Bordeaux Blend

This is a Bordeaux blend from Israel of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Petite Verdot.  It is one of the more expensive bottlings coming out of Israel.  It is a very nice wine but whether it is worth the money is another question.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is earthy with black cherries, some cassis, slight bell pepper and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the black cherries come thru with a streak of bell pepper over and earthy/charred bed.  It drinks like classic Bordeaux.  Nice balance.  Light tannins.  Solid finish.  This seems to be at peak and should be

This is a Bordeaux blend from Napa.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, licorice, and spice.  Very nice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, there is black cherries and spice.  Moderate tannins.  A slight hint of mint on the finish.  This is drinking well now but may get a point or two better.  It drinks nicely on its own and would work well with a steak or roast.  

A dangerous vintage for this wine as they had winery wide issues with cork taint in the late 80's.  This bottle, however, showed very well.  Pop and pour, it took about 30 minutes to really get going.  After that it kept opening in stages for the next couple hours.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, leather, a slight horse note and with air, cigar box.  On the palate, this is fresh and drinking well.  Tannins are pretty much resolved.  Layers of fruit and earth unwind in the glass.  Good finish.  I would drink these sooner than later

Very nice showing for this wine.  Pop and pour, it took about 30 minutes to open up and then kept improving over the next couple of hours.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cigar box, slight funk.  On the palate, this is full bodied.

Another gorgeous wine from Thomas Rivers Brown.  This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot that were co-fermented .  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, chocolate and baking spices.  Lush and rich texture on a medium to full bodied frame.  Very concentrated.  Black cherry fruit with cassis with underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Drinking youthfully but very well.  This should continue to mature for another five to seven years and be good for another ten to twelve more after that.  It will go well with roasts of all kinds.  

This winery calls itself the first garage wine from Margaux.  Deep ruby with some purple at the core.  The nose is very nice if a bit more earthy than what I think of for Margaux.  That is it has cassis, barnyard funk, blueberries and spice.  Full bodied and a luxurious mouthfeel.  On the palate, cassis and blueberries with underlying funk.  This is showing some maturity but not fully there.  Maybe another few years, but this should drink well for at least another decade.  Medium tannins.  Nice finish.  A delightful wine to drink on its own, it will also work well with roasted meats, fowl o

This is a proprietary red from Napa made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Tasted from two bottles, and one bottle was good, the other one great.  At age 18, that is to be expected.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, gravel and roasted meat and herbs.  On the palate, this is complex as the layers start to unwind in the glass.  Black cherries dominate over a nice dry earthiness.  Light tannins.  Great balance.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own but will be even better with

This is the second wine from Cheval Blanc, but that doesn't mean it is not a quality wine nor is it inexpensive.  It is one of the better second labels out there.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose has cherries, tobacco, black cherries, slight mint and cedar.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  There are slight tannins.  A nice complexity with cherries and black cherries over tobacco/earth.  Nice finish.  This won't get better but should be in this window for another seven to ten years.  It works better with food but drinks nicely on its own.  It would pair well with lamb.  

2001 was a good if not great vintage and the better wines are certainly at peak.  That would include this one.  It is one of the better Merlot's produced in Bordeaux.  Purple in color, ruby at the core.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight plums, some cedar and a bit of milk chocolate.  Full bodied.  The wine has a nice complexity to it.  If is mature and on the refined side.  Layers of plums, cherries with an earthy/dried fruit base.  Moderate finish.  This worked well with a stuffed mushroom cap dish.  No real hurry at this point, but probably best to drink up within five to ten years.

No winery is more synonymous with Napa Valley than Robert Mondavi.  And while they make all sorts of wines and at all sorts of price points, this is the one that epitomizes the winery.  Somehow, they straddle the line between old and new, corporate yet having a sense of place, and making a wine that is affordable and good value for the quality.  The blend of this is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Verdot, 5% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.  It sees 17% New French Oak.  Served at a recent Intowine.com tasting, this was quite a hit.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is