6/26/2023 - Bobbusch Likes this wine:

Didn’t know what to expect opening up this wine. Boom! The wine has aged wonderfully . I used to love the wines that Mitch made and this brought me back to those times. The fruit is still showing nice vibrancy and the undertones of leather bring complexity to this wine. Well done Mitch!

6/24/2023 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Double decanted at 3pm and taken to a friend’s house for dinner. Rich effusive nose with vanilla, leather, cedar, hints of chocolate, black cherry, blackberry and plum. Classic old school Cali Cab. Decent length and good complexity and texture. Excellent with grilled steaks.

5/6/2023 - Bobbusch Likes this wine:

This wine has aged beautifully . Sad that I am getting down in my supply of when Mitch was running things and made some killer wines. Well balanced and fruit still showing through. Bravo!

7/5/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:

With MPL at Standing Room Only in SF. Strong ruby color, well-developed. Attractive berry-scented nose. Intermingled with oak. Great balance and good flavor. Plenty of oak. A bit tannic and woody, but quite pleasant all the same. Probably will be better with time on its side. 5-11-15-7: 88/100.

12/17/2022 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Brought by a friend to our house for dinner. Double decanted prior to arrival. THis is translucent medium to dark garnet with ever so slight bricking. Quite youthful given its 29 years of age. 13% ABV. Nose is quite complex over the 3 hours or so we tasted this, varying over the span. It showed ripe red fruit, pine needles, cedar, tobacco, licorice, tilled earth and bright floral notes. Palate is shockingly youthful and fresh, with flavors reflecting the nose. Bright acidity and mostly integrated tannin. Finish is long and luxurious with licorice and evergreen. Really delicious and easy to drink and a perfect match with NY strip steak and veal chop. Mature but still going strong.

11/30/2022 - Jag13926 wrote:

Very smooth, but a little disappointing for the price point.

7/10/2022 - gharter Likes this wine:

Part of a large tasting. PnP. After 30 minutes, fruit forward with black berry, currants and vanilla. Some spice. Similar flavors. Smooth tannin in a long finish. Showing really well.

6/2/2021 - Royvidman wrote:

Good. Very Good. One of their better Cabernet’s they make.

3/14/2021 - Theamaronefan Likes this wine:

Vibrant and fruit forward with black berry, currants and vanillla. Some spice. Firm tannins which are starting to mellow.

11/25/2020 - Vino Me wrote:

Purchased at the winery in 2008. Decanted 1 hour before drinking. Very crumbly cork. Deep crimson black color. 14.5% alcohol. Full bodied with notes of blackberries, tar and roasted coffee beans. Silky tannins and holding up extremely well. 95 points.

8/13/2020 - Stonger the Better Likes this wine:

Had some heat to it...I’d open up a few hours before drinking. That or wait a few more years.

10/25/2003 - R2-D2 wrote:

Tasted blind. By my book, it was clearly the best of the tasting. Very dark, almost black, color. Big time nose full of minerals, chocolate, mint, currants and caramel. The mouthcoating syrupy texture is a pure delight and is backed by ripe berries, lead pencil and underbrush. Sweet tannins, but no need to hurry.

1/12/2020 - Whine-oh Likes this wine:

From memory.. pnp aged napa cab, that was a good example of how napa wines age and are still with merit but not a stunner. Still some fruit, with resolved tannins, but a bit lacking otherwise. Secondaries there, but not enough to to rock. Drink and do not hold.

12/20/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine:

An Around the World Introductory Tasting/Holiday Event for a Philadelphia Law Firm (The Union League of Philadelphia): Double decanted at 8am then brought to a tasting in Philadelphia at 3pm. This wine is slightly translucent medium to dark garnet with just a hint of a brick undertone. The nose is rich and complex with some anise, some oak influence, blackberry, black plum, leather, tar and chocolate. Medium+ acid and tannin. Still quite lively, yet mature for a 20 year old bottle of wine. The mouth feel is rich and luxurious without being flabby or sappy. Flavor profile reflects the nose along with some coffee and baking spice, as well as a very long chocolate laced finish. Very well balanced and chewy with still a surprising amount of life left.

6/30/2019 - jpwineguy Likes this wine:

If you like ripe, new world cab you will definitely enjoy this vintage. I think this needs a handful more years to shed the baby-fat, but the tannin is mostly resolved and the texture is nice. Good crowd-pleaser for my friends who know nothing about wine.

1/12/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine:

From 6L bottle, decanted 9+ hours before my daughter's wedding. Very closed at first. Deep dark garnet color with just a hint of bricking. On the nose there is blackberry bramble, mint, red berry jam and a bit of alcohol (label marked 14.4% ABV) There is less heat on the palate however and it may blow off. As the wine softens with air it gets some chocolate, wet stones and jammy fruit but balanced with decent acidity and some mild tannins. Fairly long chocolatey finish. Curiously this was absolutely delicious on Monday evening, 2 days later. Very elegant with good acidity at that point with fruit, chocolate and lots of earthiness...adding a couple points as a result 92-94...Wow I just love how these large bottles age.

7/25/2018 - smokey17 Likes this wine:

Quite delicious! Very compatible with Asian marinated flank steak, very well integrated, from nose to tannin (still very present but totally melded into taste profile.). Glad I waited! 1 more bottle which I’ll consume later this year.

9/4/2017 - wineman73 Likes this wine:

Not as good as the last one I had months back but still exceptional! Beautiful garnet red with very minor bricking. After 3 hours in the decanter, the nose provided scents of red fruits, forest floor, chocolate. The taste provided flavors of dark cherries, tobacco, leather, and chocolate. Drink now. Score 94

7/29/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Decanted at 3 pm and drunk through about 8:30 pm, this is medium to dark garnet with a great bouquet of chocolate, vanilla, smoke, boysenberry and leather. Very rich and silky on the palate showing the flavors in the nose as well as some pipe tobacco and tart cherry especially in the finish. Decadent and a perfect match with our friend Shane's smoked Ribs with his proprietary dry rub and a touch of BBQ sauce before firing under the broiler at the finish. Spectacular, and given how many fine wines from this producer I managed to buy a few years ago at "fire sale" prices it was my only bottle of this vintage. Many more years ahead especially in Magnum as this was.

6/2/1996 - buckeye76 wrote:

ORANGE ON THE RIM. DEEP FRUIT, CURRENTS, BLACKBERRY, TOUCH OF EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE AND CIGAR BOX. BLACK CHERRIES & BLACKBERRY IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.

10/16/2016 - wineman73 Likes this wine:

The 1990 Cosentino Cab Reserve was 1 of 3 amazing wines shared with a family friend over a great steak dinner. An epic trio of California cabs, which included 1989 Forman and a 1994 Spottswoode that was provided by Dave. I had the 1990 Cosentino Cab Res three days prior and was amazed by the expressiveness and finish. I previously scored this wine a conservative 96 points. Nevertheless, I decided to try again this night with friends. The 1990 Cosentino Cab Reserve did not disappoint! The color was a garnet red with no bricking. The nose was bursting and strongly expressed cherry, dark red fruits and a hint of boysenberry. The mouth feel was like suede on the palate. It had an amazing feel that was medium-light weight and explosive. The taste was surreal with flavors of dark red fruit, cherry and lavender. The finish lasted for what seemed like a minute with a pronounced flavor of cherry. The wine is ready and should be had over the next 2 years. I am very happy to have 2 more in my cellar :) The 1990 Cosentino was just 13% alc, the Forman was 12.9% and the Spottswoode was 13.9%. It made us wonder if these newer style cabs with 14.8+ percent alcohol will drink like this in 20+ years. I suspect no, which will leave us wine snobs with lost decades that were seduced by the quick fruit forward gratification sought after in today's modern Napa Cabs. The 1990 Cosentino is undoubtedly one of the best Napa Caps I have ever had. I have never scored a wine 100 points, but what the hell! Is there really a difference between 98-100? Lastly, this wine tasting night was epic, which provided an experience that will go down as the three best cabs I have ever had at the same time. Score 100

10/15/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Have had 5 bottles of this wine, all have been good, some great, this one the best so far. This one provided by a friend but purchased at the same time as the other 4 I bought on close out from the winery shortly after it was purchased from Mitch Cosentino. Decanted at 7 pm and drunk through about 10 pm, this was best at about the 2 hour mark. Incredibly youthful looking with medium, translucent garnet color and no brick on the edge at all, which was surprising in itself given the 26 years of age! Incredibly balanced, yet somewhat fruit driven, this won't get better but was at its pinnacle tonight. Effusive on the nose with just a hint of vanilla, lots of cherry, black raspberry, boysenberry, leather and cassis on the nose. Very rich but like brushed suede on your tongue. Flavors reflected the nose but were layered, complex and long lasting. The finish exceeds 60 seconds. Fruitier than the other wines tonight... 89 Forman and 94 Spottswoode, this was tonight the WOTN. A very pleasant surprise and given that I finished the 4 bottles I had, I'm glad to have had the chance to have it again, thanks, Shane!

5/24/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Served at my daughter's wedding from Imperial, decanted at 3pm and drunk from 7:30-10 pm. Very youthful in appearance and flavor. Still pretty primary. Yet very well balanced with good rich mouthfeel some tannin an effusive nose and goos fruit remaining.

5/10/2016 - TCP wrote:

very good

4/14/2016 - TCP wrote:

good

2/6/2016 - TerryinSoCalif Likes this wine:

Just got back from Napa and my wine club on Fri was all Pinot. I needed a Bold Cab to go with some loaded Pizza. This hit the spot. Very bold, forward Cab Sav. Tastes like a high end wine, with an excellent bouquet. The Merlot notes, give it a smoky finish. This is my go to Cab for Italian food.

1/30/2016 - TerryinSoCalif Likes this wine:

Came today for a tasting at the tasting room with food pairing from Ce'La Vie. Amazing tasting. The leek soup brought out the earthiness of the Cab and the chocolate enhanced the richness of black cherry and raspberry of the skins

2/14/2015 - Tvall13 wrote:

Very good lighter bodied Cabernet. Soft tannins and good acidity.

2/8/2015 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Decanted and drunk over 4 hours. Medium to dark garnet with little sign of age. Glorious bouquet of flowery, rich, chocolate, leather, blackberry, black plum and well integrated oak. Juicy, vibrant mouth feel. Hints of licorice, black plum, blackberry , black currant, vanilla, leather, and cedar layer onto your tongue. Aftertaste is moderately long and a bit tart after a few hours. Delightful with a pan fried Arctic Char with a a spicy dry rub. Probably best at the 2 hour mark.

12/31/2014 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Despite some apparent bottle variation in the 4 bottles of this I have had, this, my last was superb. Rich somewhat modern styled but perfectly balanced, earthy, chocolatey, dark fruit flavors and a very long aftertaste.

6/28/2014 - oldwines Likes this wine:

This bottle was not as good as the last one but better than the one before that. Medium to dark ruby color. Nose has toast, vanilla, dark berry, and a little minty chocolate. Flavors dominated by black raspberry, cassis, mint and just a bit more austere than the previous bottle that was a good deal richer than this one.

12/23/2013 - RudyRangeLegend Likes this wine:

My wife opened this bottle to drink with some friends with chips and salsa! She apparently didn't notice the 1997 Reserve on the label...hopefully they enjoyed it...

11/1/2013 - europat55 wrote:

Platinum Tasting - '94 & '97 California Cabs (Tasted Blind) (Andre's House): Lighter color than the other wines in this line-up.
Gorgeous nose, some brett (B++). Rustic and yet fruity palate (B+/B++).
My #6, Group's #7 (63 pts). Tasted blind.

11/1/2013 - europat55 wrote:

Platinum Tasting - '94 & '97 California Cabs (Tasted Blind) (Andre's House): Slightly cloudy. Generous nose. Green, stemmy. Still a little bit tanninc. Short finish.
Tasted blind and (incorrectly) thought this was a 10+ years old Cabernet Franc.

8/29/2013 - rpontual Likes this wine:

Of the six bottles I bought, this may be the one that maintained the wine the best. I bought all six bottles at the winery, but found inconsistency between bottles and generally cork issues. I would be concerned to purchase wine from this winery in the future.

7/22/2013 - rpontual Likes this wine:

As I wrote previously, the wine is well balanced but is past peak. Still enjoyable, if you have in your cellar this is the time to drink it.

6/22/2013 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Rich, deep dark red color. Much different experience than my last bottle. Surprisingly little age showing. Fragrant nose with earthy mint, plum and cedar. Rich and round mouthfeel. Young feeling and complex. Great with grilled steaks. Definitely the surprise of the night and showing better than the '78 Ch Giscours, '86 Ch Talbot, '01 Dunn Napa Cab and '96 Rocce dei Manzoni Vigna de la Roul Barolo.

6/9/2013 - rpontual wrote:

The wine aged well, but it is past peak. Enjoy it now.

6/2/2013 - KimCuts wrote:

Bad

5/10/2013 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine:

Dark chocolate covered cherry on the nose. Aromas of black cherry, currant and hints of camphor and mint. Light blackberry. On the palat, it's rich and supple. Very smooth with good balance and structure. Luscious, feminine and pretty. Very tasty.

5/10/2013 - rpontual Likes this wine:

This is an interesting wine that aged pretty well. The wine is past peak, if you still have in your cellar enjoy it, this is time to drink.

2/12/2013 - oldwines wrote:

Bought from a clearance sale at the winery last summer for $30 and shipped through Hurricane Sandy. I'm not sure how this wine has been treated but it seems to fare pretty well. The cork on opening was dry and lacked much staining making me wonder if it was upright for an extended period before I got it, but the bottle itself was stained by sediment on one side indicating for most of its life it was stored properly. The wine showed some age in its color with brick red edges in the glass. The nose was mostly oak/vanilla, tar, cedar and black fruit. It has nice body, mouthfeel and balance. Flavors evolved with breathing and after 3-4 hours there was a lot of black plum, black currant and chocolate. This could have been a problem bottle but wasn't bad in the end. I'm sensing potential for a good deal of bottle variation though...

1/27/2013 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Dark Garnet with no bricking and thick slow moving legs. Decanted and drunk over 4 hours. Nose is initially strong on oak, cassis and black plum. Later you get cedar, leather, coffee and chocolate as well. Lively on the tongue with some remaining tannin but very smooth on the whole and very mouth-watering. Flavors include the fruits in the nose as well as vanilla, blackberry jam and tea. Moderately long smooth, rich finish lasting 20-30 seconds with a strong chocolate element which I love..

1/12/2013 - oldwines wrote:

Medium ruby color with a hint of brick on the edge. Long thick legs. Nose has some evergreen, menthol and leather. Fairly rich flavor profile, with some vanilla, earth, spice and plummy darker fruit. Mouthfeel is bright and lively but not tannic but also not silky. Aftertaste is not too long but has a nice coffee note at the end. The next evening I had the rest left in the bottle and it was very rich jammy and chocolaty along with a leathery earthiness. I think I should upgrade my score from 90. I very much enjoyed it as it evolved. This should have a good 5 years at least in the cellar.

1/12/2013 - oldwines wrote:

Light, almost strawberry color (more like a Pinot noir), with moderate viscosity and shows a bit of age. Nose is of light red berries and charcoal with some mint. Flavors are flinty, minty and raspberry. Mouthfeel is a bit light and minerally. There is some acidity on the finish but the aftertaste doesn't last very long. These notes are taken immediately after decanting.after another few hours I expected this to dry out and die...but it didn't, it showed lots of finesse, softened in the mouth but also maintained its delicate flavors. It went great with grilled filet mignon and roasted rosemary, truffle potatoes. Originally scored 89, I upgraded it later in the evening.

11/7/2012 - CarpeVinoDiem wrote:

No notes taken.

Decanted 1 hr.

Decent 1/3 liquid sign cork, only slight sediment.

Nose: Classic blackberry pie with some cedar.

Big 3% milk body.

Taste classic blackberry, cedar, some brown sugar, nutmeg, white chocolate.
Nice tannins on the end.

Probably the best Cos Cab Sauv I have had so far (eager to try the '02 Secret Clone, which rates even higher).

Classic modern napa cab finesse now, and can easily develop further in a few yrs.

Ideal with tannin food (steak, beef roast, ribs).

91 pts.

4/13/2012 - Kurt and Ruthann wrote:

excellent.

7/29/2010 - teamhams wrote:

Sweet spice and wildflowers. Smooth. Nice complexity. Dynamite.

2/15/2011 - Max Power wrote:

Absolutely and completely delicious. Opened and let breath for an hour in the bottle and drank over the next three. It opened up very nicely with great fruit and a long finish. Exactly what I was hoping for with a nice aged Cali cab.

1/20/2011 - bevetroppo wrote:

Surprisingly intact, though just hanging in there. Mature reddish brown at the rim. As it opens it gets a bit slack-jawed. There's some coffee and cocoa in the nose along with fading red fruits and underbrush. A little syrupy and dull in the mouth, struggling for a positive finish. I'm giving it the benefit of a doubt cause I had to put most of the bottle in the fridge overnight and oddly, it tasted pretty good when cold. However, the warmer it got, the older and more tired it seemed.