| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
1970 Joseph Swan Vineyards "Gamay" Sonoma CountyValdiguié more |
9/2/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 100 pointsLet me begin by saying the previous positive reviews are spot on. Most I couldn’t have said much better, so I will recycle some of the thoughts below as they have stayed true almost 10+ years later...This wine is now 50!!!! |
| Red |
1970 Joseph Swan Vineyards "Gamay" Sonoma CountyValdiguié more |
8/18/2011 - gutt22 wrote: NRBrownish-red color. This is definitely on its last legs and past its prime. Composting leaves, wet earth, and not much else on the nose. In the mouth, some liveliness is left in the acidic structure, but there's little fruit and mostly earthy, complex notes. An interesting wine from a historical point of view, but its best life seems to have passed. C+ |
| Red |
1970 Joseph Swan Vineyards "Gamay" Sonoma CountyValdiguié more |
5/15/2006 - jamiekutch wrote: NRSan Francisco MONSTER Offline - 31 Notes, Pictures & Review of the Evening: 13.6 Alc. Mouth coating. Long lingered out finish. Sticks to your cheeks. Beef, black fruit. Amazing depth and dark fruit note. One of the Wines of the Evening! Several thought this was a petite syrah and definitly not a Gamay. |
| Red |
1970 Joseph Swan Vineyards "Gamay" Sonoma CountyValdiguié more |
5/1/2006 - PaulH wrote: 97 pointsOld California Wines with Francois Audouze (Jack Falstaff Restaurant - San Francisco, California): Deep, purple/black color and so dense it looks like printer's ink. It has a vibrant nose of black fruit and meats. Sitting in the glass, it looks like primal wine. The palate is amazing, mouth-coating isn't exactly right.. more like exposed tissue coating! It tastes like raspberry jam, except that it is not sweet. It has depth and intensity like a Shiraz, but it doesn't taste stewed or overripe. The finish goes on forever. The label reports 13.6% alcohol, and sure enough it proclaims "GAMAY" in big black letters. This is a legendary wine and now I know why. A 1975 review suggested decanting for three hours before drinking. The secret to this wine appears to be that "Napa Gamay" of circa 1970 is actually, Valdiguié and it was picked fairly ripe. Swan only made one other "Gamay"—in 1971 and it was a pale imitation of the 1970, reportedly because the grapes were picked too soon. Most "Napa Gamay" has been pulled up, and the odds of anyone ever seeing a wine like this again is quite slim. I saved the empty bottle as a trophy. Wow. |
| Red |
1970 Joseph Swan Vineyards "Gamay" Sonoma CountyValdiguié more |
6/11/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 92 pointsRare Wine Co. Joseph Swan Retrospective Dinner (Murray Circle Restaurant, Cavallo Point, Marin, California): Dark ruby color; youthful, tart red berry, ripe currant nose; tasty, surprisingly youthful, tart cherry, ripe currant, red berry palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points (made from Valdiguié, not Gamay) |
| Red |
1970 Joseph Swan Vineyards "Gamay" Sonoma CountyValdiguié more |
10/11/2011 - BradKNYC wrote: NRMostly California Wines from the '70s at John Gilman's. (John Gilman's.): Holy hell! Nobody expects the Swan Gamay! This is seriously good stuff that a few folks know about, but it's generally talked about in hushed tones. To be honest, it's not really Gamay, but a grape called Valdiguie. Yeah, go look that one up. Apparently, Valdiguie is permitted to be labelled Gamay Noir, was formerly permitted to be labelled Gamay and was known for a very long time as Napa Gamay. (Thank you Steve Edmunds for this info!) The nose was pure blackberry before a little eucalyptus snuck in. On the palate, it's a bit one note, but it's a helluva note. Blackberry kirsch that's just so sweet, powerful and lingering that it almost elicits giggles. Like the nose, it picks up a light eucalyptus note and there's some black licorice, but this really all about the young and vibrant fruit. Coarse and rustic in texture with still big tannins on the finish. Forty-one years old and it's still young. Just wow! Wine of the night in an evening full of nice wines. Low A. |
| Red |
1991 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet FrancCalifornia more |
8/17/1993 - buckeye76 wrote: 85 pointsRHONE STYLE CABERNET FRANC FOR EARLY DRINKING |
| Red |
1976 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
4/19/2010 - gutt22 wrote: NRThese wines age so beautifully. No exception here. A graphite-laden nose with dusty black currant fruit behind it. Shockingly youthful in the mouth, with a caressing, velvety mouth feel. You wouldn't mistake this for Bordeaux, but its vibrance and Cabernet character are unmistakable. A-/A |
| Red |
1983 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
11/21/2010 - Colima74 wrote: 90 pointsA step below the 1981 also opened. Still fruit, but dried flowers, leather, and a hint of sweetness too. At Duck House for Fu's bday. |
| Red |
2000 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
5/13/2007 - Paul D wrote: 85 pointsMedium/deep ruby core, pale ruby rim. Open, reasonably intense nose, dark fruits, spice, slight hint of mocha. Medium bodied, quite fresh and light, red and black berry fruits, well balanced with good acidity and some grippy tannins and bitterness on a reasonable length finish. Enjoyable if not particularly special, should be fine for another 5+ years. |
| Red |
1968 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
8/21/2011 - gutt22 wrote: NRThis bottle was a marvel. First vintage of Swan, made from Pedroncelli grapes. An uncannily youthful wine. Solid red color. Gorgeous nose of black fruit, pipe tobacco, mushrooms, and forest floor. An intoxicating bouquet that gives off the warm feel of an old house in winter. In the mouth, the texture was like fine Burgundy, velvety and caressing, giving you the sense of ethereal transport as the lively and still kicking fruit washed over the palate, only to be followed up with endless layers of complexity that, while prominent, never let you forget that this remains a fruit-driven bottle of wine. Long, sumptuous finish. Maybe Joe Swan didn't know what he was doing back then ... maybe this was just a lucky bottle. But sometimes you've got to revel in a bit of luck. A |
| Red |
2000 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonSonoma County more |
6/14/2008 - Rick Hall wrote: NRI was a bit wibbled by the time we got to this one, so I might have got entirely the wrong grape! My notes start with "God knows" scribbled out! They go on simply to say "very nice but loadsa life yet." |
| Red |
1984 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
9/24/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 88 pointsNose closed; palate still young, good fruit underlying. Promising. 88+ |
| Red |
1985 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
3/14/2009 - gutt22 wrote: NRBrilliant Cab here. The Swan Cabs are very low production, but they age with amazing grace. Still a deep red color. Amazing nose of cigar box, red currant, dusty earth, and a leafy note. Pure and concentrated in the mouth, with lively fruit, and impressive layers of complexity. Good acidity, which leads to a terrific, long finish with only slight tannic kick. A-/A Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2) |
| Red |
1984 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonNorthern Sonoma more |
2/4/2010 - yhn wrote: 92 pointsNose - sweet redwood and cedar, cinnamon, red plum, vanilla oak. |
| Red |
1974 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
8/21/2011 - gutt22 wrote: NRA really beautiful wine. Brick red color, though more solid red in the center of the glass. Mature nose of forest floor, spice box, cigar box, and dried currant. In the mouth, fully resolved and showing terrific balance -- not tired in the least. The mouth feel was soft and graceful, allowing the layers of complexity to unfold. A bit clipped on the finish, but a very good old wine indeed. A- |
| Red |
1984 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonNorthern Sonoma more |
2/4/2010 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 points1984 Cabernets Blindtasted Pt. IV (and last) (Tom's House, Palo Alto, CA): Group's #3 (my #3) – 66 pts; 4, 0, 2, 1 - dark medium red violet color; mature, mushroom, berry, black fruit nose, adding mint after 20 minutes in the glass; mature tobacco, tart plum, cassis, mineral palate with firm tannins; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. |
| Red |
1996 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
4/17/2016 - CMN wrote: 87 pointsShowing its age. Tobacco, leather and spice. Very lightly prickly tannins. Good acidity. Unremarkable and past its prime, drink. |
| Red |
1984 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonNorthern Sonoma more |
8/20/2009 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 pointsMid-'80s Cabernet Blindtasting Dinner (Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park, California): Dark red violet color; cassis, cranberry, mint, tobacco and spice box nose; tasty cassis, berry, plum and black fruit palate; medium-plus finish |
| Red |
1984 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonNorthern Sonoma more |
8/16/2020 - jviz wrote: 95 pointsPerfect cork and capsule, fill in the mid neck. This was singing with the pure ripe cassis fruit of the 84 vintage. Quite a lot of fruit remaining but tannins are fully resolved with supportive tertiary notes Of saddle leather and cigar wrapper. In many ways still a young wine, could go 5-10 more years without trouble |
| Red |
1981 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRussian River Valley more |
11/21/2010 - Colima74 wrote: 92 pointsBetter than the 1981, which was also opened. Good red fruit followed by leather, dried flowers, good acidity. Very nice. At Duck House for Fu's bday. |
| Red |
1995 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Steiner VineyardSonoma Mountain more |
3/17/2024 - Kloseframe Likes this wine: 95 pointsWow. Purchased from the winery direct in 2023. This was outstanding. Of course they are known for the zins and pinots, but for me, man does Swan do wonders with cab too. Until now, I'd only ever had the Trenton Estate cab, but this Steiner one was nearly perfect. Delicious mountain fruit (and still fruity at 29 years!), a lovely acidity runs through it. My only complaint is that the finish is relatively short -- long, I would say, in general, but short for Swan and given how balanced and full-flavored this wine is otherwise. I'd call it a medium finish where, if it had been a longer finish it would be a 98-100. Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2) |
| Red |
1996 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Steiner VineyardSonoma Mountain more |
4/17/2016 - CMN Likes this wine: 90 pointsPurple fruits and cassis on the nose and the palate. With some air, a savory green note appears, adding some needed complexity. Tannins are still a touch prickly, but mostly integrated. This drinks like a wine half its age, but lacks that extra gear to make it exceptional. 13.6%abv. |
| Red |
1995 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Steiner VineyardSonoma Mountain more |
3/12/2012 - sindbad wrote: 88 pointsBig, rich, deep nose of blackcurrant and some eucalyptus. Not subtle. High alcohol - 14.2%. Palate is blackcurrant jam but has nice and unexpected note of cigar tobacco, very sweet woody tannins. A bit coarse despite the age. Hard to drink solo but not bad with lamb chops. Low acidity, a touch over-extracted, and unlike good Bordeauxs of this age, no tertiary flavors. |
| Red |
1992 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Steiner VineyardSonoma Mountain more |
4/21/2012 - Chris Davies wrote: 87 pointsStill going strong. Intense black currant fruit and very intense. Underlying green pepper and furniture polish notes. Long. |
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