Ventura Top

Heidsieck & Co.

Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne Blend

Scratches that itch. Hard to tell whether it’s a “true champagne” or a very good cremant, but at closeout prices who cares? 90. — 11 days ago

Dawn, Rob and 3 others liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1971

1971 vintage. Top shoulder fill. Used a Durand but fully saturated cork still required some clean up on aisle 7. Decanted and tasted after 5 minutes. Threw much much less sediment than expected. Decent color with a little browning. Tertiary nose gave way to similar flavors with it being very slightly brickish. In a holding steady phase where there is no shining light to chase after-everything is consolidated and filed away so you're tasting the interpretations of history. Instructive. 6.13.24. — 4 months ago

Lyle, "Odedi" and 14 others liked this

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2017

Transparent, singing. Ripe but tense. Truly top tier fruit. — 6 months ago

Jan, Peter and 26 others liked this

Sobon Estate

Rocky Top Zinfandel

Jammy with structure — 7 days ago

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2014

2014 vintage. Light-medium body. Excellent cedar and tobacco notes floating amidst the soft tannin treatment. Verry harmonious currently. Maybe 2-3 years more before hitting the absolute top of the bell curve. Maybe. This vintage is rocking right now and arguably at its absolute zenith. So good. 8.8.24. — 2 months ago

Ruud, Jan and 15 others liked this

Pride Mountain Vineyards

Mountain Top Vineyard Merlot 2020

Purchased while visiting the winery in Aug 2023. Enjoyed Valentine’s Day 2024. — 8 months ago

Green & Red Vineyards

Tip Top Vineyard Zinfandel 2017

Splash decanted; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2017 “Tip Top Vineyard” pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with tart and ripe black and red fruits: brambles, plums, cherry lozenges, black pepper, warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. This worked really well with a variety of grilled fare though I suspect a few more years in the cellar would help add some complexity. Drink now with patience through 2032. — 2 months ago

Vanessa, John and 6 others liked this
John Howard

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Great wines.

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2016

Nice but not quite at the true top level, especially given the price. Decanted 4 hours which is necessary at this point. Nice pairing with a big T-bone steak cooked in the Tuscan style. Could use more acid on the finish. Probably needs a few years to come together. — 4 months ago

Severn, Tom and 3 others liked this

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 7 months ago

Ron, Jan and 17 others liked this
Ron R

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Gonna do a “fly by” one of these days. Buckle up…
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

@Ron R Let me know if you’re headed to SD. E-mail me at: scott@asrestaurant.com
Ron R

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