Patatina Power
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1986
One of the legendary vintages for the Château, 1986 is drinking beautifully with a captivating and ultra complex bouquet and a seductive, detailed palate with killer concentration, Paulliac power and melting tannins. Stunning wine and fully on brand for dinner at The Eighty Six! — 4 months ago
Continuum
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2015
Continuum Estate – 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 17% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot / Vintage 2015
Sage Mountain Vineyard, Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸
Overview
A Bordeaux-inspired red blend from Continuum Estate, perched on Sage Mountain high above Napa Valley. The 2015 vintage, though small in production due to drought and cool flowering conditions, yielded fruit of remarkable intensity and character. Limited quantities make this a collector’s treasure.
Aromas & Flavors
Opens with aromas of cacao, black currant, cardamom, and savory wild herbs. On the palate: lush layers of black cherry, roasted espresso, mountain minerals, and a touch of tangy orange spice. Velvety tannins wrap around ripe black fruit and chocolate notes, finishing long and expressive.
Mouthfeel
Dense, structured, and deeply vinous with remarkable balance between power and finesse. Rich and tactile, yet elegantly polished. Built for both immediate pleasure and decades of graceful aging.
Food Pairings
Best enjoyed with rosemary lamb chops, prime rib, aged gouda, or wild mushroom ragù. But honestly? This wine is an experience in itself, no food required.
Verdict
An elevated expression of Napa Valley mountain fruit, complex, soulful, and deeply memorable. One of those rare wines that leaves you saying, “whoa.”
Did You Know?
Continuum was founded in 2005 by Robert, Marcia, and Tim Mondavi, continuing the Mondavi family’s legacy in Napa with an estate entirely dedicated to Cabernet-family blends from Sage Mountain.
🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
This was a showstopper for me. The 2015 Continuum delivered an elevated experience, the kind of wine that redefines how you think about Napa blends. Truly unforgettable. — 7 months ago
Domaine du Pegau
Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2020
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Both days outstanding but slightly different experiences. Day 1 was about power. Day 2 was about balance. The 2020 “Cuvée Réservée” pours a brilliant garnet with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady, slightly funky notes of ripe brambles, garrigue, red & purple flowers, bacon fat, licorice, and dry rocky earth. On Day 2, everything was more open nit and the fruit showed more bruised with a slightly stewed profile. Lavender was the predominate floral profile too. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is textbook Pégau and I love it. Drink now through 2045+ — 3 months ago
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2023
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷
Overview
A benchmark Pauillac delivering depth, precision, and classical balance at a very high level, driven by a 75% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 20% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine shows beautifully layered red fruit, refined structure, and seamless integration, expressing terroir purity and composure from start to finish.
Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, red cherry, wild raspberry, cassis, graphite, cedar, pencil shavings, subtle tobacco leaf, gentle cocoa and crushed gravel.
Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with finely polished tannins, excellent mid-palate density, vibrant yet controlled acidity, elegant grip, and a long, harmonious finish that remains lifted and precise.
Food Pairings
Prime rib, grilled ribeye, rack of lamb, beef Wellington, mushroom-forward dishes, aged hard cheeses.
Verdict
A beautifully executed Pauillac that balances power and finesse effortlessly. Everything feels aligned, fruit purity, structure, tension, and length, making this a top-tier reference for the appellation and vintage.
🍷 Personal Pick
This is Pauillac done right, deep fruit, flawless execution, and a finish that feels complete and satisfying rather than forced. A wine that earns admiration through balance and quiet authority. Hard to pass, even harder to forget. — 4 months ago
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
Baron de Pichon-Longueville Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
Château Margaux
Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1982
The nose is profoundly layered and regal: cedar chest, humid tobacco, graphite, and dried rose petals, unfolding slowly into red currant, black tea, sandalwood, and the faintest whisper of truffle and old parchment. It’s not about intensity; it’s about dimension…
On the palate, it is seamless and sovereign. Red and black fruits are fully resolved into essence rather than flavor; currant, cherry skin, a touch of plum; all wrapped in polished leather and earth. The tannins have dissolved into silk, the acidity remains statuesque, and the finish lingers with a calm, noble persistence that feels endless rather than long.
Chateau Margaux at its absolute summit: complete, composed, and eternal; power expressed through grace, and grace sharpened by the patience of time. Do drink now. — 5 months ago
Doug Powers
Much richer and thicker than the 1988, which is all about elegance, this 1989 CdP is about power, depth and richness, very long, lingering finish, great wine!! — 2 days ago