Clear 10

4 Monos Viticultores

GR 10 Garnacha Blend 2023

Yellowish in color with a golden hue.

Nose of citrus, yellow apples, flowers, melons, pears, light oak, spices, herbs and beeswax notes.

Full-bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with apples, lemons, pears, earth, spices, toasted nuts and sea salt.

Nice finish with limes and light bitter herbs.

This is a delicious White Wine from Madrid, Spain. Rich and elegant. Creamy and buttery.
Complex and entertaining.

Nicely balanced with lots of fruits to balance the earth notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself or with food. Paired beautifully with my Ahi Tuna tacos.

A blend of 60% Albillo with Macabeo, Moscatel and Chelva. Aged on the lees for 6 months, in stainless steel vats and large French oak barrels.

14% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$30.
— a day ago

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Somm David T
9.4

I remember when the 2005 Pichon Lalande was reviewed by RP, 89. I saw that & said, you would have to get in the way of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage to be that sad. I still bought 6 at a bargain basement price. A very good idea post 20 yrs+. Both Pichon’s don’t have a modern day history of getting in the way of a good vintage.

I also bought this one. 18 yrs in bottle and still acending. This will hold 5 more yrs and will last another 10 yrs properly stored.

I have visited Bordeaux 11 times. This chateau visually is still my favorite. It was showing a picture of this chateau to Sofia that launched our first visit. Sofia loved it and we have stared at it multiple times on every visit.

It was in our visit in 2007, I stood in the estate vineyard, looked & tasted their soils. After doing so, I said, “I get it.” I understood everything about what I was tasting in Left Bank Bordeaux’s early in my wine journey.

Sofia and I had dinner w/ Christian Moueix not long after the 2005 vintage was hyped/released. She asked him, when did you know you had something special?” He said, “as soon as I tasted the fruit at harvest.”

Tonight, it shows that it is a close relative, a sibling to Pichon Longueville. Cork, perfect.

The nose shows; classic left bank traits. Ripe, dark, brooding fruits, bright, mid berries, red cola, leather, tobacco, sandalwood, leather, led pencil, dark rich earth, limestone, dry river stone, hint of mushrooms, dark, red, fresh & withering florals.

The fruits on the palate show everything outstanding from the 2005 growing season. Ripe, juicy, brilliant; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, baked/poached strawberries & some hovering raspberries. Dark chocolate bar to pudding, red cola, anise, dark spices w/ palate heat, dark, rich earth w/ dry leaves, pronounced graphite, dry tobacco, leather, limestone, dry twig, dry river stone, moist clays, moist herbs, cedar to sandalwood, withering & dry, dark flowers, red roses, some lavender & violets, beautiful rainfall acidity, excellent; balance, tension, structure, length w/ an elegant finish that lasts minutes and lands on spice & earth.

13.4 ABV. Nice.

#TheTwoHourRibcap

This held up vacuumed sealed the same night, refrigerated & enjoyed exactly a week later.
— 2 months ago

Peter, Scott@Mister and 16 others liked this
Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Somm David T A wonderful story David and I can see how you could fall in love with that photo of the Chateau.
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

@Bob McDonald Thank you. Cheers! 🍷

W. & J. Graham's

Aged 10 Years Tawny Port Blend

Date, fig, apricot, almond, tobacco. Layer upon layer of flavor! Delicious! — 4 months ago

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2012

These used to be cheap - not any more 40$ for the new vintage this was 26$. Classic and super elegant. A ton of tannins left: 14%. Fermented dark olives. Dark cherries. Way better than the 2013 chianti reserva I popped for our italian dinner club. These are the wines kids should try - but hey our brillant marketing 🤡 priced them out of trying quality nebbiolo so they switch to cocktails and beer! Well done. Will go for 5-10 more years with ease. — 17 days ago

Daniel, John and 9 others liked this
John Howard

John Howard Influencer Badge

@Pinotman /// Andreas always so good. The single vineyard ones used to be the best high end values in the world imho. Not anymore. Still great though.

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2013

This was a very fun experiment. I bought this for 149€ due to the 2013 vintage being terrible. Would this be a waste of money or a bargin? It was a bargin. Classic high end Bordeaux nose with complexity and flavour. Lots of mint. Tailed off quite quickly but still so much to enjoy. The art of wine making should shine through on "off" years as all of the producers make excellent wines in a 09 or 10 vintage. Will definately buy more!
Paired with cod, beans and chorizo
— 2 months ago

Pooneet, Dick and 26 others liked this
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Great producers make great wines and often the most challenging vintages pull out their best

Penfolds

Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet Shiraz 2022

Referred to as the “Baby Grange,” blend of 51/49 Cab Sauv & Shiraz, aged for 12 months in 36% new American oak, partly in previous-vintage Grange casks. Dark Ruby with aromas of fresh black fruits, complex with sweet spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberry flavors with notes of cacao, oak and toasty spices. Well balanced with acidity, full firm tannins, long ending with smoky spice, fruit well integrated with oak, drink over next 10 years+, will only get better. Nice! — 3 months ago

Anthony, Juan and 2 others liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

So, my long time wine group buddy brought this bottle from his cellar, absolutely stunning 36-year-old Bordeaux, but honestly, it tasted like a 10-year-old wine, so fresh and so amazingly long on the finish, honestly needs another 25-30 years in the cellar, nigh perfect!! — 4 months ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Andrew, Jonathan and 22 others liked this
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Dave, that Palmer and Margaux were opened in part due to two of my wine group guys and our wives being present — one of the wives is unfortunately having quite serious medical issues, and I said to my buddy who brought the 1989 Margaux that I was bringing the Palmer for her to taste, so he one-upped me (which I was thrilled with), so just a special occasion. Some of the other recent special bottles are my response to pulling older bottles these past 3-6 months that have disappointed me, I figure it’s better to drink some of these a few years too early than keep being disappointed.
Dave

Dave

Sounds like a special time!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Dave, it was, and I’ll always be glad for it!!

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne 2008

Fantastic fruit and balance. Vivid and crystal clear. Perfect balance and acidity — 2 months ago

David Schachter
with David
Neil, Jeroen and 6 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1996

Somm David T
9.4

I’ve had a number of PC 96’s over time, none quite this good. The fill line & cork perfect. Very little sediment. Some bottle neck tannin burn. For me, Pontet Canet didn’t really hit its consistent, quality stride until 2005. Doesn’t mean they didn’t make a few beauties before then. Pontet Canet is proof that the 1855 Bordeaux Classification needs to be redone. Unlikely it will in my lifetime.

This 96 maybe just short of its precipice. Stylistically a little better than 94.

The nose reminds me of everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola. Sweet forest floor w/ leaves, sweet mushrooms, sweet led pencil shavings, steeped tea w/ hints of fruit, charcoal, dry tobacco/leather, some dry herbs, withering dark, red flowers, red roses with violets.

The palate is also everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola/red vines. Everything I understood the first time standing in the estate vineyard of Pichon Baron. Tasting limestone, dry river stone, dark, rich soils with dry leaves, dry stems. In fact, I’ve tasted vineyards soils everywhere I have been in every world wine region. Basically, everywhere in the wine world that has reliance. Many multiple times. Sweet graphite, steeped tea w/ hints of dark fruit, understated, layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanillin, dark cocoa, dark exotic spices, some anise to black licorice, charcoal, dry tobacco with ash/leather, some dry herbs-safe/bay leaf, limestone, dry river stone, dry crushed rocks, dark, rich, earth with dry leaves, dry topsoils, dry stems, withering/dry dark, red flowers, red roses with violets, excellent, rainfall acidity with an extremely well balanced/structured/tensioned, great length and an elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls nicely on dry earth and dark spices.

A very, very slow roll with my Ribcap. Definitely better with the steak than on its own.

This bottle tells me this 96 has plenty of good drinking ahead, another 8-10 yrs+.

ABV is 13%. Disappointing it ever changed.
— 3 months ago

Jay, Scott@Mister and 16 others liked this