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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 30/09/2026

Sitting in an arbitration panel today. My local courts are banning pervert glasses😝🤭 Good job! #tech

Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 30/09/2026

Bordeaux week rolls on! Another oldie, very different than the Ch. Latour (Monday's post) with which it was drunk. A little weightier, a little meatier, but not as silky, as unctuous or as classic, in a lot of ways. It still showed great and again showed how Bordeaux seems to age so effortlessly.

A glass and bottle of 1989 Ch. Montrose, Bordeaux

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 28/09/2026

Reasonable fill at this age. Some ullage, but it's still well above the bottom of the neck. It was perfectly stored, too. The cork did show an inch or so of saturation, but this had very good color and seemed silky-fresh for its age. There were tertiary notes on the nose and palate, as expected.

Click whole picture--shows fill/ullage in alternate shot of Latour

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 28/09/2026

By reputation, '89 isn't a superstar Latour, but I always thought a lot of '89s were underestimated as some were hard in their youth (more so on the Left Bank by my own aging recollection) and took more time to unfold. Still, if not ready now, not gonna be. #wine #bordeaux #pauillac

A glass and bottle of Chateau Latour 1989 on a table

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 27/09/2026

At least these folks decided to have fun. I guess there's a good side to the street turning into a river. 🤦

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 27/09/2026

Phila is fortunately inland a bit. But the New Jersey shore, a little more than an hour away, these are the videos we're getting..... Happily, that is not what it's like in my city. But I was having friends coming in for dinner from New Jersey tomorrow 😈 Maybe.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 25/09/2026

This single-vineyard Assyrtiko is my favorite Sigalas brand, although it's close.They've held well from the debut. This '13 is crisp with a hint of lemon and a demeanor initially focusing on finesse. That can cause it to be underestimated. As it airs and warms, it coats the palate,then fleshes out

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 25/09/2026

My "Goodbye to Summer" week marches on. Flannel sheets on.Bordeaux standing up. BUT still time for wine with a summer hint or two. Of course, Santorini produces whites with depth that work all year round, but who isn't thinking about the sun and sea now, huh?You're welcome! #wine #greece #santorini

A glass and bottle of Domaine Sigalas' 2013 Kavalieros, a single vineyard Assyrtiko from Santorini, Greece. Color looks great,eh?

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 23/09/2026

It has entered a new phase and doesn't taste young anymore, but it still tastes great with its juicy finish. It's always a pleasure. 12.5%, low $20s Summer's gone, Nor'easter coming, but still time for summer-y wines, right? #wine #portugal #alvarinho

Back label, Alvarinho from Melgaco sub-region

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 23/09/2026

Another look at the "classico" Alvarinho. Always liking this 2015 as my stash dwindles down. A fresh white, a "remember summer" wine, it has surprising depth, a green hint, a bright and somewhat tense demeanor, and powerful aromatics. There's a touch of flint, but that mostly blows off in time.

A glass and bottle of 2015 Alvarinho "Classico" from Soalheiro, meaning their standard, unoaked flagship, Vinho Verde, Portugal

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 21/09/2026

Even "drink me now" wines can benefit from some cellar time if well made, like this, Alpha Estate's popular unoaked 2022 Sauv Blanc from a single block over 600 meters in height in Northern Greece. Tight & bright, it's a bit grassy on the nose and predictably a bit green on the palate.

Back label showing the vines were high altitude, at 620-690 meters in Florina appellation

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 21/09/2026

Fall Wed, 🤷chill coming, nip in the air at night. Yikes. How did that happen?? So this a "Goodbye to Summer" week. Not ready? Too bad. Go to Greece. (Don't AT me you folks living in warmer areas. I know who you are.) There's still time for summer-y wines. I will not go gently into that good night.

a GLASS AND BOTTLE of Alpha Estate 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Northern Greece

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 19/09/2026

Back of business card, this was cool

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 19/09/2026

Gorgeous day, nice crowds for Rittenhouse art fair. Virginia artist Brie Hayden specializes in antique liquor bottles! These were nice (my photo is bad ...) Contact info in alt text #philadelphia #wine

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 17/09/2026

A field blend, this Reserva opens as a big boy, dark, plump and deep, chock full of ripe fruit. A creamy overlay leads to Assault by Tasty Old-Vines fruit, which has held mostly well for now. Pretty sexy. Good time to dive in, but take note--better balanced, less one-dimensional next day.

Bottle, cork and glass of 2012 Quinta do Vallado Reserva Field Blend, from Douro, Portugal

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 14/09/2026

Morlet's 2014 is a beauty, but it's not what you think of from Sonoma--mostly Semillon & Sauv Blanc.Yet everything comes together. Crisp, tingly on the finish, and a little different, vive la difference, right? Liked it a lot. Holding well, but dive in. New years are $125. 14.8% alc. #wine #sonoma

2014 La Proportion Dorée, a Sonoma county white blend from Morlet Family Vineyards; see 2d photo for more info

Back label showing 68% Semillon, 32% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 10/09/2026

The bottles or the wines? Who knows at this point. In any event, this is gorgeous, the opulence tamped down thanks to age, perfectly integrated. Overall, this super CabSauv is holding brilliantly. 14.2% alc. New vintages, about $175 #wine #napa #cabernetsauvignon

The two Cabs mentioned, Beringer and Schrader, plus a white Morlet hiding to the left. We'll get to that eventually.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 10/09/2026

'01 Private Res. is super, stuffed but balanced, beautiful fruit and some grip still on the finish. Tasted next to 2001 Schrader, I preferred this, even tho' I brought the Schrader. 😄 Fair to note that the styles were certainly very different, Schrader showing more finesse, this more concentration.

2001 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve on table

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 08/09/2026

In fact, it is beautifully crafted. 14.8% alcohol. I don't know what this older bottle might go for, but new vintages are likely $300+. Ouch, yeah, it's a trophy. I'm not buying it in modern times, but I'm not throwing it away either! #wine #napa #cabernetsauvignon

Schrader back label showing origins of vineyard from 1868

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 08/09/2026

Start Napa week...01 Beckstoffer from Schrader is an elegant Cab with finesse, silky texture and lifted fruit. Tasted next to a Beringer Private Res. 01, this was leaner, but perhaps livelier, and with subtler concentration. I confess to liking the Beringer a bit better, but this wasn't a slouch.

A bottle of 2001 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer, Original Tokalon Vineyard, 14.8%

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 07/09/2026

Rewatched recently. One of the greatest sequels ever done, manages to be as exciting as the original even though this time you know what's going to happen Shout out to Carrie Henn who portrayed Newt, age 10, the focal point of film tension. Her only film role! Which is rather incredible #film #sf

The 1986 sequel "Aliens"--the movie poster.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 04/09/2026

3/? Frank holds Leocádio's '20 Titan of Távora-Varosa, white counterpart to Titan of Douro, an old vines blend (mostly Cerceal) over 140 years at 900m, with good acidity. Too much marketing jazz given that Daemon 666 thing (referencing both bottles and pricing), but it has normal good points too.

2020 Titan of Tavora-Varosa Daemon 666 Branco from Portugal

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 04/09/2026

2/? It's in fine form, old vines blend (Sercial, Bical, Sercialinho) from Bairrada. It's aging well and gracefully, bright, stonewashed, elegant, and in a perfect place. Good depth. Can still age, no rush, but very nice now. Hint! 12.5%, $30-ish The Phillies seem haunted by playoff demons (contd.)

2016 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Branco from Portugal, a good value, ages well

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 04/09/2026

1/3 or 4😇 My Phillies edition, w/ Portuguese consultant F. Paredes and his Harper jersey. We had wine too. I don't like long threads but at least there's more than one wine 1) Luis Pato's Vinhas Velhas Branco 2016. It's in fine form, an old vines blend (Sercial, Bical, Sercialinho) from Bairrada.

Portuguese importer/consultant Frank Paredes holding a bottle of 2020 Titan of Tavora-Varosa Branco, while proudly wearing his #3 Bryce Harper Phillies jersey. People, this is how you dress in Philly. At least until Eagles season.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 02/09/2026

1/3 My Riesling secret--prefer some sugar. Yes, some say an off-dry style is out of fashion. DO NOT vex me, heathens! The faithful know those off-dry German miracles are perfect contrasts of acidity and sugar. The war between Acidity & Sugar often ends well for fruit and the drinker. Hence,off-dry

A glass and bottle of 2016 Semi-Dry Riesling from Hermann J. Wiemer in the Finger Lakes, N.Y.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 31/08/2026

3/3 🍷I am a bit into Napa last couple of weeks, but this wasn't drunk with the others, so I'll post the others in due course separately, including mature Morlet, Beringer, Schrader. And ...lotsa sediment!! $100+ these days, but it wasn't back then. #wine #napa #cabernetsauvignon #drinks

smaller size version of photo from post 1 in this thread

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 31/08/2026

2/3 Still have some, but wish I'd held them all until the 2020s. Textured and just slightly tight on opening, it pulls itself together and blossoms, managing the feat of seeming ripe and concentrated on the palate while elegant in presentation. Tasty, but also increasingly nuanced and complex.

Seavey back label, 1881 stone bar restored in 1990

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 31/08/2026

1/3 This 02 is another Seavey I've loved (& keep revisiting), but it evolved slowly and it took quite a while to hit peak for some years. It could be hard and closed in its first 15 years. This is arguably the best bottle I've had from the lot, a clear winner from winemaker Philippe Melka. #wine

2002 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon on a table, showing lots of sediment!

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 29/08/2026

They will have it somewhere by law. Rules, bah.Cideries are not allowed to even put vintages. They find ways to slip it in there, usually as a lot number on the back From an article I did some years back, here were the South Hill ciders--2015s do have alc here on the front. (Packbasket=96 cases)

A trio of ciders from South Hill in Ithaca, New York

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 27/08/2026

1/2 Sogrape's 2011 from Carvalhais Dão region is Encruzado that ages, and here's some proof. It's no longer young, but the maturity isn't decay either. There's concentrated fruit, a bright finish and complexity. It even got better up to a point. Mature notes were more prominent the next day, though

2011 Carvalhais Encruzado, from Sogrape's Dão Quinta, the Chardonnay of Portugal?

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 25/08/2026

Ah, what can I say except...Go Italy. 🤐 P.s. along the lines of etched bottles, here's my favorite, from Bulgaria. The wine was ok. But I'd buy this for the bottle. 😊

2005 Miroglio, Bulgaria, front etched bottle

Back etchings showing Spumante Grande Reserve

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 25/08/2026

Well, perhaps it's time. I hear the chimps are ready. They've been requesting certain movies. Earth won't miss a beat.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 24/08/2026

1/2 "Stickies" in Aussie = a lost art. Love 'em! Posted on Gewurz Cluster Select (botrytis) recently. Held great, but a bigger star (bought more of it)--RIESLING CS LH ('02). Every time I've come back to this over the years, it's been intriguing and delicious. Predictably, the color has darkened.

Botrytis...A glass and bottle of 2002 Navarro Riesling "Cluster Select Late Harvest" from Anderson Valley, Mendocino, CA, 10.1% alc

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 21/08/2026

1/2 Whenever I rant about fat, overly oaky Chards, I'm reminded there is also this, that a friend brought along. Crisp, textured, focused and penetrating, this Grand Cru 2019 tingles a bit on the finish and always seems bright. Very youthful to boot, it's still developing, but in a reasonable place

2019 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur from J. Moreau & Fils, bottle, glass on table

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 19/08/2026

2/2 Will be interesting to see how this evolves in the long term. It was a good contrast with the Santorini (2016 Pyritis)--not as ripe or as nuanced, less saline, but perhaps more focused. And half the price. Love the one you're with! It's a fine effort. 13.5%, $30-ish. #wine #assyrtiko #greece

Back label of the Assyrtiko showing single block of 2006 vines at 535 meters, 13.5% alcohol

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 19/08/2026

1/2 This 2021 high-altitude Assyrtiko from Alpha in N. Greece is a bookend to Monday's Santorini. Assyrtiko's been getting good off of Santorini too! 🫡 Gorgeous today, there's precision and a textured finish--it's all come together perfectly. It did need a couple of years in bottle to blossom.

A bottle of Alpha Estate's Assyrtiko in the Florina appellation, Greece, 2021

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 17/08/2026

This shows no sign of any urgency to drink. Pretty tasty, too, in its restrained fashion. 14% alc. Recent vintages vary, but say $65-ish? #wine #santorini #assytiko #drinks

Back label of Pyritis bottles, showing vines that can be older than 120 years. Alc 14%.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 17/08/2026

1/2 The 2016 Pyritis "Mega Cuvée" from Karamolegos on Santorini, meaning a blend of parcels (2 from Pyrgos Village, 1 from Megalochori, often with 120-year-old vines), is all Assyrtiko. This is a great time to dive in. It has come together well, graceful, elegant and ripe enough. #wine #greece

A bottle of 2016 Pyritis--the Santorini blend of vineyards from Karamolegos Winery, Greece.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 13/08/2026

I have a bunch of empty bottles of famous or interesting-label wines strategically placed around the house. Happily, I have no more room. It got out of control 😇 you put them on top of the bookcase, and then you notice that you have to dust them. And who wants to do that? 🤦🤭🤭

Empty bottles of a lot of famous Bordeaux

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 13/08/2026

1/2 The 2018 old vines Baga from Pato/Wouters (they're the "Nossa" of Nossa Calcario) is classic, with tight but controlled tannins, and obvious acidity. The fruit is fresh, with a surprising feel of ripeness too. It's drinking decently, but another year or two of cellaring wouldn't hurt. #wine

A glass of 2018 Baga "Nossa Calcario" from Pato/Wouters in Bairrada, Portugal, on table with the bottle

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 11/08/2026

I have seen lots of America, and it was well worth doing, especially for the outdoors. I'm lucky to be close to NYC too. But the American west is particularly gorgeous.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 10/08/2026

2/2 Tasty, fresh, bold fruit, shows nice and dry, tho,fruit forward, never sappy.Nuance is not the strong suit here, but it comes together well, touch of beef on Day 2. Very pleasing overall $21, in my area, could be worse. 12.5% alcohol. Around 160,000 cases made #wine #provence #bradpitt #perrin

Back label of Miraval 2025, Cotes de Provence

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 10/08/2026

1/2 Summer's waning, don't think I've had a rosé yet. Yikes?! 2025. Something different for me, a blend (Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah) partly owned by Brad Pitt, bottled at Famille Perrin. My first! Clean, reasonably concentrated, some bite on the end as it warms. Leans most to balance and finesse

The pretty 2025 Miraval Cotes de Provence Rosé, with cork, and a glass of wine

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 09/08/2026

Ominous "Sit here or die" sign at Hedonism Wine. Cheeky bastards. Looking thru some photos. Visited London a few years back (again). Of course, I went to the Tate, the British Museum. Nah, just kidding. Went to the wine store Nah, just kidding. Did all of that and had a bag of chips #wine #london

My photo of Hedonism Wines storefront, London, with the bench: "sit here or die"

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 06/08/2026

1/2 This 2017 Vinhas Velhas is an old vines blend from Madre de Agua, a relatively young Dão winery (2007), but winemaker is Paulo Nunes (better known at Passarella). This sure seems to reflect what I find to be his style, polished, bright and fresh with pure fruit from the Serra da Estrela area.

2017 Madre de Agua Vinhas Velhas from Portugal, Dão

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 05/08/2026

Easy. The first commercial mobile phone was in 1983. I don't remember when I got my first, but it wasn't then, probably mid 90s. Even from what I remember, things have improved so much it can barely be quantified and described. Fast, big screens, surf-the-Internet power, vids, amazing apps.

Maxwell Smart shoe phone from the show Get Smart

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 03/08/2026

Roxo... This thread inspired me to open one. This 2006 is from the co-op Sivipa, formed by several of the winemakers. Sweeter, less power, more acidity. Pretty delicious.

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Mark Squires @marksquires.com · 03/08/2026

1/2 The pretty and familiar sea-blue bottle is 2019 Santorini from Gavalas, an elegant, Assyrtiko-dominated creature. Ripe but restrained, it's a textured white with a polished feel, tasty and harmonious. Not a big blockbuster style, or meant to be, but it drinks beautifully. To reply #wine

Makes me wanna start singing "La mer..." with Charles Trenet, or "Beyond the Sea" if you prefer the Bobby Darin version.

This bottle is the classic Santorini (2019) from Gavalas in its sea-blue bottle with square-ish shoulders, on a table. Assyrtiko-dominated. You may sing now.

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