10 Span Vineyards

Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery

Pappy Van Winkle Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Year 107 Proof 2024

Brandon's bottle was better than mine. A little heat, a little sweet. Honey, cornbread, cinnamon, tobacco. Tight, clean finish.
Listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
— 18 days ago

Brian, Anthony and 9 others liked this
Norman

Norman Premium Badge

Uh Dave, I don’t know this Brandon guy but I’m calling someone on the table. We review the Gold versus Van Winkle and rate Gold a bit below. Ok. Fair. But what’s with the Grand Pappy in the background and the invite in my mailbox missing?! Something is way off ;) looks like a great night. At some point I do want to try bourbons with you!
Dave

Dave

Yeah! 'Twas a good evening. I didn't get around to reviewing a few bottles, including the Pappy. You'd be upset if I did (it was disappointing) 😬 We did pour some Rock Hill Farms which was outstanding.

Dom Pérignon

Brut Champagne Blend

Graceful as a ballet dancer—heady notes of yeasty and nutty roundness (think morning fresh baked bagel with almond and hazelnut) punctuated by the staccato of gently sour citrus (lemon, lime, citron, yuzu), balanced by minerals and delightful fizz. Drinks much younger than it is, so if you are lucky enough to have more of this ambrosia there’s no rush to empty out your cellar (20 is the new 10, as the Boomers would say). Enjoyed this gem at Hayato Restaurant in LA (best Kaiseki I’ve ever experienced) with my daughter Rachel and her friend Lindsay right after they finished taking the California Bar Exam. Best of luck, girls! — 7 days ago

Ira liked this

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1985

No formal notes . Quite deep ruby , garnet , thin garnet rim . This is quite open and aromatic , with a spicy , herbaceous cassis , truffle , tobacco , grafite hints , very classic and serious but also really attention grabbing . On the palate this is quite rounded and juicy for Las Cases , good mineral , grafite tinged cassis , quite fine but present tannins , balanced acidity with a tobacco tinged finished and pretty good length . Drinking well now but also can go a while yet, perhaps over the next 10 or so years . — a month ago

Dave, Bob and 13 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Opened the bottle 10 hours prior. Starting to get into zone now. This is top drawer stuff! New World smooth mingles with Old World punch. — 4 days ago

Eric, Tom and 7 others liked this

Château Cos d'Estournel

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Pretty deep ruby , thin ruby rim . This is quite closed at first , but very focused mineral and grafite , oyster shell notes with dark blackcurrant and blackberry notes , spicy touches too . On the palate this is really focused and reserved , lots of mineral tinged black fruits , tobacco , oyster shell . Quite rich yet very good balance, fresh acidity . Ripe but gritty tannins , saline and really long finish . Accessible now , but really destined for the long term. Wait another 5-10 years , will drink well a further 20 . At Vinous Icons, Pier 60 NY, Feb 2025 — 18 days ago

Dave, Tom and 12 others liked this

La Rioja Alta

Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2015

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, aged 48 months on American oak, 20% new. On the palate flavors of dark berry fruits with spice, oak and smoky earthy notes, slight vanilla nuances on ripe full soft silky tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with fruit, oak, cigar box spice and clean mineral earthy tones, a joy to Sip this Fine Wine!! Tasting great, has more aging potential! — a month ago

Paul, Dave and 12 others liked this

Caymus Vineyards

Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1982

still tight on the tannins and rich plum flavor. could enjoy for 5-10 more years. — 2 months ago

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 2006

Medium yellow , touch of gold . Fine bubbles , though not a lot noticable in our wine glasses . Bit of development with brioche , orange rind , mocha , touch of honeysuckle and crushed stones . On the palate this is fine boned , elegant, lemon rind , baked pastry , fine chalky notes . Quite high grippy acidity , this is linear and quite direct in style , but enough volume on the palate to cover its bones . Good medium length mineral and crystallised lemon pith charged finish . This is drinking well now but will probably last well over the next 5-10 years. — 6 days ago

Jamie, Dave and 14 others liked this

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2009

So for those who don’t know, this wine is a collaboration between one of the most famous California winemakers and one of the most famous Bordeaux wine makers (the grapes are from Napa).

The young expression when I first had it 10 years ago was big bold ripe fruit, probably the quintessential Napa cab.

The aged expression had more secondary and tertiary characteristics, terroir, and represented Baron Rothschild in respects of crafting a wine that could grow and develop and express the care that goes into winemaking as opposed to simply growing good fruit.

The young version of it perfectly expresses Mondavi and Napa. The aged version captures the elegance of Bordeaux winemaking and Rothschild’s fingerprints. You cannot fully experience this wine unless you’ve had it young and old. Unbelievable experience tonight.
— 5 days ago