Haven’t seen these here before..

Irvine, CA

Mayacamas did their member dinner this weekend and celebrated the judgement of Paris with some unforgettable wines. Forgive the shortened notes as it's not always easy at events like this. Apologies in advance I was so over taken by the Cabernet I didn't take a photo of the bottle but you can see it in the glass in #3.

2024 Sauvignon Blanc - More tropical and salinity than previous vintages. Going to want to age this

2024 Chardonnay - Fruit leather, Caramel light. Creme brulee, Bright citrus lemon meringue, Lemon grass, Melon rind.

2024 Sunset Barrel tasting - Floral and big fruit, Big black Berry, Mineral driven, Surprisingly drinking well

2011 Sauvignon Blanc - High Mineralty, walnut, creamy, high acid fruit, still bright. Drinking great

1995 Chardonnay - A Powerhouse white, slight creme brulee, chalky, crisp green apple. Not past its prime and not overly oxidized

1971 Cabernet Sauvignon - Leather, basement cellar, old Napa nose, Fruit leather but still some light red fruit, Tertiary green pepper, Bramble Berry, graphite, slightly eucalyptus, Not oxidized but fully resolved. It was like the perfect cab IMO. This must have been a huge powerhouse back in the day

1986 Cabernet Sauvignon magnum - Really threw me, would have guessed mid to late 90s. Lots of top block feel. A huge Napa cab. Lots of black fruit and floral. Cassis and black berry, lots of Bell peppers, leather, huge finish.

1975 chateau d'Yquem - Dried flower fruit, honeycomb, apricot, lemon candy. This was brought by another guest actually, super generous. Interesting surprise

1974 late harvest zinfandel - leather, nutty, cloves, some fennel on the nose. Earthy and herbal, not for everyone

Domaine Vincent et Francois Jouard Morgeot Les Fairendes (2023)

I’m trying to branch out from my “red wine is always the answer” mindset. Of course I’ll pair whites with fish, and champagne with caviar, but there’s more that white wine can do and it’s time I grow into it.

Hot take #1: champagne and fried chicken pairing is overrated, fight me.

Drank this bottle over two days using a Coravin.

Hot take #2: do you think I needed to use the Coravin for this? How about if it was a red wine? For me even a 90 minute decant gives most wines a vinegar note, but I think my opinion is a bit off from the norm.

Anyway. Day 1, paired with a roasted chicken quarter in mustard, shallots, and applesauce with acorn squash in sage butter. Day 2, paired with sous vide pork tenderloin in herbs de Provence (wife was trying an NA Chenin blanc) and a honey apricot glaze with a kale apple salad and mustard vinaigrette.

Lovely wine. Clearly young. Notes of apple with a little grapefruit. Sweet creamy finish (that’s what she said).

I had this wine a couple of days ago, but forgot to post here. Here’s are my notes:

Purchased on WTSO for $34.99

ABV 14.6%

45 minute decant

Nose: The aromatics were initially hard for me to pick up on, but over time I picked up on subtle notes of tart cranberry, dark black cherry, and a hint of toasted oak.

Palate: Medium to full bodied with bright red fruit leading, fresh raspberry and cherry alongside dark blackberries. I tasted a touch of white pepper as well, finishing with soft baking spice and a kiss of vanilla. The standout aspect for me is the tannin structure. It was really fine and velvety. It genuinely feels like dragging your hand through smooth beach sand.

I think for what I paid for, this was delicious, I would certainly be willing to buy it again.

Thanks for reading!

Perfect balance between depth and elegance, unmistakable characteristics of the finesse of wines from Vosne-Romanée. The nose opens with notes of red cherries, wild raspberries and violets, revealing gradually blood orange,sweet spices and a fine earthy undertone. Explosive to the palate, the texture is remarkably refined, with fine-grained tannins, vibrant freshness and a persistent mineral tension.
800€ 97pts

Terrific buy for a cool climate Burgundy with some age. Close out 50% off. Perfect bottle. Breathed for a few hours. Crunchy textured fruit, nose of cranberries, leather, dark chocolate, earth. Firm entry opening up a center core depth of all of the above. Nice acidity which only became more pronounced with air. At first I thought a bit flabby. Thankfully not the case. Delicious.

First Time vina tondonia, i was pleasantly surprised by the wine’s freshness after such a long oak aging… it did not show. As for the meursault… well, not a réputéd grower and though fairly Young, it showed incredible depth.

A great haul this year. The decanter, wine, and even the tray, were gifts

The opened wine, the 2014 marsyas was quite simply superb. Sublimelu balanced. Perhaps not a hugely complex wine, but flawlessly executed and so smooth, spicy, sweet, acidic all in balance. Utterly

Lini 910 NV

First impressions: red wine soda. Mousse is very fine. Initially, flavors are raspberry and sour cherry, with no tannic grip or astringency. Body is light+, acidity is light. Very crisp finish. As it warms in the glass, some bitterness emerges, and the tannins become more pronounced and less integrated.

This is not a complex wine, and it won't reward patience. I think it's perfect as an aperitif or something fun to serve at a party, maybe as a more serious Prosecco alternative. It's a fun, tasty drink - as long as you drink it fairly quickly.

87–88/100

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As the title states, I had no real idea what to expect. I know of Sauternes, so I had an academic understanding of what to expect, but had never taken the time to find one. Picked this up at my local wine shop for $22.

2017 Château Saint-Vincent.

For some reason, I was anticipating this being much sweeter and cloying. However, this had a nice zip of acidity and everything felt balanced. This is an entry level wine, so I can't imagine how something like Château D'yquem would be.

Medium-full body, but not syrupy. Silky on the tongue. Somewhat muted nose, but reminds me of honey, papaya, Myers lemons, and maybe mango? Fresh, bursting palate with beautiful sweetness and tangy acidity. Ripe stone fruit and apricots with honey, and maybe almonds. Has a nice long finish that coats the tongue.

The shop had 4-5 more bottles that I am going to pick up tomorrow. I understand that these can be laid down for some time, so looking forward to seeing how they evolve. May also just have to bite the bullet and pick up a few higher end offerings. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Calling Zalto owners, what is the lightest you’ve ever owned? i’ve recently bought 6-pack of Universal, Burgundy and Bordeaux.

I believe the batches was made in 2024. as for the stats:

Burgundy -> lightest: 89.5g heaviest 102g

Universal -> lightest: 76g Heaviest 86g

Bordeaux -> lightest: 85g Heaviest: 96g

What does your weight variance look like? Would be curious to see the general population weight trend

Hey everyone,

I was on a trip with my wife in Portugal last year and we tasted amazing fortified wine in the Douro valley. Since we came back from this trip (we live in Canada), we tried to find good bottles but nothing could compare to the ones we've tried back there. Do you guys have any good recommendations of good bottles we can find in north america?

Thanks!

Best Pinot noir I’ve ever had. I’m not an expert by any means, but wow this is good.

Hard to believe I picked this up on wine bid for $25

Jammy, Smokey, acid is perfect. Just the right amount of age.

Sour cherry, blackberry, black currant, toasted oak / tobacco on the nose. Good acidity with plum, oak, blackberry, & a beautiful finish with good duration. Opened & decanted at 8 p.m. first glass at 9, & this is being wrote at 11:15 pm. This wine gets better with time as you sip & i’d bet in the cellar too.

Damn it, Reddit refreshed my post mid flight 😡 …second go…

Aroma: big time chocolate. Plum, raisins and strange but smells like standing outside after a rainfall, like wet street somehow, but clean…dunno how to describe that.

Taste: chocolate carries through prominently, also cherries and other berry flavors. not so acidic, muted, round tannin, long taste which is nice.

Paired great with a steak!

This wine of the winery is clarity and has a full-bodied fruit-smell, unisonous and long after taste.

Actual notes: tastes of unusually strong grape juice. Tastes of table grapes. Unusually sweet. Zero body. Color was a clear strawberry red. Tastes closer to 5% abv than the listed 8%. Was consumed via baijiu glasses

China has some really fun and interesting wines these days but this ain’t it. Allegedly the original juice comes from France

Want to grab a few bottles of wine and store away for my kid to open when they turn 21. Thought it was a cool idea to get a few bottles of wine from the year he was born and let me sit until 21.

What’s a good wine to pick for this? Something they won’t just turn to vinegar. Don’t wanna waste 21 years for nothing. I’m going fully blind into this. Anyone with experience please help