Particularly approable little beauty that fights well above its weight. Full body with extra long finish with big black berries and and hints of Indian spice. Magic and great value. If in Toronto, stop by Alobar Yorkville. Great wine list and the owner is hands-on in the qood way. — 8 months ago
Silky smooth nose, velvety and soft, with forewarned black currants, just a LITTLE pepper, dark cherry and maybe a little pine forest floor? Some sediment and still grippy tannin, but starting to really loosen, with prominent ripe red fruits of dark , brooding plum, cherry and dark fruits, with hints of graphite, wood, and smoke over a still zingy finish. — 10 months ago
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim. Not showing age at all.
Fruit forward on the nose.
Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, spices, oak, licorice, vanilla, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth and light black tea.
This 24-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is still delicious, though I had hoped it would be even better.
Showing nice complexity and mouthfeel, but it feels a little tired.
Needed 2 hours to open up properly, and remove the mildew notes.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with food too.
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.
13.9% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$100. — 3 months ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty. — 6 months ago
Dark scarlet color with a deep center. Notes of black cherry, cola, roses, cassis, some spice and a little wood char. Amazing perfume in the nose. Smooth and silky in the mouth. Lots of drama with this one, and many agreed the 59 was better than the 45, the 61 and 82 Latours beside it. Bravo! — a year ago
Taken to Hawksmoor in NYC for our uncle’s 75th. Decanted in hotel for 7 hrs before dinner. Dark reddish amber edges with dark tawny color center. Opaque. Great aged Bordeaux nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco and cigar, cassis, old desk wood, saddle leather, some anise, some barnyard and a little mint. Rich and silky in the mouth. Long finish. The bottle (mid shoulder) wasn’t in as good of condition as the one we had a few weeks ago, but the outcome was similar. Family and the Somm all loved it, as did I. — 2 years ago
The 2004 Léoville Las Cases has a noticeable mintiness on the nose that actually complements the red fruit, though it deviates away from what you might call Saint-Julien typicité. After ten minutes, it coheres with ash and black tea aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a rounded texture on the entry. The 2004 shows fine acidity and is lightly spiced with cracked black pepper towards the finish. A little conservative, but it acquits itself well considering the vintage. (Neal Martin, Vinous, June 2024)
— 5 months ago
The bottle of 2014 Pontet-Canet showed better than the previous one at the 10-Year-On tasting in London. This offers much more restraint on the nose. It's quite precise, with greater mineralité seeping through the black cherry and cassis fruit. The palate has a sorbet-fresh entry, fine tannins and a silky sheen. The oak is fully subsumed after a decade, plus there is a little more depth on the finish compared to previous showings. This is a fine example of the vintage, and bottles should drink well over the next 12 to 15 years. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the Pontet-Canet dinner in Washington DC. (Neal Martin, Vinous, June 2024)
— 5 months ago
Inky in color with a short purplish rim.
Strong nose with black fruits, cedar, licorice, chocolates, light vegetables, wild flowers and peppercorn.
Full-bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, currants, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, herbs, licorice, dark chocolates, light earth and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This young Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley is already delicious.
Rich and engaging. Powerful and dark. Still a little unforgiving. Spicy and fruit forward.
Much earthier on the nose than on the palate. Only after 2.5 hours it balances out, so be patient.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years, and has good potential to become a 94+ point wine. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.
I Had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.
Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Grapes were handpicked and aged for 18 months in mostly French oak barrels.
14.2% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$95. — 8 months ago
"Odedi"
Purple in color with a purplish rim.
Fruity nose with blueberries, black plums, stewed cherries, raisins, figs, light oak, licorice, spices, chocolates and peppercorn.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cherries, spices, light wood, peppercorn, dark chocolates and herbs.
Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and tangy cherries.
This 3-year-old Zinfandel from Sonoma County is drinking very nicely now, and will continue to age nicely in the next few years.
Showing nice complexity with a soft mouth feel. Fruit forward and easy drinking. Rich, but not 'too much'.
The alcohol is not very noticeable at this point, although it is very high, so watch out.
I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent. I usually like it better with a little more age.
Wine Spectator 92 points.
A good everyday wine. Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with burger and fries.
A blend of 83% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante and 4% Mixed Reds.
15% alcohol by volume.
90 points.
$25. — a month ago