Kosta Browne

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021

9.2

2021 vintage. Pleasant throughout and hit plenty of notes without screeching. The KB style has changed in the last few years. Gone are the mega-extracted pinots altho those are still around and holding up in the cellars/secondary market. Those older wines were a 10 on the volume scale. The last few vintages are closer to a 5. That said, this should hold up and develop nicely for a decade+ without issues. Those that don't think you can drink CA pinot noir over 4-5 years old are in for quite the surprise with quality producers. 04.18.25. — 4 days ago

Ted, David and 11 others liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

GaryWEdwards

9.8

What a gem! Still broad-shoulders with hint of smoke and more than ample fruit. Absolutely delightful nose and palate that provides a long, rewarding finish. Wow! — 16 days ago

with Logan

Ira, Thijs and 10 others liked this

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

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. — 19 days ago

Somm, Rob and 11 others liked this

Somm David T

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

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 .