Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Château Léoville Poyferré
Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2004
Mostly black fruits with notes of cassis, cedar, leather, graphite & tobacco — 7 days ago
Opus One
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2010
A perfect wine. Balanced and complex. A gorgeous first hit of plum with a hint of cherry. So broad fruit at first but then settles on the tongue with a noise terror of tannin. No bitterness just smooth and lovely. Girgeous wine. 2010 vintage gift bottle from Donna and Anders — 14 days ago
Harlan Estate
Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 2004
Opened and decanted for about 2 hours
Evolved from being tight and Bordeaux like to eventually giving off some red fruits and having a kirsch like flavor
Fairly robust and a lot of depth. — a month ago
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1961
1/2 hour decant(decent fine sediment). A striking dark ruby red with bricking. On the nose: Captivating notes of dark fruit, forest floor, worn leather, mushroom, cigar, smoked meat, some bandaid(brett). Taste: silky, classic, elegant wine with dried red berries, currants, tobacco, saline, minerals and a cedar graphite long dry finish. YUM! What a thrill to drink tonight! — 14 days ago
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2006
I recently had a conversation with a few Joseph Phelps Ambassador’s at Pebble Beach Food & Wine in April. I said, I had every vintage of Insignia back to 2006 in storage. They said, “you should really drink up the 2006.” So, I coravined an 06 last weekend, a taste. I agreed then. But tonight not the case, it shows it still has a fair amount of life. Another 5-8 yrs and perhaps plus.
My Ribcap, a definition of Medium Rare Plus.
The nose reveals floral; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, dark cherries and blue fruit notes. Melted dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, softly layered baking spices, very underrated graphite, steeped tea, mid berry cola, red licorice, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, red, dark candied to slightly withering florals w/ liquid violet cola.
The palate shows well resolved, rounded, velvety M+ tannins. Nicely ripe fruits that are floral; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, dark cherries and blue fruit notes. Melted dark chocolate, mocha, caramel river, softly layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, warm caramel, dark Asian spices with palate burrowing heat, dry tobacco/ leather, cedar, grilled meats, very underrated graphite, sweet tarriness, black licorice, steeped tea, mid berry cola, red licorice, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, red, dark candied to slightly withering florals w/ liquid violet cola, candied to withering; dark, red, blue florals wrapped in liquid violets, epic rainfall acidity, well balanced-structured-toned, elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls on earth & heated spice.
95-96 peaking. — 14 days ago
Beaulieu Vineyard
Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
2021 vintage. Tasted via Coravin. So the deals definitely afoot in Napa (and elsewhere in CA) currently. This was light-medium/medium body. Not the biggest Cabernet footprint on the delicate palate. But wow...immediately engaging and intimate simultaneously. Having tasted the late 60's, some 70's, most of the 80's, and nearly all of the 90's-2010's vintages of this at some point...actually feel like this is the wine this property has always wanted to make since inception. It's pure, authentic, and pared to the bone. Zen-like. No fluff, no fat. Tasting a Cabernet like this reminds me (yet again) how bastardized things have truly gotten along CA Hwy 29. Picked up two 6-packs and we'll see how it does. Leaner and biting-playfully. So unlike nearly all Napa cabs these days so it comes across as a huge palate/Napa Cab market reset now. Have been able to take or leave BV over the decades compared to Phelps, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Dunn, Diamond Creek, Mondavi, Mayacamas, Heitz and the rest of the really old guard but blind taste this against any 2020 or newer Napa Cab and/or Bordeaux and see where it slots for you. 8.5.26. — 10 days ago
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1966
This btl was still fresh & in perfect condition. I am always amazed how well the 66’s show especially the La Mission HB. — 3 days ago
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1995
Medium deep ruby garnet with a quite wide medium garnet rim . This has quite an open personality with cigar box , earth , grafite and cedar and some spicy cassis underneath. Showing maturity and quite classic in style. On the palate suave and polished , with resolved fine tannins . There is good depth with some sous bois , but mostly mixed summer fruits , earthy dark cherry and grafite. Good length , perfectly balanced alcohol, and lovely salivating freshness . This grows in the glass , showing more facets , at a great moment , without the need for an extended decant . After a while this become a touches more smoky , hints of soy sauce , violet and sea spray. Grafite tinged saline finish . Perfect now , though no rush , best over the next 5-8 years . At Hawksmoor , Liverpool , 26th July . — 20 days ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1962
Tired but jammy dried fruit, rubber, BS, violets, rose.
Cherry, pomegranate, red current, nice acid and body. Beautiful! — 2 days ago
Dominus Estate
Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2023
Dark ruby/ inky in color with a short purple rim.
Red and black fruits on the nose with cedar, chocolates, spices, tobacco, coffee and black pepper.
Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, black currants, black plums, cedar, licorice, chocolates, herbs, coffee, light earth, spices, tobacco leaf and light pencil lead.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This young Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley is starting to drink beautifully now. Rich and easy drinking.
Fruit forward and complex, soft and smooth. Spicy and entertaining, powerful yet refined. Showing good balance albeit a little hot at the back of the throat, at this point.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years and shows good potential to become a 94+ point wine.
A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with food.
A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot.
15% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$250. — 21 days ago
Andrew Cullimore
Medium deep garnet ruby with a narrow garnet rim . Dusty grafite , cedar and cassis , currants , oyster shell , quite deep and classic . On the palate this is quite dense and tannic still , deep dark cassis , herbal tinged cedar and very grafite tinged on the finish . Fresh acidity , but still good mid palate richness and even though the tannins are quite dry and grippy , this is well balanced and relatively generous . Good length on the classic grafite , oyster shell tinged finish. This didn’t need a lot of decanting time to show well , though it certainly changes and improves with time in the glass . Classic in style , but still quite generous for Latour , this is just reaching its drinking window , will continue at this level for another 5-10 years at least and probably more. — 11 days ago