Leftover wine...with leftovers

Had a great meal at Sparks steakhouse in NYC on Friday night, where I enjoyed a 2005 Ch Lagrange. Of course the steaks were too big to eat, so I took them home along with the unfinished sides.

So what wine to drink with leftovers? Leftover wine, of course. So I searched for bottles that I'd previously stabbed with the Coravin, and more or less randomly selected these three.

• 2019 Château Phélan Ségur 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Uncorked a previously-Coravined bottle (3/25/26).
  
  Tasted alongside a 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale and a 2021 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Laderas de Pizarra.
  
  Paired well with leftover Steak Fromage, creamed spinach, and has browns from Sparks.Uncorked a previously-Coravined bottle (3/25/26). Similar to previous note: jammy blackberry and Luxardo cherries, lead pencil, a little tomato leaf (in a complementary / complexity sort of way; definitely not a function of underripe herbaceousness), and a touch of cool Pernod. Silky tannins on the persistent berry finish.
  
  This is a serious wine. Great depth and concentration. Still a baby. Delicious now with air, but needs some years to hit its potential. 94 points.
  
  Tasted alongside a 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale and a 2021 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Laderas de Pizarra. Paired well with leftover Steak Fromage, creamed spinach, and hash browns from Sparks.
  
  14% ABV. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.

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• 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Uncorked a previously-Coravined bottle (12/7/25). Ripe plum, tart cherry, blueberry?, graphite, roses?, tar. Lots of fruit on the palate, with plenty of tannic structure.
  
  Tasted alongside a 2019 Château Phélan Ségur and a 2021 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Laderas de Pizarra. This wine is softer and more approachable than the Phélan Ségur—understandable due to the high Merlot percentage in the cépage. Still, it could use more time. My overall experience was better than my last note. 91 points.
  
  Paired well with leftover Steak Fromage, creamed spinach, and has browns from Sparks.
  
  14% ABV. 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

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• 2021 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Laderas de Pizarra 93 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Uncorked a a previously-Coravined bottle (8/20/25). Poured from cellar temperature, it immediately shows the brambly blackberry and pepper note. Then lots of herbs, sandalwood. Then it kind of reminds of of Claxton fruit cake. Lots going on. Wonderful, round, light, but mouthcoating viscosity on the palate. Long Rhônish finish driven by the same brambly blackberry and pepper on the nose.
  
  I’ve been drinking this wine for many years. It’s very good, even if not in QPR territory. Silky and supple. 92 points.
  
  Tasted alongside a 2019 Château Phélan Ségur and a 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale. Paired well with leftover Steak Fromage, creamed spinach, and has browns from Sparks.
  
  14.5% ABV. 60% Garnacha, 39% Cariñena and 1% white grapes.

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One thing I've learned about leftover wine (the hard way): if you stab a bottle with the Corvin, drink some, and then put the bottle back in the cellar, the next time you pull it out, you should just uncork it. I've had some experiences recently where I've gotten too "greedy" with the Coravin, and stabbed a bottle a second time before recellaring. What can happen though is that the cork can't handle two punctures and often won't seal correctly. Then it oxidizes, which of course is what the Coravin is trying to prevent (and does very well with only a single puncture).

Each of these "leftover" wines were very different, but very good.