Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — 20 days ago
Amazing w/ the Allen Brothers A-5 wagyu.
This is another Bordeaux producer that makes wines for the ages. I’ve waited & waited on 2000, this shows some readiness. Yet, will go another 20 plus years.
Tonight this is well balanced earth & candied fruit. In 10 years, this is candied fruit & florals.
Still medium plus tannins. Blackberries, black raspberries, black plum with ample skin, juicy dark cherries, poached strawberries, raspberries, dry limestone grains with powder, dark, forest floor with dry leaves, some dry herbaceousiness-bay leaf, mint, dark spice, clove, nutmeg, some cinnamon, hints of vanillin, mid berry cola, sandalwood to cedar shavings, used leather, pipe tobacco, anise, some mocha, sun tea, dark, red, purple flowers with a touch of blue, excellent acidity and a well knitted structure, balanced, nicely tensioned with a ripe, elegant finish that lasts two-minutes.
Photos of; Chateau Calon Segur, tasting room, barrel cellar and estate vineyard. — 5 days ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to do a side by side with the ‘88, and also check in against the Montelena. Profile wise, this leans ripe and modern stylistically. There is a kiss of brett that takes you to Bordeaux but it’s mostly red and black fruit driven with a vanilla pipe tobacco sweetness, leather, cassis and a little bit of a floral note, especially aromatically. Big structure for the vintage, but open for business now if you can give it a few hours in the decanter. — a month ago
Deep almost opaque ruby , narrow ruby rim . Quite closed and mineral at first , cassis , dark richer rounder fruits , blackberry and dark cherry . Richer more dense darker fruits on the palate , cassis , blackberry , with quite a mineral , grafite , earthy undertone . Rounded but high gritty tannins , good balanced refreshing acidity . Quite a big powerful wine but the alcohol is well integrated . Good length , with a touch of grafite and spice on the saline tinged finish. This should be given time , another 10 years preferably , and will show well for a further 10-15. — 8 days ago
The 2012 Opus One is a terrific choice for drinking now. Silky and beautifully perfumed, the 2012 is wonderfully open-knit in this tasting. The purity of the fruit is alluring, There's still a good bit of freshness, too. Naturally, the 2012 reflects the medium-bodied style that is typical of the year, but all the elements are very nicely balanced. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, rose petal, spice and blood orange linger. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
— 7 days ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
A treat to try this next to the ‘88, and also against a mini-flight of Leoville Barton. This ‘14 was shockingly odd…unbelievably high toned, sharp, and bing cherry driven aromatically. It actually has this weird cherry reduction profile but also a malic/butter note that needs time to blow off. Crème de cassis and red licorice on the palate with a small amount of graphite. A lot of Calistoga cabs for me show the warmth of the region and this evidently is in that vein, but it’s very Montelena-esque at the end of the day. I’d hold another 5-7yrs. — a month ago
Norman Gennaro
I’m tasting a bit of greenness and it’s faded but for what it is and its age - nice — 9 days ago