Jan de Weerd

9.6

And now a Bordeaux blend expression from… well Bordeaux! Left bank that is. Our favorite left bank Bordeaux fantastic quality for reasonable price. This wine was intense, still rather edgy tannins but already great complexity of waves of dark and red fruit laced in subtle pipe tobacco and spiced oak. — a month ago

with RoAnne, Tammy and 2 others

Severn G

9.2

1998 | Cabernet Sauvignon
(97.4% Cabernet Sauvignon / 2.6% Merlot)
Stags Leap Wine Cellars; S.L.V.
Napa Valley; Stags Leap District, California, USA
(91-93; Drink 2018-33)

Rest In Peace Warren Winiarski — 2 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.4

Vintage 2007 | Masterpiece. Mesmerizing smell, complex: a flower garden, scottish pipe tobacco, cinnamon, rinse applesyrup. Refinement and elegance. 😍 — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

See previous note from 96 weeks ago where I said that I would drink the last one when my son Hugh was home from NY (born 1987) which came to pass last night. Overall not as impressive as the previous tasting but retains its silky tannin structure. Very dark in colour - opaque. Notes of cassis and pipe tobacco - overall dusty without the depth of fruit of the previous tasting. Just medium bodied. Tasting Book recommend a drinking window till 2035 which I would not agree with. Leads me to think I will be drinking my bottles of 86 Mouton sooner rather than later. — 4 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.4

Awesome juice, as always. Juicy, ripe, sweet blue and black fruits, Luxardo syrup, clove, star anise, sweet Swedish licorice, moist cherry pipe tobacco, molasses, fig. Absolutely beautiful. — 6 years ago

with Krystal

Sharon Harrison

8.9

The 2017 Pessimist has a powerful and intensely aromatic nose that ascends to greet you with blueberry, boysenberry and black plum fragrance. Evolving layers reveal elderberry and truffle, with cocoa and cardamom spice accents, further augmented by hints of eucalyptus, leather, cherry pipe tobacco and grilled meats.
Broad and expansive on the palate, bestowing lush and generous flavors of black cherry, blueberry, crème de cassis and damp forest floor. Notes of lavender, anise and black olives complement the rich fruit. Massive in weight yet elegantly structured, this wine is a powerhouse that reveals itself in controlled stages .
The finish is smooth and leisurely. Essences of pure dark berry fruit seemingly refuse to abate with a gorgeous fitting finale. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Double decanted the night before. The 1998 pours a deep garnet purple with a opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous and imbued with an incredible perfume of ripe black cherry, black plum, purple flowers, pipe tobacco, cocoa, a mix of organic and inorganic earth, and fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is a wine in its prime and it’s a beauty. Drink now with some time for it to breathe before service and this should drink well through 2048. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2006 pours a deep garnet/purple with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and a decent amount of fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with heady notes of cassis, black cherry, plums, Kalamata olive, purple flowers, pipe tobacco, leather, earth, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with savory minerals. Absolutely delicious. Drink now, though well-stored examples should drink well through 2036 — 8 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2021 The Bard is fabulous. Rich, ample and beautifully resonant, the 2021 offers up generous dark red cherry/plum fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice, spice, menthol and pipe tobacco. Full-bodied and voluptuous, the 2021 flaunts tons of flavor intensity and vibrancy. It’s a gorgeous wine, especially considering it is the largest-production wine at Realm. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2023)
— 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; consumed over three days. The first half of the bottle was enjoyed on Day 1 and the second half was enjoyed on Day 3. Best on day three when it freshened up and had time to stretch its legs. The 2000 Tignanello pours a deep garnet color with a slight orange-ish rim; slightly turbid with an opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, deep ripe, black cherry fruit with leather, pipe tobacco, teriyaki, espresso, and earth. On the palate the fruit and non-fruit characteristics are confirmed. The wine is dry with medium+ tannin (which has all but integrated) and medium acid. Finish is medium+. A lovely 23 year old Tig that, remarkably, benefits from a good breather to get its best. Drink now with an extended decant but will continue to hold for at least another 5-10 years given good cellar conditions. — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Absolutely pretty nose of dried cherries, rose petals, Forrest Floor and pipe tobacco. Complex pallet of raspberry, black tea, leather and a touch of sweet spices. Very fine tannins and a smooth tannins. Very expressive. One of those years where the producer held off on making his top shelf wines. Their best fruit went in to this one. Gorgeous! — 5 years ago

LM Segal

9.4

Beautiful, clear nose of pipe tobacco and rich red fruit. The tannins have finally dialled back, bringing this Dominus balance it previously lacked. Sweet oak and ripe cherries and plums, some nice secondary stuff emerging. I’d give this a few more years to play out or a long decant. — 6 years ago

with Melissa

Shay A

9.6

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Possibly in its prime drinking window, and it is gorgeous. Everything about this screams high quality left bank Bordeaux (which is what I called it). It was beautifully perfumed with a mix of potpourri, dried black cherries, blackberries, graphite, saddle leather and herbs de Provence. Perfectly balanced on the palate with dark fruits enveloped in cedar and sweet pipe tobacco. There is a line of ripe purple fruits down the middle accompanied by dust and mocha which is just delicious. — 6 years ago

with Dan, joe and 2 others

Jay Kline

9.3

It’s been nearly two years since I last enjoyed the 2010 Chianti Classico and the results are consistent with my previous experience. This bottle was double decanted a few hours prior to dinner and enjoyed over the course of dinner. The 2010 Chianti Classico pours a deep garnet with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with a mix of Montmorency and Balaton cherry, pipe tobacco, red rope licorice, carnations, mushrooms, decomposing forest floor, leather, tomato leaf, and cedar box. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with saline minerals. Drink now through 2040. — 6 months ago

Cameron Etezadi

9.2

Beautiful port which is more Merlot forward than brandy forward. Ripe fruit and caramel notes. — 7 months ago

Shay A

9.2

92-93 for me.

Consumed half bottle at pop, then corked for another 4hrs before consuming the rest. No change.

What a beautifully elegant and refined ‘09. The highest compliment I can give this is that it was a simplistic joy. Some wines make it easy to get nerdy and command your attention…some wines are underwhelming and not worth your time. This was squarely in the middle. It was a joy to not feel the need to overthink…it’s exactly what it should be. No bricking at almost 15yrs. Decidedly black fruit heavy (black currant, cassis, underripe blackberries) with a sprinkling of raspberries and black cherries. Aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, dark florals. Integrated on the palate with good structure and acidity…not a massive wine, but it put on a bit of weight/length the longer it was open. Still sporting a fair bit of tannin at the finish, but it’s balanced. Drink or hold. — 2 years ago

Andrew Liguori

9.3

Cherry plum coming in hot. Dense and full bodied, wet earth and sweet pipe tobacco, hint of clove and fennel frond. Years of life ahead. Grippy tannins that beg for a steak. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened to celebrate my son’s 15th birthday and poured alongside the 2006 Eagle’s Trace “Latitude 38”. The 2006 Seavey Caravina pours a deep garnet color with a completely opaque core. No obvious signs of age in the glass. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, medium+ intensity, with strong pipe tobacco notes, currants, black cherry, figs, some green bell pepper and leather. On the palate dark fruits dominate with black cherry, black currants and blackberries. The tobacco and leather is also there accompanied by semi-sweet baking chocolate, baking spice and some anise. The wine finishes dry with medium tannins, most of which are well integrated at this point. Medium+ acid. Medium plus alcohol. The finish is long. Another very lovely vintage of Caravina, aging gracefully.
— 5 years ago

Nathan Renfro

9.4

Decanted 2 hours. Fairly retrained on the nose, getting some red and black fruit and oak. A little burst of black/red fruit with a light punch of cassis. Earthy, balanced and restrained. Hints of vanilla and pipe tobacco. Drinking well but I need to leave some to age a few more years, this can go a lot further. — 5 years ago

John Azzopardi

9.0

Juicy delicious relatively complex red with almost no tannin — 6 years ago