James Berry Vineyard is the home vineyard of Saxum and one of the great Rhone varietal vineyards in the world.  Mike Officer of Carlisle does a great job with his allotment.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, black pepper, slight black olives and spice.  Full bodied.  Tannins are resolved.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberries, blueberries and spice with underlying char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and about at peak.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  Nice on its own, this would work well with (Vegetarian) Chil

Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, char, slight bramble and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Nice acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is tasty.  Lovely texture.  Black cherries, cherries and some char and spice.  Good finish.  This is very drinkable.  Young, but open.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  Great on its own, this will work well with ribs or a burger off the grill.  

Crazy bottle.  The grapes were the 1820 vintage.  That means James Monroe, one of the USA's Founding Father's was president when these grapes were harvested.  Apparently in 1858 John Vanderpool, and affluent New Yorker has health issues and was advised by his doctor to try a different climate.  On his travels, he stopped on the island of Madeira where he purchased a quantity of this wine and stored it in glass demijohns.  He passed away, survived by his son, Jacob Vanderpoel, who in 1870, had this wine bottles for its 50th anniversary.  Somehow, a bottle made it to northeast Ohio where it w

What a privilege to taste a wine that is 68 years from vintage and is not only alive, but really firing on all cylinders.

This is a proprietary Red wine from Napa.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate, black cherries and cedar.  Clean.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, cedar and chocolate.  Long finish.  Deep and complex.  This is still drinking young, so if opening soon, give it some air.  It should drink well for twenty to thirty more years.  Great on its own, this is the quintessential steak house wine.  

This is the LVMH owned winery in China and this is its first vintage.  Expectations were low for this, but we need not have worried, this wine was quite good.  A bit different, but quite good.  It is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is lean but good.  Cassis, chocolate, slight tobacco, and a bit of green bell pepper.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is leaner but with some power.  Black cherries, cassis and smoke with underlying earthiness.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  Good o

First time trying this winery.  The winemaker is Jeff Ames who makes some great wines at TOR and other wineries.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, slight lumber and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis with some cedar and spice.  Tightly layered complexity, it unwinds nicely in the glass.  Long finish.  This will improve with a few years in the cellar but is drinking well now.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own, this needs big food right now.  Pot Roast would go well.  

Whoa!  Not a wine that shows up often, and its expensive, but this wine is amazing!  15.5% abv.

This is a still red wine (Pinot Noir) made in the Champagne region of France.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cinnamon, cherries, slight black cherry, and a bit of poblano pepper.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is a slightly watery, slightly bitter note that is unusual in a Pinot but also plenty of cherries and a bit of green pepper.  It is a very good wine, but it is also one of the more interesting Pinots I have had.  There is a nice complexity.  It was served with a bunch of wines, and this would be fascinating to drink on i

Perhaps the top bottling from this storied winery.  Ruby in color, purple at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, pomegranate, and a slight earthiness.  Full bodied.  On the palate, sour cherries, some cranberries, root beer, and the slightest milk chocolate note at the top of the long finish.  Complex and tightly layered, it unwinds quickly in the glass.  This is drinking close to peak it seems but should drink well for another ten years or so.  Nice on its own, this would be better with food.  Roasted Duck would be an obvious choice.