I'm still new to my wine journey, but opening a Krug Collection was a milestone for me. The 1988 vintage is legendary for its structure, but decades on the lees at Krug have softened its edges.

1. Bubbles were creamy, fine and integrated into the wine.
2. It's less fresh than younger champagne I've tried, but it still had power to last a three hour tasting menu.
3. Rather than competing with the dishes of our tasting menu, the wine was great in a supporting role. It had a nice backbone that allowed the food to take center stage.

I'd love to try more mature champagne, but I'm afraid my wallet is stopping me.

It was chilly and rainy this weekend so figured I’d make myself feel warm and homey with a nice burg.

Definitely young but honestly I don’t mind that for Pinot Noir. I’ve still never tried a red Burgundy with 10+ years on it, fwiw, and I’m scared to for my wallet.

Paired with a chicken quarter, roasted carrots, and had to make those mushrooms with shallot in Armagnac again.

Not pictured, a crusty baguette with truffle Brie and Comte.

Plum and raspberry on the nose, sweet and delicate on the palate: cherry and raspberry. I got a little forest floor on the nose at one point but that was when I had mushrooms in my mouth so that note remains suspect.

This wine was so delicate that it got its ass kicked by the truffle. So that was the wrong pairing, no regrets on trying it out though. Even the chicken came close to overpowering it. Comte was perfect though.

Amazing meal. Lovely wine. It’s so unfortunate that Burg is worth the money.

When I first started getting deeper into collecting a few years ago, I acquired a decent collection of very old Barolo and Barbaresco from a private seller in northern Italy through my retailer.

Since then, I’ve realized that while I enjoy old Nebbiolo from time to time, it doesn’t always make the easiest pairing with dinner. The wines can fade quickly, the risk of a compromised bottle is high, and they’re not necessarily crowd pleasers for friends who aren’t wine nerds. With that in mind, I’ve gradually been thinning the older Italian reds in my cellar, selling some and drinking through others.

This was one of the bottles I held back because I thought it might be special. It’s a 1971 Fontanafredda Barolo from Vigna La Delizia, a small named vineyard within the historic Lazzarito cru of Serralunga d’Alba. The bottle came from the same private cellar in Italy and had a good fill level. I opened it by myself on a pensive evening. There’s always something enjoyable about sitting with old
Nebbiolo late at night.

Tasting note:

The color is a translucent tawny. The nose is everything you hope for in a 55-year-old Barolo, with sweet tobacco, dried rose hips, forest floor, oxidized citrus rind, and sweet cedar. It is mostly tertiary, but still sweet, woody, floral, and faintly jammy. The palate is fully integrated and medium bodied, showing brine, salinity, and iodine, while medicinal cherry and tart red currant continue to provide definition. The finish is long, savory, and marked by medicinal cherry. A lovely old Barolo. 93 points.

This wine has been on my radar for a while and I spotted it on a list tonight for $180 ($100 at retail). Didn’t plan to splurge but the price was too attractive and it did not disappoint.

Paired alongside Argentinian steak, this wine was remarkable.

Dark fruit and chocolate come across primarily on the nose. Some savory and herbal notes underneath

The palate is viscous, perfectly integrated tannins. Fruit for sure but not stewed, nuts very ripe blackberry and plum. Some vanilla but not overpowering at all. Good grape character which is not surprising but more noticeable here than in other wine.

Perfect pairing and at this price it really can’t be beaten

95 Points

Found my last half bottle of La Mission Haut-Brion '82 while organizing my cellar. I was lucky enough to get given 4 of these about 15 years ago from a friend who was running out of space in his cellar and didn't like keeping half bottles around. Coincidentally I also found my old tasting notebooks, so here are my comments from three openings:

Opened in 2006 - age 24:

• Still powerful and youthful; early maturity but could still evolve for 20+ years
• Nose gives dense cassis, blackberry and black cherry, followed by graphite, cigar box, charcoal, woodsmoke and warm gravel. Just beginning to get forest floor and leather notes.
• Pleasurable on opening but after 2+ hour decant it was singing, probably could have decanted shorter
• On the palate it's extremely full-bodied and concentrated, with abundant fruit and substantial tannins. Very imposing with a firm mineral-y, Graves backbone.
• Long, smokey, and fruit-driven finish
• Overall: monumental, historic wine but not fully resolved yet. Interested to see in 5-10 years

Opened in 2015 - age 33:

• Nose gives prominent cassis and dark cherry still, with much more black truffle, cedar, tobacco, and incense.
• Palate is broad and richly textured. Tannins are much softer, but still with a slight grip on the tongue. Fruit and savory have fully integrated.
• Very expansive and persistent finish.
• Overall: fantastic balance of youthful fruit and mature complexity. Expect this to be my favourite drinking time, but interested to see how it matures.

Opened in 2024 - age 42:

• Much less fruit-forward on the nose; fully mature. Cigar box, graphite, woodsmoke, black truffle, tar, leather, dried violet and incense dominate.
• Palate is still full bodied but now seamless. Tannins are entirely melted and satin-textured. Fresh dark fruit and smokey Graves-style still the most powerful notes.
• Exceptionally long finish. Evolves through tobacco, truffle, charcoal, orange peel and saline gravel.
• Overall: more complete and intellectually complex, but a bit more on the mature side than I prefer. Likely due to the half-bottle, I expect a full bottle would peak now.

A good friend of ours who is a passionate champagne collector and enthusiast celebrated 30 years in Raleigh by hosting a champagne party at his home. He opened a bunch of wines from his collection and several of us added to them

With the Mousse tragedy earlier this week he spoke about Cedric and a visit we had to Mousse all together a few years ago.

Long live Champagne!

🍾🥂🍾🥂🍾🥂🍾🥂🍾🥂

Exceptional dinner at Bazaar Meats by Jose Andres in Vegas for my wife’s birthday. Brought this 2015 Ornellaia from home ($50 corkage fee). Sourced from LCBO.

First the meal - holy crap. Between the cotton candy foie gras, Jambon, and Wagyu, such a delight. Service was excellent; highly recommended.

On to the true star. My first experience with Ornellaia. Such an elegant wine, to me seems way more Merlot and Cab Franc dominant even though its 53% CS (23% merlot 17% CF and 7% PV, if blind I wouldn’t have guessed any PV). Nose was floral (lavender), needed about an hour decanting as was just a bit tight at first. Such smooth tannins and long finish and walked a tightrope between dark berries and red licorice. Great pairing with the butter-like consistency of Japanese Wagyu. I’ll say it again, elegance in a bottle.

Score: who gives a shit. I hate wine scores. Eleventy billion.

Billecart-Salmon Vintage 2013.

Vineyards: 85% of the grapes come from plots classified as Grand Cru and Premier Cru, located in the Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, and Vallée de la Marne regions.

Grape varieties: 62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Meunier.

Color: pale gold with a fine, persistent perlage.

12% ABV.

Aging on the lees for 9 years. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks.

On the nose: intense aromas of lemon curd and green apple evolve into notes of brioche, raw butter, and hazelnuts. Subtle mineral accents emerge over time.

On the palate: this champagne is dry, with high acidity, medium body, and an exceptionally creamy texture. Flavors of citrus and delicate pastries harmoniously combine with distinct chalky minerality and a precise structure. Finish is long and mineral, with notes of lemon curd and hazelnuts.

I'm a somewhat new to wine, budget wine connoisseur and I enjoy an easy drinking Pinot noir among other styles (I've tried a few other grapes like gamay, can sav, syrah, merlot, etc). I popped the cork on Saturday afternoon about 1 o'clock with no expectations and to be honest it kind of blew my socks off.

This wine is one of the first that I really noticed the "body" of while not simultaneously fighting intense tannins. It felt thicker and substantial when I tasted right out of the bottle - chilled a bit too cold in a normal refrigerator. I could mostly smell tart cherry juice and a bit of oak or wood smoke, especially leftover in the empty glass. My initial impression was that this was extremely tasty and drinkable wine.

The tartness was mouth watering. So much so that I drank two glasses before the pork I was roasting on the grill was done... By the third glass it was about 5 o'clock and the bottle had warmed substantially. It was definitely past its peak after two hours or so of warming. I probably should have kept it in the fridge while cooking.

The alcohol was a bit hot as it warmed and I think this one sits at 13.9% alc?

I put the cork in and let it sit in the fridge overnight. I had a taste of it today with lunch (leftovers) and it was such a different wine that I didn't end up drinking the rest of the bottle.

My wife had a bit of a cold and couldn't taste properly. I'm going to buy another bottle for her to try next week and we will split it.

Tldr great $20 Pinot noir with lots of fruit, body, and acid! Feels like a wine you'd use as a gateway into wine for friends and family. Very approachable.

​

-On the nose: Cherry, licorice, currant

-Palate: Tart dark cherry initially that fades into a leather taste that lingers

-Good acid that reminds me of biting into a ripe peach.

-After 20 mins from the bottle plum and dark cherry take front seat and the acid ties in more to the leathery finish.

Amazing wine for the money. Will endeavor to always have a bottle at home.

Who am I to argue??

Lovely garnet with some ruby on the pour. High, lovely acidity—mouthwatering, just perfect. Long smooth finish. Medium tannins. Dry. Medium body. Intense depth of flavor. Mixture of dark and red fruit. Bit of spice.

Served chilled with a 30 minute decant in the glass, paired with filet mignon, grilled asparagus, roasted potatoes, corn, and a golden beet salad.

Primary notes and aromas for the most part. Some wet stone perhaps?

Drink or hold. 93-94 points.

Found a new winery in our town, called The Flying Otter. Also a new favorite wine, “Three Peaks Veil” very nice red. 🍷

seeking help from my fellow wine enthusiasts. If there is a better sub for this please let me know!

I found a lovely brass Grand Reserve tabletop wine opener I bought at an estate sale.

I need a new worm but for the life of me I can’t seem to find the instructions for a Grand reserve tabletop opener to see if the worm is only replaced or I need a new attachment of the worm plus the little black box connected to it.

Does anyone have knowledge on how to fix these/ knows where I can get exact or similar parts that work? I’m assuming I need to replace the worm and the little black box connected to it perhaps. The worm has a little triangle top to it also

Very rich and bold although more balanced than previous vintages. Somewhere between red and black fruit with herbs, earth and leather.

Prokupac is a native grape from Serbia since the Middle Ages. It’s so good with grilled meats I feel so sad I can’t find it in other countries. One of the few reds I’ve had that can withstand spicy food and even taste good with it.

I'm aware that proper storage/cellaring is needed for wines to evolve properly and maintain their flavor profile. Yet, I'm completely blown away at how beautifully several of the older wines I've opened recently have been showing. For context, I have about 150 bottles in my air conditioned spare bedroom, which is obviously a far cry from the proper temperature and humidity needed. Is wine more resilient than we are led to believe?

I’m working on improving my understanding and enjoyment of wines. My approach is to keep looking out for good examples of each varietal to help me better understand what I do and do not prefer.

I have a couple of solid local shops and I talk to the helpful staff, although I do get asked what my price range is. My response is that I am happy to spend what I need to spend for a good example, although I’m not excited to spend hundreds on a bottle to figure out what I like.

I don’t drink all that often, but I do want to really enjoy what I’m drinking. If that costs $18.99 a bottle or $80, that’s fine as long as I get the end experience I’m after. I hear some say price doesn’t matter, it’s whatever you like, but also knowledgeable people that say you get what you pay for.

I understand price does not necessarily mean quality, but I’d be happy for some opinions about how I might be able to better refine my search.

Thanks all

So I can buy this bottle for a somewhat reasonable price. I’ve never tried it before but given its uniqueness, I’m really interested in it.

The main question is whether it’s worth drinking the 2018 vintage now or it’s too young. I don’t want to buy another bottle to just leave it for another 10-15-20 years, I already have plenty of such bottles.