Mommy's Time Out
Jones Family Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.
I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.
The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.
The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.
What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle. — 7 months ago
Domaine Coche-Dury (J.F. Coche Dury)
Meursault Chardonnay 2017
2017 vintage. Lemon zest and saline nose with toasty oak hovering about. Medium body with striking, brilliant yellow Chartreuse color. Initially and throughout, the wine was as taut as piano wire. Decanted 5 minutes after opening and tasted 30 mins after the decant. That toasty oak char came to play along with plenty of acidity. Quite the mouthful of wine currently. A tad tempestuous and in definite need of a mandatory, half-decade time out before being allowed to participate at recess again. 12.09.24. — 2 years ago
R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2011
#AgedWineTuesday.
When in Rioja, drink Rioja.
Reddish in color with a wide reddish rim.
Nose of red fruits with earth and mildew notes.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Elegant and restrained.
On the palate red fruits with earth, light wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, light wet leaves and peppercorn.
Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This recent release of this Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now.
A good quality wine. Easy drinking, and a good food wine that I paired with dried meats and crackers.
This 11 year old feels so very young still, and will continue to age nicely in the next 25 years.
Needs time to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.
A blend of 70% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 6 years in used American oak barrels.
13% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$60. — 3 years ago
Kukeri
Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a tasty one from Mount Veeder.
Deep ruby in color with a reddish rim.
Fruity nose of black plums, black currants, dark coffee, oak, spices, pencil lead, vanilla, tobacco, licorice, earth, light herbs and peppercorn.
Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, coffee, vanilla, spices, cola, licorice, mint, black pepper, bitter herbs, vegetables and earth.
Tangy finish with fine grained tannins, cranberries and peppercorn.
This young Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is starting to drink nicely now, although it needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly.
Showing nice complexity, elegant and spicy, with lots of earth notes.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour of airtime.
Smooth, elegant and tangy. Feels like a young Bordeaux, and will age nicely in the next 10 years.
Good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with BBQ Meats. I paired it with a Brie cheese and crackers.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged for 30 months in French oak barrels (50% new). A tiny production of only 125 cases.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$95. — 4 years ago
Long Shadows Vintners
Pedestal Columbia Valley Merlot 2016
Time for a good Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a delicious one from Washington State.
Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.
Nose of black plums, cedar, chocolates, coffee, cooked cherries, leather, light vegetables, earth, licorice, black tea, tobacco and black pepper.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cherries, chocolates, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.
Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a very tasty Merlot from Columbia Valley. Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel. Another delicious wine from Michel Rolland.
Still young, but already tasty. Drinking very nicely now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.
Good by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle, but better after an hour of airtime, as the complexity comes in. Showing nice complexity already.
Wine Enthusiast 89 points.
Tangy and interesting. A Delicious wine.
A blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 22 months in (85% new) French Oak barrels.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$65. — 6 years ago
Peter Michael Winery
Estate Vineyards Les Pavots Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2014
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep purple in color with a short purple rim. Not showing age at all.
Beautiful nose of black currants, blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, light cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates, black tea, light eucalyptus and licorice.
Full-bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, light earth, herbs, chocolates, black tea, black pepper, spices and cola.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Knights Valley in Sonoma County. Rich and elegant. Fruit forward and very complex.
Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Feels like a Napa Cabernet based Bordeaux blend.
Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 45 minutes in the decanter. Really gorgeous once it opens up.
Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.
Wine Advocate 95 points. Wine Spectator 93 points.
Great by itself as a sipping wine or with food, like a big piece of steak.
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
15% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$175. — 6 months ago
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1986
Medium deep garnet ruby , quite thin garnet terracotta rim . This is quite classic and more austere on the nose after the 1990s , grafite , cedar, sweet spice , earthiness and mint. More dry and four square on the palate compared to the 1990s but enough stuffing to fill out. Cassis , plum and blackberry , coffee , grafite . Refreshing acidity , slightly grippy drier tannin. Sous bois , grafite , herbal character with good length and earthy cassis finish . This got better with time in the glass and probably should have been decanted . This shows there is some upside , from now , with time in the glass, and over the next 10 years. The wine that improved the most during the dinner , quite impressive . — 8 months ago
Spottswoode
Family Estate Grown St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 2 years ago
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1914
What a treat. Showing its age. Darker than you’d expect given it’s a war vintage. Tea colored at the edges. Soft, faded fruit. Orange rind, some dried herbs, mushroom, black tea, cured meat. Some dried wood, dried roses. A slight tart tang. Softening out and adding done delicate sherry notes with time in the glass. An amazing wine given the age. Certainly not a powerhouse but really special- a taste of history — 3 years ago
Opus One
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989
Thanksgiving with relatives. Brother-in-law never has had an Opus One so I dug into the cellar and found my last one; a 1989 half bottle. I thought it was passed its prime but the brother-in-law thought it was wonderful! I’m not remembering where this vintage rated. Some people just like the funkiness of old wines but I just like them much younger. It was time for this one to go away and am glad some got some enjoyment out of it. His rating, not mine. I gave up on the brand several years ago, sold off my collection at a profit and haven’t looked back. I’ll try it if it is presented to me but don’t have a desire to purchase anymore. — 5 years ago
Bonneau du Martray
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay 1994
Light gold. Bright and young looking, which is encouraging given a recent bottle of this came across as much darker and tired. Powerful nose. Huge bouquet of spiced apricots, white dusty earth, lemon, gravel stone and some floral notes. In the mouth, the fruit comes out and there is plenty of acidity to make this very enjoyable. Stony with abundant minerality. Missing just a little bit in the mid palate. But I love it when you hit a great rebound bottle like this after a bad one. BTW, this isn’t the first time a home run has been hit with a 94 white burg vintage... there are some gems if you get lucky — 6 years ago
Perus Wine
Bryn Proprietary Red Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2022
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.
Very complex nose with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, eacaliptus, Indian spices and black pepper.
Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and very fruity on the palate with black plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, licorice, vanilla, milk chocolates, dried fruits and peppercorn.
Very long finish with fine grained tannins, spices and cherries.
This 3 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is already drinking gorgeously. Rich and extracted, yet elegant. Soft and smooth with a great mouthfeel.
Still young, but already so delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 10 years and see how it evolves.
I've had many different vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.
Fruity, good right out of the bottle, and much better after 4 hours in the decanter.
Powerful with subtle elegance. Spicy and entertaining. A gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. A small production of only 300 cases.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
95 points.
$200. — 6 months ago
Perus Wine
Janeen Proprietary Red Blend 2021
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Inky in color with a short reddish rim.
Strong and very aromatic nose of violets, blackberries, stewed plums, sweet cherries, cedar, toast, light vanilla, spices, dark chocolates, licorice, coffee, peppercorn, light cola and sweet tobacco.
Full-bodied and creamy with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate and very fruity with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, dried figs, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, dark chocolates, light earth, herbs and spices.
Long long finish with fine grained tannins, cherries and raspberries.
This 4 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is already gorgeous. Showing great complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Elegant and fruit forward. Nicely balanced and engaging.
Good right out of the bottle, but so much better after 3 hours in the decanter.
Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.
Very complex already, and very entertaining. Powerful and velvety.
Showing a surprisingly beautiful nose already, especially considering its young age.
I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent. So far, my favorite vintage of it was the 2016.
A fabulous sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels for 20 months. A small production of less than 1,500 bottles.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$235. — 7 months ago
Caymus Vineyards
Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Caymus Vineyards – Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Napa Valley, California – USA 🇺🇸
Overview
Special Selection is Caymus’ flagship bottling, the only wine to twice earn Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year.” The 2013 vintage comes from a benchmark Napa year—warm, consistent, and producing deeply concentrated fruit. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from prime valley-floor sites, this wine showcases the Caymus hallmark: bold, plush, and fruit-driven Napa opulence.
Aromas & Flavors
Opulent blackberries, cassis, and baked blueberries, wrapped in layers of cocoa, espresso, and toasted vanilla. Secondary notes of licorice, sweet tobacco, and graphite add depth. With time in the glass, hints of cedar and leather start to show, signaling the early stages of graceful evolution.
Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and richly textured, almost velvet-like, with powerful yet polished tannins. The 2013 vintage delivers intensity and weight, but with balance—long, lingering finish loaded with ripe dark fruit and spice.
Winemaking Notes
Meticulous cluster selection, long maceration for depth, and extended aging in new French oak barrels (18+ months). Chuck Wagner’s hallmark style: unapologetically ripe fruit, creamy oak integration, and a seamless, approachable structure even in youth.
Food Pairing
A natural match for grilled ribeye, braised short ribs, or herb-crusted lamb. For a more indulgent pairing, try it with aged Gouda or truffle-infused dishes.
Verdict
A monumental vintage of Caymus Special Selection—ripe, hedonistic, and still showing youthful vigor more than a decade later. Built for aging, yet already a crowd-pleaser. A benchmark expression of Napa Cabernet’s luxurious side.
Personal Pick Highlight
2013 stands out as one of Napa’s greatest modern vintages, and tasting it now is like catching Caymus in its prime sweet spot: power meeting polish. Cheers! — 10 months ago
Grand Napa Vineyards
Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Pretty nose of blue and black fruits with light oak, licorice, tobacco and chocolates.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, black cherries, light oak, spices, dark chocolates, herbs, coffee, licorice, peppercorn and pencil lead.
Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 4-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking nicely now with nice complexity.
Soft, elegant and easy drinking. Showing nice complexity, tangy and interesting. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.
Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime. I gave it 90 minutes in the decanter. Shows a very pretty nose once it opens up.
Not your typical Napa Cabernet, as it is more in the Left Bank Bordeaux Style.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$55. — 3 years ago
De Toren
Z Merlot Blend 2016
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Pretty nose of currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, leather, chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, eucalyptus, peppercorn, alcohol, black tea and violets.
Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.
Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, oak, vanilla, licorice, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, pencil lead and light mint.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a delicious Merlot based Bordeaux blend from South Africa.
This 6 year old is starting to drink very nicely now. Nicely balanced with a smooth mouthfeel. Spicy and opulent. Fruit-forward and elegant with nice complexity.
Gets tangier as it opens up, and feels like a Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon.
Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 90 minutes in the decanter. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Wine Enthusiasts 91 points. Robert Parker 90 points.
A blend of 54% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$45. — 4 years ago
Valdicava
Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2006
Amazing brunello...love this producer...dried red fruit/black fruits, savory, leather and cigar box. Came out of the gate with some VA and barnyard funk which made it fun as the structural elements all there..it blew away in time but overall just perfect. Paired with grandmas pizza! — 6 years ago
Norman
Brother in law brought out some amazing wines for Easter dinner and his son’s birthday. Didn’t catch them all but these two were exceptional. This one got a short decant could have used more opening time but who are we kidding it was amazing with a pop and pour. The depth of flavor right out of the bottle - insane. Amazing nose, great flavors in the palate and a finish that lasted. Clearly WOTN and we should have given it way more time. I gave it as much time in glass as possible. To hard not to drink. — 3 months ago