from magnum, paired with caviar topped Peking duck (Alexander the great antics) nose- blackberry, boysenberry, smoky mouth - tight bit still full of stuffing, dark fruited, perhaps a bit stewy. Drink up.
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nose - dark fruit, sexy&seductive mouth - drinks like a charm, well balanced good fruit still with nice complexity including hints of toasted orange peel. Reminiscent of an older Maya.
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Had this wine at a blind tasting. A delicious and well balanced wine with well balanced fruit, acidity, and structure considering its age. I had initially thought this was a conservatively made Shiraz with some age but at the same time was not surprised that it was a more classic style of napa cab. I just wish Napa would make the wines more like they used to. A total contrast to the overwhelming Hillside select tasted alongside in the blind tasting
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Double decanted and brought to dinner. Aromas of mint, leather, dried fruits, and damp wood. Flavors are delicate, bright cherry, herbs, eucalyptus. Everything is nicely balanced and the wine is very easy to like. Well done.
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Dinner with Friends (Chris and Renee's): Great showing and for many the WOTN. This seems to be just at peak and no sign for this bottle of being old or past peak. Purple/ruby in color and shimmering bright. The nose is gorgeous. Complex and deep. Cassis, cigar tobacco, slight clean barn notes, dark cherries and a slight roasted herb note. Full bodied. Nice texture. Not quite at that level on the palate, but still outstanding. Cassis, dark cherries, some tobacco notes. I would have expected a tad more layering but this was more a constant swirl of flavors. delicious. Worked great at the dinner table. Impressive showing.
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Deep earthy aromas with the red fruit in the background. Medium to full body flavors of rich red cherry and sweet earth. Fully resolved tannins and soft acidity. Drinking remarkably well at age 21. Doesn't taste old.
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Fabulous wine. Someone at the table described this 21-year old wine as jammy! I almost agree - still lots of fruit, great balance and structure. Talk about aging gracefully...
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nose - dark fruit, chocolate, raisin, musky - rich superripe nose, mouth - at neary age 20, this wine is showing remarkably well. rich, complex sweet and seductive dark fruit on the attack, with a spicey boysenberry midpalate, round tannins, and a long dry finish. this wine is poignant and alive. bottles that are still on the mark are nothing less than exemplary
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cork completely disintegrated nose - stewed fruit, chocolate mouth - still big fruit, a mature red wine, and I even wonder if this particular bottle is past prime, as i have better before. nevertheless attractive rich though perhaps slightly stewed, and very open for business. drink up.
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What a pleasant surprise! This wine has aged beautifully. The color has deepened to brick red with a core of plum and dark fruit remains, along with enough tannins to give the wine backbone, but it's rounded out by notes of cedar and spice with a moderately long finish. It's hard to imagine this wine getting any better, but it still has some life to it. Drink now through 2014.
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tasted blind n- dark berry, chocolate, attractive m - gorgeous mixed fruits, great complexity, cocoa, broad tannins. drinks very young My WOTN from the 1994s
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Noteable for the fact that it was still drinking well. Not much interesting other than that. Comparatively it was about equal in complexity to any $20 everyday cab that you might buy. The tannins were actually slightly prominant; based on the color and the amount of fruit left I don't think that will improve with time though. This may have been better as a younger wine; probably past it's peak. Still this was not a bad wine and drank well with filet
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US 1994 at its best... (Zurich): Tasted blind: Nose of rubber and port...quite strange. Went away after 15min in the glass. Nice sweetness and balance in the finish. Good length but the wine is already quite mature showing hints of oxidation. Maybe a poor bottle or the wine is past its prime...
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Following a 1989 Latour Haut Brion, it was up against some tough competition, but it held its own very nicely. Ripe fruit, earth and mineral flavors, in well structured package. While definitely California fruit, it is bordeaux in style. Very nicely done.
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Dense black currant, black olive, sage and licorice provide the backbone, but as this wine opens, more plum, chocolate and cardomom tones arise. Very well balanced with its secondary and fruit flavors on the midpalate, tannins are a bit chalky on the finish. Nothing that some food wouldn't cure. This wine is certainly at peak.
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Still youthful. A little toasted oak on the nose that added some sweetness to the palate predominantly of red currants, dark cherries and some leather. Drinking very nicely.
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6/30/2023 - roxles Likes this wine:
Past its prime, but it is still very good. A little "hot" ROH nose overrode
the fruit. I can't distinguish which fruit. Balanced.
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8/20/2021 - soyhead wrote:
from magnum, paired with caviar topped Peking duck (Alexander the great antics)
nose- blackberry, boysenberry, smoky
mouth - tight bit still full of stuffing, dark fruited, perhaps a bit stewy.
Drink up.
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5/17/2019 - soyhead wrote:
from magnum
nose - red fruit
mouth - vibrant fruit, plum, nice framing tannins. classic fruit forward napa with some age.
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4/6/2019 - soyhead wrote:
nose - dark fruit, sexy&seductive
mouth - drinks like a charm, well balanced good fruit still with nice complexity including hints of toasted orange peel. Reminiscent of an older Maya.
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8/9/2018 - sung251 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this wine at a blind tasting. A delicious and well balanced wine with well balanced fruit, acidity, and structure considering its age. I had initially thought this was a conservatively made Shiraz with some age but at the same time was not surprised that it was a more classic style of napa cab. I just wish Napa would make the wines more like they used to. A total contrast to the overwhelming Hillside select tasted alongside in the blind tasting
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2/21/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sweet raspberry and blackberry; smooth with good balance and a long sweet finish.
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12/31/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sweet with cedar and cherry; established fruit with length and nice acidity.
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12/6/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sweet blackberry; light nose; acidic and somewhat harsh with some tannin suggesting time is needed; rather nice but not long finish.
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6/30/2017 - HandmadeHomemade wrote:
Grade a stuff here.
Double decanted and brought to dinner. Aromas of mint, leather, dried fruits, and damp wood. Flavors are delicate, bright cherry, herbs, eucalyptus. Everything is nicely balanced and the wine is very easy to like. Well done.
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2/7/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Friends (Chris and Renee's): Great showing and for many the WOTN. This seems to be just at peak and no sign for this bottle of being old or past peak. Purple/ruby in color and shimmering bright. The nose is gorgeous. Complex and deep. Cassis, cigar tobacco, slight clean barn notes, dark cherries and a slight roasted herb note. Full bodied. Nice texture. Not quite at that level on the palate, but still outstanding. Cassis, dark cherries, some tobacco notes. I would have expected a tad more layering but this was more a constant swirl of flavors. delicious. Worked great at the dinner table. Impressive showing.
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9/19/2015 - SauvignonFranc wrote: 51 Points
Wine was way past its time
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8/6/2015 - ecola Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep earthy aromas with the red fruit in the background. Medium to full body flavors of rich red cherry and sweet earth. Fully resolved tannins and soft acidity. Drinking remarkably well at age 21. Doesn't taste old.
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2/11/2015 - jinks Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous wine. Someone at the table described this 21-year old wine as jammy! I almost agree - still lots of fruit, great balance and structure. Talk about aging gracefully...
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12/15/2013 - soyhead wrote:
5th Annual Best of Bordeaux vs Kings of Kalifornia (Yan's China Bistro): tasted
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9/13/2013 - soyhead Likes this wine: 95 Points
nose - dark fruit, chocolate, raisin, musky - rich superripe nose,
mouth - at neary age 20, this wine is showing remarkably well. rich, complex sweet and seductive dark fruit on the attack, with a spicey boysenberry midpalate, round tannins, and a long dry finish. this wine is poignant and alive. bottles that are still on the mark are nothing less than exemplary
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7/25/2013 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
cork completely disintegrated
nose - stewed fruit, chocolate
mouth - still big fruit, a mature red wine, and I even wonder if this particular bottle is past prime, as i have better before. nevertheless attractive rich though perhaps slightly stewed, and very open for business. drink up.
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12/22/2012 - MystMrQ Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a pleasant surprise! This wine has aged beautifully. The color has deepened to brick red with a core of plum and dark fruit remains, along with enough tannins to give the wine backbone, but it's rounded out by notes of cedar and spice with a moderately long finish. It's hard to imagine this wine getting any better, but it still has some life to it. Drink now through 2014.
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12/1/2012 - Old Vino wrote: 90 Points
Wine has no signs of aging. One dimensional. Ok but would not buy again.
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7/14/2012 - soyhead wrote: 95 Points
tasted blind
n- dark berry, chocolate, attractive
m - gorgeous mixed fruits, great complexity, cocoa, broad tannins. drinks very young
My WOTN from the 1994s
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4/21/2012 - sdezutti wrote: 90 Points
Noteable for the fact that it was still drinking well. Not much interesting other than that. Comparatively it was about equal in complexity to any $20 everyday cab that you might buy. The tannins were actually slightly prominant; based on the color and the amount of fruit left I don't think that will improve with time though. This may have been better as a younger wine; probably past it's peak. Still this was not a bad wine and drank well with filet
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12/24/2010 - yotaiwan wrote: 88 Points
still too tight and tannins still harsh.
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6/14/2010 - gdenner wrote: 90 Points
just peaked
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2/6/2009 - Wine_lvr wrote: 91 Points
US 1994 at its best... (Zurich): Tasted blind: Nose of rubber and port...quite strange. Went away after 15min in the glass. Nice sweetness and balance in the finish. Good length but the wine is already quite mature showing hints of oxidation. Maybe a poor bottle or the wine is past its prime...
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6/15/2008 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Following a 1989 Latour Haut Brion, it was up against some tough competition, but it held its own very nicely. Ripe fruit, earth and mineral flavors, in well structured package. While definitely California fruit, it is bordeaux in style. Very nicely done.
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4/4/2008 - rmodak wrote: 92 Points
Dense black currant, black olive, sage and licorice provide the backbone, but as this wine opens, more plum, chocolate and cardomom tones arise. Very well balanced with its secondary and fruit flavors on the midpalate, tannins are a bit chalky on the finish. Nothing that some food wouldn't cure. This wine is certainly at peak.
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10/6/2007 - buckeye76 wrote: 90 Points
BLACK CHERRIES, LICORICE, AND A TOUCH OF MINT IN THE NOSE WITH BLACK CHERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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2/25/2006 - JFish wrote:
Still youthful. A little toasted oak on the nose that added some sweetness to the palate predominantly of red currants, dark cherries and some leather. Drinking very nicely.
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