Brace And Bit

Penfolds

RWT Bit 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz 2017

#9 Wine Spectator Top 100 2019 — 13 days ago

Bob, Eric and 1 other liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 2002

Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — 8 days ago

Jeroen, Andrew and 14 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1978

Jen
9.2

Checking in on my birth year 1978. Still doing well - a bit smoky but not over the hill. Maybe it can last to 50…? — a month ago

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989

Shows a little bit of funky, faint Brett aromas, flavors are rich, dark-fruited, and more youthful than the ‘86 Mouton which we also opened, long, lingering finish, very fine!! — 8 days ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Tom, Ron and 12 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend

Precise, minty, fresh. Subtle on the entrance then arrives a great weight. Quite tipical Ducru-Beaucaillou even tho is lacking something to make it very great. Probably a bit too austere. — 12 days ago

Peter and Paul liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

Ample aroma. Oak and acidic. Aroma. Complexity with black currant, tabacco. A bit rich > 2007. 2006 @, premier cru, 240411 — 24 days ago

Château Cantemerle

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Shay A
9.2

92-93 for me.

Consumed half bottle at pop, then corked for another 4hrs before consuming the rest. No change.

What a beautifully elegant and refined ‘09. The highest compliment I can give this is that it was a simplistic joy. Some wines make it easy to get nerdy and command your attention…some wines are underwhelming and not worth your time. This was squarely in the middle. It was a joy to not feel the need to overthink…it’s exactly what it should be. No bricking at almost 15yrs. Decidedly black fruit heavy (black currant, cassis, underripe blackberries) with a sprinkling of raspberries and black cherries. Aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, dark florals. Integrated on the palate with good structure and acidity…not a massive wine, but it put on a bit of weight/length the longer it was open. Still sporting a fair bit of tannin at the finish, but it’s balanced. Drink or hold.
— a month ago

Ted, Ira and 22 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Fine description

Château Musar

Bekaa Valley Red Blend 2016

9.3++. Beautiful now bit very young with a great future ahead of it. — 2 days ago

Pinotman and Bassel liked this

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1988

Shay A
9.2

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty.
— 15 days ago

Pinotman, Tom and 18 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2023

Beautiful subtle aroma from Merlot makes it pretty. Its free spirit nose makes you feel what the wine is going to be about. Drinkable and fresh. Apparently missing weight but it doesn’t miss a bit all the way thru the tasting. The aftertaste is long and very, very pleasant after one minute. — 12 days ago

Peter liked this