Year Wines

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1994

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with a beautiful nose.

Showing black plums, black currants, cedar, dried figs, licorice, dark chocolates, earth, rhubarb, tobacco leaf, light black tea and black pepper.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cherries.

This 32 year old Pauillac is still drinking beautifully, but a bit past its prime. Rich and elegant. Very complex and spicy.

This Second Growth Bordeaux needed 5 hours to open up properly, and was not that special right out of the bottle.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel, and still showing enough fruits to balance the earth notes.

Robert Parker 91 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and with food.

A blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$200.
— 3 days ago

Dave, Jay and 13 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1981

45 years on, and still singing. Our friends’ wedding anniversary year. Classic tertiary Saint-Julien: cedar, forest floor, dried cherry, tobacco, pencil shavings — fruit fully resolved into savory complexity. Silky, perfumed, no rough edges. Need time to breathe for nose to be appealing. — a month ago

Dave liked this

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

Lucky to sit with a friend who bright two bottles of this beauty to share at Bordeaux Fest Near perfection from a magnificent special bottle. The year the wall came down with label art that looks to the future. Believe the hype. — 7 months ago

"Odedi" and Shay liked this

Beaulieu Vineyard

Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1975

Very pretty. Faded with a touch of balsamic. Poised and pretty. Very light but complete. Pristine for a 50 year old cab — 8 months ago

Naoko Dalla VallePaul Woolls
with Naoko and Paul
Matt, Juan and 17 others liked this
ESF

ESF

historic bottle - 👍

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

I purchased this wine for $60 as a Bordeaux future offering from MacArthur’s in DC, with the hope of opening it when my younger son—born in 1982—was old enough to share it. We finally did just that this Thanksgiving, celebrating both him and the bottle.
The fill was mid-shoulder, but the family was together and it felt like the right moment. I gave it about an hour in the decanter before dinner. Early on it showed blackberries, a touch of veg, lead pencil, cedar notes and a smooth elegant finish. As the evening went on it opened a bit more, gaining some depth.
A few hours later I revisited the small amount I’d saved and found it had dried out some—but that was expected for a 43-year-old First Growth. Ultimately, it was a wonderful experience and a memorable way to share both the wine and the moment with family.
— 10 months ago

Jay and Joel liked this
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Fantastic and great story. Thanks for sharing!

Spottswoode

Family Estate Grown St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

What a treat opening this 27 year old Napa Valley Spottswoode Cabernet! A deep purple garnet color with some bricking. Nose - dark fruit and wet forest floor initially standout followed by subtle notes of blueberry dark chocolate, fennel and a touch of tobacco & spearmint. Taste - cherry and dark plum stand out giving it a luscious smooth feel. Well integrated with secondary notes of dark soil, crushed rock, espresso, cedar and a medium finish — 2 years ago

Leslie PiersonKarin BlazonaJill Young
with Leslie, Karin and 1 other
Tom, Shay and 11 others liked this

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Fantastic pour from an often overlooked vintage year, smooth, well-balanced, delicate, great on its own and even better when paired with a well prepared steak covered with truffle and mushroom sauce, as presented at our Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner at the Hope Club. — 8 days ago

Warre's

Otima 10 Year Old Tawny Porto

Purchased after reading the novel “Theo of Golden”…Which I highly recommend. Sweet caramel, baked cherry, mint perhaps; really enjoyed this Port. Love the dark ruby…. — a month ago

Fonseca

20 Year Old Aged Tawny Port Blend

Bright and fresh. Prunes, chocolate, hazelnut, orange peel, and vanilla. Excellent with a rich blue cheese. — 6 months ago

Taittinger

Comtes de Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay 1996

The final bottle for our annual Valentine’s Day and carbonara tradition (this time one day early). We skipped last year as my wife was pregnant, nice to be back. Very good, but definitely in an advanced stage - the nuttiness really comes through. There is still great acid, lemon curd, crispness, soft bubbles.

After the full case, I’d say the ones from 2021-2023 were the best.

On to Krug 2004 next year!!
— 7 months ago

Lyle, Somm and 15 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Definitely 96 color these days. Cheers! 🥂

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1985

So seamless and delicious. We had 3 forty year olds at dinner so this was a birth year wine for the majority of our dinner. Last had a couple years ago, and this remains very good. Not primary, but also wouldn’t guess 40 years old. Really nice pairing with a roast leg of lamb on Christmas. — 9 months ago

Lyle, Dave and 13 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Love the stem!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

Great pull!!

Suntory

The Yamazaki 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Chih winegeeks valle de los encinos — a year ago

Juan liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1999

Delectable Wine
9.2

The 1999 Latour has a dark garnet color with little aging on the rim. The nose is closed initially and demands coaxing, eventually revealing blackberry, cedar and light pencil-shaving aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, displaying some secondary notes of clove, white pepper and a distinct earthiness that comes through on the finish. [Post-script: this is one of the few vintages I identified correctly!] Tasted blind from double magnum at a 20-year retrospective at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2024)
— 3 years ago

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2017

Light golden in color.

Beautiful nose of honeydew, apples, honeysuckle, tropical fruits, spices and melons.

Full-bodied with high acidity and long legs.

Sweet on the palate with apples, citrus, mangoes, spices, honeysuckle, herbs, honey and light earth.

Long finish with sweet honey notes.

This delicious 9 year old Sauternes is drinking beautifully now. Complex and interesting. Elegant and fruit forward. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Feels very fresh, but a bit subdued and earthier right now, compared to other vintages. Will continue to age nicely in the next 40 years.

Loved the nose more than the palate here. So expressive.

Wine Spectator 96 points. Robert Parker 99 points.

A blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months. Drank from a 750ml bottle.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$450.
— 13 days ago

Juan, Rob and 16 others liked this
Daniel Bloom

Daniel Bloom

@"Odedi" Nice bargain sipper!

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

I’ll just commence this tasting note to see if it is accepted. Dense Ruby in colour. Blackcurrant and tobacco notes - ripe blue and black fruits - luscious texture. Anytime I’ve had a Napa (or Washington State) Cabernet I have always been impressed - probably better than most good Aussie Cabernets (and more expensive). Has a good future but irresistible right now. Have the last bottle in a year or two. Interestingly reverse osmosis was used to reduce the alcohol. Now at 13.9%. — 5 months ago

Jeroen, "Odedi" and 12 others liked this
Jose Lorenzo

Jose Lorenzo

One of the finest California vineyards. Especially to sit on for a while. Cheers
Joshua Fisher

Joshua Fisher Influencer Badge

This is a top producer for Napa Valley.

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Who am I argue with 100 point rating from Dunnuck and Wine Advocate? And it is a youthful beauty. I typically find the great vintage of ‘09 approachable earlier than ‘05, also a great Bordeaux year. This is perfectly enjoyable right now but I’ll SAVE at least 6 of these because this baby is a distant runner with lots of legs left. Wow! — 7 months ago

Tom and Andrew liked this

Penfolds

Grandfather 20 Year Rare Tawny Port Blend

The taste is rich and multi-layered. Let your tongue feel it, and then go deeper until you reach the back of your tongue. It ranges from sweet to sour, and the aroma of the wooden barrel comes out, very intense. — 9 months ago

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2018

Missed trying one last year, definitely opening up earlier than my previous bottles. 2 hour decant with a NY Strip. — 10 months ago

Somm, Shay and 30 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

I do love the style of the 18 Napa Cabernet vintage.
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

@Rob Brobst III It is a pedigree estate & winemaking team. Further for me, the style of the vintage w/ really with well made Napa Cabernets are dead center of my style wheelhouse. Round & elegant. Cheers! 🍷

Billecart-Salmon

Brut Rosé Champagne Chardonnay Blend 2010

Happy New Year from Felix! — 3 years ago

Jody, Paul and 3 others liked this

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend

Somewhat disappointing for a great producer in a great year. Medium body medium color, dark fruit hint of tobacco.
Hopefully a few more years will improve this wine.
— 4 years ago

Michael liked this
Michael Phillips

Michael Phillips

the Beaucastel was the 2007