Blackberry

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

slight tobacco & cedar - hits the ripe blackberry note — 7 days ago

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2018

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (72%), Merlot (19%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petite Verdot (3%). Dark garnet/ruby/purple/black color. Aromas of ripe black fruit, rose petals, cigar box and smoked meat. Flavors of blackberry, black currant and black plum fruit with additional hints of tobacco, black olives and cloves. Long lasting velvety finish. Full bodied with noticeable (but well integrated) tannins. Beautiful freshness. Rich and powerful but so well balanced. Consistently outstanding vintage after vintage. Could continue to age for decades! — 9 days ago

Dave, Bob and 7 others liked this

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars – Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Napa Valley, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Artemis is the gateway wine of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, one of Napa’s most iconic producers, remembered for its Judgment of Paris triumph in 1976. The 2014 vintage sits in a sweet spot: accessible, polished, and still carrying the hallmarks of Napa’s valley-floor fruit. This blend is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with small percentages of Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot layered in for balance.

Aromas & Flavors
Inviting notes of ripe blackberry, cassis, and black cherry lead the way, accented by cedar, vanilla, and hints of graphite. Subtle secondary notes of mocha and baking spice emerge as it opens in the glass, showing both freshness and depth.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full-bodied with supple tannins and balanced acidity. Polished, silky textures glide across the palate, finishing with a long echo of dark fruit, oak spice, and a touch of savory herb.

Winemaking Notes
Aged around 15–20 months in French oak, Artemis strikes a balance between power and approachability. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ style is always about elegance over sheer force, and this vintage highlights that philosophy.

Food Pairing
Perfect with grilled ribeye, herb-crusted lamb, or hearty mushroom risotto. Its elegance also makes it a great match with aged cheddar or gouda.

Verdict
A graceful Napa Cabernet that proves why Stag’s Leap remains a benchmark. The 2014 Artemis is in a perfect drinking window now—refined, approachable, and still true to the estate’s legacy of elegance.
— 22 days ago

Ted, ESF and 1 other liked this

Glaetzer

Amon-Ra Barossa Valley Unfiltered Shiraz 2010

See previous Delectable note from August 2024. A rich deep Ruby in colour. Traces of vanilla oak (coconut oak has toned down since initial tasting). Ripe red and black (plum) fruits. On the palate rich, intense and full bodied - sweet blackberry with hints of aniseed. As I said in the previous note, wines like this show the Barossa at its best. Will drink well through to the end of the 2020’s. — 2 months ago

Dave, Tom and 20 others liked this
David White

David White

@Bob McDonald Ben Glaetzer makes fabulous wines 👍
Bob McDonald

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@David White Totally agree David.

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2021

Bright medium ruby , quite thin violet rim . Quite discreet and fine, reserved on the nose . Red cherry , cassis , mineral tinged blackberry, after a while pomegranate. On the palate this is very detailed and precise , great freshness and with more red fruit, cherry , red plum , blackberry , wet slate , saline oyster shell with very fine tannins . Long mineral finish . Very young obviously but incredibly elegant and fresh . Will need time , this closed up quite a lot after time in the decanter . Better in 10 -15 years , will last well a further 10-15 . Incredibly promising . — 15 days ago

Tom, Vino and 16 others liked this
Dave

Dave

Wow! 👀
Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald Influencer Badge

@Andrew Cullimore You’ve certainly had many of the Tuscan stars Andrew.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2018

What a great refined wine. The 2018 Insignia opens with aromas of dark fruit, florals, and spice. On the palate, blackberry, mocha, and plum come through with a nice texture and tannins. The finish is long, savory, and elegant. Wow! — a month ago

Daniel CammarataMichael Cammarata
with Daniel and Michael
Dave, Ira and 2 others liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Decant and pour. Nose: enticing perfumed dark fruit, mint, pine, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: creamy, balanced, savory wine with blackberry, milk chocolate, earth, leather, graphite, and a lingering long finish with some slightly grippy tannins. YUM!! No hurry, time to go. — 2 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Dave and 16 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Enjoy Randy’s work. Never a rush on his wines. They simply get better and better with long bottle age.

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Medium deep ruby , quite thin garnet ruby rim . Cassis , blueberry , blackberry , iris , pain grillé. On the palate this is quite dense and rounded , with more dark fruits , cassis , blackberry and a savoury , saline seaweed tinge on the finish . Fine but noticable , sweet tannins , and fresh acidity , quite rounded and richly fruited but very balanced . Good length with grafite , mineral and creme de cassis . Polished and quite decadent but all elements very balanced . Just drinkable now with time in decanter , really fruit driven still, but will improve well over the next 10 or more years and last well a further 10-15 . This shows some of the ripeness and exuberance of 2009 paired with the flamboyance of Mouton , makes for quite a pairing a very promising future ahead. — 11 days ago

Tom, Ira and 13 others liked this

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Pretty much the same as the Pavillon Rouge , ruby garnet core and garnet ruby rim. This is quite serious and classic , with blackcurrant , grafite , blackberry , mineral hints, oyster shell and cedar . The tannin is still quite grippy and a little drying , quite fresh acidity , dry spice and grafite tinged finish of good length . Mineral , grafite , oyster shell finish . Needs a little more time to integrate the tannins , but it’s promising and classic in style . Better in 5 years and will last well a further 10-15 . — 18 days ago

Dave, Tom and 12 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Still have a couple bottles of this amazing producer that RP frowned on in early reviews. Always struggled to imagine this producer missing in 05. Cheers! 🍷

Penfolds

Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet Shiraz 2002

See several previous Delectable notes for this Cuvée. I have 2 bottles left after this one. Penfolds have a whopping drink window up to 2045. The colour is a pale mid crimson with a tawny rim. Mocha, dark chocolate and blackberry notes on the nose. From a low yielding cool vintage which is made for long cellaring. Absolutely superb at the moment. Great palate intensity (mulberry, black berry and dark chocolate) with mellow resolved tannins and a very long persistent finish. No wonder Penfolds tasting book is called The Rewards of Patience. — 2 months ago

Somm, Daniel and 29 others liked this
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Bob McDonald, as an “older dude” myself, don’t you just hate when the ideal drinking date for wines is 20+ years AFTER your likely expiration date?? Grrr
Bob McDonald

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@Doug Powers I agree Doug but still can’t resist some purchases. The latest vintage of Penfolds Grange, the stellar 2021 was released a few weeks ago and I couldn’t help myself and had to buy a bottle. One of the greatest vintages ever in South Australia this wine will be providing great pleasure to those lucky enough to have some long after I have gone to the huge cellar in the sky!!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Bob McDonald, I “suffer” from the same affliction/reasoning as you have described above!!