The Fifth Empire

Destino Fifth Empire

Douro Red Blend 2018

Perfect Sunday evening wine with pizza. Make sure to decant. — 8 months ago

Destino Fifth Empire

Vinho Verde Rosé

Favorite of Jacob and me — 2 years ago

Grant Burge

Fifth Generation Barossa Shiraz

JFP
9.2

Excellent choice. Very smooth. — 3 years ago

Fifth Note Cellars

Chardonnay Viognier 2020

great chardonnay reminiscent of a sauvy b — 3 months ago

Empire Estate

Finger Lakes Dry Riesling 2019

With sushi and oysters. I'm coming around on finger lakes Riesling — 9 months ago

Ira liked this

Destino Fifth Empire

Vinho Verde Loureiro Alvarinho 2021

A tasty white. Full bodied. Would have again. — 2 years ago

Ethan HeyboerPeter HeyboerDiane Heyboer
with Ethan, Peter and 1 other

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a beautiful one from Bordeaux.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, light vanilla, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates and tobacco leaf.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.


This 7 year old, from the great 2015 vintage, is drinking very nice right now.

This Fifth growth Bordeaux is showing nice complexity, with a soft and elegant mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours in the decanter.

Young, but already delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

Robert Parker 97 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A Delicious wine that drank better than the 1996 I had 4 years ago.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 16 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$130.
— 3 years ago

Andrew, Matt and 38 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2016

Okay. Again the same dilemma. If a wine does not meet expectation is it basically bad (for me)? 🤔 because in life everything is relative, right? Any thoughts on puzzling matter??The wine was well balanced, dark red fruit flavors, polished, smooth tannins, good intensity and concentration, but limited length and lacking any meaningful complexity… Eight year old left bank Bordeaux. A fourth or fifth growth winery, maybe not, can’t remember for sure. Do remember what I paid though, $120. Definitely too much for what we experienced this evening…. as to our expectations. — 3 months ago

Tammy de Weerd
with Tammy
Jan, Andrew and 13 others liked this
Dawn E.

Dawn E.

@Jan de Weerd from reviews not personal experience. Most let this wine age twenty plus years?

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

Happy Labor Day holiday weekend in the USA!

We’re enjoying a night off from studying while sipping a lovely Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2011 paired with a grilled steak, baked potato, green beans, and mushroom / zucchini kabobs. Soon (and sadly) we’ll have to say “au revoir” to summer.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is situated on the left bank of Bordeaux, i.e., west of the Gironde Estuary, in the commune of Pauillac. Soils here are gravel-based, and free-draining, ideal for ripening the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grape, which dominates in this Bordeaux blend.

Pauillac is known for producing age-worthy, structured Cabernet Sauvignon wines due in part to the growing environment. No wonder it’s home to 3 out of 5 first growth wines in the 1855 classification, including, Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, and Château Mouton Rothschild. This particular wine ranks highly, as well, as a fifth growth and understandably so.

Based on our research the 2011 vintage in Bordeaux seemed to fast-forward many typical growing processes and timelines; grapes were budding and ripening ahead of schedule with warmer temperatures early in the season followed by notably cooler temperatures in August, ahead of harvest.

It’s remarkable how variable seasonal conditions can affect a wine’s profile, especially in less consistent climates like Bordeaux where vintage variation is a serious thing… still, this wine is lovely.

It is deep ruby with a medium (+) intensity of developing aromas offering notes of ripe blackberry, cassis, black cherry, plum, black licorice, anise, violet, tobacco, leather, clove, nutmeg, cedar, pencil shavings.

On the palate, this wine is dry with medium (+) acidity, high tannins that are ripe and smooth, a medium (+) body, medium (+) intensity of flavors consistent with the notes. The finish is medium(+).

This is an excellent wine that is drinking well now and could age further.

Cheers to the beauty born in 2011 in Pauillac AOC with this Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste!
— a year ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Andrew and 21 others liked this