Tag Archives: 96 points

Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Howell Mountain, California

09 Thursday Dec 2021

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Opaque ruby in the glass.  Blueberry, charcoal, sasparilla, vanilla and blackberry pie.  A stunning nose that also includes some black licorice and a mineral note.  The palate of this Napa Cab is super smooth- blue and black fruits, oak nuance, spice and beautiful structure await.  The tannins are so well integrated it’s obscene.  The acidity balances but doesn’t overpower the whole melange of fruit, tannic grip and tartness.  This wine has mouthfeel out of this world with gobs of primary fruit and structure that will make it cellarworthy till 2028 but why wait?  You can taste and smell the California sunshine in this one folks.  It’s stunning right now and gets 96 points from me.  Probably one of the best Cabs I have come across.  Pricy at two bones, it’s a treat to behold.  5 stars for its near perfection.  Salut….

Chateau Suduiraut 2010, Sauternes, France

26 Friday Nov 2021

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For Thanksgiving dessert I opened this chilled bottle of sweet Bordeaux nectar.  It was spectacular to say the least.  Medium gold with shimmering legs in the glass.  The nose had pronounced aromas of honey, apricots, candied tangerine and crystallized mango. Super unctuous, sweet, waxy – flavors of apricot, marmalade, tangerine, honey and that telltale Botrytis note.  Medium acidity and full body.  The finish is very long and the sweetness coats the mouth.  This is one of the best Sauternes I have ever come across.  For $30 per half bottle this is a must-cellar wine for short to long term enjoyment.  96 points from me and 5 if not 6 stars.  Salut….

Terrazas de Los Andes ‘Cheval des Andes’ 2015, Mendoza, Argentina

06 Sunday Dec 2020

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The finale to our Virtual Wine Tasting was this stunner. I saved the best for last. It’s a 72/28 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon that is inky in the glass. On the nose we got black cherry, Damson plum, leather, fruitcake, hay, raisins, smoke and molasses. On the palate it was immediately evident that this wine is powerful, yet subtle. Very smooth with super fine grained tannins that are barely perceptible make for a gorgeous mouthfeel. Plums, fruit cake, black berry cassis and violet. The finish was a medium length affair that was simply delicious, not dry or acidic. A stunning wine that I gave 19 points out of 20. Technically speaking it is worthy of a massive 96 points from me which jibes with the pros. I would not bother pairing this beauty with anything- just drink it with a loved one and appreciate the depth of flavor, the complexity and the balance of this $70 treat. I have to go with 5 stars. Drink till 2025. Salut….

Cade Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Howell Mountain, USA

10 Tuesday Nov 2020

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Opaque AF, inky black in the glass.  On the nose I get rich blackberries, black cherry and moondrop grapes with perfume and fruitcake. Very complex.  On the palate I gets loads of sweet cassis, black cherry reduction and an insanely integrated set of fine grained tannins.  Juicy acidity balances this wine perfectly.  The mid palate has got gobs of cassis, espresso bean, sweet vanilla and coconut.  The finish is exquisite.  Long, lush, semi dry and just chock full of blackberry jam, blueberry pie and luscious oak.  An absolutely amazing wine that is blowing my socks off.  96 points.  Drink till 2026.  No pairing needed- it drinks beautifully all by itself.  5 stars for this treat that runs 200 bones.  Stunning.  Salut….

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Carpineto Vigneto Poggio Sant’ Enrico 2001, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Italy

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

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It’s been a few years since I tasted the 2001 Poggio.  As part of my cellar-moving I decided to open this one up to pair with some seared Strip steaks, a tomato salad with Balsamic infused onion strips.

For a seventeen year old wine it shows off nicely in the glass- full purple, no sign of bricking and quite opaque.  The nose, OMG, what a nose.  This is textbook aged Sangiovese, reminiscent of old Burgundian Pinot Noir.  Leather, cedar box, tobacco, cassis and more, it just keeps coming.  On the palate I am in love with the Old Worldness of this wine.  It gushes with bramble, black berries, the tobacco, leather and cedar along with black tea and olives.  Immense and rather concentrated, this wine is amazing, can you tell I’m liking it?

This is what makes cellaring a wine so worthwhile.  The earthiness is profound, the freshness- still lively.  Fruit, tertiary flavors, integrated tannins and perfect acidity.  What more could you ask for?  It begs for lighter fare to enable the nuances to come out, I almost regret the seasoning I coated the steaks with.  This wine will shine by itself in a spectacular fashion.  The finish is long, with more of the black fruits coming out again. Amazing.  96 points from me for this apparently still young wine.  The major difference I noted between the last time is that the much lighter Cherry notes were now replaced with heavier, more brooding fruits.  I paid $35 for it awhile back, wishing I had bought more than the 2 bottles that I have now drunk.  5 stars for sure.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Chateau Lynch-Bages 2000, Pauillac, France

20 Friday Apr 2018

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It’s my birthday.  I hit the big 5-Oh and pulled this one out the cellar to mark the occasion.  I bought 8 bottles of the 2000 vintage back in ’02 for $59 each, at Costco.  They go for $ 200+ nowadays.

The wine is still a vibrant purple with no signs of age, except the cork that broke in half on extraction.  The nose is heavenly.  Pure Pauillac, with loads of fruit, tobacco, leather, kirsch.  I have wondered for 16 years if this wine would open up like the amazing ’89.  So far, so good.  On the palate- it’s all I had hoped for and more.  Blackberry, cassis, leather, maduro leaf- to name a few of the initial components that meld right in with the fine-grained tannins.  The tannins are very fresh and vibrant, caressing the gums and balancing the gentle acidity to near perfection.  The mid plate is full of cassis and more tobacco leaf.  There is also a fig component that just hit me.  The finish exudes class.  Full of fruit, but with plenty of tertiary flavors mixed in.  Simply amazing.  This wine is young, fresh, vibrant and juicy yet displays grace, a maturity and great structure.  It fulfilled every possible desire I had for a super special treat and has truly rewarded my patience.  I am going with 96 points for this stunner and 5 stars.  It’s a privilege to be able to drink such magnificence.  The family are all working the kitchen to make a special meal, with my 15 year old manning the grill for the Ribeyes.  Salut….

Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2011

27 Monday Oct 2014

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To top off our Sunday Roast dinner I pulled this amazing beauty out of the cellar and let it loose.  I had tasted the Doisy-Vedrines 2010 previously and needed an equally big night to taste this vintage.  After thoroughly loving the Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon with our dinner it was appropriate to get this bottle cracking.  I previously gave the 2010 95 points, how would this one hold out?

Golden yellow in the glass with a nose of honey, candied pear, botrytis and peach cobbler.  Almond crisp with apricot torte and honeyed pears came in the first wave.  Pineapple syrup with flowers and citrus fill the mid palate along with some pear pie, absolutely gorgeous. Sublime balance with a razor sharp acidity and 60 second finish make this a near perfect wine.  Top to bottom- a smooth transition, 96 point plus for me.  I noticed huge legs in the glass and had to double check the bottle, 13.5 % alcohol but nary a sign of it.  One final thought….Uncious but not stuffy.  I paid $22 for this stunner worthy of 5 stars.  Ps. I bought all they had of the two vintages!  Salut….

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Two Hands ‘Bella’s Garden’ Shiraz 2010

18 Sunday Aug 2013

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BOOOOOM, there it goes.  What an amazing bottle of purity, essence and flavor.  Black/inky purple in the glass, I knew this was going to be good.  An incredible nose of dark fruit and vanilla made me want to just sit and sniff, for hours.  On the initial attack there is a wave of flavors, complexity at the maximum.  Blueberry, blackberry, cloves and cassis all swirled around at different times.  Multi-dimensional and layered with mouth coating tannins the likes of which I have not tasted ever before.  Extremely smooth and inviting, this wine has perhaps one of the finest mouthfeels of any wine I have tasted.  Balanced to within an inch of its life, this Barossa Shiraz has everything, for everyone.  It will drink beautifully right now, yet has the aging capacity to cellar for another 15 years, evolving no doubt.  It already displays smoothness, drinkability and a huge amount of complexity without heat, rough tannins or overt acidity.  Unlike many Aussie ‘fruit bomb’ Shiraz’s, this one doesn’t overwhelm with the fruit, but relies on subtleness to deliver the K/O.  For about $55 this is a 5 star wine only because I can’t give 6.  Technically speaking, I would go with 96 points or even higher.

As a side note, I drank this with grilled squid salad followed by Lamb Chops and asparagus, all fired on the grill and the combination was magic.

If you are looking for a ‘reasonable’ awesome wine for a special occasion, look no further.  This one will seduce the unwitting, impress the snobbish and provide you with an ethereal experience.  Salut….

two hands bella's garden barrossa shiraz

Barboursville Malvaxia 2007

18 Saturday May 2013

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If you have just read my previous post about this winery’s Phileo, you will know that it rocked my world.  Having the Malvaxia right after that one was like winning the World Series followed by the Superbowl, in one evening.  Talk about perfection, here it is, in two lithe little bottles.

At $32 for a skinny little 375 ml bottle, this one is not cheap.  The grapes are made in the Passito style, where they are air dried for a while to concentrate the juice and produce this elixir.  Oak barrel aged for an eternity, the wine is deep in color and has an almost honeyed look and consistency.  A huge nose of creme caramel and apricot just seemed to melt its way onto the palate.  Layers of aromatics came forth from the Muscat and Vidal blend transcending into an almost syrupy compote of ripe pineapple meets apricots and almonds.  Very complex without being cloying, the weight of this wine is perfectly balanced by the acidity.  A huge finish that seems to carry on forever.  We drank this one after the lighter Phileo, by itself.  It doesn’t need accompaniment, in fact it would take center stage if you tried to add any desserts to this stunning wine.  My only mistake was to chill it in the fridge for a while.  Unbeknownst to me, it shows far better at room temperature and I was able to enjoy the second part of it as such.  I am grateful to have been able to visit the Barboursville Winery where I first tasted this wine, now I know where I can stock up on it!  Technically speaking a 96 point wine, a huge score.  I have to be honest and say this wine deserves 5 stars, even at such a steep price.  The process and time involved in making this wine must be monumental, kudos to the winemaker.

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