This latest Up From The Cellar (which we affectionately call UFTC around here) is packed with some seriously good mature Bordeaux, including a 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion, a 1955 La Conseillante, an 1986 Haut-Brion, a 1989 Château Montrose, and plenty more. The 1982 La Mission Haut-Brion, which I had at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, has to be one of the best wines I’ve ever had. If I had to pick a last bottle, this one would be way up there.
Beyond Bordeaux, there are some killer Rhône wines in the mix. A 2009 Jamet Côte Rôtie Côte Brune was straight-up heavenly, showing everything I love about the domaine, and a perfectly mature 1990 Chapoutier Côte Rôtie La Mordorée was another highlight—just a gorgeously complete, mature wine. I also was able to drink a bottle of 2011 Fonsalette from Château Rayas, which I actually prefer to its big brother, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 2011.
There are also some standout California wines in here, including a 2014 look back at Kapcsándy Family wines and a few older Napa Cabernets.
On the new release front, there are a few biggies. I was able to taste a vertical of the Pangaea Estate wines, a unique collaboration between renowned French wine consultant Michel Rolland and South African-Canadian vintner Travis Braithwaite. The label blends five Bordeaux varieties from top regions worldwide—Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, Merlot from Bordeaux, Petit Verdot from Spain, Cabernet Franc from South Africa, and Malbec from Argentina—with Rolland overseeing the final blend. Production is minimal at just 2,500 bottles per vintage, with the inaugural release from 2015. These don’t come cheap, but they are ripe, sexy, seamless beauties.
Next up were the latest releases from Domaines Bournet-Lapostolle in Chile, focusing on the 2022 vintage—and these were truly sensational across the board. Their 2022 Clos Apalta, based largely on Carmenère (with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), comes across as a hypothetical mix of Bordeaux and Napa, with remarkable purity.
For the fortified wine lovers out there, Quinta do Noval has some exciting new releases, including their first-ever 50-Year Tawny. To say I was blown away by this beauty would be an understatement—this is probably the most powerful, concentrated, yet still graceful Tawny I’ve ever tried.
Lastly, I finally got around to some long-overdue current releases from Ojai. I missed visiting with Adam Tolmach last year, and these were shipped samples that I struggled to fit into a report. My apologies for the delay!
Hopefully, you find some enjoyment here—happy reading, and even better, happy drinking!
Jeb