Bob McDonald

WSET Level 3 Pass with Distinction.

4712 wines • 320 followers • 222 following

Château Canon-la-Gaffelière

Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

9.5

This wine screams right bank Bordeaux supported by a blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A dark Ruby red in colour this has a lovely perfume with aromas of plum, cigar box, dried bracken and roses, tobacco and spice. Cinnamon and nutmeg from the oak. 70% of the French Oak barrels were new. Medium plus bodied. The tannins are there but lessening in impact. 14.5% ABV. This wine was #2 in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2013. A near neighbour of the aristocratic Chateau Ausone. — 5 days ago

Somm, Paul and 14 others liked this

Had dinner at Chateau Guiraud, which is the same ownership in 2014. Dinner after a multiple vintages tasting at 8 Chateau’s in Sauternes during En Primeur and then tastings 50 Sauternes in an hour before dinner. The final wine was Cannon.

@Somm David T 👌

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

The ownership has a style...which...works over multiple BDX concerns. A bit heavy and gratuitous but it smooths over the various vintage speed bumps here and there. Always pleasant and cordial. Plenty of Howdoyoudo? Attention to detail evident. The various ownership property labels a safe harbor in an uncertain BDX world.

Castle Rock Estate

Porongurup Pinot Noir 2018

9.1

As I mentioned in my previous Delectable note about this Cuvée - stewed red fruits. Strawberries and cherries. Made by the virtuoso winemaker of the Porongorups, Rob Diletti….. this time for himself instead of contract winemaking as he often does for his neighbours. Also Rob is an indemand Show Judge. Rob also makes a fabulous Riesling. — 17 days ago

Paul, Tom and 19 others liked this

Giant Steps

Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

9.4

Mid to pale crimson - actually transparent. The pale colour belies the aromatic and palate intensity. Aromatics of cherry and raspberry transforming on to the medium bodied sweet red fruited palate. A touch of Sous Bois. An excellent Pinot as always from the Applejack Vineyard from Giant Steps. — 23 days ago

Paul, Brian and 17 others liked this

Nice pull!

All time favorite Pinot from Yara Valley 🙌

@Jan de Weerd Agreed Jan. I have been a regular buyer for many years.

Joh. Jos. Prüm

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling 2017

9.2

Must be one of the best Kabinetts going around. Peach and mineral for days - the latter a product of the slatey notes of the Sonnenuhr. Hard to see it getting better than it is now although lacks the complexity of Prum’s better cuvées. — 6 days ago

Somm, Andrew and 13 others liked this

Stayed at their hotel property and tasted with lunch in 2015.

@Somm David T You certainly have done some wine travelling David.

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Crimeny...love love this producer.

Clarence House Estate

Block 1 Tasmania Pinot Noir 2021

9.5

This Pinot won the 2022 Australian Pinot Challenge for Australia’s Best Pinot Noir. It firstly won best Pinot in Tasmania before beating all the other State winners to win best in Australia. Proving yet again what a fabulous terroir the Coal River is for Pinot Noir. Owned by cardiologist Professor David Kilpatrick and tended to by highly regarded Tasmanian viticulturalists Mark Hoey and Max Marriott and made by neighbouring winemaker Anna Pooley. This wine achieves the trifecta of latent power, energy and elegance. One of the first sites to use the Dijon 777 clone. It is medium body with dark cherry and whole bunch notes with M+ intensity. A worthy winner. — 15 days ago

Paul, Somm and 15 others liked this

Tasmania is a great climate for Pinot.

And…Sparkling.

Famille Perrin

Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes-du-Rhone Red Rhone Blend 2016

9.1

Aromatics of new leather and dried fruit. Not your average Côtes du Rhône as you would expect from Chateau de Beaucastel. More full bodied than expected to go with our chicken dish. Far richer than Guigal’s version of Côtes du Rhône. — 19 days ago

Paul, Jan and 19 others liked this

Yangarra Estate

High Sands McLaren Vale Grenache 2016

9.5

A highly awarded Grenache from McLaren Vale made by the talented Peter Fraser. Sweet red earthy fruits but not overly raspberry as Aussie Grenache often is. Has a lovely sweet smooth texture. James Halliday awarded this wine his Wine of the Year in 2020 and 99 points. Vines planted in 1946 in ancient sandy soils ideal for this Grenache. If not Australia’s best Grenache then certainly in the conversation. The main reason we drank this wine a few days ago was to remember Peter Fraser who sadly passed away unexpectedly in a tragic house fire. — 24 days ago

Paul, Brian and 15 others liked this

@Jamie Lauder Absolutely Jamie. 🍷👍

Very sad story @Bob McDonald — we all lost another Grenache virtuoso recently in France, Emmanuel Reynard of Chateau Rayas!!

@Doug Powers Very true Doug. Also a few years ago, Henri Bonneau.

Penfolds

Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

9.4

Dense crimson in colour - impenetrable. Strong aromas of mint. The excessive oak influence in Penfolds reds early in life has settled down after 15 years. All the individual components early on are now integrated settling in for a long life. Penfolds say to 2040. Ripe blackcurrant with plum, dark chocolate and liquorice notes. Bin 407 came about because of an embarrassment of Cabernet riches even after their flagship Bin 707. An excellent Cab - I now have 5 left for the coming decade or so. — 14 days ago

Paul, Ming and 17 others liked this

@Ira Schwartz, I lived on Cranberry Street in Brooklyn Heights in the 1980s, between Henry and Hicks, my favorite (1/2 block away) retailer was Marcolini Wines and Liquor (Armand Correia), who taught me SO MUCH about wine that I’m forever in his debt (sadly, he passed some years ago)!! He sourced that wine, my 2 cases of 1983 Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah, and MANY other wines for me, I cannot ever begin to repay his kindness and knowledge!!
@Ira Schwartz, if you ever watched “Moonstruck”, the store was in the movie on the corner of Cranberry and Hicks, right next to the apartment where Cher, Olympia Dukakis and the others lived, it was in one or two scenes. Also, we lived right next door to the Catholic Church shown early in the movie on Cranberry, when they were filming those scenes (at night), they had a trailer parked out front. One night, I got home from work, walked to Marcolini’s, grabbed a bottle of wine and headed back to our apartment (Co-op), and the trailer door opened, a pretty woman stepped out, who I proceeded to ALMOST run over, I said sorry ma’am, and 5 stepped later I realized I almost ran over CHER in my haste to get back and open that bottle of wine. TRUE STORY!!
@Bob McDonald

@Doug Powers @Bob McDonald I absolutely remember it from the movie.. That’s a real New York story

@Doug Powers . “If you could turn back time”…..

Bodegas Roda

Reserva Roda Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2015

9.2

Rich red and blue berries finishing with a slight tarry taste. 86% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 6% Graciano. Matured in French Oak barrels for 14 months, 40% of the barrels were new and the rest were second use. From dry grown bush vines. Medium to full bodied. Dry cherries and spices. Solid. — 17 days ago

Paul, Tom and 20 others liked this

Classic and consistent expression of Rioja

Forest Hill Vineyard

Mount Barker Block 9 Shiraz 2017

9.2

Dense Ruby. Black Pepper, dried herbs and dried meat. Not all savoury - also a nice sweetness- plum and other dark fruits. I noticed my notes when I first tasted this at the winery Cellar Door in Christmas 2019 - “My kind of Shiraz”. Outstanding. Trophy for best West Australian Red at Royal Perth Wine Show; 96 points from Ray Jordan. — 25 days ago

Paul, ESF and 17 others liked this

@Bob McDonald, where is the cellar door? We were through Mt. Barker and ate lunch there a few times in late 2023, and ventured out to Duke’s and also another winery 5-6 miles further east of Mt. Barker, but due to my lack of knowledge, were not aware of this producer. Oh well. . . .

@Bob McDonald, now I see we STAYED 1 night in Denmark (WA), and also visited SingleFile, 15 minutes away. Damn!! Next time (and I’m rating to go back) we go to Oz, I’m gonna contact you for winery planning assistance!!

@Doug Powers Singlefile is owned by South African interests. Another good winery in Mount Barker is Plantagenet - very much worth a visit.