Vines At Vail

Clos De La Roilette

Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis Fleurie Gamay 2018

As good as Beaujolais gets. From the oldest vines at Roilette. Have had numerous bottles of Griffe and it always delivers. Darker and heavier then typical Cru Beaujolais. More cherry and less berry flavor. Little tannic and ages well. Just getting harder to secure bottles. — 9 days ago

Ira liked this

Turley

Old Vines California Zinfandel 2021

Dark reddish purple. Raspberry and red plum on the inviting nose. Echoed on the medium full palate which adds a swirl of vanilla oak. Incredibly smooth for 15.2 abv (no burn at all), and the medium acidity is just enough for a good food wine. Classic California Zin. Enjoy now through 2026 with burgers and roasts. — 4 months ago

Byron, Paul and 2 others liked this

Bodegas Volver

Tarima Hill Old Vines Alicante Monastrell

Trying a 100% Monastrell - quite good. Found at Wegmans of all places. Highly rated by wine spectator. — 2 years ago

The Eyrie Vineyards

Original Vines Pinot Gris 2015

Petrol nose at first. Great complexity and evolution. Glossy, slightly gluey texture that coated the entire mouth, front to back. Acidic with sweet undertones. Pickle juice! — 3 years ago

Josh Smith
with Josh

Henschke

Hill of Grace Vineyard Shiraz 1996

Still a very dense crimson with no tawny rim, at 28 years of age but the tawniness is beginning. A certain feral, Animale, earthy note. Palate is ultra smooth, medium bodied / very savoury yet with a sweetish earthy note with a hint of raspberry. Jancis Robinson was invited by Stephen Henschke to a vertical tasting at the winery in May 2013 to cover vintages back to the late 1950’s. She described the 1996 as “pure hedonism “ and gave it 19/20. Medium plus intensity on the delicious palate with those gnarled old 160 year vines showing through. An absolutely stunning wine - one of the best we’ve had this year. — a month ago

David, Joe and 24 others liked this
Jan de Weerd

Jan de Weerd

Sensational. A rare moment. Really thinking about it. You were probably the only one in the world experiencing that wine.
Bob McDonald

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@Jan de Weerd Possibly Jan. Not sure of the Annual production but it wouldn’t be much as it is sourced from a single vineyard whereas Penfolds Grange has a far larger annual production having multiple vineyard sources.

Quinta do Crasto

Reserva Old Vines Vinhas Velhas Douro Red Blend 2020

Purchased at Duty Free in Portugal. Described as a wine for special occasions. — 7 months ago

Tenuta San Guido

Guidalberto Toscana Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2016

If Sassicia is 💯 points for 2016 you had to figure their other wine was good as well, give it another 5-10 years without any issues. 2016 was a great year over-there. This at $45 or 2016 Sassicaia at $400.00 if you didn’t buy at $175.00 early
Wine Advocate 94+ review as follows,

This wine is showing exceptionally well in this classic vintage. The 2016 Guidalberto (Cabernet Sauvignon and a smaller percentage of Merlot) opens to a full and generous bouquet and a beautifully rich and velvety appearance. This edition of Tenuta San Guido's mid-level wine offers a bigger aromatic profile, more texture and more volume as well. Dark cherry and blackberry segue to spice, tar, leather and sweet fruit at the end. The mouthfeel is elegantly shaped, silky and nuanced. This may well be the best vintage of Guidalberto I have yet to taste—and you can get this wine at a great price too.
Just south of Livorno, Tuscany, lies the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, and the Tenuta San Guido estate, where Sassicia is produced. The estate was originally owned by Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta, and has been managed since WWII by his son, Niccolo. A true pioneer in the Italian wine industry, his experimenting with the introduction of non-native varieties to Italy, resulted in the world-famous Sassicaia. In Italian, Sassicaia means "the place of many stones" and is used as the proprietary name for the estate's Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The vines of the Sassicaia vineyard were originally planted with cuttings from the prestigious Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. The wines of Sassicaia were so instrumental in creating the "Super-Tuscan" sensation that 1994, the Italian government granted Sassicaia its own DOC status in a sub-zone of the Bolgheri DOC. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, and the wines are then aged in French oak barrique for 18 to 24 months prior to release. Sassicaia produces a second label called Guidalberto and recently released a third wine, Le Difese, that is virtually unavailable in the U.S.
— 2 years ago

Severn, Tom and 20 others liked this
Bob McDonald

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A great story. I didn’t know that Sassicaia was originally planted with cuttings from Lafite.

Dry Creek Vineyard

Heritage Vines Sonoma County Zinfandel 2017

Blind dinner, open theme, at Little Cat Lodge, Hillsdale, NY. — 3 months ago

Ted, Mark and 12 others liked this

Bodegas Sierra Cantabria

Colección Privada Rioja Tempranillo 2018

Made in a small town at foot of Sierra Cantabria in the DO. A single variety Tempranillo from 50 year old vines has a deep Ruby red color and aged for 18 months in French and American oak. Aromas of red fruit and spice. On the palate ripe black fruit, fine tannins, well balanced with a medium+ finish ending with fruit, spice and some oak notes. Nice! — 3 months ago

Juan, Tom and 3 others liked this

Bodega Catena Zapata

High Mountain Vines Mendoza Malbec 2020

A perfectly smooth and well balanced new world red to enjoy with new friends at a nice old school New York City swanky hotel. Had this first as my float into a Devil’s Margarita which opened into a lovely discussion with some bar mates - and the end of which I made 2 new friends. A normal standalone glass of this is also quite wonderful and can stand by itself or go well with an accompaniment: snacks, cheese or a meal! — 10 months ago