Hard Knocks Brewing

Cantina Bartolo Mascarello

Barolo Nebbiolo 2021

Tar and roses. Soft yet anvil hard. Red brick dust. Anis. Power & subtlety. — 4 days ago

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1995

5/25 with Howard. Lotsa power. Hard edged at first with lots of structure. Mellowed beautifully. Complex. Became port like. 90 — 5 months ago

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2014

Broke out one of my cellared Raffaults for my homeboy who graced me with a home cooked Tuscan styled flank steak w rosemary & arugula, as well as Israeli cous cous w chickpeas, charred tomatoes, feta, & herbs. Light Cadmium red hued & strong color though ( good cork- not a guarantee w Raffault!); dense Hibiscus, fresh raspberry & some bramble on nose; on palate very clean & smooth mouthfeel, with the initial flavors repeated but a deeper blend of red fruits & a stronger presence of under brush. Super fresh & integrated. Elegant, & the Burgundy echo was hard to ignore. Not Uber complex but not monolithic either, which this line of Raffault can be in its youth ( or as it ages). Very impressive, & accessible now. Curious how my ‘02 & 07s will fare… — a year ago

Owen Mazon
with Owen
Ira, Pinotman and 8 others liked this
Ira Schwartz

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@Peter Sultan I am always surprised this is not on more restaurant wine-lists given the price to quality ratio.
Peter Sultan

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I have no evidence other than anecdotal but I suspect bottle variability- both from my experience and from what wine stores have told me. I imagine too it’s a tricky wine to sell given it can really shut down for periods. But all guesses @Ira Schwartz …..

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

Smooth and effortless with no hard edges, even in a warm year. Seductively savory with currant, strawberry, leather, tobacco, coffee bean, and bone marrow. There’s an incredible gamey streak here. Oak is impeccably balanced. Just tip toeing into some bricking.
The pedigree is clear. Counting myself lucky.
My
#1 tonight.
— 21 days ago

Jonathan, Scott@Mister and 7 others liked this
Somm David T

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Warm, ripe vintage.

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2014

Lots of promise, great on the nose, but the tannin clamps down hard right now. It has a bright future but isn’t there yet. — 9 months ago

Shay, Ira and 3 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Cathy Corison
8.9

Green olives, chocolate, licorice. Intense. Not at all fruity. Tar. Hard. Low acid. I don’t get the hype. Thick. Bitter — 3 years ago

Paul, Austin and 16 others liked this
Ken Z

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Maybe just in a closed down phase? Perhaps a bit more time. I remember. This being good upon release around 2018, but haven't had it since.

Ziereisen

Hard Chardonnay 2019

Lyle Fass
9.4

Always so good. Opulent and incisive. Deep nose. Lots of amplitude. Huge limestone. Herbal. So complex. German Chardonnay is so awesome. What a palate. Huge core of apple and pear fruit and stacked with minerals and a malo sweetness. So long and nimble. Gorgeous wine. Almost 9.5. — 3 years ago

Severn, Eric and 4 others liked this

Enderle & Moll

Liaison Pinot Noir 2015

Liked the 2014 even better. This is less earthy. Lime, black forest herbs hard to describe. Raspberry, Oregano, Cherry .🍒 crushed rock - drink up! — a month ago

Scott@Mister, Lyle and 4 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2021

Unbelievably young but already smooth. Really fruity at this stage but will evolve nicely. Was hard to identify as a Supertuscan. Would consider buying some of this vintage and forgetting about it for 10 years... — 6 months ago

Lisanne, Ira and 27 others liked this

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2019

First time tasting the ‘19 vintage, and the Produttori edged out one of my fave under the radar barolistas this early on. Maybe because it released sooner? Both red fruited with sour cherries and elegant tamed tannin/acid, but the Produttori had another gear of sweet incense and hard candy. The vintage does remind me of a more approachable’13 from a tannin perspective. — 2 years ago

Lyle, Serge and 17 others liked this
Jay Kline

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I feel like Giacomo Fenocchio’s single vineyard Barolos need a lot of time (although Villero is usually a bit more approachable young)
Jae Cho

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@Jay Kline yep, agree 100%. I have a few to lay down but I usually open one at release to see how many I want to buy.