Center Of Effort

Modus Operandi Cellars

Center of Gravity Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Ron R
9.5

Get some of this direct from the winery. For the loot, one of the very best Cali SB’s out there…
Bivio, Montclair, NJ.
— 2 months ago

Ted, Jose and 22 others liked this
Shay A

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Agreed! Is that Keste pizza in the background?
Ron R

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No @Shay A, my snowboarding friends opened a pizza restaurant in NJ. If you’re ever back in the area, we’ll take you there. I consider this to be better than Kesté 😮

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

1990 vintage. Finally...tasted a bottle that confirmed both the excellence of this particular vintage and this particular producer. Was 0 for 10 prior to this with a few 9.0's, 9.1's and a 9.2 being the highest score. Still much more sleek than the '86, '88 or '89 vintages and currently pretty close stylistically to the linear '96 vintage. Soft yet intriguing nose. Light-medium body. Better than good concentration mid-palate and through a 30-second finish. Some of that beguiling cocoa powder and blueberry feminity confirming a beautiful effort. 4.22.23 — 2 years ago

Aaron, Ted and 17 others liked this

Château Faugères

Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

A brilliant effort, the 2016 Château Faugeres shines all the way through. Deep ruby colored, the nose reveals whafts of tobacco, violets, red and black plum, blackcurrant, mint, leather and forrest floor. Full bodied with boatloads of ripe and polished tannins, the wine closes with a long, intense finish. This is a fantastic wine from Château Faugeres. Drink now until 2041. — 2 years ago

Andrew, Tom and 4 others liked this

Sesti (Castello di Argiano)

Rosso di Montalcino Sangiovese 2022

Delectable Wine
9.1

Darkly floral, the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino opens with a blend of grilled herbs, exotic spices and steeped plums. It's a racy and fruit-forward effort with masses of ripe red and blue fruits swirling across a lively acidity stream. This tapers off with medium length and gently tannic, leaving a lovely resonance of inner rose. (Eric Guido, Vinous, September 2024)
— 2 months ago

Château Ausone

Saint Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2018

This has been my WOTN in blind tastings before and yet again Ausone came out on top for me. What a wine! Dark cherries, cassis, licorice, lavender, fine wood. It has everything. Tension, texture and a weightless silky sensation that is so irresistible. You can tell a lot of effort has been put it to making this wine. Very luxurious. The vineyards are planted with a a crazy high vine density of 12 600 vines per hectare. The quality of the fruit is through the roof. — 8 months ago

Bob, jesus and 12 others liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

Deep tawny color with a red, scarlet center. Opaque. Earthy nose with notes of red and black fruits, leather saddle, cuban cigar and some dry brush. Silky and smooth in the mouth. In a great spot. — 2 years ago

Andrew, Eric and 19 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1959

Dark tawny center with amber color and clear rims. Barely translucent. Massive nose of tobacco and Cuban cigar with notes of sweet black fruit, moist dark soil, unsweetened chocolate, pencil lead, old cedar desk wood and a little barnyard. Great mouth feel and texture. Very much alive. Opened and slow-ox’d for a few hours, then put in a decanter an hour before. This powered up all night. Last sip was the best. I’ve probably had more LB than any other Bordeaux (young and old, mostly old), and this was head and shoulders better than any previous bottle. Great juice! — 2 years ago

Ira, Eric and 22 others liked this
Ron R

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Wow.
Brent Young

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@Mike Saviage Very nice 👍

Cristom

Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2021

Quite young but totally ready to drink. Beautiful aromas of wild berries, violets and wet potting soil. The palate is full of red berry fruit with notes of mushroom, Earl Grey tea, fresh basil, mint and sweet spices. A note of “steaminess” (whole cluster?) and a beautiful touch of mineral on the finish. Lovely balance and perfect acidity. Light bodied, silky tannins and so fresh tasting. Great effort! — 8 months ago

Scott@Mister, Daniel P. and 2 others liked this

Trediberri

Trediberri Barbera d'Alba 2022

Delectable Wine
9.3

The 2022 Barbera d'Alba is a fabulous wine that marries Barbera fruit richness with a Nebbiolo-like sense of structure. Aging is done entirely in cement. Ripe cherry, plum, lavender, rose petal and blood orange are front and center in this juicy, inviting Barbera. $23.00 (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2024) — 9 months ago

Michael, Lyle and 19 others liked this

Château de Pressac

St. Émilion Grand Cru Merlot Blend 2021

2020 vintage. Another great effort from this Château. Already easy drinking. A lot of sweet fruit, smooth with a nice ripe tannic bite, freshness and good length. Merlot 70%, Cabernet Franc 16%, Cabernet Sauvignon 9%, Carmenère 2% and Noir de Pressac (aka Malbec) 2%. Abv. 14,5%. Hubert de Boüard consults.Don't know if it will make old bones ( a 2008 recently tasted was totally over the hill). — 2 years ago

David liked this