Aw Direct
Flagstone
Writer's Block Pinotage 2015
Direct from SA. Delightful. Takes me back to the tasting rooms. Oaky, pepper, tobacco nose, deep blackcurrant, blackberries, peppery undertones and warmth, oaky in the mouth, lovely finish for something as light as a Pinotage. Really rate it. — 4 years ago
Château Cos d'Estournel
Les Pagodes de Cos Saint-Estéphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2010
A caveat - this is direct from the Chateau. I bought a different vintage from a local store and it is quite different. This is just a direct hit for me. Great spine, smooth finish, and great terroir. Even with shipping, this is good value and I just ordered a case of the 2013, 10 years on but direct from chateau. I have a soft spot for Cos having visited with a highly recommended tour with Anais there. We’re fans — a year ago
Bodega Comando
La Bruja Avería Rozas de Puerto Real Grenache 2015
To me good wine stands out from average wine when I can sense three things from it: time, place and intention.
This rustic garnacha clearly carries these three indices.
The top layer of smell is rustic- farm, soil. Sticking my nose in the glass I'm greeted with a maraschino liquor soaked cherry wood barrel.
The palate tells me it's been maturing and mellowing for three quarters of a decade - this is mature but eagerly waiting to be opened. There aren't layers to this- it's straight forward, direct, open and expressive. Elegant in it's simplicity but certainly not posh. Dry, but very much alive, like the garrigues that was once rooted where this vineyard now stands. This is central Spain. — 2 years ago
Herb Lamb Vineyards
HL Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Not bad from cork pop, but definitely better after 90 min of air. Nose is youthful oak and slightly ripe blackberry, sandalwood. Palate all ripe blackberry and attenuated pepper spice with a hint of sandalwood. Some iodine when moving to the mid-palate. Initially I was getting a a fairly strange Oreo cookie kind of note. The finish is a little direct and still a bit on the youthful side but this is gaining. The best years of this are ahead of it for sure. Going to be a force in 2023 and plan to hold my 3L of this for much much longer. — 4 years ago
Château Palmer
Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1989
Clear and medium ruby with a medium wide garnet / ruby rim , quite transparent and young looking , though lighter in colour than the Cantermerle 1989 had a couple of days ago . Really quite open and engaging direct from the bottle , constantly changing in the glass . Lovely red fruit dominated nose , cranberry , red currant , red plum , also floral with definition and clarity , discreet truffle , cassis, grafite and spicy cedar notes also . On the palate again very transparent and charming . Lots of those red currant , red plum and cranberry notes , truffle , touch of cassis and sous bois , fantastic intensity and brightness of fruit combined with refreshing acidity and suave , very fine tannins. Quite weightless on the palate , but very long and detailed on the grafite spicy tobacco stained finish. Really excellent balance . Though incredibly enjoyable now it is still pretty young, very fruit driven with some secondary development, this will improve over the next 5 or even 10 years and plateau for a further 10 or so. — 2 years ago
Realm Cellars
The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2018
So many peeps enjoyed the visual of our cellar, thought I’d give you the side shot.
Coming direct from the winery, this Bard is so consistent with prior vintages, and the presentation is rock solid. So much depth on the nose and palate. 2012 vintage is still primo, but this vintage is knocking at the door and wants to join the party. — 4 years ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
It’s a night of first year consecutive decades, 90 & 80. Enjoyed in reverse order
From the same technical team as Leoville Las Cases.
Another great Clyde Beffa direct purchase from the Chateau or Negociant.
Still ripe older Bordeaux fruits with smoothed out lead pencil. Blackberries, black raspberries that lean into pudding, black plum, darkest, cooked cherries, raspberries edges, baked rhubarb and hues of poached strawberries. There is nothing that bites back. Dark chocolate, smooth mocha, caramel, soften baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, old tobacco w/ ash, used leather, dry top soil, limestone powder, black licorice to anise, dry river stone, fresh & withering dark, red flowers, amazing, rainfall acidity and a well; balance, structured, knitted and smartly polished finish that lasts 90 seconds.
Steak slow cooked in the oven at graduating low heats and then seared at 1300 degrees, 30, 30, 30 & 30. .
“The Truth is Inside” is an expression about the very bottom of a bottle of wine. Tannin soaked & it never lies. Typically the best part of the bottle. 93 that lands 94 in truth. I always leave two-three inches of wine in bottle just because it is always slightly better than the rest of the bottle. It is more concentrated. — 3 months ago