Wine Access

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

2010 vintage. Decanted and tasted immediately. Lean and mean. Medium body but only because of the concentration. Dark fruits and plenty of espresso influence evident. Slightly less delicate than other P-C efforts fortunate enuff to taste. Tighter than the outstanding 2009 upon initial impressions. Needed more time to coddle this one but couldn't carve it out. ***EDIT 6.27.26***Delectable was having a moment during the review process and couldn't access previous wines/research properly, so went with memory. Ha so bad. It WASN'T the 2009 I thought I previously had. Actually confused vintages and had this exact 2010 vintage on 12.5.25 (9.6) with enough time to appreciate properly. The 2010 quickie was still nice at 9.4 but not nearly as good as being 9.6 romanced properly. 6.20.26. — 15 days ago

Joel, Jeroen and 14 others liked this
Somm David T

Somm David T Influencer Badge

I might have exited the planet by the time the well made 2010 Bordeaux’s peak.

San Giusto a Rentennano

Chianti Classico Sangiovese 2021

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days; consistent throughout. The 2021 Chianti Classico pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with very light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes tart and ripe red fruits: Morello cherry, raspberry, bergamot, porcini, red flowers, green herbs, an old wood. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, tart and juicy. Damn, I wish I had better access to the wines of San Giusto a Rentennano! Drink now through 2041. — a year ago

Douglas, Dave and 13 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

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That pairing is genius!
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

lol. I call it the: “Summer Soccer Showcase, Total Wine/In-N-Out Combo Pack”

Shea Wine Cellars

Estate Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019

Wine Access Michelin Wine Club - Birdsong — 2 years ago

Mansi, "Odedi" and 1 other liked this

Bryant Family Vineyard

Proprietor Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Needed about an hour of air, but then simply mind-blowing. Cassis and dark leathery notes, blueberry reduction, round and nicely resolved at this point. Years to go but no need to wait if you have access to a decanter… Superb. — 3 years ago

Eric, Shay and 22 others liked this

Azienda Agricola Roberto Voerzio

Brunate Barolo Nebbiolo 2010

This bottle of 2010 Roberto Voerzio “Brunate” was generously provided by a friend who wanted to share this with me after service along with a few others from Tasting Group. Opened, splash decanted and consumed over three hours; served side-by-side with the 2010 Pecchenino “Le Coste”. The Voerzio “Brunate” was a relative hermit. Even after three hours in the decanter, it remained a bit of a wallflower while the Pecchenino was a whirling dervish on the dance floor. The classic structure of 2010 and the austerity of “Brunate” made for an impenetrable fortress, keeping the fruit under lock and key…and behind a moat and a drawbridge and stone walls with soldiers and trebuchets for that matter. Despite all of that, one does get the sense there is a deep core of high quality fruit recessed underneath the surface. It’s dark and mysterious…and simply hard to access at this moment in time. For what it’s worth, Voerzio’s holdings in “Brunate” come from the western portion of the MGA, on the La Morra side, right next to Oddero’s holdings. Frankly, this is going to need a long, long time in the cellar before it shows really well. If i had any in my cellar, I wouldn’t touch again until 2030. — 3 years ago

Scott@Mister, Romain and 9 others liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Estate Monte Bello Vineyard Merlot 2019

Juicy and super ripe for this young wine from Ridge.

Had some good structure and paired well with the pizza.

Not bad to get access to the Monte Bello.
— 4 years ago

Tom, Ethan and 1 other liked this

Realm Cellars

Beckstoffer Bourn Cabernet Sauvignon

One of my favorite vineyards Bourn. Unfortunately Realm will not have access to their grapes. — 2 months ago

Jan liked this

Cascina Roccalini

Roccalini Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2019

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of dinner. The 2019 “Roccalini” pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of ripe Morello cherry, raspberry, roses, new leather, dried orange peel, dried green herbs, a touch of anisette and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. IIRC, before Paolo started making wine under his own label, the fruit from Roccalini used to go to Giacosa. Regardless, the quality and character is special which is why it is consistently one of my favorites in all of Barbaresco. Now, if only I had more access to it. Maybe @Lyle Fass can do something about it? Drink now through 2039+. — 7 months ago

Lyle, Andrew and 4 others liked this
Lyle Fass

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I think I might. Let’s chat.

Pike Road Vineyard

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022

Wines from Oregon are not easy to access in Australia so it was great to be offered this one from Prince Wine Store in Melbourne. Mid crimson - transparent in parts. Spiced black and red cherries. A lolly, confectionery jujube like note. Pike Road is the sister winery to Elk Cove. Lovely drinking right now - not for the cellar. We used to buy Oregon Wines when our son was at the University of Oregon in 2007-2008, but we have pretty much run out. Great to revisit Oregon Pinot. — 2 years ago

Daniel, Tom and 16 others liked this

William Downie

Gippsland Pinot Noir 2021

Currently about 5 hours east of Melbourne in east Gippsland tasting this brilliant William Downie Pinot Noir. See several previous Delectable notes from earlier vintages. This wine manages to combine light to medium weight with medium plus intensity. Red fruited with Sous Bois. Downie is a gifted winemaker working in an excellent terroir for Pinot Noir. Would like to have more access to his wines up in Queensland. — 3 years ago

Ira, Tom and 16 others liked this

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2017

Initial access with Coravin was reflecting the age but about a week after it really showed it’s true potential. Really outstanding but might want to hold onto it for 5-10 years — 3 years ago

Domaine Roulot

Monthelie Pinot Noir

fleshy red fruit, quite primary and approachable. High acid. Very likable but there’s much better even in burgundy for a third of the price. Sorry but it feels like the throw-in bottle to get access to their allocation — 4 years ago

La Ca' Nova

Vigne Bric Mentina Montefico Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2015

La Ca’Növa is now under fifth generation leadership; they used to sell all their fruit to Gaja. Super traditional methods with a twist; they used botti made of Austrian oak instead of Salvonian. Vigna Bric Mentina is a sub cru of the Montefico MGA where the soils are relatively sandy.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. The 2015 “Vigna Bric Mentina” pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe Morello cherry, raspberry, strawberry, roses with freshly cut stems, cedar chest, dried herbs and gravelly earth and minerals. There’s also a kiss of VA, just in case you needed a reminder that this is a traditional Italian wine, lol! On the palate, the wine is bone dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly savory. This is absolutely baller. How did I sleep on this producer for so long? Oh yeah…I remember: access. I live in Omaha. Welp…now I have another producer to chase. Drink now with patience (enjoy the ride!) and through 2045.
— 3 months ago

Andrew, Tom and 13 others liked this

Winderlea Vineyard and Winery

Dundee Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

A very decent Pinot Noir sourced from the Winderlea Vineyard, located right in the very heart of the Dundee Hills AVA, it is fully Biodynamic certified and the company is B Certified as well. The predominant soil and access to the vineyard is volcanic with a south-faced slope, and elevation up to 580ft above sea level. Some of the vines were planted as far back as 1974 utilizing Dijon clones from Burgundy.

Loved the aromatics and some of the complexity layers ranging from dark cherry fruit, floral notes and a mix of spices.
The acidity on the palate is bight, vivacious and concours with the nose on the dark cherries, blackberries and the array of spices. Pleased with the structure and mouthfeel, some subtle touch of herbs and nicely balanced. Feel youthful and fresh. Small production. Nice to cellar it. Cheers!
— a year ago

Ted liked this

Diego Conterno

Barolo Nebbiolo 2019

Wine Access Michelin Wine Club - Smythe. Enjoyed last night. — 2 years ago

Château Belá

Muzla Riesling 2020

Okay, so I cheated…sort of. I made a commitment to drinking only Greek wines on my trip however, when Kostas Lonis pours you a glass of Egon Muller’s Riesling from Slovakia, you don’t turn it down. This is a powerful Riesling that gives me serious Austrian vibes. I’m not sure how long this bottle had been open but it was gorgeous. Bright, ripe tropical and lemon/lime fruits, some petrol with almost palpable minerals. High acid but not punishing due to the effect coming from the abundance of fruit. An unbelievable value. I wish I had access to more of this. — 3 years ago

Aaron, Severn and 12 others liked this

Château Capbern-Gasqueton

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Great value at $50.00 from K&L
Web notes,

The owner of this Chateau, Calon Segur takes some of it name Calon from the word 'calones' which were small transport skiffs that used to haul goods up and down the Gironde river. Back then boats were the best mode of conveyancing wine plus preferable to the reluctant donkey and other landlubbing transports. This fact is a big reason for this region's long successful trading history. Much to the dismay of more land locked wine making regions, Bordeaux enjoyed direct access to the water. Happily shipping great wines such as Chateau Capburn Gasqueton for centuries. As this red wine was transported away from the port, the owners would farewell it's strawberry and raspberry driven fruit flavours bound for distant thirsty lands. It's beautiful chalky tannins and fine oak would be missed as they were well on the way to our store's shelves, cellars and tummies. Hence raise a big cheers to the diminutive but very essential Calons! (And amazing value Bordeaux reds)
Chateau Capburn Gasqueton is situated in St Estephe, on the left bank of Bordeaux, France. Grapes have been grown on the property's grounds since the 12th century. However, the 18th century saw it's elevation into quality wine production when Nicolas-Alexandre, owner of Latour, Lafite and Mouton bought the Chateau along with Chateau Calon Segur. From 1894 to 2012 the Gasqueton family owned the Chateau - producing wines of great finesse and elegance. In 2013 the French insurance company Suravenir bought Chateau. Since then they have heavily invested in upgrading the estate whilst ensuring they preserve this historic and treasured wine producer. Its vineyard comprises of 62% Cabernet, 37% Merlot and a petite drop of 1% Petite Verdot!
— 4 years ago

Eric, Tom and 15 others liked this
Jen

Jen

What an interesting story!!
Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

The things you can find when you copy & paste 🤷🏼‍♂️