Bordeaux Blend

Opened and decanted for sediment.  This is drinking well.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, slight bricking.  The nose is nice with cassis, cherries, leather and cedar.  Full bodied.  Tannins seem resolved.  On the palate, cherries and black cherries with underlying leather.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This seems fully mature but not over the hill.  Complex and also delicious.  It would work well with braised lamb.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is drinking great right now.  Mature, but absolutely no hurry.  Decanted for sediment and served.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  No browning.  The nose is classic with cherries, cassis, tobacco, leather, slight funk and cigar box.  Full bodied.  Light but present tannins.  On the palate, lots of cherries, black cherries and cassis with earthiness and spice underneath.  Layers of complexity.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Contemplative.  Great on its own, this would work great with slow braised beef.  Based on this bottle, at least a decade left.  

This is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is expressive with cassis, black cherries, dark chocolate and slight coffee.  Full bodied.  Rich texture with great balance.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is complex and layered.  Flavors of cassis, black cherries and chocolate with underlying char.  Long finish.  This is drinking fantastic right now but should still improve over the next five to ten years.  It should drink well for twenty more years after that.  Great on its own, this will nee

This is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, and 13% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with cassis, black cherries, cigar box, vanilla and slight smoke.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Deep, it unwinds in the glass.  Light tannins.  Nots of cassis, cherries with some vanilla and a hint of char.  This wine comes off as much more elegant than their Cabernet and more seamless.  Some of that is the vintage as the 2017's are generally drinking earlier.  That said, this wine should drin

Once again demonstrating how long the 2005's are taking to come around.  Pop and pour (for logistic reasons), this was just starting to open at the two hour mark.  Still, a great showing though.

This is a blend of  41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 25% Cabernet Franc made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  Pop and pour, this took about twenty minutes to start opening and then drink very well.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, baking spice, slight chocolate, a hint of iron and roasted herbs.   Full bodied although certainly not over the top.  Rich texture.  On the palate, this has firm tannins that integrate somewhat with air.  Nots of cherries and black cherries with some underlying tobacco and a bit of chocolate.  Som

A new winery for me to try.  Purple in colo9r, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight cassis, smoke and gravel.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with underlying smoke and gravel.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next ten to twelve years.  This should go well with Roasted or Charred Portabellas and Root Vegetables.

This is the second wine of Pichon Longueville.  It is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate and a bit of leather.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, light tannins.  Tart, black raspberry fruit.  Some black cherries and a bit of chocolate.  Good acidity.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This should improve a bit over the next five to seven years but either way should be great drinking over the next twelve to fifteen.  A Chicken and Cheddar Sou

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cassis, slight floral notes and cedar.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has ripe cassis flavors with a touch of leather and slight dried floral notes.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  This needs a few more years to open and then should drink well for another ten to twelve more.  This would work well with a bacon-cheese Quiche.  

This is the second wine of Lynch Bages.  It is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  Most of the 2018's tried were riper and more "modern" for lack of a better descriptor.  This seems more "old school" with less alcohol.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, graphite, slight leather and char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there are tart black cherries, medium tannins and just a bit of smoke.  A slightly clipped finish.  This could use a bit of time, maybe a couple years, but should drink well for ten to twelve