Profile
Member since February 2021
Locale: Portland, Oregon, USA
Favorite region: Bordeaux and Tuscany
Dream wine: The next one
I have a dwindling cellar of all world class Bordeaux and California, and some Italian wines left. I have enjoyed wines from and have extensive experience with Australian wines from both Mclaren Vale and Barrosa Valley. While I do enjoy many wine regions my palate leans toward old world wines these days.
2003 Château Branaire-Ducru
7/4/2023 - SometimeOwineO Likes this wine: 93 Points
I would start with I do agree with many of the other previous tasting notes stating that this 03 is most likely nearing the end of it drinking window. However, I am someone who absolutely loves aged bordeaux. I seem to have the most luck and enjoyable experiences in the 20-25 year mark. I have some 80s and early 90s bordeaux still remaining in my cellar. However, I find those to be much more of a “crap” shoot if the wine is unfortunately at times even drinkable.
Back to this beauty….I had transported the bottle to a friends vineyard the day of. So upon opening the bottle the wine was still a bit unsettled after the hour and 15 minute commute. The wine appeared a little shaken, not as bright red, but a little copper tinge(which was probably the wine mixed with some of sediment at the side of the bottle). I Could tell by first sight, sniff and taste. No decant would be necessary. The wine settled nicely, it went from a murky Garnett color to not as murky and a little brighter but I still could not see my
fingers through the bottom of the Bordeaux glass. The nose was all there. I could smell leather, tobacco, cedar and dark fruits. The wine had great concentration. A complex but more medium bodied wine almost reminded me a little of a right bank wine. …but not quite that far. More like a softer Montrose and bigger Pomerol if you will. I really liked this wine. Everyone did. We had a nice hermitage, and du pape to accompany…both of those were drinking perfectly. But everyone preferred the mighty Bordeaux region on this night in the vineyard.
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2004 BOND Pluribus
6/24/2023 - SometimeOwineO Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened an hour and 1/2 prior to drinking with no decant. I broke the cork in half like all the other Bond series from this year. I am known to break a cork here and there so this wasn’t new to me. However, I mostly break corks on on old long corked Italian bottles. So I would contend Bond has soft corks, but most likely me. Color is deep red or Garnett like all the others from this series. The first early taste had a massively long finish. I could tell right away that there was a more proper integration with this wine then the others. It displayed the many common characteristics with notes of tobacco, oak, earth, smoke with that long finish. The fruit and tannins were more integrated and had a softened a bit from earlier tastings. I preferred it. Still plenty of structure. This bottle reminds me of being barefoot and wiggling one’s toes in a quality shag carpet. Velvety plush with some refinements. My favorite of the series. I would contend it is in its drinking window now. However, if I had another bottle I would wait at least three years for comparison. Well that is what I am going to do with it’s sibling Vecina, well maybe 5 years?
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2005 Two Hands Shiraz Ares
3/18/2023 - SometimeOwineO Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was my last bottle of several of the 2005, and the best. The overbearing plum flavors of the past tastings had integrated more delivering flavors of fig, other dark fruits and a bit of cinnamon. Huge wine sharing some tastes of that of an old vine Zin, but more complex and just bigger! This is Barossa Valley flexing its muscles on full display. Recommend drinking now.
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