12/26/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Ridge MB is a top 3 wine for me and by far my most collected wine. They are best at 20 years of age or more to me, but 2011 is in a great wndow. Yes not the greatest vintage, but that is what I like most. I like it not being a huge fruit bomb, 2011 with a 5 hour decant is classic MB. Bordeuax ringer, with cedar, blue fruits, and the Amercian Oak perfectly integrated. Ths wine is rounded out to near perfection. This will get better with time, but with a decant rip one open. Damn good!!!!

5/8/2024 - csimm wrote:

(Fair warning, I had a healthy dose of green tea before scribbling this; so, buckle up friends…)

Let’s start out with a full disclosure type of confession on my part. In fact, it’s more of a developed bias that I seem to share among a number of those in my wine orbit who have been critical of California Chardonnay. Hanging around a bunch of Jungian wine pontificators who, like me, seem to have developed some peculiar joy in turning their noses at anything other than white Burgundy, just reinforces the constant slight I have given to the Golden State’s queen of varietals over recent memory. Without going down a wacky and now seemingly overplayed rabbit hole on the topic, it’s almost redundant to say that my home state Chardonnay has been betrayed time and time again with ripe, sweaty, sweet, over-oaked treatment by those who feel that masking its true character is worth the payout from those palates who seem to want for everything marshmallowy jumpy house gummy and slathering saccharine succulent. Good on ya… I guess…

Yet, I suppose it’s like anything fringe. On one end of the spectrum, I don’t want a flabby butter bomb that drags its gooey knuckles in pineapple extract soup before slothing itself in my mouth until it dies a slow death in a syrupy swallow. Also, having a searing, militant acid soldier hucking hydrochloric 0.00 pH and fossilized rock bombs at my palate is no kind of fun either. Who knew I needed such catharsis from my struggles with California Chardonnay (and don’t call it “Cali” Chard. No one says “Cali” unless they are visiting from Ohio; just like no one should say “Frisco” or “San Fran”). Dr. Phil seems like a guy who drinks Butter Chard with flapjacks and whipped cream. Maybe he can provide therapeutic guidance to me and my struggles with my nomadic palate…? Anyway, suffice to say I have loved big California Chardonnays some moons ago, but have personally become increasingly sensitive to (and critical of) the Lemontini movement that has all too often cast a sloppy shadow over what could be amazing fruit (from some sites at least), but for those who pick in late December and hammer their crop with confectioners’ lumber and candied fat fairy dust.

Ok…enough of that. This whole buildup boils down to one thing really. The 2022 Sphaerics “if and only if,” hailing from a nice little carve out of the Upper Barn vineyard, is an exquisitely balanced rendition of domestic Chardonnay, or any Chardonnay for that matter, so much so that I had trouble finding fault here. And mind you, I wanted to find fault (cuz that’s what insecure people like me do all day). After all, I was drinking California Chardonnay, right?! My initial notes read, “Calculated and poised in every way. Silky layers of lemony-lemon drop cloaked in a feathery encasement of almond milk and crème fraiche.” (ya, I actually wrote that – I don’t get out much). On the nose, it initially shows as slightly reductive, encircled by lemon curd and vanilla scents. On the palate, it’s a deliberate wave of lemon (did I mention lemon??), yellow apple, vanilla, cream, pumice, and, oh ya…lemon. This thing has curves that carve an exceptional lane of delivery for the giving fruit. The purity is unmatched. The mid-palate pauses for a nice chewiness before sashaying along with its salivating beam of measured acidity on the beautifully balmy finish.

Now, I didn’t want to do this, but the comparison to Aubert is difficult to remove myself from. This, of course, is not a bad thing by any means, but it is important that this wine stand alone with its own distinctive identity and not “just be another Aubert,” or some copycat. That would mean it’s somehow second to Aubert, which it most certainly is not. I’ll say this just once…For those who like Aubert’s Lauren, you’ll likely go gaga over the Sphaerics, which I find to be generally better balanced, show elevated integration of the oak (70% here), and exuding enhanced class overall. A longer fermentation seems to have added textural superiority and depth here as well. Perhaps less powerful and overt as the Aubert lineage, the Sphaerics is a trendier and more poised partygoer in comparison. Think Dominque Crenn versus Charlie Palmer.

The Sphaerics was served alongside a 2014 Stonestreet and 2006 Peter Michael Mon Plaisir, all of which were spawned from Upper Barn. The Sphaerics was closer in form to the Mon Plaisir, as the Stonestreet was a bit more angular and superficial in its presentation.

97-100 points right here folks. I suspect a little bottle age might make for an even more complex luminary. Tip of the hat to Laura Jones for fashioning this special wunderkind. Invite all your fancy friends over, blind the Sphaerics with a Coche Corton Charlie, and see where the votes go…

5/2/2024 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine:

Lovely nose, blackberry, dark cherry along with a fan of tertiary notes; leather, truffle, french oak hint of unsmoked cigar and dried herbs.

Palate opened up beautifully over 90 mins showing a real concentration of dark fruits along with beautiful tertiary notes of forest floor, oak/cedar, some tobacco leaf and leather. Nice long finish showing the different layers.

EDIT: Wow, something happened after 3 hours in the decanter it opened up even further! So much complexity, balance and length. A real depth and concentration to the fruit and tertiary flavours. Very long. Absolutely stunning - gave it an extra point over my original score of 96!

12/16/2023 - ylkim30 wrote:

K&L Grand Bordeaux Tasting: This wine feels a little heavy-handed with its lush, intense fruity palate. I wish more was going on here besides that big fruit (though I would not characterize it as jammy). It's a little boring for me.

4/30/2024 - zimmy07 wrote:

I will not rate this. The wine is young, I decanted 8 hours, it opened up nice. No doubt lacking the massive perfume of a MB, the taste, still domianated by the oak was a bit muted but I was bracing for the worst. Now, my wife who has an incredible palate and knew nothing of the fires or even why I was tasting the wine said" it smells like a campfire and although not a bad wine, does not soar like a MB". I will take her note over mine all day long. To the okay palate I think very little to detect, to the better palates no doubt some issue with the wine. I most likely will take my credits towards future purchases

4/26/2024 - dream Likes this wine:

A huge, extremely high-class wine with first-growth quality written all over it. Deep, dark and magisterial with a great sense of power and the finest silk woven into the texture. Easily the youngest wine on the table and not fully revealing itself until perhaps the last sip. Don’t drink this without at least a 6-hour decant but better to wait as this is an astounding vintage of LLC that should blossom over the next decade. 96+

4/24/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

similar to my last tasting note. I have to stop drinking these!!! They need 10 more years and this may one of the greatest of all time! I think this may be better than the 2008 Krug and Cristal. This will be epic if you can wait until 2030 or beyond. This is special

4/18/2024 - liber wrote:

1st of 36, opened 90 minutes then decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level - very dark ruby, quite transparent, youthful robe; more black plum than cassis, some mineral and smoke, quite dense and unlayered presenting more as a simple right banker; full, round and caressing, ok length, persistence and concentration, sweetish mid palate with hint of tannic structure on exit, but as yet too monolithic and simple and without the breed and layering I'd have expected, so I'm left confused, could go either way though I suspect it needs more time to come together properly so long as there really is proper tannic underpinning which I believe was just detectable, if so much upside, 30+ years. But for now a tentative F (17.5).

4/15/2024 - csimm wrote:

Punchline first: And ‘the Ks’ have it!! Kaannos and Kodo! I know I’m supposed to find beauty in all creatures great and small, and that love is discovered in all forms of doe-eyed unicorns and rainbows, but after sampling over 70 wines over the course of a three-day weekend, the Kaannos is THE BEST wine. It just is. If you dare take your in vogue flat leadership model and go old school vertical with it, then the Kaannos is on the top, like the very top. #1. Numero uno. The cat’s pajamas, and even the cat’s meow for that matter. The Kodo is… also… the best…!

Punchline #1 to the punchline: Kaannos TN – Not surprisingly, the first word in my notes just says, “perfect,” along with some hyphenated expletives that remind me this is, you guessed it, the best wine hands down. Dark fruit, but ever so balanced, with rays of succulent acidity (ya, that’s a thing), providing both elegance and speed. A nervy finish gives way to a second wave of flavor and energy. With air, it grabs ahold of more richness, akin to its Kodo brother. Darker, faster, even livelier with each sip. Block 4 powers, activate! The stamina here is worth waiting a few years, though Nigel puts it out at 8-12 years. But it’s a shakin good time right now without question.

Punchline #1(a) to the punchline: Kodo TN - And of course, because every kind of exception has an exception, I will confidently say that Kodo is also the best wine. But since I just made up a rule that says I have to choose (science and law and all that), the Kodo for me is the #1(a) to the Kaannos #1. Other Galloni sympathizers at the table pegged the Kodo for grand prize winner, not that I can blame them. But my iconoclastic side gave the Kaannos the edge. That is to say, they are both solid 100 point wines, but since GPAs these days are like 6.0 to get into community college (not sure what happened to 4.0, but I digress, again), I’ll go with the Kaannos at Harvard and the Kodo at Stanford. Kodo is a darker knight, with the depth of a thousand gallant chevaliers that parade through silky seas of dark chocolate and black cherries. Unctuous. Precise. Enveloping. Balanced, but with personality and attention-grabbing gothic gumption. The initiative here is fantastic, especially on the slowly building finish that envelops the back of the mouth. I feel like this is an earlier drinker than Kaannos.

I think I phonetic-a-sized my way through how to say Kodo, but I can’t for the life of me pronounce Kaannos, especially with all those little umlaut thingamajigs over every letter. I don’t know if it’s Kay-nohs, Ka-nos, Kaw-nohs, Can-os, or Ka’a-na-nah-na-nah-nah-nos. I know it means something to do with ‘translation’ in Finnish, but I can’t claim to know what the Fins have done to influence what I now consider the best 2021 wine I’ve had thus far out of Napa.

“Save the best for last” is typically prudent advice, and it’s normal decorum to build up to the ‘best’ wine when one is toured through various wine tasting experiences. However, in this case, the esteemed Nigel Kinsman simply said, “I like to jump around,” giving us novice geeks free rein to pick among the four glasses in front of us. A creature of habit, when I reached to my left and took a sip, not bothering to look at the name, the Kaannos hit me square in the jaw. Epic! There is a sliver of me that wants it not to be so amazing, like “here we go again, another fanboy tasting note from me on Kinsman.” I wanted to be neutral on these and just write a couple lame short tasting notes (and the crowd cheers). Better luck next time I guess. So, obviously, the Kaannos was completely rad! (not Rhad – but which is also rad, by the way). And the Kodo is also a mega hit-out-of-the-park showstopper.

… wishing Cellar Tracker had a word limit right about now…?… I don’t…. :)

4/6/2024 - vulgar little monkey wrote:

I opened this in the early afternoon and followed over the day into dinner. I drink very little Bordeaux and almost none this young anymore so I lack a little context for what I was drinking. I grabbed a Montrose because I’ve been intrigued by what folks have said about the wine in recent vintages. Well, I was reminded what the word “backward” means wrt wine. It did open up over the course of the evening and worked pretty well with a ribeye. What struck me is how buried the fruit was by the structure, loads of tannin but fairly fine grained and plenty of acidity. It was really compact and unyielding the entire time, more of an intellectual exercise rather than a pleasurable one. There were moments when the fruit would linger on the palate or a note of graphite would really come to the fore and there was good mineral twang. I think folks are right, that this will be a really good wine in time. The question for me is do I want to dedicate cellar space to it or is it a wine that I can pick up in 10 years for nominally the same price. Maybe I owe it to my 2016 daughter to salt away a case. IDK, even after spending a day with this wine and discussing it with other wine people I don't feel any closer to having a great read on it.

4/15/2024 - Haystack wrote:

Had the 2016 at Chateau Cos d’Estournel two days ago. It is in a quiet period. Strongly recommend waiting.

4/11/2024 - llink wrote:

Decanted for several hours. Served blind in a flight of 9 cabernet based wines from the 2003 vintage. My #1 wine and the groups consensus #2 wine. The nose shows like a classic left bank Bordeaux and features coffee grinds, saddle leather, cedar and cassis. The palate is deep and mouth filling with layers of ripe fruit and velvety tannins. Long finish. Not at all overdone or roasted, this is a classic ripe year Bordeaux with a long life ahead of it.

4/6/2024 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine:

VINTAGE 2010 Dinner (Galletto Ristorante, Modesto Ca.): This wine is GORGEOUS...and would normally be the standout on the table, but was bested by a couple Cali wines...the 10 Screaming Eagle and MacDonald! All three very similar...the PC was velvety smooth...dark berried fruit with dried concentration...creme de cassis, pencil lead, new leather, wood barrel spiced tannins...more new world with sweeter fruit, yet lovely licorice and graphite dryness...has that Bordeaux seamlessness, fine grained...super tasty and engaging. Loved it!

4/2/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Purchased awhile ago and saved for my daughter’s 21st. She has a bum birth year but I did some research and this was one of the better performing 03’s, supposedly.
In reality, I was disappointed although enjoyed the lovely experience of drinking it with her. The nose was sweet fruit and similar on the palate, but the alcohol was just too much for me and ruined all the other good things about this wine.
Fortunately, she enjoyed it and appreciated the effort.
Much preferred the ‘03 La mission and the ‘03 Abreu Thorvelios. So there are some decent ‘03s to be found. But for the price, I would not purchase another ‘03 Pavie!!

3/31/2024 - J_Smallwood Likes this wine:

Air is your friend if you open one of these (at least 6 if not 12 hours of decanting I would recommend), and even then, still painfully young. Celebrating a new job for a friend we opened this….objectively a great wine, but left me wanting a bit more from it which I’m sure will just show better in several more years (or decades). An understated nose of raspberry, briar patch, and vine smoke that directly translates to palate, full of dark berry fruits framed by raspberry, green tobacco, wispy smoke notes, dark chocolate, and crushed stones. There is a lot of density packed into the wine - next to a few burgs, this wine took more “effort” to drink given its tannic structure and density at this stage, but nonetheless a fantastic wine. At the price point, I think there are better options out there, but still a very enjoyable and impressive wine. (++ upside)

3/22/2024 - liber Likes this wine:

1st of 36, opened an hour then decanted 90 minutes, perfect level curiously crumbly but clean cork - glossy, dark but transparent ruby, purple rimmed; very much on the cassis fruit, fresh and pure for 03, hints of cigar box and graphite, fragrant, complex and classy; fullish, very long, persistent, decent concentration, fruit masking fine tannic underpinning, much simpler as yet than nose, really quite adolescent but with volume and drive of fine vintage, beautiful balance for 03, much upside here, 30+ years. At least VF (18.5)........has 1st growth quality and will take decades to show its true potential; my sense is that it's behind 62, 75, 82, 85, 86, 90, 96 and the potentially sensational 2000- time will tell!

3/21/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

After dinner pour provided by Joel and what a hit it was! I think to everyone here, it may have been THE best Rose Champagned they've ever had. Very much agree with his note on this one. Creamy strawberry is dead bang on. The nose was gorgeous, too. What a fabulous bottle, Joel. Thanks for sharing it!

3/16/2024 - Skymech Likes this wine:

This was absolutely fantastic. I bought a couple of pristine bottles at auction for a low price. This wine tastes like it is in its prime. Great nose of some fruit, leather and earth. Very subtle. The palate is a mix of red and black fruit that doesn’t taste old at all. Not many tertiary notes. The fruit is still here and very fresh. This was tremendous for a 25 year old Napa. Love it.

3/12/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Bought today, at Central Perk Wine & Spirits, 1420 6th Avenue, New York. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, aged in oak, 50% new. Popped and poured. A little closed on day one, more open on day two. Medium to dark garnet colour. Black currant, dark cherry, blackberry, plum, a musty/vegetal aspect that adds complexity, pencil shaving, chocolate, cocoa, espresso, tobacco, spices, liquorice, and light vanilla, with good acidity, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Medium-bodied, with good concentration, and a creamy texture. Quite enjoyable. Ready now.

3/6/2024 - Cailles wrote:

Wow, wow, wow! This wine stands as a true work of art, astonishingly surpassing high expectations I had after tasting it 7 years ago (following its release) when it showed great promise (rated 97pts). I would have never thought that this still very young wine is that amazing today, especially as Monte Bello has a reputation of needing decades to blossom. The complexity is out of this world and up there with the very best wines I’ve ever had, with each aroma delivered in ultra-high definition, so sharp and precise. The profoundness of this wine is paired with a perfect structure, full of finesse, tension and freshness. One can only imagine how good it will be in 10, 20, 30 years. For sure one to load up.

TN: Very intense, yet balanced bouquet with layers and layers of aromas wafting out of the glass. Same on the palate with one wave after the other of aromas hitting all senses. Intense spruce tips, pine tree, several layers of herbs, a rainbow of fruit from fresh and ripe blue fruit to delicate, fresh red berries, coffee, just hints of chocolate, earthy minerality. Wow, every sip reveals something new. Extremely profound.The wine is anchored by a firm structure of fine tannins poised for further integration, alongside high acidity that adds to its dynamism. Despite its richness, the wine maintains a surprisingly light texture, culminating in a long, evolving finish. Approaching perfection, this wine promises to achieve a perfect rating as it develops even greater complexity with age.

Decanting: Decanted for 4+ hours. It needed the time (or could have even used more air).

3/3/2024 - Discobiscuits42 wrote:

Pretty closed and basic. Potential is there but not showing much of anything. Hold.

2/27/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

I feel like I'm a bit late to the party, here. That's my fault.

Whatever phase this wine is in right now, it's not the LPB 100 pt phase. At all........

Decanted 4 hours, slow ox'd another 3-4 til finished. At no time did this wine approach even a 95.

From the pnp, it's a black, tannic, tar laden cab. 4 hours in the nose wakes up a little, but it takes another 2-3 hours for the nose to warrant a 94. The palate has the stuffing, but it's an iodine laden, toasty cab right now, with some depth. I will def be holding my remaining bottles for spacing out over the next 20 years. I love Cos......but this is not a phase or time that does this vintage justice.

2/25/2024 - isaacjamesbaker wrote:

Riesling bash at CHIKO (Chevy Chase, Maryland): Exceptional showing from magnum. The nose is perfumed with white and yellow flowers, slate, crushed chalk, salt brine, over top of orange peel and juicy white peach, drizzled with lime. The palate is concentrated and bold but balanced expertly with racy acidity. Flavors of dried apricot and pineapple, lime zest, mix with tones of almond skin, slate, quinine, hay, some honeyed ginger tea – all sorts of stuff packed in here. Complex, balanced, this will continue to age well for a long time to come.

2/22/2024 - galewskj wrote:

Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2014 Saxum Paderewski (My house): Drank about 1/3rd of the bottle over an hour. This has a somewhat rounded and elegant profile. It is not at all reminiscent of a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and I suspect there is at least a little bit of oak in this wine. Quite well done for a domestic SB, although not as interesting as the heavy hitter producers in France.

2/14/2024 - PP56 Likes this wine:

I recently took the case out of bond, so it’s been kept in perfect condition. I gave it 2 hours air with a double decant to take to a restaurant in the bottle. During the evening it definitely improved so I agree with Jeff Leve - it’s into it’s drinking window but should continue to improve and being a Montrose, will last for years. I’m in no hurry to drink the remaining 11.
It is supremely smooth with incredible length, a tremendous nose and quite a punch. Fantastic. RP said it was the wine of the vintage -who am I to argue?

2/16/2024 - acyso wrote:

kɹʌɡ wɪθ dʌɡ (Chicago, IL): Underwhelming tonight, and perhaps this will never really live up to all of the expectations. Certainly the hype was very strong when this was originally released, and I admit I fell for it too, and while I've had some good experiences with this bottle now and again, I think the expectations were originally set too high. This was a bit foursquare, like the 162eme, but with more racy acidity. That said, it wasn't brighter, so it feels like this is in a bit of a weird spot. Perhaps, like the 2008, Krug just... kinda whiffed the vintage?

2/16/2024 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

WOTN in a solid lineup.

Btl No. 20241

Minimal splash decant served up along side two other wines at the same time. The 17 JLC & 14 La La.

The window of approach is open for now. Nose, palate and finish all jiving. Long smooth lingering tannins. Generous weight compared to the lift of the La Landonne.

Evolved nicely over dinner and conversation. 17 made it to the table but had nothing to add to the discourse.

98

Drink for now or hold

21 Ridge Grenache Blanc
17 JL Chave Hermitage
16 JL Chave Hermitage
14 E. Guigal La Londonne
11 JL Chave Saint Joseph
10 Vieux Chateau Certan

2/5/2024 - skurtz Likes this wine:

This is noticeably better than my previous bottle from a couple months ago. Gorgeous fragrant nose of fruit compote, tobacco, and vanilla. Red fruit, oak, and well balanced acidity. Overall very lively and youthful. Tannins almost entirely resolved. Enjoyed with filet at Ruth Chris in Long Beach. My last bottle.

2/3/2024 - Antoine G wrote:

Didn't expect too much for this underated vintage. Wine is sexy. Tanins are round and soft. Pauillac soul is there and the wine vibrates. Sexy and elegant, a characteristic of Pontet Canet? An extra point for the happy ending

1/28/2024 - vinohabanero Likes this wine:

Was doing some spring cleaning and came across this absolute stunner. Provenance was clearly excellent but oh my god is this in a great place. California jammy fruits meet bdx sophistication, actually reads more right bank than left which is obviously surprising given its composition. This will still kick for another 5-10 but likely won’t get much better.

12/29/2023 - Decanting Queen wrote:

A Wine Fueled Goodbye to 2023; 12/29/2023-12/31/2023 (College Station, TX): This might have been my best ever SQN to date. Hard to believe given my penchant for a little age and a 3 day decant.
In this case a 1 hour double decant and consumed over dinner with AGELVIS and our spouses. This wine just exploded with flavor, so much fruit but also ever changing complexity. See Ag’s review for all the crazy descriptors but I have to say I concur.
The other amazing thing was we were drinking from crappy restaurant glasses and the aromas were still jumping out of the glass.
Originally, I was just killing a baby for Ag’s benefit. But now I am in a quandry, should I drink them all this young?

1/21/2024 - Ghoulardi wrote:

I wonder if this is in an odd spot. This felt out of balance, showing quite a bit more alcohol than expected, above the butterscotch, caramel, and vanilla foundation. Good but wanting more. Hopefully it improves?

1/19/2024 - aquacongas wrote:

not blind, Magnum
Base 2008. Better than the vintage. It is fresher, leaner, more precise and more charming. I wold change all my 2008 against 164. 99

11/18/2020 - woofy Likes this wine:

We had this wine with friends. We were all disappointed. The wine was flat, fruit struggled, tannins were okay. A $25 bottle of wine would have been better.

1/9/2024 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

Book club dinner to discuss Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.

Wines at the table.

2022 Clementine Carter Roussanne Zaca Mesa
2022 Allbaer Chardonnay
NV Gallimard Pere & Fils Cuvee de Reserve a les riceys
2019 Faury Cote Rotie
2012 Keplinger The Holdout

Alex, you nailed it. This was fantastic! PNP, ready to go.

Medium bodied, smooth integration and length. The bottle looks really cool sitting on the table as well.

94

1/5/2024 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

My first Aubert allocation and Powder House was the offering. This journey has me reaching for whites more often so the timing was perfect. I've asked peers on this site what is their personal favorites and most have mentioned Lauren or other bottlings. So if this is entry level I cannot wait to explore additional vineyards.

Treatment started with a splash pour into a Zalto Water Carafe which I love using for a decanter. About 30 minutes ox before a couple of Josephine No 1 made there way over to the table next to bowls of homemade seafood bisque.

First impression, this is delicious! If this is the start pack I guess I'm all in when the next drop hits in the inbox. I would easily score this a 94 wine out of the gate. So much depth in mouthfeel and the flavors at different temperatures is intoxicating. Yummy!

I can only image what time does for these wines. Geez, I'm in!

Half bottle saved for day two.

1/1/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Decanted 4 hours, this is way too young. It did open up a bit with a heavy dose of sulfur (matchstick). enough I looked up Powder House vineyard as maybe it was due to gun powder. I like this note on chard, but this was heavy and more than any other Aubert I have had before. Classic Aubert with a great balance of weight and precision with the oak and butter. all well balanced, with grapefruit, peaches, and touch of lanolin. Needs 5 more years, but this is no where near my favortite Aubert SV wine

1/2/2024 - brh_wine Likes this wine:

First taste of this collection. Maturing nicely. One person noted a bit of tar in the mouth but this blew off. Nose had muted merlot notes. Some moderate tannins in mouth and generally kept developing and opening up over 45 minutes. Should have a good future.
Thanks to all who pointed out 1st version of this note where somehow the flawed box was checked. Should be corrected now. It was not flawed, sorry for the confusion.

12/31/2023 - bottles.and.bites Does not like this wine:

color is nearly orange, golden with red hues. Orange peel, mint, savory. Some how tastes overly heavy in mouth feel, yet still somewhat underrripe or astringent on the fruit. Bubbles felt like they dissipate rather quickly, frothy on the pour and then immediately flat. As a wine, it’s tasty. As a sparkling wine, I’m confused by the color and the lack of bubbles. As an ultramarine I’m fairly disappointed for our New Year’s Eve pop. Maybe popped too early or flawed?

Updated to drop score and mark as flawed based on what I’ve been reading for other 2018s

6/25/2021 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Phil in Town; 6/25/2021-6/26/2021 (Matts House): I have waited a week to write this note. I have given two100pt scores ever (1994 Harlan and 2001 d'yquem). But after great thought, this was perfect. Spellbinding, earth moving, masterpiece. drank along side a 2003 Montrose and 2005 Mouton that both showed off the charts. But one sip of this and it was on another level. Blackberry, creme de cassis, graphite, and asian spice. remarkable how round and polished this is so young. I cannot imagine what this will be in 10 years, but set a new benchmark for me and this will not be forgotten. stunning!!

11/30/2023 - djs wrote:

Dumb phase???

11/3/2023 - AVB001 Likes this wine:

Expected more of a wow-factor. A bit restrained. Properly made though. Will it develop into something better? Lost out strongly against a Rauzan-Ségla 2005 served at the same time.

12/14/2023 - DonDon wrote:

Having had the 2010 not that long ago - this just doesn’t compare. Lacking the fresh fruit profile you want to complete the balance of the wine. The mouthfeel does show the quality of the wine. It’s just not especially memorable and for me feels a bit lacking in depth. My first of the 6 pack so maybe my future scores will be higher - but wasn’t loving it tonight

12/6/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

holy hell this was good. Insane Provenance and it showed. Dark fruits, plenty of life left, still dark purple in glass, no signs of age. Would have said 10 years old in a blind. Cedar, pencil shaving, and cocoa, just amazing. Have thought about this wine every day since I had it

12/8/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

4th of 55 bottles. Last bottle was July 2022. This was undrinkable for the first 30 min and finally opened up about an hour after popping the cork. Humans will be living on Mars when this rolls over. The energy level is probably comparable to NASA’s rocket launches, lol. However, once it opens up, the breadth, depth and finish go on and on. This must be a decade out from its prime. This is on a similar trajectory as the 158th and exponentially better then all the releases since. Drink the 165-170’s while this uncoils. This will be spectacular. Revisit 2025

12/9/2023 - Kevin Mak Likes this wine:

Deep Purple Colour

Medium (+) Acidity
Medium Tannin
High Alcohol
Full Bodied
Long Finish

Medium (+) Intensity
- Black Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cassis, Liquorice, Vanilla, Mocha, Graphite

Black fruits and sweet spices, coffee and chocolate, not much tertiary flavours, still young may be, well integrated tannins, balanced acidity, ripe and concentrated fruits. A little bit underwhelming at first, showing much more depth and complexity after an hour as it opened up, but still not that "Wow! Holy Shit" kind of wine, not that it's bad at all, it's actually very good and enjoyable, however when you look at the US$300 price tag, there are so many better choices. Drink or hold.

12/10/2023 - ERU wrote:

Made a huge meal for my husband’s birthday; beef tenderloin was the star. I was thinking perhaps we could have a Clape to go along with the beef and all the heavy accompaniments. But it’s his birthday, and he said he wanted something, “Huge and with stank.” Now, a Clape can fit this bill, but, really, just, really: If this wasn’t a Sine Qua Non request, then I don’t know what is.

Decanted 3+ hours. I wish we would have gone more, because this improved as the glass got shallower. Pepper, bacon fat, plum compote, and leather from a horse saddle that has been ridden by one hell of a cowboy fills the mouth. First couple of sips the 15.9% alcohol made its presence known, then, poof! was gone.

Thoroughly enjoyed this; wish I had more. Almost gives me the strength to hang on for, oh, 13 to 37 more years until I finally make the SQN mailing list.

11/29/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine:

This is going from strength to strength, and kicks the Margaux into touch as the wine of the vintage. As stated previously, it is fully mature with everything integrated and tertiary. To be honest it reminds me why a top mature Bordeaux is so unique. A word of warning air is the enemy of this wine. Splash decant and stopper between glasses. Otherwise, it will start to fade.

11/24/2023 - AllRed wrote:

A friendsgiving tradition, we always open our first bottle of the newest SQN white. Popped and poured. Deep color. Starts out very grassy, quite reminiscent of a sauv blanc actually, along with citrus fruit. Flavors of spice, citrus and melon are nearly overwhelmed by oak and toasted wood tones. Improved a bit with air, developing a lovely white peach note, but at this stage the oak is a bit much. New oak accounted for only 45% of the barrels used when making this wine, but it really stands out. This will need plenty of time for the wood to integrate. I much preferred the Andremily white opened alongside.

11/22/2023 - BernieMSY Likes this wine:

Decanted for three hours prior to tasting.

Dark purple color, almost opaque. Violet nose.
This one bolts out of the gate like a champion thoroughbred. Sleek and polished, it features gobs of black fruit balanced by plenty of savory notes. The finish is long and while the tannins are firm, they are in no way impediments to the overall enjoyment of this extraordinary wine.

Even though it is great right now, it has the potential to score a perfect 100 in a few years. If you’ve got one, I suggest holding onto it. If you’ve got a few, I suggest giving one a try right now. This is an extraordinary Bordeaux at the very beginning of its maturational plateau. Bravo!