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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More...
Red

2015 Sine Qua Non Syrah "M" Eleven Confessions Vineyard

 Central Coast more
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4/28/2024 - csimm wrote: NR

Ooh Lordy this bottle was hot and angry on first pull. AIR!!! When we woke it up, it didn’t wanna get up, it didn’t wanna come down for breakfast, it didn’t wanna do its chores, it didn’t wanna do its homework… It didn’t want to do anything but lay in bed, shove the pillow into its face, and not shower for another week. “Mommmmm… Leave me alone!” I mean, seriously this thing was at war with my palate at first. Blackberry scatter-bombs and black mineral missiles galore.

With a bit of nagging, finger wagging, and NATO peace talks, it started to bust out of its cocoon and release some of the flavor hostages, but it stayed pretty hostile throughout consumption. A big wine that still needs some big time in bottle. 2030 seems about right.

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Red

2020 Château Cheval Blanc

 St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/28/2024 - csimm wrote: NR

A few Coravin pulls from this bottle remind me that 2020 Cheval Blanc is an off-the-charts pure and regal expression, but it will require patience for sure. This had a flash in the glass of supremacy, and then shut down pretty hard after air attacked it. Unripe blackberry, black cherry, asphalt and black mineral notes dominate. It goes into serious Jack Reacher mode pretty quickly.

I’d say see ya in a decade, but it is probably even longer before it really starts to show its stuff in consistent fashion. It was poppin’-off no doubt, but it’s a short-lived jazz hands production at this juncture. The bottle I had last year was much more expressive and held its poise for much longer before it decided to hibernate. This most recent bottle indicates we are boarding-up for donkey’s years.

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White

2021 Morgen Long Chardonnay X Omni

 Eola - Amity Hills more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 94 points

This is a citrus pith, karate chop, high roundhouse Gymkata lemon and lime kick of Hot Topic flash and flair all in one hyper push of acid and energy on the front end, with a flinty-flowery Speed Racer delivery that pops the eyes and forces a phat all-tooth grin from front to back and side to side. What does it all mean?! I don’t even know, as I’m still tasting the roller coaster from the first sip.

This is all sorts of great and fun, but just be sure to buckle up and tell your kids you love them before you take off on this joyride. This 2021 is similar to the 2022, though I currently find the 2021 to be in massive sprint mode at the moment.

It’s sealed with DIAM, so use that closure as a dose of morphine that will benefit this wine with a deep breath and a short slumber over the next few years. Tap the 2021 again in a few years. Cool juice.

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White

2022 Morgen Long Chardonnay X Omni

 Eola - Amity Hills more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 96 points

A reductive nose burns off with some vigorous swirling, offering the palate a super fresh expression of the varietal. Tense and nervy quince and citrus notes fire off from cheek-to-cheek, with lime, acacia, white pumice, flint, and lemon pith flavors popping and locking throughout delivery. Relaxes ever so slightly, with a more lemony expansion that coats the back end, tightening back up on the whiplash tension tail.

I find an excellent sense of keen focus and directional intent with this wine. It has a Jolie jawline that perfectly molds its form, with a sniper shot of flavor that both quivers and expands. This 2022 has slightly more body and breadth than the 2021 X Omni in its current state, though the 2021 is a marathon runner without question, so it’ll be interesting to follow the race over time.

Take advantage of the DIAM closure and give it a few years to see how it builds layering over time. Certainly one of the best Oregon producers of Chardonnay out there. There are comparative similarities with the Walter Scott X version, though I find the 2022 Morgen Long gives off a bit more of the chiseled eye of the tiger vibe. 95-96+ points.

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Red

2019 Château Margaux

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 96 points

Brighter red cherry with some purple-black fruit kick off the straight-shot profile of the 2019 Margaux. To no one’s surprise, this is about as primary and linear as it gets in its current state. The classical characteristics here surely make for an age-worthy wine, and one that will require a ton of patience before it will start giving up the real goods. Ultra pure. Ultra clean. Mega linear.

This is one of those “awesome potential wines,” and one that will be best in 15-20 years I’m sure. Compared to other 2019 BDXs I’ve been tearing through, this Margaux is going to be more of a stubborn bumpkin in its youth. 96++ with the potential to rocket into a perfect score one day… or maybe two……..

Try again when autonomous cars actually work.

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White - Sparkling

2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 96 points

This bottle was all sorts of good. It had the energy and freshness I expect, with the elevated budding complexity and focus I expect from Cristal. This bested a 2015 by a decent margin (which most would say no surprise, but I’ve had some hit/miss encounters with the 2008 over the past couple of years). I had a number of other top big house producers crush a bottle of 2008 Cristal, giving me slight pause at times.

As it goes with all things wine, a very good bottle one day can be a great bottle the next. So is the case here with this bottle of 2008. One of the better showings this time around. For me, I still think the 2013 is stronger overall and will/has/does typically lap the 2008. I know the 2008 is the darling vintage for Champagne, but I have yet to be convinced it is the vintage to end all vintages, as declared by others.

I say start drinking these 2008s now if you value freshness. Obviously it can hold for some time if you are seeking more oxidative features.

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White - Sparkling

2015 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 94 points

This was a much better showing with this bottle than the one I had a few months ago. This was a bit more relaxed, slightly oxidative, but with notable concentration. Blind, I initially thought this was a 2015 Churchill due to their similar profiles and displays of fruit (once revealed). With its delineated linear bead and white/higher-riding yellow fruit, the Cristal was notably fuller than the Churchill. With air, it became more complex, which is where the subtle oxidative notes started to percolate.

I favor the 2013 Cristal (and 2008, though that has been a bit hit/miss for me - though a 2008 we also had during this tasting was very compelling). The 2015 will likely be a very good wine after a few more years in bottle, but I suspect it will never be a top reflection of the brand.

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Red

2015 Château Latour Grand Vin

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 98 points

Incredible polish and poise here, with a linear profile that is just starting to give in the fruit department. This presents as a fairly serious wine, and one that will need more than a handful of years to fully come together. That said, the quality is undeniable, and likely one of my top favorites from the Left Bank (I’m usually more a Right Bank fella most of the time). It is fresh and a little haunting at the same time. An array of black, purple, and red fruit form a primary skirmish line in front of a significant wall of mineral and spice notes. Finishes with crazy exactitude.

The 2015 Latour strikes a lovely balance between old world strictness and new world expansion. Though this bottle plays coy with its fruit, it isn’t shy about letting you know instantly how well put together it is. I’m not the brightest bulb, so it’s not always great when a wine can outsmart you. But in this case, I’ll settle for letting the Latour beat me on the LSAT for now. A special thanks to good friend and CT’r Cristal2000 for carting this along on his trip to share. Truly top shelf stuff. Hold for another 5+ years minimum (10+ ideally).

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Red

2016 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard

 Napa Valley more
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4/26/2024 - csimm wrote: 97 points

My note from last year applies in terms of this wine’s specific characteristics and flavor profile, though I will say the performance this time around was absolutely beautiful on day one (a healthy Coravin pull). It was next to a 2015 Colgin Tychson, which was less elegant and more angular initially - though the 2015 after a ton of air really transformed into a phenom. This 2016 was less overtly gushing than when I had it last year (in a blind of other top Napa 2016s).

The 2016 had a poise that aptly counterbalanced the waves of dark fruit, chocolate, and black soil flavors. Two days later it was put in a lineup of 2019 Napa uppercrusters and still showed well. I did prefer it on day one when I had more opportunity to appreciate its nuances. I think this is a very fine wine that is also very generous in its fruit flavor expansion. It has a brooding sense about it and also a freshness that is compelling. High class yummy type wine. Drink with some air or hold for another 5-7++ years.

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Red

2019 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

 Oakville more
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4/25/2024 - csimm wrote: 100 points

I guess I’ll just have to keep giving this wine 100 points. I’ve had the privilege of tapping this wine a number of times now, and every time it just kills it. This time, its prowess was tested against some of the best-est bottles in Napa (blind, I might add). And wouldn’t you know it, the Mac was the group’s favorite. (And then a 2021 Mac popped up and that was my ultimate favorite of the favorite of the favorites). How many favorites can one have?! “And you get 100, and you get 100, and you….!” And to be honest, there were a few perfect wines in that 2019 blind lineup. It’s pretty awesome when all the wines you try blind simply rock. 2019 in Napa at the top level is really a stellar vintage.

My initial notes on the 2019 Mac this time around read, “Wow…super yummy choclately chewy unctuousness; not hot or angular at all; alcohol in total check. Slightly sweet in entry, but perfectly poised. Modern and dark but not ‘over-modern’ nor heavy. Black fruit, mineral, soil, more fruit with air. A slight rusticity on the finish that quickly finds a glide with aeration.”

I wonder what it’s like to be a bottle of MACDONALD, making appearances here and there at swanky parties, having everyone tell you that you are the best in the world and doting over every aspect of your presence and personality, being the topic of everyone’s conversation about why you are so super cool. Oh, to be a bottle of MACDONALD. The Emily Blunt of Napa Cabs.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Mysterons

 Napa Valley more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 95 points

True to its name the Mysterons was fairly cat-and-mouse on the nose and the palate. It was truly a bit of a mystery with its dodgy flavor expression and somewhat indiscernible profile. For some reason I can’t recall now, I thought Cab Franc might be in play, but with most blinds, I figured my mind might be playing tricks on me. The fruit seemed somewhat more airy and floating than the other wines, but it wasn’t so light on its feet that it was sans impact. In fact, it was able to take ahold of its course and offer a direct channel of redder berry fruit with successful purpose, finishing with whisps of vanilla and spice. Time in bottle should add girth. Let this one sit in the back of the cellar for 5+ years.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

 Napa Valley more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 99 points

At first pass, this thing was balled up like, well… a ball. Quivering and compact, I sensed this might be M7 simply because of the sheer Oppenheimer-type encased fury-boom potential it possessed, but it was so linear and primary, I couldn’t necessarily peg it until it started to gnaw on some additional O2. And when it finally decided to awake from its dragon slumber, it gave off a death screech of a thousand Game of Thrones episodes and took flight to commence a scorched earth flavor surge of hyper chiseled black and dark red fruit. Spreading its wings further, the M7 straight isn’t playin’ around. This thing is serious business. Pure and dialed-in, the focus on this sniper is pretty unreal. Finishes direct and with absolute intent. It’s a hitman with a mission, so maybe best to dodge its bullets for the next few years. 2021 is proving to be a very distinctive and detailed vintage for some of these Vice Versa wines, most in particular, the M7. 97-99+ points.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Vineyard

 Stags Leap District more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 96 points

If a Northern Rhone Cornas butcher met up with a Stags Leap socialite, you’d have the 2021 Vice Versa Stelzner. This thing is slathered in meat drippings, soil, char, burnt embers, and the black chasm of Dracula’s lost soul. Such a distinctive wine. It has the breadth and flavor characteristics of a serious, salami-shout-out Syrah and the more honed profile of a Cabernet Sauvignon. Finishes as it starts, with the fury of a Viking crunching down on a Hereford cow drumstick while riding a saber-toothed tiger from the swamps of Salekhard, Siberia. Winter’s coming…

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

 St. Helena more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 96 points

I had to laugh because I have always considered Dr. Crane fruit-driven for my palate. The first word in my notes says, “fruity.” CT’r Cristal2000 thinks I make this stuff up just cuz I give him a hard time about the fruitiness of Crane. Well, I have to say this was the fruitiest of the bunch, or I suppose I should say, “fruit driven,” which sounds more sophisticated. And in truth, this wine presents as anything but a “simply fruity” wine. The Crane gains quite a bit of concentration and layering as it eats more air. Intermingling waves of black and red cherry, plum, purple [something?] type fruit, and cardamom rush the palate, upsurging with fruit and vanilla on the youthful finish. A fun picnic punch right now, but a wine that will undoubtedly gain more classic elements with 2-3+ years of bottle age, minimum. Try again in 2027.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

 St. Helena more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 98 points

Powerful and front loaded. Boom! Instantly turns richer and longer with the first sip. A beast of a wine that holds it all together with graphite and mineral elements providing an amazing stretch of black fruit. Why do I like LPV? …This. This right here is why I like LPV. Grab a bucket of these bicep boys and get on with yer bad self. A more captivating showing than the last great sample I had a year ago. Even better with 4+ years in bottle.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III

 Rutherford more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 95 points

Great right now. I mean, it’s the friendly GIII, so how could it not be?! Concentration and balance are especially notable in 2021, with a refinement that really showcases a sophisticated side of uber yummy fruit that envelops and enlivens the palate. Chocolate covered cherries, with a spit of mineral notes keeps everything in check without getting too juicy. With air, it becomes more even keeled and higher riding, signaling a call for some additional bottle age. It won’t take long before this blossoms, but give it a couple-three years to form into a raving ball of fun-filled fantasticism.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Spinning Plates

 Napa Valley more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 94 points

Like a hybrid of Cousins and Beatrix, the Spinning Plates offers a similar profile to its two brothers (or, Cousins…?), with a concentration that is dialed-down but is more tannic and linear in its current state. The primary fruit gets redder with air, with flecks of alcohol and vanilla darting through the core. Like the GIII, the Spinning Plates offers up juicy fruit but shows its youth upfront at the moment. While I’m sure Spinning Plates is designed to impress early on, I do think a few years in bottle will amalgamate its flavors even better. Put this on the table with a 64oz. ribeye and consider yourself all set for some glorious meat sweats. ‘Merica!

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Red

2021 Les Cousins Cabernet Sauvignon

 California more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 96 points

A red fruit athletic marathon runner, with crimson and black cherry, red and purple plum, saline, red apple skin, and tinges of vanilla. I thought this was Beatrix perhaps, but was a bit dumbfounded at what this wine could be. It was riding higher and redder than any Cousins I’d previously sampled, with this 2021 offering amazing energy and honed focus. The acidity here is poppin’ for sure. If you like ‘em with a smack, pop these now, otherwise, patient minds would recommend holding these for a few years minimum. Time is on your side here. Tons of lift and vibrancy with this jumping spider monkey.

I favor the 2019, but this 2021 has a lot of potential. Hold for now.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

 Oakville more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 100 points

Deeper than the day is long, this was a shot across the bow with a concentration cannon that blasted flavor and depth right to the mid-palate, diving even deeper and with more fortitude as it cascaded to the gushing finish. This is Oakville fruit on full display, with rich soil elements injected through the black fruit core. If you like To Kalon, this is quintessential TK all day long. This was one of my favorite showings of the entire Vice Versa 2021s this go-around, even slightly eclipsing the M7 at the moment, simply because the TK was much more flamboyant, chewy, and giving compared to the coiled up M7. Drink the TK now and tomorrow and the next day and the next day… Awesome performance. It’s big, rich, and concentrated, but perfectly composed. 98-100 points.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Beatrix Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

 Oakville Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 95 points

A pretty wine, with violets and juicy red/purple fruit popping on the palate. Here the nose is muted, but the affable flavors skip along the front end upon first sip, marking the path of a wine that is, though a bit young an juvenile at present, something to keep an eye on over the next few years. With some short term cellaring, I sense this will blossom beautifully. It’s a little primary compared to its 2021 Vice Versa siblings.

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Red

2021 Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

 Sonoma Coast more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 94 points

A full bodied, masculine front end kicks off a rush of deep and dark black cherry, black raspberry, and soil notes. A pine needle flavor adds further interest on the finish. This is a broad stroke of a wine, and perhaps even beefier than previous vintages. I sense this will chillax a bit with a couple years in bottle. It’s pure and incredibly focused for such a shouldery specimen. Hold for a couple of years.

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White

2021 Vice Versa Chardonnay Platt Vineyard

 Sonoma Coast more
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4/24/2024 - csimm wrote: 95 points

Clementine, lime, white travertine, and a long lemony finish mark the latest vintage of the 2021 Platt Chardonnay. It is both vibrant and full, with energy and acidity that fully encompass the back of the jaw. This is a fitting addition to the Platt lineage and does everything right to provide succulence and vibrancy in a gorgeous yellow citrus package. Drink now and over the next few years, though it has the spine and drive to last even longer.

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Red

2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection

 Napa Valley more
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4/21/2024 - csimm wrote: NR

… Purple-frosted doughnut sweat.

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Red

2015 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard

 Napa Valley more
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4/20/2024 - csimm wrote: 97 points

Day one under Coravin for this wine made for an angular and a bit boozy showing, with a mechanical delivery that was fairly foursquare from front to back. The fruit wasn't as expressive as I usually associate with Colgin.

Fast forward two days later where the cork was popped and allowed to properly breathe for a few hours before consumption. A huge improvement, though not as focused ultimately as a superb 2016 Colgin Tychson served beside it. The 2015 still stayed pretty serious, but it was generous enough that the purity of black and red cherry fruit was evident. It continued to climb in sophistication with time and air. My notes read, “Concentration continues to rise; fruit is very good black cherry with some soil. Finish offers even more flavor expansion. Not hot or angular anymore, with a solid depth of flavor. Yummy and slightly chewy ripe fruit gets more gushing but maintains supreme focus.”

A superb wine, if but just missing that added finesse that other vintages of this wine have displayed. Best advice is to hold the 2015 until 2030. 96-97+ points.

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Red

2021 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

 Oakville more
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4/20/2024 - csimm wrote: 100 points

The best MACDONALD to date, without question. The refinement, polish, and sophistication that shines through in the 2021 vintage is no doubt a next-next level for what is already a storied legacy of wines from this producer.

If I recall correctly, this had been double decanted the night before, but whatever acrobatics Alex was able to do before service (to which we decanted it even further for a few hours before it quickly disappeared), it was singing like a red-handed informant on The Wire. The profile was the familiar black cherry, black olive, and dark-black soil/mineral core, but this possessed a silky conveyance on the back end that really took it to a highfalutin Augusta Masters level performance. Super sleek and distinctive from previous vintages in its razor focus and honed flavor expansion. A perfumed floral element was icing on the cake.

My advice: Buy this wine but don’t keep it. Don’t flip it, cuz that’s just insane lame behavior. Instead, Sally Struthers yourself into donating it to me; think of me as a mere caretaker of these little gems, like a docent at the Smithsonian, or a Walmart greeter. After all, giving is the real gift. …I mean, if you don’t already think these wines are 100 point artifacts, then best stick with your Barefoot berry-flavored Cabernet or your dad’s 1946 Mouton (after all, you can flip that trick for $7K) and let the rest of us (me) focus on building my mini empire of Macs in my humble cellar. Thank you in advance for your continued contribution… :)

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