Wow. Bought six mags on sale when Diageo was exiting. Opened the third tonight to celebrate the 2017 deer season, paired with Camembert, fresh venison backstrap with mushrooms, wilted kale and yam salad. The cork was as solid as yesterday’s bottling. A full tablespoon of precipitated tannin on decanting. Mixed berries and tarred hemp on the nose, silky on the edge of the tongue, long anise finish. Why can't they do this one again? They are the Penfolds folks, after all. Shame on mediocrity!
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Amazingly, we can still taste the blackberry cassis and the rich ripe dark sweet fruits, and the dark earthiness. It's a strong wine, so may have limited appeal. We liked it, although it's not our favorite style.
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In good shape for '98; rich medium+ body, still some oak, blackberry-cassis, slight hint of ripe sweet dark fruits, dark earthiness; classic old school Napa cab. did not show too much signs of aging, holds itself well. Not my style, lacks a bit of elegance and character but exactly what should be.
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Still drinking extremely well. Sorry to see it go. We decided on this one following a 2001 Sterling Merlot and the consensus among the three of us was a preference for the cab. Still had decent fruit even though it appears beyond its age recommendation. Tannins have definitely softened.
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I don't think I expected much from this wine so it definitely exceeded my expectations. Typical Cab notes with some cedar and straw too. Nice mid-palate and finish. Little tannin. Not a wine to think on but pleasant to drink none the less.
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This had to be corked, but we drank it anyway; it wasn't entirely unpleasant; the nose reeked of musty cork; but the palate still showed dark berries and pencil lead, the mustiness creeping in just a little; would probably have been a very enjoyable wine.
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I tasted this wine once before and found it tight, acidic, and not very flavorful, but this time, the wine was much improved…mostly straightforward black currant with some vanilla and cedar. The nose is the wine's best feature, the palate is ripe and concentrated but somewhat short. From 375 ml bottle.
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12/3/2017 - Markeye wrote: 93 Points
Wow. Bought six mags on sale when Diageo was exiting. Opened the third tonight to celebrate the 2017 deer season, paired with Camembert, fresh venison backstrap with mushrooms, wilted kale and yam salad. The cork was as solid as yesterday’s bottling. A full tablespoon of precipitated tannin on decanting. Mixed berries and tarred hemp on the nose, silky on the edge of the tongue, long anise finish. Why can't they do this one again? They are the Penfolds folks, after all. Shame on mediocrity!
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9/25/2016 - sylviap Likes this wine:
Amazingly, we can still taste the blackberry cassis and the rich ripe dark sweet fruits, and the dark earthiness. It's a strong wine, so may have limited appeal. We liked it, although it's not our favorite style.
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6/20/2015 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
In good shape for '98; rich medium+ body, still some oak, blackberry-cassis, slight hint of ripe sweet dark fruits, dark earthiness; classic old school Napa cab. did not show too much signs of aging, holds itself well. Not my style, lacks a bit of elegance and character but exactly what should be.
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11/23/2014 - snowman94114 wrote:
remarkably good. figured it was way past its prime...not so at all. decanted and sipped over a 2 hour period. best after 1 hour. 92 pts.
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10/11/2010 - rp4711 wrote:
a little past it's prime
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11/26/2009 - jrsobeck wrote: 90 Points
This drank very well. Still lots of fruit, smooth tannins, great finish. Aging it made a big difference.
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3/12/2009 - tapngrill wrote: 88 Points
A little on the light side. Tannins have all but disappeared. Drinking smooth, past its prime. Lacking in complexity but still very enjoyable.
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10/8/2008 - BWM wrote: 92 Points
Still drinking extremely well. Sorry to see it go. We decided on this one following a 2001 Sterling Merlot and the consensus among the three of us was a preference for the cab. Still had decent fruit even though it appears beyond its age recommendation. Tannins have definitely softened.
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6/23/2007 - alfer wrote:
Not as exciting as the Chateau Potelle, but still nice. A little bitey. This bottle was a gift from my U.Bob.
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6/23/2007 - alfer wrote:
Not as exciting as the Chateau Potelle, but still nice. A little bitey.
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1/10/2007 - Plusvini wrote: 86 Points
I don't think I expected much from this wine so it definitely exceeded my expectations. Typical Cab notes with some cedar and straw too. Nice mid-palate and finish. Little tannin. Not a wine to think on but pleasant to drink none the less.
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4/22/2006 - RichardZula wrote:
Very good, drank along side the 2000. I prefered the '98, Michele the '00.
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4/2/2006 - RichardZula wrote:
This had to be corked, but we drank it anyway; it wasn't entirely unpleasant; the nose reeked of musty cork; but the palate still showed dark berries and pencil lead, the mustiness creeping in just a little; would probably have been a very enjoyable wine.
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2/19/2006 - Carbob wrote: 90 Points
Delightful. Structured at first, seemed to thin out over time.
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7/16/2004 - Paul from the Oblong Table wrote:
Excellent with steak at Sullivan’s.
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4/1/2001 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
I tasted this wine once before and found it tight, acidic, and not very flavorful, but this time, the wine was much improved…mostly straightforward black currant with some vanilla and cedar. The nose is the wine's best feature, the palate is ripe and concentrated but somewhat short. From 375 ml bottle.
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