Ruby Black

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2017

Getting ready to leave France, so let's go out with a bang! It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, black plums, black cherries, tobacco, cedar, light vegetables, licorice, chocolates, coffee and light peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, cherries, plums, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, light vegetables, black pepper, tobacco leaf, earth and black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 8 year old Merlot based blend is still very young. In most vintages, it is a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend, but in the 2017 vintage it was a little different.

Spicy and entertaining. Well balanced and complex, but a little tight and restraint right now. Much earthier than I expected it to be.

Needs 5 years in the bottle to mature properly, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

A good food wine right now, that will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (70% New) French oak barrels for 18 months.

14% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$450.
— a month ago

Dave, Jose and 22 others liked this

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1990

Drinking well with its black fruits, graphite, sweet spice, wet earth, & tobacco — 25 days ago

Jan, Andrew and 15 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2004

Medium ruby garnet quite narrow terracotta rim . Quite herbal , dried strawberry and red cherry nose , touch of iodine , sous bois , dried mushroom notes , discreet roasted coffee note after a while. Quite pretty red fruits on the palate with good freshness , strawberry , earthy cherry and a marine , iodine like note , sous bois underneath . Quite elegant and well balanced acidity with fine tannic grip . Good red fruit , earthy tinged finish . This is showing more advanced than the 2001 Reserva , and would like to try another bottle of this , as I suspect this half is a bit below par. On the basis of this bottle drink now and over the next 5 or so years . — 18 days ago

Tom, Shay and 4 others liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

Mostly black fruits with plum, graphite, vanilla oak, spice, leather, & tobacco. — 17 days ago

Shay, Jeroen and 9 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

From magnum. Slightly deeper ruby , thin ruby rim . Quite a lot more dense and darker fruits , cassis , violet , red plum , blackberry, warm earth . On the palate this is denser and more tannic , more body , dark cassis , summer fruits , violets , hedgerow fruits . Hugely elegant and long , balanced and refined . Mineral and earthy but bright and vivacious . Again shows pretty similar to last year , more dense, intense and bigger boned than La Mission , but still supremely refined and balanced . Come back in 10 -15 years , and will surely show well for another 15-20 — 24 days ago

Jay, Scott@Mister and 20 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2013

We had the 2013 Vintage on 6/28-29/25. Nice bouquet black fruit and cedar. The palate had blackberry, plum, tobacco, leather and spice. Medium bodied, terroir driven. Old World and very good — 3 days ago

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1966

From back when Mouton was still a Second Growth. Decanted prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. This bottle of the 1966 pours a garnet color with significant rim variation; medium viscosity with light staining and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated red and black fruits: cassis, blackberries, green pepper, tobacco, leather, old wood, organic earth and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. This was a good showing for the ‘66 and certainly has life left in it however, there’s no need to hold out. Drink now. — 3 days ago

Jan, Dave and 15 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

This had lots of black fruits, sweet spice, leather, cedar & tobacco — 18 days ago

Jan, Andrew and 7 others liked this

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

Decant for sediment (lots of chunky/fine sediment) and pour. A stunning medium ruby red color with little signs of aging. On the nose: big inviting notes of dark fruit/currants, worn leather, herbaceous, smoked meat, funky earth, menthol. Taste: silky, evolved, expressive structure with brambly plum, currants, old leather, dark chocolate, graphite, and a black raspberry-iron-dried herb long finish. YUM! It's what's you want in an aged Napa cab, and glad to have just acquired 3 more bottles. — a month ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, Deborah and 18 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Another tip: I keep a bottle in the fridge to pour decanted sediment dregs into, and use it (except for the muddy bottom part) for cooking. That way my coq au vin or daube is braising in really good stuff from my cellar!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

x Tom C, good notes. Thanks for the tips. Cheers!
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

x x I find the sediments can be bitter and usually try to remove them so they don't impact the wine. Hate them all over the side of the glass. Cheers!

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1982

Decanted prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. This bottle of the 1982 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core and some rim variation; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with a mix of tart, ripe and dried, mostly black fruits: cassis, blackberries, tobacco, dried flowers, grilled Poblano, leather, dry gravelly earth, and fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. One of the earliest vintages of Opus One, this is showing really well at the moment. Drink now through 2042. — 3 days ago

Scott@Mister, Dave and 14 others liked this