Cork kind of crumbled . Poured into a carafe and nose had some cooked notes, as this was brought to a restaurant to open it was fairly cloudy. Let it sit for a bit, no cooked notes on the wine- took a half hour for the sweet fruit to come center stage, with some herbs. On the downhill side but I enjoyed this bottle very much
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Pre 1990 Cali Cab + 1981 Birthday Surprise! (Cowford Chophouse): Funny coming off of the Caymus which is all fruit and my question for these old BVs is where did their fruit go. This wine is very classic Bordeaux in style. All old leather and cigar and library. A touch more tired (which is true even when you source directly from the winery from what I can tell). I think these didn't age quite as well as some of their compatriots unfortunately. It is an interesting counterpoint though so some of the other wines.
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Bought at auction from K&L in San Francisco. This wine was drinkable but had clouded. Upon opening, it gave off a sherry aroma indicating spoilage to me. However, after one hour in decanter it did open and was decent. Definately in its final year of drinkability. If you have this wine, you've missed the peak by at least 10 years.
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Perfect cork. Possibly the best 82 CA wine I have had to-date. Fun and evolving nose of forest and dried red fruit. Some remaining fruit on the palate along with graphite and eucalyptus.
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Had with 5 other 1982 Bordeaux and Napa bottles from my cellar all of which had aged beautifully (Leoville Las Cases, Talbot, Montelena, La Dominique, Le Bon Pasteur). The BV had a definite sour nose (not the cardboard TCA smell) but almost as if pickle juice had been poured into it. One of those who joined me said BV had had some bacterial contamination issues around that time?
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Showing wonderfully. Almost a perfect cork - could've been 2012 if I didn't know better. Lots of olive and soy coupled with dark robust dusty cherries, some light strawberries and loads of earth. Certainly an old wine but there is life and again freshness left. I could tell, even though I knew, and most called this Old Napa. Very nice balanced finish. This bottle was stored perfectly and the results are evident.
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DNR. Past prime but not dead or flawed and wouldn’t buy. Drinkable on first night. Bricking present, a tad sour but still enjoyable enough- would rate an 85-88 if I had to. Excellent fill. Foil and cork perfect- like a young wine. Known provenance by family, owned at initial purchase and stored professionally. Did not last with vacuvin overnight. Have two bottles left and won’t wait on them given what I experienced, but I also will not serve these with guests. Is this what happens with a good not outstanding Napa Cab from a great producer but in a bad year after 30 years?
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Dark fruit (cassis, plum, cherry), tobacco, slight herb/ cherry, slight leather, decent acidity. Good balance. Dominated by secondary and tertiary flavors.
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Bricked color throughout. Very thin and wispy, like a watered-down port. The nose is antiseptic and iodine, with hints of rust and blood. The best of the fruit has passed, but still an enjoyable glass, for a 36 year old LaTour.
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Pnp. Earthy and herbal with tobacco, smoke, prunes and plums. Most of the fruit has faded. Drinking beyond peak. There are some interesting secondary character on the palate.
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A good friend brought this bottle over and we all really enjoyed it. The cork was in magnificent condition, the wine was fully mature but still rocking. Aromas of sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, worn leather, old library and red berry tea. Tart acid, softened tannins, hints of red fruit barely eke out, but this is all about the tertiary notes of leather, fallen leaves, old library books, dusty earth and chewing tobacco. Very cool experience.
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Last of three bottles from WineBid, first two were undrinkable. This one had cork streaked on one side so probably improper storage. Nose and taste of sour cherry that never went away but otherwise drinkable. Can't say whether a properly stored bottle of this vintage is still singing.
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What a steal for $60!!! Still has lots of lively fruit with a beautiful barnyardy set of tertiary flavors. The body is a bit thin today but the flavors linger on nicely. Tannins have completely melted away into the wine. This shows once again how nicely Cali cabs can age.
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Bottle had been well stored, cork was in good shape albeit a bit spongy. Deep terracotta red. Funky barnyard and wet cardboard nose which subsided somewhat after an hour in the decanter but never blew off sufficiently to make consumption an enjoyable proposition. Palate was somewhat better than the nose but still couldn't compensate sufficiently for the shortcomings on the former. Gave it a valiant effort but eventually threw in the towel on this bottle. Too far past its prime.
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Cork in excellent condition. Heavy softened mashed fruit funk nose-tobacco, chocolate, McDonalds cheeseburger. Heavy bricking. Acidic at first, opened up a bit with a tiny bit of fruit over the next few hours in the decanter but not much left on the back end. My fiance hated it so I drank the whole bottle. My birthyear.
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Classic lovely old BV. Almost pristine bottle. Medium to dark garnet just a hint of brick. Very pleasant and lively for its age and vintage. Bacon, coffee, blackberry and chocolate on the nose. By no means does it taste over the hill. Fairly bright but rounded on the tongue with some dark fruit on the palate but more nice secondary coffee, tobacco and meat on the finish.
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Oxidized note on opening. Decanted 3 hours. The oxidized note resolved itself a bit, but was still there in the background after decant. Medium garnet to brick red rim. Silky texture, cherry, kirsch, cranberry, pomegranate. A beautifully balanced wine: fruit, structure, and acid all make an appearance with soft tannins still present.
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Mostly Napas and white Burgundies with Washington Winos (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): This was delicious from the start. 1982 is not known to be a great vintage in California, so it is said. But when Chris Bublitz decanted his bottle at the restaurant, I could not help but smell its gorgeous tertiary aromas. Perfumed. A bit of dry fruit. Floral. The medium bodied palate was savory and plump. While not very long on the finish, it was a pleasure to drink!
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Purchased from library stock at BV tasting room in St. Helena. Recommend decanting for 30-45 minutes; really started to blossom after a little airtime as the fruit emerged to balance the acidity. Great 30 year old cab.
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Because I wanted to give a bottle to a friend for his b'day, I figured I should taste it first myself. I'd had a case in (reasonably good) storage since the wine was released, in 1984 or so, but hadn't sampled it. Because comments on CT had been all over the place, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was, in a word, delighted! I allowed the unopened bottle to stand for three days for the sediment to settle, which turned out not to be long enough. First, though: the cork was in great shape, and came out intact with an Ah So puller. Fill was high, where one might have expected it to be on a young wine. Color was dark brick, and after breathing for an hour the nose was of mint, cherry and spice, mostly cinnamon. The appearance in the glass was slightly cloudy, from the finely suspended sediment. In the mouth there were the things found on the nose, with the addition of ripe plum. Nice weight, smooth, with very little evidence of fatigue. I finished the bottle a day later, by which time there was greater visual clarity and more focus to the flavors found on the first day. A terrific bottle of wine.
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From a bottle kindly provided by S.A.H., this wine was carefully double-decanted prior to serving at a pre-holiday party. Although somewhat crumbly, the cork was successfully extracted. The liquid from this particular bottle is deep garnet/amber and the nose shows complex aromas of pipe tobacco, saddle leather, spice and earth. There remains a modest amount of red fruit which lurks in the background. Medium-bodied and with melted tannins, the wine remains freshly acidic and the alcohol (listed as 13.0%) is seamless. Solid in the middle, it closes with a lengthy, spice-laden finish. While certainly enjoyable, this particular bottle is clearly in decline. Drink now.
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Still very good. Used AHSO to open; although cork was still in good shape. Merdium ruby color, amber bricking. Quite a bit of sediment in the bottle. Very smooth, some fruit still there and quite supple mouthfeel although beginning to fade. Cassis, leather, tobacco. Delicate for a cab but quite nice overall and wonderful for a 31 year old bottle.
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I don't know where this bottle came from, but it was like a time machine. Perfect label, fill, and cork, came out looking much younger than its 30 years. Some prickly dusty flavors as you'd expect, but still very much alive. Incredibly I think this particular bottle could have gone another 5-10 years, but it wouldn't have gained much in the way of complexity. It was a good drink, but not especially interesting.
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Was hoping for more having read Gilman's note, but his was from a magnum, and a few years ago.
This was from 750. Cloudy, cloudy wine, with a very orange-y hue.
Nose of red Rutherford dust, pepper, some red fruits.
On the palate, flavors were mostly tertiary - soaked wood, leather, but there was a hint of sweet fruit that flashed in the middle of the palate. Nice long lingering finish showing the intensity of the wine - good bones. Just shabby clothes.
I expect this will only continue to decline.
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Brought to a restaurant for a friend's 30th wedding anniversary. Good bottle fill into the neck but our waiter mauled the cork and with no Ah So on hand! Once opened and decanted: Dark color with molasses aroma. Deep fruit initially with fully resolved tannins but the fruit faded pretty quickly and the finish became a bit tart. Enjoyable enough for a 30-year-old Cab but definitely on the downside.
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Spectacular sediment shellac on one side of the bottle. Wine is ruby and fragrant. Lush fruit palate, with hints of earth both stony and soil. Tannins are silky and well integrated. Far beyond my palate.
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Deep garnet with slight bricking on the edge, subtle nose of black, mature red fruit. Above shoulder fill, cork was fine. Did not decant. Filtered out fine tannin sediment. Surprisingly lively fruit with a black cherry and blueberry base and bright, sweet red cherry and sweet red licorice highlights. Excellent balance, elegant and silky, heavy weight showing some earth and barnyard. Medium finish.
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Mature colour and nose. Still alive but on a donward trajectory. Mature cab nose and palate. Interesting and enjoyable but lacking an extra dimension to make it truly memorable.
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WOW! I don't get to drink a lot of aged California Cabs so it was nice to experience a wine which wasn't too tannic and that gave way to multiple levels of subtle refined flavors in the mouth! Decanted 30 mins prior it order to seperate the sediments. Still drinking very well but it started to decline after ~1.5 hours so drink up if you have any left! Outstanding!
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Decanted for about 30 minutes before tasting. Color was a lot darker than suspected for a 28 year old Napa Cab from not a great vintage. Aromas, nonetheless, confirmed that this is a wine gasping its last breaths of life. Stewed black cherries, some faint cedar and leathery notes are noticeable. In the mouth, it feels a little sweet and some complexity is evident. Tannins are fully integrated and the fruit has stepped aside to let the secondary/tertiary characters show themselves. Medium minus acidity; finish is medium length. Drink up if you got 'em.
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Fill into neck; perfect capsule and cork. Decanted 15 minutes prior to tasting. Clear deep blood-garnet, lightening at the rim. Outstanding bouquet of cherries, seaweed, aromatic wood, and baking spices. Seamless and elegant to taste, with plush, velvety tannins. Improved after 60 minutes and was still fine 24 hours later under vacuum stopper.
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Excellent! Nice, aged Napa notes of leather, tobacco and tea. A nice finish for a wine clearly at the end of its peak. Very good value here, and highly recommended.
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Was reminded of this wine when I was looking up Cellar Tracker reviews of 1986 BV Georges de Latour, which I am planning to open Feb. 3, 2015, for a son's birthday that day. The 1982 was drunk maybe 5 years ago (am unsure of date) at the wonderful Frankie & Johnny's (http://frankie-johnnys.com/) in Cape Neddick, Maine. The other wine at the table was a 1982 Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo. It surprised all of us that the BV considerably outshone the Gaja (which is not to diminish the pleasure taken from it). And since the latter gets about a 94 rating herein, I'm giving the BV something higher. Those of us at that dinner have never stopped talking about how fine the BV was (I mean, when we're together; we don't go around mouthing this to those unlucky enough not to have been with us in Maine that particular evening).
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Fill into neck; perfect capsule and cork. Clear medium deep blood-ruby hue. Allowed to breathe in glass for 10 minutes before tasting. Old World bouquet of underbrush, sweet earth, smoke, and red fruit. Pleasantly tart on the palate; medium-full bodied. Coarse tannins on the first day, but after 24 hours under vacuum stopper, the tannins were smoother, and the palate was more elegant with red currants, leather, wood, and a hint of roasted cashews.
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Perfect cork with fill into neck. Decanted primarily for setiment. Pleasantly surprised at the amount of life in this wine. Nose of leather and underbrush with hints of red fruits and cassis. Much more fruit than ibwould have expected and great secondary flavors of leather and tobacco.
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Fill into neck. Perfect foil and cork. Clear deep blood-garnet hue with a colorless meniscus. Promising bouquet of forest floor, creme de cassis, saddle leather, and a whiff of cardamom. Not much fruit on the palate though. Full-bodied, refined, nicely structured, Old World style, but with a slight medicinal bitterness that would not go away. 88 points.
Addendum: I'll be darned. 24 hours after opening, this wine has improved noticeably. The bitterness is gone, and the wine has become rounder, more supple, with more red fruit coming out of hiding, and even some caramel and roasted cashews. I did not decant this wine when I tasted it yesterday, thinking that breathing in the glass would suffice. I will decant my next bottle of this wine for at least 45 minutes before tasting. 90 points.
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Brought up from the great man's cellar to try next to a 76 this was very nice but not as clean and pure as the older wine. It was a pleasure to drink and brought red fruit, cedar, leather and dirt on a grainy palate. Close to the edge but not gone yet.
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Cork was dry and broke on opening, but the wine was remarkably intact. This had aged gracefully, similarly in many ways to a fine medoc Bordeaux. Deep, gentle nose. Pronounced notes of umami, smoke, dirt. Still had some structure, though the body was thinning out a bit. Long long finish with strong diacetyl note. Certainly no need to age this any further, though it will likely be drinkable for a while yet.
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Still has an amazing nose of fruit and earth with a hint of the smell of the barrel room at a winery. A real treat to try, but definitely on its way downhill. Probably would have been better a few years ago as the fruit was still there, but getting a little hollow. Still a nice little finish, slightly out of balance due to the fruit fading a bit. Drink up while it is still a treat.
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Culinary Team Canada Dinner (Ray's House): Anyone still with bottles of this should drink up. I think these are going downhill. Storage not an issue as Ray has had these since release. Just showing acid with no fruit to back it up.
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This wine still has plenty of legs left in it. We started the night with an 86 Viex Telegraph CDP then we opened this bad boy. Wow so much fruit and still a few tannins. This is what I wish I could drink everyday.
The bottle was opened and allowed to breathe for about 2 hours before we poured it into a magnum decanter. Then the fireworks started.
You'd expect this CA cab to have gone bad by now, given that the various ratings have it pegged for 72-82. Well, it held up and was surprisingly good, agreed our entire table of guests at Thanksgiving. It was light bodied...ie, the tannins had dissipated considerably, but a good bit of pepper, cherry, and jam still held on.
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I agree with Greenblanket. This was a treat to taste this wine after 25 years. This bottle showed obvious signs of overage but it was not "bad". It had started down the road of developing port-like characteristics but became more enjoyable as it opened up. If you have 'em, drink 'em.
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One of two "science closet" type wines taken to dinner by Redteeth, Greenblanket, and their respective senior managing partners. This was on the downhill slope but not yet totally gone. The nose had port-like secondary red fruit, mushroom compost, and soy. It got better with time in the glass showing some nice fruit and acidity but Mrs. Redteeth and Mrs. Greenblanket didn't drink much of it. (Thank God for the Vouvray.) Earthy, secondary, and funkadelic this was enjoyable mainly because of its "science closet" status.
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Kept in bedroom cupboard for the last 20 years. No great expectations. Still dark, though brown at the edges, this was gently oxidised, herby, round, some might enjoy it, but for me well past it.
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Tasting of 13 BV Georges de Latour, Old but rich fruity nose, touch of cardboard on the palate which got worse as the evening wore on, nice fresh fruit, touch simple, medium/big body, and a medium finish. #11/13.
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Historic note (recorded Aug 06). A very good wine but when I had it in 2000 it was still too young. Good blackcurrant nose- dense and fragrant. Similar cassis flavour but rather tight and a bit four-square, leathery and a slightly lean finish. Better after 2005 and probably needs 2010 to reach a peak - potentially a 94 score.
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At home with beef bourguignon. Deep ruby, brick rim. Heavy sediment (decanted). Still with lovely nose of plum, chocolate and now leather. Full body, with complex flavors over underlying black cherry fruit. Nice now. May further improve, but doubt it.
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At Brasserie Restaurant. Vibrant, deep ruby with red/brick rim. Intense nose of cherry, plum currants and chocolate. Full body. Palate follows. Medium, soft tannins. Long, smooth finish. Lovely, with fruit indicating future improvement.
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Purchased for $19 at Liquor Barn in 1987. Drunk with K and Miranda at home at dinner. Good mature ruby color. Thick legs, sticks to the glass. Good but not special bouquet. Even smells a little tired. Good flavor, and has an "extra" element or dimension that says the wine is no run of the mill cab-especially for an '82. Some unresolved tannins. Good concentration for the vintage. Decent wine, but not an eye-opener. 5-10-15-7: 87/100.
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9 Vintages of BV Reserve tasted. a sweet candy, American oak nose with hints of wood that led to more of the same in the mouth, lively fruit, well balanced, nice finish. My #2 and Group #3.
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STILL YOUNG, BLACKCURRENT AND LICORICE NOSE. GOBS OF FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR BUT WITH ENOUGH TANNIN FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS OF IMPROVEMENT LONG FINISH ON THIS WINE OF EXCELLENT COMPLEXITY.
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4/21/2024 - ShadowIII wrote: 89 Points
garnet, faded fruit, nose with sweet cedar, hint of currants, has seen better days
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5/8/2023 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Well into tertiary phase, very much resolved with lipstick and cinnamon hints.
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2/6/2023 - gzim Likes this wine:
Cork kind of crumbled . Poured into a carafe and nose had some cooked notes, as this was brought to a restaurant to open it was fairly cloudy. Let it sit for a bit, no cooked notes on the wine- took a half hour for the sweet fruit to come center stage, with some herbs. On the downhill side but I enjoyed this bottle very much
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5/12/2022 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Pre 1990 Cali Cab + 1981 Birthday Surprise! (Cowford Chophouse): Funny coming off of the Caymus which is all fruit and my question for these old BVs is where did their fruit go. This wine is very classic Bordeaux in style. All old leather and cigar and library. A touch more tired (which is true even when you source directly from the winery from what I can tell). I think these didn't age quite as well as some of their compatriots unfortunately. It is an interesting counterpoint though so some of the other wines.
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4/22/2022 - fc1910 wrote:
1982 (A vintage dream); 4/21/2022-4/23/2022 (Hotel Jean Jacques Rousseau, La Neuveville, lake Biel, Restaurant des Bains, Avenches, Switzerland): Stable aromas, wet undergroth, mhhhhh.... not really mine,
no rating,
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7/17/2021 - achasd Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Brick red, materized. Hold your breath (and your nose) if you have any left
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1/21/2021 - Eagle13 wrote: 86 Points
Bought at auction from K&L in San Francisco. This wine was drinkable but had clouded. Upon opening, it gave off a sherry aroma indicating spoilage to me. However, after one hour in decanter it did open and was decent. Definately in its final year of drinkability. If you have this wine, you've missed the peak by at least 10 years.
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10/27/2020 - elyyon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect cork. Possibly the best 82 CA wine I have had to-date. Fun and evolving nose of forest and dried red fruit. Some remaining fruit on the palate along with graphite and eucalyptus.
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10/15/2020 - rexmerlot wrote: 90 Points
Past it’s prime. But still enjoyable. Leather, stewed fruit and tobacco
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12/11/2019 - tcarter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good aged Cali cab.
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9/9/2019 - MJM4032 wrote: flawed
Had with 5 other 1982 Bordeaux and Napa bottles from my cellar all of which had aged beautifully (Leoville Las Cases, Talbot, Montelena, La Dominique, Le Bon Pasteur). The BV had a definite sour nose (not the cardboard TCA smell) but almost as if pickle juice had been poured into it. One of those who joined me said BV had had some bacterial contamination issues around that time?
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8/21/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Showing wonderfully. Almost a perfect cork - could've been 2012 if I didn't know better.
Lots of olive and soy coupled with dark robust dusty cherries, some light strawberries and loads of earth.
Certainly an old wine but there is life and again freshness left. I could tell, even though I knew, and most called this Old Napa.
Very nice balanced finish. This bottle was stored perfectly and the results are evident.
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2/24/2019 - TahoeSki wrote:
DNR. Past prime but not dead or flawed and wouldn’t buy. Drinkable on first night. Bricking present, a tad sour but still enjoyable enough- would rate an 85-88 if I had to. Excellent fill. Foil and cork perfect- like a young wine. Known provenance by family, owned at initial purchase and stored professionally. Did not last with vacuvin overnight. Have two bottles left and won’t wait on them given what I experienced, but I also will not serve these with guests. Is this what happens with a good not outstanding Napa Cab from a great producer but in a bad year after 30 years?
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6/17/2018 - woof Likes this wine: 90 Points
Matured, good color, nice nose
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5/28/2018 - JJKinch wrote: 93 Points
Dark fruit (cassis, plum, cherry), tobacco, slight herb/ cherry, slight leather, decent acidity. Good balance. Dominated by secondary and tertiary flavors.
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4/22/2018 - ShadowIII wrote: 85 Points
Lost all it's fruit, nose of caramel and cedar, but nice mouth feel and interest in the mouth especially with food, still with a good finish
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3/13/2018 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Old Beaulieu Vineyard Wines (Cotroneo's, White Bear Lake, MN): Supposedly a library wine direct form the winery. Upper neck fill, good cork. Light-medium orange color.DOA, gone, gone, gone. Undrinkable.
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2/16/2018 - Kfoley009 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bricked color throughout. Very thin and wispy, like a watered-down port. The nose is antiseptic and iodine, with hints of rust and blood. The best of the fruit has passed, but still an enjoyable glass, for a 36 year old LaTour.
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1/22/2018 - Burgnick wrote: 89 Points
Pnp. Earthy and herbal with tobacco, smoke, prunes and plums. Most of the fruit has faded. Drinking beyond peak. There are some interesting secondary character on the palate.
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4/23/2017 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cellaraid Pop-up @ Artbox Singapore; 4/14/2017-4/23/2017 (Bayfront Event Space, Marina Bay Sands): clear, deep ruby; clean, medium nose of blackberry, grass, thyme, capsicum, tar; dry, low acid, medium tannins, full body, blackberry, grass, thyme, leather, tar, medium finish; great fruits for such an established vintage
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4/13/2017 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
Portlike, but completely gone. Brown throughout. Cigar ashtray flavors.
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12/5/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 91 Points
A good friend brought this bottle over and we all really enjoyed it. The cork was in magnificent condition, the wine was fully mature but still rocking. Aromas of sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, worn leather, old library and red berry tea. Tart acid, softened tannins, hints of red fruit barely eke out, but this is all about the tertiary notes of leather, fallen leaves, old library books, dusty earth and chewing tobacco. Very cool experience.
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11/26/2016 - nywine68 wrote: 91 Points
Fully mature with a nose of cedar and dark berries.. Dark red color and medium body with decent structure and tannins left.
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10/24/2016 - Quiet Lion wrote:
Last of three bottles from WineBid, first two were undrinkable. This one had cork streaked on one side so probably improper storage. Nose and taste of sour cherry that never went away but otherwise drinkable. Can't say whether a properly stored bottle of this vintage is still singing.
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7/24/2016 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
What a steal for $60!!! Still has lots of lively fruit with a beautiful barnyardy set of tertiary flavors. The body is a bit thin today but the flavors linger on nicely. Tannins have completely melted away into the wine. This shows once again how nicely Cali cabs can age.
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6/7/2016 - Quiet Lion wrote: flawed
Cloudy, orange tinged, sour nose, Madeirized. Slightly better than first bottle. One left...
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5/30/2016 - Quiet Lion wrote: flawed
Madeirized. Hope the other two bottles are better.
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5/17/2016 - hkbob wrote: flawed
Bottle had been well stored, cork was in good shape albeit a bit spongy. Deep terracotta red. Funky barnyard and wet cardboard nose which subsided somewhat after an hour in the decanter but never blew off sufficiently to make consumption an enjoyable proposition. Palate was somewhat better than the nose but still couldn't compensate sufficiently for the shortcomings on the former. Gave it a valiant effort but eventually threw in the towel on this bottle. Too far past its prime.
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4/22/2016 - ruddybm@gmail.com wrote: 87 Points
Cork in excellent condition. Heavy softened mashed fruit funk nose-tobacco, chocolate, McDonalds cheeseburger. Heavy bricking. Acidic at first, opened up a bit with a tiny bit of fruit over the next few hours in the decanter but not much left on the back end. My fiance hated it so I drank the whole bottle. My birthyear.
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2/23/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic lovely old BV. Almost pristine bottle. Medium to dark garnet just a hint of brick. Very pleasant and lively for its age and vintage. Bacon, coffee, blackberry and chocolate on the nose. By no means does it taste over the hill. Fairly bright but rounded on the tongue with some dark fruit on the palate but more nice secondary coffee, tobacco and meat on the finish.
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12/24/2015 - TavyDog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Oxidized note on opening. Decanted 3 hours. The oxidized note resolved itself a bit, but was still there in the background after decant. Medium garnet to brick red rim. Silky texture, cherry, kirsch, cranberry, pomegranate. A beautifully balanced wine: fruit, structure, and acid all make an appearance with soft tannins still present.
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8/6/2015 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mostly Napas and white Burgundies with Washington Winos (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): This was delicious from the start. 1982 is not known to be a great vintage in California, so it is said. But when Chris Bublitz decanted his bottle at the restaurant, I could not help but smell its gorgeous tertiary aromas. Perfumed. A bit of dry fruit. Floral. The medium bodied palate was savory and plump. While not very long on the finish, it was a pleasure to drink!
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4/5/2015 - bvanbower Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still alive and well!
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1/25/2015 - d'Yquembe Mutombo wrote: 91 Points
Purchased from library stock at BV tasting room in St. Helena. Recommend decanting for 30-45 minutes; really started to blossom after a little airtime as the fruit emerged to balance the acidity. Great 30 year old cab.
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7/15/2014 - newkid Likes this wine: 92 Points
Because I wanted to give a bottle to a friend for his b'day, I figured I should taste it first myself. I'd had a case in (reasonably good) storage since the wine was released, in 1984 or so, but hadn't sampled it. Because comments on CT had been all over the place, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was, in a word, delighted! I allowed the unopened bottle to stand for three days for the sediment to settle, which turned out not to be long enough. First, though: the cork was in great shape, and came out intact with an Ah So puller. Fill was high, where one might have expected it to be on a young wine. Color was dark brick, and after breathing for an hour the nose was of mint, cherry and spice, mostly cinnamon. The appearance in the glass was slightly cloudy, from the finely suspended sediment. In the mouth there were the things found on the nose, with the addition of ripe plum. Nice weight, smooth, with very little evidence of fatigue. I finished the bottle a day later, by which time there was greater visual clarity and more focus to the flavors found on the first day. A terrific bottle of wine.
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7/3/2014 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 87 Points
From a bottle kindly provided by S.A.H., this wine was carefully double-decanted prior to serving at a pre-holiday party. Although somewhat crumbly, the cork was successfully extracted. The liquid from this particular bottle is deep garnet/amber and the nose shows complex aromas of pipe tobacco, saddle leather, spice and earth. There remains a modest amount of red fruit which lurks in the background. Medium-bodied and with melted tannins, the wine remains freshly acidic and the alcohol (listed as 13.0%) is seamless. Solid in the middle, it closes with a lengthy, spice-laden finish. While certainly enjoyable, this particular bottle is clearly in decline. Drink now.
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2/1/2014 - zinfield wrote: flawed
Bottle badly oxidized. It's been well stored but a trow away at this point.
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11/2/2013 - spv Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still very good. Used AHSO to open; although cork was still in good shape. Merdium ruby color, amber bricking. Quite a bit of sediment in the bottle. Very smooth, some fruit still there and quite supple mouthfeel although beginning to fade. Cassis, leather, tobacco. Delicate for a cab but quite nice overall and wonderful for a 31 year old bottle.
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7/20/2013 - mtaczak wrote: 90 Points
I don't know where this bottle came from, but it was like a time machine. Perfect label, fill, and cork, came out looking much younger than its 30 years. Some prickly dusty flavors as you'd expect, but still very much alive. Incredibly I think this particular bottle could have gone another 5-10 years, but it wouldn't have gained much in the way of complexity. It was a good drink, but not especially interesting.
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4/6/2013 - kkazaks wrote: 86 Points
Was hoping for more having read Gilman's note, but his was from a magnum, and a few years ago.
This was from 750. Cloudy, cloudy wine, with a very orange-y hue.
Nose of red Rutherford dust, pepper, some red fruits.
On the palate, flavors were mostly tertiary - soaked wood, leather, but there was a hint of sweet fruit that flashed in the middle of the palate. Nice long lingering finish showing the intensity of the wine - good bones. Just shabby clothes.
I expect this will only continue to decline.
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12/15/2012 - BoulderWine wrote: 85 Points
Brought to a restaurant for a friend's 30th wedding anniversary. Good bottle fill into the neck but our waiter mauled the cork and with no Ah So on hand! Once opened and decanted: Dark color with molasses aroma. Deep fruit initially with fully resolved tannins but the fruit faded pretty quickly and the finish became a bit tart. Enjoyable enough for a 30-year-old Cab but definitely on the downside.
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6/23/2012 - Mezz wrote: 94 Points
Consumed mid 2007.
Spectacular sediment shellac on one side of the bottle. Wine is ruby and fragrant. Lush fruit palate, with hints of earth both stony and soil. Tannins are silky and well integrated. Far beyond my palate.
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2/25/2012 - spv wrote: 92 Points
Memorable. Deep ruby color, slight bricking. Lots of fruit, thick and silky mouthfeel. Long fiinish. Great fill. Cork was in amazing shape.
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7/30/2011 - aagrawal wrote: flawed
WineSpectator Forums Offline; 7/29/2011-7/30/2011 (Piperade, San Francisco): Declining fruit, musty; palate is showing some vinegar oxidation characteristics. I would say this is a little flawed/oxidized.
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4/3/2011 - vine20 wrote: 92 Points
Deep garnet with slight bricking on the edge, subtle nose of black, mature red fruit. Above shoulder fill, cork was fine. Did not decant. Filtered out fine tannin sediment. Surprisingly lively fruit with a black cherry and blueberry base and bright, sweet red cherry and sweet red licorice highlights. Excellent balance, elegant and silky, heavy weight showing some earth and barnyard. Medium finish.
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12/10/2010 - rayq Likes this wine:
Mature colour and nose. Still alive but on a donward trajectory.
Mature cab nose and palate. Interesting and enjoyable but lacking an extra dimension to make it truly memorable.
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11/25/2010 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
WOW! I don't get to drink a lot of aged California Cabs so it was nice to experience a wine which wasn't too tannic and that gave way to multiple levels of subtle refined flavors in the mouth! Decanted 30 mins prior it order to seperate the sediments. Still drinking very well but it started to decline after ~1.5 hours so drink up if you have any left! Outstanding!
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11/19/2010 - JorgeH wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for about 30 minutes before tasting. Color was a lot darker than suspected for a 28 year old Napa Cab from not a great vintage. Aromas, nonetheless, confirmed that this is a wine gasping its last breaths of life. Stewed black cherries, some faint cedar and leathery notes are noticeable. In the mouth, it feels a little sweet and some complexity is evident. Tannins are fully integrated and the fruit has stepped aside to let the secondary/tertiary characters show themselves. Medium minus acidity; finish is medium length. Drink up if you got 'em.
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9/16/2010 - Javachip wrote: 92 Points
Fill into neck; perfect capsule and cork. Decanted 15 minutes prior to tasting. Clear deep blood-garnet, lightening at the rim. Outstanding bouquet of cherries, seaweed, aromatic wood, and baking spices. Seamless and elegant to taste, with plush, velvety tannins. Improved after 60 minutes and was still fine 24 hours later under vacuum stopper.
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8/24/2010 - dannyk8232 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent! Nice, aged Napa notes of leather, tobacco and tea. A nice finish for a wine clearly at the end of its peak. Very good value here, and highly recommended.
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6/1/2010 - jamesdlandis Likes this wine: 96 Points
Was reminded of this wine when I was looking up Cellar Tracker reviews of 1986 BV Georges de Latour, which I am planning to open Feb. 3, 2015, for a son's birthday that day. The 1982 was drunk maybe 5 years ago (am unsure of date) at the wonderful Frankie & Johnny's (http://frankie-johnnys.com/) in Cape Neddick, Maine. The other wine at the table was a 1982 Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo. It surprised all of us that the BV considerably outshone the Gaja (which is not to diminish the pleasure taken from it). And since the latter gets about a 94 rating herein, I'm giving the BV something higher. Those of us at that dinner have never stopped talking about how fine the BV was (I mean, when we're together; we don't go around mouthing this to those unlucky enough not to have been with us in Maine that particular evening).
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2/22/2010 - Javachip wrote: 88 Points
Fill into neck; perfect capsule and cork. Clear medium deep blood-ruby hue. Allowed to breathe in glass for 10 minutes before tasting. Old World bouquet of underbrush, sweet earth, smoke, and red fruit. Pleasantly tart on the palate; medium-full bodied. Coarse tannins on the first day, but after 24 hours under vacuum stopper, the tannins were smoother, and the palate was more elegant with red currants, leather, wood, and a hint of roasted cashews.
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2/14/2010 - scelliott99 wrote: 90 Points
Perfect cork with fill into neck. Decanted primarily for setiment. Pleasantly surprised at the amount of life in this wine. Nose of leather and underbrush with hints of red fruits and cassis. Much more fruit than ibwould have expected and great secondary flavors of leather and tobacco.
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11/1/2009 - Javachip wrote: 90 Points
Fill into neck. Perfect foil and cork. Clear deep blood-garnet hue with a colorless meniscus. Promising bouquet of forest floor, creme de cassis, saddle leather, and a whiff of cardamom. Not much fruit on the palate though. Full-bodied, refined, nicely structured, Old World style, but with a slight medicinal bitterness that would not go away. 88 points.
Addendum: I'll be darned. 24 hours after opening, this wine has improved noticeably. The bitterness is gone, and the wine has become rounder, more supple, with more red fruit coming out of hiding, and even some caramel and roasted cashews. I did not decant this wine when I tasted it yesterday, thinking that breathing in the glass would suffice. I will decant my next bottle of this wine for at least 45 minutes before tasting. 90 points.
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9/8/2009 - greenblanket wrote:
Brought up from the great man's cellar to try next to a 76 this was very nice but not as clean and pure as the older wine. It was a pleasure to drink and brought red fruit, cedar, leather and dirt on a grainy palate. Close to the edge but not gone yet.
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10/26/2008 - BailliSacks wrote: 93 Points
Cork was dry and broke on opening, but the wine was remarkably intact. This had aged gracefully, similarly in many ways to a fine medoc Bordeaux. Deep, gentle nose. Pronounced notes of umami, smoke, dirt. Still had some structure, though the body was thinning out a bit. Long long finish with strong diacetyl note. Certainly no need to age this any further, though it will likely be drinkable for a while yet.
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5/31/2008 - donrad wrote: 90 Points
Still has an amazing nose of fruit and earth with a hint of the smell of the barrel room at a winery. A real treat to try, but definitely on its way downhill. Probably would have been better a few years ago as the fruit was still there, but getting a little hollow. Still a nice little finish, slightly out of balance due to the fruit fading a bit. Drink up while it is still a treat.
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2/1/2008 - DelYap wrote: 83 Points
Culinary Team Canada Dinner (Ray's House): Anyone still with bottles of this should drink up. I think these are going downhill. Storage not an issue as Ray has had these since release. Just showing acid with no fruit to back it up.
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1/27/2008 - dave smigielski wrote: 94 Points
This wine still has plenty of legs left in it. We started the night with an 86 Viex Telegraph CDP then we opened this bad boy. Wow so much fruit and still a few tannins. This is what I wish I could drink everyday.
The bottle was opened and allowed to breathe for about 2 hours before we poured it into a magnum decanter. Then the fireworks started.
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11/22/2007 - samer wrote: 90 Points
You'd expect this CA cab to have gone bad by now, given that the various ratings have it pegged for 72-82. Well, it held up and was surprisingly good, agreed our entire table of guests at Thanksgiving. It was light bodied...ie, the tannins had dissipated considerably, but a good bit of pepper, cherry, and jam still held on.
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10/26/2007 - Redteeth wrote:
I agree with Greenblanket. This was a treat to taste this wine after 25 years. This bottle showed obvious signs of overage but it was not "bad". It had started down the road of developing port-like characteristics but became more enjoyable as it opened up. If you have 'em, drink 'em.
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10/26/2007 - greenblanket wrote:
One of two "science closet" type wines taken to dinner by Redteeth, Greenblanket, and their respective senior managing partners. This was on the downhill slope but not yet totally gone. The nose had port-like secondary red fruit, mushroom compost, and soy. It got better with time in the glass showing some nice fruit and acidity but Mrs. Redteeth and Mrs. Greenblanket didn't drink much of it. (Thank God for the Vouvray.) Earthy, secondary, and funkadelic this was enjoyable mainly because of its "science closet" status.
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5/6/2007 - Rupert wrote: 84 Points
Kept in bedroom cupboard for the last 20 years. No great expectations. Still dark, though brown at the edges, this was gently oxidised, herby, round, some might enjoy it, but for me well past it.
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8/31/2006 - jwcnd69 wrote: 90 Points
A tad past its prime but opened up nicely after time in the glass.
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11/1/2003 - winefool wrote: 91 Points
Very youthful. Bright red with rich briar and fruit. 11/03
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7/25/2001 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 86 Points
Tasting of 13 BV Georges de Latour, Old but rich fruity nose, touch of cardboard on the palate which got worse as the evening wore on, nice fresh fruit, touch simple, medium/big body, and a medium finish. #11/13.
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9/27/2000 - kevin h wrote: 91 Points
Historic note (recorded Aug 06). A very good wine but when I had it in 2000 it was still too young. Good blackcurrant nose- dense and fragrant. Similar cassis flavour but rather tight and a bit four-square, leathery and a slightly lean finish. Better after 2005 and probably needs 2010 to reach a peak - potentially a 94 score.
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7/24/1997 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
At home with beef bourguignon. Deep ruby, brick rim. Heavy sediment (decanted). Still with lovely nose of plum, chocolate and now leather. Full body, with complex flavors over underlying black cherry fruit. Nice now. May further improve, but doubt it.
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11/25/1995 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
At Brasserie Restaurant. Vibrant, deep ruby with red/brick rim. Intense nose of cherry, plum currants and chocolate. Full body. Palate follows. Medium, soft tannins. Long, smooth finish. Lovely, with fruit indicating future improvement.
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8/6/1991 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 87 Points
Purchased for $19 at Liquor Barn in 1987. Drunk with K and Miranda at home at dinner. Good mature ruby color. Thick legs, sticks to the glass. Good but not special bouquet. Even smells a little tired. Good flavor, and has an "extra" element or dimension that says the wine is no run of the mill cab-especially for an '82. Some unresolved tannins. Good concentration for the vintage. Decent wine, but not an eye-opener. 5-10-15-7: 87/100.
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12/8/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
9 Vintages of BV Reserve tasted. a sweet candy, American oak nose with hints of wood that led to more of the same in the mouth, lively fruit, well balanced, nice finish. My #2 and Group #3.
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5/28/1990 - buckeye76 wrote: 90 Points
STILL YOUNG, BLACKCURRENT AND LICORICE NOSE. GOBS OF FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR BUT WITH ENOUGH TANNIN FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS OF IMPROVEMENT LONG FINISH ON THIS WINE OF EXCELLENT COMPLEXITY.
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2/1/1988 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:
At dinner with MPL at Ciao. Deep. Enjoyable. A bit tannic, even austere. Needs time.
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