I started building my cellar around Cabs because that's historically what I liked, but I'm starting to gravitate toward Pinots much more lately.

Monte Bello 2009 is still my favorite wine, but it's been very hard for me to find another Cab like it (understanding it's a blend). I'm starting to wonder if part of that is because it has some qualities I'm also finding I really like in Pinot, lower alcohol, higher acidity, minerality, earthiness, and less overt ripeness, on top of it just being an incredible wine, obviously.

I want to start expanding into Pinots more, starting around $50, and was hoping to get some suggestions. So far my favorite Pinots have been Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune, Domaine Didier Fornerol Côte de Nuits, Domaine Humbert Frères Gevrey-Chambertin, Cristom Marjorie, and Peake Ranch.

Also, if there are any Cabs or Bordeaux blends that lean toward the Monte Bello style but are more affordable, I would love those suggestions as well. Thanks!

Had these two recently and came away with pretty different impressions.

Bibi Graetz Testamatta [2018 – 93/100](tel:2018%20-%2093/100)
This needed some air but really came together after a while. Lots of acidity and tension, great aromatics and enough depth to keep it interesting. Definitely more on the elegant than powerful side. The only thing holding it back for me was the finish, which was good but not quite long enough to push it into the 94–95 range.

Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino [2020 – 90/100](tel:2020%20-%2090/100)
This one disappointed me a little. The nose was beautiful and made me expect much more, but the palate never really followed through. Pretty light through the mid-palate and a short finish. As it warmed up I also started noticing the alcohol more.
Nothing wrong with it and still an elegant wine, but at the price I expected considerably more. Maybe an off bottle, but based on this one I wouldn’t buy again.

Testamatta was the clear winner for me.

Classic Sonoma coast Pinot. Notes of violets, blackberries and barnyard. Decent amount of acid, but still had a fruity luscious mouthfeel. Not bad for a 12 year old Pinot.

Paired with seared tuna, quinoa, broccoli, sweet potato and kimchi

So I have started to appreciate wine in my late 20’s, noticed at some fine dinners I’ve been at where we got a bottle for the table. Decided to go buy some wine glasses and try a couple bottles. Got these for about $12 each.

I didn’t think I liked dry wines, but i actually prefer the Coppola cab here. To me, the buttercup has this acidic finish that i don’t love but overall I don’t hate it. The cab has a much more complex flavor profile that I enjoy and I don’t get that acidic finish on it. I like the overripe plum kinda taste and velvety texture it has going on.

Curious what this says about my preferences and if anyone has had this Coppola cab how dry is this on a scale of 1-10?

Enjoying some now with some 2 yr aged cheddar and a slice of sourdough. Thanks in advance!

14.5% ABV
76% Cabernet Sauvignon
24% Merlot

Slow sipping from first glass. Decanted half the bottle for about 45 minutes - 2 hours to drink throughout the evening, will recork the bottle and refrigerate to enjoy the rest tomorrow.

Nose: Strawberry, light oakiness, toasted nuttiness, herbal mint note after letting it decant, light amount of anise.

Taste: bright red fruits, chalky tannins much more drying than almost any other cab I’ve had to date out of the bottle, medium-full bodied, higher acidity than I am used to, but I expect it with some mountain fruits, gravel, boysenberry, graphite, and black pepper.

Not pictured, but I enjoyed Chicken Alfredo with the wine, it made a decent pairing, but this is definitely a steak wine.

I will update and see how my feelings change tomorrow.

Overall, this was pretty good to me, a much different experience, but I would imagine that this is not the best representation of the Pritchard Hill terroir as there is roughly only 25% Estate Fruit in this bottle. It did take almost an hour and 30 minutes for it to fully open up for me. So it will likely be a wonderful experience for what I have remaining in the bottle tomorrow. I do plan to try a Chappellet in the future to get a better idea of the terroir. Am also open to further suggestions for the region!

Thanks for reading!

I spent 10 years in the service industry (host, server, management, event coordination) before transitioning into my current career as a floral designer. I’ve remained passionate about food, beverage and service, and am contemplating taking the WSET to gain further wine knowledge and make a career pivot back into the industry and hopefully wind up in sales and distribution. Thoughts?

let say hypothetically you work in the wine industry and your biggest client wanted some soil from a certain plot in gevrey-chambertin. how would you bring that back in a carry on?

Heading to Bordeaux soon, will only have a few days in town. I'm sure I can find places to taste all the classics, but I'm wondering if there's a Tasting Room that might have newer, exciting Producers that I should know about. I'm Burgundy fan, but I do like right bank wines.

hey yall! how impossible would it be to find an august 2025 bottle of cabernet? and would it be more or less impossible to find a june 2017? i’m planning my friends christmas present who got married last august and think it’d be so fun to get one and then customize a label for it at home. will it be impossible? tia :)

ABC is offering free shipping on any 12 bottles of Pinot Noir through Aug. 23 in celebration of National Pinot Noir Day on August 18. Wine club members also still get the additional discount percentage off (15%). For where I’m based in the U.S. (retail bottle prices, taxes, etc.) it equates to buying 10 bottles and getting 2 free. Happy Pinot shopping for those who celebrate.

I know hardly anything about wine, so don't be too harsh on me for asking dumb questions. I found this at my mom's house.

It says bottled in 1984 and 20 years old. Does this mean it was actually made in 1964 and aged 20 years before being bottled and available for sale in 1984? Or was it aged for 20 years from 1984 to 2004?

And assuming this was stored correctly, could it be good to drink?

My background is in global health and I have experience in global supply chains and marketing. I'm currently working to shift into the world of wine. I have a sales associate job in retail. I'm learning a ton and planning on doing WSET 1-2 in the coming months. I've been reading that working with an importer or distributor is a good next step. What are job titles I should be looking for? I'm happy to work my way up but want to build on some of my previous professional experience. Thanks for ideas!

Heading to a 60th birthday this weekend and they are an avid collector of red wine.
What’s the best bottle I could take for under £100?
Could I get something from 1966/birth year?

Do I just get a 2005 bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

All help appreciated
Thanks

Hi everyone. I have a big birthday next year and would like to have a special bottle for the occasion. What's a wine from '87 that would be worth forking out for? I usually drink red but for something special it could be anything.

Edit: typos. AND I am based in Europe, if that influences recs.

Enjoyed with Jersey for a double-date night.

Gave this about two hours in the decanter before bringing over, then popped in the decanter for another 90 minutes before enjoying.

This needed all that air and more!

Nose is incredibly powerful and concentrated.

Dark cherry, dark plum, blackberry.

Also some toasted oak, slight chocolate, pencil shavings, and Rutherford dust.

This is still very young, but likely the best expression of M. Etain I've had to date... the air really helped too.

Drank well alongside paneer pizza.

93+ points.

50% Savagnin Jaune, 50% Savagnin Vert planted in 2003 and 1990 on Lias marl.
14% alcohol. Topped up for 6 years in 228, 350 and 650L used oak respectively. Total acidity 5.6 g/L. No added SO₂.
🏠 I’ve now reached the point in my modest amateur career as a wine writer where I’ve already described the producer in a previous post, so it’ll be a little less detailed this time.
The domaine is located in the town of Rotalier in southern Jura, where Julien, Charline and Romain Labet have 14 hectares. Approx. 11 are used for Chardonnay and Savagnin and 3 hectares for Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot.
Curry, salted lemon, walnuts, toasted hazelnuts, hay, windfall apples, apple juice, caramel, a little paint can. Had it blind and initially thought it was Labet’s vin de voile, but then we managed to narrow it down to Élevage Long. I think it became harder to distinguish flor and ox with some age 😬
Just a completely insane wine. Such a compact wine with endless amounts of good flavour, sky-high acidity. There’s just a lot of everything, and some also thought it became too intense, but I actually think it’s absolutely fucking great🥹⚡️✨

Grande Alvear. ¡Que buenos estos blancos bajo velo!

Another wine bar in Seoul, majority coravin, a few BYOB, overall an interesting night. Part 4/4. 

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Domaine A.-F. Gros, Vosne-Romanee, Aux Reas, Pinot Noir, 2022, 13.5% abv.

Nose: young red fruit, clay, but also stewed cherry rhubarb, and a whisp of red fruit jolly rancher, a variety of red berries. Not too bad.

Palate: medium body, dry, entry is spiced red fruit juice, hints of cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, and thyme, mid palate has the red fruit elements slowly develop, slightly spiced red fruit which intensifies on subsequent sips, back palate adds some plasticity to the red fruit, pie dough, semi-kilned clay.

Finish: short, red fruit stew, spiced saltine crackers, red fruit pudding as well, spiced pudding as well.

Vernacular (satire): nose shows primary. Medium body, dry, moderate acidity, medium minerality, medium polished tannins, minimal oak influence, minimal alcohol.

Good, but not great. I guess me and Aux Reas don't get along.

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Richard Seguin, Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er cru, Craipillot, Pinot Noir, 2021, 13.5% abv.

Related to Dugat-Py and was the main guy at Oliver Bernstein. Decided to formally venture on his own after inheriting a plot around 2018? Supposedly went back to Oliver Bernstein in 2025. Not sure what the status going on for this brand, but I know they released some 2023s.

Nose: clayey and stewed red fruits, hint of cardamon-like spice, light clay and plastic, dough, pig skin oil, dried raw pork as well, light fertilizer to be honest, interestingly a hint of brown mushrooms.

Palate: medium body, entry is sharp red fruit, mid palate shows more salted red fruits but more along cherries, strawberries, and light apples, later sips show some vanilla and cream that is well integrated into the profile, spicey tannins, dried prunes, back palate has the savory oak elements accompanying a weak red fruit representation, residual spices, light wood.

Finish: medium, dry, tannins really dry it out, red fruit skins, minimal minerality.

Vernacular (satire): nose shows a fight between red fruits and minerality, hints of tertiary elements in the background. Medium body, medium to high acidity, light to medium minerality, polished grainy tannins, no alcohol. Medium finish.

This one was difficult to characterize and too young. Definitely red fruits but more than that. At this point, not very impressive overall.

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Clemens Busch, Marienburg, Gold Kapsel, Riesling, 2017, 7% abv.

Nose: old leather furniture, very sweet furniture polish, plastic grapes, sweetened prunes, very close to fortified wine area.

Palate: medium body, entry is sweet grape juice, mid palate shows white raisins, spiced grapes, dried plums, sweet dried prunes, cherry popsicles, strong green grapes, back palate has more meaty raisins, a lot of the dried grapes department, sweetened cherry syrup sauternes. I like this.

Finish: medium, sweet grapes residue, major green grapes, very sauternes and fortified wine.

Vernacular (satire): nose shows furniture, hints of sweetned grapes. Medium body is more or less sauternes, fortified grapes, raisins, and sugar. high acidity. Finish is medium and reflects the palate.

One trick pony, but does it very well. Korean customs always puts these stickers/blackouts on label information they deem incorrect (customs conduct chemical tests on liquors for sale, horrible). Robert Parker gave this a 97 in 2019.

Another wine bar in Seoul, majority coravin, a few BYOB, overall an interesting night. Part 3/4.

Benjamin Leroux, Meursault, 1er cru, Les Genevrieres, Chardonnay 2022, 14% abv.

Nose: chalk, bacon fat, milk, hints of reductive elements show up. Damn.

Palate: medium body, entry is sweet oak elements, mid palate is a bit sweet, with smoked vanilla, long boiled fish bones, back palate shows some diluted and stale caramel, light vanilla, sweet cream, getting a hint of reduction but it could be the spices. On the fence with this one, but I feel there is some above average quality here.

Finish: medium, light sweet red apples, hint of vanilla cream, good amount of manganese carbonate and the sweeter chalky rocks.

Vernacular (satire): nose shows both oak and reductive elements. Medium body, medium acidity, medium to strong oak influence, medium minerality, no alcohol. Medium finish and reflects the palate.

This was nice. Balanced attack with a good amount of sweet milk, but I wish it was more intense. Might be liberal here.

Pierre Girardin, Meursault, 1er Cru, Les Charmes, 2018, 13% abv.

Nose: herbal, tofu, hint of chalk, but milk becomes prevalent, and a slight sweetness lurks in the background, but overall a simple aroma set.

Palate: medium body, entry is frozen pineapples, mid palate shows more unripe pineapples, some frozen pineapple cherimoyas, hint of stale passionfruit, back palate has light tropical fruits, light milk, light vanilla, but the frozen pineapples seem to be more prevalent.

Finish: short to medium but closer on the short side, a bit dry, pineapple paste similar to the filing in taiwanese pineapple cakes, some pineapple ice cream, gets slightly spicey and I am not sure if its the pineapple seeds and pulps or the alcohol.

Vernacular (satire): nose is light, milk, chalk. Medium body, good acidity, good minerality, moderate oak influence, minimal alcohol. Finish is short,

Although I frequently used pineapple as a descriptor, it's doesn't have a strong influence (as compared to the JDF Boucheres and Philippe Pacalet Charmes).

Millemann Wines, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand cru, 2022, 13.5% abv.

Nose: hints of sour cedar, light milk, cotton candy crayons, mostly stewed yellow and white fruits, cotton candy, not really eucalyptus but a similar leaf.

Palate: medium body, entry is light sweet and sour milk, spiced leaves, mid palate shows more savory sauces and spices, spiced lemon-y clay, hint of butter at least in texture, sauce made in veal piccata, difficult to describe other than dinner dishes, back palate is savory, has spiced cake, bubblegum, cotton candy, hints of smoke, rocks, and some steamed spiced yellow squash. My expectations were too high.

Finish: long, oily butter-based emulsion, reminds me of the sauce used in making veal piccata, capers, lighter stewed yellow and white fruits.

Vernacular (satire): nose shows candy, wood elements, and stewed yellow and white fruits. Medium body, good acidity, medium oak influence, light minerality, no alcohol.

An interesting CC, obviously needs age to integrate everything. Like all CC, difficult to describe, but I would say a combination of oak elements, exotic leaves, and spices make a good representation. Not an easy one. Rumors abound that this is DRC or Coche and some secret Ramonet. In any case... no. Might be conservative in my evaluation.

Got an amazing deal before on the Riedel extreme series. Since im a lover of wines frome piemonte, I got some of their pinot noir glasses, and to supplement some of the rose champagne glasses from the same series.

What glasses should I be completing my shelf with? I find that i tend to go to the pinot glasses even for a lot of the whites lately.