The Light Of The Full Moon

Kukeri

Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Full bodied, smooth and soft, with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, black pepper, dark chocolates and light herbs.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a really nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak in Napa Valley. Fruit forward and spicy. Rich and elegant.

Still very young, but already delicious. A good quality wine that will continue to improve in the next 10 years.

Tangy and entertaining with nice complexity. A good sipping wine.

Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (40% new) American and French oak barrels for 15 months. Only 900 bottles made.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$80.
— 3 months ago

Lyle, Paul and 8 others liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 2008

Sharp. Gripping. Nuanced and powerful. Lots of acid and minerality mixed with rich pear light fruit touches. Full mouthfeel and a long finish. Fantastic vintage. — 7 months ago

Vanessa, Shay and 20 others liked this

Hawk and Horse Vineyards

Red Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a nice one from Red Hills.

Dark purple in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, raspberries, black plums, oak, light vanilla, licorice, herbs, tobacco leaf, earth, spices, chocolates, dark coffee and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, black currants, oak, tobacco, licorice, peppercorn, coffee, cinnamon, earth, spices, light vegetables and herbs.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County in California. Fruit forward with lots of coffee and chocolates notes.

Needs a few hours of airtime to open up, but drinkable right out of the bottle too. Big tannins come out after a couple of hours of air.

Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel, but still very young, and needs five years in the bottle to mature properly. Would be nice to revisit it in 3 years. Will age nicely in the next 10 years.

I had the 2017 vintage a year ago and it is very consistent.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with BBQ Meats.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$75.
— 2 years ago

Tom, Jay and 11 others liked this

L'Ecole No. 41

Columbia Valley Merlot 2017

Dark red purple with near black core. Inviting nose of black plum and graphite. Full-bodied palate confirms the nose with moderately firm tannins and medium plus acidity. Lingering dark graphite finish. This is what a “stinkin’ Merlot” should be like. Big, plush, and dark fruity. The almost Bordeaux-like mineral note adds to its capacity as a classic accompaniment to light cuts of beef, medium cheeses, or everyday casseroles. I’m enjoying with beef stroganoff. Drink now through 2025. — 3 years ago

Jonathan, Byron and 5 others liked this
Daniel Bloom

Daniel Bloom

Merlot got a bad rap. Sometimes deservedly. Tell the naysayers to watch Sideways. They might get it. Then again.
Byron C Mayes

Byron C Mayes Influencer Badge

@Daniel Bloom - No one should watch Sideways for anything other than entertainment value. It is a nice enough movie, but a poor commentary on wine.

Bevan Cellars

Ontogeny Oakville Red Wine 2017

Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.

Beautiful nose with lots of chocolates and light earth notes.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, dried figs, raisins, licorice, light earth, peppercorn, cola, spices and dark chocolates.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and crushed peppercorn.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Big and bold. Spicy and tangy. Showing nice complexity at this point.

This 6 year old is drinking beautifully now. Rich yet elegant. Extracted and easy drinking. Well balanced and really delicious.

A beautiful surprise. I had the 2016 a few years ago, and this is drinking much better now. I did not expect it from the 2017 vintage.

Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself as a sipping wine. Robert Parker 93 points.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$110.
— 3 months ago

Juan, Sharon and 12 others liked this

Pahlmeyer

Napa Valley Merlot 2016

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Deep ruby, almost Inky in color, with a very short purplish rim.

Beautiful nose of blackberries, black plums, red cherries, tobacco, light vanilla, spices, cedar, herbs, light earth, chocolates, black pepper and eucalyptus. What a gorgeous nose.

Full-bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black plums, black cherries, earth, tobacco, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, herbs, leather and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Merlot from Napa Valley. Rich, extracted and elegant. Well balanced and fruit forward.

This 7-year-old is drinking very nicely now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Nicely balanced with a gorgeous mouthfeel. Not in your face kind of wine, which I really appreciate.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour of airtime, but I did not decant it. As it opens up, more red fruits show up. Really nice, tangy and interesting.

I've had it a few times before, and it is always special. One of the best Merlos for my palate.

Thank you Scott for sharing this with me.

Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak. I tried it with the French Brie, but it did not work out too well. Much better with the dried meats.

A blend of 96% Merlot with tiny amounts of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in (85% new) French Oak barrels for 20 months.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$120.
— 9 months ago

Karyn, Shay and 18 others liked this

Barra of Mendocino

Petite Sirah 2019

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Strong fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, dried fruits, light oak, spices, chocolates, coffee, licorice and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, milk chocolates, coffee, cola and peppercorn.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a nice and easy drinking Petite Sirah from Mendocino County.

Nicely balanced, rich and fruit forward. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better after an hour of airtime.

Still young, and would be better in a few years. Will be nice to revisit it in a couple of years, and see how it evolved.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with BBQ Meats.

100% Petite Sirah grapes were aged in French oak barrels. Organic.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$26.
— 2 years ago

Brent, Casey and 14 others liked this

Pahlmeyer

Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 1995

Dark ruby in color with a very short reddish rim. Not showing age at all.

Strong fruity nose with cedar, vanilla, chocolates and black fruits.

Full bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and very fruity, with black currants, plums, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, herbs and light alcohol.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 28 year old is still drinking beautifully, but was probably better a few years ago.

Nicely balanced and elegant with nice complexity.

Needed 90 minutes of airtime to open up properly.

Robert Parker 96 points.

I Had this vintage almost 2 years ago, and it was even better then.

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 22 months.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$200.
— 6 months ago

Ira, Tom and 15 others liked this
Ron R

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👀

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2001

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250.
— 9 months ago

Steven, Shay and 19 others liked this
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

@Dawn E. very much so 🍷

Long Shadows Vintners

Chester-Kidder Columbia Valley Red Blend 2016

This is a delicious red blend from Washington State. Showing blackberries, coffee, chocolates, vanilla, cedar, earth, light vegetables, licorice, spices and tobacco leaf.

Full bodied with medium acidity. Dry on the palate and very fruity.

Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel and nice complexity.

Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime. After 90 minutes of airtime, tannins comes out.

Tangy and rich. Spicy and interesting.

Feels like a mix of Bordeaux and a Napa blend. Very interesting and tasty.

Would age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and 12% Petit Verdot.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.
— 3 years ago

Daniel, Matt and 32 others liked this