Daniel Bloom

9.5

First, let me say that the @plcb has NO idea what they’re doing re clearance sales. Maybe, no definitely, the greatest $21.99 bottle of wine I’ve ever come across. I only wish now, that there were more than six to buy.
Cedar, Cocoa, Dark Cherries, Forest Floor, on the nose, apparent upon opening and pouring a bit in a glass, from 2 ft. away. As it opened, and w Sunday gravy( thanks Marcella), those repeat plus purrr-fect cheek and lower lip acidity & tannins. Med. body, decently long finish( tough to distinguish, fore you’re into the next sip already)Mahogany colored, gorgeous.
I’m hoping for more insane clearance sales! I know this 1st bottle won’t last into tomorrow to see how it does overnight. The next one will have to do.
Thanks @finewineandgoodspirts. — 6 months ago

Daniel M

8.9

Sunday evening casual pour. No real notes. Flinty and lemony on the nose. Fresh, acid driven with almond and lemony notes all along. Fresh and minerally finish that goes on for a while. It's simple and fresh and everything I want to drink right now. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.3

From Bodegas Alvear, all Pedro Ximinez
Vineyards since the 1700’s.
8 yrs. under flor in Montilla.
Big buttery, old boats(wood) nose, pepper.
Pepper on the tongue, some butterscotch, salinity. The mouthfeel is ridiculously seductive.
I used a bit to deglaze pan of merguez sausages…Yah!
Thanks @ enramistas — 4 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.7

Palomino harvested from Carrascal vineyard in four passes during the season. Grapes exposed to sun for approx. 4 hrs to elevate sugars, no fortification necessary. Vintages prob-2013-2017 Saca iv.
N: Old wooden boats, tinned peaches, iodine, the sea baby!, Hazelnuts,Orange and lemon rinds, wax, petroleum, …
P:Oranges and peaches, So delicate, some wood, tactility seductive, Viscous yet refreshing.preserved citrus. The “ inner mouth energy” is tremendous.
Not overly oxidative, I could go on.
Find some.
Thanks @enramistas, @NickAfricano, @LuisPérez — 4 years ago

Mike R

9.4

What a treat - Sunday night with the WNH gang on zoom - this 09 reminds me of the classic style of the 1982 vintages - super vibrant ripe dark fruit - merlot dominated with the cab franc woven in for length and full body - all the hallmarks of Pomerol with this chateau bordering St Emilion which means a blend of softness of the merlot from one region integrated with structure and power from the other - balance was immediate on the the palette and nose - the complexities were evident with mocha toasty wood and some dried fruit but this remarkable wine was more new world than old - @Antonio Galloni mentioned Messato as Michel consults for Messato and I see this but the ripeness was amazing and the cab franc for me separates itself distinctively for the Le Bon Pesteur - bet this wine has 20 plus years left but definitely in the drinking window right now so no need to wait - great call to try the 2009 vintages of Bordeaux @Shay A and @Bill Bender - I think you are going to like hearing what others had from the 09 as we all agreed that this vintage delivers and at the price point it gives really good challenge to the red blends of Napa — 5 years ago

Clive McNish

9.3

This is a powerful Cabernet, initially restrained on the nose it opens up very nicely after a short time in the decanter. No such restraint on the palate, thick, silky and packed with fruit, leather and vanilla. This is not a delicate wine but it’s not overdone in my opinion, it was the perfect pairing for a Sunday roast beef. — 7 years ago

John And Jen Leonard

9.3

I like Paso Robles more than some other micros that’s my baseline. Consumed with a Sunday steak dinner. Tasted first. Surprisingly ready 2020: aroma more tobacconist or saddlery rather than orchard. smooth not tannic, but with underlying structure. Fruit flavors and notes are deeper underneath, plums, currants, Maybe dried cherries ? Fully ripened fruit neither just-picked floral nor over ripe sweet. Fruit was not forward, rather the base for notes my wife and I were scrambling to put “wine critic” descriptions to: pencil shavings minerals tobacco graphite maybe a touch of white pepper ? No vegetal notes at all. A pretty substantial wine; weight to it with mouth coating glycerine viscosity but no tannic pucker We sensed it more front of mouth and absolutely in the back of mouth and throat going down “Masculine wine” said my wife who “really liked” vs my “loved” Great steak wine that matches perfectly a minimalist prep of the meat solid flavor galore, but not tons of conflicting and competing notes The grape speaks as sometimes should the steak Bought on special I hope to get more ! — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

The 2nd of two vintage Cape Mentelle wines for Sunday lunch. A medium plus crimson red in colour. Notes of mulberry and herbaceous Margaret River characters. Even at 15 years a whiff of French oak. With time in decanter sweet red and black fruits revealed themselves on the medium plus bodied palate. Finishing with velvety tannins. A classic Margaret River Cabernet from a good vintage - the first of 4 bottles from the cellar. Loved this with a Porterhouse Waygu score of 4. Cape Mentelle was one of the early stars of Margaret River, with David Hohnen at the helm they won 3 Jimmy Watson trophies in a row in the early 1980s. Nowadays owned by LVMH. Had another 52 weeks later on 7th January 2024 with consistent notes. Still have 2 left. Have next in 2025 and then the last one anytime up to 2028. I ended up having the 2nd last one on 8th June 2024 with consistent notes as previous. I had the last one on 26/7/25 with consistent notes. No real change from previous tasting. Mulberry. — 3 years ago

Becky lyttle

9.1

Didn’t know what to expect. It’s a gorgeous clear copper colored wine. Coats your tongue- guessing that must be the muscat? Hint of sweetness, ripe stone fruit, no pronounced aromas but a nice long finish of sherry. Super fun, will try again and think about what to pair it with. Or just enjoy it on a Sunday afternoon. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Our final lunch in Cairns last Sunday for the boys weekend away. A wonderful lunch at the Salt House on the Cairns waterfront. No formal notes. Pepik is the 2nd label of Josef Chromy from the East coast of Tasmania. Red fruits on nose and palate with a little white pepper. A good match with the superb seafood curry. — 5 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.4

N:OLD Apples, spicy! Cinnamon and nutmeg. Old boats. The wharf. Shoe leather.smoke.( How is this possible?)
P: Old dessicated oranges , wood, chocolate,really pleasant bitter finish.
I could go on and on...
Oh my! — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Pale Lemon in colour. Aromas of Talc and citrus with a little herb. The palate has filled out somewhat from its austere acidic youth, in fact the acid has softened but still enough there if you wanted to keep cellaring for a few years. A quality Riesling from an excellent district for Riesling in Frankland River WA. Pristine clean flavours - purity is the key. Tasted another bottle 131 weeks later on 4th September 2022. Tasting quite lean after the Fat Bastard Chardonnay Ted brought last Sunday. This is a great Riesling with a big future. No kerosene aromas. Aromas of talc and limes. Still M plus acidity. Had another on 6th June 2023. Starting to develop some paraffin notes on the nose. Still mainly talc and lime. Have 2 bottles left - next in a year’s time. — 6 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.0

Curiosity got the best of me. Steve Mnuchin and Jared Kushner bro’d out over a bottle of this 2015 Arbalest on Sunday. Apparently it’s newsworthy when a wealthy politician brings a ‘cheap’ ($22) bottle of wine to a bro out. I wonder what price gets the ‘politician drinks expensive bottle’ story (see Paul Ryan at Bistro Bis in 2011). No matter, it’s brilliant product placement — I’m surprised Trump didn’t tweet about it... “Did everyone see Poor Stevie’s wine? So Sad. My 2015 Meritage is So Much Better.”

The wine is made by Benoit Touquette. Here’s his background courtesy of critic Jeb Dunnuck, “Born in Lyon France and gaining his education from the University of Bordeaux, Benoit worked at numerous French wineries before getting a job (with the help of his friend and mentor Michel Rolland) in Napa Valley with Andy Erickson. He consulted for the likes of Screaming Eagle, Ovid and Arietta. Today, Benoit is the winemaker for Realm Cellars, Hartwell, and Kata, as well as numerous other labels, including his own project Fait-Main.” Who wouldn’t want to try a $22 bottle of wine from a winemaker with that kind of resume??

Dunnuck also scored the wine 91 points, calling it “Full-bodied, ripe and rounded, with a sexy, opulent style, lots of mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it's well worth your time and money and is a smoking deal at 20 bucks.”

The blend is 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It needed about an hour to fully open up... one of my fellow tasters called it soapy... which I think was because of its noticeable herbaceousness. Focused black cherry, pipe tobacco, clove. Juicy, but dry, with lots of grip. I’m not doing backflips over it, but you could do much worse at $22. 90+ — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Last Sunday lunch with Roast Lamb. A 20 year old Rioja fitted the bill nicely. A blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. Aged in new French and American oak for 24 months. Aromatics of tobacco leaf, plum, ashphalt and a bit of tar. A medicinal note the following night. The palate is medium to full bodied with berry, plum and liquorice. Resolved Tannins - quite fluid. This was Wine Spectators No. 1 wine for 2013 and now drinking at its peak but could go on for another 5 years on the evidence of this superb wine. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Guests over for Sunday lunch. No formal notes. Went down well with fresh strawberries and cream. The colour was like a dark burnished copper. An apricot note - not overly sweet which was good. The bottle size at 500ml was perfect. One of Australia’s best performed dessert styles on the Australian show circuit with numerous trophies and gold medals. — 4 years ago

David Bourke

9.5

Easy like a Sunday morning. Consistency of pasta water, quenched like fresh pear juice with a little honeysuckle tenderness. Could drink all day or all night and then all day again, no judgement here. Because after two glasses, that’s kinda what I wanna do. On the Mediterranean. With a James Bond looking boat. And some Dickey Greenleaf fashion.

— 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Our final lunch in Cairns last Sunday on the waterfront. This wine chosen for the few guys who were having a steak instead of the stellar seafood curry on the menu. No formal notes but a good workmanlike Argentinian Malbec. — 5 years ago

Fabio Franchella

9.2

Opened 4 years after the first bottle. The change is unbelievable and it rememberd me why I bought it. Drunked on a lazy sunday afternoon with no food pairing. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Mid to dark ruby in colour with a tawny edge. Lovely perfume with roasted meats, dried flowers, and earthy notes. With time in decanter more barnyard cowyard notes developed, but in no way was this Brett. On the palate ultra savoury but also quite sweet initially. Soft resolved Tannins and ready to drink. Not unlike a top Burgundy with more fire power. After about 6 hours it had developed tarry aromas with coal dust and liquorice. Loved this wine. Usually have our top wine of the week at Sunday lunch. This matched well with Roast Pork. — 7 years ago

Chris Plance

9.2

Sunday snacks. Italian cabernets tend to be lean and impressive. This one is no exception. @winelibrary killed it on this deal, should have bought a case — 8 years ago