Lot 30 Winery

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2013

Just like the Togni I thought this was too young and tannic for the moment.
Others scored this a lot higher.
— 20 days ago

Bob, Tom and 5 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1966

My first experience with a bdx with this type of age. It had a note of green pepper on the nose and had a lot of life left. — a month ago

Ron, Jay and 7 others liked this

Casanova di Neri

30 ° Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2019

Opens up with bright fruit - cranberries, apples, but then takes off into smoky tones underlying licorice, chocolate and carob. An initial acidity also blends into smooth tannins and a long finish. — 4 months ago

Robert Indik
with Robert
Neil, Andrew and 1 other liked this

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

Medium deep ruby , quite thin garnet rim . Quite a lot of cassis, herbal grafite notes , touch of blackberry , scorched earth , a bit for floral after a while in the glass. On the palate this shows more sweet dark fruit, touch of spicy oak, blackcurrant , dark cherry and cacau . Balanced acidity and sweet slightly grippy tannins , just balanced alcohol . Spicy sweet blackcurrant, grafite tinged finish , decent length. This is still young and quite fruit driven but is enjoyable now with food . Better in 5 years or so and will last well a further 8-10. — 21 days ago

Somm, Rob and 11 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

This is not a knock on anyone or this producer. For 10 years a friend of mine was the Assistant Winemaker at Opus. He is now back in Bordeaux, rebuilt & raised the quality of Clerc Milon. Now is in charge of all Rothschild properties. This is just me thinking out loud. I have been to this property many times and bought a glass of their Cabernet to take to their top deck and take in a spectacular view of the Napa Valley. Enjoyed many of their vintages in those very nice moments. However, knowing the quality of 2012 vintage and their price point, I and I think most expect & want more than a 92 point wine. Which begs the question, how long can they push bottle price with this level of quality? At what point does the quality price ratio kick in? To a bigger picture, how sustainable is the high quality respected producer wine economic model going forward? To me, a fascinating question going forward.
Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore

Yes @Somm David T , this was actually served blind , the only wine at lunch ..and we had plenty of time to get to know it before the big reveal . I was trying to evaluate the quality in the glass without the distraction of the label, which is always an illuminating experience . It’s a good wine, and went very will with our steaks but it certainly doesn’t represent good value nor is it a stellar example of 2012 . I would be perfectly happy to have it again mind you , as long as I wasn’t paying .

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1995

Perfect. Cork was perfect. Color perfect. Elegant. Long. Beautiful. 30 years! Happy New Year! — 4 months ago

Bob, ESF and 7 others liked this

Heitz Cellar

Lot C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Old world in style with delicate fruit, subtle wood notes, some tannin, and firm acidity. Assemblage of Cabs from Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Howell Mountain which accentuate the Napa terroir. — 4 months ago

Paul, Ted and 9 others liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1979

Fully mature and opened nicely with 30 minutes of air. Drink up! — a month ago

Ira liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2001

Decanted for 30 minutes. On the nose: cedar, sandstone, currents, hint of leather.
On the palate: dissipating tannin, softening cedar, emerging black cherry fruit and soft sandstone.
This is a big, beautiful Bordeaux at its peak with all the softness in the last sip that comes with age.
Drink it now.
— a month ago

Douglas, Andrew and 12 others liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1991

Of all the American red wines that participated in the Judgement of Paris, it could be argued that Monte Bello has shown the greatest propensity to age. In fact, I would go as far as it requires lengthy cellaring to extract its best. I’ve had the good fortune to drink a number of tremendous vintages of Monte Bello over the last several years and this one has got to be at or near the top of the lot.

Opened and poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1991 Monte Bello pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core moving out towards a light ruby rim; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing (still!) with gorgeous notes of ripe and tart black currants, mixed bramble fruit, tobacco, some purple flowers, dill, mint, leather, earth, vanilla and associated baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. The structure remains tremendous which again, seems to indicate youth. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is super long and immensely satisfying. This is one of those wines that will outlive most humans. Drinking well now with a short decant but this has the gas to see 2061 with ease.
— 3 months ago

Andrew, Tom and 15 others liked this