Mixed Tape
Nickel & Nickel
John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
93 that leans into 94 and will see another point or two with 10 years in bottle.
Sofia and I used to go to their futures luncheon for many years. This vineyard consistently yields fruit that makes one of their best Cabernet’s.
It’s lush as it enters and falls onto dry, meaty tannins. Blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries & purple fruits. Dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, limestone & volcanic minerals, moist clay, dry tobacco, new, raw leather, still very woody, mixed mid & dark berry cola, plenty of baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, dark spices with some heat, some dry herbs, dark melted, chocolate, cocoa powder, caramel notes, bright, fresh & candied florals that are dark, red, blue and framed in violets & lavender, ver nice round acidity with a highly structured, tensioned, well balanced and polished finish that lasts 90 seconds but still lands squarely on wood. — 9 months ago
Girard Winery
Mixed Blacks Napa Valley Red Blend 2021
Reminiscent of the Petite Syrah with added dark fruit and oak. Just really enjoying the Mixed Black this vintage. — 6 months ago
Château Léoville Barton
Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1988
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. — 7 months ago
Château Cos d'Estournel
Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2004
The 2004 Cos d'Estournel has an impressive bouquet with black cherries, hoisin, rose petals and blood orange scents, all mixed with melted tar and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied, with a strong menthol element on the entry that rather dominates the terroir expression. It is very spicy on the finish, with cough candy on the aftertaste. It may be a bit bombastic considering the vintage, but it will continue to age in bottle. (Neal Martin, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Anthill Farms
Mixed Blacks Peugh Vineyard Red Blend
Ripe red fruits with good acidity to balance. Sweet tannins on the finish. Needs some time to open up — 9 months ago
Jones Family Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
1998 not the best Napa vintage. This defies that a bit. If I rounded up, would make 9.4. From their original winemaker, not TRB as in latter vintages. This is a little the other side of its peak but really delicious. On the first few sips, a touch a tomato w/ leaf. There is even the faintest of bandaid-v/a on the nose.
But the nose reveals slightly, liqueured, stewed fruits of blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, poached strawberries, and creamy raspberries. Limestone, dry brush, mixed dark berry cola, black licorice, dark, rich earth, mid dark, spices, clove, some ruby, lush, fresh & withering dark, red and purple florals.
Slightly, liqueured, stewed fruits of blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, creamy raspberries & blueberries on the long open/finish. Limestone, moist, volcanic clays, dry brush, mixed dark berry cola, black licorice, warm, salted, caramel, dark fruit tea, dark, rich earth, some fresh tobacco, sandalwood, light, cinnamon, nutmeg, dark spices, clove, vanillin, ruby, lush, fresh & withering dark, red and purple florals framed in violets, round acidity and a well structured, tensioned, balanced, well polished finish that lasts two-minutes. — a year ago
Jason Phillips
Dark and complex. Varietal blend of Grenache, Syrah, Petit Syrah, Mourverde, and Viogneir. An excellent winemaker’s brilliant recipe. — 2 months ago