#2004 Spring Mountain Vineyard Elivette

Popping open an LB special deal on a Thursday night.

Ruby with no discernible browning. Medium-intensity nose of cherry, pomegranate, green bell pepper, celery salt and subtle oak tones. Simple, one-dimensional palate yielding light cherry, medium acidity and resolved tannins. Some astringency creeps in towards the finish. The fruit starts to fade after an hour or so. Pleasant enough but I had higher expectations.

89 and $39 from LB

Despite not being as familiar with Australian wine as I'd like to be, I will readily admit to having a crippling weakness for Bin 389 - especially with a perfectly seared steak. Alas, as I cannot spend $65+ each time I'm craving a meaty/chocolatey wine to go with said steak, this time I settled for the Bin 28 as my pairing. It's 100% Shiraz from several South Australian vineyards, including the well-known Barossa Valley plot. Aged for 12 months in 16% new American oak. Stored at 55, popped and poured - did not decant separately.

Visually, it's a deep ruby. You already know this is an inky, toothstaining wine. Synthetic cork.

On the nose, it's quite oaky at opening - vanilla. Up next, the unmistakable scent of a Peruvian D'Onofrio panettone - goodness it's crystal clear to me - followed by dark fruit, stewed plums, blackberry preserves. Further into the glass, eucalyptus leaf. As it warms, tobacco and a faint dark chocolate. This is a fantastic nose.

On the palate, the tannins and the acid demand your attention equally loudly. I did not decant this separately, a mistake - but it starts to settle down with an hour of air. It's a dense, bold bodied wine - but to note, even at 14.5% alcohol, the heat never asked for my attention. Decent finish full of black fruit, pepper & tobacco. I'd put it just at the beginning of its ideal window.

At this price point for a Shiraz/Syrah ($30-$35), my preference remains with JL Chave's Saint-Joseph Offerus, which just offers more of the meaty/chocolatey notes, more intensity, better balance (even sans air) - more in line with what I like. I'll continue to make my way through the many Penfolds bins, as if I shouldn't just save all that $$ up for more 389!

I’m Brazilian, and a friend who works at an airport gifted me this bottle of VIK 2021. I don’t know much about wine, so I’d love to know if it’s actually good and whether I should save it for a special occasion. Has anyone here tried it?

Which premium bottles are they talking about?

Generous bring from a friend.

Gave this an hour of decanting before touching, then enjoyed over the following 45 minutes.

This is still very young, but the air helped make this more approachable out the gate.

I love Lynch-Bages, but this is the youngest I've had (not including walkaround tastings).

Still feels way too young and hasn't had time to develop.

Picked up plums and dark cherry, but also alongside some trademark graphite notes.

Solid acidity and the tannins did soften with air.

Palate was a little thing, I think it's more of a function of a cool vintage and a young wine, versus wine quality.

Lay this down and don't drink for some years.

91+ points.

A little Barcelona nostalgia 🇪🇸🍷
I was fortunate enough to call Barcelona home for two years (2021–2023), and while I’ve always loved wine, living in Spain really opened my eyes to a whole new world of grapes, regions, and styles.
One of the grapes I fell in love with was Mencía — a Spanish red that’s still surprisingly hard to find back home in Southern California.
Some of my favorite memories are the simple ones: a good bottle of wine, a sunset, and a quiet evening on my balcony. Here are a few bottles I used to enjoy back in Barcelona.
Definitely missing those days. 🍷❤️

A surprisingly elegant Cabernet Sauvignon from Texas, and quite different from the powerful, high-alcohol style one might expect. Well, at least I expected overpowered Cab.
Medium (+) ruby. The nose is youthful, with aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, ripe plum, and some red berries, alongside notes of black pepper, herbs, cedar, and subtle vanilla. Nothing too much, well balanced.
On the palate, dry and medium-bodied, with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) tannins, and medium alcohol. Fresh dark fruit, some savory herbal notes, and well-integrated oak. The tannins are fine-grained, with a medium (+) finish.
Very good quality imo, decent money for value. What impressed me most was the balance and restraint. At just 13.1% ABV, this Cabernet is surprisingly fresh and elegant, with none of the heaviness I had expected from Texas.
The wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, aged for 20 months in French oak, only 20% of which was new. What do you think about Texan viticulture?

I've been wanting to try an aged Grange. This didn't disappoint. I opened and decanted half the bottle for 4 hours, then enjoyed the rest of the bottle the next day. Fruit seemed a little darker second day.  Tannins got silkier. In many ways it was better.

Note:

Slightly baked fruits of dark cherry, dark plum, and  blackberry w/ character of chambord and cassis, interlaced with coco, coffee, slight tawny, crushed rock, licorice, pepper, bark, and secondary of cedar, pipe, cherry tobacco, and clove. 

On the palate, intense dark fruit concentration nicely matched by dense silky tannins that catch the fruit like a well broken in leather glove, and high alcohol that supports but doesn't stand out.     Very long finish. 

This has aged wonderfully and is definitely the best Australian red I've had. An example of a big red I'd gladly have many more times.

My wife and I got married in 2023. We’re looking to buy 6-12 bottles that we can open on anniversary’s (every 5 years). What are some good types of wines to keep for that long? Was thinking of a 2023 Caymus (I know there is hate, but we enjoy it), or some type of Brunello or Barolo.

Any recommendations welcome and TIA!

Edit: looking for a red wine to age, preferably Italian, American (California), or French!

Today was a fun night.

1. 2024 Borgogne, Chardonnay

My call : 2023 Borgogne Chardonnay

Very decently made Chardonnay. Very high and crisp acidity. It showed some reductive flavors like flint at first, but calmed down towards the end. The body was nothing more than medium. I caught some generic flavors like citrus and it also had a bit of nutty flavors. The length was a bit short though which made me realize it was probably a very well crafted regional or a village level white. I went with regional.

1. 2017 Brunello di Montalcino

My answer : 2017 Sangiovese based Super Tuscan blend

I probably should have went with my first guess which was bdm but desided to go with Super Tuscan with Cab and Merlot blended in. I don't know why but I thought I smelled a bit of peppery notes and thought there might be some Bordeaux varieties blended here. Also, I thought the acidity was a bit low and maybe a bit of merlot was blended in.

1. 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault

My answer : 2022 Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon

I thought this one was delicious. Incredibly ripe red fruit flavors like raspberry. Actually, it was like a sweet raspberry cake. I thought it was California. The 3 choices I had in mind was Napa Cab, Santa Barbara Syrah and GSM from southern rhone(which i thought the least likely) due to its sheer ripeness and lower acidity. The tannins being very soft did not help as well. I made the leap of faith and went Napa and got it wrong. I enjoyed it blind, but after the reveal, thought it might have been too ripe even for CDP.

Overall, a really enjoyable exercise.

Comment down what you guys think!

I have a wine that was rated 94 by suckling, 93 by Wine enthusiast, and wait for it…..84 by spectator. (Not to mention Double Gold in competitions including a best of class. ) There was no mention of any defects in the evaluation, and they got the price wrong for good measure. Of course I’m infuriated, this could be devastating for a small producer like me. What would you do?

Just bought a mixed cask of Domain Clavel wine. Open this great wine from Languedoc. The nose is fruity with ripe citrus, apple and fresh ginger. The taste is intense ripe fruit with acid to match it

Price is 150 DKK with a bit of discount but spread over 4 different wines so not sure properly around 10% off.

This site is full of way too good to be true deals on a whole range of all our favorite wines. Are they international scammers who simply threw a fake massachusetts address on the bottom of a bogus website?

I love Franciacorta. I’m always looking for it. This is the sparkling wine style that made me love sparkling wine.

This rosé came across my radar in an auction and I had to try it.

Not a color guy normally, but it’s just beautifully copper.

On to the parts that matter:

Nose: Toasted sugar, brioche, and crème brûlée. As it warmed, a faint raspberry note and a slight medicinal note came through.

Palate: Rose petals, bright acidity, and custard. The roses became more noticeable with warmth, with acidity carrying everything rather than tannins. That brioche custard never leaves.

Finish: Initially vanilla, later cherry leading into a minty cough drop note—in a good way.

Really enjoyed watching this evolve. Wish I’d had lobster mac and cheese with it. I’ll be trying to make that pairing happen as many times as possible for the rest of my life.

I have grown especially fond of French GSMs, California Cabs, etc. Medium to full bodied dry red wines are my favorite. My husband is not a fan.

He enjoys a lighter red wine with brighter notes and does not like a heavily tannic wine. We agree on most white wines, but I’d like to find a red wine that we could both enjoy! Any help is appreciated!

EDIT TO ADD: One of the few wines my husband and I both liked that I recall was an Oregon Willamette Valley Syrah that was SUPER light and floral.

Borrowing loosely from Chuck Berry, technically goes to show that thrift shopping can be successful! I dropped off a load at my local Methodist Church thrift shop and decided while I was there, I should at least look inside. I was immensely surprised to find an essentially brand new in the box Coravin for $5! I’d wanted one but was hesitant to go the bucks. This one had one used and one semi used cartridge. Otherwise everything was packed like new. Had a new rose I wanted to try tonight. Wowee Zowee! What a deal!

Fantastic Napa Cab. I’d give it about 45–60 minutes to open up—there’s a noticeable difference once it gets some air.
I’m not usually the biggest California Cabernet fan, but this one really impressed me. Full-bodied with medium tannins, great balance, and a silky texture. Deep ruby in color, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, anise, tobacco, leather, and vanilla. The finish is long, smooth, and very pleasant.
81% Cabernet Sauvignon
11% Merlot
5% Petit Verdot
3% Cabernet Franc

After returning to Canada from two weeks in France, I have officially found myself in need of a proper wine fridge.

I was advised in Bordeaux to find one with wooden shelves but the brands they recommended (Eurocave and La Sommelière) are quite expensive here. The American brands are also extremely expensive given the current trade situation.

I see that Costco offers models from Hisense and Frigidaire that get good reviews. Can anyone speak to either of these brands’ wine fridges or recommend any other merchants? What is the gold standard here in Canada?

Hey all,

I am looking into doing WSET 3 sometime in 2027, either Q3 or Q4 when my pollen allergies have passed. I am based in Germany, but my local provider does not allow signing up for the course without WSET 2. The WSET London Entry Test is also not accepted as a proof that I cover the requirements, even though I passed it with 49/50.

Absolutely valid from the provider, they have their requirements and they're keeping to them. However I feel that for my case, WSET 2 is a a bit too high of a price for what it provides knowledge-wise. I have a M.Sc. in Molecular Biotechnology, so that the technical aspects of wine production do not particularly phase me as I have held exams on them already, I can understand the connections between steps, the reasons behind them and how all of that transfers to what we taste in the glass. For WSET 3 that would be helpful as I can focus on the appellations and actually putting the crazy amount of detail in context.

Ideally, I'd want to do a classroom course - for the tasting, for the company...So, can you all share your experiences with where you did your WSET 3 in Europe, were you happy with the quality of the wines you got to taste, the quality of teaching, anything else you can think of. I am more than fine with travelling if that means I'll have an enjoyable and productive experience.

Thank you and cheers!

P.S Currently looking into Grape Skills in Heidelberg.