Matrix
Penley Estate
Phoenix Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Concentrated blue fruits with crush clay pot, black tea, cocoa powder and baking spice. Delivers some big, lush tannins and a long finish. Paired wonderfully with some solo dad time and the 4th installment of the Matrix. — 3 years ago
Marqués de Riscal
Reserva Herederos del Marques de Riscal Rioja Tempranillo 2009
Way higher if considered on a price-to-value matrix. What a great value for a rather layered 12-year-old and really food-friendly wine. — 4 years ago
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1985
1985. Synth laden moment. Depeche mode. Tears for fears. But I digress. Just opened this. It’s quite a structured wine. The nose is a little muddled right now but that’s because I didn’t decant. That said, after 15 minutes of opening in the glass the nose is indeed tannic cherry skin. Musty and such, but that fruit profile is obvs right up front. I would say that the same is true on the front palate. Cherries with immediacy and extremely full fruit. That is what drives my initial rating here. So rich and definitive fruit. Finish not real refined but it’s only been 15 minutes and this wine has just had the wires jacked out of it Matrix style. It doesn’t know itself yet. Will post some notes in a few hours to see if the landscape has changed. Cheers! — 3 years ago
Matrix
Bacigalupi Russian River Valley Zinfandel Petite Sirah 2018
Back in the office wine!! And it was good. 50/50 zin and petite sirah. Spicy and big but well balanced. — 4 years ago
Matrix
Nûnes Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
Cherry leather smell, meaty tarragon, rusty red magenta color, meaty finishing tannin that is leather cherry, wet and together at end, almost tobacco but not quite — 5 years ago
Château Sociando-Mallet
Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2009
Probably my favorite non grand cru left bank wine. The nose is made of tar, black currant, meat juice, cedar, cigar... This is very complex and intoxicating. The palate is, as always, very well made. Superb acid frame that's like a matrix on which every every other element will come into place. Great width, silky mouthfeel, superb black currant shining along, a massive, spherical mid palate with tannins that started to integrate, but sitll leaving a good drying layer, and a very long black currant, meat juice finish that lasts for ages. What a wine... More of that please! — 3 years ago
Matrix
Alegria Vineyard Zinfandel 2007
Surprising amount of stuffing left in this 14-year old bottle, but then California Zins are always super sturdy. Still fruity and tannic, with enough acidity to pair with food (barbecued brisket, in my case). After this much time I had hoped the tannins would be softer but no such luck. Once a big bruiser, always a big bruiser, it seems. Had the 2007 vintage. — 4 years ago
Wulf Losee
I don’t think this is the vintage that delectable pulled up for me. This is the Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, 2016. Adelaida vineyards puts out so many different vintages and blends from year to year that I’m sure delectable has trouble keeping track of them.
anyway, this has leather and dried leaf mulch on the nose. Slightly sour cherries on the front. A very heavy tannic matrix. Velvet smooth until the end when a lot of bitter notes create a long tart finish. This wine fades fast after opening and it turns into a soft red velvet mush. Lots of very fine oxalic acid crystals are suspended in the wine. Decanting didn’t seem to remove them, but I admit I didn’t leave it in the decanter for over 15 minutes – because the wine began to fade. Right out of the bottle I’d give it a 9.1. After it opens up, I’d give it an 8.7. — 9 days ago