2016 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva – Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (9/27/2024)
Every year I buy this wine. I love the age at purchase, the oak and saddle leather and the delicate fruit. The 2016 seems more light and smooth and delivers as usual. Drank from a 375 and mature though still fresh. (92 points)
2001 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley (9/1/2024)
I enjoyed this bottle a lot more than I expected. While it does not have the more intense extraction of the reserve, age has really enhanced the complexity of this wine. I found a very attractive vanilla oak nose along with the signature Pride perfumed fruit. It had nice structure and I expect the grapes came from the Sonoma side of the vinyards.
Really quite an enjoyable bottle. I’d love to compare it to a reserve of the same year but only have early 2010s of the cab reserve. (93 points)
2008 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (8/22/2024)
This was sublime. I was concerned that it might be over the hill as I had recently a 2010 precious mountain that was very tired. I suspect now that bottle had premox.
I’m always surprised how different Hirsch is from the other WS wines. Nonetheless, this is textbook Sonoma coast pinot and an incredible example at that. It’s doesn’t have many of the usual Williams cola notes but instead had dark cherry, a kind of beautiful dusty mid and late palate (maybe under decanting) and a high toned acidity.
This was presumably made by Bob Cabral. It reinforces why Williams Selyem is one of my favourite wines in the world. (94 points)
2013 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia – USA, California, Napa Valley (8/22/2024)
This wine has really progressed from 5 years ago. Expect waves of thick velvety crushed black and blueberries. Very unctuous and viscous with lots of glycerol.
The depth and finish are moderate which is what separates it from its big brother, Eisele, which has more structure and complexity.
It’s drinking very well after 5 hours slow ox in the bottle at cellar temperature. (93 points)
1997 Lingenfelder Großkarlbacher Osterberg Riesling Spätlese – Germany, Pfalz (8/21/2024)
I drank this with great pleasure when I bought a case in 1999. This bottle was lurking in my cellar and I opened it with no expectations. Surprise! Aside from the color, now a deep golden yellow, it’s still fruity – doesn’t really have a tertiary character, no kerosene or other aromas. Still, very nice to drink. I mean, I wouldn’t wait, but it shows how Riesling can age quite well. (91 points)
2010 Carte Blanche Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley (8/11/2024)
This is Napa cab to the core. Delicious fruit, a dense wine with balance, if a little coarse. Sturdy as a 2 by 4. Enjoy now or in years to come. (92 points)
2014 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny – USA, California, Napa Valley (8/1/2024)
I gave this a 6 hour slow ox, made sure the wine was at temperature and was rewarded by one of the better Ontogenys I’ve had. Really full on Napa fruit but restrained and curated with an expert hand. Drinking really well. Nothing yet has outclassed the ´08 but this came close. (93 points)
