Balancing Act

Château Vannières

Bandol Mourvedre Blend 1998

Goodness this is a beautiful wine. Perfectly paired with roast duck leg with blackberry reduction, this wine does NOT act 28 years old. The nose jumps out of the glass with dark chocolate, blackberry, black plum, spice and crushed velvet and blueberries. The color shows its hand with a little bricking to the edges, but still has a deep pale maroon color that shows she’s got plenty of life left in her. The tannin haven’t lost much of their grip, though much more dry and silty than grippy. The palate is medium bodied, but light on its feet, with less leftover fruit from the age, but still plenty of acidity, with blackberry preserves, leather, plum, balsamic, tar, and beef teriyaki jerkey, with some green peppercorn and a hint of iron on the finish that leaves a looong and fresh impression. — 6 days ago

Domaine de Chevalier

Pessac-Léognan Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2005

Medium lemon yellow . Quite young appearance still quite a bit of oak on the nose , then lemon rind , touch of honey , wax , slightly herbal touch. Intense on the palate with lemon rind , wax and honied notes . Quite rich palate , but with good balancing acidity and grip, balanced alcohol . Medium length , slightly toasty finish . Still young , drinkable now and over the 10 years. — 2 years ago

Ira, Tom and 8 others liked this
jesus g

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This is top 5 on my list for SB

Selbach-Oster

Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett 2019

Delicious aperitif Riesling. Beautifully pure appley fruit just hinting at peach. Clean subtle stony minerality. Nice acids balancing out the slight fruity sweetness on the palate. — 3 years ago

Ira, Spencer and 19 others liked this

Robert Mondavi Winery

Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1975

Pretty deep colour . Still quite deep fruited , mint blackcurrant , spice , violet . Nice weight on the palate with nice detailed black fruits. Really nice definition with a touch of spice , dried herbs. Nice balancing acidity , with rounded tannins just still noticeable. Good length, really balanced and incredibly enjoyable. Enjoyed over 2 and half hours with no oxidation . This is at it’s peak now , if you have them open the bottles ! — 3 years ago

Tom, Jan and 6 others liked this

Emilio Ramirez Envinate

Benje Tenerife Tinto 2020

Truly special wine, balancing assertive acidity w perfect ripeness, red fruits and earth/savory notes mingle and harmonize along a very lengthy well structured finish. Despite its technical perfection it is wild and free. — 4 years ago

Iwan, Brent and 9 others liked this

Château Doisy-Védrines

Sauternes Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2018

Deep gold. Nose and palate yield candied apricot, honey, white flowers, baked peach, and pineapple birthday cake. Perfect balancing acidity. Lingering finish extends the palate. Geez! And this isn’t even a Premier Cru. Drink now through forever. — 5 years ago

Josh, Dawn and 5 others liked this

Bacci Wines

Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2015

Cathy Corison
8.9

Leather, blackberries, earth, spice, lavender. Black cherries. Long. Balancing bitterness. — 5 years ago

Peter, Charlie and 14 others liked this

Domaine Gabrielle Vivien

Saint - Bris Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Domaine Gabrielle Vivien – Saint-Bris AOC 2023
100% Sauvignon Blanc – Burgundy, France 🇫🇷

Overview
One of Burgundy’s best-kept secrets. Saint-Bris is the region’s only appellation dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc. Sourced from 25-year-old vines planted on Kimmeridgian limestone soils just west of Chablis, this wine delivers remarkable precision, minerality, and freshness while offering a distinctly Burgundian interpretation of the variety.

Aromas & Flavors
Vibrant aromas of lime zest, grapefruit, white flowers, and freshly cut herbs open the nose. The palate is crisp and energetic, revealing citrus, green apple, subtle gooseberry, and distinctive wet stone minerality that builds beautifully toward a long, savory finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with lively acidity and remarkable tension. The texture is sleek and elegant, balancing freshness with a persistent mineral backbone that keeps every sip engaging.

Food Pairings
Outstanding with grilled mahi-mahi, oysters, ceviche, goat cheese, sushi, or herb-roasted chicken.

Verdict
A fascinating expression of Sauvignon Blanc that combines the grape’s aromatic character with Burgundy’s unmistakable sense of place. Elegant, mineral-driven, and wonderfully food-friendly.

Did You Know?
Saint-Bris is the only appellation in Burgundy where Sauvignon Blanc is the authorized flagship grape, making it a unique exception in a region otherwise dominated by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

🍷 Personal Pick
One of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs. I love how it expresses the grape from soils traditionally devoted to Chardonnay, proving that Burgundy can still surprise me. The 2023 continues that beautiful tradition with freshness, elegance, and unmistakable character.
— 7 hours ago

Produttori del Barbaresco

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2019

Medium to light ruby , wide ruby garnet rim . Spiced red cherries , with raspberry jam , menthol , grafite , liquorice touches. On the palate juicy spiced sweet red fruits with those liquorice notes and dried herbs. Good balancing acidity and velvety but grippy tannins and slightly noticeable alcohol. Good length with a liquorice, cherry tinged finish. Enjoyable now though will age well over the next 10 years or so . — 2 years ago

Tom, Scott@Mister and 10 others liked this

Arietta

Quartet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2014

This wine has a deep ruby hue with medium(+) intensity of ripe and supple black plum, red plum, fig, black cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry, violet, licorice, leather, sweet tobacco, cedar box, nutmeg, cardamom, coconut, and dill notes.

On the palate, this wine is dry with medium(+) acidity balancing smooth medium(+) tannins and the ripeness of aroma and flavor characteristics. It is delicious!!! And complex. It has runway for further aging in bottle.
— 3 years ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Jay and 15 others liked this

Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey

Sauternes 1er Cru Classé Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend

2017 vintage. Lemon confit, roasted pineapple, quince, honey and a hint of fresh mint leaves. Very elegant with bright mouthwatering acidity balancing the layered sweetness. Long almondy finish. Reasonably priced for this quality. Highly recommended. — 4 years ago

Romain, Mike and 1 other liked this

Château Beauregard

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2018

2018 vintage. Rich, seductive nose. Supple medium-heavy chassis. Youthful but fairly showy with sumptuous baby fat, blue fruit and lavender/dill comprising the final act. Would love to taste this again in 7–10 years. — 5 years ago

Peter, Ted and 8 others liked this
leon egozi

leon egozi

Beautiful estate

Wayfarer

Mother Rock Fort Ross - Seaview Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2013

Ripe fruits, black cherry, cherry cola, raspberry, blackberry
Salty, smoky, cured meat savoriness, slight herbal character
Medium to full bodied with balancing acidity, the palate has a refreshing tart red cherry note. Long finish.
A really nice Sonoma coast PN, if a bit bigger than I personally like
— 5 years ago

Linh TongLarry Pelham
with Linh and Larry
Shay, Vanessa and 3 others liked this

Château Beychevelle

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2020

2020 vintage. A class act, impeccably balanced, layered, concentrated and very elegant, with silky tannins and an impressive finish. — 5 months ago

Ted, Dave and 7 others liked this

Domaine Coche-Dury (J.F. Coche Dury)

Meursault Chardonnay 2015

Loads of extract and zip. Quite ripe but with brilliant balancing acidity. Intense and long. Delicious — a year ago

Chris ThalkenMatt LichtenbergPaul Woolls
with Chris, Matt and 2 others
David, Bob and 13 others liked this

Château Larcis Ducasse

Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend

2019 vintage. An extraordinary wine, a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. Beautiful nose with roses, strawberries, amarena cherries, and subtle vanilla. A class act with wonderful elegance, depth, precision, and an amazingly long,mineral finish. Abv. 14,5%. — 3 years ago

Tom, David and 4 others liked this

Merry Edwards

Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Very elegant with Medium intensity aromas and flavors of apple, pineapple, apricot, white peach, nectarine, elderflower, brioche, clove, vanilla and smoke.
Hint of dried apricot and honey.
Very good quality, balancing aromatics with a hint of oak. Interesting style with batonnage, 18% new French oak
— 3 years ago

Paul, Douglas and 8 others liked this

Krug

Brut Champagne Blend 2006

"You didn't know Krug's oxidative?"

While I've had my fair share of Krug over the years, I've never found any as oxidative as this 06' (save for a few suspect bottles), which led me to proclaim that the bottle was less-than-pristine. Normally this would not have been strange given the abysmal state of cold chain in Malaysia, but GL was quick to rebut with the statement above.

He's had far more Krug than I have you see - decades, instead of years - so he may well be right here. It could have been the vintage, or my palate, or just needed more air to blossom - whatever the case, this certainly fell below expectations. Sure it was dense and quite linear, and Krug does indeed lie in the school of oxidative champagnes, but this just lacked the balancing freshness that one would expect from a producer of this caliber. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was a distinct musky note that I see so often in ill-stored whites, and abhor. So the real question is - was GL right? Is this a typical Krug 06'? I believe another specimen is required to draw proper judgement.
— 4 years ago

Jan, Severn and 8 others liked this
Lyle Fass

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If any vintage of Krug is gonna be like this it’s gonna be 06.
Aaron Tan

Aaron Tan Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Lyle Fass Agreed. Haha. Still inclined to say the bottle wasn't prefect (just doesn't taste like what's written online), but if any vintage were to be more susceptible to transport shocks, the 06' would be a prime candidate too.

Peay Vineyards

Estate Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

Nose is multidimensional which consistently reveals the tasting profile. Rich, creamy foundation with Meyer lemon, pineapple, and apricot poking through. Structurally matches with nice acid balancing the richness. This is rounder and softer than I expected for a young Peay. Drinking very well already. — 5 years ago

Ira, Severn and 9 others liked this