Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

When I’m not drinking a Napa Cab, and I’m having a fillet mignon, I reach for a Jordon. Blend of 87% Cab Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot & 1% Malbec, aged 13 months in 100% French oak (35% new). Deep Ruby red color with aromas of red fruit, floral and an array of herb spices. On the palate flavors of blackberry and raspberry with oak, vanilla spice, leather and cacao notes. Rich fine tannins, well balanced and integrated with fruit and oak. Very Nice! Will age well. Just had this at a chophouse, Nice! — a month ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.2

v15. Don’t know why I still had this, but I’m glad I did. Toasted barrel and hand crushed fruit nose. Fresh, rich, dark, blackberry and blueberry fruit. Long, dry, pleasantly chewy, chocolate and black pepper finish. So good! — 3 months ago

Paul K

9.7

This is incredible. Such great balance of so many parts. It’s dense, savory, smoky, floral, and juicy with great acidity. The fruit is there but not pronounced, blackberry and cassis- just a balanced part of the whole. I could drink this every night. — 3 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.8

Hillside Select is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 32 months in 100% new 60-gallon French oak barrels. Deep Ruby with pronounced aromas of red/black fruits, with hints of cedar, floral, oak, herbs & spice. On the palate flavors of concentrated ripe blackberry, cherry and raspberry preserves, pepper spice, leather and earthy cacao. Fine soft savory tannins, well balanced, long finish, great structure ending with fruit, spice, oak and earthy mineral character. Outstanding! — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Lynch-Bages 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A powerful, structurally driven Pauillac showing serious depth and long-term ambition, built on a 71% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot support. The wine carries muscular architecture, dark fruit density, and firm tannic authority, currently showing some youthful rough edges but clearly positioned for future greatness with proper cellaring.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis liqueur, blackberry skin, graphite, cedar plank, crushed gravel, tobacco leaf, dark cocoa and subtle savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, youthful tannins, strong mid-palate grip, vibrant supporting acidity, dense core concentration, and a long, structured finish that signals serious aging capacity.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, grilled lamb chops, beef short ribs, rosemary-crusted venison, aged hard cheeses, slow-braised meats.

Verdict
A high-potential Pauillac still in its formative phase. The structure, depth, and terroir signature are undeniable, but integration will require time. A climber rather than a polished performer today, patience will be rewarded handsomely.

🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a future star in development, powerful, slightly raw, but absolutely loaded with upside. Not a wine for instant gratification, but one that will evolve into something truly special with time. I’d happily cellar this and revisit around 2029 when the polish finally matches the horsepower. — 5 months ago

Tom Barras

9.0

The delicious, smoothly textured, 2021 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) is intensely colored, nicely balanced, and well structured; medium>full, with an abundance of aromatic and flavorsome black fruits (Bing cherry, blackberry); refined with barrel aging notes (spice, vanilla, toast); and framed with medium acidity and smooth tannins at the mouth cleansing finish. Tasty stuff, and should be ideal with tonight’s wine-braised, beef short ribs and potato pancakes, Happy New Year from Napa Valley! — 6 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

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. — 9 months ago

Stephen Fitzpatrick

9.1

2023 Vintage. A very pleasant and easy drinking Napa Cab up front. Decent aroma on the nose, vibrant notes of cherry and blackberry, delicately structured tannins, with a very smooth finish. Not chewy or viscous, but still a bold Cab flavor that resonates with the right amount of spice. Would gladly enjoy again. — a month ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium deep ruby with a thin garnet ruby rim . Quite closed with some grafite, hickory , cedar and crème de cassis , dark cherry , red plum , quite dense but with quite a classic , dusty profile . On the palate this is again quite classic , with crème de cassis , cedar , blackberry, plum . Good acidity and fine , gritty tannin , well balanced . Pretty good length with a saline, grafite touch. With time
in the glass this is drinking quite well , still showing dark fruit and youthfulness but at the same time quite classic and serious. Probably will improve over the next 5 years or so and last well a further 5-10 — 3 months ago

Gage Orion

9.3

Perfect pairing with a Prime ribeye 🤤 blackberry, some toasted coconut, and oak notes. Bold and tannic. Lasting finish. This is great stuff and a fantastic vintage. Happy Valentine’s Day, wineos!! — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.

Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.

Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.

Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.

Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.

🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Léoville Barton 2023 – Saint-Julien, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Saint-Julien expression showing clarity, harmony, and structural polish, driven by a 77% Cabernet Sauvignon–led blend with 20% Merlot Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine balances ripe fruit concentration with restraint, delivering precision, finesse, and a seamless flow from attack through finish.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, ripe blackberry, red plum, cassis, graphite, cedar, subtle baking spice, crushed stone, light tobacco and gentle floral lift.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with finely woven tannins, excellent balance, fresh integrated acidity, supple texture, and a long, graceful finish that feels effortless rather than forceful.

Food Pairings
Herb-crusted lamb, roasted duck breast, grilled filet mignon, mushroom risotto, aged Comté or Gruyère.

Verdict
An elegant, dependable Saint-Julien that delivers purity, structure, and drinking pleasure without excess. Refined, polished, and quietly authoritative, a wine that rewards both immediate enjoyment and patient cellaring.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is the kind of wine that wins through composure and precision rather than horsepower. Easy to enjoy today, yet layered enough to keep you leaning back into the glass. Subtle sophistication done right. — 5 months ago

Raun Kupiec

9.1

Exceptional, the lightest hint of Syrah smoke, but a lot fruit forward blackberry and herbal bell pepper hints, loads of acidity, integrated tannins. — 8 months ago

with Barbara

GaryWEdwards

9.4

Perfumed and floral with a nice earthy blackberry thing going on. Slow bloomer drinking beautifully. Compares to ‘09 — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.5

1 hour decant(some chunky sediment). A striking deep garnet color with some bricking. On the nose: exquisite notes of dark fruit, herbaceous, cedar lined cigar box, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: silky, brooding, balanced wine with blackberry/dark cherry, loamy soil, graphite, tobacco, licorice and a minerally roasted coffee persistent finish. YUM!! — 3 months ago

with Brenda

Neil Valenzuela

9.0

Deep ruby color. Aromas of dark cherry, plum, eucalyptus and baking spice. Blackberry on the palate, nutmeg/clove, earthy finish. — 4 months ago

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.4

This Opus is polished with aromas of blackberry and spice. On the palate it’s rich, with velvety tannins, dark fruit, cocoa, and a hint of espresso. The finish is long and flavorful. — 5 months ago

with Daniel and Michael

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , medium wide ruby rim , youthful colour . Quite open and fruit forward with quite high toned cassis , grafite tinged blackberry , and an earthy , dusty character . On the palate quite round and generous but well balanced , sweet blackberry, blackcurrant fruit with the grippy grafite tannins and enough freshness . Reasonable length sweet cassis , with a grafite and herbal tinged finish . Drinking well now , though obviously youthful , will probably to continue to show well over the next 10 years or so. At Hawksmoor , Liverpool , 18th Jan 2026 — 5 months ago

Randy Fuller

9.8

This wine is dark ruby in color. The nose offers beautiful aromas of black fruit, cassis, earth, tobacco, and anise. It’s lush. The palate is exquisite, with blackberry, blueberry, and plum flavors. There is some minerality, but it's the fruit that shows out. It is a magnificent Bordeaux, of a vintage that I'm told is much better than previous years. The tannic grip is remarkable, and the finish leaves one wanting another glass. Steak, as fatty as you can get it, is the pairing for this wine. — 5 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium ruby garnet terracotta rim, slightly wider than the Lynch. This is cooler and slightly sterner in character than the Lynch. More mineral , with ash , cedar and grafite in character , cassis , blackberry , dark cherry fruits. On the palate this is denser with more tannin , and balanced acidity . Grafite , cassis , herbal cedar , menthol touch . Long fresh but densely fruited, grafite finish . This is younger and more serious than the Lynch, more austere . Probably deserves a little time in decanter, though this is probably in the middle of its drinking window . Certainly no rush here , can go on well for the next 10 if not more years . This shows a really good mix of St Estephe austerity , seriousness and the ripeness and generosity of 1990. A great bottle , showing very well. — 8 months ago