| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena EstateCalistoga more |
8/15/2018 - JimN Likes this wine: 94 pointsGorgeous wine with a long life ahead. A few hours decant is needed. Tannins are now well integrated, but the wine remains dusty and a bit one dimensional. Enjoyable now but sure to show much more in the decade ahead. |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
NV Alvear Pedro Ximénez Montilla-Moriles Solera 1927more |
8/6/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 92 pointsCould there possibly be a better bottle of wine at $18 for a split? Dark brown,extremely viscous, clinging to the glass with each swirl. Burnt caramel, hint of chocolate, almost like maple syrup. Poured it over vanilla ice cream--wow! |
| Red |
1989 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountainmore |
12/21/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 92 pointsEight hour decant, and it needed every minute! True to Dunn form, this has the structure of a much younger wine. 10 hours in it was really showing its stuff. Very dark, brooding flavor profile. I always feel like these wines fall exactly halfway between a Bordeaux and a CA Cab. Best of both worlds. Ready to drink now with a very long decant, but probably has decades ahead of it if the fruit can hold on. |
| Red |
2000 Château Bellevue St. Émilion Grand CruRed Bordeaux Blend more |
12/27/2014 - JimN wrote: 92 pointsReady for prime time, but still has a decade or more ahead. Tannins starting to settle down and integrate. Great brooding fruit with tobacco and leather as well. 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2010 Two Hands Shiraz Bella's GardenBarossa Valley more |
5/11/2014 - JimN wrote: 91 pointsBrief decant, but needed much longer. The color of ink, intense nose and palate, brooding, not jammy, gritty tannins on the finish. Good with a bite of chocolate. I didn't experience what the professional tasters obviously did. Good wine at a good price, but I don't think it is upper echelon. Drink (with a long decant) or hold for up to a decade. |
| Red |
1995 Behrens & Hitchcock Cabernet Sauvignon "Ink Grade"Napa Valley more |
5/19/2017 - JimN wrote: 90 pointsSimilar to my note from a few years ago. I always worry about these older bottles with synthetic corks, but this wine is in perfect condition with no signs of decline. The lower alcohol (13%) is nice as well. Can't say I noticed the "leesy mercapatan" that Parker highlighted. Really? |
| Red |
2005 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli MorganNapa Valley more |
2/6/2018 - JimN wrote: 94 points5 hours slow ox and then 2 hour decant. Absolutely in its drinking window, but plenty of life ahead. Tannins had noticeably softened from first opening. This had far more finesse than I remembered from a bottle I had four years ago. Beautiful fruit and a lush feel on the palate. Drink or hold. |
| Red |
2008 Pahlmeyer Proprietary RedNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
1/5/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 90 pointsCame 3rd in a blind line-up of CA Cabs. The early leader, but actually seemed to close down after an hour or so. Rich, almost extracted quality. Easy to be seduced by the nose, but a bit hot and one-dimensional on the palate. One of my favorite producers, but this is in an awkward place right now. Guessing (hoping!) that the elements will come together down the road. |
| Red |
2005 Château Cos d'EstournelSt. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more |
1/10/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 94 pointsMy first bottle of the case and immediately regretted it. Color was like a Shiraz, but all tannins. After four hour decant, beginning to show its stuff. By hour eight, pretty clear this wine will be special. Young Bordeaux at its very best. Medium body, bright, fresh fruit, secondary notes of leather and tobacco beginning to emerge. If you only have a few bottles, best to wait, as the scores on this wine will climb over time. Might be one of the best from this producer. |
| Red |
2002 Joseph Phelps InsigniaNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
1/8/2013 - JimN wrote: 95 pointsNot much has changed from prior note. Absolutely stunning wine that is in a perfect place right now. A couple hours decant is ideal. Continue to believe that this will not age as well as consensus. Next five years will be prime time. |
| Red |
1998 Penfolds GrangeSouth Australia Shiraz Blend, Syrah more |
1/30/2013 - JimN Likes this wine: 94 pointsJust starting to grow up. Gorgeous wine, but still fairly primary. Can drink now, but it is just starting to get interesting. Would love another crack in a decade. Thanks, John! |
| Red |
2009 Caymus Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
5/12/2013 - JimN wrote: 90 pointsNo change from earlier note. That vanilla is really prominent. If nothing else, very consistent. |
| Red |
2009 Caymus Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
12/16/2012 - JimN wrote: 90 pointsVery fun to drink. Fruit forward, soft tannins, nice mouthfeel. Definitely get the vanilla that others have noted. This is my first non-SS, and the difference is pronounced. This isn't necessarily an inferior, just not very subtle. I enjoyed it for a change, but not what I want to drink every night. |
| White |
2009 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay Sonoma Coastmore |
1/3/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 93 pointsThis followed a 2009 TOR. Similar price point, but the comparison ends there. This is clearly a step above. It needs a bit of time after opening to let the oak settle. Then, a gorgeous medley of lemon custard, pineapple, honeysuckle and lots of other flavors I can't pinpoint! Great balance and acidity with a finish that keeps on going. My guess is that this will be better with the vibrance of youth, but has enough structure to cellar for some time. |
| White |
2005 Sine Qua Non The PetitionCalifornia White Blend more |
3/24/2014 - JimN wrote: 92 pointsFifth bottle from this vintage and the best so far. Opened five hours early with no decant, which seemed to add to the complexity. Peaches and cream on the nose give way to honeycomb and lemon meringue on the palate. I don't get the heavy oak that some others have noted, but then I love CA Chardonnay! Just a bit of flabbiness keeps this from getting higher scores from me, because everything else is there. |
| Red |
1998 Domaine du Grapillon d'Or GigondasRed Rhone Blend more |
12/24/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 92 pointsWhat a pleasant surprise this was at less than $30. Sitting in my cellar for a long time without tasting any bottles. In a great place right now. Bursting with lush fruit with a finish that goes on and on. The Napa fans lapped it up and the bottle was gone before I could get a glass. Good stuff. |
| White |
2009 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-FilleKnights Valley more |
4/7/2013 - JimN Likes this wine: 94 pointsOpened and poured through a Vinturi. Exceptional Chardonnay of CA style, with a bit more reserve and finesse. Buttered toast and some sweet lemon tart on the nose. Rich mouthfeel, but not oily, perfect level of acidity, but could use a year or so to round out a bit. Long finish that leaves you smacking your lips. Great now, but a year or two might lift it even higher. |
| Red |
2005 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon VineyardOakville more |
12/20/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 94 pointsCan't find my tasting notes, but I liked it. A lot. Decanted for four hours. |
| White |
2001 Aubert Chardonnay Quarry VineyardSonoma County more |
3/29/2013 - JimN Likes this wine: 92 pointsShould have decanted, as much more expressive in hour three than in hour one. A bit of effervescence that blew off after 30 minutes. Still great acidity to balance the honey and candied pineapple. Plenty of life left. |
| White |
2009 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate VineyardSonoma Coast more |
1/26/2018 - JimN wrote: 90 pointsPretty much the same tasting experience as Stumpy. This bottle was starting to oxidize and that was bringing out the caramel and butterscotch flavors. Different than what I was expecting based on previous bottles, but interesting nonetheless. I’d say drink up, but I didn’t purchase this bottle from the winery, so it may not have been stored properly. |
| Red |
1995 Behrens & Hitchcock Cabernet Sauvignon "Ink Grade"Napa Valley more |
12/24/2014 - JimN wrote: 90 pointsAptly named! Almost black and coated your teeth. Lush and velvety with dark, brooding fruit. A bit too hot and too simple to score it higher. Enjoyable enough to drink while you are not really paying that much attention to what you are drinking, if that makes sense. |
| Red |
1994 Altamura Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
1/12/2013 - JimN wrote: 92 pointsHave had these for some time and this wine is in a great place. Beautiful fruit, nice acidity, tannins are mostly resolved but still providing good structure throughout the night. Probably in the prime drinking window, but lots of years ahead. Quick decant for sediment and then back into the bottle to be consumed two hours later. |
| Red |
2009 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas VineyardSanta Lucia Highlands more |
4/3/2013 - JimN wrote: 90 pointsFirst of three 2009s. This was my 2nd rated. PnP. Soft, feminine, elegant, satiny. Lovely fruit and by soft tannins. Perfect to drink now and I'd guess not a long cellar life. Very enjoyable. |
| Red |
2008 David Bruce Pinot Noir Sonoma Countymore |
12/24/2014 - JimN wrote: 88 pointsSimple wine, but pleasant enough. Hard to beat at $20! |
| Red |
2008 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele VineyardNapa Valley more |
12/28/2017 - JimN wrote: 92 pointsNo decant, but needed it. Still tightly wound. Followed some aging beauties, so the dark fruit and intense nose stood out even more. Definitely too soon without a long decant. Hold. |
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- Tasting notes: 516 notes on 422 wines
