La Wines

Marqués de Murrieta

Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Rioja Tempranillo Blend 1964

💯 for the privilige and the scarcity. Incomparable nose of chocolate figs, dates and raisins. Port/sherry notes! On the palate this is very lively, yet quite acidic.
To me, this is more intriguing and interesting than tasty…
— 8 days ago

Tom, Peter and 2 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2015

Quintessential Rioja. Rounded ard the edges. Tertiary notes are out to play — 2 days ago

R. López de Heredia

Viña Bosconia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2014

Splash decanted and enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2014 “Viña Bosconia” pours a deep garnet/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Montmorency cherry, dill, toasted coconut, tobacco, leather and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and elegant. Delicious already in its relative youth and there’s a long, bright future ahead. Drink now with patience through 2044. — a month ago

Brian, Peter and 17 others liked this

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

La Chapelle Hermitage Syrah

2016 - Vintage - red rim but still very youthful , boysenberry fruit , savory, cured meats, Stoney , medium to medium plus acidity very balanced - epitomized Hermitage — a month ago

Mark Eastom
with Mark
Paul, Bob and 6 others liked this
Douglas Braun

Douglas Braun Influencer Badge

A stunning wine

Philipponnat

Clos des Goisses Brut Champagne Blend 2002

Touches of sherry and sweet notes. Still a fresh punch but complex and precise. A subtle version of what selosse wants to be — a month ago

Jay, Bob and 8 others liked this

Nicolas Joly

Clos de la Coulée de Serrant Savennières Chenin Blanc 2019

Let’s talk about SAVENNIÈRES!!!! 📣📣

Savennières is a small but mighty appellation (AOC), located in the Anjou subregion of the Loire Valley, France and specializes in still, dry Chenin Blanc wines. 🇫🇷

Its growing environment is apt for producing concentrated and ripe fruit, translating into wines with strong aromatic and flavor intensity and higher alcohol potential. 💪🏻 It’s no wonder this appellation is all about Chenin Blanc; Chenin has naturally higher acidity, which can help lend structure and balance to the final wine. ⚖️ 🙌🏻🙌🏻

The combination of these factors sets the stage for winemakers to produce some truly powerful and age-worthy whites that can improve, gaining complexity (and softening) with some time in the bottle. 🤔 🧐 Savennières has a reputation as a more serious, cerebral wine that is meant to be savored, especially when paired with a creamy seafood dish like Coquilles Saint-Jacques! 😋 🥘

🌿This particular wine is the Nicolas Joly, Clos de la Coulée de Serrant AOC (2019) hailing from the prized enclave of Coulée de Serrant AOC (within Savennières AOC), owned exclusively and farmed biodynamically by the renowned Nicolas Joly.

This wine is surely capable of aging for decades but tonight we opted to sip this golden wine during the golden hour with unseasonably warm, summery temperatures here in Minnesota.

🐝 🍯 In the glass, we found concentrated, layered notes of honey, beeswax, yellow apple, ripe apricot, quince, chamomile, dried & crushed white rose petals, toasted almond, hazelnut, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, acrylic paint, wet stones, salted caramel, & butterscotch.

It has texture (and finish) for days and a coating mouthfeel.

🫣 Its alcohol by volume clocks in at 15%!!! But it’s well-integrated and balanced by a crisp acidity and robust aromas and flavors. 👌
— 5 days ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Jay and 21 others liked this
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Jay Kline Love your suggestion to sip this patiently over a week 🙏👌. We’re too far into it now to make this happen this week but will be more judicious the next time. 😆 And would love to see it evolve over days, not just hours.
Dawn E.

Dawn E.

A favorite appellation of mine!
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Dawn E. I can understand why. 😍 It’s home to many delicious expressions of Chenin Blanc. Cheers, Dawn 🥂

Bollinger

La Grande Année Brut Champagne 2012

Paul J
9.8

Simply awesome! I’m not a big Champagne consumer but this is my fav/go to. Lovely brioche with nice acid and perfect balance and depth. — 17 days ago

Brooke Weaver Jakubowski
with Brooke
Tom, Tom and 9 others liked this

Bollinger

Special Cuvée Brut Champagne

Amy
9.1

good! fruity, wish it was yeastier, $60 from gary — 8 hours ago

Marqués de Murrieta

Reserva Finca Ygay Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2017

Deep ruby colour, dark berries on nose and palate, with integrated tannins and good balance of acidity and fruits.
Nice Rioja in contrast to my usual line up.
— a month ago

Tom and Dave liked this

La Jota Vineyard Co.

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Not quite as great as I was expecting. May be a bit past its prime. Tasted mostly plum and some dark berries. The finish was a bit weak. — 21 days ago

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)

Échézeaux Pinot Noir

15 is a vintage I like — a hot year. This time I also drank it in two sessions: half the bottle from a decanter at the restaurant, and the remaining half the next morning.

Right after opening: the floral notes were so beautiful. Violets lingered around the rim of the glass like vines, and the tart plum and red fruit flavors were very sweet. Many people say sandalwood — I didn’t get it.

The next morning: fruit, game, wood smoke, and a savory, saline hint of seafood sauce. Grand Echézeaux still has more structure than Echézeaux. In the same vintage it has earthy and cedar notes; this one is a little lighter, not as muscular — which is the style I like. It has backbone, but the backbone isn’t that hard.

Palate: full-bodied, powerful, and concentrated. The tannins are firm but fine-grained. Even on the second day the acidity was excellent, and the finish was extremely long. Love it.
— 24 days ago

Bodegas Faustino

Gran Reserva Faustino I Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2016

Dark fruits, light woodiness, smooth finish. — 7 days ago

"Odedi", Dave and 5 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Classic, reliable and always a pleasure to

R. López de Heredia

Viña Cubillo Crianza Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2017

R. Lopez de Heredia, Viña Cubillo, Rioja Crianza 2017
This is one of the many bottles we brought back in the trunk of our car from Spain and France after our summer stay over there. The nose shows dark berries, prune, meat juice, autumn forest soil after rain, oak. This is rather complex and layered. The palate is very well made and defined. There is a good acid drive, some nice dark berries and dark cherry notes all along, some width, some spices, a good tannic wall in the rear, disturbing ever so slighlty the mouthfeel by leaving a grippy, drying layer over a long, fruity, spicy finish which goes on for quite a while. The meat juice note that was showing in the nose makes a come back in the very end, adding a savoury, umami touch which is pretty nice, I must say. It's not at the level of the viña tondonia 2011 I tasted a while ago (and it costs only a fraction of the price) but it's very good Rioja Crianza in its own right. Not in-your-face, fresh and balanced winemaking style. Great effort !
90 out of 100
— a month ago

Juan, Jay and 6 others liked this

Dom Pérignon

Brut Rosé Champagne 2002

Gorgeous delicate dried rose on the nose. Lovely subtle savory strawberry and saline liberality. Delicate. Great — 7 days ago

Tom, Ira and 7 others liked this

E. Guigal

La Turque Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2005

Needs more time, but - with a lengthy decant - it’s already magnificant. — 8 days ago

Jan, Tom and 2 others liked this

Marqués de Riscal

Reserva Herederos del Marques de Riscal Rioja Tempranillo 2021

I'm no expert, but I think it will be even better in a few years, but not that much. — 24 days ago

Château La Conseillante

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Sommelier = dr. Bibber — 14 hours ago

Roman, Jan and 1 other liked this

Hall Wines

Kathryn Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Ming L
9.3

The gentle and deep nose opens with blackberry, cassis, incense, dried herbs, and hint of violet, underscored by sweet oak. The palate is full-bodied and plush, and wrapped in ripe, silky tannins.

Fruits are mostly from Sacrashe vineyard in Rutherford.
— a month ago

Joel and Tom liked this