December 24, 2020 - Bordeaux on the nose (left bank), but it has fallen apart and dying on the palette. Age and little fruit. I agree with the prior posts.
*Actually half hour later wine is opening up and reacting to O2 in the air and gaining more viscosity and developing more palette aromatics. Still classic Bordeaux on the nose.
*2 hours later wine has come alive and have to rescore. Not bad and fruit has come forward. Boudreaux on the nose. Viscosity better.
July 23, 2018 - Bring a bottle.... (Tracy's Garden): This is yet another napa cab from a good producer that should have held up but is falling apart, or at least not nowhere near what you hope to drink when you open a bottle like this. Although there have been some AMAZING bottles, I have been overall disappointed with Napa cab past 15 years old. Interestingly, it seems the bottles from the 80's have held up well, but the 90's have not aged well. This bottle had a whiff of nuanced complex fruit on the nose, but the palate was a big let down. No complexity on the palate, but not entirely dead either, just banal. 88 based on the semi-intriguing nose and a palate that was acceptable in a $12 bottle way.
July 20, 2018 - Nose was good but palate about an 80. This is why you should not hold on to these wine that are almost 30 years old. I get Bordeaux and Burgundy but not Napa.
July 14, 2018 - WTDS in the Gardens (Tracy and Jeff's Place, Mpls): Very dark red color. Drank a 2 oz pour over an hour. This was nicer on the nose than the palate. The nose has int, subtle cherry, slightly perfumed and bit smokey. The palate on the other hand was harsher, lots of alcohol if the wine aerosolizes at all in the mouth, wood, dried wood. If you're rather cautious in how you drink it, it holds together better. Fun to try this, but just too far down the hill. 87-88ish,
April 13, 2018 - Classically composed and impeccably balanced, this displays all the hallmarks of a beautifully aged Napa Cab. The bouquet toggles between freshness and maturity, flaunting dusty, black fruit, forest floor, and cigar box amid shades of garden hose, chamomile, Bergamot, and a whiff of medicinality. The palate displays structure and longevity, with fresh, plump red fruit, bright acidity, sumptuous texture, a sleek backbone, and a long, tensile finish. This isn’t close to slowing down and should stay in its prime for another 10-15 years. Best of all this shows an articulation of place and belonging.
July 3, 2016 - Very youthful for its age. Well balanced and traditional and I would have said bordeaux. Came straight from the winery, the label and bottle were pristine and cold. Bright red fruits, cherries, roses, some vanilla, leather, and a little bit of sweetness. Enough sediment to clog a drain. I think this could go 10 more years. CDV deserves more credit.
December 11, 2015 - Impressive and relatively youthful, though with a somewhat vegetal tone. This dissipates somewhat in the glass.
Shines with a good food pairing.
August 17, 2014 - Medium red, hint of orange on the rim. Rose hip, cherries, exotic wood, white flowers and nicely developed profile on the nose. Powerful in the mouth, but elegant at the same time. Clearly Napa in it´s style, but in a positive way. Not overdone in any aspect. A great Cabernet from CdV
(Tasted at the winery)
January 30, 2014 - Last of 5 bottles.
Allowed to breathe in bottle for 4+ hours.
Aromas of spice, leather, forest floor, mahogany, wild game, mint, and black tea. Medium bodied with cardamom, cherry, tea and leather notes. Some tannins remain on the concentrated, spicy finish. Gains in sweetness & intensity over time (91+ points).
The next day, nice cassis flavor on the palate, and the finish is a bit more seamless. The wine seems more complete & satisfying. Could be a 25-30 year wine.
December 16, 2012 - Great nose, body fills out a bit with decanter time. Delicious. Peaked at about 2-2.5 hours in decanter. Still life ahead on this one but it's hard to imagine it will get better.