While the 2019 Impensata Ecotone Merlot is out at the clubs dancing the night away, the 2018 Engelhard is stuck at home studying for the LSAT. There is richness here, but it is corralled pretty darn…
When I last had this a year ago, it was displaying all sorts of deep, ripe, and dare I say plush attributes that this go-around were absent for the most part. I can't recall exactly what…
As Cristal2000 covers thoroughly in his notes, this barrel sample highlights a chiseled restraint and wonderful purity. Beyond that, it rides high and tight, with bright red fruit popping on to the…
Black currant, unripe black cherry, and a hit of sour berry flavors lead off the charge on the 2018 Penultimate. It stayed tight and a bit wiry on the first pop of the cork, but it became much more…
I get that the idea is to drink this on the more 'now' side of things while your precious big daddy Promontory are resting peacefully in some dark corner of the world somewhere, but right out the…
Quick math question for you. What's 2018+2019? If you answered 4037, then you should definitely think about taking another stab at community college and reapplying for that cashier position at…
I don't want to fall in love with 2017s. I don't even want to fall in like with 2017. In fact, I want to love 2017s as much as I love 2020s, or even 2011s for that matter. If I have to hear one more…
Poured alongside the Adamvs wines just for a fun comparison. The Fonplégade is of course a bit of a different animal, both in terroir and price point (most vintages of Fonplégade can be had for…
I had been playing the Coravin game with this wine for a few months before finally opening the bottle tonight. It was a coiled-up beast with a super driven acid-tension thing going on that was ultra…
This was a powerhouse, so much so that its brute and brawn overpowered its ability to capture finesse and nuance throughout consumption. This thing needs some serious sleepy time. Even then, it may…
How many different versions of wine perfection can one consume in one sitting?! Well, if you're gonna throw down with a 2018 Abreu Thorevilos, then the answer is +1 whatever other bottles of…
I'll start off by saying that I am indeed a 2019 BDX fan, believing that a number of wines from that vintage display a budding exuberance and purity that make for some early consumption enjoyment as…
Black fruit dominant, with charcoal, blackberry, soil, and bitter chocolate leading the charge. Dare I say "modern" on the attack, with a push of fruit and power at first, relaxing its flex halfway…
I still believe this wine is an over-performer, especially when compared to some other peers twice the price. This is coming into the beginning of a nice drinking window that doesn't require too much…
I say with a little air, this is good to go. Drink with a couple hours in the decanter, or hold with confidence for 5++ years. Black fruited. Polished on the front end, with an…
This is presenting as quite the agreeable unfolding of ripe black cherry, raspberry, and blackberry flavors. Ripe and round in the middle with a requisite grip that gently squeezes the sides of the…
The 2015 Figeac was stuck in the "friend zone" during the entire tasting. Unripe blackberry, currant, and cedar notes delivered in a superficial and flat plane of flavor, without ever reaching much…
Black fruit. Black rock. Black fruit. Black rock. and a bit of booze on the tail that didn't let up (ok, so a point or two off for that). But otherwise, this was totally in my wheelhouse. The profile…
Consistent. Consistent. Consistent. The slow build on this wine over time really spoke to me. I kept coming back to this bottle. It wasn't too flashy. It wasn't too classic. It was a beautiful hybrid…
This was probably my wine of the night. It's just so darn yummy and expressive, with a spine that is so focused and intense without overpowering the fruit or the focus. Black and beautiful fruit that…
Linear, primary, tannic, and a little annoyed (or maybe that was me being annoyed at it), the 2015 was a wine I had Coravin'd the day prior to sample it to see just where it was at. Peeved was where…
This was drinking rather beautifully, perhaps much in part to its handler's decanting protocols prior to arrival. Bravo for that! Medium bodied flavors of red raspberries, cedar, earth, old cinnamon…
Much more expressive than the 2016, the 2018 Ducru wasn't the belle of the ball for me necessarily, but it was certainly not in booboo mood the way its 2-year-older brother was behaving. That said,…
This was wound a bit tight tonight in my opinion, never fully expanding or offering up the goods. The 2018 Ducru served next to it was by far more expressive and giving, especially on the front end…
Notably less in the funk locality than the 2005 VCC, this 2010 displayed a red berry-meets-cedar profile that was further complimented by some darker attributes, adding to the perception of depth and…
