Top Of The Block

Spier

Creative Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2020

For me, subtle tannins, balanced acidity and flavors of blackcurtant, dark chocolate and cedar spice. Consumed 11/16/25 w steak. — 18 days ago

Paul liked this

Ghost Block

Pelissa Vineyard Zinfandel 2021

Inky in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity on the nose, and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate and easy drinking.

Showing red and black fruits with light cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates, peppercorn, cola, Mediterranean spices and light licorice.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Single Vineyard Zinfandel from Napa Valley. Elegant and rich. Fruit forward and complex. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime. Will continue to age nicely in the next 7 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with burger and fries.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$40.
— 2 months ago

Tom, Robin and 8 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Nice to see this come in under 15%. It takes thoughtfulness and care to do that amid climate change, and is particularly admirable in Napa, where wineries could easily grub up low-profit Zin vines, replace them with Cab and charge higher $$.

Top Winery

Joule Rosé of Mourvèdre

2920 vintage. Loved it. Superb on a hot night. — 2 years ago

Milissa, Shay and 3 others liked this

Bevan Cellars

Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Didn’t realize I still had this, opened for an A5 Strip loin.
Great cut of beef which hid the heat on this bottle. I just can’t handle these fruit forward highly extracted wines anymore.
Parker 95,
— 4 years ago

Tom, Vanessa and 21 others liked this
Eric

Eric Premium Badge

You’ve released your inner @David T !
Paul T HB

Paul T HB

Yep🤷🏼‍♂️,
Normally its the other way around, the older you get the more fruit you like. I’m heading in the other direction.
Eric

Eric Premium Badge

I’m right there with ya.

Viña Ventisquero

Grey [Glacier] Single Block Trinidad Vineyard Carménère 2022

Nose of tart fruit and spice which shows up in the palate as well. Silky tannins that take a little time to build up. Easy to drink for a medium bodied red. It's holding up well to hearty spicy chilli, and the spice of the food is letting the fruit show more through the spice notes of the wine. Curious to see how it develops when I have some tomorrow. — a month ago

Boekenhoutskloof

The Chocolate Block Cinsault Blend

Is so good, finish test of chocolate and vanilla. Love it — 3 years ago

Venge Vineyards

Block I-4 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah

Great Syrah from one of my favorite wine producers. — 2 years ago

Regusci

Block 27 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Plum and dark fruit with a nice kiss of oak. Delicious. — 4 years ago

Jones Family Vineyard

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

Somm David T
9.8

I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.

I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.

The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.

The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.

What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle.
— 11 days ago

Paul, Andrew and 14 others liked this

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

1986 vintage. Tasting like it was nearish the top on the downward slope. Unified palate push. That great old Bordeaux nose. Light-medium body. Ullage appropriate. The feminine characteristics that are the lifeblood of this producer almost completely absent with this bottle. Had this been blind, woulda speculated this to be a 1985-1989 upper-crust St. Julien. All that said, still very very nice. The near-perfect 1989 specimen tasted a little more than a week ago reminded me more of the previous encounters with the 1986 than this encounter with the 1986. — 3 years ago

Peter, Shay and 25 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Had the 2000 out of mag tonight. Signature green streak down the middle wrapped in left bank richness. When this producer is on, they are on fire, but when they aren’t, it’s so frustrating.
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Premium Badge

@Shay A Heard and agreed. Still waiting for the 1990 vintage to show age-appropriately but as of 6 mos ago, tight as nails.