Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2021 vintage. Tasted with the winemaker, Matt. Slightly more body (solid medium) than expected. Pretty nose with well-blended earth, delicate berries and brusque fruits. Concentration for daze. 4.10.24. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened and decanted about an hour before dinner. No formal notes. The 2007 B. Levet "La Chavaroche" is flat out beautiful right now. The aromatics are off the charts with gorgeous, ripe dark fruits, a bit of the animal, a veritable hillside of lavender, black olives, some deli case, black pepper, some leather and earth. The structure is still firm but everything is well integrated at this point; superbly balanced; great acid. The finish is long and has some ferrous minerals that I simply love. A sublime pairing with a Morgan Ranch Wagyu tenderloin served with corn purée, charred broccolini and juniper ash. The 2007's are absolutely ready to drink now with a short decant (mostly to remove any sediment) however, they will continue to drink well for another 10+ easy from good cellars.
— 3 years ago

Martin Mata

9.0

Tart and lively with notes of pomegranate, strawberry candy, and earth. Easy-drinking and refreshing. Uncomplicated, but has good structure for a wine with such youth. Served slightly chilled. Purchased at Popina in Brooklyn, NY. — 5 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

RRV has never been one of my favorite Zin regions, but an old vineyard like this trumps that. Even at this young age the nose is lively, with deep spicy blackberry fruit and gravelly earth notes. intense and quite structured on the palate, with full body and nice acids. I’m drinking it way too young. It will age beautifully. 9.32 right now, likely higher in a few years. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

An “intermezzo” as we prepared for the reds flights. This was served blind. The 1978 shows really young for its age. Most at the table, including myself, were convinced that this was classified growth Bordeaux with maybe 20-30 years of age. However at least one of us thought it was Napa…and whoa. The color was dark and handsome though there was some sediment (to expected). The fruit was bright but I felt it was secondary to the dried leaf tobacco, earth and leather notes. There was good acid too. Tannins have integrated. Lots of wows when this was revealed while the Napa holdouts gave a smile. Bravo. This could easily live well for another 10 or so years. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Clos du Val Wine Company Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious Cabernet from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, cherries, raisins, dried figs, cedar, licorice, vanilla, spices, tobacco, black pepper and dark chocolates.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, sweet cherries, tobacco, cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and cherries.

This is a delicious and a classic Napa Cabernet. Exactly what you expect from one. Rich, yet not over the top and very chocolatey.

Still very young, but already very tasty. A beautiful Bordeaux blend with lots of potential. Very engaging and approachable at this young age.

Good right out of the bottle, but needs time to open up and show the tannins (90 minutes).

Showing great potential to become a 95+ point wine, and will age nicely in the next 10 years. Already showing nice complexity with a soft and smooth mouthfeel.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak. I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Aged for 19 months in mostly French oak barrels (58% new).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$52. — 5 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.5

This magnum was a gift from co-workers at my old job when I left to take a new one. Nice coworkers! So rich and resolved. This wine reminds me of Neil Young’s Vampire Blues. “I’m a vampire babe. Suckin’ blood from the earth.” Grenache pulled from God’s earth. Incredible intensity and length, but still entirely in balance. Length for days. Iodine, stones, blood. — 2 years ago

with Dan and Angelo

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; no formal notes. A mix of dark and red fruits with tobacco, earth and spices. The wine is finally matured and drinking very well now. It has lost all of the green tones that were more apparent in its youth. Everything is now fully fleshed out and should continue to drink well for another 5+ years. Really, these are some lovely (and age-able) wines from the Four Corners area of CO.
— 4 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

9.0

This recently released 2020 Blend of Syrahs from historic vineyards across California is a rich purple in the glass, doesn’t open with much of a nose, and delivers a smooth, rich mouthfeel with hints of violet and a little oak. Maybe not the greatest of vintages for this wine but still an easy drinking wine and a great value at +/-$25. Update 3/25: Some three years later this has developed nicely with a big nose of dark fruit and underbrush, and a palate with similar fruit, earth, minerality and maybe a hint of licorice. Increased rating. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

8.9

This wine has a deep ruby hue.

First impression involved caramel, vanilla, anise, black licorice, plum, black currant on the nose/palate; as it opened, nutmeg, cardamom, earth, cured meat, leather, espresso, and chocolate came forward.

Lovely Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc) with great balance and nice complexity.

Was in the mood for Bordeaux this eve. It didn’t clash with the meal (spinach / aged cheeses, ravioli, flat leaf parsley, scallions, roasted aubergine) but didn’t much enhance the experience either. It was still very much enjoyable. No regrets.
@deked1

Clos du Jaugueyron (Théron), Haut-Medoc. Vintage 2015. ABV 13.5%. — 5 years ago

with Deked1