Somm David T 
Château Potensac
Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2007
For me, there are a lot stories associated with this little brother to Leoville Las Cases. Made by the same technical team, but certainly a different terroir.
Older vintages that were brought in by Clyde Beffa at K&L Wine Merchants kept me from opening my more expensive-younger Bordeaux in my collection. Starting w/ the 97 vintage well after its original release, I believe they sold through two lots of 5,000 cases over different years. A vintage crushed by critics. But with some long time cellar, value & quality. Magic!
This has always shown me QPR and to be a great fatty steak wine- Ribeye or Ribcap.
The 2007 Bordeaux vintage, critically not well reviewed. With basically 16 yrs plus in bottle, more special.
This has really come around and still ascending. Ripe, elegant, lush; dark currents, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherry skin, black plum skin, poached strawberries, black, rich, turned earth with dry leaves, moist & dry clays, graphite, tobacco w/ ash, slightly used leather, dry river stone, limestone minerals, dry top soil, pepper, some sweet tarriness, mix of fresh & dry herbs, mid, dark spices, clove, nutmeg, some cinnamon & understated vanillin, dry, withering, dark & red florals, nice acidity with good tension, structure, finally balanced & elegant finish that lands squarely on soften earthiness, some spice and lasts two-minutes.
This still has 15 years plus of life ahead.
Paired with Costco Prime Ribcaps. — 6 days ago
Vineyard 29
Aida Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Their Cabernet fruits are nice, ripe and pretty. They should be cellared 10 years before opening one.
Again, the M+ tannin profile along with their level new wood use is extremely dominant and primary young. This was astringent and felt like I had sucked on a wood plank.
The fruits & florals beautiful. Better things lie ahead for this with cellaring. 93-96 in 10-15 years.
Having had many Napa 21’s at this point, this didn’t live up to the balance & softer styles of others I had young. — 9 days ago
Château de Beaucastel
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2012
From 375ml.
A very good Rhone producer visited in 2015.
At pop & pour, the fruits almost had a mid berry bubble gum character. That toned down almost immediately. Fruits are ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, baked plums, raspberries, dark cherries, juicy strawberries, chocolate bar to fudge, grilled, smoked meats, black pepper, dark spice, nutmeg, clove, iron pan, black tea, a touch of rubber toy, slight tarriness, dry herbs, roasted chestnuts, tobacco leaf, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, hints of mint, dark, red flowers, violet’s, nice acidity with a well balanced-structured, stiffly tensioned with a lush finish that lasts 90 seconds and lands on earthiness & spice.
Plenty of life left in this 2012, even in 375ml. — 4 days ago
Domaine de la Côte
Bloom's Field Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018
First up, this is made by Master Sommelier-Raj Parr & his business partner Sashi Moorman. I studied for my Sommeliers test one day with Raj.
Second, this is one of few Santa Rita Hills I like. Most are over extracted for me. IMHO, many drink like Cabernet-Pinot blends. This is not. It is more Burgundian in style.
The 2018 is starting to come around. It shows some nice evolution & integration.
Lush & ripe entry of; blackberries, dark cherries, both plums, strawberries, black raspberries, raspberries, cranberries, dry herbs are bountiful, mid, dark spice, a touch of smoke, grilled meats, moist clay, limestone, dry top soil, some menthol, eucalyptus w/ bark, mid berry cola, red, dark, blue & purple florals for days, excellent round acidity, nice; tension, structure, balance & elegant finish that lands on spice & softened earth that lasts nearly two-minutes. — 6 days ago
Bruno Paillard
Cuvée 72 Extra Brut Champagne Blend
Beautiful cuvée with excellent mousse. It shows both reductive & oxidative characteristics. Meyer lemon, lime zest, pineapple juice and some dried pineapple, dry apricots & yellow & white stone fruits, black cherries, Rainer cherries, green apple, caramel notes, very light yeastiness, bread dough, cream, light saline, ginger, beautiful powdery chalkiness, yellow flowers with greens, excellent acidity with a well balanced, well knitted, elegant and smartly polished finish that lands on minerality & soft spice and lasts 90 seconds.
The name Cuvée 72, derives from…36 in bottle +36 stored at the House…72 months minimum of maturation before shipment. Cuvée 72 is a variation on the complexity of time and development of our Première Cuvée.
Good pair with Jasper Hill Farms Harbison & yellow Nectarines.
The blend is 45% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay & 22% Pinot Meunier. Again, while the label states it is an Extra Brut, its dosage is 6g, which makes it a Brut by being 1g over. Puzzling considering French wine laws.
More than 30 wines whose composition is kept secret, Cuvée 72 is comprised of a system of reserve wines dating back to 1985 along with the latest harvest. It is a selection of first pressing of meunier, chardonnay and pinot noir, a proportion of which (20%) have had their first fermentation in oak barrels. — 6 days ago
Egly-Ouriet
Les Prémices à Ambonnay Brut Champagne Blend
This pours a darker yellow.
Part of this has spent time in oak.
Nice mousse but leaner in style as it fades a bit on the long set.
Starts with slightly macerated stone fruits-peach, nectarines & a touch of apricots, tropicals-pineapple, cantaloupe, bruised pear-apple, zested lime-lemon, blood orange, ginger to ginger ale, malt, light caramel notes, light vanillin, cream, some nice yeast, bread dough, baguette crust, limestone intermixed with volcanics, sea fossils, saline, yellow slightly wilting lilies, spring bouquet, excellent crisp acidity and well knitted, balanced, structured, elegant finish finish that lands on crumbled minerality.
This cuvée is a blend of equal parts of three varieties; Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. Disgorged 7/23.
Pointing again, this is labeled an Extra Brut, yet it’s only 2g dosage, making it a Nature. Not sure how these producers get away without sticking to French Wine Laws.
Photos of, House of Egly-Ouriet, their Chardonnay & Pinot vineyards at harvest & Owner and Winemaker Francis Egly. — 4 days ago
Domaine de la Galopière
Ladoix Chardonnay 2022
This obscure beauty was at my Costco for $33.99. High QPR. So in my quest to try as many 22s, I bought it on impulse.
The body has nice viscosity. It’s a little waxy, green apple, lime, lemon, tropicals, very ripe pineapple juice, yellow stone fruits, heather, honey notes, caramel, marmalade, cheese rind, saline, sea fossils, limestone mixed with grey volcanic minerals, ginger notes, yellow & spring white flowers, round acidity with beautiful balance-structure with a well polished lush, elegant finish that lasts a full minute.
As values go in Burgundy these days, worthwhile. I’ll grab a few more. — 6 days ago
Vineyard 29
Aida Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
This is a similar story as the others with M+ tannins, too much new wood and lacked the benefit of a better growing season as was the case with 2021.
I would also say their bottles are priced a bit beyond their production quality. There are better Napa reds available at lower price points. — 9 days ago
Vineyard 29
The Essentials 29 Estate Cabernet Franc 2021
They make a good Cabernet Franc that requires 7-10 plus yrs in cellar before opening.
The most agitating part of drinking their new vintages young is they use too much new wood. Along with the M+ tannin profile, making it very hard to drink early. Young, they drink astringently and bitty on the palate.
They poured me a 2011 Cabernet at the very end, not the best vintage but it was fine, the 11 was made with 20% less new oak. It showed and was preferable. If I were making these wines, I would dial back the new oak and or barrel toast. — 9 days ago
Somm David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
These just get so much better with this kind of age.
It had grand evolution & integration.
Elegant & ripe on entry. Dark cherries, plum, blackberry, baked strawberries, raspberry & hints of blueberries. Muddy clays, dry herbs, powdered dry earth times, light; caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanillin, withering dark, red flowers, some violets, well balanced, elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds.
#Nepenthe in Big Sur — 2 days ago