Somm David T 
Château Pey La Tour
Réserve Vieilles Vignes Supérieur Red Bordeaux Blend 2020
Slightly better than expected. Nice fruit but not much complexity. It is still quite young though.
On SQ11 — 4 days ago
Château Cos d'Estournel
Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2008
Better with the Rib-cap. The 08 vintage was spotty to good. This one shows the shortcomings of the 08 vintage. Really good fruit, but lacks typical, depth, mid palate, and length.
The nose is class Bordeaux.Ripe to ruby fruits of, black plum skin, slightly syrupy blackberries, plum, dark cherry liqueur, strawberries, dark currants. Dark chocolate cake with glaze, screaming, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, leather, dry riverstone, limestone marl, forest floor with dry leaves, soft, incense, black, licorice, red, cola, dry herbs, tomato, leaf, with dark and red flowers, framed in violets.
The palate is ripe to ruby fruits of, black plum skin, slightly syrupy blackberries, plum, dark cherry liqueur, strawberries, dark currants. Dark chocolate cake with glaze, screaming, lead pencil shavings, deep, dark spice that expands wide, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, caramel and vanillin, dry tobacco with ash, leather, dry riverstone, limestone marl, dry crushed rocks, forest floor with dry leaves, moist clays, soft, incense, black, licorice, red, cola, savory dry herbs, tomato leaf, dry oak barrel shaving to cedar with dark and red flowers, framed in violets, acidity is ok, just not right, finish is good, not great, it falls hard on spice and is short of a minute.
93 with the Rib-cap. Green Bean from my organic gsrden. Drink now through 2035. — 11 days ago
Krug
Brut 29ème Édition Champagne Blend Rosé
Been a spell since I’ve had their Rosé. Nice tonight.
Blood orange lead, strawberries, tangerine, both cherries, a bit of 50-50 bar or cream sickle depending on how you know from childhood, brilliant chalk, soft brioche, sea spray, soft, lively acidity with fruit tree blossoms, red & pink roses.
@Matsusakagyu Yakimitu — 2 days ago
Deep Woods Estate
Hillside Margaret River Chardonnay 2025
Nice Aussie Chardonnay. Front forward lemon, green apple & both colors of stone fruit. It was just a tad sweet for my taste, but nonetheless good. Still very much a baby.
On SQ11. — 4 days ago
Clos Mogador
Clos Nelin Priorat White Blend 2017
This is a white blend of: Garnacha Blanca (White Grenache), Macabeo, along with small percentages of, Cartoixà, Picapoll, and Escanyavella from Clos Mogador is quite unique. All the more so roughly ten yrs in bottle.
My wife and I visited the property in 2105. René Barbier, drove us all over their hillside vineyards in his Jeep. Quite the rugged ride. We tasted back at their bodega with both René and his father René Barbier III.
As soon as you step on the property, the scent of fennel fills your senses. It grows all-over the property. One can get more of it in their red, but there’re lesser hints here.
The nose is quite amazing. The fruits are golden like its color. Honey Crisp caramel apple, honeysuckle, some of the most amazing white spice I’ve experienced, paraffin, slightly candied yellow stone fruits, hints of marmalade fruit bits, blood orange, hints of white citrus-lime zest, moist herbs, sun tea w/ lemon, volcanics, limestone marl, dry earth times with orange lilies, jasmine & a field of spring flowers.
The palate is sensational. It is rich, lush, juicy, viscous and slightly waxy. Honey Crisp caramel apple, honeysuckle, amazing white spice w/ just a touch of white spice w/ soft heat that expands & circles in the mouth, paraffin, slightly candied yellow stone fruits, marmalade fruit bits, bold, blood orange, hints of white citrus-lime zest, tropical melons, vanillin, nutmeg a small lick of cinnamon stick, moist herbs, fennel notes, sun tea w/ lemon, volcanics, limestone marl, dry earth times with orange lilies, jasmine & a field of spring flowers, rainfall acidity with an elegant, extremely well balanced, mid toned structure with length for days that lands on spice and soft tones of minerals.
Delicious!!! Cannot say I’ve had anything similar.
— 11 days ago
Château Cos d'Estournel
Les Pagodes de Cos Saint-Estéphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2009
This showed the style of the 2009 vintage. However, it lacked some of the teeth & depth I normally get from this producer. Notably off for such a stellar vintage.
@Sensui — 3 days ago
Azienda Agricola La Sorgente
Extra Dry Prosecco
Better than expected. Nice, well balanced and under the normal Prosecco sweet scale.
Before SQ11 LAX. — 4 days ago
Taittinger
Comtes de Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay 2014
The 2014 was nice. Still needs some additional development. Give it another 3-5 yrs.
On SQ11. — 4 days ago
Launois Père et Fils
Vinum Dei Brut Champagne Blend
I’ve had this once but that was some time ago, revisiting. Launois Champagnes are imported I believe exclusively by K&L Wine Merchants. It took K&L 5 yrs of relationship building to gain their trust/relationship. Launois is very selective about who represents their cuvées. BTW, K&L now has a small NYC shop. I believe the reason they opened in NY was for the additional shipping. So, if you couldn’t order from CA retail and could from NY, K&L is another option for you. I believe if they are the best retail shops in America, certainly top two or three.
Note the cork has a rubber seal. So, no wine contacts the cork. Launois is the only producer I’ve experienced that does that.
This cuvée is 60% Chardonnay & 40% Pinot and hails from the Coteaux du Sézannais and Côte des
Blancs. 7g.
The nose is pronounced & beautiful. Gently bruised Bosc pear-red & golden apple, just ripe pineapple, white citrus blend w/ a grapefruit lead, tangerine/blood orange, brioche, graham crackers, vanillin, frothed cream, chalky notes, lifted white spice, sea spray, elderflowers & white spring flowers.
The palate shows: bruised Bosc pear/red & golden apple, just ripe pineapple, white citrus blend w/ a grapefruit lead, tangerine/blood orange, brioche, graham crackers, vanillin, frothed cream, chalk bits,, volcanic minerals, limestone, lifted white spice that burrows into the palate with some heat, saline, sea fossils, elderflowers & white spring flowers, lively, crisp acidity, rich, well structured/balanced and an elegant finish with long length, two-minutes. — 11 days ago
Somm David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
This producer was one of my early red burgundy favorites. Nice production & price value.
For tonight’s dinner, perfect. It was light enough on its feet that it didn’t overpower the Matsusakagyu A-5. It blended perfectly…an even tug of war of Waygu & wine and we had 10 different styles of Wagyu.
Cabernet, Malbec etc. would have overpowered this Wagyu.
@Matsusakagyu Yakimitu — 2 days ago