Pipe’ Dreams Vineyard And Estate Winery

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1988

Shay A
9.2

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty.
— 5 days ago

Pinotman, Tom and 17 others liked this

Jermann

Chardonnay Where the Dreams have no end .... 2018

100% Friulian Chardonnay. Light straw color. Aromas of cooked green apple, pear, white flowers and puff pastry. The palate also features green apple, but also some pineapple, unripe peach and lemon. Just a touch of both butterscotch and minerals. Hint of salty vanilla on the very long and smooth finish. Nice oak integration. Medium-plus body with fresh acidity. I love everything about this wine except the price. ($60-$80) — 4 months ago

Tom, Bob and 3 others liked this

SLO Down Wines

Broken Dreams California Chardonnay 2021

Ted
9.1

Totally stumbled on this dudes wine. Although I did text him like the bottle says and he hasn’t responded yet. That’s ok. The wine is really good. — 7 months ago

Jeni
with Jeni
Tom, Andrew and 4 others liked this

Château Cantemerle

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

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.
— 25 days ago

Ted, Ira and 22 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Fine description

Realm Cellars

The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2021

Delectable Wine
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)
— 4 months ago

Abreu Vineyards

Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Pure blackcurrant perfectly articulated with dark chocolate, blue fruit and pipe tobacco. Mostly cab that made me think older Dominus, a Bordeaux style in Napa. In a perfect place with a few hours in decanter. — 9 months ago

Vino, Alan and 22 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003

2003 vintage. Cedar and cinnamon lead into coffee rye and toasted black sesame, baked blackberry and plums, baked black currant and elderberry. Tertiary leather and pipe tobacco, with a jammy cassis to licorice finality. Silky smooth palate exhibits dark berries and a touch of smoke and graphite swirling around charred oak and cinnamon.


#chateaulynchbages #lynchbages #grandcruclasséde1855 #pauillac
#appellationpauillaccontrôlée
— a month ago

Paul, Severn and 8 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2017

Well … shit. With a slight chill this is just sublime. Much better integration of oak than its other Pauillac neighbors. Charcoal ash, subtle pipe tobacco, dark berry compote. Superb. — a month ago

Tom, Joe and 7 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2007

Vintage 2007 | Masterpiece. Mesmerizing smell, complex: a flower garden, scottish pipe tobacco, cinnamon, rinse applesyrup. Refinement and elegance. 😍 — 6 months ago

Bob, Berry and 21 others liked this

Flora Springs

Trilogy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2011

Shay A
9.1

A bottle that holds a lot of sentimental meaning, this was the first “nice” bottle of wine my wife and I bought together shortly after we got engaged in 2015. We went to Napa a few days later and attended the Flora Springs Trilogy release party (which we ended up doing 6 times in a row). While iced-in here in TX this week, we decided to open this bottle that we’ve had for almost 8yrs exactly to the day. One of the things I love about wine is the ability to attach memories to bottles!

Right off the bat, this is classical 2011 Napa. It has a distinct green streak down the middle of the palate. Flora Springs was able to get the fruit semi-ripe which balanced out the lean and mean acidity. I have no qualms with 2011 Napa (and have found some to be absolutely incredible). I can appreciate a wine that speaks to the vintage, like this one. At roughly 12yrs, this is integrated. Oak is in the background, with cherry pipe tobacco, cherry cordial and underripe blackberries. Smooth and light bodied on the palate. Not getting any better, I suggest enjoying now.
— a year ago

Ted, Sharon and 36 others liked this