Decades 5

Bodegas y Viñedos Vega Sicilia

Valbuena 5° Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Blend 1997

Mariano García’s final vintage at Vega Sicilia. What a great bottle.

The nose opens with damp forest floor, leather, cedar, and quiet red fruit; subtle, reserved, endlessly composed.

On the palate, it’s silk laid gently over structure: dried cherry, tobacco, graphite, and savory earth carried by fine-grain tannins and measured acidity.

The finish reads like the final lines of a great novel: inevitable, complete, and exactly as it should be. And already, there’s a touch of nostalgia, because I don’t know when I’ll encounter something like this again.
— 11 days ago

Ira, Daniel and 12 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Premium Badge

Awesome. Excellent notes.

Raymond Vineyard & Cellar

R Collection Lot No. 5 Field Blend 2010

A great blend of five grapes. Enjoyed with grilled chicken thighs and oven roasted mushrooms. Combo of berries and a hint of pepper. Smooth and stately finish. — 2 months ago

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1990

Medium ruby garnet, quite thin garnet terracotta rim . Quite rich , with ripe red fruits , some tobacco , warm spiciness , cigar box , ripe cassis , sous bois , after a while touch of coffee. On the palate this also shows good roundness with ripe red and dark fruits, cassis , red plum , grafite , touch of earthiness . Balanced acidity and rounded sweet tannin . Quite juicy with a grafite edged finish . Pretty good length. This is at peak now . For now and over the next 5 -8 years. Quite generous and showy , ripe but balanced, a good showing. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister, Ira and 22 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

St Julien in a perfect drinking now and for a couple of decades to come. Brilliant juice — 2 days ago

Tom, Tom and 7 others liked this

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2010

Jan A
9.7

Young ish, wait 5 years — a month ago

Andrew, Robin and 15 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

A knockout left bank Bordeaux. I’ve read that the 2005s may go longer than the potentially even more vaunted 2000s and I might agree based on this bottle. Decanted 5 hours. Cork in perfect shape. Amazing depth of fruit and a ton of Bordeaux earth. Nose goes on and on as does the finish. Was an excellent pairing but a very good but simple roast chicken. — 2 months ago

Ira, Neil and 20 others liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne 2014

Medium light lemon straw colour , very fine constant bubbles . Quite restrained and mineral on the nose , with some light toasty notes , white flowers , lemon oil . Quite closed . On the palate this is really quite intense and mineral , oyster shell , chalky , limestone hints . Some lemon pith and a lightly toasty with a saline hint , fresh acidity , long and detailed , refined and very balanced . Really young still , needs time to open and will be long lived . Better in 5- 10 years and will last well a further 5-10 years — 3 months ago

Ira, Jan and 17 others liked this

Spottswoode

Family Estate Grown St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

2020 vintage. With @Beth Novak . Decanted and tasted after one hour. Medium body. Nose practically leapt out of the glass with plenty to discuss. Flavors a bit more subdued but definitely present. Just enough back-end, tannic presence to hold court. This should be absolute dynamite in 3-5 years. Initial visit a bit over two years ago (9.5) and was more explosive but will cede that to the last impression getting more air time. Said then that this was my fave since the 1991 vintage and sticking by that. 1.2.26. — 3 days ago

Ted, David and 20 others liked this

Spier

Creative Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2020

For me, subtle tannins, balanced acidity and flavors of blackcurtant, dark chocolate and cedar spice. Consumed 11/16/25 w steak. — 2 months ago

Paul liked this

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 1996

Medium lemon , hints of gold , quite a healthy colour with fine pretty persistent bubbles still . This quite intense with candied lemon peel , brioche , oyster shells , touch of porcini . On the palate this is intense ,with good volume and vibrant acidity. Buttered brioche , oyster shell , candied orange and lemon peel . Really quite lovely and intense , long and toasted brioche , chalky finish . This is at peak now , but no rush from here over the next 5 perhaps 10 years . — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister, Ira and 13 others liked this