The 3 Bears Blend

Ridge Vineyards

Three Valleys Sonoma County Zinfandel Blend 2024

This is a very tasty and easy drinking Zinfandel blend from Sonoma County.

Fruit forward with nice complexity. Elegant and entertaining.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly, and will continue to get better in the next 7 years.

I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.

Wine Enthusiasts 92 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.

A blend of 67% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah, 5% Alicante Bouschet and 3% Mataro.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$36.
— 11 days ago

Dave, Tom and 9 others liked this

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

Not quite as good as I remember it, but still excellent. Graphite, pencil shavings, leather, tobacco. 3+ hour decant. needs lots of time but really special.  — 4 months ago

Jan, Serge and 4 others liked this

Château Brane-Cantenac

Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Paul K
9.4

94 after 3 hours — 6 months ago

Dave, Ray and 15 others liked this
Paul K

Paul K

@Dave Actually, it was Saturday but I have been able to post for more than a week. 🤬 Therefore the catchup today…
Dave

Dave

Ah! I should have guessed 😂
Neil Valenzuela

Neil Valenzuela

Great Margaux producer 🍷 Cheers!

Oremus

3 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú Furmint Blend 2017

Vintage 2017 | well balanced nectar — 9 months ago

"Odedi", Dave and 16 others liked this
"Odedi"

"Odedi" Influencer Badge

Nice wine

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2023

Château Lynch-Bages 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A powerful, structurally driven Pauillac showing serious depth and long-term ambition, built on a 71% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot support. The wine carries muscular architecture, dark fruit density, and firm tannic authority, currently showing some youthful rough edges but clearly positioned for future greatness with proper cellaring.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis liqueur, blackberry skin, graphite, cedar plank, crushed gravel, tobacco leaf, dark cocoa and subtle savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, youthful tannins, strong mid-palate grip, vibrant supporting acidity, dense core concentration, and a long, structured finish that signals serious aging capacity.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, grilled lamb chops, beef short ribs, rosemary-crusted venison, aged hard cheeses, slow-braised meats.

Verdict
A high-potential Pauillac still in its formative phase. The structure, depth, and terroir signature are undeniable, but integration will require time. A climber rather than a polished performer today, patience will be rewarded handsomely.

🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a future star in development, powerful, slightly raw, but absolutely loaded with upside. Not a wine for instant gratification, but one that will evolve into something truly special with time. I’d happily cellar this and revisit around 2029 when the polish finally matches the horsepower.
— 9 months ago

Ted, Tom and 5 others liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

Wowza. Subtle greatness. Decanted for 3 hrs. Very ripe for the vintage. 75% Cab the rest Cab Franc and Merlot. Could drink this all night. — 5 years ago

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

I am torn with the rating here. We had this after the Dom Rose and man did this need a lot of air. Very closed and tannin forward upon opening and decanting, then slowing opening up - an hour was not enough. It really came together after 3-4 hours and then had an amazing balance. Evolved from 9.0 to something 9.6 through the course of the evening. — 21 days ago

Big Six

Aged 3 Months Bourbon Barrel California Red Blend

07/11/26 (tw 07/2/26 Dave). $15 With homemade pizza. Smokey smell. Good taste. No harsh taste. Good flavor. But again. — 4 months ago

André Clouet

Rosé No.3 Brut Champagne Blend

Rose nr 3 | magnum — 6 months ago

Dave, Eric and 4 others liked this

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Rosso Merlot Blend 2022

Medium dark ruby color, medium high acidity, tannins are there but pleasant after 3 hours in open bottle. Nose of dark fruit, dark chocolate, espresso. Taste of dark fruit, oaky flavors. — 6 months ago

Joel, Ray and 5 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1961

1961 vintage. Ahoy there! Lower neck fill. Durand employed. Opened (not decanted) with plenty of cork splintering/crumbles despite the Durand and meticulous/slow movements. Cork stayed intact but just barely and about 80% saturated. Extensive (3-4 minutes) cleaning of the bottle lip and inch-deep, upper neck to remove fused cork residue. Tasted 45 mins, 2 hours, 4 hours and 6 hours after opening. Heavier body than expected given the producer. A bit of a slap in the face as it rolled in as medium/medium-heavy body which is hilarious. Nose initially a mysterious, century+ sitting room with plenty of decay, dust and past. Things shifted to soy/teriyaki sauce fairly shortly after with a little 5-10 minute fried chicken nose that vanished. Various (dark/semi-sweet) chocolates and cherry reduction sauce eventually emerged. A paced, harmonious narrative stayed constant throughout. Gorgeous experience. Didn't exactly diminish my impressions of H-B being the best first growth in BDX. It's generally the lightest and least-flashy. 1.23.26. — 9 months ago

Daniel, ESF and 25 others liked this
Pinotman /// Andreas

Pinotman /// Andreas

My birth year
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Samuel Pepys wrote in 1663 of “a sort of French wine called Ho Bryan, that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with.” Sounds about right.

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

2003 vintage. Decently respectable Pauillac nose. Solid color still. Wine open for three hours. Leanest body I've ever had with a P-L and lacking the complexity usually associated with this wine. Tight and not giving up much at the 3 hr mark. Nice but disappointing given the producer/vintage combo. Wish I'd had 6 hrs to wait hand and foot on this...perhaps it would have totally revealed the expected P-L charms by then. — 4 years ago

Rob, Peter and 22 others liked this

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2001

2021/3-4. Really lovely - at 20, it is indeed Burgundian in its open, red fruit character, but it still has that hot-stone Chateauneuf character. I’m so glad I kept a few of these - I now have just one more left. Considering the price has doubled, I don’t know how many more I’ll get to lay down, so I’ll look forward to that last bottle of 2001 with a mix of excitement and sadness. — 6 years ago

Cà de’ Rocchi (Tinazzi)

Vinum Italicum N 3 Opera Corvina Blend 2031

What a great wine. Fruit forward, light tannins. Will definitely get some more. — 3 months ago

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2016

2016 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 15 minutes and one hour. Mostly front and mid-palate push. Medium body. Some spice. Some chunk. Some fruit. Fairly balanced. Needs to sort out some issues and will likely show better in 3-5 years. 6.12.26. — 5 months ago

Tom, Dave and 7 others liked this
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

Damn, sounds great!!

Château Léoville Barton

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

1990 vintage. Last tasted 10.26.24 (9.3). Bottom neck fill. Opened with a Durand and decanted. Cork about 70% saturated. Throwing a mix of lentil-sized chunky and powdery sediment. Surprisingly dark color. Nose initially had the funk while decanting. Tasting 30 minutes after the open, the funk had blown off. Light body. Coffee grounds and tobacco throughout. Some damp and decaying forest floor matter/earth (but not mud) notes along with a cedilla of lean, dark cherry. Based on this specimen, feel this can hold tight in this phase for another 3-4 years. 2.27.26 — 8 months ago

David, Jeroen and 14 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

Much respect for this producer.
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego, thanks for the update, I still have some of these in my cellar.

Tokaj Hétszőlő

Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos Furmint Blend 2010

So good at musket room with Vanessa for my birthday! Balanced well with savoury deserts like mushroom tart and kind of a spicy tres leches — 3 years ago

Château Léoville Poyferré

Saint Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

2007 comparative tasting of the 3 Leoville estates. Almost like a blend of the Las Cases and the Barton. — 5 years ago

Lyle liked this