Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2022 | 80% Cabernet Franc from 30 y old vines and 20% Tannat from 150 y old vines. The CF brings a lovely frivolousness, the T structure. Basque Country nearby the Spanish border. | paired with a deerburger and salad. — a month ago

Vin d’Ottawa

9.2

A Marechal Foch from BC’s Okanagan Valley. Marechol Foch is a hybrid grape that is particularly resistant to cold which led to wide range planting in Canada. BUT generally as a cheap plonk wine to be made in quantity.

This winery here, however, is considered the one that has mastered Marechal Foch. And this wine is SO good. Big jammy blackberry flavour for days. — 2 years ago

with Gillian

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Every major holiday demands a celebratory wine. This Saturday Labor Day weekend, it’s a 1986 Leoville Las Cases.

The other weekend, we had Ribcap’s with a good Bordeaux & Napa Cabernet but, it was not what I was looking for with an Allen Brothers Ribcap. Allen Brothers steaks are the top 1% of beef in the country.

This 86 Leoville Las Cases started slow but, in short order excelled. The cork (not from my storage) made me hesitate to an extended decant. Even with the Durand corkscrew, it was a little tricky to remove the cork. However, the wine was still sound.

My favorite pairing is a Ribcap & an old Bordeaux. For me, no meal is slower or better. I grew up the youngest in a family of seven...raised by a single mother. My father passed away while I was four months conceived. So, we ate fast and fought for every scrap.

The nose reveals classic Bordeaux notes & style. Ripe, funky barnyard fruits of; cooked; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, black plum, dark cherries, slight dry cranberries, pomegranate, blueberries & rhubarb. Steeped tea, cola/red licorice, anise, golden brown to slightly burnt pie crust, dark, rich, turned earth, dry stones, limestone, cedar notes, old tobacco, underbrush, graphite, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, bay leaf, hints of eucalyptus/mint, old, soft leather, touch of mushrooms, just a hint of band-aid/va, with bright, fresh & withering; dark, red, blue, purple flowers framed is soft violets.

The palate is; smooth, elegant, ripe and juicy. The 86 still shows some baby, slightly tarry & teethe tannins. The structure, tension, balance and length are incredible. This 86 has years of life ahead of it if you enjoy them at this age and older as I do. Ripe, funky barnyard fruits of; cooked; blackberries, dark cherries, black, strawberries, black plum, dark cherries, slight dry cranberries, pomegranate, blueberries, faint raspberries notes, & rhubarb. Steeped tea, cola/red licorice, anise, golden brown to slightly burnt pie crust, crispy toast, dark, rich, turned earth, dry river stones, charcoal w/ ash, limestone/sandstone, dry clay, cedar notes, old tobacco with ash, underbrush, graphite, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, bay leaf, some vegetal characteristics, hints of eucalyptus/mint, old, soft leather, touch of mushrooms, used expresso grounds, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha powder, hints of band-aid/va, with bright, fresh & withering; dark, red, blue, purple flowers framed is soft violets. The acidity is a gentle rain shower and perfect. The long finish defines elegance, balance in fruit & earth, well knitted and goes on for several minutes in perfect harmony ending with dry earth & juiciness over the top.

What a treat it is to drink Bordeaux of this age & older. I love the style of 80’s Bordeaux and really appreciate the 12-13% ABV of that decade. Wish that never changed.

Not sure this makes it to 2060 but, there is still plenty of life in it. Don’t be afraid to decant it 1-2 hours without question on well stored bottles.

Photos of; Chateau Leoville Las Cases, old large wood vats, their archway you see as you enter the property from the D2 & staff working their Estate vines. — 4 years ago

JKT

9.0

First wine since July trips! Back label: This 25-acre vineyard, planted in day and limestone soils, is situated in Salignac Gironde, 15 miles northeast of Bordeaux. He belongs to the Comtes de Tastes. Welldrained, south-facing slopes explain the name : Beaulieu, or
"beautiful plage".
Under the enlightened management of Count Vianney de Tastes, cover tropping, "green-harvesting" and leaf-pulling are the rule.
Consequently, yields are very low for the appellation at just 2,5 tons/acre, the equivalent of one bottle of wine per vine.
The 15-year old vines include 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. At 2,226 vines/acre, density is twice the average of most New World vineyards!
The hand-harvested fruit undergoes a pre-fermentation, cold maceration (3-5 days) after which the juice is slowly fermented (10-15 days), and then macerated for as long as taste (Tastes?) deems necessary. Malolactic then takes place in barrel, 60% of which are new.
The wine is aged on its lees for 12 months, gaining additional richness, freshness, and complexity and then bottled on the estate. Enjoy it now and over the next 5-7 years. Nice wine with complexity, earthy plummy aromas and lively palate. — 3 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

From the disappointing wet 2011 vintage in South Australia where many producers did not produce a wine, but, typically with old vine fruit from Wendouree, this showed well. Quite ripe considering the vintage, yet medium weight palate - liquorice and spice notes with excellent intensity. Those old vines cover a multitude of sins like a cold wet vintage. 11 years is rather young for a Wendouree but given the vintage this was very polished. Has enough guts to have another 5+ years in the cellar. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.5

After going long on the 2016 vintage I only swooped up a couple bottles of the 2017 and this is my very first experience with the vintage. The Spring of 2017 presented all sorts of problems for Grenache vines in large parts of the Southern Rhône. A cold and wet May resulted in shatter which lead to yields that were anywhere between 30-60% less than normal. However, from June until harvest, the weather was beautifully suited for grapes; warm and dry. From my humble perspective, the results for Pegaü were nothing short of fantastic! After a few hours in the decanter, this was absolutely slaying the game with head spinning aromas of the purest dark bramble fruit, star anise, sandalwood and “Himalayan Spice” incense. On the palate, this was a concentrated best. Dark and red brambles, seeds and all, with black licorice, black pepper and some bacon fat. Huge tannin and fantastic acid. Long finish that’s lasting for minutes and killer pairing with rack of lamb. I find this to be a tremendous follow up to the 2016 and worthy of any high praise it receives. Probably should have bought more...maybe I can still snag some. The 2017 vintage ended up as a blend of 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 10% mix of the other 13 approved grapes. As a side note, no “Cuvee da Capo” was made in 2017. — 5 years ago

Valerie Payne

8.9

Needs time to open up, great bang for the buck, Alison and Az quite liked - good cold patio/bbq bottle. — 5 years ago

with Blue and Alison

Daniel Bloom

9.1

I’m not sure where my previous note went.
Just when you thought you knew Italy, up pops this might as well be SwissFrench alpine darling from the Vallée D’Aoste.
Blanc de Morgex et de la salle. The town/village of Morgex lies just below Mt. Blanc. The Prié Blanc vines thrive in soil that has not known phylloxera.
Stones, herbs,and lemons all wrapped up in a rather electric pkg. I think drink young. Cold, the nose doesn’t have much to say past stone fruit, maybe rainier cherries.,But the palate is pow! Lemons, herbs, mineral, high acid and refreshing. With fried Branzino, perfect!
Always a sucker for high altitude Italian.
Thanks@ AstorWines — a year ago

Vanessa

9.1

Catching up on my March Issue of Decanter, which, among other things, celebrates the wines of Spain from regions such as Rioja, Toro, Rias Baixas, Alicante, Manchuela, Valencia, and Jumilla. 🍷🍷🍷 This Issue reminds me of how much I have yet to explore in this country. 🇪🇸 It inspired me to have a glass of Rioja made from the Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) grapes.

👁 This wine has a medium ruby hue with garnet rim variation. 👃 It has a medium intensity of developing aromas. 👄 Aroma and flavor notes are concentrated and include black cherry, red currant, plum sauce, violet, black licorice, anise, balsamic vinegar, black olive, sweet tobacco, leather, cedar, nutmeg, vanilla, clove, earth, and peat. This wine has medium acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, and a medium(+) finish. It’s complex; it has finesse.

This wine is from La Rioja Alta, S.A., Viña Ardanza, Reserva 2012, with an ABV of 14.5%. This wine is predominately Tempranillo (78%), coming from 30-year-old vines, which is blended with Garnacha (Grenache) (22%). It has extended American oak aging.

I have tried numerous wines from this producer – La Rioja Alta, S.A. – and have loved them all. — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Muralee Murugesu

8.9

Clean, crisp, slightly acidic Sauv. Blanc. if you ever want to be in the middle of Marlborough and stay in the wine country this is a place. In the middle of vines! Awesome. — 5 years ago