Jen-a-palooza with Paul, Mark and Carol

Too many wines to open and not enough time. A mix of older and younger, really no themes here but many wonderful wines.

a late dinner after Mark and Carol arrived and many bottles in not very much time!

• 2004 Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (10/23/2021)

  This showed much better than my previous bottle. Again drinkable but thin on opening. Lovely confectionary nose. Evolved over time and at 2 hours showing dark fruits, some green and stems, mushrooms and mild leather. Glad to share this with someone else who could appreciate!

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• 2002 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  (10/23/2021)

  Drinking beautifully right now, a perfect aged napa cab. This is 1.5 better than the Venge today but also has a lot more life ahead. Expressive nose of cassis, darker fruits, some vanilla and oak, sous bois, graphite mineral ling finish. A bit of an acid zing which mellows out after a few hours. Dark and youthful in color. Thank you for sharing this one Mark! Can’t wait until our 97’s arrive

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• 2018 Alpha Omega Proprietary Red 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (10/22/2021)

  Opened this a few hours in advance of Mark and Carol’s visit and was drinking quite nicely by the time they arrived. Still some big structure and ‘drinking like a 2018’ but you can tell that this is going to be a nice wine for the long haul. Hold 3 years.

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• 2016 Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (10/22/2021)

  Arkenstone never fails to amaze me. I have enjoyed early vintages but this ‘16 was singing. A perfect Napa cab full fruit with plenty of layers and lots going on. Thank you for this one Mark!!

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• 2015 Addax Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (10/22/2021)

  I can’t believe I am scoring everything the same as Mark, but this was indeed the WOTN (the first night!!). Opened 4ish hours before drinking and really was he perfect Bevan wine. Big full glycerin mouthfeel, silky tannins, juicy acid and ripe ripe fruit. One of the better ‘15’s I have had.

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• 2018 Broken Earth Winery Cabernet Sauvignon CV 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  (10/22/2021)

  This wine was recommended to me as a good QPR and a Paso wine that Bordeaux lovers would like. I am not so sure about the latter but it was pretty tasty and approachable. Dark fruits and prominent licorice on the nose, not loads of structure--some tannin, some acid but all pretty mellow. This wine definitely improved over a few hours with air as we were drinking it.
  Not in the league of the others we were drinking but was forced to open it because the base cracked and started leaking while I was prepping the other wines.

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Afternoon apertif before we went our separate ways for dinner plans

• 2018 Gavalas Winery Assyrtiko Enalia 94 Points

  Greece, Aegean, Cyclades, Santorini

  (10/23/2021)

  Thank you Mark for sharing this bottle, carried home from a trip to Santorini.
  Fantastic wine, nutty and oxidative on the nose at first opening, lemon and grapefruit on the palate, nicely acidic. Overtime develops more of a flinty mineral nose, long lemony finish. Would be great with fish.

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I thought we drank more than just these? Maybe also some leftovers from the previous evening

• 2013 B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Ehrlich Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (10/23/2021)

  I was really excited to drink this one as I have had younger Ehrlich wines which have been fantastic. And with B Cellars how can you go wrong? I guess my expectations were too high because this one never got there for me. Alcohol was very noticeable, tannins were astringent on the finish and overshadow the fruit, and not much other complexity. Perhaps will develop with time but I am wondering if (like Mike Smith wines) these B Cellars are not meant to age.

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• 2010 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  (10/23/2021)

  Such a polarizing wine but I still love it. Fantastic fruity nose that does not betray the surprise on the palate of dark fruit, stemmy and herbal greens, bacon fat, game, Worcester sauce, sweet tobacco and some funk. I love how this wine evokes (meant to say evolves but evokes is a good word too) it really is an intellectual experience. Was not a big hit with the rest out our crowd, they would have preferred it with food. Also probably not the best comparison with B Cellars and the older Napa’s on the table.

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Champagne and the Vilafonte in the afternoon at home, some more champagne at the restaurant (no note) and then the two Bordeaux with dinner.

• 2003 Vilafonté Series C 94 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl

  (10/24/2021)

  Wow this is a great wine brought by Mark and opened in the middle of the afternoon when the last thing we needed was more wine! But this was so damn good I just had to keep drinking it. Had about 3 hours decant and so smooth, plenty of fruit but intense tobacco and tertiary notes. Drinking the last glass now and if I had been told it was a rt bank Bordeaux I would have believed it.

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• NV Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  (10/24/2021)

  We have been drinking all weekend so why not some champagne with breakfast? This is our house champagne and never fails to deliver with precision and grapefruit. Last bottle in my cellar. For now.

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• 1996 Château Mouton Rothschild 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (10/24/2021)

  Not surprisingly the wine of the weekend. Drank to celebrate Mark’s recent retirement (almost) and it did not disappoint. This is why we drink wine. Double decanted 2 hours before recording and bringing to dinner where we drank over another two. Still so young and fresh, lively tobacco and mineral together with dark cherry fruit and a long ling finish. Perfectly in its window and couldn’t have paired better with the lamb course. Thank you Mark, such a treat.

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• 2003 Château Lascombes 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (10/24/2021)

  This wine had some steep competition with the Mouton on the table but surprisingly held its own. Surprised by all the previous notes saying that you should drink up or this is going down hill..not our experience at all. Our bottle was right in the window and plenty of room to further evolve. Intense nose of crash dark fruit, florals, pencil lead and tobacco. Elegant but intense on the palate, fruit very present but not over ripe and plenty of trusted complexity and perfectly balanced smooth tannins.

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Wine of the weekend Mouton '96
Runner Up Lascombes '03

Best new world Addax Tench '15