Reviews

Château Pavie Macquin

Bordeaux vs. Tuscany vs. USA:

Château Pavie Macquin

This took about 2-3 hours of decanted air to fully open up. Wild blackberry, red and black cherry, red and purple plum skin limestone, muddled strawberry seed, and violets. A near-perfect combination…

Château d'Aiguilhe

Blackberry, red and black cherry, mocha, coffee grounds, spice, and a floral note. Round and fairly plush on entry, with a really nice cut that grips everything all in the right place. Finishes…

Château de la Dauphine Fronsac

Surprisingly powerful for such a base model Bordeaux. Some booze and a fairly dusty tannic spine needed some air to shake off a bit of astringency on the initial Coravin pour. However, once it…

Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT

Don't expect this to deliver the goods on the initial pull of the cork, as it takes a few hours of decanted air to start gaining any depth and expanding its flavors. PnP is all speed, with a racy…

Château Quinault L'Enclos

A noticeable step up from some of the $25-ish range Bordeaux served alongside it, with better focus and grip than some of its lesser comrades. Though with the $40+ price tag comes a little more…

Château Joanin Bécot

Black and red cherry, sour plum, muddled strawberry, and some limestone. Wound up pretty tight at this juncture, keeping a linear trajactory most of the way through delivery. Finishes fuzzy and…

Château Ferran Pessac-Léognan

Red and black currant, plum, and the typical cedar-spice-earth trifecta that lets you know it's a Bordeaux. It was a fine wine, but a bit thinner mid-palate than I had anticipated. I was hoping that…

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

2016 and 2013 Sassicaia served side-by-side (Hotel Diamant, San Cassiano, Alta Badia, Dolomites).

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

2016 and 2013 Sassicaia served side-by-side (Hotel Diamant, San Cassiano, Alta Badia, Dolomites).

Château Dalem

Very similar to the 2016, except that the 2015 was a little less rich (contradictory to the general vintage expressions in Bordeaux - where the 2015s overall seem to have a little more girth and…

Château Haut-Bailly

Linear and straight-laced from beginning to end. A stack of seeming potential, but not showing a full pulse until 7+ years from now. Similar to a '16 SHL I had the other day, with a primary delivery…

Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Much more linear and red-fruited at the moment when directly compared to the more unctuous and concentrated 2015 SHL, this 2016 displays red raspberry, red and black cherry, menthol, sage, and subtle…

Antinori Tignanello

Sleek and racy, with a bit of a bite for a frame in its current state. A good degree of class, but somewhat primary in its execution at this stage. Black cherry, plum skin, wet cedar, embers,…

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore

Plum and spice lead the charge, with earthy mushroom and wet soil components adding interest to additional notes of plum skin and muddled blackberry flavors. All in all, a great showing, pairing…

Château Gruaud Larose

Plum, black currant, leather, macerated black cherry, and wet cedar soil. Medium and graceful, but with a beautiful wrapping of subtle acidity that gently grips the dark fruit with a politely…

Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)

Purple plum and plum skin, wet limestone (almost like the inside of a cave), black cherry, and spicy hints of white pepper smoked paprika. Smooth and remarkably balanced for such a primary delivery…

Château Troplong Mondot

Black currant, blackberry, fresh black soil, dark mulch, black cherry, clove, Christmas spices, burnt embers, and some pencil lead. A beautifully black and hauntingly earthy core, with a perfect push…

Clos l'Église (Pomerol)

Red and purple plum, wet limestone, cassis, and some chalk. Grippy and hyper-focused, with a high register delivery that still manages to stay the course and provide a decent amount of flavor…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Dark, earthy red and black berry fruit, soft mulch and cedar, forest floor, and rained-on campfire embers. A pretty sweet kiss of red raspberry fruit on the back end provides lift to otherwise more…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Heritage Reserve Arrow & Branch Coombsville

More serious and firm that the 2015 CF Heritage served beside it, this 2016 has more dark power and grip than its older brother. Black fruit and some burnt embers make up the primary core, with small…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Heritage Reserve Arrow & Branch Coombsville

More plush and fruity when compared to the 2016 CF Heritage served alongside it, the 2015 impresses for its opulent red berry fruit and floral flavor. Round and plush red raspberry, red and black…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry liqueur, smooth cedar, wet mulch, and some black rock. Classy, finessed, and super sophisticated, the execution here is medium and agreeable, with no hard edges to be found. A faint…

Arrow & Branch Right Bank Blend

The "Right Bank Bordeaux" red blend is the star of the 2016 A&B lineup. A Cabernet Franc dominant (50%) animal, with a 24%/24% additional split of Cabernet Sauvignon, with 2% Petit Verdot. Tasted…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label

Red current, black cherry, and some spice box lead the classy execution of this medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Subtle cedar and plum skin notes carry themselves throughout the attack as well. A…