David T 
Vine Hill Ranch
Baker & Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Château Citran
Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 1996
A steal for $39.99 on a recent purchase. Bought a case. While not sweet, wine candy. — 2 months ago
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey
Bourgogne Chardonnay 2022
The 22 Burgundies are as good as advertised. Maybe, better.
Time in the bottle will tame the lemon in this bottle. It needs it.
Green & golden apple, Meyer lemon to chiffon, lime pulp, overripe pineapple juice, white stone fruits, tropical melons, cream, saline, sea fossils, chalky pulp, limestone pulp, light caramel notes, honeycomb, cream, spring flowers, excellent viscosity & round acidity, elegance, round lush balanced finish that lasts a full minute. Even better in 3-5 years. One of the best Bourgogne’s I’ve had to date.
Merry Christmas! 🎅🎄🎁 ❄️ ⛄️ — 2 months ago
Jones Family Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
Happy New Year! 🎉🎊🎈🎆 🧨
1997 Jones Family, the year prior to TRB taking the helm and yet still a fantastic Napa vintage that is singing.
For me, this is classically styled Napa Cabernet. This is still not descending. Has another 5-8 years of good drinking and perhaps beyond.
Showing dark, meaty, dry, velvety tannins. Dark currants-blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, raspberries, plum pudding, chocolate mousse/cake, caramel, mocha powder, dark spice, dry top soil, dry, crushed rocks, anise, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, clove, vanillin, used leather, graphite, dry stone, volcanic clay, withering, dark, red, purple flowers, excellent round acidity and a well made, balanced, nicely tensioned, elegant finish that lasts two-minutes and falls onto earth & spice. — 2 months ago
Kosta Browne
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2012
Happy New Year! 🎉🎆🎈🎊 🧨
Excellent vintage. I think even better for Pinot than Cabernet in some cases.
Baked blackberries, black raspberries, raspberries, black plum, baked, dark cherries, notes of blueberries, dry cranberries/rhubarb, maple syrup, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dry, grilled meats, dry tobacco, wood shavings, anise, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, dark spice, some black lichen, vanillin, warm caramel, sun tea, mid berry cola, dry twig, withering to decayed, dark, red, purple flowers, round acidity, well made, structured, balanced, elegant finish that lasts two-minutes and lands on dark spice, earthiness. — 2 months ago
Beaulieu Vineyard
Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1980
With Christmas Prime Rib seasoned in Maldon salt, fresh garlic, Thyme, Rosemary. Pepper, Basted in butter, meat juice, drenched on Campari Tomatoes & Shallots.
This bottle was good but it’s not up to others I’ve had in the last year. — 2 months ago
Château Maucaillou
Moulis en Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 1982
Happy New Year! 🎉🎊🎈🎆 🧨
I believe @AndrewMcIntyre posted an 02 Mouton today & asked, “is there anything better than aged Bordeaux.” I replied, absolutely not!
1982 was the Bordeaux vintage Robert Parker built his career. He was the only one that called it correctly.
I love 80’s Bordeaux for the 12-12.5% ABV & style.
This is a Chateau-Négociant bottle bought in the last year. It’s still sound & singing w/ the Prime Rib. The fruit still solid.
The fruits are nice & and still sound. Blackberries, black raspberries, black plum pudding, raspberries, chocolate mousse, wet, volcanic clay/lava, spice, baking powder, clove, cinnamon, dark spice, fresh & old tobacco, used leather, soft, moist herbs, black tea, dark cola, dry soil, dry pebble, limestone, anise to black licorice, withering dark, red, blue & purple flowers, round, excellent acidity & a elegant, ripe, well balanced/structured finish that lasts a minute and land on earthiness. Soft as a feather.
What a treat to drink 80’s Bordeaux. Especially, 82. Not a terroir you would expect to hold up 40 plus years, but Chateau-Négociant storage is everything! — 2 months ago
Henriot
Millésime Brut Champagne Blend 1996
Happy New Year! 🎉🎈🎆🎊 🧨
From Mag. 96 an excellent vintage. Magnum is the preferred storage for Champagne.
You can sense the age from the very first sip.
Nose has a little bruised apple & pear, apple cider, dry apricots, malt, notes of caramel, sugar in the raw, cream, sea spray/fossils, understated lemon/lime pulp, slightly fermented pineapple, white spice, baguette crust, graham crackers, withering yellow flowers, lilies.
The palate is bruised apple & pear, apple cider, dry apricots, malt, notes of caramel, sugar in the raw, cream, sea spray/fossils, understated lemon/lime pulp, slightly fermented pineapple, yellow melons, white spice, baguette crust, graham crackers, hints of understated maple soda , limestone marl, crumbly, moist, white chalk, withering yellow flowers, lilies, perfect, racy acidity, excellent; balance, tension, structure and a smartly polished finish that last minutes and falls in white spice and minerals. — 2 months ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
My first wine after a two-month hiatus. I ended up buying a case of this in increments at Costco for a price not even close to what I’ve seen anywhere else for their 2021. Since I think highly of this producer and the vintage, I didn’t bat an eye acquiring w/o tasting first. Also, I was aware that every major wine critic gave the 2021 VHR flagship Cabernet a score of 98 w/ Lisa @ TWI a 💯.
Only coravined a glass & let it stand for 30-40 minutes and consumed over the next half-hour detailing my notes.
Baker & Hamilton is the other or second wine of VHR depending on how you see it. If you didn’t know this was another or second wine, you would never know it. Both bottling's come front the same vineyard in Oakville.
When I first put the glass to my nose, I almost thought for a few seconds & wanted to say that’s Coombsville it’s that dark & brooding, but make no mistake it’s Oakville fruit.
The nose is full & brooding. Dark currants & cassis and inky as is the color. Candied violets leap out of the glass. Ripe rich; blackberries, black raspberries & black plum, dark cherries wrapped in dark chocolate. Sandalwood, sweet tarriness, fresh tobacco, crushed limestone, volcanics, dark spices with aromatic heat, clove oil w/ withering dark flowers, sweet lavender & endless lift of candied, lush violets.
The body is full, lush, ripe & brooding. It drinks rather well for such a young wine baring a bit of alcohol throat burn. 14.8% ABV. Cellaring time will tame it. The 21 is a two decade and more wine. It needs 7-8 years to integrate everything in this full & packed Cabernet. Lush, ripe; blackberries (almost pie), black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum & raspberries around the edges. Melted dark chocolate, anise into black licorice, dark spices w/ heat, clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon stick hovers, vanillin, fresh & dry tobacco, dry top soil with limestone mixed in, crushed rock & stone, strong sandalwood to cedar, light rain on clay, dry herbs-bay leaf & a hint of ground sage, notes of iron pan, dark withering flowers, lavender & candied violets for days, round acidity-maybe a bit to high for today’s consumption, huge length & structure, not quite in balance but it will get there, well made/knitted with a full elegant finish that lasts minutes & lands on spice & earthiness. It’s a huge wine that will end up adding two points as it evolves & integrates.
A few things about the producer & this wine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard aged 23 months in French oak, 85% of which was new. Most of the Vine Hill Ranch fruit from 71-acre Oakville vineyard is sold off. What they keep, 40% of that fruit goes into their VHR flagship wine and 60% makes the Baker & Hamilton. The label of Baker & Hamilton is an homage to the hardware and agricultural implements of the company co-founded by third-generation grape grower Bruce Phillips’ great, great grandfather R.M. Hamilton, who emigrated from Scotland to California in 1849 hoping to make his fortune in gold.
Photo’s of, VHR vineyard, Bruce Phillips-Managing Partner and Winemaker-Francoise Peschon. — 2 days ago