Powder Keg
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1989
1989 vintage. Tasted 5.5.23 (9.5), 4.4.23 (6 different btls-avg 9.4) and 12.9.22 (9.6). Above average fill for the age and impressive cork (about 70% saturated). Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Threw a decent amount of powdery sed. Medium nose slightly muted for the first 10 minutes or so but then came roaring to life. Yes, still the hallmark blueberries and cocoa powder along with a dash of raspberry but bigg graphite with this bottle. Drank consistently great for 1.75 hours, then seemed to lose a little steam at the very end. Not improving but still think cellar dwellers need to be popped in the next five years to enjoy the magic before it fades. 3.28.24. — 6 months ago
Château Rauzan-Ségla
Margaux Grand Cru Classé Red Bordeaux Blend 2000
2000 vintage. Last tasted 12.2.22. Scored a 9.6 then. This go-round, nice fill and pristine cork. Decanted and tasted over the course of 5 mins-2 hours. Throwing respectable sed. Darker than expected given the age. Huge funk on the nose which remained for approx 4-5 mins despite much decanter swirling/agitation. Wine angular and tight upon first sip after 5 mins. Large, decaying leaves presence in the nose that morphed into a beefy espresso mélange at the 15 mins decanted mark. Gradually started to unfold, revealing massive graphite and cocoa powder flavors. Some forest floor aromas/flavors cruised by around the hour mark. Really started to show anticipated balance slightly thereafter. No absence of tannins/structure. Plenty of time left on the "in the zone" plateau but feel the wine crested the top of the bell curve in the last year or so. Not improving but enough components to keep this one in the rocking Y2K conversation as best of show. 2.7.24. — 8 months ago
Jones Family Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
96 that leans deep into 97. Always stunning from this producer regardless of vintage. Producer trust.
This still has dark, round, meaty, backbone tannins, dark currents w/ Indian/Asian spices. Ruby, lush; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum w/ dry skin, darkest of cherries, raspberry hues, purple fruits hues, deep baking spices, dark chocolate bar, mocha, caramel, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, dry tobacco/leather, dry herbs-bay leave/sage, dry, slightly candied to withering flowers framed in violets/lavender, excellent, round acidity with a finish that is well structured, balanced, nicely tensioned & elegantly polished finish that falls onto dry earth & lasts minutes.
This 2001 is still youthful & has at least another decade well stored. — 2 months ago
Giacomo Fenocchio
Villero Barolo Nebbiolo 2013
Poured into a Swan decanter immediately prior to service and enjoyed over a several hour period. The 2013 “Villero” pours a deep garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with a gorgeous, powerful bouquet of dark and red fruits: black cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, tar, roses, talcum powder, and dry stony earth. On the palate the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, grippy a freaking delicious. This is showing really well but there is no end in sight. Drink now with patience but this should reward an even great bounty done the road and turn heads through 2045+. — 5 months ago
Château Brane-Cantenac
Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
Love Margaux wines with rack of lamb. It is a classic pair as long as you are not doing a Mediterranean mint prep. This is salt, pepper, Napa Valley rub and red wine.
As it airs and intermixes w/ the meal, it rises from 93 to 94.
The wine is approaching its peak. Still has another 10 yrs of appropriate drinking.
The fruits are ripe, juicy; blackberries, black raspberries, plum, dark cherries, strawberries, raspberries with hues of purple & blue fruits. There is excellent integration & evolution. Led pencil shavings, fresh & dry herbs, moist grey volcanic minerals/clay, fresh & dry tobacco, sandalwood, used leather, soft, dark spice with heat on the long set, limestone, dry crushed rocks into powder, touch of black pepper, saline, fresh dark, red flowers with violets, excellent, cool rainfall acidity, well woven, balanced, softly tensioned & structured with a pure elegant finish that lasts a full two-minutes. — 8 months ago
Caparone Winery
Estate Grown Paso Robles Nebbiolo 2017
Years ago, this was the most under-the-radar winery ever, but recently I have been disappointed. However, this is really good. Don’t expect a Gattinara or Barolo. But this has a ton of character. Extremely light color. But a nose that explodes out of the glass. More coconutty oak than I’d ideally like in the nose, but there is also loads of spicy, aged cherry liqueur, yeasty and loamy notes, and bright limestone powder. Flavorful in the mouth, with leathery and spice notes adding to the dried cherry flavors. Unique. — 3 months ago
Rene Rostaing
Ampodium Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2016
Straight up my wheel house for Old World Syrah.
It is called Cote-Rotie or translation roasted slope for a reason.
The nose has beautifully, lightly floral fruits that are; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, black raspberries, poached strawberries and hues of blueberries. Some black pepper, steeped black tea, hues of roasted chestnuts, sandalwood, some dry tobacco, used leather, red cola, dark, rich earth, dark, red, blue withering florals framed in amazing violets.
The body is smooth as silk. The fruits are ripe & juicy; blackberries, dark cherries, plums for days, black raspberries, poached strawberries and hues of blueberries. Some black pepper, shades of lightly, grilled meats, steeped black tea, hues of roasted chestnuts, sandalwood, some dry tobacco, crushed rock powder, river stone, dry top soil, used leather, red cola, dark, rich earth, dark, red, blue withering florals framed in a. amazing field of violets. Rainfall acidity, soft structure & tension, well balanced and an elegant, beautiful, lush finish. Damn beautiful wine.
Sofia & I walked the La Landonne vineyard with Pierre and tasted in the cellar w/ Rene & Pierre.
Excellent with both Tri-tip’s…rubbed & marinated. — 8 months ago
Realm Cellars
Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
This one is a 93+ at this stage with room for improvements with some more age.
The Farella showed a more savory character than the rest. It’s body thicker than the others. Ruby; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries & raspberries. Herbaceous notes, soft minerality-rock powder, limestone, volcanics and just drying top soil, dry tobacco, sandalwood, perfectly executed baking spices, dark spice, vanillin, withering dark, red, blue and violets, nice round acidity, nice tension, structure, well knitted & balanced structure with an excellent full minute finish.
Pano photo of Pritchard Hill from the estate (what a stunning view), barrel room, the estates wine collection; which given the excellent producers in it (bottles of Petrus just one of very expensive producers), I’d be a little earthquake nervous & lay some thin wire over the bottles to hold them in place and their tank room. — 8 months ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
It’s a night of first year consecutive decades, 90 & 80. Enjoyed in reverse order
From the same technical team as Leoville Las Cases.
Another great Clyde Beffa direct purchase from the Chateau or Negociant.
Still ripe older Bordeaux fruits with smoothed out lead pencil. Blackberries, black raspberries that lean into pudding, black plum, darkest, cooked cherries, raspberries edges, baked rhubarb and hues of poached strawberries. There is nothing that bites back. Dark chocolate, smooth mocha, caramel, soften baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, old tobacco w/ ash, used leather, dry top soil, limestone powder, black licorice to anise, dry river stone, fresh & withering dark, red flowers, amazing, rainfall acidity and a well; balance, structured, knitted and smartly polished finish that lasts 90 seconds.
Steak slow cooked in the oven at graduating low heats and then seared at 1300 degrees, 30, 30, 30 & 30. .
“The Truth is Inside” is an expression about the very bottom of a bottle of wine. Tannin soaked & it never lies. Typically the best part of the bottle. 93 that lands 94 in truth. I always leave two-three inches of wine in bottle just because it is always slightly better than the rest of the bottle. It is more concentrated. — a month ago