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Focus on California (May 2001)

Full medium ruby. Aromas of plum, chocolate and tobacco leaf, plus a note of scotch from the wood. Dense and layered, with truffle and oak components and a suggestion of wet wood. I get ripe fruit here, but also a nagging green quality that dries the finish.

Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets (Dec 2018)

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a huge, potent wine that shows the natural richness of these sites in Coombsville and Howell Mountain that inform the blend. Back cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather and spice flesh out in a racy, voluptuous wine that will tempt readers with its sheer allure. A dollop of Merlot…

2015 Bordeaux: Every Bottle Tells a Story… (Feb 2018)

The 2015 Cantegril offers good depth and persistence in its candied lemon peel, pineapple and floral notes, but is marred by unfocused aromatics. With a little more attention to detail, this could be a meaningfully better wine.

Barbaresco – Out of the Shadows: The 2016s & 2015s (Oct 2018)

The 2015 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo is endowed with serious concentration and power. In 2015, some of the site signatures that make Sorì San Lorenzo so distinctive are not especially apparent. It will be interesting to see how and when they develop. To be sure Sorì San Lorenzo comes across as not fully put together…

Brunello di Montalcino: The 2012 Brunellos & 2011 Riservas (Mar 2017)

Dark red. Musky nuances give way to brighter red fruit, licorice and herbal aromas. Rich and dense, with flavors of red cherry and minerals lifted by hints of orange peel and bergamot, not to mention noteworthy but harmonious acidity. Finishes long with youthfully chewy tannins and lingering hints of violet. This strikes me as a…

2018 Burgundy: Confounded Expectations (Jan 2020)

The 2018 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a reserved, backward bouquet that feels a little sultry after the more expressive Charlemagne. The palate is better, though, offering white peach and mango notes. A more tropical-tinged Bâtard-Montrachet but counterbalanced by the acidity. A touch of spice emerges toward the finish.