Jan de Weerd

9.2

Okay. Again the same dilemma. If a wine does not meet expectation is it basically bad (for me)? 🤔 because in life everything is relative, right? Any thoughts on puzzling matter??The wine was well balanced, dark red fruit flavors, polished, smooth tannins, good intensity and concentration, but limited length and lacking any meaningful complexity… Eight year old left bank Bordeaux. A fourth or fifth growth winery, maybe not, can’t remember for sure. Do remember what I paid though, $120. Definitely too much for what we experienced this evening…. as to our expectations. — 14 days ago

with Tammy

Blake Anderson

8.9

Very drinkable — 7 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Brief Notes:- A medium weight red fruited savoury, earthy, bombshell of M+ intensity…a tarry note with liquorice adding to its Chateauneuf personality. An excellent example. More Burgundian than Rhone in weight and texture. Not sure further cellaring will add much but delicious right now. NB I have a bottle or two left and maybe a magnum? Must check. Had another bottle 17 weeks later on 18th May 2024 with similar notes. Pale tawny, dirty Ruby in colour - almost transparent. First aromas of tar, roses and violets. Medium bodied / red fruits, strawberries and raspberries in a savoury style. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

It has been a little over a year since my last note on the 2018 vintage. Popped and poured, enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 pours a pale garnet with transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with delicate notes of funky cherry, rose water, tar and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. A touch thinner than some of the “bigger” vintages but no less charming. I’m sort of a sucker for the 2018 vintage in how enjoyable these are to drink in their youth. Drink now through 2038 — 2 months ago

Pippa

9.0

If one person in the relationship likes salinity and minerality and reads The New Yorker. And the other likes perfumey but still dry whites and reads The Economist. Well this is your wine. Cloudy/unfined. Unripe peach, honeysuckle, and salt. — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cooked cherries, spices, oak, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, light earth, light vegetables, herbs, tobacco leaf and black pepper.

Medium finish with grippy tannins and raspberries.

This 15 year old, Fifth Growth Bordeaux, is still young and tight. Needs 5 to 10 years in the bottle to mature properly.

I gave it 90 minutes in the decanter, but it probably was not enough.

Robert Parker 96 points. Wine Spectator 92 points.

Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Grippy and rich.

Definitely needs food at this point, like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

13% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$125. — 9 months ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Light gold in color. Corn and lemon oil with a marine note. Less complex than the Valmur but delicious, defined and has great balance. — 4 months ago

with Bex, Major-General and 1 other

Shay A

9.2

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty. — 5 months ago

Pooneet K

9.4

Happy Valentine’s Day! Continuing our tradition of pulling one of these each year - 11 down, only 1 more to go after this! Reminder that we need to choose a new case of something soon.

This is excellent as always but I’m not sure hits quite the same high note as last year’s bottle. Fine mousse, nose a bit more restrained. Palate is explosive and so deep with wonderful candied caramelized lemon peel. Wonderful pairing with carbonara! — 7 months ago

AEL

9.0

If you're going to open the 2018 in 2023, you have to at least let it breathe. Nose is light but well defined, with sour cherries, a metallic note, and a hint of earth. Palate silky, with a smokey note. Classy. A gift from Doug B. at year end. — 9 months ago