The Happy Medium

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2015

Happy New Year!

94 points
— 5 days ago

Andrew, Bob and 12 others liked this
Ron R

Ron R Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Right back at ya 🎈

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2014

Deep, elegant Super Tuscan now firmly in its tertiary phase. Nose leans more to leather, tobacco, dried herbs and balsamic notes, with the red cherry and plum fruit clearly in the background. Medium‑plus body and acidity, fine chalky tannins; savoury flavours of dried red fruit, cedar and spice carry through on a long, resolved finish. Showing peak complexity today and unlikely to improve further with cellaring, so firmly in the drink‑now camp. — 11 days ago

Serge liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

2 hour decant. A marvelous medium garnet color (decent fine sediment). On the nose: dark berries, cassis, forest floor, sandalwood, pencil shavings, chocolate, and cigar box. Taste: layered, balanced, still young wine with dark cherry/plum, cedar, dark chocolate, charcoal, and a lingering tobacco/leather finish. YUM! No hurry, a long distance Las Cases. — a month ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Andrew, Iwan and 17 others liked this

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

11/2025. Still a good medium bodied Cabernet. Good flavor. Sit well on the palate. — 2 months ago

Ted, Ed and 1 other liked this

Jordan Vineyard & Winery

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

KP
9.3

Velvety from start to finish. Oak forward. Blackberry and vanilla notes. Long finish. Medium tannins. Low acidity — 11 days ago

Dave, Tom and 7 others liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2014

Yes—exactly that kind of wine: timeless, composed, and quietly authoritative.

It smells so good on first pour. Damp pine forest floor and clean mountain air register immediately. Everything else unravels from there; but that initial pop-and-pour sniff is pure magic.

On the palate, blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, and dried herbs unfold with control, carried by freshness and finely etched tannins in a medium body.

So classic, so intellectual, and deeply mesmerizing. Drink now or age.
— 10 days ago

Ted, Sagee and 9 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

2010 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 30 minutes and 1.5 hours. Light-medium/medium body. Silky, supple and supremely beautiful-for Bordeaux. Beautiful closure on a lengthy finish. So much attention to detail without it being overtly obvious. Exceptional beauty and a fave, cutting edge BDX producer-along with Durfort-Vivens in Margaux to taste the possibilities of the region. For Pauillac, nearly as gorgeous as Pichon-Lalande...a very close second. This was so stunning. 12.5.25. — a month ago

Andrew, Paul and 24 others liked this
Paul K

Paul K

👍

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Presented to me, double-blind. The wine pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears, and some signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with a mix of ripe and desiccated, mostly dark fruits: cassis, black cherry, plum, mixed brambles, old leather, pipe tobacco, pencil shavings, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (that is mostly integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long.

Initial conclusions: this could be a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, Tempranillo (or based blend) or Grenache-based blend from France, Spain or the United States. I feel like this leans more towards its fruit than its structure, even though it is a fairly well balanced wine in both regards. As a result, I am calling this a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend from the United States, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain from a producer like Dunn, 2006. Shiiiiiit. To be honest, I’m not terribly surprised since this is Cos and from a warm vintage no less. Drinking well now and should through 2050+.
— a day ago

Pooneet, Jason and 16 others liked this

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo

Floral notes on the nose — roses, hibiscus, plus mint, and the dry fragrance of sun-bleached wood. Strawberries on the front. Medium tannic structure. Black tea high notes with hint mint on the mid palate. Citrusy finish with long acidic afterburn. My description fails in that it makes it sound like a light and floral wine. But taken altogether, this is wine is rock solid, and it hasn’t even begun to develop. — 16 days ago

G.D. Vajra

Albe Barolo Nebbiolo 2021

Really liked this but dont agree with reviews that it was heavy. In fact I found it medium bodied. A little high alcohol. Nice bite. — a month ago