Cherry On Top

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1984

This bottle of the 1984 Insignia was opened about 30min before service and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The wine pours a deep garnet with a slightly browning rim and an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and plenty of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated black fruits: blackberries, black cherry, Chunky beef stew, mushroom, eucalyptus, leather, organic earth and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. A mature wine what’s still lovely; full of secondary and tertiary notes. Drink now. — 13 days ago

Tom, Daniel and 9 others liked this
Paul K

Paul K

Cool 😎

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2020

Cherry licorice nose. Cherry with a touch of spice on the palate. Tannins have smoothed but still present. Deserves the accolades that I have seen. February 2026. — 2 months ago

David, Dave and 1 other liked this

Marqués de Murrieta

Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2012

Blend of Tempranillo with a little Mazuelo (Cariñena), each aged separately for 26 months (Temp-American / Mazuelo-French), pronounced bouquet of berry fruits with complex spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cherry and plum flavors, well balanced, with pepper, cinnamon and slight tobacco. Long finish, fine tannins ending with fruit and an earthy mineral character. Outstanding, will still age! — 2 months ago

Andrew, Ira and 13 others liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

[Tasted on March 19, 2026 at Home]

Blackberry and black cherry fruit, with vanilla, chocolate and licorice notes. Plush wine which has aged well.
— 8 days ago

Heitz Cellar

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

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

Paul, Scott@Mister and 10 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha 2019

This full bodied reserva wine offers big aromas of cherry, black licorice and black pepper. It was tight upon opening but I let it breathe in the glass for an hour which allowed vanilla aromas to come through as well. It offers silky tannins that keep the structure and mellow out on the persistent finish. This wine has flavors of ripe cherry, black pepper and leather. This is a beautiful and complex wine that I think will be even better in a few years. — 2 months ago

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2007

Decant for sediment and pour(decent chunky/fine sediment). A striking dark ruby red color. On the nose: jumping from the glass are port drenched cherries, pencil shavings, tobacco, toffee, balsamic, and cinnamon. Taste: silky, balanced, still fresh wine with currants, little dried cherry, tobacco, earth, dried herbs, and a spicy saline graphite satisfying finish. YUM! In the home stretch, drink. — 2 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Ira and 16 others liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2005

1 hour decant(decent chunky sediment). A striking medium purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Inviting notes of dried red fruit, currants, pencil shavings, floral, stewed meat, milk chocolate. Taste: fully mature, savory, silky wine with dried plum, ground coffee, earth, minerals, tobacco, and a sour cherry/green bell pepper/graphite long finish. YUM!! Drink em if you got em. — 19 days ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Sharon and 10 others liked this

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2023

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2023 (S) pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe strawberry, Bing cherry, red and purple flowers, red rope licorice, rocky earth and cool spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. This vintage of Lapierre shows the warmth of the vintage and oozes generosity. In some ways, this reminds me of the 2015 vintage. Drink now through 2033+. — a month ago

Zach, Jae and 14 others liked this
Somm David T

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Top three producer.
Jay Kline

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@Somm David T They’re up there. Certainly Top 6 for me. Foillard, Metras, Guy Breton, Thivin, Roilette and a few of the new comers are all right up there for me
Somm David T

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I have some vintages of Metras. Honored 5th to the Gang of Four. Need to open one soon. Definitely, on the list.

Château Calon-Ségur

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

Somm David T
9.4

I haven’t had a Bordeaux in a while. Especially, with a Ribcap. So, why not an 82? The vintage Robert Parker made his career as the only critic who called it correctly.

Very good 80’s Bordeaux were my first true wine love. Their style & 12-13% ABV will always be my cherished infatuation. Wished it had never changed.

Bought this Calon Segur on the secondary market several yrs ago. Tricky cork. Used my Durand. All good. Fill line perfect, no bottle neck tannin burn but plenty of velvety sediment.

If any of you ever wondered why there is a heart on the label. Here is the interesting reason…

It symbolizes the estate's deep-rooted history and the affection of its former owner, the Marquis de Ségur. Despite owning prestigious estates like Château Lafite and Château Latour, he famously declared, "I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon." His sentiment is immortalized by the heart emblem on the label.

Opened it and let it breathe from the bottle for 45 minutes. Tasted it and decanting it in stages. Then, stopped 1/2 way through and poured the bottom half of the bottle from the bottle.

82 is such a grand, classic vintage. For the most part, I drink Calon Segur’s too early, even at 20 yrs of age. I don’t want to say it is a long in tooth as its neighbor, Montrose, but it is close. This 82 is drinking perfectly w/ 41 yrs in bottle and will hold another 5 yrs. Such soft, perfectly darkish spices with elegantly ripe fruits.

This 82 glides over the palate. There is only beautiful elegance, nothing bites back. The fruits are older (not old or past their prime), ripe fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, both plums but lean plum vs black, dark cherries, crazy, outstanding, hoovering raspberries with notes of blueberries & shades of freshly picked rhubarb. Some black cherry cola, anise to understated black licorice, dark chocolate pudding, caramel, layered, gentle baking spices-nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, touch of sun tea, old leather, dryish to fresh tobacco w/ash, charcoal, elegant graphite, dry limestone powder, dry river pebbles, black, rich earth w/ dry leaves, magical, dark spices, grey volcanics, dry stems, just a hint of dry herbs, dry top soil, fresh & withering dark, red flowers, red roses, grand acidity with perfect; balance, tension, structure and a grand, gentle finish that goes on & on and eventually lands on an amazing soft buffet of earthiness.

This is a wine that is technically a 94, but w/ evolution & style a 97. Amazing bottle that you don’t want to end.

$500 a bottle today through the app. Somewhere around $10 upon release.
— 3 months ago

Somm, Jay and 22 others liked this
Somm David T

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@Jay Kline Grand love for 82 & the Left Bank. Cheers! 🍷
Somm David T

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@Peter van den Besselaar Thank you. Happy to bring it. Cheers! 🍷