2000 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
Decanted for 90 minutes. Blackberry, currant, tobacco, graphite, fennel and leather. Development is mostly secondary, though, and it would be my preference to put off drinking other bottles until more tertiary characteristics showed up--maybe around 2030. Acidity is good, and so are the tannins. If one has the time to wait it out, IMO this has the stuffing.
2018 Halcon Vineyards Mourvèdre Yorkville Highlands
Been 18 months since we last opened one of these, and good things have come with time. Red cherry fruit, rhubarb, and the blood from a just carved slice of rare beef are accented with black pepper and celery seed. Medium bodied and not so much underripe as very cool climate especially when compared to the fleshy mourvedres of Spain and Bandol. We liked it a lot, though these flavors aren't the kind that win popularity contests.
2018 Upchurch Sauvignon Blanc Southwest Facing Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley
Purchased at the winery on a cold, rainy day in April 2021 and stored in a 50F cellar since. Offputtingly strong flavors and a bitter finish like a Vin Jaune turn unacceptably oxidative before the end of the first glass. Fed the rest to the rhododendrons.
2018 Ramey Chardonnay Fort Ross - Seaview
Drank half on each of two different days. Second day report: firmed up well overnight with apples, honeysuckle, lemon curd and opulent minerality. Great deal for $34 at Costco--I've spent a lot more on chardonnays I enjoyed less.
2017 Chappellet Mountain Cuvée Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Not as much depth as I expected, but it's balanced bright berry fruit and the Bordeaux blend shows.
2015 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
Neighbor's bottle. Very open. More red fruited and juicy than expected (compared to assorted past vintages, plus the '16 not long ago), but with an earthiness that keeps it's feet on the ground. It's serious wine--just not TOO serious. Excellent.
2018 K Vintners King Coal Royal Slope Cabernet-Shiraz Blend, Red Blend
Also neighbor's bottle. Poured blind following the Leonetti and the Chappellet. By comparison, light bodied with dilute, simple flavors that do not resemble either of the grapes it's supposedly made of (75 cab, 25 syrah) nor either of the two reviews praising it on CT. Not surprised that the garish skull label turned out to be a Charles Smith product, and was flabbergasted to realize this morning that this little monster runs around $90--I'd pegged it at about $20. AVOID.