Chateau Franc Baudron
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! — 7 days ago
Ridge Vineyards
Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1997
Thought we’d had our last bottle 4 years ago but then found this one. Probably better then, but still very nice. Definitely quite secondary, but the core of fruit and acid carries through. Wonderful pairing with dry aged strip steaks and wild mushroom risotto for our 10 year anniversary. — 2 days ago
Dominus Estate
Napanook Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2014
Best valve at the duty free shop. This over the 2013 Altagracia that was twice the price.
While this is showing some nice evolution, if I had others, I would wait another 3-5 yrs…I’m leaning 5 yrs as this still has some astringency and has earthy dominance.
The nose reveals wild, dusty blackberries, black currants, black cherries, poached & backed strawberries, some slightly, stewy plums, leathery, dry tobacco, graphite, loamy earth, subtle baking spices, dark spices that show intensity and yet some restraint, dark chocolate baking bar, dry herbs, withering to dry dark flowers and floral violets.
The fruits are ripe but have a dusty coating. Wild blackberries, black currants, black cherries, poached & backed strawberries, black plum skin, plums, notes of boysenberries as it lingers, leathery, dry tobacco, oak barrel to cedar, string graphite, loamy earth, subtle baking spices, soft caramel chews, dark spices, dark chocolate baking bar, dry herbs, sage brush, withering to dry dark flowers and floral violets, good acidity, well made for a selection second, the balance isn’t quite there and still shows big structure/tension, dry, powdery M+ tannins that finishes with dry earth tones and ripe fruits over the top and lasts nearly 90 seconds.
If you have this vintage, it is a hold for another 5 yrs and has 15 yrs ahead. — 6 days ago
Château Lafon-Rochet
Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2014
2014 vintage. Last tasted 07.04.25 (9.3) and 01.30.25 (9.3). Decanted with some sed and tasted after 30 mins. Consistent with previous tastings in 2025. Hint of richness up front, then very businesslike afterwards. Fairly dry but began to fold a modicum of fruit into the proceedings a spell ago. Quintessential, affordable BDX with a decade of service tendered out in the boonies but back in town again and starting to hit the hot spots. Lean but not mean. Strike up the conversation in the next year or so and you two just might hit it off. 09.25.25. — 11 days ago
Olga Raffault
Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2019
Wow. A richer, darker, and more concentrated Picasses than I’ve had in some time. Oak is also a bit more gratuitous than I’m used to for this wine. Blackberries, currant, moss, anise. This can go the distance, but definitely a bit hot. Still one of my favorite wines in the world for consistent quality to price ratio and age-ability. — a month ago
Ericsson
Well. These vintages are becoming rarer and rarer now that Beyoncé and Jay Z popularize it. Plum, graphite, tobacco on the nose. Poised and elegant on the palate, with silky fruit, fine grain tannins and a minera edge to it 👌🏻 — a day ago