5/9/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

From magnum. Great bottle and really singing once it opened. The 2 Jan ‘24 notes are instructive. Dark black and cherry fruits, medium body, medium finish, integrated tannin, good acidity, somewhat suppressed nose but nice spice and a little cedar and tar.

5/7/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Great half bottle but maybe not as good as the prior one. Nice botrytis, mouth feel and finish but the acidity seemed a little faded so there was some flabbiness I’d say. Still, this is nitpicking a bit on an otherwise excellent showing.

5/7/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

From magnum. Great bottle and better than the last mag almost 2 years ago. Excellent QPR. Inky dark black fruit, some pepper and spice and great musk on the nose and palate too. Nice acidity and integrated tannins. Medium+ finish. Still life ahead but alas this was the last bottle.

5/3/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drank very well with some age under its belt and has a greater QPR. Somewhat inky and palate staining with a boysenberry/blackberry thing going, a little bit of currant and spice, some tannins still present and a medium finish. Held up v well over 2 nights and was still going strong suggesting it could still develop as not much secondary characteristics yet even.

4/15/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Nicely aged pinot still bursting with juicy cherry and black cherry fruit and darker notes, as well as some spice. Nice chewy mouthfeel and crunchy acidity and medium finish. Great QPR for what I paid on release.

4/16/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Nice chard, if tasting a bit clunky to me with a bit too much oak. The underlying citrus was nice and the finish and mouthfeel were great so I might wait a bit on bottles and see if the fruit emerges a bit more as the oak integrates further. That being said, other dinner companions thought it was terrific so I was in the minority not being too wowed.

4/13/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Cracking acidity with chewy dark cherry fruit and a crunchy mouth feel. Great food wine and a delight to drink. I think this will age for a while longer.

4/14/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Paid $23 recently in a Benchmark sale and figured worst case it would be cooking wine. Quite the opposite and what a great QPR. Super well integrated and smooth cab from a great Napa year. Dark fruit, some sweetness and smoke and tar, and a medium+ finish. Opened up nicely over 90 minutes and went great with steak. Not a huge wine but everything perfectly in its place and exactly you want in a 25 year old cab.

4/12/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar notes to before. Cherry, juicy, tart but somewhat lean and one dimensional. Will try to hold last 2 bottles for a while and see if anything secondary by way of musk on the nose or extra depth or mouthfeel develops.

4/8/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Amazing wine. Really open and voluptuous from first opening with amazing perfume and Burgundian musk. Dark cherry/black cherry fruit with a silky mouthfeel and long finish. Truly awesome bottle and it arguably bettered a terrific Arlaud Clos Saint Denis 1999 cuvée unique served alongside.

4/6/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drank at the Sarasota Commanderie partager event. Beautifully integrated wine with all the parts in absolutely the right place. Still bright pauillac notes alongside the dark fruit and hints of tar and pencil, medium+ finish. Starting to show some secondary characteristics but nothing tertiary yet. Amazing bottle but I felt it to be a bit softer than I was expecting.

4/6/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drank at the Sarasota Commanderie partager event. Arguably even better than the bottle from last year. Slightly darker caramel color, beautiful nose of honey, apples and botrytis, long finish. Great bottle and I believe they will last longer. Alas, this is my last.

4/6/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drank at the same Commanderie event and agree completely w BordeauxOne’s note. An opened recorked bottle was still singing on the next night w homemade burgers. However, an 05 Leoville Barton tried alongside at the event had a lot more structure and black fruit to it.

4/6/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar notes to last July. Explosive wine and simply amazing.

4/6/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Double decanted an hour ahead of an afternoon Bordeaux tasting. Similar notes to last time as the wine still read relatively young and dark-fruited with a long finish, structure, a heady nose and power. I felt it showed better than an 00 Mouton, which was super smooth and integrated but felt at its plateau, and did very well v the other 2000s in the group, namely Cos, d’Issan, GPL. A great showing overall.

4/5/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Took a risk on a recent purchase and was well rewarded as this bottle was excellent and a great QPR at $26. Still dark ruby with lots of structure, chewy tannins, black fruit, tar, spice and decent amount of wood/cedar. Long finish. I think bottles of this will keep longer even but unclear if they will improve.

4/3/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Dark violet, intense dark fruit, tar, spice, herbs, oak, medium+ finish. A bit monolithic though even on the second day. Great QPR for what I paid but I expected a bit more honestly.

3/31/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar notes to last bottle and arguably this one was more open and inviting. Great value.

3/30/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

This bottle had taken on some weight v the last one tasted in July 2023. The dark ruby color and amazing musk were tantalizing and the pretty dark cherry/cherry fruit really delivered with the remaining acidity and integrated tannins. Super lush mouthfeel, medium+ finish. Great bottle and great QPR then v what burgs cost these days.

3/22/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar notes to recent bottle. Very bright and fresh. Touch of oak is well integrated. Excellent finish.

3/18/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Fantastic recent purchase for $23 from Benchmark. Excellent aged Cali cab with a ruby rim, medium dark fruits, little bit of spice, resolved tannins, medium- finish. Not stupendous or huge but everything in the right spot and a great QPR.

3/17/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Alas, my last bottle as this was singing. Very similar notes to Sept bottle w perhaps a touch more pronounced cola and cherry flavors. Feels like this is a great peak but that it should last a while here.

3/15/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Purchased recently fr Benchmark for $23 as I figured my downside was limited given this was around when Bob Levy was still at Merryvale before moving full time over to Harlan. Anyway, glad I did as the wine turned out great. Still dark fruit (no real bricking at rim), with some tannin, wood, dust and tar and medium+ finish. Not huge but nicely structured w some power left. Great QPR

3/12/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar notes to last bottle but it a bit monolithic and a slight woody note detracted a bit.

3/12/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar to last bottle but even more fresh with no notes of oxidation. Hence the bump up to 93 pts. Drank the last bit on second day and remained fresh.

3/13/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drinking really well. Nice bright fruit, citrus, touch of wood. The age really helps. Great on second day too.

3/11/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

This second bottle was even better than the prior with no bricking, dark cherry fruit and spice, some sweetness, tannins still present, nice acidity and a medium-long finish. An impressive effort from a “lesser” region in a great year and the wine was still coming on strong after 3 hours as we finished it No way would I have guessed this as nearly 20 years old.

3/11/2024 - Sperls wrote:

Yellow brownish and over the hill and oxidized but undeniably Chenin with honeyed waxy fruit shining through the nutty oxidation. While heading downhill, this was still drinkable if you like the oxidized style and could have passed for a natural wine of that type in a blind tasting. Not what it should have been but still a bit interesting.

3/10/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

The prior notes are instructive. This is a really interesting wine that’s great on its own and with food. I think our bottle had a bit more haze and less of a pink hue than those below but perhaps that was due to the additional year in the bottle. Great acidity and bright fruit with quince, citrus/grapefruit and some savory herbs. Medium+ finish. Great wine.

3/10/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

This wine was in a really good spot and everything I would hope for in an aged claret. Dark purple, still dense w no real bricking signs. Amazing perfumed nose and excellent balance of dark fruit w some sweetness and plums and spice, integrated but still healthy tannins, some cigar and cedar, chewy mouthfeel and long finish. Feels like it’s at a great peak and will hold here for a while.

3/7/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Very nice chard. Creamy, touch of lemon, decent acidity, medium finish. Nicely done. Yes, there are better values out there but this was great with seafood in FL.

3/1/2024 - Sperls wrote:

Drinkable but flawed with what was a strong probably brett overtone or light degree of being corked (although I lean towards the brett).

2/18/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Similar notes to last bottle. Great Syrah with a perfect blend of dark fruit, some pepper, tar, some sweetness and savoriness. Yummy! Much kudos to Tom Dehlinger for being a great and unsung early Rhône ranger.

2/16/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

While the cork started to break in the waiter’s hands, we managed to rescue it in 2 full pieces, but I was of course more worried about the bottle as a result. However, what emerged was a 23+ year old Bordeaux with a great mix of dark fruit, tar, a hint of sweetness, resolved tannins, leather, medium finish, etc. Fantastic QPR and the remains even drank well on the second night.

2/6/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drinking very well and great QPR at a $32 purchase recently from a reputable national retailer who often has back vintage bargains. Almost a cross bt a Bordeaux and a CNDP with layers of dark fruit but beautiful spice and some plum on the nose and palate. Silky mouthfeel, medium+ finish and great on the second day too. I didn’t really get any chocolate which I typically associate with Tempranillo. If blind, I probably would have guessed older Bordeaux, particularly a garagiste right bank wine from a hotter vintage (although this wasn’t hot per se, just some extra spice).

2/2/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Took a chance with a recent purchase of 3 of these for $23 each based on the notes below and so far it was a great bet. This bottle showed dark fruit with some sweetness and plum, smooth resolved tannins, some tar, various secondary characteristics, a great nose and a medium finish. PnP and opened up nicely over the course of 2 hours and went great with French food. Well worth the $25 corkage fee and then the people next to us exclaimed, “where did you get that, we didn’t see it on the list.” Feels like it’s at a nice plateau and doesn’t shows any signs of decline.

1/26/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Expressive if still somewhat young tasting with dark cherry/black cherry and strawberry fruit, some hints of spice and tannin still present. Nicely balanced with good acidity and no real secondary characteristics yet. Medium+ finish. Liked it a lot although wasn’t blown away. A bit more angular than lush per se. Remainder of bottle on second night was similar.

1/25/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Drank at a Pontet Canet/Lagrange wine dinner at Mattison’s 41 in Sarasota including with Emilien Bouchab fr the chateau and chef Mattison in attendance. This was a very young wine, inky black opaque color, intense nose, but unexpectedly the initial mouthfeel impression was more thin than huge as one taster noted below. With time, the wine took on weight in the glass and started to open with deep dark black fruit, some pepper, maybe flint/iron, forward tannins, pretty high acidity and a long finish. It was interesting to taste so young but did not blow me away, ans it seemed a bit austere and didn’t have the typical brightness of pauillacs. However, I imagine it will continue to improve over the years. I probably won’t try one of my few bottles until 2029 at least…

1/23/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Great hidden gem at $55 on the list at Berns for a 13 year old Bordeaux that paired perfectly with steak. While not the most profound, the entire medium-aged Bordeaux package was there in terms of darker fruit, some tar, leather and spice, tannins integrated but present and medium+ finish. Drank very well the second night too.

1/24/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Amazing hidden value for $65 on the list at Bern’s in Tampa. Dark color and fruits, earthy, dense mouthfeel, started to open up after an hour. Almost Rhonish in nose and weight and spice. Very interesting and still had life ahead of it.

1/21/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

An older version (have cellared for probably 8-10 years), I was excited to try an aged multi vintage Bordeaux blend because I believe more top producers could and should be putting out multi vintage blends just like in Champagne in order to produce a great consistent product and mitigate vintage risk. I enjoyed the bottle with dark red fruit, silky mouthfeel, still tannins present and long finish but no way should this be a $150+ bottle, as maybe that is the Opus premium (I don’t think Opus is worth it for the cost either). At $150, an aged Lynch Bages would blow this away and my much cheaper Pride Napa 2014’s do as well. Still, cool to try and I enjoyed the wine but the pricing is off…

1/22/2024 - Sperls wrote:

Alas, the nose was completely corked but the wine was somewhat drinkable. Still, a flawed bottle

1/22/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Off the wine list at Husk Savannah for $86, this was an amazing bottle and consistent with ChairmanKao’s notes. Pale yellow, beautiful acidity, lemon, petrol, kiwi, chewy/oily mouthfeel and a finish that just keeps going for miles. Great bottle that seemed to have years of life ahead of it.

1/17/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

An aged Grange des Peres can be an amazing experience, which this was. First, the nose of sweet dark fruit, violets, herbs, etc was amazing. The lushness of the mouthfeel was probably the second best part. Overall, the color was dark but starting to brick a bit at the rim, the fruit was really lush and interesting with almost a blend of cherries, plums, grapes and some spices and herbs like sage. The finish was long. The wine feels at peak but didn’t seem to be nearing any decline.

1/17/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Aged Chenin is a great thing and this didn’t disappoint. Golden color, honeyed nose and fruit, touch of oxidation, rich viscous texture and long finish. Went great with a range of dishes, incl cod fritters, sunchokes, Brussels sprouts pizza, gem salad and more. At peak or slightly through it. Not sure I would hold for much longer.

1/15/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

This bottle was drinking really well and was everything you hope for when aging and drinking older Bordeaux (having been bought in 1993 for $19.99 and cellared since then). Dark purple with brick around the rim, dark fruits with some leather and tar, voluptuous nose, medium acidity, medium body, soft tannins, medium finish. Great with basque roast pork at chuleta at Txikito in NYC.

1/14/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Wow. This is what you want in fairly priced white burg with some age on it. Beautiful pale yellow color, nice lemon and some herbs with creaminess and acidity all in the right balance. Excellent grip and length. Not sure it gets better but a great overall glass of wine, particularly for something bought for $35 and stored well. Great experience.

1/14/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

As with any older Bordeaux, there is risk and reward and this fell squarely into the reward camp. Purchased from a reputable NYC shop in 2023 for a song ($42) to see how a batch of their older (2000 and 2003) Bordeaux was tasting, the 2000 Ormes de Pez vastly outperformed expectations. The wine was dark and youngish upon pouring with a sweetish nose of dark berry and secondary fun scents like tobacco and leather. We didn’t decant and the wine opened nicely over a couple hours with the sweet (in a good way, not like a Napa sugar bomb) fruit holding throughout as some spice and tar came into the mix. Great finish and I had the impression this was stored well and would stay at this plateau for a few more years at least, which is when I will drink my remaining 3 bottles. A great showing overall!

1/10/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

Super value. Still dense and quite dark and chewy with primary dark cherry fruit and some savoriness and earthiness. Medium finish. Opened up nicely over a couple hours.

1/13/2024 - Sperls Likes this wine:

A bit more open and expressive than the last bottle with nice perfume, dark cherry/strawberry fruit, some spice, chewy mouthfeel and acidity and medium+ finish. Great with seared salmon.