Short Cellars
Château Lynch-Bages
Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2023
Château Lynch-Bages 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé, BDX, France 🇫🇷
Overview
A powerful, structurally driven Pauillac showing serious depth and long-term ambition, built on a 71% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot support. The wine carries muscular architecture, dark fruit density, and firm tannic authority, currently showing some youthful rough edges but clearly positioned for future greatness with proper cellaring.
Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis liqueur, blackberry skin, graphite, cedar plank, crushed gravel, tobacco leaf, dark cocoa and subtle savory spice.
Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, youthful tannins, strong mid-palate grip, vibrant supporting acidity, dense core concentration, and a long, structured finish that signals serious aging capacity.
Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, grilled lamb chops, beef short ribs, rosemary-crusted venison, aged hard cheeses, slow-braised meats.
Verdict
A high-potential Pauillac still in its formative phase. The structure, depth, and terroir signature are undeniable, but integration will require time. A climber rather than a polished performer today, patience will be rewarded handsomely.
🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a future star in development, powerful, slightly raw, but absolutely loaded with upside. Not a wine for instant gratification, but one that will evolve into something truly special with time. I’d happily cellar this and revisit around 2029 when the polish finally matches the horsepower. — a month ago
Perus Wine
Bryn Proprietary Red Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2022
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.
Very complex nose with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, eacaliptus, Indian spices and black pepper.
Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and very fruity on the palate with black plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, licorice, vanilla, milk chocolates, dried fruits and peppercorn.
Very long finish with fine grained tannins, spices and cherries.
This 3 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is already drinking gorgeously. Rich and extracted, yet elegant. Soft and smooth with a great mouthfeel.
Still young, but already so delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 10 years and see how it evolves.
I've had many different vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.
Fruity, good right out of the bottle, and much better after 4 hours in the decanter.
Powerful with subtle elegance. Spicy and entertaining. A gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. A small production of only 300 cases.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
95 points.
$200. — 3 months ago
Château Pontet-Canet
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1996
I’ve had a number of PC 96’s over time, none quite this good. The fill line & cork perfect. Very little sediment. Some bottle neck tannin burn. For me, Pontet Canet didn’t really hit its consistent, quality stride until 2005. Doesn’t mean they didn’t make a few beauties before then. Pontet Canet is proof that the 1855 Bordeaux Classification needs to be redone. Unlikely it will in my lifetime.
This 96 maybe just short of its precipice. Stylistically a little better than 94.
The nose reminds me of everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola. Sweet forest floor w/ leaves, sweet mushrooms, sweet led pencil shavings, steeped tea w/ hints of fruit, charcoal, dry tobacco/leather, some dry herbs, withering dark, red flowers, red roses with violets.
The palate is also everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola/red vines. Everything I understood the first time standing in the estate vineyard of Pichon Baron. Tasting limestone, dry river stone, dark, rich soils with dry leaves, dry stems. In fact, I’ve tasted vineyards soils everywhere I have been in every world wine region. Basically, everywhere in the wine world that has reliance. Many multiple times. Sweet graphite, steeped tea w/ hints of dark fruit, understated, layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanillin, dark cocoa, dark exotic spices, some anise to black licorice, charcoal, dry tobacco with ash/leather, some dry herbs-safe/bay leaf, limestone, dry river stone, dry crushed rocks, dark, rich, earth with dry leaves, dry topsoils, dry stems, withering/dry dark, red flowers, red roses with violets, excellent, rainfall acidity with an extremely well balanced/structured/tensioned, great length and an elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls nicely on dry earth and dark spices.
A very, very slow roll with my Ribcap. Definitely better with the steak than on its own.
This bottle tells me this 96 has plenty of good drinking ahead, another 8-10 yrs+.
ABV is 13%. Disappointing it ever changed. — 2 months ago
Realm Cellars
The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Realm Cellars – The Bard – Red Blend – 2022
Napa Valley AVA – California, USA 🇺🇸
Overview
Realm Cellars’ flagship proprietary red, The Bard represents the most expansive and dynamic expression of Napa Valley terroir. The 2022 vintage is Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant (approximately 70%), supported by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, with exact proportions varying by year. Sourced from a broad range of elite vineyards spanning Coombsville to Calistoga and both valley floor and hillside sites, this wine is designed to showcase Napa Valley in its full breadth and power.
Aromas & Flavors
Dense and expressive aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry compote, and dark plum lead the profile, followed by graphite, cocoa, crushed stone, and subtle baking spice. As it opens, notes of espresso, cedar, and savory herbs emerge, adding layers of depth and complexity.
Mouthfeel
Full-bodied, weighty, and concentrated, with a rich core of dark fruit framed by structured yet polished tannins. Despite its power, the wine maintains balance and freshness, carrying seamlessly into a long, impactful finish.
Food Pairings
Prime rib, grilled ribeye, braised short ribs, venison, or aged cheeses such as aged Cheddar, Comté, or Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Verdict
A bold yet refined Napa Valley red that captures Realm’s philosophy of sourcing greatness across sites to build a wine of exceptional depth, richness, and presence. The Bard remains a benchmark proprietary blend that delivers both immediate pleasure and cellar-worthy structure.
Did You Know?
The Bard draws fruit from some of Napa Valley’s most revered vineyards, including Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Bourn, Blair, Houyi, and Larkmead, contributing to its layered complexity and distinctive Napa identity.
🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
This is a wine every serious wine lover should have in their cellar. Powerful, delicious, and unapologetically Napa, The Bard delivers depth, impact, and pure enjoyment in every glass. — 3 months ago
Penfolds
Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet Shiraz 2023
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺
Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.
Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.
Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.
Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.
Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.
Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.
🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— a month ago
Peter Michael Winery
Estate Vineyards Les Pavots Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2014
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep purple in color with a short purple rim. Not showing age at all.
Beautiful nose of black currants, blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, light cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates, black tea, light eucalyptus and licorice.
Full-bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, light earth, herbs, chocolates, black tea, black pepper, spices and cola.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Knights Valley in Sonoma County. Rich and elegant. Fruit forward and very complex.
Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Feels like a Napa Cabernet based Bordeaux blend.
Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 45 minutes in the decanter. Really gorgeous once it opens up.
Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.
Wine Advocate 95 points. Wine Spectator 93 points.
Great by itself as a sipping wine or with food, like a big piece of steak.
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
15% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$175. — 2 months ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2001
Measured aroma, silky smooth texture, blackberry and cedar notes, grew more complex as the night wore on, probably still on the young side but still a special treat to have with a short rib and polenta dish. — 3 months ago
Sipping Fine Wine
Dark ruby red color, some purple edges, with aromas of dark fruits and sweet spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberry with vanilla, cedar and cinnamon spice. Fine tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, cedar and spice. — a month ago