Villa Montecristo
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
Fay Hillside Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
On the nose, candied red floral fruits of; boysenberries, strawberries, dark cherries, plum, black raspberries & blueberries hues. Sweet vanillin, slight liqueur notes, clove, touch of nutmeg, cinnamon, fruit tea, mixed berry cola, light soft spice, warm toast, loamy dry top soil & clay, soft volcanic crushed minerals, hint of rubber toy & dark red, blue florals with violets.
The body is medium stretching to full. Tannins are round, dusty, slightly sticky and 55-60% resolved. The structure, tension, length and balance are in the first stages of hitting its stride. The palate shows the same candied red floral fruits of; boysenberries, strawberries, dark cherries, plum, black raspberries & blueberries hues. Sweet vanillin, slight liqueur notes, warm toast, clove, touch of nutmeg, cinnamon, dark chocolate, mocha, fruit tea, mixed berry cola, the spice is darker & has a nice medium intensity that show heat on the long set, graphite, Montecristo cigar, expresso coffee, loamy dry top soil & clay, soft volcanic crushed minerals, hint of rubber toy & dark red, blue florals with violets. The acidity is round and nicely done. The finish is well balanced, rich and lasts minutes. The 08 Fay Hillside really started to excel after two hours in the decanter.
Photos of, their patio showing nicely at twilight, Tasting room & Estate vines, the pendulum balls that never stops swinging in the cellars and if memory serves me well, their Fay Vineyard.
— 6 years ago
Joel Gott Wines
California Zinfandel 2013
Ken this is a solid Zin for the price! And it's great with a Montecristo Habana no DOB pin required — 8 years ago
Chateau Reynella
The Australian Dozen 1987 Vintage Port 1982
We drank this at the end of my 70th with Montecristo No. 4s. I have always believed that Chateau Reynella make the best Vintage Port in Australia having consumed them over many decades going back to the early 1970’s. It threw a huge crust on decanting. Rich dried plum and liquorice notes. A consistency of engine oil - heavy in the mouth with an intensity off the charts. Just brilliant at 40 years old. — 2 years ago
Robert Mondavi Winery
The Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Domaine Georges Roumier
Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1999
Good deep red. Aromas of black raspberry, graphite, chocolate, cocoa powder and herbs, plus an earthy tobacco hint of Montecristo No. 2. A wine of great power and energy, just beginning to round into its adult form. Wonderfully savory flavors of dark raspberry and Cuban cigar tobacco, plus a suggestion of honey. Really glistens on the palate, showing an uncommonly suave texture and strong minerality. This wine is at the beginning of a long peak-drinking window; in fact, my sample seemed still to want to tighten up in the bottle. This still-youthful wine finishes with terrific savory grip. I should note that Roumier actually prefers his 1999 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses to this wine! (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, March 2018) — 7 years ago
Château Ausone
Saint Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2019
The 2019 Ausone was picked September 20-27 for the Merlot and October 3, 5 and 7 for the Cabernet Franc, then matured for 20 months in new French oak with light toasting. This is very refined and focused on the nose, less opulent compared to recent vintages, and very sophisticated, with hints of Montecristo cigar interwoven through the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine but quite firm tannins that frame the lightly spiced black fruit. Touches of pencil lead and white pepper appear toward the prolonged finish. This very composed Ausone might actually drink earlier than other vintages but unequivocally has the substance to age with grace in bottle. There is an abiding sense of completeness here. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2022)
— 3 years ago
Marchesi di Montecristo
Nerello del Bastardo Nebbiolo Blend 1999
Held up so well. Beautiful. — 5 years ago
Château Larcis Ducasse
Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
I’m opening my last bottle of the 03 Larcis Ducasse after recently reading a couple of professional write ups about the wines fruit fading and to drink up. I did not find that to be the case w/ my last bottle. I found the wine to be around it’s peak form with another 5 years plus ahead. On the nose; menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The body is medium full. Tannins are 75-80% resolved. The length, structure, tension & balance are right where I’d expect them to be and are quite enjoyable. The palate is very similar to the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, dry & very grippy, edgy minerals, Montecristo cigar, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The acidity is lovely and the long finish is well balanced with an even tug of war between fruit & earth with the dry earth dominate on the long set. Photos of; of their great southern exposed sunny hillside vineyard, the old craved stone entrance and Nicolas Thienpont & Stephane Derenoncourt. Producer notes & history...Chateau Larcis Ducasse began during the days of the ancient Romans, who valued the best hillside vineyards in the area. The early part of the modern era for Larcis Ducasse begins in 1893, when Henri Raba bought the Saint Emilion vineyard. After Henri Raba passed away in 1925, his wife and son Andre Raba continued managing Larcis Ducasse. His niece, Helene Gratiot Alphandery, inherited the property in 1941. She managed Chateau Larcis Ducasse until 1990. Then her son, Jacques-Olivier Gratiot took control of the property after she passed away and he remains in charge today. Chateau Larcis Ducasse remains the property of the Gratiot Alphandery family today. Prior to 2003, it had been years since the wines of Chateau Larcis Ducasse were prized by Bordeaux wine lovers. The wine had fallen out of favor, due to a lack of attention and effort. That changed in 2002 when they hired Saint Emilion consultants, Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt to turn things around and manage the estate. One of the first improvements at the property suggested by them was to create a new drainage system. The next step was to change harvesting practices. Prior to 2002, the grapes were often picked too early and over a very short duration of 2 to 3 days. Now, the harvest takes place when the fruit is ripe and picking can take as long as 2 to 3 weeks. Starting with the 2005 vintage, all work in the vineyards moved to 100% organic farming methods. The 10.85 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Larcis Ducasse is planted to 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. This shows a slight change in the vineyard, as more Cabernet Franc has been added to the plantings since 2003. The vineyard is located just around the bend in the road from Chateau Pavie. In fact, their vines but up against each other. They are surrounded by more good producers. To the south, is Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere and La Gaffeliere, and as you move north, Chateau Troplong Mondot and Chateau Pavie. The terroir of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is a mixture of soils. The vines on the top of plateau and the slopes have a south facing exposure. At the higher elevations on the plateau, the terroir is limestone, clay and chalk soils. As you travel further down the slopes towards the terraces, the terroir is a blend of chalky limestone, marl, sand, silt and clay soil. At the base of the slopes, you find sand and clay soils. On average the vines are 35 years of age. While the older plantings were done at a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare, as the vineyard continues to be slowly replanted, the vine density is increasing with each subsequent replanting. The new plantings are being done at 7,500 vines per hectare. They are also using budwood obtained through selection massale. The yields are kept low at Larcis Ducasse. In 2009, the effective yields were only 25 hectoliters per hectare.To produce the wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse, the grapes are whole berry fermented. The fruit is transported by gravity flow into traditional, cement tanks for fermentation. Cuvaison takes between 25-28 days. There are no pump overs. Pigeages are conducted during fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. The wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is then aged in 67% new, French oak barrels, which are mixed in size, between standard barrels and 500 liter French, oak casks. The wine is then aged for an average of 18 to 20 months in barrel before bottling. The production averages close to 4,000 cases depending on what the vintage gives. — 7 years ago
Bob McDonald
Drunk as a sipper over the past 6 to 8 weeks. Notes of caramel and spice and incredibly smooth. Not hot at all. I like to drink it with one small block of ice. A great accompaniment to a Montecristo #4 Cuban Cigar. 43% ABV. — a year ago