Jay Kline

9.4

Talk about an enormous wine. The 2005 is downright youthful and packed to the gills with fruit and character. Dark fruited with anise and black pepper. It was just so dense that everything seemed locked up right now…and we can thank Mourvedre for that. This was very tasty with cassoulet, Toulouse sausage and duck confit. If I were going to open another one of these, I would probably hold until 2030 and this will probably last for another 25 years beyond that. A massive wine with a long future yet ahead. — 2 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

There are good steak wines and then there are steak WINES! Not that this is the best wine or steak wines I’ve had. It was simply birthed for steak. Allen Brothers Strip Steak. Seasoned with coarse Garlic Salt/ Pepper and Napa Valley Rub from wholespice.com. If you haven’t had your steak this way, my highest recommendation. The fat & gristle are perfect w/ the 08 Belle-Vue. If you olive oil, heavy coarse salt & pepper your bake potato at 475 for an hour & a half, you’ll discover how great, crispy/crunchy/complex a potato shell can be. Older Bordeaux can be good on its own but with beef or lamb, it’s just a marriage made in heaven. Here’s the rub for my friends & I, we can’t find a steak better than we make. That’s what the Covid years firmed up for us. The 08 vintage was saved with late good weather. It sits somewhere between the good and very good vintages. Drinks better earlier than great to grand vintages. Slightly over achieving its young critical reviews.

The palate shows; drier dark currents-blackberries, black raspberries, black plum dark, not quite ripe cherries, raspberries edges. Dark chocolate baking bar (that’s what French oak does), lead pencil shavings, dark rich earth with dry leaves, limestone powder, dry river stone, dry tobacco, chewy leather, dark, intense spices, nutmeg, some cinnamon, vanillin, caramel hues, saline, fresh & withering, dark, purple flowers with lavender hues, nice acidity with a well structured & balanced, rounded meaty tannin, floral finish that lasts minutes. Medoc is always the place to look for nice wines with value…even better in excellent vintages. Even better in 5 years.

It has another 10 years plus of good drinking ahead properly stored. — 8 months ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.8

Over the Easter weekend I opened for friends the 2015 Spottswoode Family Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Valley St. Helena, California a blend of 89%Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Other.

I let decant for at least an hour on the nose there was black cherry, blackberry, plum, black currant, cedar, spice, roses, crushed gravel and earth.

On the palate there was black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, black currant, licorice, mint, sandalwood, crushed gravel and earth.

This wine was rated 100 by both Jeb Dunnick and Wine Advocate whom I respect highly and can totally understand their exuberance for this wine but I couldn't make it quite there. I found that this is full bodied with a freshness and smooth mouthfeel medium + to high acidity and medium + high grainy crunchy tannins that gives a beautiful long dark fruit gravelly earthy finish. An eceptional wine by any means and I am glad to have a few more at rest in my cellar for this wine has many years to continue to develop. Our Easter weekend was one of excitement and exuberance where we had a baby shower on Saturday for our daughter who is expecting the last week of May first week of June which will be our second grandchild. Easter day we spent with family and friends which the day was spectacular. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend and I wish everyone a wonderful week ahead. Please stay safe and healthy with peace to all. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 2 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.1

Yeah, what can I say. Nice wine for sure, but for some reason when I see the Silver Oak label my expectations rise. Realizing this is the Alexander Valley version. But 2011! Thirteen years old. Still rather single note, strong oak tannins still overshadowed what maybe underneath it. A bit disappointed I am afraid. We pulled it out with my first ever Tomahawk ribeye… so yeah. — 3 months ago

with Tammy

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened about four hours prior to service and allowed to breath. Two bottles were opened tonight from the same cellar and one of the corks showed some small signs of seepage but both wines showed equally. No formal notes. The 1997 Opus One pours a fairly youthful looking deep ruby color with moderate signs of sediment and a near opaque core. The nose exhibited powerful aromas of dark fruits, organic earth, tobacco, leather, horse blanket (brettanomyces?!), and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry and the structure remains quite firm but the texture is plush and almost chewy. The notes on the nose are confirmed and the finish is long and satisfying.

But the tasting notes only tell half the story here. This was consumed alongside a 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Had these been served together double-blind, I would have absolutely understood if someone called both as left-bank Bordeaux. Yes, the texture was plush and yes, the color was dark(er), but only just. It was just waaaay more Old World leaning to me with the earth and presence of brett. Which makes me wonder, why hasn’t brett been noted very often in other TN’s for this wine? Only (Charlie Carnes and OneFive) really address it directly and maybe this is what most are getting at when they mention “Bordeaux-like” and all the Pauillac vibes. What I can confirm is that these notes were consistent between two bottles from the same case, still in their tissue paper, so I’m reasonably confident that this is characteristic of the 1997 Opus One. I digress; I liked the wine. There, I said it. It was a bit of a one foot in Old School Napa, one foot in New School Napa, handled with an Old World touch. I liked it even better side-by-side with the ’90 Mouton, especially considering the relationship between the two. That being said, folks that can’t get down with a little brett will be turned off by this vintage of Opus. In my case, I would enjoy another opportunity to drink the 1997 some time. Great now with some air to stretch its legs and should be enjoyable through the next decade.
— 10 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.5

We cant get enough of this wine. When out of towners visit and they want to experience a high quality Idaho wine, this is what we serve. Not too many winemakers can make Idaho grown Cab Sauv work, but the unique layout of this small vineyard makes an excellent wine. Vibrant dark cherry with well integrated but very present oak laced tannins that control the punchy juice into a charged balance that explodes in your mouth. Best Idaho Cab bar none! — 2 years ago

with Federico and Tammy

Pinotman /// Andreas

10

Unbeatable. This vintage really is. Words can not do justice to this wine. Just trust me. Gnarly finish . So complex. A lot of layers. The finish is like a god damn flower. Fuck yes. — 6 months ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

Light garnet, medium body, accessible tannins even young, though we know this can age forever. High acid, Nebbiolo-like, feels cool climate. Pomegranate, cherry, bit of smoke, tar and dried herbs, perfect shareable size too — 7 months ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.1

Friday night I opened the 2019 Pride Mountain Vineyards 70% Napa County/30% Sonoma County Merlot. From St. Helena, California.

On the nose there is nlack cherry, plum, black raspberry, black currant, oak, chocolate, herbaceous notes and dark earth.

On the palate there is vlack cherry, black raspberry, plum sauce, black currant, spice, oak, chocolate, tobacco, tar black pepper and dark rich earth.

This ia a full bodied wine with medium + to high acidity and medium + mouthcoating crunchy tannins that leaves you with a long dark fruit woody finish. A new week is upon us and we can look ahead with hope and positivity. Let us all stay healthy and safe to a great week ahead. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — a year ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

Less dense and minerally compared to the 09' d'Eugenie Clos Vougeot, but it was my preferred red Burg on the table. It just had more energy! Pure and pretty bouquet of red and black fruits (leaning on the latter), florals, savory spice, and earth. The same can be said of the palate, with quite a bit of power in the back-end. Finishes weighty with a drawn out fruit sweetness that's perfectly in tension with the saline, tangy elements. Dissipated quickly over dinner. Another win for the sisters and 2010!

NB: An episode on Wineking got me thinking about the way I rate wines. Totally "unprofessional". Haha. The hosts were talking about how wine professionals have to forgo preferences and put on their thinking hats to judge wines, which makes perfect sense (and is taught in WSET too) but I just rate wines here based on how "drinkable" it is to me (and in context of the occassion). Scores wise, I'm sure this was the "lesser" of the two red Burgs we had. Just had less "substance". But "drinkability" wise, clearly everyone thought this was better. — 2 years ago