USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Cloudy dull purple grape juice color. Lively pruney nose. Not bad palate. Still showing some serious heat and massive ripeness. Showing well now. Remarkable concentration and black currant, pepper flavors. Still a baby - many years left before this shows any hints of age.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Nice lively ruby color. A little funk with vanilla spice and some light oak. Nice streamline acidity showcasing creamy light berries. Excellent mid-palate. Balanced and elegant - feminine.
Medium light brick red color. Nice leather saddle, pencil shavings, dark rustic raspberry flavors. Elegant, supple berries showing very nice youth in fact. Light tobacco and dried herbs - specifically rosemary and dark red flower petals. Textured and yes, fairly grainy tannin structure - unique and Old World in style. Drink now or cellar for another 5-7 years.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Nose comes across with lemon, tart pineapple, white flowers and nutmeg. Nice round buttery character. Medium full bodied with more tropical but tart yellow fruit, light roasted grain, fresh herbs and toffee flavors. Round balanced juice with a long smooth finish. Very nice. Showing no sign of age.
Phil popped and poured after purchasing from Knightsbridge. Consistent score from last year. Glass staining deep rich purple color - jammy viscocity. Super lush and abundant amounts of obnoxiously ripe berries, black pepper, soy sauce, balsamic glaze, creme de cassis and dark heady purple flowers. Tremendous effort of a fruit bomb that illustrates the power of Merus Cab. Palate continues the dark berry theme along with more dark flowers, mocha, and slightly liquered cherry cola. Rustic leather with a masculine style. Great weight on the mouth. An expressive and highly extracted effort sporting a 60+ second finish. Consistently one of my favorite Napa Cult Cabs.
Popped and poured at the shop. Dark ruby red - opaque at the center. Nose of balsamic, licorice, dark cherry. Barnyardy style. Old World color and overall character. Palate is smooth and well balanced. Showing nice age. Others thought it to be '97 Napa Cab. Nice structure sporting medium body. On the very back of the palate some rusty nail and light tar make an appearance. Very nice.
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
My Wine of the Day. Super funk driven Grenache from a top notch producer in Walla Walla. Bright richly viscous bright ruby red. Extremely flamboyant and perfumed nose of bright red flowers, white pepper and extreme peat mossy and damp forest floor. In some ways it shows characteristics of a rich high end Pinot Noir believe it or not - was the funk. Gobs of bright red fruit, blood orange, light tea, baking spice and layers upon layers of complex terroir. The finish goes on and on and doesn't let up for over 90 seconds. Completely balanced not showing any heat. Feminine with striking finesse. Fantastic acidity that makes you want to come back for more before the finish even ends. Awesome potential ahead in this bottling. An extraordinary wine. Truly profound. This is a bottling to seek out at all costs.
Dan's contribution. Licorice straight up front. Very rustic in style. Old victorian house that's been vacant for ten years kind of smell. Leather, dark cherry, dried poppourri, rosemary, habiscus flower, black tea and lots of black bark. Really nice midpalate with some grip and enticing acidity. Blood orange, cinnamon and extreme amounts of nutmeg lead to an excellent finish. Well done. Very nice.
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Dark hot blackberries. Massive fruity jammy and uber rich wine. Volcanic rock, roasted poblano pepper. Lots of heat on the nose. Huge weighty palate with more lip staining graphite driven black stewed fruit. Plummy, almost raisinated style. Very enjoyable despite the heat from the high alcohol level.
Funky wet swampy nose also showing reductive notes of molasses and raspberry pancake syrup. Dark tangerines, cranberry spice and nutmeg also on the back end of the nose. Dried potpourri with more jammy raspberries on the nose. An enjoyable palate. Had been opened for several hours - maybe overnight. Not quite sure as it had been opened by someone else. Not an ideal bottle, but clearly some great potential from this world class producer of Rhone varietals.
Massive perfume of fruit forward New World styled Cabernet from a fantastic cult producer in Jumilla. Heavy black truffle and pepper aromas and flavors as well as a large dose of baking spice, vanilla and oak. Lovely long finish. Quite feminine and flamboyant in nature. Awesome.
Nicely aged bottling from this classic producer in a legendary vintage. Cloudy ruby color. Minty menthol a little piney play on the nose accompanied by soft purple flowers. Some age on the palate. Light reductive notes showing nice acidt and a well structured mid palate. A little bit faded in terms of fruit, but some nice grip and tannin still coming through. Nicely aged juice.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
May be a bit off. Spicy cola on the nose. Cloudy light cranberry red color with slight hints of orange at the rim. Spice and earth with some mushroom. Not bad at all though it didn't show as well as it could have.
1999 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Cloudy dull purple grape juice color.
Lively pruney nose. Not bad palate. Still showing some serious heat and massive ripeness.
Showing well now. Remarkable concentration and black currant, pepper flavors. Still a baby - many years left before this shows any hints of age.
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2007 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Nice lively ruby color.
A little funk with vanilla spice and some light oak.
Nice streamline acidity showcasing creamy light berries.
Excellent mid-palate. Balanced and elegant - feminine.
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1996 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Medium light brick red color.
Nice leather saddle, pencil shavings, dark rustic raspberry flavors.
Elegant, supple berries showing very nice youth in fact.
Light tobacco and dried herbs - specifically rosemary and dark red flower petals.
Textured and yes, fairly grainy tannin structure - unique and Old World in style.
Drink now or cellar for another 5-7 years.
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2004 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Nose comes across with lemon, tart pineapple, white flowers and nutmeg.
Nice round buttery character. Medium full bodied with more tropical but tart yellow fruit, light roasted grain, fresh herbs and toffee flavors.
Round balanced juice with a long smooth finish. Very nice. Showing no sign of age.
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2005 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Phil popped and poured after purchasing from Knightsbridge.
Consistent score from last year.
Glass staining deep rich purple color - jammy viscocity.
Super lush and abundant amounts of obnoxiously ripe berries, black pepper, soy sauce, balsamic glaze, creme de cassis and dark heady purple flowers.
Tremendous effort of a fruit bomb that illustrates the power of Merus Cab.
Palate continues the dark berry theme along with more dark flowers, mocha, and slightly liquered cherry cola.
Rustic leather with a masculine style. Great weight on the mouth. An expressive and highly extracted effort sporting a 60+ second finish.
Consistently one of my favorite Napa Cult Cabs.
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2001 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
Popped and poured at the shop.
Dark ruby red - opaque at the center.
Nose of balsamic, licorice, dark cherry. Barnyardy style.
Old World color and overall character.
Palate is smooth and well balanced. Showing nice age. Others thought it to be '97 Napa Cab.
Nice structure sporting medium body.
On the very back of the palate some rusty nail and light tar make an appearance.
Very nice.
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2006 Cayuse God Only Knows 95 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
My Wine of the Day. Super funk driven Grenache from a top notch producer in Walla Walla.
Bright richly viscous bright ruby red.
Extremely flamboyant and perfumed nose of bright red flowers, white pepper and extreme peat mossy and damp forest floor.
In some ways it shows characteristics of a rich high end Pinot Noir believe it or not - was the funk.
Gobs of bright red fruit, blood orange, light tea, baking spice and layers upon layers of complex terroir.
The finish goes on and on and doesn't let up for over 90 seconds. Completely balanced not showing any heat.
Feminine with striking finesse. Fantastic acidity that makes you want to come back for more before the finish even ends. Awesome potential ahead in this bottling.
An extraordinary wine. Truly profound. This is a bottling to seek out at all costs.
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1997 Antinori Tignanello 93 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Dan's contribution. Licorice straight up front. Very rustic in style.
Old victorian house that's been vacant for ten years kind of smell.
Leather, dark cherry, dried poppourri, rosemary, habiscus flower, black tea and lots of black bark.
Really nice midpalate with some grip and enticing acidity.
Blood orange, cinnamon and extreme amounts of nutmeg lead to an excellent finish.
Well done. Very nice.
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2002 Torbreck The Factor 92 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Dark hot blackberries. Massive fruity jammy and uber rich wine.
Volcanic rock, roasted poblano pepper. Lots of heat on the nose.
Huge weighty palate with more lip staining graphite driven black stewed fruit.
Plummy, almost raisinated style.
Very enjoyable despite the heat from the high alcohol level.
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2004 Betts & Scholl Hermitage 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Funky wet swampy nose also showing reductive notes of molasses and raspberry pancake syrup.
Dark tangerines, cranberry spice and nutmeg also on the back end of the nose.
Dried potpourri with more jammy raspberries on the nose. An enjoyable palate.
Had been opened for several hours - maybe overnight. Not quite sure as it had been opened by someone else.
Not an ideal bottle, but clearly some great potential from this world class producer of Rhone varietals.
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2005 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla El Nido 94 Points
Spain, Murcia, Jumilla
Massive perfume of fruit forward New World styled Cabernet from a fantastic cult producer in Jumilla.
Heavy black truffle and pepper aromas and flavors as well as a large dose of baking spice, vanilla and oak.
Lovely long finish. Quite feminine and flamboyant in nature.
Awesome.
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1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Nicely aged bottling from this classic producer in a legendary vintage.
Cloudy ruby color. Minty menthol a little piney play on the nose accompanied by soft purple flowers.
Some age on the palate. Light reductive notes showing nice acidt and a well structured mid palate.
A little bit faded in terms of fruit, but some nice grip and tannin still coming through.
Nicely aged juice.
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2002 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard 88 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
May be a bit off.
Spicy cola on the nose.
Cloudy light cranberry red color with slight hints of orange at the rim.
Spice and earth with some mushroom.
Not bad at all though it didn't show as well as it could have.
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2005 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Lemon and lime zest on the nose - quite Sprite-like.
Light dusty tropical play as well.
Nice medium light body. Great acidy. Overall tasty.
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