Nice Winery

Ridge Vineyards

Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Blend 2023

Really well crafted Zinfandel-based blend, clearly reads as Zin without being too overbearingly fruity or jammy. Finish has a lot of nice subtle complexity — 5 months ago

Tom, Neil and 3 others liked this

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The acidity carries it through. Nice little cellar find. — 5 months ago

Jose, Juan and 9 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2021

Somm David T
9.5

Fruit is brighter, more brilliant than many other 21’s I’ve had. Texturally & fruit-wise senses more like the 23’s I’ve had. It’s gorgeous. Again, needs a decade or more in the cellar.

Round, lush, creamy blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums, poached strawberries, dry, crushed rocks, limestone powder, nice balling spices, caramel, mocha, dry herbs, dry tobacco, lead pencil, dry river stone, leather, melted, dark chocolate, dark spice, fresh & withering dark flowers, red roses, nice round acidity, well balanced, bigger tension & structure, excellent round, excellent finish that last minutes and lands on spice, wet clay and Christmas cake.
— 5 months ago

Tom, Juan and 19 others liked this

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 1978

This bottle was in perfect condition has incredible balance with black and red fruits earth, spice garrigue. As good as you would hope should hold for another five years. Nice juice ! — 6 months ago

Ira, Eddie and 1 other liked this

Louis M. Martini

Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

Really nice, flavorful but felt light. Mom liked. Rich liked. — 6 months ago

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2008

A bit of a disappointment on the bottle of LB. The nose was enticing with nice dark fruit and a hint of tobacco. Wine was tannic and a tad dry on the palate - and mouthfeel was not well rounded. Finish felt quite short Not a well balanced wine — 6 months ago

David Stein
with David
Tyler and LM liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2002

Ron R
9.6

Not the best of vintage in Bdx, but the winemaker clearly pulled off some acrobatics here.
Nose displays the usual Cos spice-box signature, along with notes of forest floor, sage and mushrooms. Palate is rich and dense showing no signs of age. Nice mature casis profile links up with brambles and sandalwood. Tannins continue to prop up this outstanding example.
— 6 months ago

Andrew MooreRick K
with Andrew and Rick
Paul, Ted and 25 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2022

This was a gift vintage 2022 and was very nice wine — 7 months ago

Daou Vineyards

Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Ted
8.9

Nice soft Cabernet. Used most of it for my northern Italian stew. Just pop the cork and away you go — 5 months ago

Sharon, Jose and 9 others liked this
Sharon B

Sharon B Influencer Badge

I love Daou wine cheers!

Freemark Abbey

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Fragrant and structured. Densely colored with no bricking. Lovely nose shows rich cassis fruit, a bit of scorched earth, a little clovey oak (not too much), ashy cigars, and a note that reminds me of collard greens simmering with a smoked ham hock. Very youthful in the mouth, with vigorous tannin giving lots of structure. Clingy but somewhat austere in the mouth. This plainly needs more time than I thought it would. It’s still nice on its own before dinner, but should be better with rich food.

UPDATE: Now, after two hours open, this has become soft and friendlier than it was. Still nicely structured, but the fruit is more welcoming.
— 5 months ago

Ray, Doug and 31 others liked this
Severn G

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A very favorite producer in our cellar...
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

@Severn G - I know! I’ve read with some degree of jealousy your reviews of some of the single vineyard bottlings!
Severn G

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@Tom Casagrande They introduced a new vineyard recently, Colline, also in Rutherford. I bought one vintage of it, only to give us a full horizontal of their top level offerings. But I think my days of buying new FAW are in the past now, we have lots and IMO their craft wants 15-25Y for my palate.

Seghesio Family Vineyards

Sonoma County Zinfandel 2022

Nice fruit, mellow tannins. Went well with Costco Australian mutton chops. — 5 months ago

Allegrini

Palazzo della Torre Veronese Corvina Blend 2022

2022 vintage. Very nice, especially for the price. A little too bitter for H, but I quite liked it. Best within first few hours of opening — 6 months ago

Serge liked this

Billecart-Salmon

Brut Rosé Champagne Chardonnay Blend

Wow, very nice wine!! Crisp and flavorful. Light rose petal flavors and herbaceous. A light citrus on the back end. Well balanced with a great finish! — 6 months ago

Andrew liked this

Faust

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Dark Ruby color with aromas of berry fruits, herbs and earthy oak spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry, raspberry and currants with espresso, cacao and earthy notes. Well balanced, lively acidity, fine tannins long ending with fruit, oak, mineral and tobacco spice! Very Nice Napa Cab! — 6 months ago

Tom, Douglas and 5 others liked this

Heitz Cellar

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Don’t drink a ton of Napa cab but it’s nice to have a nice one made in a somewhat more restrained style. 13.5%. Definitely young, the air helps - would wait several years or give a big decant. But even without a ton of that still very good with deep berry fruit, oaky dusty tannins that are relatively balanced. Great acid on the long finish. Excellent pairing with steaks and lamb chops at Sammy’s Ye Olde Cider Mill. — 7 months ago

Zach, Dave and 13 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2021

Nice little pizza wine!
Listening to Patsy Cline
— 5 months ago

Juan, Paul and 38 others liked this
Tegan Marriott

Tegan Marriott

Antinori the antithesis of unpopular!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Dave, now you’re just showing off!!
Dave

Dave

@Doug Powers great pizza!

The Prisoner Wine Company

The Prisoner Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend 2016

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates and black pepper.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, cooked cherries, light green vegetables, spices, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old red blend from California is still drinking beautifully. Complex and interesting. Nice to see that it aged nicely.

Showing slight RS on the palate, but I can live with that.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Charbono.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.
— 5 months ago

Andrew, Ted and 9 others liked this
Dick Schinkel

Dick Schinkel

Big Cheers dear Winefriend 👌🍷

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Somm David T
9.4

I remember when the 2005 Pichon Lalande was reviewed by RP, 89. I saw that & said, you would have to get in the way of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage to be that sad. I still bought 6 at a bargain basement price. A very good idea post 20 yrs+. Both Pichon’s don’t have a modern day history of getting in the way of a good vintage.

I also bought this one. 18 yrs in bottle and still acending. This will hold 5 more yrs and will last another 10 yrs properly stored.

I have visited Bordeaux 11 times. This chateau visually is still my favorite. It was showing a picture of this chateau to Sofia that launched our first visit. Sofia loved it and we have stared at it multiple times on every visit.

It was in our visit in 2007, I stood in the estate vineyard, looked & tasted their soils. After doing so, I said, “I get it.” I understood everything about what I was tasting in Left Bank Bordeaux’s early in my wine journey.

Sofia and I had dinner w/ Christian Moueix not long after the 2005 vintage was hyped/released. She asked him, when did you know you had something special?” He said, “as soon as I tasted the fruit at harvest.”

Tonight, it shows that it is a close relative, a sibling to Pichon Longueville. Cork, perfect.

The nose shows; classic left bank traits. Ripe, dark, brooding fruits, bright, mid berries, red cola, leather, tobacco, sandalwood, leather, led pencil, dark rich earth, limestone, dry river stone, hint of mushrooms, dark, red, fresh & withering florals.

The fruits on the palate show everything outstanding from the 2005 growing season. Ripe, juicy, brilliant; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, baked/poached strawberries & some hovering raspberries. Dark chocolate bar to pudding, red cola, anise, dark spices w/ palate heat, dark, rich earth w/ dry leaves, pronounced graphite, dry tobacco, leather, limestone, dry twig, dry river stone, moist clays, moist herbs, cedar to sandalwood, withering & dry, dark flowers, red roses, some lavender & violets, beautiful rainfall acidity, excellent; balance, tension, structure, length w/ an elegant finish that lasts minutes and lands on spice & earth.

13.4 ABV. Nice.

#TheTwoHourRibcap

This held up vacuumed sealed the same night, refrigerated & enjoyed exactly a week later.
— 5 months ago

Peter, Scott@Mister and 16 others liked this
Bob McDonald

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@Somm David T A wonderful story David and I can see how you could fall in love with that photo of the Chateau.
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

@Bob McDonald Thank you. Cheers! 🍷

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2006

Took about 2 hours to open. Dark & dried cherries. Acid still nice and firm. Tannins still going strong but clearly softer and more fine grained. Feels somewhat unbalanced - good acid, good tannin, not enough fruit. May have missed the optimal window. Still very enjoyable. Only a touch of Brett. — 6 months ago

David and Ira liked this

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2021

Raspberry, roses & tar on the nose, grippy tannins and a slight meatiness on the palate. Fruit is present but ever so slightly lacking for me, I wish it translated from the nose to the palate just a touch more. Overall very nice and enjoyable! — 6 months ago

Tom, Joel and 5 others liked this