1/3/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Wow was exactly my reaction! First time for this wine in any vintage. What an interesting varietal. Not a fruit bomb, but an intense flavor bomb. Rich, dark fruits coated with chocolate, some lingering tobacco. Tannins still quite evident but just beginning to soften. Has many years ahead, but drinking very well now.

4/28/2014 - JimN wrote:

Light and floral, a bit too fruity for me. About what you'd expect at $10. A good wine for the base for the chicken pot.

7/31/2012 - JimN wrote:

What a delight, especially at this price. Good body, soft tannins, understated but not lacking fruit. Very nice food wine.

5/19/2017 - JimN wrote:

Similar to my note from a few years ago. I always worry about these older bottles with synthetic corks, but this wine is in perfect condition with no signs of decline. The lower alcohol (13%) is nice as well. Can't say I noticed the "leesy mercapatan" that Parker highlighted. Really?

12/2/2007 - JimN wrote:

Pop and pour with 20 people. Everyone agreed we caught this wine at just right time! Wow! Leather, black currant, some tobacco, more fruit than I would have expected at this point in the life cycle. Would have been WOTN if not for the E & E.

8/19/2012 - JimN wrote:

Just floored by this wine. Absolutely decadent. Five hour decant. Paired with a Piedmontese steak, and unfortunately this wine overpowered the meal. Needs to be on its own, or with dark chocolate. Drinking very well right now, but clearly has the stuff to age for some time. A bit one dimensional right now, but with great balance. Might get a higher score in the future if it develops more secondary characteristics.

1/13/2013 - JimN Likes this wine:

Very odd. Pop and pour last night from a 375 and it was closed and tannic. Poured it back, pumped, opened again tonight after letting it sit for a few hours. Absolutely gorgeous! Lots of ripe fruit left, good balance, and a very long finish with chocolate on the end. RP had it right: Power and elegance. One of the best Cabernets I have had in a very long time. Ready to go from the half bottle, but will hold on for many years.

11/4/2020 - JimN wrote:

Even in a split, this continues to be symphonic! PnP and singing immediately. Last of the splits, now on to the magnums, but not for at least another five years.

3/3/2012 - JimN wrote:

Over the past few years I've been working my way up a vertical of this wine, beginning with the 1985 vintage (missing half a dozen vintages). Most wines have been very good; this wine was excellent. Cork was in perfect condition. Decanted (heavy sediment) for about two hours and then another hour back in the bottle. Just a bit tight upon opening and a some heat on the finish. Three hours later everything was in harmony! Classic Napa Cab. The tannins are fully integrated but there is lots of lush fruit remaining. My guess is that this wine is as good as it will ever be, but will hold for a few more years.

1/4/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

A surprise WOTN in a blind tasting of noteworthy CA Cabs. Came on strong as it opened and became much more expressive. Definitely a Bordeaux style in its elegance and balance, but it's riper and less earthy. In a good window with a few hours decant, but will hold for many more years. Excellent QPR!

4/6/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Vinturi and short decant. Very dark, rich and full-bodied wine. Coats your teeth. I found it more accessible than others at this stage, but no question it will be even better down the road.

5/7/2012 - JimN wrote:

The beneficiary of peterk's largesse! What a gorgeous wine for a lazy Saturday afternoon. So approachable right now. Elegant, balanced, restrained, a bit feminine perhaps, soft and tantalizing fruit with a complexity that I have not experienced as much with young Spottswoode. Tannins seem so well integrated already that my guess is it will not stretch much beyond 10-15 years.

7/29/2014 - JimN Does not like this wine:

Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of 1999 US Cabernets. I guessed this correctly as the Beringer, only because it was so clearly not in the same class as the other wines we tasted. A funky, herbaceous nose and very green on the palate. I thought perhaps the bottle was flawed in some way, but one taster had it as their top wine. May have suffered by comparison with some big boys.

7/29/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of US Cabernets. This was the last of nine wines. Very clearly a special wine, which I guessed was the Colgin Cariad. Very ripe, beautiful blend of fruit, some exotic spice, with a long finish. Lived up to expectations, and it was top-rated by one-half of the tasters. I had what turned out to be the Colgin Cariad as my top wine. Based on other wines tasted from the same vintage, this is poor QPR. Delivers the goods, but so do others at a much lower price point.

7/28/2011 - JimN wrote:

Gorgeous bottle that is in a great place right now but has lots of room to go. WOTN.

12/22/2010 - JimN Likes this wine:

Consistent with note from two years ago, this is a real star. Lush, satiny mouth feel, loads of dark fruit, nicely balanced, even though it is quite rich. Has plenty of life left, but you won't be disappointed opening it now. Needs about an hour or so decant.

12/2/2007 - JimN wrote:

Incredible nose, but not as incredible in the glass, at least for what I have come to expect from Staglins. This was a pop and pour with 20 people and we had tasted lots of wine at this stage of the evening. Probably would have benefited from more time in the glass. I wish I had saved some. Dense fruit, black currant and blackberry, but it never really exploded in your mouth the way that Staglin typically does.

7/23/2008 - JimN wrote:

Even better than tasting from a year ago. Beautiful expression of CA cabernet with a bit more fruit than would be expected. This wine will last for years, but there is no reason not to drink it now. I don't think it is likely to get much better, as the tannins clearly have mellowed. More risk in waiting than drinking!

1/4/2009 - JimN wrote:

Just continues to get better. The fruit is hanging on and it is becoming more somber and soft. My WOTN, but overall the E & E got more votes. This was paired with a Flourless Chocolate Torte and it matched up well.

11/30/2009 - JimN wrote:

Hmm...I hope just an anomalous bottle. Otherwise, on the decline. Not even close to prior notes. Lean fruit, tannins feel like they are struggling to come together. Not terrible, just not what I've had with other bottles.

4/21/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Not much has changed since my tasting note from six years ago, but I was way off on the drinking window. This wine remains youthful and vibrant. Everything is in harmony, as it was six years ago, and everything remains in harmony. Lush, blackberry and black currant, tobacco, even a little oriental spice. My last bottle, alas, as I was convinced this bottling would not hang in for the long haul. Drink or hold for another five years.

1/22/2008 - JimN wrote:

The Staglins are producing some of the best cabernet anywhere in the world, and the '02 is dynamite. Even the nose is thick, with black currant, hint of coffee, blackberry. Dense and chewy berry flavors, with a looong finish. Wow! An indulgence on a Wedensday night, but why not? If you can find it, pay the money and store for 10 years or more. My guess is it will blow away some of the best 2000 Bordeaux.

7/12/2009 - JimN wrote:

Wasn't obvious it was corked upon opening, but the nose was a funky eucalyptus and green pepper. Went back to it an hour later and it clearly was corked. Not a good start for a wine that I have high hopes for.

12/21/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Eight hour decant, and it needed every minute! True to Dunn form, this has the structure of a much younger wine. 10 hours in it was really showing its stuff. Very dark, brooding flavor profile. I always feel like these wines fall exactly halfway between a Bordeaux and a CA Cab. Best of both worlds. Ready to drink now with a very long decant, but probably has decades ahead of it if the fruit can hold on.

12/27/2017 - JimN wrote:

Followed a 1990 Grace and 1992 Angelus. This was the standout and showed youngest, not oldest. Still some soft tannins and the fruit was surprisingly bright. Pretty good showing for 30+ years. Drink.

7/20/2012 - JimN wrote:

Lots of notes that capture the essence of this wine. Drank this following a 2005 Two Hands Ares and it couldn't have been more different, but it was a very strong showing. Should have had them in reverse order. Popped and decanted, but didn't seem to need much time to come around. Everything is coming together nicely, and my guess is that this wine is in prime drinking window. That said, no hurry.

8/23/2014 - JimN wrote:

Pretty good showing after 26 years. PnP. Nice Bordeaux qualities, but none of the complexity you'd get with a Bordeaux of this vintage. Sitting in perfect conditions in a friend's cellar direct from the winery, so as good as you'll get storage-wise. Well past prime and heading South. Drink.

12/23/2009 - JimN wrote:

From a magnum. Needed lots of air time. Opened two hours early and then decanted, but still needed another hour to coome around. More elegant than a typical Staglin Cabernet. Great balance, tanins are softening just a bit. Drink now or hold for at least another five years.

2/10/2013 - JimN wrote:

Alas, the old girl is running out of steam. Drink up. Remnants of what it used to be are still there, but the fruit has faded and the tannins are fully resolved. No longer up to a steak, but a salmon filet would pair well.

3/29/2014 - JimN wrote:

No real change from earlier note. Pleasant enough, but wish I'd tried it five years ago. Bordeaux-like at this stage, without the earthiness. Drink.

5/4/2013 - JimN Likes this wine:

Stunning how good this wine is this early. Three hour decant and poured through a vinturi. Rich fruit, just beginning to develop more complexity, tannins were well integrated after a few hours of air. More elegance than power. Too easy to drink. Have had many different vintages of this wine, and this is the most accessible this early of any I have tasted.

12/30/2012 - JimN wrote:

Lovely, elegant wine that is in the home stretch. I am floored at how bright this wine is, but the fruit has pretty much faded as have the tannins. Would love to have tried 10 years ago. Came back to it the next day after it was pumped and it was shot. Open whatever bottles you have now, unless you just want to conduct a science experiment.

5/18/2013 - JimN Does not like this wine:

Limping along to the finish line. Nowhere near the bottle from six months ago. When your reaction is, "Well, this is interesting," then it is time to move on to a different wine, which we did.

12/12/2012 - JimN wrote:

Drink up. Nothing objectionable, just out of gas. Not up to a steak dinner pairing anymore, but maybe salmon.

11/11/2009 - JimN wrote:

After seeing other notes, maybe I gave up on it too quickly, but life's too short. Can do waaay better at this price. Thin, tannic, hot, losing its fruit.

7/3/2014 - JimN wrote:

Incredible QPR at $28 from auction. Throwing lots of sediment. Still needs a long decant to soften prominent tannins. Rich, dark fruit that is tiring just a bit. Drink now.

8/30/2007 - JimN wrote:

Consistent with prior tastings, this wine is strong immediately after corking, but it quickly fades. A medium-bodied cabernet with cherry and oak. Came in last among the five reds served over the course of the evening.

9/5/2011 - JimN wrote:

Such an incredible Cabernet. If this said Napa on the label it would command twice the price. My second bottle and this is just starting to come together and show what it already is and will be even more so over the next ten years. Just so silky in the mouth. A French nose, but has lots of dark fruit and then some tobacco and chocolate at the end. Quite complex for such an expensive wine. Worth a buy every year.

11/27/2008 - JimN wrote:

Lovely Napa Cab, but clearly on the downside. Very understated, feminine cabernet. Nice by itself, but could also go well with "medium" dishes.

7/23/2014 - JimN wrote:

See note from November 2008. Not sure why I am sitting on these, as they were running out of steam five years ago. Fine to drink, and even interesting at first, but you get bored quickly and want to move on to something with a bit more life. Definitely drink now.

10/27/2007 - JimN wrote:

Had some issues with the cork, but it evolved nicely over a few hours. A wine that left something on the table. Unremarkable for this vineyard.

8/15/2018 - JimN Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine with a long life ahead. A few hours decant is needed. Tannins are now well integrated, but the wine remains dusty and a bit one dimensional. Enjoyable now but sure to show much more in the decade ahead.

6/20/2008 - JimN wrote:

Lovely, elegant bordeaux style cabernet. Followed a bottle of 2001 Penfolds Grange, so it was a great contrast in styles. This wine may hold on for a few more years, but I don't see it getting any better than it is today--which is just fine!

12/25/2009 - JimN wrote:

Still very tight and one-dimensional, but I think patience will be rewarded with this wine. Hold at least two more years.

12/23/2007 - JimN wrote:

I gave a bottle away as a gift for Christmas, and I sure hope it is better than what I poured. Hint of TCA on the nose, not so much in the glass. Just a flat, tired bottle, maybe slightly off as well.

7/20/2012 - JimN wrote:

A nice surprise from a friend from a Magnum. I think the Magnum made all the difference, as I had some 750s that were not drinking well five years ago. This was the dinner wine and it worked very well with the grilled steaks. Still some fruit left as well as some very interesting secondary notes: tobacco, old leather, lead pencil. A few others noted mint.

2/6/2018 - JimN wrote:

5 hours slow ox and then 2 hour decant. Absolutely in its drinking window, but plenty of life ahead. Tannins had noticeably softened from first opening. This had far more finesse than I remembered from a bottle I had four years ago. Beautiful fruit and a lush feel on the palate. Drink or hold.

7/14/2011 - JimN wrote:

Not much to add to other notes. Rich wine at this price. Great nose and great through the mid palate, but the fnish is clipped. Has lots of time to go. Needs hours of decanting.

7/29/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of 1999 US Cabernets. This was one of the final wines served. Some debate about whether it was corked, but I am fairly sensitive to TCA and did not get even a hint. In fact, the wine improved greatly over the course of the evening, and by the end had moved into the top half. I thought it was the QC. Medium body, soft tannins, fruit more cherry and black cherry. Drink or hold. Needs a long decant.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Nice showing. Elegant and refined. A Bordeaux v. CA at this stage. Fully mature bottle in the home stretch. Drink.