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…
A super solid showing here, with a beauty and sophistication that highlights why Abreu consistently belongs in the upper tier of Napa wines. I admittedly have been dismissive of this producer at…
As soon as Napa-acclimated tasters (a category into which I likely fall) hear the word "classical" attributed to a wine's profile, they typically dismiss it as an overly lithe, red-currant and…
Ok, so this bottle screams two words to me very distinctly and without equivocation: "Drink Now." It's a Charleston chewy prune purple drank and all, but it's pushing past its window (at least, this…
This continues to impress, especially given the price point. My previous note applies, though this bottle was slightly stricter than 2.5 years ago when I last popped the cork here. It felt like it…
Alluringly smooth and polished for such a young wine, the 2018 L'Eglise-Clinet shows purple and red berry fruit on the initial pull of the cork, primary and linear as one might expect, with a finish…
If you long for grandma's hope chest filled with cigarette butts and old dusty diaries with yellow-stained pages, then best venture elsewhere, because this vintage of Pavie is front-loaded with super…
A lot of high scores here, so I of course had to open one of these to see what all the fuss was about. Upon the first pull of the cork, you might as well have just poured this down the drain and…
An obvious youngster, but with the heralded 2010 vintage backing an already top-notch first growth classification, the 2010 Lafite was destined to offer an A-lister performance. On the first pop of…
This is my fourth time with this wine, so I'll just mention some particulars that I think might be noteworthy. This presented as advertised and expected for the most part, with a rich and chewy…
This bottle took a little more mechanical influencing to get into a state of notable expression. At first, muted and linear, this Enclos Tourmaline was a boring date on the initial pickup. A few…
This is the obvious standout for me amongst the 2018 Bonds, with well-delineated blackberry, unripe plum flesh, purple and red plum skin, and red cherry flavors complimented by a meaty element adding…
Boy is this a tight and stubborn monkey; a little awkwardness and wonky alcohol surfaced here, further distracting from the would-be flavors hoping to emerge on the delivery. Furry, flinty, and…
Blackberry and plum notes provide the plushest and most rounded profile (by Bond standards) of the 2018 lot. Air becomes somewhat of a weapon here, with extended time in the glass clamping down on…
Earthy and slightly flat on entry, with the front end giving comparatively less oomph than its siblings. A linear and stemmy execution, with dusty gravel, green peppercorns, blackberry seed, and…
Unripe red raspberry, sour red cherry, green peppercorn, and plum skin notes present as painfully young, holding the fruit back a thousand yards from expansion. With vigorous swirling in the glass,…
Sour red cherry, dust, and bitter bark. Light and linear, with a complete drop-off on the finish. Not a ton going on here except some sour and bitter notes competing with some light-bodied red fruit…
Not sure the deal here. A strong bitterness, with blackberry seed and an acrimonious pasty finish that paws at the palate and leaves a furry texture in the mouth. A concerning showing.
Ready, giving, luscious, chewy, and a big polar bear hug of black berries and chocolate chunk goodness that doesn't skip a beat in terms of textural dreaminess and seamlessness. The 2012 Harlan's…
With Bill Harlan's assertions that he is crafting wines from the Bond brand that are designed to age, then the 2002 Vecina makes a compelling argument as to why that is indeed true. Earthy and…
