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. — a month ago
1986 vintage. Sampled five bottles for a 1986 BDX tasting @ Mister A's in San Diego. Double decanted and tasted over four hours. Medium body. Pretty rustic early on and that stayed consistent till the end. Opened up a little later with a splash of bright cherry fruit. Should stay the course for another 5-6 years. 3.14.24 — 2 months ago
2015 vintage. Decanted and tasted immediately. Very little sediment. Medium-medium-heavy body. Structure and both ample grip and fruit in a beautiful balance currently and for the foreseeable future. No rush to crush. Revisit in a decade. Wowzers. 5.17.24. — 2 days ago
1989 vintage. Tasted 5.5.23 (9.5), 4.4.23 (6 different btls-avg 9.4) and 12.9.22 (9.6). Above average fill for the age and impressive cork (about 70% saturated). Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Threw a decent amount of powdery sed. Medium nose slightly muted for the first 10 minutes or so but then came roaring to life. Yes, still the hallmark blueberries and cocoa powder along with a dash of raspberry but bigg graphite with this bottle. Drank consistently great for 1.75 hours, then seemed to lose a little steam at the very end. Not improving but still think cellar dwellers need to be popped in the next five years to enjoy the magic before it fades. 3.28.24. — 2 months ago
Medium deep ruby , quite wide ruby rim . Bit more wood spice on the nose , touch of herbal cassis , blackberry. On the palate quite rigid dark fruits , with a touch of vanilla , blackcurrant and blackberry . Quite grippy tannins with quite good acidity. Decent length with a bit more grafite and tobacco . This probably needs a little time to round out the rather grippy tannins , so better in 5 years and will last well a further 10-15 — 11 days ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim
Earthy nose with light oak, black fruits and tobacco.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with red and black fruits, wood, earth, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, dark coffee, licorice, dark chocolates, black tea and black pepper.
Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 35 year old is still drinking beautifully. This Second Growth Bordeaux is nicely balanced and complex.
Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10+ years.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 4 hours. I did not decant it, but let it open up in the bottle.
Wine Spectator 96 points.
A good food wine that I paired with beef brisket. Gorgeous.
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$275. — 2 months ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
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. — 8 days ago