Classic Vines

Dry Creek Vineyard

Heritage Vines Sonoma County Zinfandel

Deep purple hue. Mouthfilling plum, blackberry and raspberry, with some spice/ pepper in there. Not a fruit bomb. There’s nuance here. Had this with grilled porterhouse. Excellent. Finishing it solo- equally good. — 12 days ago

Barny and Tom liked this
Angelo Casagrande

Angelo Casagrande

Getting a lot of chocolate as it opens up

Feudi di San Marzano

Sessantanni Old Vines Primitivo di Manduria 2019

Perfumed nose. Rich, deep cherry and tar layers. Firm structure but forward. Heaviest 750 ml bottle I've ever held! — 2 months ago

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

5th wine . medium deep ruby , touch more garnet . Slightly wider rim . Quite cool and mineral again , more grafite with some cool cassis , blackberry. On the palate this is slightly lighter in body , leaner perhaps but very elegant , fresh and quite saline, tobacco , grafite and herbal tinges on the finish . Reasonable saline length. Fine lightly grippy tannins , good acidity . This is showing quite well though would perhaps benefit from a few more years . Better in 3-5 years and drink well a further 7- 10 . The next day this actually shows a little better , elegant and refined, nothing showy , very Lafite , so I’m glad I guessed this correctly ! Overall this was a very interesting tasting , there is nothing showy or remarkable about the 2006 1st growths , they are quite classic and also showing quite a lot of structure still , with good freshness though they perhaps lack a little stuffing and intensity . They were quite even quality wise, with the high points being the Mouton (though the Lafite improved the following day to upgrade its score and draw level ) and the low point being a relatively disappointing Margaux . The vintage will continue to improve over the next 5 perhaps 10 years in general , though they may always just lack a little density and excitement . — 3 months ago

Neil, Somm and 16 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

2006 the yr that had to follow the grand 2005 vintage. It wasn’t their best. Made worse having to follow the 2005. The Bordelaise also kept their prices high as many felt they underpriced the 05 vintage. Not a great strategy for a successful 06 vintage. For me, Lafite is the 1st growth that requires the most cellar aging. Even in an ok vintage, 25-30 yr in the cellar to start seeing its best form. Looks like a great dinner. Cheers! 🍷

Nyetimber

Classic Cuvée Sparkling White Blend

If I win the lottery I just will be drinking this. — 6 months ago

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2014

Yes—exactly that kind of wine: timeless, composed, and quietly authoritative.

It smells so good on first pour. Damp pine forest floor and clean mountain air register immediately. Everything else unravels from there; but that initial pop-and-pour sniff is pure magic.

On the palate, blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, and dried herbs unfold with control, carried by freshness and finely etched tannins in a medium body.

So classic, so intellectual, and deeply mesmerizing. Drink now or age.
— 6 months ago

Ted, Sagee and 9 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2017

Classic:)
Won’t peak for another 10-20 years.
— 8 months ago

Tom liked this

Bodega Catena Zapata

High Mountain Vines Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Me encantó súper suave al paladar muy delicado, recomendadisimo — 24 days ago

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1994

Classic La Mission nose that is in a perfect spot showing red & black fruits, cedar, leather, earth, graphite, spice box along with sweet tobacco — 15 days ago

Joel, Jean-Philip and 5 others liked this

Cline Cellars

Ancient Vines Contra Costa County Mourvèdre 2022

Lot of dark fruit: blackberries, blueberries, and a tinge of spice. Dark, the wine smells like it tastes. Good value. — 4 months ago

Dave, Tom and 1 other liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Seriously, has there ever been a disappointing red wine from Contra Costa? Every red vine there is over 100 years old on ungrafted roots in 20 feet of pure sand. What kind of jerk can fuck that up?

Deutz

Brut Classic Champagne Blend

My first Deutz. And it was good!! — 5 months ago

Xenia Zollinger
with Xenia
Andrew and Tegan liked this

Noble Vines

337 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Wood Ranch yummy dinner on a very windy night before NY Eve, almost the end of 2025. Thanks to Mitch and Krista for Xmas gift card here. — 6 months ago

Lois liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2012

Stone-cold classic — 7 months ago

Tom, Andrew and 5 others liked this

Turley

Old Vines California Zinfandel 2016

Ten years post vintage, the 2016 shows little sign of age. Dark, warming, smooth and rich. Dusty tannins and the 15.5% alcohol has mellowed as has the typical peppery bite on the back-end of Zins. All around, still drinking great — a month ago

Bodegas Ateca

Atteca Armas Calatayud Old Vines Garnacha 2022

Great wine that needs a bit to open and express its fresh fruit and balance. — 2 months ago

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

vintage 2006 | Needs a few hours to open, very classic with laurel, tobacco, eucalyptus in smell, even chocolate. Balanced taste. Paired with a wagyu burger and zuchinni. Many years to go. — 3 months ago

Andrew, Tom and 26 others liked this
Eric Hoepelman

Eric Hoepelman

Whoop whoop! Sounds good ;))
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

I like the pairing!

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2002

Classic bordeaux flavours. Highly elegant and layered. Perfect drinking window for me — 4 months ago

Tom, Peter and 23 others liked this

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1996

Pretty deep ruby garnet , medium wide garnet rim . Aromatic and really classic with a mix or red and dark fruits , tobacco , grafite and cedar . On the palate this is quite linear , again with the red and dark fruits from the nose, cedar and grafite and quite rounded resolved tannins . Fresh acidity , good cedar with grafite length , very classic in style . Enough density and fruit to cover the rest of the structure. In a perfect place now at least in this format , and probably will be over the next 10 years . This was from an Imperial , at BBR in London . — 5 months ago

Bob, David and 11 others liked this

Iron Horse Vineyards

Classic Vintage Brut Sparkling Blend 2020

More residual sugar than I remembered. Brioche finish, delicate bubbles — 7 months ago

Dave liked this

St. Francis Winery

Sonoma County "Old Vines" Zinfandel 2021

Very dark with a robust taste. I would buy it again. — 8 months ago