3/18/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

A wonderful wine!!!
It has really improved over the last 5+ years. We did not decant, so (and as you might expect) the initial tastes where big and tannic.
After 15-20 minutes, things changed, and the wine opened up and began to sing. The nose showed primarily dark fruit and was a bit muted, but the taste was lovely. It became the elegant wine with the beautiful sweetness that I know and love. To say that it was enjoyed by everyone at our table would be an understatement.
This is still a big, tannic wine that will always benefit from a decant, but beware of the sediment. After the initial pours, you could see the "dark sediment" than ran down what had been the "resting" side of the bottle.
I think that this wine will continue to improve for at least the next 5-10 years.

3/18/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Another beautiful Saint-Aubin from PYCM.
No formal notes, but it was consistent with previous experiences (that translates to "wonderful") with this wine.

3/10/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

What a pleasant surprise - rich, balanced, aromatic, mouth-coating with a wonderful finish. It is still in its prime and was enjoyed by all.

3/4/2023 - Labrador Does not like this wine:

It was "medicinal" and acidic on the palate. I think the wine (or maybe just this bottle) was past its prime.

3/3/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

A very nice Pouiily-Vinzelles from the always-solid producer Louis Latour.

2/25/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

On a cold evening, this was a very nice wine with a beautiful onion soup.

2/17/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was enjoyed by everyone at the table.
It was rich, mouth-coating monster (only in the very best sense) of a wine that was smooth and beautifully balanced (for such a powerful wine) and had a lovely long finish.

2/24/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

I really enjoyed this wine.
We did not decant, we just popped and poured.
The first thing you noticed was that beautiful barnyard nose. In the glass it blew off quickly leaving a wonderful bouquet of red fruit. It was a balanced wine that beautifully coated the palate (with some notes of spice) followed by a nice long finish.
This was a winner.

2/24/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was a beautiful wine!
It has definitely improved since I last tried this vintage.
The nose was wonderfully expressive right from the start (no decant - just PnP), showing mainly red fruit with an undercurrent of dark fruit. It was equally wonderful on the palate but more like a Bordeaux - powerful yet elegant or even delicate. It was beautifully balanced and also had a long finish. There was even a "just right" sweetness to the wine. I looking forward to drinking this vintage again soon.

During dinner, we also enjoyed a 2020 Vacheron Sancerre Les Remains and a 2005 Frederic Magnien Latricieres-Chambertin. Each of the wines was wonderful. That presented us with a dilemma - what was the wine of the night. We decided that there was no one WOTN; there were in fact 3.

2/17/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This wine was so good, that I purchased more.
It was fresh, bright, balanced and expressive. This is a wine that can be enjoyed by itself but is better with food. Everyone at the table enjoyed it.

2/22/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This has been a wonderful Bourgogne Blanc for everyday drinking, and this bottle was no exception. But, then, it is what you would expect from Remoissenet.

1/10/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Still a fine bottle of wine.

1/20/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Ah, the reward of patience!
This was a lovely bottle of wine. Everything has now started to come into place - the fruit, tannin resolution, balance, flavors, complexity and a long finish.
Even with all of this going for it, I believe that this Lewis will get better.
This Lewis proves - yet again - that if one is patient, California wines will reward you and make you smile.

1/18/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Another enjoyable Remoissenet Bourgogne Blanc.

1/14/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This is a very, very nice wine that will only get better with time.

12/26/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was our last bottle of the '07 vintage, but it was enjoyed by all at the family gathering on the day after Christmas. No formal notes but it was very nice.

1/1/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was another very enjoyable bottle of Raphet. No formal notes.

1/1/2023 - Labrador Likes this wine:

I remember enjoying this wine from the barrel at the Chateau in 2013.
Our experiences with this wine since then have been enjoyable. However, this bottle reminds of everything that we liked about the wine 10 years ago. Stated another way, this wine has stepped up its game and is showing wonderfully.

12/31/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this wine has gotten better over time. It was very good.

12/10/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

I have finally broken into this box of Stagecoach, and I was not disappointed.
This is still a young wine with many good years left and a bit more integration of the tannins to complete. And, this wine needs to be decanted, which we did not do last evening.
Those comments aside, this is a beautiful wine of great richness and depth that is just beginning to come into its own. The aromas and the flavors are wonderful ,and the finish - it lasts a long time.
I you have this wine, set it aside for a few more years and then decant something quite special.

12/2/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

I do enjoy the wines from O'Shaughnessy, and this bottle was no exception.
No formal notes, but everyone enjoyed this wine

12/2/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Lewis makes wonderful wines, and this vintage was no exception. But, one needs to be patient and always decant - perhaps more than once.
This bottle showed lovely dark fruit (on the nose and the palate), a richness and had a long finish. The color was rich and dark, and everything was in balance.

12/9/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was a beauty!!!
There was an initial "funk" on the nose and a "bite" on the finish, but they quickly went away. I will definitely decant the next bottle.
What remained was wonderful - great color, balanced, good acidity, fresh and inviting, spice on the nose and the palate, and the fruit ..... ah, the fruit.
The fruit (on the nose and on the palate) was wonderful, and the finish stretched on and on and on.
This would have been WOTN, except for the presence of a stunningly beautiful 2000 Mouton.

12/10/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was a beautiful bottle of wine!!!
It was wonderfully balanced with great color and with just the hint of "maturity" on the rim. The fragrance was initially tight (no decant, but I will do on the next bottle) but it opened up quickly. The tannins were completely integrated into this masterpiece. In the mouth it was rich (in a Bordeaux sense) with good depth and very enjoyable flavors (raspberry and dark fruit [blueberry and blackberry ???] with hints of graphite and eucalyptus) and yet it was elegant and had a lovely softness and lightness. The finish was long and pleasing.
Some remarked that it tasted more like a mature Bordeaux than a California wine. I don't disagree with that assessment, but I prefer to think it is but one more example of the greatness of great California producers. For, if you are patient, you will be rewarded.
Even against strong competition (Dominus, Aubert, and Paul Hobbs Stagecoach), this was clearly the WOTN.
I am looking forward to my remaining bottles.

11/27/2022 - Labrador wrote:

Perhaps it was due to the fact that we PNPed, but this was not the same Pavillon Rouge that I have enjoyed in the past. It might also be that the wine (which has been sitting in the same spot since it arrived in 2008) has shut down. It was not disjointed or lacking balance or unpleasant, but it was just not showing its "stuff." I look forward to my remaining bottles.

11/25/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Rich, balanced and wonderful, but still has many good years ahead - even in 375ml. Definitely needs a decant.

11/23/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes but very pleasant

11/25/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Soft and lovely after all these years. It was "relaxing" which is appropriate for the Thanksgiving holidays.

11/25/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Another beautiful bottle from one of my favorite producers

11/18/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was the WOTN - elegant, mature, balanced and showing very, very well on the nose and on the palate.

11/18/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this wine really sang - on the nose, the palate and with a long finish

11/18/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This wine (at least, this particular bottle) needs a few years more in bottle before it really begins to "sing." Stated another way, it is a few years behind the beautiful 2003 Lewis Reserve in development that we enjoyed a few weeks ago.
Right now, it is rich and powerful but the tannins are not fully resolved. It is mouth coating and has a long finish. It did start to develop in the glass, and would have benefited from decanting.
In conclusion, the future is "up" for this wine.

10/22/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this wine was very enjoyable.

11/1/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was an excellent GPL, and it was enjoyed by one and all.

11/1/2022 - Labrador wrote:

WOW!!!
This wine was stunning in every way and very much improved over the last 4.5 years.
It was very rich, smooth, balanced, great depth, a lovely fragrant nose, beautiful dark fruit, mouth-coating and teeth-staining and a bit "chewy" (all only in the best sense), and a finish that brought everyone back for more.
It clearly was the WOTN even considering the quality of its competition - an excellent 2001 Grand-Puy-Lacoste and a remarkable 2010 Ken Wright Abbott Claim Pinot.
The Lewis was just one more example of the enjoyment that CA Cabernets provide when you are patient.

11/4/2022 - Labrador wrote:

This wine was rich, balanced wine with beautiful dark fruit, finesse and smoothness, mouth coating (in the very best sense) and a long, lovely finish. It was enjoyed by everyone.

10/29/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was a wine that everyone enjoyed.
It was further proof that CA cabernets need time. They will reward you in the great enjoyment - as this wine did.

11/1/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

The only words that come to mind to describe this wine are "wow" and"wonderful".
Everything necessary for a excellent wine was present - lovely, fragrant nose, wonderfully balanced, smooth in every way, rich yet elegant, beautiful on the palate, and a long, long finish.
If this wine had been porridge, the appropriate descriptor would be "just right." It was that and more.

10/28/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was a stunning bottle of O'Shaughnessy - dark mountain fruit, lovely aroma, rich, teeth-stainingly good, balanced, clean, powerful yet elegant, smooth on the palate and with a long finish that invites you back for more.
I would venture to say that this wine is at its peak.
This is what you get when you are patient with big CA wines. Oh, what a reward.
Three cheers for O'Shaughnessy.

10/4/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Another lovely Anne Gros Cuvee Marine

10/14/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes but a lovely Meursault that was enjoyed by all.

10/17/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

A lovely wine for everyday from Anne Gros

9/13/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This was an enjoyable Pinor Grigio from North Berkeley Imports

10/8/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was a very nice CNDP.

10/7/2022 - Labrador wrote:

Another beauty from Spottswoode and consistent with previous experiences with this vintage - a vintage that is still getting better.

9/24/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

A rich and expressive CNDP that was enjoyed by all.

9/24/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

This bottle was hitting on all cylinders - rich and elegant, balanced and smooth, and lovely on the palate.

9/17/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

Drinking very nicely - consistent with previous experiences with this vintage.

9/17/2022 - Labrador wrote:

No formal notes by a very enjoyable St. Estephe from Montrose

9/16/2022 - Labrador Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was a lovely bottle of wine.