I know I know. Caymus? We don’t do that here. 80’s Caymus, however, is not the same as modern Caymus. Randy Dunn was the mastermind of Caymus in the 80s, with this vintage actually being the first that he stepped away in a fully official capacity from the property. Tasting notes for both wines as follows:

2014 Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet: where do I begin? A legendary vineyard and producer combination with a great white wine vintage to boot. I think the wine has started to come around nicely, with an excellent balance of fruit and slight funkiness starting to come in. Lemon curd, roasted yellow apples, Bosc pear, and hints of pineapple and guava meld perfectly with the white truffle and mineral character of the wine. The oak frames the wine well, adding subtle vanilla and baking spice notes that interplay nicely with toasted hazelnut. The real standout is the structure. Incredible persistence with a richness and creaminess that is perfectly offset by the acidity. Special wine.

1986 Caymus Special Selection: don’t ever let anyone tell you that Napa can’t age. Some of my favorite wines ever have been Napa Cabernet from the 70s and 80s. Still plenty of fruit, though the character was more dried. Cherry, blackberry liqueur, black cherry, and fruit leather are what comes to mind. There’s an earthiness to this wine, like fresh turned soil and roasted oyster mushrooms. Coffee, dark Chocolate, burnt cinnamon, and cigar box notes are very present. Elevated tannins are balanced by surprisingly present acidity. Once again, a finish that just doesn’t quit. I also had some 2001 Mouton at the same time, and was surprised to prefer the Caymus to the Bordeaux. If only they still made wines like this!

This was a great meal that was made better by the people I got to share it with. Wine is meant to be consumed and shared, so let this post be a reason to open that wine you’ve been holding onto!

i’ve tried google searches for “wine bottle with 79 on label” and come up empty. if anyone can help identify it i’d be very grateful. cheers

As warm weather, and tariffs, approach I am interested in some white wine. I enjoy pinot grigio, but I love white burgundy, particularly "clean" styles like Chablis. However, those can be a bit pricey for everyday drinking, at least for me. I have tried some village wines from Burgundy but have never been happy with any of them. Anyone have any suggestions? Is anyone making these styles elsewhere in a way that works?

Something for a midweek sipper

A very talented wine making family that I've been a fan of every bottle I've tried. I was somewhat skeptical as it was not a village or cru level, but this was a really well made wine. They clearly are selective about their yields and grapes, and then are masters of winemaking.

Tasting notes:

Pale lemon colour

Nose: medium intensity of apple pie, citrus, honeydew melon, beeswax, and vanilla.

Palate: dry, medium acid, and full bodied. Pronounced intensity of apple, vanilla, honey, and almond butter. A bit of hazelnut, and stone fruit. Had a wonderful balance of fruit, oak, nuttiness, and pastry.

Rating: A very good wine. I would have called it outstanding except the finish wasn't as long as I'd have expected with such a pronounced pallete, and the nose didn't quite pop the way I'd have expected as well. I am getting over a head cold, so maybe I'll feel differently the next time I inevitably get another bottle.

I started trying different Bourgogne Chardonnays because I took a liking to the oak and lees flavors, but was determined to find something with a lot of those flavors that wasn't a cliche heavy oaked bread and butter. Which I'll admit, I do like. After trying a few, attempting to get more southern riper grapes with oak, I still hadn't found that level of oak, lees, and tertiary flavors I was hoping for. Glad I didn't give up and just accept that I just liked overly oaked California Chardonnays. This wine was the style of wine I'd been searching for. So I'm really excited to try more Village and Cru wines from the area. Hoping to get my hands on their Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru "Les Languettes" for a special occasion. As well as trying many more of their pinot noirs.

Being a Sauternes aficionado, I can never resist purchasing a decently priced older vintage of a 1st Growth - a forgotten bottle in a wine shop, or one well past its prime, just to add more tasting & scent notes to my knowledge base. My previous oldest bottle was a 1980 Climens, which had a fleeting moment of tropical fruit scents before the tertiary notes took over - so I was curious to find out what this 1975 Guiraud held for me. Stored at 45 degrees, with a bit of mold under the capsule and on the cork, but nothing worrisome. The cork put up a fight, and the Ah-so almost nearly got it out cleanly. In the end, had to use a cheesecloth for a clean pour without fragments of cork. Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend.

A brilliant color - vibrant reds and oranges, burnt sienna, just fire in the glass. Rust.

On the nose, well, all oxidative notes, to be expected at 50! Scents of smoke and roasted nuts at the rim, caramel and figs further in. You know the notes, that of some sherries.

On the palate, there's a good bit of acidity still hanging around! Medium body, still a little thick and cloying, and hanging on to some mild sweetness. Flavors of burnt wood, vanilla, butterscotch. Very, very faint orange peel. This needed some sort of baked pastry pairing, goodness, I would've loved a good pie with this. Smooth on its way down, with a decently lengthy finish. Clearly past its prime, but nevertheless a decent late night treat.

All my Chateau Guiraud experience is from the last 20 years, so I'm glad to add this one to my "notes bank". Still have a 1970 Suduiraut, 1983 d'Yquem, 1983 Suduiraut, and plenty of late 80's Lafaurie-Peyraguey's to get through! Really enjoyed the experience of savoring this wine.

First time poster, long time lerker!

I see some amazing wines on here but I’m a common person who loves wine, so on a Saturday night it’s a Cab Franc from Loire.

N - black currants, cherry, cinnamon.

P - cherry, pepper, strong on the oak

Opened a bottle of very old champagne (year unknown), and found this at the bottom of the cork… any idea what it is? It still had fizz and it tasted fine… but old. It’s a brut reserve fwiw. Thanks!

Let’s create a perfect wine list! Which producers make your heart beat a little faster when you see them on the list? Beyond the extremes of Costco/Two Buck Chuck and DRC/Screaming Eagle, let’s try to find a fine balance of classic and unicorn bottles. Please comment with producer names only under each regional category. Add as many as you remember. Come back and add some more. We’ll discuss specific wines & vintages later.

Les Poëte – Guillaume Sorbe 2018 (Sauvignon)

A super energetic bottle. Bright acidity, clear lemon peel, and ripe fruit on the nose. There’s a nice herbal edge and just a touch of tropical character in the background. Really expressive and well balanced — it’s vibrant, fresh, and alive. A beautiful take on Sauvignon.

I was reading a book about a guy studying for his sommelier exam and it inspired me to explore more wines. I went to the store and grabbed some whites and reds, and while i don't hate whites, I really only like reds. Specifically, pinot noirs. Should I stick to what I like or keep trying to appreciate them all?

It is a warm spring day in Spain here today, so here is something you don't see very often on here. A dry Moscatell.

The winery is Les Freses just outside Denia in Alicante, Spain. I visited back in January, as well as a few others near by such as Pepe Mendoza. As you can see from the bottle just 1200 produced. This area is known for dry Moscatell and Giro as well as a little Macabeo.

On the nose the subtle smell of a sweet Moscat with some additional notes of Mediterranean herbs and a slight lemon aroma

On the palette, nice acidity and more of those herbal notes with a nice freshness. Very easy going and delicious.

What it is: 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. Aged in French oak for 12 months and bottle aged too. A premium chianti from Tuscany with 93 JS and 93 JD.

Nose: cherry and red fruit aromas.

Body: Medium with bright acidity, and tannins seemed not as pronounced. Tasted much less tannic after a few days, and flavors of ripe cherries, plums, and earthy notes.

Relative Value: picked this up for $40 at a wine store in little Italy Bronx. Seemed good complexity for its price point relative to some Bordeaux’s and Napa Cabs which can also be more bold. This one seemed bit softer but still balanced. A decent quality Tuscan wine. 4.4/5.0

I purchased a bunch of this in 2007 for $7.99 per bottle. Amazingly, while certainly showing its age, there’s still some fruit on the palate and it’s a pleasant drink with our pizza dinner.

Hi there. I wondered if anyone could help me identify the year of this wine? Reverse image search is coming up for bottles of this style from 1915 but they’re dated as such.

I had a taste of this cannonau at the wine bar where I work,if you want to drink something with personality I suggest you this bottle. At first it was a bit close but with some air it expressed very nicely with red fruits and balsamic hints. In the mouth is very powerful,lots of acidity and tannin,not for everyone but I’d give it a shot if you want to try something different.

This year marked the end of my wine studies, after three years focused on production and marketing. To celebrate this final chapter, a group of close friends and I decided to organize one last serious tasting — something to mark the occasion properly. Every bottle came from our personal cellars, saved for special moments like this one. Everything was tasted blind. Here’s a recap of what we opened.

Marc Hébrart – Clos Léon A rich, dense Champagne, probably better suited to the table than as an aperitif. Still a bit young at this stage — it could easily spend another 5 to 10 years in the cellar. Promising but not yet fully expressive.

Lassaigne – Brut Nature 2014 A beautiful wine, though slightly reduced on opening with some lactic notes. It definitely benefits from a decant. With air, it became tense and fluid, showing citrus-driven freshness and great energy. A serious Champagne with aging potential.

Élise Dechannes – Essentielle Much more accessible and generous than the previous two. Round, with red fruit notes — easy to drink and very suitable as an aperitif. Less complex, but full of charm.

Hélicon – Frénésie 2021 From Constantin Vellis. Still marked by oak, with some youthful intensity. This one was probably opened a bit too early — there’s solid structure and potential, but it needs time to find balance.

Dagueneau – Pur Sang An iconic domaine, now run by the son. I’ve had mixed feelings about the new generation (especially regarding the prices), but this was a great surprise. A Sauvignon Blanc with rare freshness and a striking level of energy. A real standout.

Bouchard – Chapelle-Chambertin A beautifully aged Pinot Noir from a lesser-known domaine. Delicate floral notes, especially dried rose, and a sense of balance that suggests it’s at its peak right now. A lovely expression.

Bouchard – Le Corton In contrast to the Chapelle, this was more concentrated and youthful. Still fresh, with hints of sap and herbal notes — likely some whole cluster involved. A powerful Pinot with strong aging potential.

Famille Gauthier – Clos Nouveau The highlight of the tasting. Blind, everyone thought it was a concentrated Pinot from a warm vintage. In fact, it’s a Cabernet Franc by Rodolphe Gauthier, with incredibly precise élevage. It combines finesse, texture, and length, and could easily age for 20–30 years. Already excellent in its youth.

Gonon – Saint-Joseph 2021 A reference in the northern Rhône. This 2021 shows both elegance and depth, with tapenade notes and a great mouthfeel. Despite the challenges of the vintage, this wine showed impressive balance and concentration.

Forget – Domfront Poiré To end on a lighter note, a pear cider by Jérôme Forget, made from acid-rich local varieties. Only 4% alcohol, but remarkably delicate and clean on the palate. A fresh, uplifting way to close the tasting.

I hope you enjoyed reading this recap as much as we enjoyed living it. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday :)

Off to a good start in Champagne. Some Initial as aperitif and V.O. with dinner at the House’s Hotel/Restaurant. Both wines are quite different but share the same oxidative intensity. Dried apricots and nuttiness on the Initial where the VO had an aged Riesling-like nose. Both have a deep gold colour. The next morning we attend a cellar tasting with the man himself. The ‘tasting’ started off closer to a Philosophy class than anything else; I loved it. The vines are seen as individuals who need to be cared for to be the best version of themselves. Each vine is unique and may have different needs than its neighbour. They are not things to be ben’t to their caretaker’s will; the caretaker sees himself as a midwife but not a parent. The deep roots depicted on the amphora show the ethos of the house. We then taste from the 1986 perpetual cask pre- 2nd fermentation. Still Substance but Substance still. A bottle is disgorged for is to try and Initial, VO, Rose, Les Carecelles, Le Bout du Clos follow. Carecelles was my favourite with its gentle and elegant effervescence. Something else, secret and stunning, was also shared. I doubt it will ever be released. Wine-wise it was an experience of a lifetime. Two days later I can still taste the wines.

Hey everyone! I've tried a few Italian wines before (mostly Chianti and Barolo), and I've really enjoyed them. I’m now looking to expand my palate and dive deeper into the world of Italian wine. There’s just so much out there, and it can be a bit overwhelming knowing where to start.

I’d love to hear your recommendations - whether it's a specific bottle, region, or grape variety. I’m open to reds, whites, and even sparkling. Bonus points if you have any food pairing suggestions too!

Grazie in advance

Bursts open with a lush wave of bright red fruits—hawthorn, fresh young raspberry, and strawberry—immediately vivid on the palate. The acidity is sharp yet intriguing, a signature trait of Les Amoureuses.

Floral notes of peach blossom and dried wild rose add elegance, while a subtle earthiness. As it evolves in the glass, it reveals a delicate smokiness that adds depth and complexity.

This wine shows great potential and can easily age another five years.

We found this in our cupboard, which is warm and dark. We're not sure if it's safe to drink, but it still smells like wine lol. I've tried looking it up, but everyone only talks about the way it TASTES, and after days, not months, and no one talks about the safety of consuming opened, unrefrigerated wine that's been in a warm and dark place for well over a year. Would it be safe for consumption, or will my bowels commit scooter-ankle?

I'm getting married and since we are a Mexican - Brazilian couple we are planning on serving our guests the following:

Cocktail hour:

• Brazilian salgadinhos. Basically fatty, mostly fried bite sized foods with various proteins and cheese.
• Chips and salsa (spicy)
• Mexican ceviche

Dinner mains:

• Bacalhau: A salted cod dish popular in Brazil and Portugal. Served with potatoes, olives, and eggs.
• Chicken breast. Mainly for those that don't have an appetite for fish.

Dinner sides:

• Salad with cranberry, walnuts, feta, and raspberry dressing.
• Some sort of pasta dish (final dish TBD). This is meant to be the main for the few vegetarian guest we have or as a side for others.

Dessert:

• Wedding cake. Cinnamon and cardamon flavored with buttercream frosting.
• Brazilian docinhos. Traditional sweets served at parties. A variety including chocolate, coconut, and prune flavors.

My initial thoughts were to go down the Portuguese route and have a light Portuguese red, Portuguese white and/or verde to go with the bacalhau which to me is the star of the evening. Port wine for dessert.

I think I also need to cater to my parents and their friends who like your typical jammy, oaked California cabernets.

One other thing to note is that this will be a July wedding in the California central valley so it will be HOT. I'm thinking more white wine to compensate for the heat.

What thoughts do you have for the selection?

I live in the SF bay area so plan on purchasing from K&L wines, so anything they have is fair game. Budget is pretty flexible, I make good money and my dad explicitly told me to not cheap out on the wine.

Hello! I will be passing through Santiago and plan to spend 3 days on wine-specific adventures. Looking for small towns close to Santiago where we can stay that have amazing wine nearby if anyone has been there and can share your experiences?!

In anticipation of the question. Pairing with Beef Wellington or dry aged steak. What would you pick if you were paying? What would you pick if someone else is paying?