Better Half

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, and half a % each of Malbec and Merlot, aged 15 months in 33% new French oak, 51% of fruit from Atlas Peak District, deep Ruby with aromas of vibrant dark fruit, sweet spice and herbs. On the palate flavors of cherry and blackberry with tobacco spice, toasty oak, cinnamon and floral notes. Fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit, spice, cedar, mocha and mineral character, Nice, should age well. — 19 days ago

Juan, Andrew and 7 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby . This seems a bit more advanced . This is a bit harder and more structured on the palate , more tannin , less velvety and a bit more astringent . More spicy , drier on the palate . This needed more time to open . This was quite difficult to judge , I wasn’t 100% convinced about this bottle as it just seemed a little oxidative, however it did actually seemed to come together better after an hour or so , but still quite hard and astringent in comparison to the others (especially La Mission) . Showed a touch more mineral and grafite on the finish too after a while. This needed time , and I would imagine another bottle might tell a different story . — a month ago

Anthony, Andrew and 6 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2010

Spritely Rioja with excellent length. This was a fun little half bottle. Always a treat from Heredia! — 2 months ago

Tom, KCG and 16 others liked this
GaryWEdwards

GaryWEdwards

Among the best price-values in Europe. Love love this juice. I have several vintages but haven’t delved into the 2010. Soon though. 375 would be magic.
Vino Joe

Vino Joe

Thank you Gary. Yes I agree with you. Whenever I am an a steakhouse with an overpriced wine list a quality Rioja is my choice and Lopez De Heredia is usually fairly priced. I have been fortunate to have a few long aged Grand Riservas.

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

Was looking forward to this wine the most but sadly this bottle had seen better days. Very tertiary with mushroom and leather. Was still pleasant but suffered from the high expectation... — 21 days ago

Bob, Scott@Mister and 26 others liked this
David T

David T Influencer Badge

Bummer.
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

That’s too bad.

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 2015

Quite light lemon yellow , very persistent , fine bubbles . Quite taut and strict on the nose , chalk dust , white flowers , honey suckle and elderflower , lemon peel , touch oyster shell and a touch of fresh baked bread . On the palate really good volume and density , lively acidity . Lots of citrus with good mineral , oyster shell notes . Long and mineral , saline, tinged finish , hint of toasty brioche on the end . This is really quite young and shows tighter and more mineral than the first bottle we had . Would leave this a few years and will have a long life , better in 10 -15 years and last well a further 10 or so . Great potential — a month ago

David, Jan and 12 others liked this

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

My second time trying the 2016 vintage. I’ll hang on to my remaining bottles as it’s only getting better. — 2 months ago

David, Peter and 4 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1983

Shay A
9.3

(Two previous 1983 vintage wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from CT).

My experiences with 1983s has been fairly positive, and this PL certainly is among the better I’ve had from the vintage. Holding color nicely with deep ruby and slight bricking around the rim. Started off a bit dense and muddled, but hit stride about 30mins later with a mix of red and black berry fruit, cassis, a streak of herbal green down the middle (something I always get with PL). Excellent example of the fruit showing lots of flavor without being overly ripe. Leather, sweet pipe tobacco, graphite, and still some vibrancy at the finish with tannin structure. Clean and elegant at this stage. Showed well over the course of two hours. Drink up and enjoy.
— 11 days ago

Scott@Mister, Jan and 32 others liked this

Taittinger

Comtes de Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Chardonnay 2013

Working is always better with Champagne. Deep acidity, bright citrus notes, racy on the palate, and a lasting finish. Cheers. — 2 months ago

Andrew, Ted and 16 others liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2019

Just a half bottle test.. way way too early. Decanted and it needed a solid hour before it unfolded at all. Great structure lurking but this experience was impaired by immaturity. — 2 months ago

Andrew, Jan and 19 others liked this