Pulled This for a week night hard to match food pairing. Perfect sweetness without being cloying (not sure the rs but has to be more than off-dry?). Delicate flavors of stone fruit. Not much beyond the fruit elements but the fruit itself was precise and layered. Way too easy to drink so am glad it was only 7 abv.
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Gave an hour of air and drank over the next two. As always lovely complexity and flavors but this one probably needs more time for me. Just a little too sweet for my Chardonnay palate and probably needs to integrate so that sweetness becomes party if the whole. At this stage I much preferred the ‘22 CIX but I think I will back off my ‘22’s altogether now.
Drank this a few weeks ago but no time to note. 94+ all day. This is still one of the best representations of MH, can stand up to BCellars and FM. Very authentic and has the underlying acid backbone that makes these wines so special.
11/29/2023 6:26:00 PM - Mark can see it, but you can't because I like him better than you! J/K....He saw it while I was taking inventory and hadn't made it private.....but I will change my settings to friends can see it. :)
11/29/2023 4:18:00 AM - Geez Jen...I sent you a friend request! All I can think of is that song: "Why can't we be friends.....why can't we be friends!?!" LOL.....Hope all is well and you have a great holiday season!
11/14/2023 11:11:00 AM - The 1996 Pichon Lalande really is one of my all-time favourite vintages from this chateau. I think it is quite closed at the moment - a bottle I had four or five years ago was much more open - so I would leave this for at least five years maybe even longer for it to reach its peak.
7/5/2023 9:34:00 AM - Don't know which 95 Madiran grub94 was referring to, but the 94 Chapelle Laurette is drinking well now, also the 95 Montus started to drink well last year with a long decant. Have opened 4 btls in the last 5 months and its cellaring rewarded. I guess 10-15 more years on this one and the 95 Montus Cuvee Prestige has 15-25 more.
7/4/2023 8:35:00 AM - Decanting Queen,
Re the 18 Reuling, you may want to try your last bottle 2030 instead of 2033.
Re another of your comments, yes the Madiran needs decades and then becomes extremely enjoyable. The 95 is starting to drink quite well right now with 10-15 years to go.
2/25/2023 12:57:00 PM - Decanting Queen. I am curious about your back story on the Neal Cab 16 mostly because I was curious if you would be willing to disclose the name of the steakhouse you visited and that it took 6 trips to their cellar to find a wine they had in stock. Not overly impressed with the service, especially considering there there are plenty of good choices of steakhouses in your locale. Thanks for sahring
1/25/2023 2:23:00 PM - @Decanting Queen; ref. Almaviva 2015
Wine opened, no decanting, directly drunk. Bottle didn´t last long but I had the impression that air was not helping.
1/18/2023 8:40:00 AM - Regarding the 2018 Ch Clemens Asphodčle, I think it’s too ripe and lacks sufficient acidity to count on serious longevity. I’d drink it over the next 2 years.
VinhoVerde
1/2/2023 7:38:00 AM - Dear Decanting Queen, you asked me about the 'potability horizon' of the 2017 Sine Qua Non Grenache The Gorgeous Victim.
You live in the US, so I hope I don't offend you when I tell you that in general! find that the development potential of many US-derived power wines is more limited than that of wines from the 'old world'. There are exceptions, but these always concern wines that are very similar in structure to wines from France or Italy.
I drank several red and white SQNs that were between 10 and 15 years old. And yet showed no trace of 'tertiary aromas'. I drank the 2001 Albino after 15 years in 2016, while Robert Parker gave the wine a future until 2009.... Nothing wrong, still fully powerful and without trace of oxidation.
To be honest: I simply don't know. But I would be very surprised if this wine has also passed its peak after 10 or 15 years.
Another thing is whether the wine will be better. As far as I'm concerned, SQN just stays stable for a super long time. And I have simply never had a very tertiary SQN in my glass, perhaps because the wines need much longer to ever become truly tertiary.
9/10/2022 4:45:00 PM - Needed a drink in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot? That is one of the best things I have ever heard! And Venge has fabulous wines. We are in Atlanta too. Would love to meet up...
3/7/2022 11:02:00 AM - Thanks for your compliment re: the 1994 Warres Port, gorgonzola and walnut dessert combo. It was delicious and the restaurant thought of the flash roast of the walnuts, which I had just brought along. We have some good overlap in wine likes, so stay in touch.
4/2/2021 9:38:00 PM - Hi Jen, passing this along-
YOU ARE INVITED TO ZOOM!!
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/99749973642
Date: Saturday, April 3, 2021
Time: 11 a.m. Pacific time
Moderator: Owen Bargreen, wine critic from owenbargreen.com
7/20/2020 7:33:00 AM - Thank you for the feedback on the 2007 Lillian Blue. I have found some bottle variation for sure, though 2010 and prior have been the most consistent with 2004-2006 as the better bottles. I am down to my last few from these years with singles left of 2007-2009.
3/24/2020 10:38:00 AM - Hi jenmermaidia,
Noticed that you are interested in Washington wines. Just for your information I have not had great luck aging their cabs. Syrah is a different matter. Just my thoughts-Dave
2/11/2020 5:31:00 PM - It was actually best after two days open, which is sort of a proof that a few years in the cellar is needed here. It is a very good wine, but not one in an early drinking style.
12/22/2019 3:06:00 PM - You can order the wine from Benchmark and they will hold it until the weather permits shipping. Or I believe they offer a cold chain shipping than keeps the wine at a specific temp the whole way.
11/23/2019 6:23:00 AM - If you have trouble finding the 2008 Fantino Barolo Riserva Dardi, let me know. I have a case left out of 2 original purchases. Happy to make one or two available. Check wine-searcher pro and the sites around that buy other people's cellars...CanaWines in Nashville is good, also Benchmark in CA, Blacksmith Wines in NY, CellarRaiders in NY, etc...bunch of others...
11/19/2019 4:31:00 AM - FYI
En Premier Week is 3/30/2020 to 4/2/2020 in Bordeaux for the 2019 vintage.
In USA, the 2017 vintage tasting dates are:
UGC, 134 Bordeaux Chateau Members, tasting in USA closest to you:
New York January 20, 2020 both trade and public
Washington January 21, 2020 trade only
Chicago January 22, 2020 both trade and public
I go every year.
11/10/2019 11:31:00 AM - Let me know if you have any questions on Washington State Syrahs. I have been drinking them for 20 years, go to Walla Walla a couple times a year.
6/24/2019 3:42:00 PM - re 16 William & Mary Cabernet Sauvignon Shifflett Ranch...this is one of my favorite new wine coming out of napa. well balance and is built for the long haul but very accessible now. it can stand toe to toe with other high end napa cab such as maybach which i love. also something to look for is his proprietary blend 50/50 cab franc, merlot.
8/20/2018 6:48:00 PM - Yes, there are a few others that were exceptional in 2011 - Lokoya Mt. Veeder and Hill Family Estate Atlas Peak are two that I know are great. Both have a small herbal quality (bay leaf, sage) but not the green pepper / pyrazine characteristic. The Lokoya did seem to have a hint of it early but no more. The HFE has been fantastic from release, and I like it better than their 2012 as the '11 is more restrained while the '12 is a fruit bomb that will need years to settle down.
8/19/2018 8:39:00 PM - I saw your note on 2011 Dominus, and how it caused you to steer clear of Napa in that vintage. I'm sensitive to the pyrazine / green pepper taste also, and would recommend you try Outpost True Vineyard if you want to check out a 2011 worth drinking. Vineyard altitude was the key that year - the higher, the better!
2016 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Spätlese
4/25/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pulled This for a week night hard to match food pairing. Perfect sweetness without being cloying (not sure the rs but has to be more than off-dry?). Delicate flavors of stone fruit. Not much beyond the fruit elements but the fruit itself was precise and layered. Way too easy to drink so am glad it was only 7 abv.
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2022 Aubert Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard
4/23/2024 - Decanting Queen wrote:
Gave an hour of air and drank over the next two. As always lovely complexity and flavors but this one probably needs more time for me. Just a little too sweet for my Chardonnay palate and probably needs to integrate so that sweetness becomes party if the whole. At this stage I much preferred the ‘22 CIX but I think I will back off my ‘22’s altogether now.
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2016 Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper
4/19/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank this a few weeks ago but no time to note. 94+ all day. This is still one of the best representations of MH, can stand up to BCellars and FM. Very authentic and has the underlying acid backbone that makes these wines so special.
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