Kaikoura Sounds

Tusk Estates

Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

A gift from a friend and my first taste of a "luxury branded wine designed to fit your lifestyle"(their marketing 😂)....I might not be their target customer since I live in a small bungalow home in Sacramento, but I'll give it the ole swirl/sniff/sip/spit anyways.

1 hour decant (lots of cloudy sediment). On the nose: very aromatic notes of black cherry, nutty vanilla, charcoal, cedar, floral. Taste: smooth, silky, rich teeth staining wine with blackberry pie, licorice, black currants, dark chocolate, pepper and a LONG dry finish.

Not feeling the luxury,  just a well made Napa cab like a couple hundred others out there. Cheers!

Tusk..."because there are those who regard luxury and those who live it"...sounds like a deodorant commercial tag line😆 🤣
— 2 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Brenda, ESF and 18 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Two things:
-Tell your friend that if he is looking for new friends, where do I submit an application! Ha
-yes, their marketing efforts are cringe worthy.
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

@Shay A Agree. Sell the wine its well made and don't worry about the lifestyle. Cheers!
Eric L.

Eric L. Premium Badge

🤣

Le Morette di Valerio Zenato

Lugana Mandolara Turbiana 2017

Andrew Holod
9.1

Pale, translucent yellow. Bright aromas of lemon curd, citrus zest and almond. Perfectly balanced with a zesty entry and then a medium body that finishes clean. Citrus element played up on the palate. Sounds one note, but if you've had really great, fresh citrus that hasn't been waxed/Chilled, you know why this was exciting. — 5 years ago

Catalina Sounds

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Clear, pale lemon colour. Clean, pronounced aromas of gooseberry and tropical fruits. Palate is dry with high acidity. Light bodied with zingy, ripe passionfruit and citrus flavours. Short finish. A very good quality wine. — 5 years ago

Michele Walker
with Michele

Azienda Agricola Le Ragnaie

Ragnaie V.V. Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2015

We are celebrating a 21 year old and someone who is . . .uh, older (me!). Pulled out this Italian red to complement homemade lasagna and our family dish called Italian delight. Decanted for over an hour. Modest spice, tobacco, cherry, dry blackberry, and has a slight burn - which sounds bad but it is actually a great finish on this wine. Light red and purple colors that give a slight reminder of a Pinot but tastes much heavier. Loved having this along with a great Bordeaux tonight!! — 3 years ago

Byron, Paul and 12 others liked this
Paul K Sorbo

Paul K Sorbo Premium Badge

An exceptional winery!

Château Lynch-Moussas

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

David T
9.0

Whenever I have a really older bottle of wine, I think, what was I doing in this case 1989?

About this time of year, I was walking into Candlestick Park for the Bay Bridge World Series while this wine was fermenting. I was walking through the parking lot when the 89 earthquake hit. It was like Godzilla was a Gopher tunneling under my feet. The stadium erupted with a resounding cheer. Earthquake during the World Series...yeah! It wasn’t until an hour later that hard reality set in.

This Chateau Lynch-Moussas is a recent direct purchase from the Negotiant. 89 was a pretty good Bordeaux year. So, why not see how a 5th Growth producer wine evolved over 30 years. It’s a treat to enjoy wine with this much age.

While Lynch-Mousses has improved vastly in more recent vintages, back in the day, they made some nice wines but, not great. This wine shows beauty & elegance but, it lacks fundamental elements of high quality. However, its fruit and structure have held up nicely over the years.

The nose reveals a fair amount of; barnyard, mushrooms, ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & strawberries on the edges of the glass. Black plum skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, black earth, stones, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals.

The body is still full and round. The fruits are still ripe & slightly candied. The wine is still holding an interesting drinking window, it’s on the decline. While that sounds not good, I find them in this phase infinitely more interesting. Ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & some strawberries. Black plum with skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, vanillin, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, forest floor, mushrooms, stones, touch of limestone minerals & crush rocks, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals with violets. The acidity is round & excellent. The long finish is; rich, ripe, well balanced & intergraded with long drier but, very floral persistence.

Excellent with our steaks. Still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead with excellent storage. I also miss the 12-13% ABV of the 80’s Bordeaux’s.

Photos of; the entrance view of Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Count Jean-Baptiste Lynch of Ireland and Chateau founded in the 1800’s, the owner/operator since 1961 - Emile Casteja and their barrel room.
— 5 years ago

Eric, P and 22 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Fine description. Trustful and with respect for vintners. I like that, thx
Norman Gennaro

Norman Gennaro Premium Badge

Was in the Bay Area and remember the earthquake and my boss’s husband calling the office saying the bay bridge had collapsed. I clearly remember laughing and telling him it was just an earthquake...calm down.

Château Milens

St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

Hmmmm...dried prunes, touch of currant and ripe red berries with a sublime undercurrent of grassy earth and forest-y shit. Ate some Hokkaido uni with it. Would eat a whole goddamn tray with a bottle....wait sounds like my weekend plan! — 4 years ago

Domaine Thierry Mortet

Gevrey-Chambertin Pinot Noir 2014

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET
9.2

I know this sounds weird but it reminds me a lot of Santa Barbara Pinot Noir in a good way — 5 years ago

David, Michael and 6 others liked this

Cascina Ebreo

Torbido! Nebbiolo 2006

Absolutely delicious
Made in the area of Novello apparently, but tastes like it is from Serralunga ( licorice hype🤣)
To call this just nebbiolo sounds underestimating its breed
Very intense, long and complex
Tannin nearly resolved, but so velvety nevertheless
Super lucky find
— 5 years ago

Robert, David and 8 others liked this

Erdenlied

Zweigelt 2017

fruity! bitter red fruit, like a pomegranate or a cherry. smelled a little like Brussels sprouts at first-- is that sulfur? smells much better after opening a bit, sorta like a jolly rancher. still pretty bitter (smoky?), not chuggable because of that but having very little tannin makes it go down easy anyway. feels a bit peppery? black pepper sounds right but maybe it's bell peppery. not mind blowing but I'm into it. definitely want to try more zweigelts and get to know them (Astor)
— 5 years ago

Morgan

Cotes du Crow's Grenache Syrah 2017

Crispy tang with enough complexity that it makes you feel like you’re getting away with something. Sounds like a Japanese pop group. — 6 years ago