Some really savvy guys came in tonight and were trying to impress a client from Cleveland I believe. He said he liked a lot of wines but his cellar was mainly Bordeaux and Rhone, serious player, is what my wine radar was saying. The host of this four top, took that info, needing no guidance, and went for the kill to close the deal. I thought it was a great selection not sure of scoring and what not, not cheap at $577, but in my opinion it's far better to pay restaurant mark-up for rare wines that are costly, that you actually get a break on, because they are priced to move. On the nose, bouquet, med+ intensity, some funk right out of the bottle that blew off in a bit. Hard to distinguish what type of fruit, but dark berry and currants were present. Very earthy basement character that some people don't care for, but I happen to love. I can't forget the extraordinary perfumey quality that reminded me of my great grandmother's sister's closet. Very deep and complex nose. On the palate, massive intensity, depth, balance, and serious length on the finish. Still med+ tannin, med acidity, spice and cigarbox for minutes, from the tiny little taste I got. This wine made me contemplate many things in the brief moment in time that I got to experience it. 1. How can I as a sommelier come close to the understanding of these high profile, high price-tag wines without a fortune to spend to taste them? 2. How many of the people that can afford a wine of this caliber actually appreciate what's in the glass, not just the label? 3. Why has wine this moving moved into an otherwise un-reachable price point for the people that enjoy it the most? Deep and thought provoking wine.

It's amazing what happens at dinner when multi-million dollar deals are at steak. I am a firm believer that guys with class and clout close more of those deals, because they understand whats classy and sexy. Not many people come in and order $700 Bordeaux, even though we're in a mecca of multi-million dollar business. I can only pay hommage to the wine gods for sending this table my way, because I love Bordeaux, even though I cannot afford to drink what my palate has grown to love. I am however, developing some weird other skill to find wines that perform at a fraction of the 1st growth wines at a fraction the price. One the nose, bouquet, med+ intensity, loads of spice, cardamom, clove, pencil shavings, tomato leaf, sandlewood, asian spice, very classic basement-like chalky earth, no perceivable oaky quality, and deeper than the last thousand $100 bottles of wine I have tried. On the palate, dry, med+ intensity, medium tannin, very well balanced, incredible length. Not massive and structured, but more perfumey and elegant. I am happy that these wines keep finding me, but they also keep setting the bar higher and higher. I need to inherit a massive fortune to cellar this amazing wine. If you have this, I am jealous, it will deliver for another decade or two.

I have long been a fan of this under-priced second label. I have purchased half racks of this wine for the past few vintages and it always delivers at that price. On the nose, youthful, medium intensity, plum, blackberry, violet, black licorice, moderate oak, and not really any oak to speak of. On the palate, dry, not tannic, but med+ structured, tar violets, pepper, good black fruit component, leafy vegetal element, not earthy, and not oaky. Good character for the dollar. I have not consumed the last 04 if that means anything.

I have had many back vintages of this consistent winery, and enjoyed all of them. The 05 was young to be opening, but they were Microsoft guys and the bottles were engraved to them as some sort of present. Yes I decanted forty minutes prior to them drinking, I got my taste about an hour and a half after decantation. On the nose, aroma, low intensity, almost nothing on the nose, not sure if the wine's just too young or going through an awkward phase or what the deal was. My favorite part is the nose, and how it can captivate me, into an almost trance where I forget to drink the wine. Nothing like that here. On the palate, dry, medium intensity, some black cherry, some cassis, some oak, no earth, and no impressive structure to speak of. I expected more.

All right enough of the wine tasting high horse, not sure of the price on this one but I know i have paid 4 times the price without the quality or varietal character. Loads of autumn leaf, with some strawberry and cherry when I opened the bottle. And a good grip on the palate. What I perceive as 30 minutes later the dark cherry cola and cooking spice is evolving, the silkiness on the palate is emerging. I just had a culinary epiphony, I would like to try this wine with fried chicken wings tossed in truffle oil and porcini mushroom dust. This under $20 Pinot is kicking some serious ass.

Cousin Charlie has been holding on to this wine for a while, a couple of years ago I brought him to a Penfolds tasting and he got hooked. They were saying we sold more of their wine than anyone in the US that year, gave us a plaque, and showered us with great wine. Charlie opened it the other night, with the family in town, prepared by me, sometimes to as "Schwei Pie", This wine went way beyond expectations, took the stewed part of the fruit to a whole other level. Like the most beautiful woman on the planet was also an expert in scents, And she created a black berry, cherry tobacco, earthy and dusty perfume, that captured a whole lot of attention.

Full on browning in color. On the nose, bouquet of stewed plums, oxidation, and not much else beyond that. This bottle was port-like and oxidized, which speaks to cellaring conditions rather than anything else. It's a shame because these Merlot's do last.

Nowadays St. Henri is a multi-district blend drawing Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, and Langhorne Creek. Cabernet Sauvignon, which provides firmness and structure to the St. Henri style, is sourced from the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and Bordertown.
Thats info from the website. From my point of view this wine kicked some serious ass. Great stewed fruit and perfume, I was thinking while tasting that had I had this wine blind might have called it some weird Bordeaux, with a lot of bacon and stewed fruit. Some serious structure that I could see lasting a while in the cellar. Loved it, always have. My cousin Charlie loves it more, and was happy to watch him consume it.

There haven't been many times in my tasting life that I have smelled cardamom and clove, but tucked behind a core of Bordeaux earth, this wine was shouting out exotic spices. The color was a browning red, there was still some black cherry, and tobacco. I was floored by this wine.

I have had this wine several times in the past year and loved it every time. Every guest I have sold it to has also loved it. Interestingly, they age this wine in large American Oak casks for a year, then it sees two years aging in French oak barriques. Classic aging Cab flavors of black cherry, cassis, cigar box, perfume, dust, medium+ tannins, medium+ acidity, and a walk around for a few minutes and still taste the wine finish. If I had the money I would buy what is left and open a bottle every couple of months.