Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Château Chauvin – Grand Cru Classé 2010
Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux – France 🇫🇷
Blend: 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Overview
A Grand Cru Classé estate on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, Château Chauvin’s 2010 vintage reflects both the power of the year and the estate’s Merlot-driven finesse. (Educational note: Saint-Émilion’s Right Bank wines are often Merlot-heavy, offering richness, depth, and long-lived structure.)

Aromas & Flavors
Plum, blackberry, and cassis at the core, layered with violet, graphite, and cigar box. Secondary notes of cedar, spice, and earthy mineral tones hint at complexity yet to fully unfold.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and concentrated, with tightly woven tannins. Decanted for over 2 hours yet still showing a firm grip — tannins remain punishing but promising. Intense fruit lingers into a long, structured finish.

Food Pairings
Best with ribeye steak, braised short ribs, or lamb shank. Also pairs beautifully with aged hard cheeses and truffle-infused dishes.

Verdict
An impactful, ageworthy Saint-Émilion. The 2010 Chauvin is both delicious and intense, a wine that needs time but already impresses with power and complexity. 🍷

Did You Know?
2010 was one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated vintages of the 21st century, known for firm tannins, high concentration, and exceptional aging potential — especially on the Right Bank.

Collector’s Rarity 📌
As a classified Grand Cru Classé from an iconic vintage, the 2010 Chauvin is highly collectible, with decades of life ahead. — 19 days ago

Tom Barras

9.1

Well structured and balanced, it displays an iconic ruby/garnet appearance, followed by secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors of woodland herbs, dried fruits and nuts, plus flavorsome balsamic nuances, and interesting red fruit undertones.

Overall, quite elegant and refined; medium bodied, with ample acidity, dusty tannins and a long, satisfying finish. If you’ve got it, now is the time. — 6 months ago

Leo Gentile

9.4

Deep nearly opaque purple. Earthy and meaty nose. Soft tannins and jammy but balanced ripeness. Superb example of this iconic Chateauneuf de Pape — 3 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.6

2006 vintage. The first vintage for Caroline Frey to be in charge. This shows beautifully now for a wine that was totally underrated by Robert Parker on release.While it may not have the depth and power of the greatest vintages of this iconic wine, this 2006 is a terrific wine in it's own right. Complex nose with spices, black fruit, tobacco and cedar. In the mouth it is beautifully balanced with bright acidity embracing layers of black fruit and spices and velvety tannin. Impressive length too. Abv. 14%. — 3 years ago

Amanda Thomas

9.4

The platonic ideal of Cabernet Sauvignon. She's iconic! — a month ago

with Tim

Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A legendary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, crafted only in exceptional vintages. The 2012 vintage is remembered as one of Napa’s “dream years” — consistent weather, long hang time, and perfectly ripened fruit. Special Selection remains Caymus’ flagship and is always made in small, meticulous quantities.

Aromas & Flavors
Nose: explosive notes of overripe black cherry, baked blueberries, leather, oak, and subtle spice.
Palate: full-bodied and multi-layered, offering rich, cooked dark berries, bitter dark chocolate, and hints of espresso, with leathery depth.

Mouthfeel
Velvety and concentrated, yet showing the beginnings of age. Silky tannins, soft structure, and a lingering, dry finish. Decadent and still powerful, but now entering its mature phase.

Winemaking & Style
Aged extensively in French oak, this bottling represents Caymus’ fruit-forward, opulent signature style, while 2012 gave extra ripeness and intensity. It’s an iconic Napa Cab that manages both power and elegance.

Food Pairing
Pair with dry-aged ribeye, braised short ribs, venison, or truffle-infused mushroom dishes. Also excellent with a hard, aged cheese like Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Verdict
An over-the-top, show-stopping vintage of Caymus Special Selection. Still bold, rich, and luxurious, but beautifully softened with age. Drink now for peak pleasure, though it can hold for another few years. — 3 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish/ brick rim.

Nose of black currants, blueberries, black cherries, light earth, tobacco leaf, cedar, light vanilla, licorice, eucalyptus, forest floor, mildew, black pepper and herbs.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, oak, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, herbs, earth, light vegetables, tobacco leaf, eucalyptus, Indian spices and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 24 year old iconic wine from Australia is still drinking beautifully. Tasty and smooth with good structure and great complexity. A little bitter on the ending for me, though.

Feels like a 30 year old Left Bank Bordeaux. Might be a bit past its prime, but Interesting stuff nonetheless.

Robert Parker 93 points.

Needed 3 hours of airtime to open up properly.

It is delicious, but I expected more from it. Might just be this specific bottle. I've had a few different vintages of this great wine and it is always an experience.

Good by itself or with food, like a nice piece of steak.

100% Shiraz grapes from Barossa Valley were aged in American oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$400. — 2 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Opus One 2011
Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A Bordeaux-style blend from one of Napa’s most iconic estates, co-founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The 2011 vintage was a challenging, cool year in Napa, producing wines of lower alcohol, more restraint, and higher acidity compared to the opulent, sun-soaked vintages before and after. Blend typically centers on Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.

Aromas & Flavors
Opens with blackcurrant, cassis, and dried cherry layered with graphite, violets, tobacco leaf, and hints of cedar and espresso. As it evolves in the glass, notes of leather, savory herbs, and cocoa powder emerge.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied compared to more powerful Opus vintages, with fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. Elegant and balanced, showing more finesse and structure than richness. The finish lingers with red and black fruits, spice, and a touch of earth.

Winemaking Notes
Aged in French oak for 18 months. The cooler season resulted in smaller yields, but a style closer to classic Bordeaux restraint rather than plush Napa ripeness.

Food Pairing
Beautiful with herb-crusted lamb, grilled duck breast, wild mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses like Comté.

Verdict
A vintage that divided critics due to its lighter profile, but for those who enjoy elegance and classical structure, the 2011 Opus One is a refreshing outlier. Drink now, though it still has a few years of graceful life ahead. Cheers!
— a month ago

Lindsey Kate

9.5

Creamy apricot taste. Perfect picnic or pool wine. Night and light. Only 4 barrels no idea how we found this in Iowa City! — 4 months ago

with Cyndy

"Odedi"

9.2

Ruby in color with a wide brick/ reddish rim.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing cherries, currants, plums, oak, tobacco, licorice, earth, light vanilla, dark chocolates, spices, coffee, peppercorn and eucalyptus.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This recently released, iconic wine from Rioja, is already drinking very nicely, although still young.

Showing an elegant mouthfeel with nice complexity. Nicely balanced and tasty. A good quality wine.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

Wine Advocate 95 points.

A great sipping wine, and good with food too.

A blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. Aged in American oak barrels for 4 years.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$75.. — 2 years ago