Comments on my notes

Red

2003 Abreu Madrona Ranch Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend

1/10/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

95 points

Served blind. Brought by Bill to tonight's tasting. Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Nose of black fruit and anise most prevalent. Big alc and big acidity notes. Depth is surprisingly less deep than you would think but it's very concentrated, especially for an '03. This one drinks much younger. The alc % seems a bit higher than the stated 14.5%, too. The high alc notes take over for me, personally. 94-95 but I don't see it getting any better given the high alc notes on it. I'd be playing with decant times and drinking these earlier rather than later, personally. A nice wine, quality for sure, but maybe a bit disjointed at this age? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this one will tone down across the board in another 10 years but to me, high alcohol and high acid doesn't really change over time, the fruit just eventually drops out like the tannins. Would be very interesting to have another bottle opened then and see......

WizardNeedsFood commented:

2/7/24, 10:12 PM - I did a side by side this past Christmas with 2003 Thorevilos and 2003 Madrona Ranch. Started with PnP and they tasted like they were still wound tight. Moved to a different bottle and tried both every 30 mins. After 2 hours they still didn't move.

I agree on the high alcohol. Also, there was just no fruit left and while there was some depth in the rest of what was there it was a disappointing showing for two quality Abreus. I have had younger Abreus (2009, 2010) so thought for sure these 2003s would also be built to last but perhaps not? I didn't score yet as I wasn't confident and wanted to try another bottle to make sure.

I hope someone who has a higher degree of familiarity can pipe up and let us know what they think, too.
WizardNeedsFood commented:

2/8/24, 9:17 AM - Absolutely. Well, I'm not going to wait on the rest of them based on this discussion. I only have one each of 03, 04, 06, and 08 remaining so will drink them all soon (for science purposes, naturally) and report back to CT with more confidence.

Fortunately, my "10 and beyonds" are still safe and in particular 10, 11, 12 drinking really well right now. Yes, I said 11s are drinking well :)

I thought that Abreus had the stuffing to last but perhaps in high alcohol years it doesn't matter?

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Red

2015 V Madrone Zinfandel Old Vines St. Helena

4/13/2019 - WizardNeedsFood wrote:

90 points

Good Zin - not overdone. Nose: dusty, red licorice. Medium body, light tannins, short finish. Dark red fruit, dusty, notes of leather, rare filet mignon, grape Bubble Yum. Turleys are more expressive for same price.

WizardNeedsFood commented:

12/20/21, 9:34 PM - Turley makes some of the best California zinfandels. Just type Turley into the CT search box to take a look at what they offer. Dragon Vineyard is one of my favorites but a good stable of offerings and *fairly* easy to find in stores.

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Red

2013 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

5/26/2019 - WizardNeedsFood Likes this wine:

92 points

Two hour decant. This is all Cab Sauvignon all the time. Full bodied, blackberry, espresso, pencil shavings, medium oak. Medium finish. Solid.

WizardNeedsFood commented:

6/29/21, 10:44 AM - @srh - appreciate you updating with some useful background on the making of the wine, etc. Hope your bottles are drinking well!

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Red

2008 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard Edna Valley

11/13/2020 - WizardNeedsFood Likes this wine:

95 points

Wow. Really great now. Good nose, not great, but the flavor was bursting! Flowers, berries, licorice, oh my!! But sweetness in check. Great acidity matched the food really well. Great structure and long finish. NOTE: Only did 30 mins decant. Drank over next three hours. Started fading after two hours so recommend consuming in that window. Should be easy with how delicious this is...

WizardNeedsFood commented:

11/14/20, 4:08 PM - Good plan. Enjoy that last bottle - perfect match for the holidays!

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Red

2016 Château Léoville Las Cases St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend

11/28/2019 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:

98 points

Confounding this chateau's reputation for producing blockbuster wines, this is by far the most feminine and streamlined 2016 I've had so far, with a silky texture and slender figure more akin to elite Pomerols like Trotanoy or VCC than a left bank vin de garde - though it does approach the exquisitely elegant fashion the 1990 is displaying lately. It's also quite restrained relative to most from the vintage and particularly its nearby competition. If the Pichon-Baron is grabbing the microphone and screaming, "y'all ready to rock and roll?!" this wine is more like Morrissey. Swirling the glass coaxes out scents of cedar shavings, leading to a dark-toned but still red-fruited palate infused with just about the maximum amount of tannin a wine can possibly have and still retain a refined texture - it's as if someone had stirred in concrete powder and we got the chance to catch this just before it seizes up.

WizardNeedsFood commented:

11/30/19, 8:20 PM - Great detailed review - nice verbal texture. Bonus points for tying the review to Morrissey. Eagerly awaiting a wine review that references DM or Radiohead.

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Red

2013 Eleven Eleven Cabernet Sauvignon Laki's Vineyard Oak Knoll District

10/21/2019 - WizardNeedsFood Likes this wine:

94 points

One hour decant. Velvety mouthfeel. Good deep red fruit, graphite, with some sage. Long finish.

WizardNeedsFood commented:

10/22/19, 9:08 PM - Glad it helped, Mark1npt! Enjoy the wine!

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Red

2004 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barolo Vürsù Vigneto Campè Nebbiolo

6/8/2019 - WizardNeedsFood wrote:

95 points

Enjoyed at El Gaucho. Approx 1 hour decant. Nose: dark cherries, (mr) creosote, pleasant wet sidewalk. Full body, smooth tannins, acidic so needs food, starting to brick but still very bright with flavor so has years ahead of it.

WizardNeedsFood commented:

6/9/19, 5:48 AM - Bellevue. Rarely get to Seattle with the growing number of good restaaurants in Bellevue. I’ll make an exception for Butcher’s Table and a few others, though. :D

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