2002 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, France, Champagne, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2002
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$421.00USD

Always a pleasure to try this wine although it underperformed expectations for the  wine in this vintage.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  Nice mousse with lots of tiny bubbles.  The nose is toasty with slight lemon and a hint of smoke.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has tart acidity.  Green apples with slight lemon.  Very long on the finish.  This is very tasty.  It seems to be about at peak or at least turning from a young vibrant Champagne to a mature one.  Drink  over the next ten years unless you like them old.  This is very food friendly and would work with just about any fo

2008 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese, Germany, Mosel, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Yellow/green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight diesel with lemons and wet rocks.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet (much less than expected).  Slightly viscous.  Lemons with nice minerality.  Long finish.  Great on its own it will work well with lighter salads or with savory desserts.  drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

2016 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia, USA, California, Napa, Calistoga, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$130.00USD

This is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot from the Eisele vineyard in Calistoga.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, cigar box, cloves and dust.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has cassis, cedar with an underlying char.  Long finish.  This is young and will still get better but it is delicious today.  Maybe about five to eight more years until peak.  It will drink well for the next fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own or with food, lamb chops would be a nice choice.  

2003 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, USA, California, Napa, Stags Leap

Vintage: 
2003
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$265.00USD

Shafer Hillside Select is quite simply a First Growth of Napa Cabernets.  Every vintage is always one of the top releases from Napa.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, smoke, cedar, graphite and dust.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, there is cassis with layers of graphite, cedar and smoke.  Nice complexity. This is just about fully mature at this point. Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with roasted meats and veggies.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

2006 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon The Ark Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2006
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$608.00USD

Stunning wine.  This had a few hours of air prior to serving.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with Mocha.  With a bit of air cassis, red licorice and the very slightest note of prune (but not stewed or in a bad way).  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Seamless texture.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, this is elegant.  Yes, it has 15.5% abv but there is no sign on the palate.  Smooth in every way.  Flavors of cassis, dark chocolate and char.  Velvety.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is not yet at peak but getting closer.  It should drink amazingly for the next fifte

2006 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Oakville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2006
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$650.00USD

Wow.  This wine is stunning and yet, still on the young-ish side.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is explosive with cassis, dust, mocha, and smoke.  Full bodied.  A seamless texture.  Very firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, anise, dark chocolate and slight char.  Long finish.  This wine had some air prior to serving but still kept improving over the few hours we enjoyed it.  This should continue to improve over the next five to eight years, but in any event, will drink well for at least another twenty.  There is plenty of fruit to meld into the tannins as they resolve

1999 Dominus Estate, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Great to try a mature Dominus, one of the great Napa Cabs made in a more Bordeaux style.   A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with cassis and slight cigar box notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, cassis with some depth and underlying tobacco.  This seems fully mature with a nice complexity.  Very nice finish.  This will work better food than on its own.  Lamb stew would be a great choice.  Drink over the next five years or so.  

2018 Saxum White James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$150.00USD

This is a white blend made from 66% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, and 6% Chenin Blanc.  Pop and pour, this needed a good hour or more to really open up.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a cream soda note.  With air, it shows wax and lemons.  With even more air, some tropical fruits come out (pineapple and guava?).  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the experience is similar to the nose; cream soda to waxy lemons to tropical fruits.  A creamy texture.  Some warmth on the finish but this also goes away with air.  This is obviously young and sho

2017 Shumi Iberiuli Saperavi, Georgia, Kakheti, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$21.00USD

This is made from Saperavi grapes from Shumi's Satrabakho Vineyard in Kakheti, Georgia.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cassis, char and black pepper.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is concentrated and deep.  Flavors of black cherries, some cassis with underlying char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is delicious and drinks like a Cab/Zin blend.  Very international in style, it is a nice value and should be a popular wine among friends.  It drinks great on its own and would work well with burgers or ribs off the grill.  dri

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