1975

Fabulous 2003, not nearly as much brett as the 2001 I had a few weeks ago. Solid mature notes of cassis, cedar, fall leaves and loamy notes. The palate is elegant, but persistent with a fabulous attack the finish is perfumy and clean. #lebanonwine — 13 years ago

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 1996

Wow. No way I would have placed as 24 year old wine. It was every bit as fresh and bubbly as a much more recent vintage. Interesting compared to the 96 P2 which I had a few months back. That had so much more density and nuttiness. Anyway, excellent. Could drink a lot of this! — 6 years ago

Ira liked this

Vietti

Castiglione Barolo Nebbiolo 2010

Huge wine with lots of stuffing — probably opened this prematurely. Great fruit underpinned by massive tannins at this stage. Budged a bit on day two.
Will let other bottles wait at least a few more years and crack some Perbacco instead.
— 6 years ago

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2007

Shay A
9.4

Monthly WTF wine group night. Our theme was American oak vs French oak. All wines tasted blind. We started off with two bottles of bubbly and finished with two non-themed reds.

My contribution for the evening. I’m posting my previous review of this wine below as it’s been consistent the few times I’ve had it over the last 12-18 months. Love these wines!

Youthful. Icredibly perfumed with typical sweet dill and coconut American oak on the nose. Gosh, I could smell this stuff all day. Aside from needing time away, it needs roughly an hour of decanting to hit stride. Tobacco, cherry tart, and great herbal nuances on the finish.
— 7 years ago

Jack ThompsonRyan GWill Adams
with Jack, Ryan and 4 others
Mark, Dr. and 39 others liked this
Eric

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Thanks @Shay A . That makes great sense.
Philip Ficarra

Philip Ficarra

The 2009 is Spectacular!!
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

Between this and the 05 Cimarossa Ponente, these were my wines of the night. Love these bottles from La Rioja Alta. Dark black fruit, hint of sweet fig, chocolate, tobacco, herbs, spiciness on the finish. Elegant on the back end, yet had just enough grip and jagged edges that it makes you keep coming back for more. Nice. I'd really like to buy cases of these and just put them away and forgot it existed for 25 more years or so. Fat chance.
9.5

The Seventy Five Wine Company

The Sum Red Blend 2016

Sum of this wine equals good value of blended dark fruits. In Warren NJ — 8 years ago

P, Sharon and 13 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Shay A
9.4

Our monthly 4th Friday event at the storage facility. No requirements, just wine you want to share with others! Always an enjoyable time.

Special place in my heart for this winery. A few months ago, I had an '88 go celebrate my birth year. It was STELLAR. This is pushing forward easily...after an hour of air, the fruit and secondary earth and funk notes came out. So good! Thanks Walter!
— 9 years ago

Mark Flesher
with Mark
Eric, Isaac and 37 others liked this
Shay A

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@Mike R : Yes, it really was! Amazing stuff!
@Benjamin Keator : There were only a few wines after a while, but it was like once someone mentioned bringing out an amazing wine, everyone went and did the same.
Bret Barker

Bret Barker

Love this chateau. What a night!
Somm David T

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Special place for me as well. You need to pair a good older bottle with you favorite steak. Absolutely, my favorite pairing with a very good vintage.

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2007

Damn good but still way young...layered with roasted earth, black currant and blackberry compote and a good bit of smoke. Warm year so maybe a bit more clunky than other vintages but Dominus is really fabulous!! One of the few Napa wines I really like with serious age....half hour in decanter and candied cherries and red fruits coming out...enjoying this one! — 10 years ago

Pinotman liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

Chateau Latour is my favorite 1st Growth, they demand patience and inspire not just hedonistic pleasure but also analytical thought.

Both amazing but need massive amounts of air or another 15-20 years minimum in the cellar. I get the feeling they both will hit a plateau once they blossom and slowly move towards full maturity for decades.

The nose on the 2005 rose with little agitation and shot from the hip to nose with ease. By far the most youthful and I tense nose of the evening.

The 2000 was not dissimilar in its progression, if a bit more refined from the extra few years in the glass. A cerebral wine that was also deeply pleasurable, it kept bringing me to what this wine will be like in 15-20 or more years. Easily a 50 years wine from a macro view.

Epic #latour 2000 and 2005
#pauillac
— 10 years ago

Riddley, Julien and 12 others liked this

Chateau Montelena

The Montelena Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Wonderful. Silk on the nose and palette. Lots of earth and perfect fruit. Medium finish with less oak or tannins than I would have thought since it should still have a few years in the bottle — 11 years ago

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 1989

A little rough in the aromatics. Cork was suspect, looked and smelled a bit funky. wine was otherwise youthful in the mouth with raspberry, tar, spice and plenty of lively acid. Have a few more '89s and think its time. overall a beautiful wine still but perhaps in aromatic decline. - 1989 vintage — 12 years ago