A timeless gem that escapes boundaries. Poised, elegant, unconventional.
The nose is somewhere between a fino sherry, a v. light Vernatsch and southern Rhône white. Nutty, salty with dried strawberries, hibiscus, but also some sharp lemon freshness. A meditation wine - changing, evolving, enticing.
Silky & a bit creamy on the palate, with a touch of tannins, sharp, salty acidity, almost fruitless - and yet with such depth, precision & presence. This is as far from the avg. rosé as it gets. A mind boggling, delicious, slightly funky, grand wine. Amazing.
And at 13y - a baby. — 3 years ago
This is a solid Merlot. It’s smooth but rather one note to me. I don’t get the level of flavors in this one. It is beautiful in the glass and over all a decent Merlot. I would buy again — 5 years ago
Not so fruity, light, on the drier side. Very drinkable. Would buy again to drink while cooking. Drank while making Pati Jinich’s chicken tinga with Sami in a severe heat wave/drought and record dangerous levels of AQI due to Canadian wild fires. — 5 years ago
2011 Vintage - (out of 375ml) first time for this producer young color red rim - beautiful varietal character Cabernet Sauvignon dominate - currants, berries, distilled Napa Valley Character at its best - nice balance with fruit and tannins -and unlike some of the wines out of Napa not over extracted or exaggerated alcohols - beautiful balance — 5 years ago
Wow! Great balance with a bit of dry taste at the end. Excellent Pinot! $19.99 in PA state stores. — 7 years ago
Pretty light but quite round. Got a feeling of black currant. — 8 months ago
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Nice nose of cedar, licorice, cola, Indian spices, chocolates and tobacco.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, spices, light vanilla, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, eucalyptus, light vegetables and herbs.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 4 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Yountville is already delicious. Fruit forward and elegant. Soft and smooth.
Showing nice complexity. Still young but already enjoyable even by itself.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour in the decanter. A good quality wine.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. This Single Vineyard has good potential to become a 94 +point wine.
A good sipping wine that will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged for 19 months in (55% new) French Oak barrels. Only 7,200 bottles made.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$90. — 3 years ago
Color of bubbly purple, nice legs. Nose is fruity of dark berries, like blackberry and grapes, some ripe pineapple too, spice, a bit fermented cabbage, a bit peppery, and a bit coke cola. Taste is mellow tannins and a bit sweet, with bittersweet zest plus the notes from the nose. Aftertaste is a bit overpowered by bitterness. Average. — 5 years ago
This is a delicious red blend from Washington State. Showing blackberries, coffee, chocolates, vanilla, cedar, earth, light vegetables, licorice, spices and tobacco leaf.
Full bodied with medium acidity. Dry on the palate and very fruity.
Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel and nice complexity.
Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime. After 90 minutes of airtime, tannins comes out.
Tangy and rich. Spicy and interesting.
Feels like a mix of Bordeaux and a Napa blend. Very interesting and tasty.
Would age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.
A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and 12% Petit Verdot.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$60. — 5 years ago
The estate once belonged to the famous Lynch family, of Irish origin, acquired by Jean-Charles Cazes in 1934. His grandson, Jean-Michel Cazes restructured the estate in 1974, with state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. Primarily Cab Sauv, with Merlot, Cab Franc & Petit Verdot in the blend. Deep Ruby, complex nose, aged well, round berry fruit flavors, blackberry and plum with an oak character, elegant with soft tannins, a delicious wine ending with delicate fruit, oak and mineral notes. Great! — 5 years ago
Great mouthfeel. Lots of fruit — 7 years ago
Est. in 1987, belongs to Champagne Taittinger (personal favorite) considered the concept in 1947 in the mind of Claude Taittinger. 138 acre estate is situated in the Carneros appellation of CA. A blend (changes ea year) of 35% Chard, 62% Pinot Noir & 3% Pinot Gris, aged 3 1/2 years in the bottle. Aromas of stone fruit and toasty spice. Raspberry and peach flavors, complex, with citrus notes in a fine mousse with good bubble flow. Well structured, vibrant lingering finish ending with mineral tones. Will benefit from some aging. — 7 years ago
Poured into a decanter directly before service and enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2012 Estate Cuvée pours a deep garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of mostly ripe, and some desiccated, red and black fruit: blackberry, black plum, crème de cassis, dried red and purple flowers, pipe tobacco, leather, varnish, a mix of organic and inorganic earth and some soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Drink now through 2032. — 10 months ago
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Strong spicy nose of raspberries, sweet cherries, light oak, spices, licorice, earth, eucalyptus, herbs and peppercorn.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, raspberries, spices, light oak, herbs, licorice, dark chocolates, peppercorn and earth.
Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.
This is a very tasty Merlot based Bordeaux blend from Washington State. An Interesting wine that feels more like a Right Bank Bordeaux. Tangy and spicy.
Right out of the bottle it definitely feels like a new world wine, but once it opens up it changes.
This 3 year old is so very young, and would be better in 3 to 5 years. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
I really enjoyed the nose, once it opened up. The palate needs some more bottle time, but it has good potential.
Needs time to open up properly, so be patient. I used the Zencore to expedite the process. Took about 8 minutes.
I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
A blend of 60% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (55% new).
14.3% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$50. — 4 years ago
My last bottle of 1980 Yquem. Don’t mind the label (I broke another bottle in the case a few years back). Showing beautifully. Lovely golden color. Aromatically explosive. Typically Yquem. Buzzing with sweetness and minerality. Excellent bottle of wine!!! — 5 years ago

Thanks Goaley, great as always... Washington Merlots are very good — 5 years ago

Sourced from the Walla Walla Rocks District, this opens with Umami and nori tones that mingle with Mandarin orange rind, and guava puree tones that all dance in the glass. The palate is plush, showing off its silky texture. Layers of bright red fruits collide with minerals, charcuterie, citrus rind accents and stony undertones on the palate. Sinfully good in its youth, this beautiful wine will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030- 94 — 6 years ago
Translucent red. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes red fruit preserves, incense and potpourri, with smoky mineral and Asian spice accents building as the wine opens up. Juicy, appealingly sweet and concentrated yet lithe on the palate, offering intense raspberry, cherry liqueur, spicecake flavors and a hint of candied rose on the back half. Delivers solid punch but comes off graceful, showing absolutely no rough edges on its extremely long, vibrant, red fruit-driven finish. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2019) — 7 years ago
Mary Perrotta
Light sweet and crisp more of a spring time wine than a fall but would definitely get again! — 8 months ago