Once Bitten

Once & Future Wines

Bedrock Vineyard Zinfandel 2023

Wow, this Zin is super aromatic, with fantastically pure crushed red and black fruits, some mineral, flavor profile shows lovely floral as well as the rich, deep red and black raspberry, while this wine needs further aging, it has impeccable balance and a very long, lingering finish, 13.5% ABV, 201 cases made, bravo to Joel!! — 2 months ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Dave, Tom and 4 others liked this
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Tom Casagrande, I have a few more of the 2023 Once & Future “Bedrock” Zin that I’ll age awhile, and also more of the Bedrock “Evangelo” Zin!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Dave, FWIW, I predict 2023 will go down as an all-time great Zinfandel vintage, it’s worth grabbing a few bottles of what you love for 2-5 years of cellaring!

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

From magnum. No formal notes. The fill was top-shoulder. Underneath the capsule, the top of the cork looked nasty which I wiped down as best I could. About four hours before service, using a Durand (which is almost essential with old bottles) I was able to pull the cork completely intact and decant for sediment. The cork was completely saturated but appeared to have done its job! At this stage in its life, the 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild pours a garnet color but it doesn’t appear particularly tired and the nose supports that. While it’s certainly a vinous wine, there is a lot to like: a mix of red and black cassis, rip and desiccated cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar box, old leather, damp earth, some mushrooms and baking spices. The structure is still sound and while the tannins have integrated and the acid is keeping this very much alive. In fact, this seemed to brighten with air and almost get a second wind! As I find with all great Bordeaux wines once they enter this stage, they seem to live forever. This was a lovely pairing with a Prime, Niman Ranch porterhouse served with corn, squash and porcini. This is squarely in the “drink now” window, not that it will be falling off a cliff anytime soon. Decant for sediment and enjoy through 2030+ — 3 years ago

Bob, Daniel P. and 18 others liked this

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

Our 10th anniversary wine. Excellent once decanted. — 5 years ago

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

Somm David T
9.5

@Delectable can you please add the 2003 vintage. I keep getting error message 2000.

It’s a very good night when you have an Allen Brothers Ribcap and an older Pichon Lalande. It is my favorite beef pairing. The 03 is just starting to move into its good phase. I would not open another 03 for at least 5 more years and has another 10 plus years of good drinking ahead.

I decanted it for about 2 1/2...could have used another half hour. Once it was fully open, the body was elegant and the tannins like velvet. The ripe black raspberries & raspberries led the rush onto the palate. Followed by; blackberries, dark cherries and a little strawberries on the long set. Gentle earth of; stones, clay & loamy dry soil, fresh tobacco, graphite, suede style leather, some dark spice, understated baking spices of; vanillin, cinnamon, nutmeg and just a dash of clove. Dark, red, purple & some blue florals. The acidity was excellent. The creamy, velvety, elegant, well balanced in fruit and earth was harmonious wire to wire.

The pairing causes my eyes to roll and let out an mmmmm.

Photos of; Chateau Pichon Lalande, stainless steel tanks, side garden area of the chateau and their barrel room.
— 6 years ago

James Christina Champagne
with James and Christina
Shay, Eric and 32 others liked this
Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

Had our last Rib Cap on Friday

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Just exquisite!! Once you let it breath there is nothing smoother! One of the best cab’s I have ever had! — 8 years ago

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2023

Drinking this pre-release bottle of this iconic wine from Bordeaux.

Light gold in color.

Strong nose and Full-bodied.

Sweet on the palate with high acidity to balance the sugars.

Showing melons, tropical fruits, apples, light earth, guava, herbs, spices, papaya and honey notes.

Long finish with herbs and tropical fruits.

This is a gorgeous sweet wine from Bordeaux. Sexy, seductive and fresh. Creamy and buttery.

Showing great potential, but oh so young. Already delicious and complex. Round, opulent and powerful.

Loved the nose once it opened up (20 minutes in the glass).

Rich and extracted. Fruit forward and intense, yet elegant. Well balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food. Drunk from a Magnum.

A blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.
154 g/l sugar.

14% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$500.
— 3 months ago

Scott@Mister, Daniel and 16 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 1984

Medium light garnet , quite wide terracotta rim . Top shoulder ullage . Slightly herbal , old mahogany, hickory , chestnut, minty , dried fruits with sous bois underneath, hoisin . On the palate this has some sweet red fruits , touch of coffee , old wood , earthy , meaty hints . Good acidity and slightly grippy tannins . Not bad length. This bottle shows surprisingly well considering its state , and is very drinkable . Drink now , as this deteriorated quite quickly once in the glass — a year ago

Tom, Shay and 5 others liked this

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003

After 20 years, it still took extensive decanting to soften the initially gripping tannins. Once it did, beautiful dark fruits came through. Black currants, stewed prunes, delicious and full on the palate. Outstanding. Paired well with Brie and beef chow fun!!  — 2 years ago

Thomas liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1966

Tasted blind. Dark tawny color, totally opaque. Odd nose that has everyone shrugging what this could be. Notes of black fruit, spice, roses, some tar. I'm in Italy and drag a few others into similar guesses as my 89 Giacosa Falleto Riserva. Lot's of "wows" when it's revealed this is old Pauliac. This performed well through the day, it's in solid shape. The Bordeaux descriptors are easier to figure out once the label was revealed. — 4 years ago

Ira, Juan and 26 others liked this

Jean Foillard

Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2012

Gorgeous. Tiny strawberries, crunchy leaves, cedar, iron, some animal notes. Sweet spot in mid-transition from primary to secondary. Once again the strategy of blue chip producers in “lesser” vintages pays off — 5 years ago

Tom, Daniel P. and 10 others liked this
Severn G

Severn G Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Nice spot to enjoy, I'm also a fan of Gamay cresting 10Y. The secondary flavors are more appealing to me.

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Long, mint and cinnamon. Once in a while it is nice to feel like you are drinking a great bottle at exactly the right time. — 7 years ago

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 2008

Delectable Wine
9.8

The 2008 Dom Pérignon is once again stunning. More than anything else, I am surprised by how well the 2008 drinks given all the tension and energy it holds. Then again, that is precisely what makes 2008 such a unique vintage – namely that the best wines are so chiseled and yet not at all austere. Lemon peel, almond, mint, smoke and crushed rocks are all finely sculpted, but it is the wine’s textural feel, drive and persistence that elevate it into the realm of the sublime. The 2008 will be even better with time in the cellar, but it is absolutely phenomenal even today, in the early going. Three recent bottles have all been nothing short of magnificent. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, July 2019)

— 7 years ago

Frank liked this

Belle Glos

Dairyman Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2023

Dairyman Vineyard sits in the southern alluvial plains of the Russian River Valley near the ocean, a region where cooling fog comes in through the Petaluma Gap in the morning and once again in the evening. Medium Ruby color, with aromas of berries, tea and spices. On the palate flavors of raspberry and tart black cherry with herb, cedar and cinnamon. Fine tannins, medium+ finish with lively acidity, good structure, ending with fruit and cedar spice. — 6 months ago

Tom, Rob and 1 other liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989

1989 vintage. Opened but not decanted. Tasted after one hour open. More structure than the 1990 version tasted side-by-side but leaner with slight, vegetal tones, less fruit and better tannic structure than the 1990. Couldn't find this in my Delectable reviews but feel like I've tasted this once in the last 6 or so years. Apples (1990 version)/Oranges (1989). As with the 1990, the 1989 is in a good place for another few years in the 750ml format but if you want to truly visit a 35+ year old vintage at the height of its' powers, opt-in for a large format experience. 10.10.25. — 8 months ago

Jeroen, Dave and 24 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Opened this in 2019 for my wife’s 30th and I still think about that wine six years later. Stunning.

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

Saint-Joseph Syrah 2017

Powerful Syrah that needs a 2-3 hour decant but once opened up there are dark fruits and baking spices to enjoy. It perhaps lacks a bit of refinement but i would buy and drink again! — 3 years ago

Jay, Andrew and 17 others liked this

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2001

A once beautiful wine, slightly faded at 20 years out. Still loads of ripe red fruit and elegance, but it was all high and mid notes with little bass and just a hint of pruning. Still made for a nice night. — 4 years ago

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 1990

At it’s absolute last drinkable moment in time. Opened and decanted (for sediment), the cork crumbled and disintegrated. This wine was delicious and beautiful...for about an hour. I went back and tried what was left about an hour and a half after opening it and it had already become “vermouth”, as a server at an Italian restaurant once told me about a too-old bottle of Barolo he’d tried. Drink them now if you have them, and do it quickly!

millennialwinegeek.com
— 6 years ago

Bodega Comando

La Bruja Avería Rozas de Puerto Real Grenache 2017

Rayas on mushrooms. Once the slightly reductive natty blows off, it’s a tender, detailed and savory Garnacha of real class. Heard a lot about Comando G, and my first experience with their wines did not disappoint. — 7 years ago

Chris liked this
Chris Shultz

Chris Shultz

Excited to get in and try some of these. Even their "village" wines like this are supposed to be great. Them and uvas de ira!

Château Rayas

Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache Blend 2001

A mystery wine in the Burgundy tasting. No one guessed it was not Burgundy. Once a hint was given, one of our crew got it right away. — 8 years ago

Bret, Ceccherini and 4 others liked this
C R

C R

Amazing line up! 01 is a great vintage at Rayas. 04 also showing superbly. Certainly a wine to throw in blind with top Burgs. 👏🏻
Byron Hewett

Byron Hewett Premium Badge

Thanks! Such a great day!