| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White - Off-dry |
2001 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling SpätleseNahe more |
5/27/2023 - James B wrote: NRDrank at Takashi with Bob and Michael |
| Red |
2007 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon PreciousNapa Valley more |
4/10/2022 - James B wrote: 95 pointsColor is clear red, garnet, medium intensity. High-intensity aroma of black fruit, especially plum and black currant. Clove, nutmeg, and other spicy aroma notes from the French oak. Medium-plus intensity on the palate. Palate notes balance perfectly with the nose; soft tannins; low acidity. Medium-plus length. Doesn’t need any more time in the bottle. Definitely drinkable now, but it’s not in danger of dying. Outstanding wine, but not life-altering. |
| White |
2012 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-CharlemagneCorton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay more |
2/14/2021 - James B Likes this wine: 95 pointsExcellent Corton—Charlemagne. Medium gold color. Medium-plus intensity nose. Aroma notes of citrus zest and stone fruit, especially apricot. Medium-plus intensity on the palate; medium acid; low tannins. Medium body. Notes of tropical fruit and stone fruit on the palate. And pretty good length for a white. It’s really good! And can be drunk now. |
| Red |
1982 Château Gruaud LaroseSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
8/11/2019 - James B wrote: 99 pointsThe bottle we opened tonight was close to perfect. (Fifth bottle of two cases that we opened, and the best of the five. Plenty left to go.) Medium intensity garnet in color; deep intensity aromas of graphite, black fruit, spice box, and crushed stone; medium intensity palate with flavor notes that match the nose; low acidity and medium tannins; long finish. This was a classic Bordeaux profile, and staggeringly vibrant for a 37-year old wine. Parker is right that the wine still has decades left to go. Highly recommended. |
| Red |
2005 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus VineyardOakville more |
1/21/2018 - James B Likes this wine: 94 pointsColor is medium intensity garnet. Medium-plus intensity on the nose. Aroma notes of blackcurrent and black cherry, spice box from the French oak, “Oakville dust,” truffle and forest floor. Palate matches the nose. Medium-plus body; low acidity; medium-plus tannins; medium-plus length. This is clearly a new-world wine. You’d never mistake it for a Bordeaux. It’s very solid, with great backbone and aging potential. It’s drinking fine now, but with plenty of years left, and will likely improve. Incidentally, I came back and edited my note after enjoying the wine over two hours. Plan a decant of 90 minutes or more. Time in the decanter improved this wine significantly. |
| Red |
2004 Burge Family Shiraz Premium DraycottBarossa Valley more |
8/23/2015 - James B Likes this wine: 94 pointsThis was particularly good, so I felt compelled to leave a tasting note. Medium-plus intensity garnet color. Deep intensity aroma of black fruits, tobacco, spice box, well-integrated old-world oak. The palate matches the nose. Low acidity; soft, well-integrated tannins; medium-plus intensity on the palate; medium-plus length. This all comes together beautifully, and it's an outstanding representation of the varieties and region. It's also drinking perfectly now. We drank it with Morrocan lamb stew--a difficult pairing--and it could not have worked better. |
| Red |
1985 Château Léoville Las CasesSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/24/2014 - James B Likes this wine: 99 pointsThis was perfect tonight. After several bottles over several years, this has never been better. No decant was required. Medium intensity garnet color. Deep intensity on the nose; black current, tobacco, other black fruits, forest floor, Bordeaux barnyard aroma. Palate matches the aroma. Low acid; well-integrated, virtually nonexistent tannins. Exceptional length; 60-90 seconds. Tonight, this may have been the best wine I've ever had. |
| Red |
2001 Pahlmeyer Proprietary RedNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
8/4/2014 - James B wrote: NRLast of six bottles; drinking perfectly. Deep ruby color; pronounced notes of black current and other black red fruit; nutty hints of oak. Palate matches the nose perfectly. Low acid; tannins have softened with bottle age; full body. Medium-plus finish. This is a perfect example of a patient, well-made Napa red blend that is at the height of its drinkability. Highly recommended. |
| Red |
2004 Quilceda Creek Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley more |
3/23/2014 - James B wrote: 97 pointsBeautiful wine; drinking very well now with a reasonable (thirty-minute-plus) decant; but still has great structure and decades to go. Clear appearance; medium-intensity ruby color. Medium-plus intensity on the nose, with aroma notes of blackcurrant and other black fruits, tobacco, spice box, cracked pepper, green pepper. Flavor notes match the nose. Medium body; medium-plus, well-integrated tannins; low acid; medium-plus length. This is less explosive and more refined than other vintages. I wouldn't exactly call it Bordeaux-like (not earthy enough), but you could definitely treat it as a Bordeaux for food-pairing purposes. |
| Red |
2001 Château Cos d'EstournelSt. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/24/2013 - James B wrote: 92 pointsThis has terrific structure and potential, but its's drinking very young right now. Tannins are pronounced and obscure the fruit. I believe it needs at least two more years in the cellar. If you can't wait, be prepared to give it at least an hour or two in a decanter to open up. |
| Red |
2002 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus VineyardOakville more |
2/3/2013 - James B Likes this wine: 94 pointsThis wine is in its drinking window, but it has years to decades left to go. Deep ruby to garnet color. Pronounced intensity aroma of black currant, graphite, and spice. Palate matches the nose, but is a bit austere prior to 3+ hours of air, after which the flavor profile explodes, with the addition of leather and toasty notes from the oak. Medium-plus tannins; low acid; full body; medium-plus length. This is an outstanding example of a well-made Napa cab with the backbone to age for decades. |
| White |
2005 E. Guigal Hermitage BlancWhite Rhone Blend more |
1/20/2013 - James B wrote: 92 pointsDeep gold color. Pronounced nose with aromas of tropical fruit, quince, star fruit, and citrus rind. Full-bodied on the palate, with flavor characteristics that match the nose. Medium acidity, low tannins. Medium-plus length. This is a superb Rhone white. |
| Red |
2005 Pahlmeyer MerlotNapa Valley more |
1/20/2013 - James B wrote: 93 pointsBeautifully balanced wine with outstanding structure. Deep intensity ruby color. Pronounced aroma of black fruit, including blackcurrant and stewed plums. Additional aroma notes include tobacco, spice, and clove. The palate is highly extracted and matches the nose. Medium, well-integrated tannins; low acidity; medium-plus length. This should continue drinking well for a decade or more. |
| Red |
1985 Château Léoville Las CasesSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
9/28/2012 - James B wrote: 96 pointsThis was a star tonight; best bottle we've had yet. Did not require a decant. Medium-plus intensity garnet color. Beautiful intense aroma of leather, black currant, nutmeg, and the signature Bordeaux barnyard. Perfect on the palate. Flavor characteristics match the nose perfectly. Medium intensity on the palate; extremely soft tannins; low acid. The bottle age and the muted tannins allow fascinating secondary and tertiary characteristics to shine through. Medium length. This was just beautiful. Probably has a few years left, but it won't get any better. Drink up. |
| Red |
2004 St. Supéry Élu MeritageNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
5/27/2012 - James B wrote: 91 pointsVery nice Napa Bordeaux-style blend. Deep, ruby color. Aroma is medium-plus intensity; notes of black fruit (black cherry and black currant), anise, and nutty notes of new French oak. Palate matches the nose. Medium-plus body; low acid; medium tannins; medium length. Give it a good decant if you can. This is a good to very good representation of the meritage style. |
| Red |
2006 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Garys' VineyardSanta Lucia Highlands more |
5/25/2012 - James B wrote: 93 pointsRuby red color of medium intensity. Clean nose of medium intensity; strong red fruit aroma notes, with nutty, spicy French oak notes, not much earth or vegetal aroma, bright red cherry predominates. The palate matches the nose. Medium body; strong red fruit; medium acid. Tannins are still evident. This is not as near the end of its drinking life as CellarTracker suggests. Medium-plus length. Overall, this a very good, varietally correct pinot. Loved it! |
| Red |
2004 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot Estate GrownNapa Valley more |
5/1/2012 - James B wrote: 92 pointsRemarkably fine merlot. Medium intensity, garnet color. Medium intensity nose. Aroma is Bordeaux-like, with earthy notes of forest floor and nutty, spicy French oak. Black fruits and some vegetal notes (green pepper and dill). On the palate, full body, low acid, soft and well-integrated tannins. Flavor characteristics match the nose perfectly. Medium-plus length. A delightful wine; drinking perfectly now. |
| Red |
2002 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
4/27/2012 - James B wrote: 95 pointsThis was outstanding; almost perfect. Maybe it was just the fact that it followed a horribly corked '99 Lalande, but this could not have been better. Deep ruby color; pronounced nose with notes of black currant, spice box, pencil lead. Full bodied on the palate, with flavor characteristics to match the nose. Rich black fruit. Most impressively, there is an incredible length of 60-90 seconds. Perhaps we just got a bottle in the sweet spot. I know my rating is better than average for this wine, but I could not have been more impressed. |
| Red |
1999 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de LalandePauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more |
4/27/2012 - James B wrote: flawedHorribly corked and completely undrinkable. Two out of three bottles of this were corked. Bummer. |
| White |
2002 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos WindsbuhlAlsace more |
3/16/2012 - James B wrote: 96 pointsThis was the wine of the night, for sure. Deep, intense gold color. Clean nose with intense stone fruit notes (peach and apricot) and pronounced minerality, plus some petrol. On the palate, low acid, no tannins, medium body. Flavor characteristics match the nose--off-dry, strong stone fruit notes, profound minerality, long finish. This is a textbook off-dry Riesling in the heart of its drinking window. Enjoy! |
| Red |
1999 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly MeadowDiamond Mountain more |
3/16/2012 - James B wrote: 92 pointsThis wine is in its sweet spot. Drink up now. Deep, garnet color. The best quality is the nose. Intense aroma of black currant, tobacco, plum, very subtle wood. Palate is dry, with low acidity and very soft tannins. Flavor characteristics match the nose, but with somewhat less depth and complexity. Medium-plus length. A very good Napa cab. |
| Red |
2005 Binomio Montepulciano d'Abruzzomore |
2/3/2012 - James B wrote: 91 pointsThis is a big, voluptuous food wine. Deep, ruby-red color. Pronounced nose, with black fruit notes (esp. stewed plums), tobacco, spice box, French oak, and an "artist's studio" aroma I've occasionally noticed and deeply appreciate, but that is hard to describe. Pronounced palate matches the nose, with medium acidity, soft and well-integrated tannins, full body, medium length. I'm glad I have more of these to enjoy. |
| White |
2007 E. Guigal CondrieuViognier more |
2/3/2012 - James B wrote: 90 pointsClear, lemon gold color. Clean nose, with notes of stone fruit, floral (honeysuckle), crushed-stone minerality. On the palate, favor characteristics match the nose; medium body, medium acidity, medium length. Drink now. This is drinking just fine, but it's on the downward slope and will not improve. It's a great food wine, like an excellent dry Reisling. |
| White |
2002 Louis Latour Corton-CharlemagneCorton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay more |
10/2/2011 - James B wrote: 94 pointsLast bottle, and it's never been better. Intense gold color. Medium-plus intensity nose, with stone fruit notes (primarily unripe apricot), crushed stone, and dried autumn leaves. Palate is medium-bodied, low acid, no tannin, and flavor characteristics that match the nose. Medium-plus length. Just an outstanding white Burg. |
| Red |
2002 Showket Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonOakville more |
9/30/2011 - James B wrote: 92 pointsDrinking perfectly. On the downward slope, but a few years left; just what I like. Clear, garnet color, with medium-plus intensity. Subtle nose with black fruits, including black currant. Aroma also includes tobacco, nutmeg, and other baking spices; very little wood or earth otherwise. Clearly new world. Palate is medium-bodied, low acid, with soft and well-integrated tannins. Flavor characteristics match the aroma, plus cassis and black cherry. Medium-plus length. Drink up! |
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- Tasting notes: 303 notes on 217 wines
