1999 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$109.00USD

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust, dried cedar and slight spice.  Medium bodied. Wispy tannins.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity to it.  Layers of dried cherries, cherries and forest floor.  Good acidity.  Good finish.  This is past prime and on the way down, so drink sooner than later.  It is better with food.  A nice plate of pasta with a tomato sauce would work well.  

2007 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Les Racines, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2007
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

From the excellent 2007 vintage, this winery consistently makes some of the better Gigondas wines.  Ruby/brown in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black raspberries, black pepper and slight dried flower note.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, some cherries, spice and some earthiness.  Good finish.  This seems to be at peak, but will probably start declining soon, so, drink up.  A nice wine with braised lamb of beef.  

1999 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Nice to revisit this.  Back in the day, this was our house wine ($20), but then it was awarded the Wine Spectator WOTY and overnight, the price doubled and that was that.  New vintages are around $65, so it hasn't gone up a lot in 20 years since.  Too bad, because while this might not be a top CdP, it is a very nice wine and this one has held up great.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, and Provencal spice.  Light to medium bodied.  Tannins completely integrated.  On the palate, cherries with some char.  Moderate finish.  Drink up if you have any.  A nice wine

1972 Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Xavier 1972, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1972
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$190.00USD

This is a really interesting wine.  As the story goes, Xavier Vignon is a Rhone producer who also consults.  In his travels, he discovered this wine as it was sitting in a concrete tank with very low levels of oxygen.  It is unclear who made the wine originally.  It was bottle recently and released.

2000 Château Monbousquet, France, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Nice showing for this wine.  In its youth, this was full throttle oak, but at age 23, the fruit, oak and tannins have all integrated and mellowed and come together.  Purple/black in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has clay, black cherries, spice and chocolate.  Medium tannins.  Nice texture.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with a hint of black olives.  The finish is a bit bitter and drying.  Overall, this seems at peak.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  It will work better with food.  A nice wine with a burger.  

2013 Château L'Evangile, France, Bordeaux, Pomerol, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$195.00USD

This is 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc from the difficult 2013 vintage.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose cherries, chocolate, tobacco and spice.  Nice texture.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with some cherries with some clay and spice notes.  The finish is a bit clipped.  A very nice effort for the vintage.  It may not have enough fruit to outlast the tannins.  drink over the next ten years.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  A nice wine to open with Ahi Tuna off the grill.  

2005 Château Clerc Milon, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$172.00USD

The 2005 vintage was excellent in Bordeaux and most are open and drinking well right now.  This wine showed wonderfully.  Ruby in color with some browning.  The nose is classic with cassis, char, tobacco, leather and cherries.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries with some spice and a bit of dry earthiness.  Some complexity.  Nice texture.  Good finish.  This wine is just about at peak (or maybe a bit past).  Drink these sooner than later.  It will be better with food.  Beef stew with roasted root vegetables would be a nice match.  

1997 Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva Villa Antinori, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1997
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

How long does a good, if not great, Chianti last?  This bottle was bought on release and cellared since.  The fill was just into the neck of the bottle.  Pop and pour (carefully).  Purple in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose was complex with cherries, slight dried cherries, forest floor and slight spice.  Full bodied.  Tannins integrated.  On the palate, this is fresh and vibrant.  Fully mature.  Ripe cherry and slight sour cherry fruit along with a bit of sandalwood.  Some depth and complexity.  Nice finish.  Blind I would have though about seven to ten years

2016 Haras de Pirque Albis, Chile, Maipo Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$48.00USD

A new wine for me.  This is an Antinori project in Chile.  A blend of 81% Cabernet sauvignon and 19% Carmenere.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with plums, black cherries, herbal notes and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well.  Black cherry fruit with slight rosemary note.  A bit bitter and drying on the finish.  This should drink well for another five to eight years.  Good on its own, this will work well with heavier foods.  Lamb chops and mashed potatoes would be a nice match.  

2019 Antinori Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$45.00USD

This seemed to be a step above the 2017 although both were quite good. Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust, char and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, cherries, tart cherries and slight chocolate notes.  Good finish.  This needs a few years of cellaring to hit peak though it drinks well now.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  A nice wine to match with Pasta with Bolognese sauce.  

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