Saturday evening dinner wine: This lovely RRV Pinot Noir
2018 de Négoce Pinot Noir OG N.48 - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/12/2025)
Decanted back into bottle 20 minutes prior to serving with dinner.
Nose: Bing cherry, spice, cola. Not hugely aromatic vs say the Lot 197 RRV Pinot. Color: Dark ruby. Palate: More Bing cherry, some baking spices, modest tannins to pair with food served. Acidity has nice balance with ripeness and body present. Glad to have 10 left which I'll start drinking soon. Should hold up for 2-3 years. Drinks wonderful now. (91 points)
OG N.50 2018 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon
Over 4.5 years in the bottle, 3/12. Pulled the cork 2 hours in advance.
Still a muted nose, it IS definitely starting to show better. Deep dark Leather and mild dark fruits. Did I say Dark? This seems to be built to last! Probably much better in 2028, 10 years after vintage.
I’m going to keep enjoying this yum+ interesting darkhorse periodically over time. with Ribeye
HA Mikko!
Not so Great, in 2038, I’ll be 82 if I’m alive and boozing?
Probably will need a ton of salt to taste my food?
Age related Olfactory dysfunction?
AI Overview
Yes, a decline in the sense of smell is a common occurrence as people age, often referred to as age-related anosmia or hyposmia. I’d rather enjoy it too soon, instead of when it’s perfect, but, I just can’t taste it……without salt?
Yesterday we had a $9 cellar defender Lot 109 Fair Play District (El Dorado County) 2018 Syrah, which was bottled October 2020. In Feb 2023, my wife and I felt that this Syrah had a ‘rhubarb’ taste, so we just laid the remaining case down for another two years. After a four hour decant, ~ this Syrah today was a 90 pt / ‘A’ winner and clearly better than the earmarked $30 reference value. I just did not realize how long some wines take to properly come around. Hats off to the upcoming ‘The Negociant’!
Lot 399 | 2019 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
PnP. This 2019 is ready now. It spent all of 28 months in French Oak!
Pours dark black. A bit minty, Rich & Smooth, 15.5% and still slightly sweet? A nice Sonoma CS for a very nice price. Day 2 was slightly better? It can age a bit? with Burrito
OG dN Lot 188 2019 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
10/12, PnP, A Pinot lovers CS, Bright & Light, I like it.
Drinking fine now, I am now putting this into the “drink soon”. For me, this is Ready Now!
Day 2-better still. For those that prefer more age, it’s probably good for another year or two? with Bulgogi Flanken Beef Ribs
Lot 170 2019 Dry Creek “Reserve” Merlot
Almost 4 years in the bottle, PnP.
This tannic & slightly fruity Merlot can be enjoyed now, PnP. For me this is ready.
This $144/case Yummy wine, was a nice bargain! with Chicken Legs
Bottle 2 of 6. 2.5 years in the bottle, 3 hours in the decanter.
This Excellent Wine could use even more aging and decanter time.
Cam: “The wine is made with no-expense-spared, hand-punched-down in small 1-ton bins and aged for over 30-months in 25% new French oak. Classically-styled but in the tried-and-true sense, it’s fantastic wine with superior structure and complexity.”
This is truly delicious, very fancy, triple yummy good! Try it with a healthy decant, expect a good time. with Prime Tri-Tip
more from Cam:
“ hail from a small estate vineyard at just under 1,000 feet of altitude high above St. Helena. Just a couple hundred-feet from Howell Mountain appellation, this vineyard is surrounded by luminaries such as Viader, Cade and Merus.
Rich, ripe and voluptuous nose of briary blackberry and blueberry jam are well-supported with creamy mocha and caramel oak notes with hints of leather and red-rock to provide aromatic lift - the bouquet is ripe but never overripe. Supple and balanced on entry with chewy, muscular-yet-well-integrated tannins that are nicely balanced against the ripe blackberry fruit and creme-caramel finish. Great texture. The finish is delicious and complex with very good length, persistence and terrific overall balance. 100% classic and a steal at this price! 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% estate fruit in the Napa Valley appellation, just under 1,000-feet of altitude” Does anyone know what Loquacious means?
Quick mindless notes from the past few weeks
119 &136 Syrah (2018) both solid. 136 better than 119. Provide nice contrast to the fruit forward Australian offers from the mid 300s.
17 Napa cab (2018) - solid as ever
385 2019 Napa cab. Masterpiece. Tops five dn wines that I’ve had. Wish I had bought 2 dozen, not just six. . Perfect on pop and pour. Leather and tobacco at first. After an hour more fruit. Not a delicate wine but balanced.
Drank a bottle of lot 223 Edna Valley Syrah on Thursday night and last night, Friday. It was beautiful on Thursday night after opening. It deteriorated a bit in night two, so drink up. It’s in a great spot right now.
Decanted dN 172 Napa Syrah for 2 - 3 hours. This is a somewhat sweet, cab like syrah. I probably bought this as part of a mystery case so likely less than the $14 it would normally cost. Pretty good but only fair complexity sot glad I didn’t buy a case.
Started decanting the much maligned lot 58 McDowell PS at 4:20. Started drinking after 6 pm and it seems to be a good, well balanced daily drinker with little complexity. Better than I expected after some negative WB reviews.
Lot 385 2019 St. Helena/Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
4/12. My 3rd bottle was a big disappointment! So I really lost respect.
I grabbed a bottle for a final late night drunken glass after a fine Ahi seafood dinner on the coast (Morro Bay) with respectable Lot 486 | 2023 Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Great SURPRISE, it’s double Yummy + again + !! Also, Day 2 Confirmed that this is a Masterpiece, HA! Bottles 1&2 were great! Bottle 3 was a disappointment (too lofty expectations?). Low expectations for bottle 4 were smashed by this beautiful complex CS! Go figure……do expectations change our perceptions? I believe that they may do so…. Day 2, with Ribeye
Three years ago I would have told you that L 58 2018 McDowell Valley Petite Sirah was simply awful. Man, has time changed our thoughts. Too, bad we were ready to simply dump this selection of which we had only nine bottles, giving two away to an unsuspecting friend and wasting two. Today a balanced fruit, acidity and tannin PS example. ~ 90 pts / A.
What a wonderful wine L 229 Red Mountain 2019 Mourvèdre/Syrah is when there is so much beef to go around, ~
Last night, with our daughter’s neighbors, we compared four different North Andover, MA ‘supreme’ roast beef restaurant sandwiches. We graded each by aroma, taste, texture and bite. Just like with some wines, our sandwich scores seemingly went all over the place with no consensus among participants. But the one upshot to it all was that those not drinking beer truly appreciated the L 229 Mourvèdre/Syrah (91 pts / A).
2022 de Négoce Merlot OG N.473 - USA, California, North Coast, Lake County (4/17/2025)
A highly extracted, crowd-pleasing Merlot from Lake County’s volcanic High Valley. Bursting with jammy black cherries, plum compote, and cocoa powder on the nose, it leans into its bold, sun-kissed fruit with confidence. The palate is plush and juicy, layered with vanilla, cracked pepper, and a touch of earthy minerality, all propped up by soft, velvety tannins and medium acidity. This is a great burger night or pizza wine, and for the offering price is a nice value. (88 points)
interesting darkhorse periodically over time.
!!!
Does anyone know what Loquacious means? 
