DN 17 2018 Napa cab. Full bodied and chewy as ever. Such a steal for $12 a bottle.
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Luke’s drinking the good stuff on a Tuesday night. 
Cheers, Tim
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2016 San Felo Aulus Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (6/20/2024)
Notes after following for 4 days open. Very dark ruby color with no sediment. Day 1; this had a very pretty aroma with medium intensity. Day 4; massive power, beautiful mixed berries and flowers with hints of white pepper and red licorice. The palate for the first two days was stiff with tannins and almost completely empty mid-palate. By the 3rd day, everything was falling into place and the wine became immensely more enjoyable. Holding my only other bottle for 5+ years seems very rational. 4+13+17+9= 93 (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
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Thursday evening: No sports, no Thursday drinking buddy. Break out a Pinot for a couple episodes of Ozark Season 2.
# Lot 433 | 2021 Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir
Popped cork and decanted for 20 mins before pouring. Just enough for 2 glasses put rest bottle back in cold cellar. Pours a nice see through garnet color in glass. Wifey snook a peak at the label and would not let a de Negoce get poured without her sampling it also. She confirmed what I like about this wine- really nice Pinotberry nose, with some earthiness and vanilla. Had a slice of pizza with first glass, then balance with Ozark Season Dos. This wine just kept going down very easily. Medium body, modest acidity, good firm grippy tannins. At $13.60 on sale now hey not bad. This is not as good of a PN as say OG N. 24. But it’s in the “neighborhood”. Did get a case more on the sale here to split with a friend. Again my “acid test” does this beat what I can purchase for same price at Costco? Yes- buy more.
Score: 89+ points - needs more bottle time.
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Thanks Tim for the post. I went ahead and purchased some. Also purchased some N.434, which doesn’t seem to be getting much attention. Hoping it to be good as well.
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Popped 472 this afternoon and dropped it into a decanter for a few hours. Man this stuff is so dark, perhaps the deepest purple ive seen in a wine. Straight out of the bottle it was closed on the nose but started to open after a few hours when i got some dark fruit and cherries from it. This is a well balanced juice and id imagine its only going to get better from here since it was just bottled. Only regret is i bought only 1 case.
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198 is my all time favorite (only rivaled by 385). Cheers!
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Ha Margo!
Good call!! I’m just now trying to decide between 17 & 385 for tomorrow’s rack of lamb???
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Agree, have had 2 now. Amazing. But it wasn’t just bottled. Don’t know when, but it wasn’t bottled by dN.
Figured it was time to start checking in on some of the early purchases. First bottle of N.28 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, decanted about 1.5 hrs. Very nice with dark cherry, cassis fruit, touch of mint? on the nose. Already coming into balance but could some more time for the oak and tannin to resolve. Another DN winner!
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Doesn’t seem like you can go wrong!
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I’ll take all the n.181 you’re offering! 
- 2019 Rutz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Notre Vue Estate Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill (6/22/2024)
Well, have times changed. This is a completely different wine from a year ago. I'm shocked really. When I bought this in 2020 not only was it not ready to drink, it seemed like it might never come around. In 2023, it was just off. But a year later, and 4 years total of waiting, my goodness this is like a different wine.
The 2019 Maison Grand Cru Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon isn't your father's Napa Cab. Forget the brooding fruit bombs and the layers of pretentious oak. This is a wine for the Hamptons on a crisp autumn afternoon, all sharp edges and hints of blackberry.
Keith Rutz, the maverick winemaker behind this bottling, has crafted a Cabernet that is both impeccably pedigreed and utterly refreshing. The grapes, sourced from a single vineyard in Chalk Hill, a sub-appellation known for its cooler climate and limestone-rich soils, yield a wine that is lively and energetic.
There's a touch of the unexpected here, a hint of graphite or pencil lead in the aroma, that keeps things interesting. But the fruit, when it arrives, is all black cherry and cassis, delivered with a juicy exuberance that belies the wine's classic structure.
This is a Cabernet Sauvignon for those who appreciate nuance over power.
Just be sure to pair it with something equally interesting. Think grilled lamb chops with rosemary or a plate of roasted vegetables drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar. This isn't a wine for greasy burgers or overcooked pasta. (92 points)
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Doh! I really dislike “non-buyers remorse”!
I have gotten it big time after just reading the reviews of:
Lot 472 | 2021 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon
Doh, missed it……
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I have a note in my CT that this is my favorite dN wine. I haves some higher rated ones that I have not opened yet but I love this stuff. Just works perfect with the way I make my steaks. I see on denegociants the source guess is Guarachi…was that what most people were leaning to at the time?
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- 2018 de Négoce Cabernet Sauvignon OG N.43 - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/21/2024)
Double decanted back into bottle 2 hours before serving with dinner of grilled NY Steak and Italian sausage (mild). Dark crimson and opaque in glass. Nose shows cassis, dark cherry with a touch of soy now. On the palate, dark cherry, cassis, some turned earth- which i enjoy. Beautifully integrating acidity with a solid tannic grip leads into a medium plus length finish. Pair this solid, old school Cab with food for best experience IMO.
There could be just a bit more depth in finish for some more points here, but this knocks it out of the park at $150 a case. Never had a 2018 Napa Cabernet at this price from Costco that is even this "drinkable" at year 6. Nor from Wine Access either for that matter. Another unbelievable bargain from the Originator (Cameron) of de Negoce. (91 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
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- 2022 de Négoce Sauvignon Blanc OG N.407 - USA, California, Sonoma County (6/21/2024)
Poured straight from fridge. Slight nose of kiwi fruit. Pale color in glass. Picked up pineapple and guava flavors, with just enough acidity to keep wine interesting. Not intriguing Sauvignon Blanc here. Serviceable though, and better than similarly priced supermarket Sau Blancs. Left 1/2 bottle intact to follow next couple days. (87 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
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I also thought I remember someone floating Hendry as a guess, but I could be mistaken?
ETA nope, just realized Hendry was a guess for 199. So maybe Guarachi is right. Somehow I don’t remember a lot of guessing around 198, but it’s been so long I could just be forgetting.
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Yes, that is a #198 guess, so, I was on the Gaurachi website.
For all the reds they say:
Please Enjoy At 58 Degrees Fahrenheit
Good advice, in summer my reds need roughly 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator first. 62F or under works for me.
In the winter, they need to come into the house early to warm up…58+ works fine.
just figuring?? Happy summer everyone. Dining al fresco. 
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