The Wine With No Name

L'Ecole No. 41

Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Deep purple in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose and full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Showing black fruits, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, espresso, chocolates, earth, light vegetables, herbs and peppercorn.

This 8-year-old Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking very nicely right out of the bottle, and even better after 90 minutes of airtime.

Rich and fruit forward. Elegant and complex. Spicy and entertaining.

Peaking now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Wine Spectator 90 points. Wine Enthusiasts 92 points.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine. Will also pair nicely with barbecue meats.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$45 (current vintage).
— 9 days ago

Ted, Tom and 8 others liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1996

Drinking well showing black fruits, graphite, leather, wet earth, savory spice & sweet tobacco. No rush with plenty of years ahead — a month ago

Juan, Ira and 11 others liked this

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend 2008

While not as intense as on release this is no where near a shrinking violet. The nose is starting to strut with scents of apple , brioche and nuts.That first taste still makes you recoil and salivate. Lemons , limes , biscuits, and a touch of butterscotch. Very long finish . Developing into everything I hoped for. — a month ago

Austin, Mike and 46 others liked this
Jan de Weerd

Jan de Weerd

That is fantastic!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

Beautiful!!
GaryWEdwards

GaryWEdwards

Fantastic but still a youngster.

Giacomo Borgogno & Figli

No Name Langhe Nebbiolo

A Barolo in all but name (“No Name”). A beautiful expression of Nebbiolo. — a month ago

Mary Cianfrocca
with Mary

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Slightly lighter than the others , but still ruby , touch of garnet at the rim. Spicer and rounder red and dark fruits . Finer and more mineral more elegant on the palate . Quite elegant . Refined and elegant , mineral , good balance and acidity . This came across as lighter than the others , though with no lack of definition . Mineral , grafite tinged finish . Showing well this is probably going to have a slightly shorter life than the others , but is great for medium term drinking , over next 5-10 years perhaps . — 21 hours ago

Anthony, Andrew and 2 others liked this

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2018

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. No formal notes due to the setting. The 2018 is a fairly classic expression of Beaucastel with a mixed bramble fruit set, underbrush, herbs and spices in lovely balance. Good structure. While still on the youthful side, the 2018 is already showing well and was an awesome accompaniment with a wagyu burger. Drink now through 2038. — a month ago

Juan, Vanessa and 16 others liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

A physically pristine example from a well established cellar, the cork pulled clean and without so much as a hint of compromise. It was subsequently double decanted several hours in advance. The 2000 Margaux pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. The nose: developing and simply stunning. A cornucopia of cassis, black bramble fruit, purple flowers, tobacco, new leather, cocoa, fine woody notes, dry gravelly earth and gorgeous baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid; the structure acting like the flying buttresses of Notre Dame. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is forever long and impossibly silky. Sensationally balanced.

To my palate, this falls into the very small category of wines that require no additional inquest. It is utterly complete. And, when I consider the company and circumstances, perfect. Drink now with a healthy decant and through 2100.
— 2 months ago

Peter, Juan and 21 others liked this
Jay Kline

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@Lyle Fass thank you…and I believe it. Were/are you celebrating your 50th?!
Lyle Fass

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@Jay Kline yes sir! 50th is in the books!
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Lyle Fass congratulations!!!

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium ruby . Bit more coffee and roasted character at first , touch of oak perhaps. Quite rich and rounded on the palate , good acidity , good length . More red fruit , more delicate after a while , mineral , oyster shell , mineral and lean on the long finish . Very classic , grafite tinged . This improved with air and really gained in complexity with time . I would be tempted to leave this a little longer or give it a longer decant . No rush here , will continue well for a further 10 years . Tied as my favourite wine of the flight with the Latour. — 20 hours ago

Anthony, Andrew and 2 others liked this

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2007

No formal notes . Pretty deep Amber , copper colour . Intense marmalade , saffron , creme caramel . Rich on the palate with rich marmalade , saffron notes . Good acidity , but rich. Good length . This is drinkable now and shows quite an advanced colour , though due to its richness will probably carry on delivering for another 20 years , perhaps longer .

This was a rather fascinating evening put together by our incredibly generous host. All 2007 reds were served blind in two flights: 1st Mouton, Haut Brion, Cheval Blanc , La Mission Haut Brion then Latour , Lafite , Petrus and Margaux . Overall the wines showed well , and were mostly enjoyable to drink now , though there is no rush . This somewhat maligned vintage can give a lot of enjoyment in the right environment, I certainly wouldn’t hold back from opening or purchasing any of these wines . They mostly show good density of fruit , personality and elegance , with good freshness. These are not powerful wines , and at times perhaps the fruit can be a little cooler or greener but I was pleasantly surprised by the way they performed , just goes to show you should never write off a vintage without trying the wines !
— 20 hours ago

Anthony, Andrew and 5 others liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

Quite deep ruby garnet core and medium ruby garnet rim. This is showing more development, with cedar , cigar box , cassis and blackberry richness , aromatic and enticing from the very beginning . On the palate with is well balanced with a good mineral backbone , grafite and blackcurrant hints , really good symmetry and balanced , refreshing acidity , polished fine tannin . Long finish . Showing well now , in a really good spot where this has development on the nose but no lack of fruit of backbone on the palate . Will certainly continue at this level for another 10- 15 years . — 2 months ago

Daniel, Jan and 12 others liked this