The Present

Luciano Sandrone

Le Vigne Barolo Nebbiolo 2007

Ripe red fruits, particularly ripe strawberry jam, liquorice, and earthy. Tannins are notably present, low acidity, definitely feel the warmth from the alcohol. First Sandrone and I doubt it'll be the last. — 8 years ago

Evan liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Awesome graduation present and a great dinner — 9 years ago

Lara, Reed and 1 other liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1978

Second bottle of 78 I've had this year. The fruit is still present but soft, this wine has surprisingly held up beautifully and is drinking very well. — 9 years ago

Valdicava

Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2006

This 2006 still needed decanting to open up. The tannins are silky and the fruit jumps out on the palate. It brought back memories of how the best wines of Saint-Emilion present themselves in tannic structure and darkness of in color. But 100% Sangiovese on the nose. Old world at it's finest. — 10 years ago

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1985

Alexis Davis Iaconis
8.9

Bretty! Soft and still fruit present — 10 years ago

Eric, Anthony and 4 others liked this

Marchesi de' Frescobaldi

Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2009

Absolutely LOVE! Great holiday present from my generous partner. — 10 years ago

Château Calon-Ségur

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1961

Scott T
9.5

Amazeballs! Half btl. Base neck. True '61 character still present. Needed 1hr to fully blossom. About twice the color of the Lafite 70 and 3x the complexity. A testament to great storage. Only one owner. (cellar inspection for upcoming online auction) — 11 years ago

Gary, Sunil and 3 others liked this

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2010

Absolutely smooth and delicious. I can't say that it has tremendous character, or anything that makes it stand out apart from its smoothness or deliciousness, but it is certainly a pleasure to drink, and I would NEVER turn it down! This was purchased for me as a present by dear friends for my 40th birthday. I enjoyed it tremendously! I hope that we can all enjoy this wine (regardless of vintage) together as a special treat, in good health, for many years to come. — 9 years ago

Robert Mondavi Winery

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1979

Paul Stroud
9.5

I thought this was perfect. Thanks Dad. Bought on current release and cellared until now. Plenty of plum, vibrant acidity, tannis present on the end. Great complex finish. I'm happy there are 6 more in the cellar — 9 years ago

Matt liked this

Silverado Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

In honor of Raina's 31st birthday, we open this 31 year old wine. Nose has the classic dead leaves and cigar box. Faintest touch of soy sauce, in the best way. Pours a surprisingly dark purple with a rim of brownish brick red. Surprisingly fresh for being 3 decades old, and even more surprisingly there are still some tannins present. Drinking really well right now, but I don't think I'd hold it any longer. — 9 years ago

Kieran HanrahanRaina Fraley
with Kieran and Raina
Raina Fraley

Raina Fraley

Still pretty decent. Some metallic qualities and black pepper on the nose. Extremely subtle dried fruit and mushroom qualities on the palate. Not past its prime..but not sure it's at its best either. An enigma.
8.0

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 1979

Elegant display of classic jalapeño, olives and rustic farm notes. Yet the fruit is still present with beautiful tinges of plum and raspberry. — 10 years ago

Château Gruaud Larose

Sarget de Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1993

Gary Westby
9.4

Lovely luncheon claret- not for the cult cab lover. The tannins are resolved and the body light to medium and the breed of the site is present- yum! — 10 years ago

Anthony and Hai liked this

Château Malescot St. Exupéry

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1975

This delectable taste of a fine old Bordeaux, a bit musty, tannins still very present, some complexity but most surprisingly so much length. Perfect with the veal chops in oregano and rosemary sauce. — 11 years ago

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

La Chapelle Hermitage Syrah 1998

Although a light ruby, the '98 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage 'La Chapelle' is a full-bodied wine. Dusty, smoky and meaty aromas are present along with jammy black raspberry and green been flavors. Chalky tannins lead to a mid-length finish. — 12 years ago

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2012

Dark berries currants and spices on the nose with some eucalyptus and possibly sun-dried tomatoes. A nice nose that is more new world than old world. Lots of spices, dark berries, a little bit of heat from the alcohol with minerals, currents and some hints wood on the Finish. Full bodied some tannins present but well-integrated. The wine is tight young but showing potential in the future.. Needs to be cellared for a few years. — 9 years ago

Serge liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1962

I suspect this didn't get quite enough air. Not quite pop and pour but it was only open for 45 mins before we drank it (we were perhaps over-concerned about the mid shoulder level). Lovely (and lively) russet core with long legs as a ruby rim; nose of pencil shavings, cigar tubes (hint of metal with lots of tobacco), blackberry stalks, and lingering aromas of compté cheese rind and venerable (on-the-edge) rose petals; long and satisfying - persistent tannins and well integrated but still present acidity. From half bottle - need to give the next one more time!!! — 9 years ago

Ira, lessrof and 5 others liked this
Sasha Agapov

Sasha Agapov

Baller wines.

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1975

GaYoung Kim
9.3

Powerful yet seamless!! Dried dark fruit still present amongst a plethora of earth, gravel, dark spice notes. — 10 years ago

Nicolas liked this

Château Cantemerle

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

Got the bottle as a present and now a great fan! Excellent, good body and crispy flavours — 10 years ago

Château Palmer

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1971

Pierpaolo Petrassi MW
9.5

Had the honour of tasting the '71 and it proved amazing. Bordeaux is so often referenced in terms of how it will continue to develop and we rarely taste a truly mature vintage. This was it. Beautifully fresh, balanced, still packed with fresh fruit & tannins fully resolved but present and lending structure. Awesome. — 10 years ago

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend

Morgan Harris
9.4

2011. Blanc. No one drinks enough of this. That's because there are so few things to which its a good partner, but it would be an incredible cheese-and-charcuterie wine. Broad and oily, there's just enough acid to keep you coming back for more. Sun-baked yellow orchard fruits dominate, but there's more exotic fruits too (mango and dried pineapple) yellow flowers, tons of almond husk bitterness, green olives, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon, white cheddar. Oak is assertively present but not overwhelming. Place dominates over grapes here, as it's a mix of Clairette and Grenache Blanc and a hodge-podge of other things. — 10 years ago

Anthony, Hai and 22 others liked this