10/3/2021 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour. reidel syrah glass, dark plum purple fading to clear at the meniscus, powerful nose: tobacco, road tar, dried prunes, stewed plums, some espresso, dark stone fruit on the palate a long finish with hint of menthol, but, alas, turns a bit watery at the end.
the alcohol was not overly powerful in this btl as described by other tasters

8/7/2020 - michaelgor wrote:

WOW! no hint of age dark opaque purple...stone fruit, stewed prunes, currents, a fruit bomb...but loaded with alcohol...tannins are smooth, but my teeth are purple . I’m wondering why Parker liked it so much ;-). its 75 in the Seattle area, maybe too warm but there was this btl of 3, sayin come on drink me...smoother after a good hour decant

6/6/2020 - michaelgor wrote:

totally agree with “AMF” and greedy...this wine is so well integrated smooth tanins, still plenty of fruit.
its such a terrific QPR Bdx Alas, our last btl of this vintage

9/15/2019 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour wonderful nose of coffee licorice dark stewed prunes even some menthol which carried through to the palate wonderful long finish of 30 to 45 seconds delicious wine drinking beautifully now

9/24/2018 - michaelgor wrote:

tasted from reidel som rhone glasses.i should have listened to previous notes and decanted but i did not. after an hour in glass. dark opaque black cherry color in fact, the overwhelming part of this wine was that. a nose of dark cherry, stewed plum, some road tar...perhaps some menthol, some coffee. the mouth feel, a little hot, as i said, should have decanted, a long 45-60 second finish of cherry-chocolate-coffee

9/3/2018 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 2 hrs thanks to previous tasting note suggestions. tasted from riedel syrah glasses... center of the dark red orange meniscus is opaque perhaps a little brown on the edge.. nice legs after swirling nose first hot, then dark stone fruit, some smoke, palate the same with some dark red roses..i grow em, so i know, finish, nice 30-45 seconds. my wife, who has a wonderful palate describes the wine as powerful and elegant at the same time, but she is a Grange addict

10/28/2016 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour, tasted from reidel somm bdx glasses..wonderful nose, dark fruit,
some pencil shavings, on the palate, lots of fruit, silky tannins ( my wife tasted out of a reidel somm hermitage) much more bite ..the finish was long smooth yum..this has happened so many damn times we had four bottles,,kept tasting, finally just terrific, BUT this is our last bottle *** good news, bought it from PC in 2005, and actually received it 2010

10/8/2016 - michaelgor wrote:

poured right from the bottle. silky smooth still with plenty of fruit. well integrated soft tannins delicious!

2/13/2016 - michaelgor wrote:

Tasted from Reidel Som Burg glasses. First taste right after it was decanted because the nose of rose petals, blackberries, some road tar was too good to resist. Initially some hotness on the nose which disappeared after 30 minutes in the decanter. Color is dark brick, opaque in the center, no brown at all around the edges. After about an hour, some menthol and licorice develops. All of these aspects are present on the palate..smooth but still quite tannnic on the 30 second finish. I will wait another 3-5 years top open another, but I doubt I can resist for that long!

9/20/2015 - michaelgor wrote:

a stunning CdP. decanted one hour. tasted from Riedels somm hermitage glasses. dark brick translucent color with light brown around the edges.
a wonderful nose of leather, garrigue, dark stewed prunes. so very smooth on the palate, with a at leat 2-minute finish. Alas, it is our last bottle.

11/23/2014 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted for one hour...a large amount of very fine sediment left ion the bottle..tasted from reidel som hermitage glass, after standing for an additional hour. meniscus showed a little brown..wine itself was opaque because it was quite cloudy as others have reported..the nose was wonderful: primarily raisins, also notes of dark stone fruit, sweet stewed prunes, dark red roses ((I grow them)...the palate: smooth tannins..taste was as the nose..the finish was a bit hot..overall, the wine was quite good, but I am biased. This is now 15 years old. we have two more bottles, and I plan to drink them over the next few years, as I am not sure it will hold longer

7/8/2013 - michaelgor wrote:

Decanted 1 hour..tasted from Riedel Som. Cab glass..the wine is totally opaque dark purple color''a noise of stewed stone fruit and bing cherries.. some tobacco and a little hot alcohol..on the palate more of the nose..tons of dark fruit, well integrated with tannins..a
long, long finish but tempered with hotness

4/20/2013 - michaelgor wrote:

Bought on release..cellared till then..upright for a day..decanted ~ 2 hours, drunk from Riedel Somm glasses...totally opaque red...zero brown around the edges when tilted
The nose had loads of fruit...no heat...no evidence of the 16 1/2 % alcohol indicated on the label ...a combination of dk plums, blk cherries, perhaps some chocolate..perhpas a hint of vanilla...a lovely, soft, but “chewy”
mouth feel. My wife Claire, who has a wonderful palate, first thought it was a Merlot ....the wine has .a nice long finish: fruit, fine tannins totally integrated no hint of alcohol..
altogether, a wonderfully pleasing and satisfying bottle of fine Cal Cab.. Yummmm !!!!

10/6/2012 - michaelgor wrote:

we drank this bottle with dinner after we had inhaled an ’02 amon ra..it might have tasted better had we not drunk the amon ra first, but, unfortunately I fear not..
decanted 2 hours..drunk from vinum syrah glasses..not much sediment in bottle...dark opaque purple-red...reticent nose of licorice..iodine..not much fruit..the mouth feel was primarily
hotness..with some fruit showing through..I do not think that the bottle was flawed..perhaps it needs longer decanting and longer time ”sleeping”
I just hope the others i have will improve with more time..and will wait several years to try again..

10/6/2012 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour..with quite a bit of lovely fine sediment present..drunk from Vinum Syrah glasses...deep dark purple..wonderful nose of dark fruit..smoke..some lead pencil..licorice,,a smooth silky mouth feel with wonderful fruit..berries..long silky finish..tannins and fruit fully integrated..oh thank goodness..we have 2 more btls...a perfect match with Iceland lamb chops..cooked rare..YUM!

9/4/2012 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour..Riedel Vinum Cab glass....good deep red color..a hint of brown around the meniscus...nose of dark stone fruit, bing cherry, some vanilla..some dark chocolate (? merlot), some eucalyptus. a wonderfully silky mouth feel, well integrated fruit/tannin, a full mid palate and finish..though a little hot on the finish..this was a surprisingly delicious wine in its prime..would not hold much longer as I fear it will begin to fade...my wife, who does not normally enjoy Washington State wines was amazed

7/24/2012 - michaelgor wrote:

bought on release..decanted one hour..riedel vinum burg glass..lt brick color with some brown around the edges..on the nose..sweet notes of red cherry...garden soil..some pepper..however, there is still some hotness which almost overwhelms...fortunately, this is less evident on the palate..the sweetness is there...good fruit..mid palate silky as is the finish...however, the hotness does return a bit on the finish associated with a little bitterness..overall...elegant...i wish the above “faults” were less evident

4/8/2011 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour..dk red..no brown at the meniscus nose: dark stone fruit, sweet blk cherries..cigar box..tar..cedar.. an expansive smooth palate with plenty of fruit..and fine tannins..more cigar..cedar..blk cherry..
a 30 second smooth finish..a delicious bottle of wine !

1/21/2011 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted ~ 4 hrs... just a little light brown around the rim...nose was sweet... light smells of stone fruit, maybe black raspberry, dried red rose petals with some underlying chocolate.. loam...
a very silky mouth feel with more hints of dark chocolate & black cherries..not in a jammy way..but subtle
and a ~30-40 second finish... yes indeed !!

9/29/2010 - michaelgor wrote:

my experience was the same as “skoppel’s” below in january...the wine never opened...tight tight...decanted for 2 hours before drinking...then left in decanter for
another 4.. total 6 hours....dark opaque purple...still tight...should have waited at least 3 more years...but....unfortunately this was my last bottle

8/21/2010 - michaelgor wrote:

12 years old..still dk red...totally opaque... no brown at edges...loads of white pepper, some licorice..coffee..dark plum on the nose...smooth palate..tannins well integrated with abundant fruit remaining..30 second finish..IMO this will cellar for another 3-5 years at least..a wonderful wine...and with BBQ Flannery’s hanger steak..it was..... like...WOW !!!

4/11/2010 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 1 hour ..dark cherry red color..with light red/brick at edges...a somewhat hot nose of purple plum, black cherry, black raspberry,
which markedly faded over the next hour or so..the mid palate is watery...with less fruit than one would expect from the nose..the tannins are still there...but there is not enough fruit to balance them..
this wine is past whatever prime it had..I love Montelena...however, this disappoints

2/21/2010 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 2 hours..dk red..opaque..can‘t read through it ..on the nose....overwhelming vanilla... dark fruit..sweet bing cherry..some eucalyptus..
in the mouth..fruit foward..flabby..not focused.....vanilla, vanilla, vanilla....almost no tannin in evidence...a watery hot finish.. a very disappointing bottle
(cost was $125 at the winery..”seemed like a good idea at the time“)...the wine is so flabby and unfocused,.i fear it will not improve with more age..
(alcohol is listed at 14.5%..IMO it is at least 16%)
I would be interested in other’s experience.... we have 2 more bottles

2/6/2010 - michaelgor wrote:

I had quite the same impression as mn_horn in their 1/29 note below...ours was a a light golden yellow...wonderful tropical fruit...grapefruit...lemon grass...what wonderful acidity
on the palate..and a beautiful long finish that was incredible...what I cannot compare with the note is the change observed in the wine over time....cause we popped and poured..
and wow this is fantastic !!!! and how did it evaporate with two people and ~ 45 minutes ?

1/10/2010 - michaelgor wrote:

initially decanted only one hour...dark red..opaque..cant read through it..no brown on the edges.....this is 17 years old!!! ...nose of dark cherry, espresso..cedar..tobacco as it opened..on the palate..dark Bing cherry..more coffee....long finish..it was initially quite astringent..but with air this smoothed out..not that points matter, but would rate it higher if not for this astringency..other notes have described this as acidity..I must respectfully disagree and characterize this as a fault rather than a plus .which, hopefully , with more time..will smooth out....IMO, this wine can easily age 5-10 years more .

12/25/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

christmas day with prime rib...ran out of wines i had decanted...so popped and decanted for sediment (a lot of fine...dark purple)
then drank immediately..color is still dark purple/red... wow what a nose...dark fruit...cassis...ceder...cigar box...
more on the palate with a long smooth finish...as it opened...it got better and better..but unfortunately...we
all drank it up rather quickly...it was that time of the evening and the port awaited..the other wines were an ‘89’ lynch
and an ‘89 montrose..but the baron blew them away...dinner started with a ‘90 bolli grand anee..still fresh..
lots of bubbles..dark yellow color...yeast...almond...brioche...this too was slurped down quickly..too quickly...but yummm
happy holidays all!!

12/20/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted for 2 hours...medium plum color with some brown around the edges..a wonderful nose, pencil,cigar box, dark fruit, some banyard..in a good way..on the palate more cigar box, and some herbaceousness, a medium finish with well integrated tanin and fruit

12/13/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

nice light brick/red color..I agree with Burgundian style in the last note..light..almost elegant flowers..some forest floor..some red raspberry .sweet..in a good way..palate..smooth spicy...
soft smooth finish..ready to drink now..i would not hold longer...
unfortunately, I can‘t, as this is our last bottle..i like this..wish we had more

10/24/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 2 hours (could use much more).. dark opaque purple..the nose: layers and layers of dark sweet stone fruit, blueberries, tar, chocolate, pine forest floor and white pepper..
thick, unctuous and smooth in the mouth..with reiteration of the the nose..a long smooth finish with balanced fruit and tannins...not hot at all even with its 15.5 % alcohol..
just a wonderful bottle of wine..( I am somewhat embarrassed to admit we drank it while cooking up some sausage and tomato sauce for our spaghetti dinner..
rather than with the fine lamb it belongs with)...

10/6/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 2 hours...light red with brown around the edges...great nose...tobacco, plum, some violets, perhaps some menthol and eucalyptus.
silky mouth feel... with more tobacco and some currants...a smooth smooth finish...I think this wine is fully mature has and plateaued ..there is still good fruit..
but I don‘t know for how long...I plan to drink our remaining bottles over the next 3-4 years.. iti s a delicious Cal Cab in its prime... 95 points
(warning..I am biased..I LOVE the 90’s Mondavi CS Reserve)

9/13/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted for 2 hours...medium plum color with some brown around the edges..a wonderful nose, pencil,cigar box, dark fruit, some banyard, in a good way..on the palate more cigar box,
and some herbaceousness, a medium finish with well integrated tanin and fruit..a delicious paulliac..but at least from this bottle, I plan to drink my remaining in 4-5 years

9/6/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

with labor day weekend hamburgers.. decanted one hour..medium red with hints of light brown around the edges..dark sweet loamy stone fruit
on the nose.. a smooth nicely integrated palate..with a lot of fruit remaining ...a nice, though still somewhat hot finish..a very enjoyable
wine with several years of life remaining

8/1/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 2 hours.... still quite dark with a little brown showing around the edges... a wonderful Bordeaux nose...lead pencil, tobacco, cedar, some dark plums...very silky mouth feel... still plenty of fruit.. well integrated with its tannins ....a moderately long, satisfying finish...I think this can go at least 5 years more...served with Flannery’s hanger steak..corn salad..delicious !

6/18/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour..improved over the next 2 hours..notes very similar to sthugo in 3/06..deep dark color..purple fruit..pronounced black cherry chocolate..a little vanilla/oak..some white pepper..
great mouth feel..nice glycerin/smooth body..an initially somewhat hot finish which disappeared over the next couple of hours..
(I wonder about HS’s note of 10/28 and rating of 73 pts..was her bottle flawed or was it the fact that she “destests Barossa wine” if you detest a type of wine..why rate it and what meaning does that rating have..since it only serves to drag down the CT average rating of those less biased and so makes this wine’s average useless)

4/6/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 1 hour..medium purple with some brown on the edges..very nice Bdx nose..pencil..cigar box..cedar and some sweet dark fruit..same on the palate..but the finish is short
consumed over next three hours..nose and palate fell off..finish became watery.. I am a big time LG fan..particularly from the 90’s so I was disappointed how this wine lost it over time in the glass..I have one more bottle will drink soon

3/30/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted this for only 2 hours..could easily have use 3 more..dark, impenetratable color..
loads of dark fruit..some smoke..perhaps some tar on the nose..in the mouth: gobs and gobs of fruit
and still, mouth puckering tannins..I think this is way to young to drink, and will return to it in several
years .. BTW..I plan to save the bottle do use for bicep curls when I work out ???why on earth do they need such a heavy bottle ?

3/28/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted 3 hours..medium see through purple in glass..no sign of brown on the meniscus..
a nose of dark cherry, plum, some pencil..in the mouth, the wine is supple and graceful..
now with flavors of blueberry added..a long smooth finish.. a really nice wine, drinking well now,
though it needs the decant time

3/25/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

had our first bottle last night..we sure got the peach and floral notes mentioned below..in addition some pineapple and perhaps some mango..
the same on the palate with the addition of some stony elements on the finish..we had bought this from Garargiste for ~ $13...what a terrific QPR !!

3/14/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

( I had forgotten that I wrote a previous tasting note on this wine, so, at least for me, the comparison is interesting..and the point score was basically the same)
decanted 1 hour..light brick color..forest floor..rhubarb, sweet stewed plums..some red cherry..a nice smooth mouth feel again with the sweetness that was on the nose..
? plums..red rasbery..somewhat hot..fairly short finish..we drank this wine pretty quickly..so don’t know if it would have faded as the first bottle did

2/25/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

I had the same problem as jamscreater ...the cork came out in 2 pieces..the btl was properly cellared..on its side since release
that being said, I, fortunately, had a better experience than indicated in other recent tasting notes..
decanted 1 hour..medium red color with a hint of brown at the edges, a nice, but lite nose of leather, pencil, plum, some barnyard
(I don’t think it was Brett, but I like Brett)..still a little rough mouth feel..with the tannins outweighing the fruit..
after an hour, the nose and fruit on the palate had begun to fade noticably..I have several more bottles..I think I will open and decant
for sediment..it will be interesting to see if the others have the same cork problem..I have had similar repetitive problems with the 92 Dominus

2/19/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

a nice brick red color..initially, the wine had a very nice earthy, dk red fruit, cherry, some rose petal nose, with a nice smooth mouth feel with some minerality on the finish..
however....very disappointingly..the wine faded badly over the next 2 hours..i had originally bought a 6-pack..and this was my first bottle..I think I will drink the rest
sooner, rather then later..hopefully the next bottle will not fade as quickly

2/17/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

this is our last bottle..I would like to reiterate my note of 6/07..except that the wine has become more honeyed, and the nice acid has diminished somewhat..

2/16/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted for ~ 2 hours..my impressions are almost identical with the excellent note by *Vine* from 2/14..this is our last bottle as well..we had several more, and should have waited..IMO this wine is at its peak..but will last only another 2-3 years

2/17/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

poured without decanting..wonderful nose.... pineapple, lychee, green grass..repeated on the palate with nice chalk and minerality on the medium finish..
a really nice bottle..I believe it is at its peak now..but will go for several more years

2/16/2009 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted for ~ 2 hrs..a bright strawberry..red rasberry nose..which repeats on the palate, which seemed a little too sweat for our taste FWIW..the our..is not the regal our, but refers to my wife and I ..we are fortunate in that we have similar likes and dislikes in wine...this particular bottle was not integrated and had a disappointing hot finish..from reading other's notes, perhaps we should have waited at least another year, but, alas, we have no more bottesl

11/7/2008 - michaelgor wrote:

Unfortunately, repeated the experience of our first bottle..so it is the wine..not a flawed first bottle..
I wonder if this us or others will have the same experience with this wine..hope not !

11/2/2008 - michaelgor wrote:

decanted one hour..light brick red color..initial nose of nice red rasberry, rhubarb, forest floor..unfortuantely, this completely faded over the next hour..
thin, reedy, very mineral palate..almost no finish..will NR this as it is hopefully a flawed bottle (we have 2 more)

10/26/2008 - michaelgor wrote:

Decanted one hour.. dk brick red color..red fruit, forest floor,rhubarb on the nose..smooth mouth feel with blackberrys as well as those flavors on the nose..lots of fruit and smooth tannins..a very nice bottle..I sure enjoy Eric Sussman's wines !

10/5/2008 - michaelgor wrote:

.decanted 1 hour. still quite dark red, no brown on edges.very nice nose..pencil..leather..tobacco..dk plum..a nice palate with good tannin/fruit integration..medium finish..still has several more years of life..unfortuantely this was our last bottle

9/27/2008 - michaelgor wrote:

we brought a bottle of the '81 Bosconia to dinner with friends... what wonderful wine!
I pulled the cork at home and reinserted it after an hour....a clear light brick color in the glass..
layers of tea, fragrant rose petals, some roasted meat, soy, perhaps some tar..smooth mouth feel with delicate fruit and fine tannins
I think this will last at least another 5-8 years..