Jay Kline

9.3

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service and enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2006 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with lovely notes of black and red currants, black and red, bramble fruit, tobacco, leather, cocoa, earth, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. Despite the character and quality, I didn’t find this to be a powerhouse rather, this was quietly confident. The finish is long, lovely…very demure. Looking great at 18 years young and there’s a lot of life left. If this is any indication of longevity, the 2006 “Terrace Select” might live forever. Drink now with a decant for air and sediment and enjoy through 2036 easy. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

From magnum. No formal notes. The fill was top-shoulder. Underneath the capsule, the top of the cork looked nasty which I wiped down as best I could. About four hours before service, using a Durand (which is almost essential with old bottles) I was able to pull the cork completely intact and decant for sediment. The cork was completely saturated but appeared to have done its job! At this stage in its life, the 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild pours a garnet color but it doesn’t appear particularly tired and the nose supports that. While it’s certainly a vinous wine, there is a lot to like: a mix of red and black cassis, rip and desiccated cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar box, old leather, damp earth, some mushrooms and baking spices. The structure is still sound and while the tannins have integrated and the acid is keeping this very much alive. In fact, this seemed to brighten with air and almost get a second wind! As I find with all great Bordeaux wines once they enter this stage, they seem to live forever. This was a lovely pairing with a Prime, Niman Ranch porterhouse served with corn, squash and porcini. This is squarely in the “drink now” window, not that it will be falling off a cliff anytime soon. Decant for sediment and enjoy through 2030+ — a year ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark scarlet color with translucent light reddish rims. Old wine nose. Notes of black and red fruit, gravel, barnyard floor, old leather and some old desk wood. Fruit is a bit faded but this has plenty of life with decent acidity and a nice structure. Got better with air and opened up nicely. Better than the last bottle of this lot, despite being a more ragged looking bottle. — 3 years ago

Will Stanley

9.1

The 2019 Poujeaux, tried here for the first time from half bottle, continues the trend of wines that I’ve enjoyed from this vintage – being austere, deep, full bodied and demanding considerable bottle age. With no decant, the wine is almost impenetrable on the nose, offering little other than gravel, singed tobacco, and espresso. Gradually, though, things open up in the glass and after an hour it’s fairly expressive. It remains dark, tannic and laden with coffee, chocolate and steeped black fruit, but doubtless there’s a promising wine somewhere here that’ll likely begin to emerge in five years or so – Poujeaux tends to have a long life, and I’d expect that to be the case here. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

This was a pre-Parson Il Palazzone, back when Mario Bollag (now Terralsole) owned the property. Dick (Parson) invested a lot into Il Palazzone after 2000 and the estate’s reputation today is largely known under his stuardship.

Poured into a decanter about 2 1/2 hours prior to service to remove sediment and give this 28-year old some air. In the glass, the 1996 pours a deep garnet with a brown tinge and a near opaque core. Medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous, with some VA and notes of desiccated, red and black fruit: Morello cherries, strawberries, brambles, figs, along with leather, porcini, forest floor, espresso, and spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins (fully integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium, and the body is medium. White this freshened up with air (recommended), it is clearly in the sunset of its life. That being said, it has plenty of stories to tell. Drink now with a decant. — 10 months ago

Bruce Dunbar

9.0

The 2015 Malbec Argentino is purplish-black with lots of plum, vanilla and dark berry in the nose. It’s smooth, with light tannins and the fruit shows through nicely. Delicious, even with some light drying tannins. — 2 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

The one thing I get from this wine w/ this age is cognac notes and the 07 is just starting cognac notes on the long set. Still, rounded, medium plus, velvety tannins.

The fruits are ripe, juicy, lush; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, darkest cherries, & red cherries on the long set, strawberry hues. Chocolate/ cake/pudding/mousse, dark berry cola, mocha, dark chocolate, caramel, dark spice, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, anise core to black licorice, dark spice w/ palate heat, dry, crush rock, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, liquid, dry herbaceous notes, fresh to withering; dark, red, slightly blue flowers framed in a field of violets & lavender, round, summer rainfall with a softly tensioned state, tall structure, well balanced, finely but deeply knitted & evenly polish finish that is nearly endless.

If you can have patience, Tapestry is one of the best Napa Cabernet for the money & this one has plenty of life ahead. 10 plus years.

Photos of; sunset on a BV vineyard, their tasting from many vantage points & old Victorian House. — 6 months ago

Daniel veit

9.9

From magnum, this was a beautiful wine with still many more years of life ahead. Showing black currant, tobacco, dried thyme, squid ink and Chinese 5 spice. Stunner. — 10 months ago

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9.6

This bottle of 1982 Gruaud-Larose came direct from the château cellars. It is just pure joy on the nose with fabulous scents of black fruit, hung game (less so than previous bottles), clove and a faint aroma of a stately home. It manages to offer both ample fruit and life-affirming complexity. The palate has aged little since I last tasted it; there's more red fruit here, with freshly rolled tobacco, cedar and a touch more spiciness on the finish than previous tastings, with a sweet yet structured finish. This may well represent the finest bottle that I have encountered. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — 2 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.2

I don’t have a stellar track record when it comes to drinking rock star Bordeaux. The hype always lurks, even though I served this blind to my homie. Interestingly, it’s a sweet wine with layers of cedar interspersed with ribbons of gorgeous red and some black fruits, especially high toned cassis. Great intensity of course & felt the tannins were well integrated at 12years. Clearly the mono-sweetness would transition to tertiary flavors with age, but with life so precious these days, I wasn’t waiting. — 3 years ago

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