Perfect bottle in decanter for dinner at Chez TJ. We did initially enjoy a sparkling and half bottle of a Meursault to give some time and the aromatics of this was quite possibly one of the best ever! Loved the complexity but it still has a long road ahead! — 5 months ago
From Coravin at my nephews restaurant at Sundays Italian lunch. A nice moment to check in for my bottles that I have in my cellar. Obviously way to young but drinking well nevertheless. Solid wine, potential 94-95 with some age but not the best vintage IMHO. — 10 months ago
Tourettes sur Loup. Watermelon, special Bandol, strawberry, bright, acidic. Best rose for Amanda, pas for Ross. — 23 days ago
2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 9 months ago
Dark tawny center with amber color and clear rims. Barely translucent. Massive nose of tobacco and Cuban cigar with notes of sweet black fruit, moist dark soil, unsweetened chocolate, pencil lead, old cedar desk wood and a little barnyard. Great mouth feel and texture. Very much alive. Opened and slow-ox’d for a few hours, then put in a decanter an hour before. This powered up all night. Last sip was the best. I’ve probably had more LB than any other Bordeaux (young and old, mostly old), and this was head and shoulders better than any previous bottle. Great juice! — 3 years ago
1990 vintage. Previously tasted 3x in the last 4+ years 01.20.23 (9.6), 05.16.21 (9.4) and 09.21.23 (9.5) Top shoulder fill. Excellent cork. Decanted and tasted immediately. Oodles of sediment as expected. Beguiling St. Estèphe nose. This. Was. Phenomenal. Best of the four horsemen/tastings. Enough structure to build the infrastructure for a new city along with a surprising amount of dark fruit. A well-stored, large format bottle of this might just show you the best time you’ve ever had. WoW. 08.14.25. — a month ago
Decanted in the glass for 30 minutes, with bottle open during that time and later. The best wine experience so far. I tried it before on a tasting and was not impressed. Brioche, toast, citrus, apple and racing acidity were still present in my mouth after 2 minutes of taking a sip. I prefer to drink it the way I described at the beginning vs straight from the bottle that was standing in ice. — 9 months ago
#MerlotThursday
So a few years ago I started my Merlot Thursday series, where I drink Merlot every Thursday. This is actually the wine that started it all. After watching the movie sideways a few times, I decided to try to get Merlot back in the game.
This wine was on my wishlist for a long long time, and I'm glad I am able to try it, finally.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Showing a beautiful nose with great complexity,
Dry on the palate and elegant.
Showing red and black fruits with earth, wood, spices, peppercorn, coffee, graphites, vegetables and herbs.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a great experience. A delicious Merlot based Bordeaux blend from Saint Emilion. Not from the best vintage, but at this level of wine making, it is almost always gorgeous.
Feels young and would continue to age nicely in the next few decades.
Showing great complexity and mouthfeel. I loved the nose much better than the palate.
Robert Parker 93 points. Wine Spectator 93 points.
I had it after 6 hours of airtime. I really wanted to love it even more, but it is what it is. Got to keep it real.
A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$700. — 3 years ago
Chris MacLean
I bought 12 bottles of this for 13 euros a bottle back in 2004. The, the last, may be the best one I’ve opened. Surprisingly. — 2 days ago