It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Dark inky in color with a reddish rim.
Very pretty nose with black fruits, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, Indian spices, cola and light black tea.
Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, chocolates, toast, light vanilla, dark coffee, Indian spices, light cola licorice and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious 9 year old Merlot from Columbia Valley. Rich and extracted. Spicy and entertaining.
Peaking now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours of airtime.
Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Smooth and elegant. Fruit forward and tangy. The high alcohol is well integrated by now.
Good by itself as a sipping wine.
A blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 22 months in (85% new) French Oak barrels.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$75. — 5 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Beautiful nose of black fruits, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, espresso, chocolates, earth, light vegetables, tobacco leaf, eacaliptus, Indian spices and black pepper.
Full-bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, black plums, light cedar, earth, herbs, light vanilla, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, black tea and a touch of vegetables.
Long spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This second wine from the great 2010 vintage in Bordeaux, is drinking gorgeously now. Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel. Elegant with lots of fruits.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours in the decanter, when tannins show up. Changes every 20 minutes in the decanter. So nice to experience.
I had this vintage 5 years ago and it is drinking better now. This 14 year old is peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and paired nicely with dried meats.
A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot.
14% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$90. — 10 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.
Fruity nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate and complex.
Showing black currants, black plums, cherries, spices, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and light forest floor.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a fabulous 18 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based blend from Saint Julien. Rich and balanced. Elegant and fruit forward. Chocolaty and spicy.
This First wine from the 4th Growth is drinking beautifully now, and not showing that much age. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
I had the 2005 vintage not too long ago and this 2007 vintage is drinking better now. Well balanced and complex.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with a big piece of steak too.
A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
13% alcohol by volume.
93 points
$130. — a month ago
Deep purple in color.
Fruity and easy drinking right out of the bottle
Rich and extracted. Smooth and elegant. Showing nice complexity and balance. Spicy and entertaining.
Still young, but already enjoyable, even by itself. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
Robert Parker 92 points. Wine Spectator 94 points.
A delicious Napa Cabernet, and better with airtime. I've had many different vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.
A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$100. — 7 months ago
Free and expressive. Nice and long Mgx aftertaste. Pleasant and balanced.
93-94 — a year ago
WS: 93. Baked cherry, raspberry ganache and warm fig flavors are ripe and expressive, with a pleasing counterpoint and added detail from rich notes of loamy earth and leather, plus accents of bay leaf, vanilla and red licorice. There's a supple generosity on the palate, trimmed nicely by fine-grained tannins and a tang of orange peel acidity. Tempranillo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2032. 35,000 cases made, 9,000 cases imported.
Alison Napjus
Issue Date: Aug 31, 2024
Release Price: $45/750mL — 2 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Strong nose of black fruits, cedar, spices, chocolates, coffee, licorice, light vanilla and black pepper.
Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, cooked cherries, tobacco leaf, dark coffee, cedar, earth, dark chocolates, licorice, cola, spices, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This 17 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon feels more like a Left Bank Bordeaux. Fruit forward with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.
Showing great complexity and delicious, but I expected more from this great 2007 vintage. I had the 2001 not too long ago, and it was so much better.
Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food. A good food wine too.
A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.
14.1% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$350. — 6 months ago
flowers, floral, light elegant spicy stuff…!93+ — a year ago
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.
Beautiful nose with lots of chocolates and light earth notes.
Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity.
Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, dried figs, raisins, licorice, light earth, peppercorn, cola, spices and dark chocolates.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and crushed peppercorn.
This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Big and bold. Spicy and tangy. Showing nice complexity at this point.
This 6 year old is drinking beautifully now. Rich yet elegant. Extracted and easy drinking. Well balanced and really delicious.
A beautiful surprise. I had the 2016 a few years ago, and this is drinking much better now. I did not expect it from the 2017 vintage.
Thank you Mike for sharing this with me.
Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself as a sipping wine. Robert Parker 93 points.
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
15.2% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$110. — a year ago
M. Christopher Roebuck

Nice and round.
93 points — 24 days ago