Promise
Château Cantemerle
Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2015
A nice Bordeaux and a bunch of mesquite-grilled lamb chops. This Cantemerle is quite dense and youthful. Color shows almost no sign of age. With air, nose slowly unfurls to show lots of graphite, menthol, tight cassis fruit, underbrush, and crushed rock. Medium bodied, the flavors are tight too, and there is nice concentration, but it’s mostly promise for the future. Tannins are nicely managed and there is good acidity. 9.2+ — 3 years ago
Montevertine
Le Pergole Torte Sangiovese 2016
Wine is going through a difficult period but contains such promise. Sharp, delineated, super long and super closedForget this for minimum ten years. I would probably score it higher in a few more years — 5 years ago
Philip Togni Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990
I usually bring at least one older wine to a favorite BYOB restaurant for NYE dinner. I selected this 33 year old cab and trying to open it the cork crumbled and some came out and some stayed it so decanted through a tea strainer into my take out bottle. I could tell just by the color this wine had promise. Poured about 2 hours later and the color was deep dark red to the edge. Not much on the nose but the taste had a lot of black fruits and a bit of spice and seemed like a young wine. The finish was long and smooth. It was still drink great as we finished the bottle about 2 hours later. Luckily I have another bottle and have to figure out when I’m going to open that one. At Anthony’s in HH — 2 years ago
Penfolds
Max's The Promise South Australia Shiraz 2015
Dark red, moderate legs, cherry on the nose. Red fruit, hints of spicy cassis. Smooth, long, finish with something un- identifiable ( due to COVid). Paula’s Birthday at Briquettes steak house in Mobile AL- bacon wrapped fillet mignon, baked potato, grilled veggies & key lime pie. — 4 years ago
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2014
2014 vintage. Big graphite and iron nose. Intense and muscular. Medium-bodied. Complimentary fruit cradled by ridiculous tannins. Grippy and rambunctious. JC Superstar. Till 2048 at least. Not even close to entering “the zone” but so much promise once the tumblers fall into place. 10.21.23. — 2 years ago
Golden West
The Promise Pinot Noir 2019
Big flavor Pinot from Washington — 3 years ago
Château Montrose
Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2018
The 2018 Montrose delivers on the promise that it showed from barrel. I gave this a three-hour decant before broaching, since Montrose is always backward, albeit far less ferociously than even just a decade ago. It offers copious blackberry and blueberry scents on the nose, plus pressed violets and a light estuarine scent that becomes accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky-smooth texture. Finely chiseled tannins frame multilayered black fruit infused with crushed stone, and it has retained that subtle graphite element that lends it a Pauillac-like personality, though less so than out of barrel. This is a beautifully defined Montrose with entrancing symmetry, and it should drink earlier than other recent vintages thanks to a little more pliancy. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2021)
— 5 years ago
Andrew Cullimore
Quite medium pale ruby rim, wide garnet rim . Spiced red cherries , quite reserved , and some herbal balsamic , saline hints. On the palate more of the slightly herbal , earthy red cherry , strawberry . Fine and refined , quite fresh acidity and gritty tannins . Good length Needs time but shows good promise and excellent balance . Come back in 5 years , will drink well for a further 5-10. At Vinous Icons NY, Pier 60 , Feb 2025 — 2 months ago