Pow Wow

Beringer Vineyards

Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

1.5 hour decant(little sediment). A splendid dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: Intoxicating notes of sweet dark fruit, currants, herbaceous, cloves, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: Wow! rich, pure, elegant mouthcoating wine with blackberry/dark cherry, oak, graphite, loamy soil, and a baking spice-savory herb-dark plum medium plus finish. YUM!! Lots of potential and glad to have a few more bottles...give it a few more years. — 13 days ago

Tom, Tom and 15 others liked this

Jacques Selosse

Initial Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Chardonnay 2017

Amazing! Concentration, flavour...wow! — 3 months ago

Tom, Tom and 17 others liked this
ESF

ESF

👍
Jan de Weerd

Jan de Weerd

What an experience!!!
Andrew McIntyre

Andrew McIntyre

@Jan de Weerd a truly exceptional Champagne. Quite a lot of hype around the producer and often in this situation the wines don't live up to it or arent your taste. This was amazing!
Sidenote: if you are ever in Paris then the restaurant was great. Offered the wine for below market price as well🥳

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2006

2 hour decant. Shredded cork. Filtered the wine.

Wow. This was just gorgeous and smooth. Tannins very well integrated and the fruit was excellent.

One of my favorite vintages with some age
— 6 months ago

Somm, Dave and 9 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Premium Badge

Yeah, the 2006 is top of the pops currently. Miss it.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Bolgheri Red Bordeaux Blend

Wow! Bad vintage, great wine. Pop and pour. — 2 months ago

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1981

Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a dull purple/garnet color with a translucent core and significant rim variation, moving towards a rust color. The wine has medium viscosity with light staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, dried blackberries, dried red and purple flowers, old leather bound books, tobacco, a touch of menthol, some earth, old wood and a sprinkle of warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Super high quality but a touch thin.

Initial conclusions: Due to the observable characteristics of color, rim variation, sediment, smell and flavor, I think this wine has significant age; 30+ years. However, this is still very alive and showing more than enough markers to give an indication of place. Subsequently, this could be a Cabernet-based blend or a Tempranillo-based blend from the United States, France, or Spain. For me, I’m getting new French oak vibes instead of American so I’m eliminating Spain. I also think this leans more towards its fruit than its structure and since this comes across a little on the thin side, I’m going to say this comes from a tougher vintage. My final conclusion is this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from the USA, Napa, 1981. Wow! This showed really well.

It never ceases to amaze me how analogous the 1981 vintage was in both Napa and Bordeaux. I find it equally amazing how well that vintage has held up; particularly when considering its poor reputation, mostly based on the prevailing thought at the time. From my perspective, well stored examples are not going to fall off of a cliff but I would drink now through 2031.
— 2 months ago

Lyle, Pooneet and 17 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Premium Badge

Frankly find Latour more "interesting" in lesser vintages with subtleties/nuances often lost in the bigger vintages. The big vintages amply feature the power and the lesser vintages feature the glory. Probably in the minority here tho.
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego personally, I don’t have enough experience with Chateau Latour to have a feeling, one way or another. That being said, I’ve had enough experience with 1st growths in general (including Latour) to more or less understand your take. And logically, I have no reason to doubt your position

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1990

1990 vintage. Previously tasted 3x in the last 4+ years 01.20.23 (9.6), 05.16.21 (9.4) and 09.21.23 (9.5) Top shoulder fill. Excellent cork. Decanted and tasted immediately. Oodles of sediment as expected. Beguiling St. Estèphe nose. This. Was. Phenomenal. Best of the four horsemen/tastings. Enough structure to build the infrastructure for a new city along with a surprising amount of dark fruit. A well-stored, large format bottle of this might just show you the best time you’ve ever had. WoW. 08.14.25. — 7 months ago

Daniel, Ted and 23 others liked this
Jan A

Jan A

Nice!
Alexandre Pagliano

Alexandre Pagliano Premium Badge

Its indeed wow. Have you tried the 1989 ? Slightly less dramatic and more classical in style but can be as big an epiphany…

Château Léoville-Las Cases

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

Wow. Wow and wow. This was amazing! It’s definitely still early on. I let this decant for 2.5 hours before the first sip. It was revved and ready by then and was stellar by hour 4+. Rich and deep but silky smooth. Currants and an earthy/smokey quality. Loved this! — 2 months ago

Tom, Jeroen and 18 others liked this

Tenuta San Guido

Bolgheri Sassicaia Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2021

Got this bottle on my last Virgin Voyage and I had extra $ on my bar tab - a fantastic opportunity to purchase a couple exclusive (expensive) bottles like this. Sassicaia is a known leader in Super Tuscans. My first time trying Sassicaia… opened the bottle only for a couple of hours but a big beautiful bouquet of big jammy goodness that definitely isn’t shy. Wow 🤩 a delicious wine that doesn’t disappoint! — 3 months ago

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Wow. A stunner. Well balanced and not sweet. Still grippy tannins - and a super long finish. really nice. Ready to drink - but worthy of further cellaring of you can wait!! — 5 months ago

David Stein
with David
Rob and Jan liked this

Louis Roederer

Cristal Brut Champagne 2013

Wow. Just wow. — 6 months ago

Jan, Shay and 16 others liked this