After buying this bottle, I saw some very low scores on CT and was a little bummed. Opened and decanted for just under 2 hours- the wine was bursting with perfumed flowers, amazing. The wine was rich but not thick with dark cherry, sandalwood, blackberry flavors with slight touch mocha. This was a killer wine in it prime. Wish I had more.
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I decanted this 5 times over an hour before drinking in earnest. Deep, dark, firm and tight. First notes are menthol, pepper, earth. After more time, a dark black cherry skin starts to emerge. I got the very faintest whiff of brett but really not enough to talk about. Remarkable structure. It was a wonderful experience to drink it even though it was way too young. This wine is going to be exceptional but I really think it needs at least another 10 years and possibly more. It is very old world style wine. I really liked it. Glad I have a few more bottles.
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Just fine 3 hours after opening but just plain dumb initially despite repeated splashing and swirling. Now has dried cherry, a hint of plum which has replaced the initial eucalyptus and medicinal notes. Still has a lot of life . This was my only bottle so no past or future comparison for me.
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Dunn Howell Mountain Vertical B-day Dinner (Maple & Ash): Snuck this one blind into a Dunn HM vertical dinner. Quite obviously a classic Napa Cab to all tasters. While this was nice, it wasn't as exciting as a bottle tasted a few months ago. Well balanced and all in proportion, I just found the intensity a bit lacking and that the wine showed simple relative to the Dunn HMs.
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Dunn Howell Mountain vertical (Chicago, IL): Served double-blind. This was clearly not a Dunn wine, as the aroma profile showed a bit more red fruit, and not as much of the mix of black fruit, menthol, and dust. The palate was fairly racy, with some red-fruited acidity; this wasn't too concentrated or heavy, and with the amount of acidity, I had thought this was a Napa wine of a relatively unripe vintage.
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In a gorgeous spot. So much going on in this wine with dried plum, bell pepper, herbs, a huge mint note and spice. Medium in body with all the elements in proportion. Fruit is still fresh and the structural elements are all there to support a long aging plateau. Should drink soundly for 10-20 years.
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Quite a different experience than my 10/2/16 tasting. This time I popped and poured, as opposed to decanting and waiting an hour last time. Now I find a mature cab which is not over the hill. Nice blackberry nose, and a balanced medium-bodied palate of dark fruit and ample acids. This is my last bottle, but if I had more, I would drink them soon.
Purchased at auction two years ago. Well cellared since then. Cork broke during extraction. Decanted for one hour; moderate sediment. Strawberry color with some browning. Muted nose of red fruit. Disappointing on the palate: fruit has faded and acids dominate. Finish is quite short. Clearly over the hill.
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Has aged beautifully with that classic lean dark cherry cough-syrup like flavor I get from this vineyard. Great freshness and verve with good acidity and a finely complex finish with notes of eucalyptus and allspice. In a perfect place now.
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Nose of sweet spice, clove, white pepper, faint tar notes, and a musty dusty backnose. Nice white pepper on the palate with bell pepper to complement the cherry fruit and spice. Acid falls short on the backpalate rather abruptly but a great overall bottle of this wine drinking extremely well. Bottle from winery cellar. Served with roasted rack of lamb with caramelized porcini.
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Still excellent ruby color. Potent nose of green peppers, cassis and smoky minerals. Lovely intensity with good crispness and firm tannins. Filled with leafy green tobacco flavors along with black fruits, distinct bell peppers and dark spices. Finishes complex and spicy with smoky mineral notes. I really like drinking this wine for some reason but it is still very green and raw. Seems like this is either for the very long haul or they picked a touch too early. 90?
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From a bottle with a little seepage under the capsule. The wine was still good, but affected by the storage -- it had a slightly roasted, nutty quality and not quite the freshness I would have expected. Still, good concentration, nice red currant/cassis flavors, plenty of structure but the tannins are ripe and smooth. Not much in terms of tertiary development, I'd imagine that good bottles could go many years longer and should really be excellent. Maybe the 70s wines were different back in the day, but I find Mayacamas' reputation for tannic beasts that are undrinkable for decades to be greatly overblown.
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Family Wine Makers: Blkberry, earth, minerals, cedar, prunes! dry, vibrant, grt a’s still w/nice age on it. Still going, but in a really good spot now.
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Markedly different from my last experience. Great fruit, decent balance. Dropped off after an hour in the decantur only to pick up a few hours later. Maybe first bottle was off, did get the whole stash from an auction.
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Medium bodied, brickish color. Started out a little flat, meduim cherry. A little brett that blew off after about a half hour.Developed in the glass, over about an hour began to pick up. Might be a little past it's peak, but will probably go another 5 years.
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4/8/2023 - KTelaak_Buffalo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely beautiful for 28 years old. Exactly everything you'd want and expect. Plenty of fruit.
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8/24/2020 - cbrown82 Likes this wine:
After buying this bottle, I saw some very low scores on CT and was a little bummed. Opened and decanted for just under 2 hours- the wine was bursting with perfumed flowers, amazing. The wine was rich but not thick with dark cherry, sandalwood, blackberry flavors with slight touch mocha. This was a killer wine in it prime. Wish I had more.
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2/2/2019 - acidqueen wrote: 94 Points
I decanted this 5 times over an hour before drinking in earnest. Deep, dark, firm and tight. First notes are menthol, pepper, earth. After more time, a dark black cherry skin starts to emerge. I got the very faintest whiff of brett but really not enough to talk about. Remarkable structure. It was a wonderful experience to drink it even though it was way too young. This wine is going to be exceptional but I really think it needs at least another 10 years and possibly more. It is very old world style wine. I really liked it. Glad I have a few more bottles.
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8/26/2018 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 89 Points
Just fine 3 hours after opening but just plain dumb initially despite repeated splashing and swirling. Now has dried cherry, a hint of plum which has replaced the initial eucalyptus and medicinal notes. Still has a lot of life . This was my only bottle so no past or future comparison for me.
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5/16/2017 - Nanda wrote: 88 Points
Dunn Howell Mountain Vertical B-day Dinner (Maple & Ash): Snuck this one blind into a Dunn HM vertical dinner. Quite obviously a classic Napa Cab to all tasters. While this was nice, it wasn't as exciting as a bottle tasted a few months ago. Well balanced and all in proportion, I just found the intensity a bit lacking and that the wine showed simple relative to the Dunn HMs.
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5/16/2017 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Dunn Howell Mountain vertical (Chicago, IL): Served double-blind. This was clearly not a Dunn wine, as the aroma profile showed a bit more red fruit, and not as much of the mix of black fruit, menthol, and dust. The palate was fairly racy, with some red-fruited acidity; this wasn't too concentrated or heavy, and with the amount of acidity, I had thought this was a Napa wine of a relatively unripe vintage.
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12/10/2016 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
In a gorgeous spot. So much going on in this wine with dried plum, bell pepper, herbs, a huge mint note and spice. Medium in body with all the elements in proportion. Fruit is still fresh and the structural elements are all there to support a long aging plateau. Should drink soundly for 10-20 years.
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12/2/2016 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite a different experience than my 10/2/16 tasting. This time I popped and poured, as opposed to decanting and waiting an hour last time. Now I find a mature cab which is not over the hill. Nice blackberry nose, and a balanced medium-bodied palate of dark fruit and ample acids. This is my last bottle, but if I had more, I would drink them soon.
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10/2/2016 - wculpepper Does not like this wine:
Purchased at auction two years ago. Well cellared since then. Cork broke during extraction. Decanted for one hour; moderate sediment. Strawberry color with some browning. Muted nose of red fruit. Disappointing on the palate: fruit has faded and acids dominate. Finish is quite short. Clearly over the hill.
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10/23/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Has aged beautifully with that classic lean dark cherry cough-syrup like flavor I get from this vineyard. Great freshness and verve with good acidity and a finely complex finish with notes of eucalyptus and allspice. In a perfect place now.
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10/21/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of sweet spice, clove, white pepper, faint tar notes, and a musty dusty backnose. Nice white pepper on the palate with bell pepper to complement the cherry fruit and spice. Acid falls short on the backpalate rather abruptly but a great overall bottle of this wine drinking extremely well. Bottle from winery cellar. Served with roasted rack of lamb with caramelized porcini.
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8/2/2015 - Ron Felthoven wrote:
Fruit has faded a bit, leaving some medicinal cherry upfront. Very herbal but interesting. I would drink up. High acid wine.
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11/13/2013 - dream wrote: 90 Points
Still excellent ruby color. Potent nose of green peppers, cassis and smoky minerals. Lovely intensity with good crispness and firm tannins. Filled with leafy green tobacco flavors along with black fruits, distinct bell peppers and dark spices. Finishes complex and spicy with smoky mineral notes. I really like drinking this wine for some reason but it is still very green and raw. Seems like this is either for the very long haul or they picked a touch too early. 90?
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9/30/2013 - coremill wrote:
From a bottle with a little seepage under the capsule. The wine was still good, but affected by the storage -- it had a slightly roasted, nutty quality and not quite the freshness I would have expected. Still, good concentration, nice red currant/cassis flavors, plenty of structure but the tannins are ripe and smooth. Not much in terms of tertiary development, I'd imagine that good bottles could go many years longer and should really be excellent. Maybe the 70s wines were different back in the day, but I find Mayacamas' reputation for tannic beasts that are undrinkable for decades to be greatly overblown.
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9/28/2013 - theferb wrote: 88 Points
Past it's peak
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5/15/2011 - BradboBaggins wrote:
Excellent balance, with fruit and earth, some room left to grow, but this is amazing now. Delicious.
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12/1/2009 - TheKel wrote: 88 Points
Dried fruit predominates, earthy and minerally, showing its pedigree. Still a touch of tannin, but mostly resolved. Very pleasing to drink.
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4/23/2009 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Napa Valley with Altitude Trade Tasting (Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain wines) (Officers' Club, Fort Mason, San Francisco): Mature dried mushroom and herbaceous nose; mature, herbaceous and dried mushroom palate; medium finish 88+ pts.
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3/17/2009 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Family Wine Makers: Blkberry, earth, minerals, cedar, prunes! dry, vibrant, grt a’s still w/nice age on it. Still going, but in a really good spot now.
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4/15/2006 - WStucker wrote: 92 Points
Markedly different from my last experience. Great fruit, decent balance. Dropped off after an hour in the decantur only to pick up a few hours later. Maybe first bottle was off, did get the whole stash from an auction.
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11/21/2005 - WStucker wrote: 88 Points
Medium bodied, brickish color. Started out a little flat, meduim cherry. A little brett that blew off after about a half hour.Developed in the glass, over about an hour began to pick up. Might be a little past it's peak, but will probably go another 5 years.
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5/18/2005 - jamiekutch wrote:
THE FIRST SUPPER – Dinner with Robert Parker; 5/17/2005-5/18/2005 (Corks Restaurant, Baltimore Maryland): Ruby red. Showing better than the 92 & 99 with sweeter fruit and a cherry pie flavor. The palate was sugar plums and integrated round tannins. Although I liked the sweet fruit, there was no grip and the mid palate again was dull.
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