Elegant Elephant

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

Beautiful, intensely perfumed nose. Ripe cherries, wildflowers, orange zest, beautifully broad and full-bodied. Ripe, full-bodied, powerful, yet elegant. A wine that excels in its details. An iron fist in a velvet glove. — 2 days ago

Eric, Jan and 1 other liked this

Hirsch Vineyards

San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir 2014

Lyle Fass
9.2

It’s got that CA profile. Dusty earth and tooti frooti but also has some good spice. But yea, that CA profile. Elegant, sweet and balanced. Not big but small and pure. Nice. — 22 days ago

Jonathan, Scott@Mister and 5 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

From magnum. Slightly deeper ruby , thin ruby rim . Quite a lot more dense and darker fruits , cassis , violet , red plum , blackberry, warm earth . On the palate this is denser and more tannic , more body , dark cassis , summer fruits , violets , hedgerow fruits . Hugely elegant and long , balanced and refined . Mineral and earthy but bright and vivacious . Again shows pretty similar to last year , more dense, intense and bigger boned than La Mission , but still supremely refined and balanced . Come back in 10 -15 years , and will surely show well for another 15-20 — a month ago

Jay, Scott@Mister and 20 others liked this

Château Beychevelle

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

#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.
— 2 months ago

Andrew, Daniel and 20 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 1995

Garnet core , wide terracotta rim . Quite aromatic with sous bois , floral hints , spiced dried cherry, iodine , earth and leather . On the palate this has high acidity , fine tannins , orange rind , wet earth, sous bois , dried cherry . Good length . Ready drink now and over the next 5 years , just starting to run out of steam after a couple of hours . Elegant and refined in style — 9 days ago

Dave, Jeroen and 11 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2004

Medium ruby garnet quite narrow terracotta rim . Quite herbal , dried strawberry and red cherry nose , touch of iodine , sous bois , dried mushroom notes , discreet roasted coffee note after a while. Quite pretty red fruits on the palate with good freshness , strawberry , earthy cherry and a marine , iodine like note , sous bois underneath . Quite elegant and well balanced acidity with fine tannic grip . Good red fruit , earthy tinged finish . This is showing more advanced than the 2001 Reserva , and would like to try another bottle of this , as I suspect this half is a bit below par. On the basis of this bottle drink now and over the next 5 or so years . — a month ago

Tom, Shay and 4 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1983

Château Latour is an iconic estate in the Pauillac commune on the left bank of Bordeaux, achieving coveted ‘First Growth’ status in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.

The estate has roots dating back to the 14th century and derives its name ‘La Tour’ from a fortress tower built during the Hundred Years’ War, which no longer exists but is prominently featured on the label in recognition of its history.

We weren’t sure what to expect, as many have predicted these 1983s are likely past their prime, but this wine was a masterpiece. 🤩

It was medium garnet in color with expressive notes of cedar box, cigar, clove, peat, leather, forest floor, fig, prune, dried black cherry, plum, cassis, blackberry compote, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, dried violet, potpourri, kalamata olive, pencil shavings, graphite, & bacon fat.

It had the most velvety, fine-grained tannins that washed across the palate with ease, with a gentle but notable acidity that maintained lift and balance. It was concentrated, complex, and had a long, elegant finish.
— 2 months ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Ted and 18 others liked this
Paul K

Paul K

Happy Birthday @Vanessa way to celebrate in style!
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Paul K Thank you for the bday wishes! It was an auspicious and delicious way to start my next trip around the sun ☀️ Cheers! And we hope to reconnect with you guys soon! 🍾🥂
Paul K

Paul K

We will absolutely figure out something this summer!!!

Thierry Allemand

Cornas Reynard (R) Syrah 2014

Medium ruby , quite wide medium ruby garnet rim . This is quite aromatic , with earthy sous bois , violets , black pepper , garrigue . On the palate quite elegant and dark fruited , bright acidity and quite strict tannins . Good cassis, blackberry , menthol touches , sous bois , grafite finish . This is ready and drinking well but will probably continue at this level for another 5-10 years or so. At Drouant Restaurant, Paris . — a day ago

Dave, Daron and 10 others liked this
Dave

Dave

Do you live in Paris?
Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore Premium Badge

No @Dave , just here for a couple of days …. So any suggestions of places to go are very welcome ! Was impressed by the wine lists at Drouant to be honest , lots of depth and prices that were really quite reasonable, and the food was pretty good too …
Dave

Dave

I'm not sure where you're staying, but i always hang out at Robert et Louise. It's got a nice vibe, great food, and a sensible wine list. Prices are pretty good, too. Just across the river from Notre Dame. https://www.robertetlouise.com/

Château Calon-Ségur

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish, cloudy rim.

Red fruits on the nose with light oak, tobacco leaf, herbs, earth and light chocolates notes.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, herbs, light vegetables, earth, dark chocolates and peppercorn.

Nice finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 10 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Saint Estephe is starting to drink beautifully now, but still feels young.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years. Showing good potential to become a 94+ point wine in 10 years.

Rich, but not extracted. Soft and elegant. Fruity and complex. Nicely balanced and interesting.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with food too.

A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in all New French oak barrels for 20 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$180.
— a month ago

Dave, Daniel and 17 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

Double-decanted earlier in the day; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1995 pours a perfect garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe cassis, black cherry, mixed flowers, tobacco, earth, menthol and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium, integrated tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Classy. This is an elegant expression of Bordeaux and showed so well tonight. Thanks Andy! Drink now through 2040. — 2 months ago

Peter, Tom and 25 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

There is a lot to like about St. Julien producers. But this one might be my favorite.
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Somm David T I think so too. But then I have a bottle of Gruaud Larose and I second guess myself