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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2016 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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9/20/2019 - mclanew Does not like this wine: 85 points

One of the worst wines i have had recently. There is so much oak and heat here it’s overwhelming all of what appears to be some good stuff underneath. Granted this wine is very young and so with some time it may integrate better but today it’s virtually undrinkable in my opinion.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    6/6/2020 12:08:00 PM - Totally agree. Saved half a bottle for Day 2. See if the oak fades a bit.
Red

2002 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

 Stags Leap District more
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6/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 96 points

Small vertical of Hillside Select 1994/2002/2016. All wines showed great with unbelievably complex aroma profiles, laser-sharp precision, and an impeccable structure. They have the Napa fruit and ripeness but all is well dosed and with so much hillside minerality to balance it. The 1994 (97pts) was almost Bordeaux-esque and almost fully mature (the opposite of a very young bottle 2 years ago). The 2002 (96pts) is slowly getting there, shows incredibly complex but still has to lose some baby fat. The 2016 (97+pts) is of course very young but the most singular 2016 Napa I‘ve had to date (out of probably 30) and is a great promise for the future.

TN: Very expressive nose with lots of cassis and blackberries, strong minty notes, some baby fat, baking spices and a touch minerality. The palate shows much more layered and ever changing with lots of ripe but not too ripe dark fruit and blue fruit, graphite and some ashy minerality and smoke, herbs, with time red fruit, violets, hints of chocolate and baking spices as well as some first shy tertiary aromas with fresh tobacco. The wine has a massive but fine tannin structure which is in need of further ageing and a good freshness but not with the same tension great Bordeauxs have (and I guess the 2016 will have at the same point in its life). Easily 96+ points.

Decanting: Quickly double-decanted 7 hours before consumption, good from the go.

Glass: Conterno Sensory

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    9/24/2022 7:11:00 AM - Agree with this note (wish I would have read before pulling). Still even a bit of oak yet to integrate to my surprise. Would have guessed a much younger wine if blinded. Think my last bottle should rest for another 20 before retrying.
Red

2012 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five

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9/25/2022 - Davimorrmd Likes this wine: 93 points

Black fruits. Good acid balance.
2h decant

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    4/6/2023 1:03:00 PM - Drink now or hold my man?
Red

2016 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

 Santa Cruz Mountains more
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12/9/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 94 points

Really in a good spot after 24 hours of air. Dark fruit, coffee on the nose and palate. Silky tannins. Early maturity. Persistent, well defined and balanced.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    1/17/2024 11:09:00 AM - Slow ox in the bottle.
Red

2019 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

 St. Helena more
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6/18/2022 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: NR

Quick notes drinking at the Spottswoode garden party. Medium ruby, star bright.

On the nose bright cassis, cedar, Napa dust, fresh tobacco. Cherry flavored tobacco.

There’s beautiful minerality on the palate, which can be challenging to find in Napa Valley. Has restraint.

Medium alcohol, full body, medium acidity. Fine grained but firm tannins lends good structure.

This drinks beautifully now but will be fantastic with age. Better than 2018?

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    9/16/2022 5:23:00 PM - Interesting…not sure about 18v.19. Time will tell but get the sense that 18 will take longer to fully unfold. Both really nice, elegant expressions of the valley
Red

2019 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five

 Stags Leap District more
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2/24/2022 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 95 points

Deep purple color. Gorgeous aromas of tart blackberries and deep red and black currants, along with violets, pencil shavings, charcoal, anise, smoky earth – all sorts of stuff comes out with time. The palate has a bold presence but a pretty, refined feel with structured but smooth tannins, vibrant acidity, and lovely balance. Tart currants and blackberry fruit is beautiful, and mixed with complexities of graphite, black tea, iron, cedar and mint. Long-lived for sure, but this is elegant already. Give it five to ten for the underlying savory elements to come out, as this has much more to show. Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 100% new French oak barrels.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    2/24/2022 3:26:00 PM - I guess we had the same thought. Agree with your comments
Red

2014 Clos Fourtet

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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1/19/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 90 points

Right out of the bottle this shows a blackberry, lavishly new-oaked profile with at least medium toast. It needs about an hour to really get going and to start showing more of the blackberry/blueberry, mineral, thyme, white flower profile that grows to define it fully by hour 3-4. But fundamentally, the wine comes across as a bit hot (labeled at 13.5%) and the balance between oak and substance/energy isn't quite right. Not one for my cellar, I'm afraid.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    4/23/2020 11:28:00 AM - definitely agree with the "hot" comment, opened a bottle in December; hopefully (for me) it abates with time.
Red

2005 Château Monbousquet

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/29/2020 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 89 points

Muted nose. Fairly robust cherry palate with pepper. Again there is a bit of heat at the end. It's ok but at this point I'm looking for a miracle with the next few bottles.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    5/30/2020 12:01:00 PM - Yes. 2 hours. Save a bit to try today. Just thinking this is not my style of Saint Emilion. The Cab Franc really shines here and perhaps amplifies the heat a bit.
Red

2019 Château Lagrange (St. Julien)

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/23/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 points

The 80% Cabernet Sauvignon really comes through on the nose of the 2019, which is brimming with boysenberry, mineral, and pencil notes. True to Lagrange style in the Bordes era, the palate is wonderfully balanced, at the same time generously fruity and beautifully elegant. The tannins are remarkably supple for an en primeur sample; this is ravishingly sumptuous and creamy. The mixed berry, pencil, inky, floral finish bodes well for the future. This should develop into quite a charmer. Clocking in at 13.7% alcohol, this feels very well balanced with refreshing acidity. Lagrange is doing wonderful things nowadays. 94+

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    6/6/2020 2:46:00 PM - Really love Mattieu's style. The 2016 was quite enjoyable with decanting. Expecting this (finger's crossed) to be under 40.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    6/6/2020 2:46:00 PM - Really love Mattieu's style. The 2016 was quite enjoyable with decanting. Expecting this (finger's crossed) to be under 40.
Red

2019 Château Mouton Rothschild

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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6/8/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 points

Deeply colored, the intoxicating, aromatic profile provides essences of mint, Asian spice, blackberry, cassis, cigar box, smoke and lead pencil. On the palate, the wine is rich, lush, round, full-bodied and concentrated, with layers of lusciously textured, ripe, sweet, fresh, pure dark red pit fruits and blackberries. Classically styled, but classic in a good way, the wine is showy, but not flamboyant. The finish here just keeps on going. With a high proportion of Cabernet in the blend, the wine is produced from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5 alcohol. The harvest took place September 18-October 5. The Grand Vin was produced from 51% of the crop with yields of only 40 hectoliters per hectare. 98-100 Pts

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    6/9/2020 8:18:00 AM - Hope that the tariffs go away before it arrives. Ouch.
Red

2009 Château Gazin Pomerol

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/26/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 points

Still young, but clearly on the path. With some effort, this concentrated, full-bodied wine offers up its truffle, plum, thyme, floral and wet earth essence. Concentrated, rich, lush and loaded with all the right stuff, another 5 years or so should add more softness and nuance.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    7/30/2020 3:56:00 PM - This is spot on with my take as well. Truffle and thyme are right, though I did not recognize them blinded. It really seems built to last.
Red

2008 Château Pontet-Canet

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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7/11/2020 - Shugs_Claret Likes this wine: 96 points

A little less far a long compared to other 2008s; huge upside here in 5 years or so but delicious now.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    9/11/2020 5:38:00 PM - A couple of hours I would say. Many of the 08s have been very approachable but the PC less so. Let me know your thoughts on it. One of my favorite Chateaux.
Red

2015 Château Fleur Cardinale

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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1/9/2021 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 94 points

Second time trying within a couple of weeks; both consistent. Dark stewed cherries on the nose and palate. Hints of vanilla and mint complement the fruit. Silky tannins befitting of the right bank. Really attractive offering with a good QPR.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    1/10/2021 8:34:00 AM - The first time I tried this wine 2 weeks ago, I decanted it for 2 hours. This time, pnp’d and let it evolve in the glass. Very similar both times. Many of the Right bank wines from 2015 that I have tried seem to be open for business. Not saying that they won’t evolve a bit but are much more approachable at this point than wines from last decade at the same point in their evolution.
Red

2016 Château Lynch-Moussas

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/8/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 91 points

Beautifully light touch while retaining Pauillac character; currant and lots of herbal, cedary, charcoal notes. Missing the focus and depth to mark it out as being in the top tier, but the aromatic profile is really pleasing. 60% CS, 40%M.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    1/30/2021 3:17:00 PM - Agree. Just tried this for the first time. The aromatic profile is top notch and emblematic of Pauillac. Not bad for the price.
Red

2015 Château Haut-Bages Libéral

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/12/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 87 points

Medium/full-bodied with a crisp, overly bright, red berry character, the wine mixes, cranberry and cassis, with leaf, olive, herbs, earth and tobacco. This is on the crisp and crunchy side of the red fruit range.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    2/24/2021 2:34:00 PM - I was trying to place what I was tasting but you nailed it...
    Cranberry and cassis. Such an odd pairing.
Red

2016 Château Picque Caillou

 Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/1/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 85 points

Odd showing for a 2016 in that there's a bit of brett and most people have worked out those kinks nowadays... at any rate, beyond that this comes off as hot and aggressive.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    6/24/2021 3:11:00 PM - Maybe a touch of heat, indeed

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    6/24/2021 5:28:00 PM - Bad vodka and red pepper blend. Was off putting but some still enjoyed.
Red

1999 Harlan Estate

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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11/13/2021 - Shugs_Claret Likes this wine: 100 points

Tasted at the winery along side the 2005 and 2016. Dark fruits, smoke and tobacco on the nose. Perfectly precise palate with just a bit of tannins and generous acidity. Finish lingers and lingers. Simply put, one of the best wines I have tasted.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    11/17/2021 2:14:00 AM - You are welcome! At the winery, the bottle had been open for 2 hours before we tasted.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    11/17/2021 5:46:00 AM - Nothing available to but while there but I get their wines annually.
Red

2018 Château Phélan Ségur

 St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more
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10/29/2021 - Motz wrote: 87 points

Drank over three days.

Well...this is just awful!!! Quality fruit, entirely wasted. This features two revolting hallmarks of the international (abominable) wine-making style, which, when they appear in Left Bank Bordeaux, really tweak my melon: offensive oak treatment and blood-out-of-a-turnip extraction.

The oak flaw (yes, I called it a flaw) is easy to address: Its sweet, sappy, charredness (is that a word?) sits above the liquid, flipping the figurative bird at any aficionado who might have expected even the slightest suggestion of St. Estèphe terroir.

The extraction here is on another level! What is the purpose of in-your-face extraction in terms of consumer appeal? Well, it creates an elevated bouquet. What is the most misleading element of F-U! extraction (for those who do not understand what Left Bank Bordeaux is, thus, do not know how to recognize its insidious destruction of quality fruit, such as the many professionals who scored this in the 90s)? The green-like, high-noted, chalky, puckering, bitterness that masquerades as tannic structure.

Other than over-the-top timber and inconceivable extraction, which respectively, mask and destroy the quality fruit, what does this offer?

Jack squat!!!

Do not be deceived, including by the professional wine...marketers...oops...I meant reviewers who lauded this swill. Heavily sauced BBQ beef or pork might increase the wine's drinkability.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    11/26/2021 4:25:00 PM - Agree with the extraction and oak. Only a touch of bitterness for me though. Perhaps they included some press wine?
Red

2001 Château Léoville Las Cases

 St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more
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2/20/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 91 points

For the first hour or so, this is simply dominated by its new oak. After that, the fruit character does emerge with appraling raspberry, cedar, and nutmeg, and saddle leather. Medium bodied, perhaps with a slight dearth of acidity to match its body and tannin. Though reasonably good, but I can’t help but wonder whether this will still be vital when the oak has finally integrated.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    5/5/2023 2:52:00 PM - Trying it right now (ex Chateau acquired from Zachys). No oak but completely closed nose. Palate is a bit austere. Will follow and see.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    5/7/2023 1:58:00 PM - Followed for 48 hours. Fruit aromatics notable at 30 minutes but finish was dominated by very chewy (almost astringent) tannin. Things softened a bit by 24 hours but oak was apparent on the nose and palate. A little less oak at 48 hours but it still dominated the fruit. Love LLC and the vintage but not sure if the fruit will outlast the oak here. First bottle of this wine. Much prefer the 01 Lafite.
Red

1994 Château Pavie Macquin

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/26/2022 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 85 points

Muted nose. Palate a tad backwards with coarse tannins. Still some fruit but very austere.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    3/30/2022 4:11:00 PM - That is a good question. With old wine, you can never be sure. This was the first of an OWC with good storage. Other tasters enjoyed the wine, which was drank at the same time as a 97 Mondavi Private Reserve. I thought the fruit had faded and coarse tannins persisted…not surprising given the vintage. Hopefully just bottle variation. Interested in your thoughts after you try yours…I have another 11 to get through.
Red

2003 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/6/2022 - DesMarteau wrote: NR

Drank from a 3L...was way way too young and never really had a chance to open with over an hour in the decanter. Needs 10 year or more...will be a 95 point wine eventually. deep purple, grippy tannins and lots of back end undeveloped fruit.

  • Comment posted by Shugs_Claret:

    4/12/2022 7:49:00 PM - Hmm. I had from a 3L as well last summer…didn’t sense much acidity at all. Thought it was a bit flabby. Will wait on opening the 6L for a decade or so.

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