On The Spot Wines

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2010

In an awkward spot that suffers by comparison to an amazing mosel troken. Has much that’s delicious, but the taut, stony tertiary flavors are incipient not quite showy. — 18 days ago

Juan, Jay and 5 others liked this

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Opens up nicely. Heavy cherry on the front and some chocolate. Oak, on the back end. Medium tannin, medium body — 9 days ago

"Odedi" liked this

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium ruby . Bit more coffee and roasted character at first , touch of oak perhaps. Quite rich and rounded on the palate , good acidity , good length . More red fruit , more delicate after a while , mineral , oyster shell , mineral and lean on the long finish . Very classic , grafite tinged . This improved with air and really gained in complexity with time . I would be tempted to leave this a little longer or give it a longer decant . No rush here , will continue well for a further 10 years . Tied as my favourite wine of the flight with the Latour. — 10 hours ago

Anthony, Andrew and 2 others liked this

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 2013

Medium lemon colour . This is showing a little more complex and detailed than the last time . Lemon rind , crushed rocks , ginger and white flowers , touch of brioche also . On the palate a bit more dense , but with good balanced acidity and lemon rind , brioche , ginger and toasty , mineral finish. Drinkable now , though best days will be in 5-10 years time , though I don’t think this will be as long lived as the 2012 . — 10 hours ago

Ron, Andrew and 3 others liked this

Château Cheval Blanc

St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby again. This is a bit greener , spicier , with some red pepper , smokier and darker fruit on the nose . Spicier and a bit more plush on the palate . This actually improved a lot in the glass and was changing quite a lot , became more floral with crunchy fresh dark berries . Polished tannin but nice fresh acidity , quite velvety on the palate . No lack of weight either . Really quite liked this and will no doubt age gracefully even if it is enjoyable today with time in decanter. For enjoyment over the next 10 years or so. — 10 hours ago

Anthony, Andrew and 2 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby . This seems a bit more advanced . This is a bit harder and more structured on the palate , more tannin , less velvety and a bit more astringent . More spicy , drier on the palate . This needed more time to open . This was quite difficult to judge , I wasn’t 100% convinced about this bottle as it just seemed a little oxidative, however it did actually seemed to come together better after an hour or so , but still quite hard and astringent in comparison to the others (especially La Mission) . Showed a touch more mineral and grafite on the finish too after a while. This needed time , and I would imagine another bottle might tell a different story . — 10 hours ago

Anthony, Andrew and 2 others liked this

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2010

[Tasted on January 25, 2025 at Home with Tom, Kathy, Mark and Lucille]

84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5.5% Merlot; 5.5% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Blackberry and black currant fruit, with chocolate, espresso, earth and a mineral note. Nicely balanced.
— 5 days ago

Joseph, Ted and 5 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2017

Deep ruby in color with slight brick color on the rim. Nose is quite pleasing with berry compote, lavender, and dark chocolate. Also a bit of earthiness. Wow. A great mouthfeel on this wine. Well balanced with tannins still a bit heavy. That said, I like my wines with a bit more tannic backbone. These notes are from pop and pour taste. Will let it open up a bit and will update if it changes significantly. — a day ago

Tom, Paul and 3 others liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 2015

Quite light lemon yellow , very persistent , fine bubbles . Quite taut and strict on the nose , chalk dust , white flowers , honey suckle and elderflower , lemon peel , touch oyster shell and a touch of fresh baked bread . On the palate really good volume and density , lively acidity . Lots of citrus with good mineral , oyster shell notes . Long and mineral , saline, tinged finish , hint of toasty brioche on the end . This is really quite young and shows tighter and more mineral than the first bottle we had . Would leave this a few years and will have a long life , better in 10 -15 years and last well a further 10 or so . Great potential — 12 days ago

David, Jan and 12 others liked this

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Deep ruby color. Aromas of cherry, blackberry, black currant and clove. Solid wine, flavors of black fruit, black currant with warm baking spices on the end.

🏅95 Points - Decanter
🏅94 Points - James Suckling
🏅91 Points - Wilfred Wong
— 9 days ago

Joseph, Tom and 15 others liked this
Neil Valenzuela

Neil Valenzuela

@Joseph Barsky -had the skirt steak chimichurri- it was ok, good selection of wine at this restaurant.
David T

David T Influencer Badge

@Joseph Barsky Try Compline in downtown Napa. Owned by two Master Sommeliers. Separate wine tasting/shop two spaces down. At the restaurant, make sure to start w/ their Duck Fat Fries. Cheers! 🍷
Neil Valenzuela

Neil Valenzuela

@David T - Sounds delicious! I’ll have to check that place out!