John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET @attorneysomm - Twitter Profile

If the 1855 classification were rewritten today, does Lynch-Bages stay a fifth growth, or does it move up? 1996 Pauillac was a Cabernet vintage through and through. A warm, dry September benefited the Left Bank, and the wines that came out of it were built for patience. Structured, concentrated, made to last. This bottle is showing beautifully right now. An hour of air brought out another level entirely. Blackcurrant, graphite, cedar, tobacco leaf, a whisper of violet. Tannins still firm but fine, carrying a finish that kept unfolding long after the glass was empty.

AttorneySomm's tweet photo. If the 1855 classification were rewritten today, does Lynch-Bages stay a fifth growth, or does it move up?

1996 Pauillac was a Cabernet vintage through and through. A warm, dry September benefited the Left Bank, and the wines that came out of it were built for patience. Structured, concentrated, made to last.

This bottle is showing beautifully right now. An hour of air brought out another level entirely.

Blackcurrant, graphite, cedar, tobacco leaf, a whisper of violet. Tannins still firm but fine, carrying a finish that kept unfolding long after the glass was empty.

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

1 day ago

@EricYLChang Agreed! Thank you!

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Coastal Cab Critic

@CoastCabCritic

California Cabernet Fan, married, father of one plus two Chihuahuas, traveling, cruising, enjoying nice wines.

Quick & Dirty Wine Reviews

@WineDirty

Evolving as a wine expert, familiar with many styles and varieties. Love sharing experiences with the grape. WSET Certified.

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

11 days ago

1996 Château Latour, tasted single-blind against the other four First Growths plus Léoville Las Cases, all 1996. I knew the lineup, not the glasses. This bottle also happened to get poured last, which meant it had the shortest window to open of any wine on the table, at the exact moment it needed the longest. It held tight for the first hour: dense, almost stubborn, more scaffolding than wine. Slowly it started giving up cassis and dark plum, then iron and wet gravel underneath. The tannin never fully resolved. By the end of the night it was still working. This wine is absolutely one of the best in this lineup, but is easily also the youngest in terms of its evolution. For more insights from this tasting, please watch this video: 1996 Bordeaux First Growths Blind: Which One Actually Won? https://t.co/rTRGyIIE8V

AttorneySomm's tweet photo. 1996 Château Latour, tasted single-blind against the other four First Growths plus Léoville Las Cases, all 1996. I knew the lineup, not the glasses.

This bottle also happened to get poured last, which meant it had the shortest window to open of any wine on the table, at the exact moment it needed the longest.
It held tight for the first hour: dense, almost stubborn, more scaffolding than wine.

Slowly it started giving up cassis and dark plum, then iron and wet gravel underneath. The tannin never fully resolved. By the end of the night it was still working.

This wine is absolutely one of the best in this lineup, but is easily also the youngest in terms of its evolution.

For more insights from this tasting, please watch this video:

1996 Bordeaux First Growths Blind: Which One Actually Won?
https://t.co/rTRGyIIE8V

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

2 days ago

@Noles31BB Yes! Very impressive wine! Fun find from the depths of the cellar. 😅

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

2 days ago

First Friday pour - 2001 Hacienda Monasterio Reserva (Ribera del Duero).

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

3 days ago

@wulz41 Thank you! Yes, always an excellent wine, particularly in stronger vintages like 2015 and 2016. Seems like they used less new oak in 2016.

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

3 days ago

Rioja brought real talent to Dallas this week. Hotel Swexan turned into a full-room Grand Tasting, producers pouring shoulder to shoulder, and the kind of range on the tables that makes you rethink what you assumed about the region walking in. Rioja gets flattened into one idea a lot: oak, vanilla, an old-school Reserva that tastes the same every vintage. Standing in that room, that idea didn't survive the first hour. Some pours were exactly the benchmark I expected, built the classical way and tasting like it. Others were leaner, fresher, clearly made by someone who grew up drinking the old style and decided to push somewhere else with it. That tension, between the region's history and where a new generation is taking it, is the most interesting thing happening in Rioja right now. There also lots of exciting white wines being produced in Rioja. Here are pictures of some of the standouts!

AttorneySomm's tweet photo. Rioja brought real talent to Dallas this week. Hotel Swexan turned into a full-room Grand Tasting, producers pouring shoulder to shoulder, and the kind of range on the tables that makes you rethink what you assumed about the region walking in.

Rioja gets flattened into one idea a lot: oak, vanilla, an old-school Reserva that tastes the same every vintage. Standing in that room, that idea didn't survive the first hour. Some pours were exactly the benchmark I expected, built the classical way and tasting like it. Others were leaner, fresher, clearly made by someone who grew up drinking the old style and decided to push somewhere else with it. That tension, between the region's history and where a new generation is taking it, is the most interesting thing happening in Rioja right now.

There also lots of exciting white wines being produced in Rioja.

Here are pictures of some of the standouts!

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

3 days ago

@voltronsworld Thank you!

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

7 days ago

Thanks for sharing!

VoltronsWorld

@voltronsworld

8 days ago

Great wine that won't break the bank.

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

8 days ago

Now playing! 10 of the BEST Wines You Can Buy for $25! (2026) https://t.co/id8UKDyn5Q

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

9 days ago

@sophiameadow1 Thank you!

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John Jackson - AttorneySomm DipWSET

@AttorneySomm

10 days ago

Great question! Those two were definitely showing the best that night. Both were expressive, elegant, and perfectly balanced with extremely long, complex finishes. About an hour or two into the tasting everyone wanted to vote. I had a very hard time choosing between these two. Ultimately had to pick and had a microscopic preference for what turned out to be Lafite at the time of voting. It was pretty much a dead heat but thought about which one I would want again if I could only try one of them. Can’t go wrong either way though and could have easily been the Margaux if we voted at a different time that night.

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