I don't know if this was one of those magic bottles or something, but this was one of the finest bottles of wine I have had in some time. It still had some primary fruit with blackcurrant being the most prominent, but had loads of tertiary notes of leather, graphite and forest floor. The mouthfeel was like velvet with the tannins and acidity in perfect balance. Long sustained finish. Just gorgeous.
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Bordeaux/Cabernet with Special Guest Lail (Orsay): This one came across as a bit hotter than some of the others. Bigger wine. It was more typical of a Napa cab from this time to me. A bit more fruity. A hint stewed.
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Very deserving of its rating from RP. Perhaps beyond peak, but, still amazing. No flaws. Dark garnet color. Moderate rim variation in the glass, and, no sediment. Smooth nose of dark floral and fruit. New world nose. Low tannin. Medium alcohol. Long finish. Perfectly drinkable, and, would do so. ONe to go for us, will pair with some beef next time. Kudos to Lail, darn good stuff.
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- Ruby color - So there is a ferocious debate. Yes, its Bordeaux like in style, and it drinks beautifully. Aromas of black currant, black fruit and a touch of vanilla. The girlfriend says a luscious mouth feel and a 98 point wine. I say a really nice drink and a solid 94. Im gonna go with my girlfriend, and say 97 points all day long, but for CellarTracker 94. Im not an idiot.
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I think this bottle is as good as the original pro reviews, WS 93, WA 95, ST 92+, RJ 93. Maybe 5 years ago, I had a taste, and it was not all that. Predicting where a wine is going, and a drinking window, takes much more experienced than I have. It also takes some trust to follow those suggestions/ratings. In 2008 or 9, when I bought this, $100 was kind of a crazy trust. Now I'm so glad I did.
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Coravined (is that a verb?) a glass. The nose is delicate but ripe with fruit. The palate is still remarkably fresh for a 13 year-old wine. It's red fruit dominant, especially raspberry and strawberry with a hint of cherry. The tannins take a minute or two to kick in, but they exist to provide a mellow structure to the wine which along with the acidity make for a nice pour. Over the next half hour, the flavors develop and the wine rounds out suggesting that an hour decant would definitely be of benefit. The finish is moderate, but full of flavor.
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Purchased from the wine house on somewhat of an impulse buy. This either was not cellared well at some point in its lifetime or this wine is already over the hill. I'm going to go with the former but it's always hard to swallow when you purchase a wine of this price and it's a big disappointment. There was nothing flawed with this wine but it tasted "old". Not sure I'm going to risk buying older wines unless I really trust the merchant or buy from the winery. In this case, I've lost some faith in the Wine House.
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Had with dinner with friends. More drinking than tasting. Decanted for 30 minutes. Continued to evolve in glass over 2 hours. Went very well with Jessica's 28 Dry aged sirloin w/ chanterelles and pan sauce.
Very nice complex nose. Sniffed forever before I drank: dark berries, mocha, woodsy. Less fruit on the palate. Full bodied. Fine tannins. Surprisingly long finish.
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Overall a pleasing drink. At 10 years I recommend those of us holding multiples of this to try in the near future. By far, for me, the highlight was the wonderful aromas. Flavors were just a bit disjointed but altogether this was an enjoyable wine.
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Lail and winemaker Melka never seem to let me down. Pure cabernet. Fine grain tannins, integrated nicely into blue and black fruit. Cassis flavors. Floral and pretty. Not as much brawn as other have noted - likely dour to age. Medium weight. Spice...maybe I noted cinnamon? As another noted, well structured. Drink the rest in next couple years. Not likely to improve past this, but who really knows?. At peak to me, but then I like the wine on the younger side.
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A very nice well structured cab. Still tight out of the bottle but softened up nicely in about 45 mins. Enjoy, I would say it is towards the end of its drinking window
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I took my own advice from March and gave this 3 hours of air and it blossomed into this rich, dense, chocolately wonderfulness! Really great and drinking beautifully now. It might improve, but why chance it?
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This was great on day one with about 1 hour of air. Very lush with dark fruit. (put on nitrogen The Keeper on day one) On day two I poured a glass and drank without aeration and it was flat and lifeless. Then after two hours it came alive, was smooth as silk and very complex. On day three I aerated for two hours before drinking and again it was superb.
Word to the wise, let this breathe for at least 1-2 hours. After that, it's rich, complex and a very satisfying classic California Cabernet. Glad to have one more bottle to which I can apply my learned lesson!
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Loved it. Though I wish I had waited longer for more dryness. But it was velvety smooth. Still so much fruit and the legs and color were beautiful. Perfect wine to drink on my wife's Bday! Anyone selling some more?
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Dark purple color with a dense nose of mocha and exotic spice. The palate is rich and velvety with flavors of currant, cranberry, chocolate and espresso. This is very well-made, rounded and has a structured mid-palate. Very well-balanced and complete. Finishes long with hints of dried herbs, earth and spice. Drink now until 2026.
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wow, what an outstanding wine. i drank 80% of the bottle over 4 hours from the decanter and it kept getting better (had to save some for the next day). i am not sure this has another 10 yrs in it, but its drinking very well right now. tannins are in check and it has great floral can cola notes. really good wine.
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California versus France at Claudio's (Claudio's House, Chappaqua, NY): Just like the other Lail wine tonight, this had personality in spades. Flamboyant and almost sweet on the nose, this delivered waves of grape scratch and sniffs, blueberry pie, rhubarb pie, and floral. Great weight in the mouth with tons of flavor and a long, persistent finish. This received four first place votes and was second to the Petit Mouton on the night
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Raw purple appearance. In your face brawny young Cab that needs some time to settle down. Expressive, unleashed style. Despite sharp edges, a solid effort offering rustic enjoyment now with plenty of upside.
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Drank on March 12, 2011. Still a bit young. Had the Lail with steak and it's a good wine for steak. Can drink the Lail alone. Not really big nor bold as it was aged in french oak. Aerate and decant half the bottle and the other half left in bottle to air. Enjoyed the bottle over a 3 hours period. Definitely better at the end but was down turning at the 3 hours mark, so don't let it sit too long. Do not aerate and decant as it takes away a lot of the tannins. Just let it air in the bottle and after the one hour mark, the tannins will start to build. Will wait another year or so before opening my next bottle of Lail of this vintage.
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1/13/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine: 98 Points
I don't know if this was one of those magic bottles or something, but this was one of the finest bottles of wine I have had in some time. It still had some primary fruit with blackcurrant being the most prominent, but had loads of tertiary notes of leather, graphite and forest floor. The mouthfeel was like velvet with the tannins and acidity in perfect balance. Long sustained finish. Just gorgeous.
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10/5/2022 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Bordeaux/Cabernet with Special Guest Lail (Orsay): This one came across as a bit hotter than some of the others. Bigger wine. It was more typical of a Napa cab from this time to me. A bit more fruity. A hint stewed.
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12/19/2021 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 95 Points
Very deserving of its rating from RP. Perhaps beyond peak, but, still amazing. No flaws. Dark garnet color. Moderate rim variation in the glass, and, no sediment. Smooth nose of dark floral and fruit. New world nose. Low tannin. Medium alcohol. Long finish. Perfectly drinkable, and, would do so. ONe to go for us, will pair with some beef next time. Kudos to Lail, darn good stuff.
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2/20/2021 - pinotpounder Likes this wine: 93 Points
93 points
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3/27/2020 - rwstorer wrote: 94 Points
- Ruby color - So there is a ferocious debate. Yes, its Bordeaux like in style, and it drinks beautifully. Aromas of black currant, black fruit and a touch of vanilla. The girlfriend says a luscious mouth feel and a 98 point wine. I say a really nice drink and a solid 94. Im gonna go with my girlfriend, and say 97 points all day long, but for CellarTracker 94. Im not an idiot.
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11/23/2019 - wino from way back Likes this wine: 93 Points
I think this bottle is as good as the original pro reviews, WS 93, WA 95, ST 92+, RJ 93. Maybe 5 years ago, I had a taste, and it was not all that. Predicting where a wine is going, and a drinking window, takes much more experienced than I have. It also takes some trust to follow those suggestions/ratings. In 2008 or 9, when I bought this, $100 was kind of a crazy trust. Now I'm so glad I did.
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11/14/2019 - DonWinspear Likes this wine: 90 Points
Coravined (is that a verb?) a glass. The nose is delicate but ripe with fruit. The palate is still remarkably fresh for a 13 year-old wine. It's red fruit dominant, especially raspberry and strawberry with a hint of cherry. The tannins take a minute or two to kick in, but they exist to provide a mellow structure to the wine which along with the acidity make for a nice pour. Over the next half hour, the flavors develop and the wine rounds out suggesting that an hour decant would definitely be of benefit. The finish is moderate, but full of flavor.
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8/18/2019 - danielphall26@gmail wrote:
Purchased from the wine house on somewhat of an impulse buy. This either was not cellared well at some point in its lifetime or this wine is already over the hill. I'm going to go with the former but it's always hard to swallow when you purchase a wine of this price and it's a big disappointment. There was nothing flawed with this wine but it tasted "old". Not sure I'm going to risk buying older wines unless I really trust the merchant or buy from the winery. In this case, I've lost some faith in the Wine House.
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6/21/2018 - G_H wrote: 86 Points
Over ripe, nearly over the hill, opened two bottles to check, second confirmed it
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11/5/2017 - Mtnbkrmark wrote: 92 Points
Very sweet cherry and cassis upfront, smooth tannins and balanced alcohol. A very good wine that I am glad I didnt't wait any longer to drink.
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9/10/2016 - Mdinh wrote:
Had with dinner with friends. More drinking than tasting. Decanted for 30 minutes. Continued to evolve in glass over 2 hours. Went very well with Jessica's 28 Dry aged sirloin w/ chanterelles and pan sauce.
Very nice complex nose. Sniffed forever before I drank: dark berries, mocha, woodsy.
Less fruit on the palate. Full bodied. Fine tannins.
Surprisingly long finish.
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4/14/2016 - WineWright Likes this wine: 92 Points
Overall a pleasing drink. At 10 years I recommend those of us holding multiples of this to try in the near future. By far, for me, the highlight was the wonderful aromas. Flavors were just a bit disjointed but altogether this was an enjoyable wine.
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9/12/2015 - khunchris Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lail and winemaker Melka never seem to let me down. Pure cabernet. Fine grain tannins, integrated nicely into blue and black fruit. Cassis flavors. Floral and pretty. Not as much brawn as other have noted - likely dour to age. Medium weight. Spice...maybe I noted cinnamon? As another noted, well structured. Drink the rest in next couple years. Not likely to improve past this, but who really knows?. At peak to me, but then I like the wine on the younger side.
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6/30/2015 - danscellar wrote: 92 Points
A very nice well structured cab. Still tight out of the bottle but softened up nicely in about 45 mins. Enjoy, I would say it is towards the end of its drinking window
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6/27/2015 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 95 Points
I took my own advice from March and gave this 3 hours of air and it blossomed into this rich, dense, chocolately wonderfulness! Really great and drinking beautifully now. It might improve, but why chance it?
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3/1/2015 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was great on day one with about 1 hour of air. Very lush with dark fruit. (put on nitrogen The Keeper on day one)
On day two I poured a glass and drank without aeration and it was flat and lifeless. Then after two hours it came alive, was smooth as silk and very complex.
On day three I aerated for two hours before drinking and again it was superb.
Word to the wise, let this breathe for at least 1-2 hours. After that, it's rich, complex and a very satisfying classic California Cabernet. Glad to have one more bottle to which I can apply my learned lesson!
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2/6/2015 - CasaHernandez Likes this wine: 94 Points
Loved it. Though I wish I had waited longer for more dryness. But it was velvety smooth. Still so much fruit and the legs and color were beautiful. Perfect wine to drink on my wife's Bday! Anyone selling some more?
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11/2/2014 - CounselorEp wrote: 93 Points
Great, well balanced, big, dark fruit, fantastic finish.
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4/26/2014 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 94 Points
Dark purple color with a dense nose of mocha and exotic spice. The palate is rich and velvety with flavors of currant, cranberry, chocolate and espresso. This is very well-made, rounded and has a structured mid-palate. Very well-balanced and complete. Finishes long with hints of dried herbs, earth and spice. Drink now until 2026.
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10/4/2013 - jinks wrote: 93 Points
P&P, should have decanted. Pure napa cab aromas, flavors. Opened up in the glass with time. Fantastic!
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9/29/2013 - MattB72 wrote: 94 Points
drank over 2 nights. extremely well put together. the finish lasts for 30 sec. great wine. so glad i have 4 more.
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3/29/2013 - MattB72 Likes this wine: 95 Points
wow, what an outstanding wine. i drank 80% of the bottle over 4 hours from the decanter and it kept getting better (had to save some for the next day). i am not sure this has another 10 yrs in it, but its drinking very well right now. tannins are in check and it has great floral can cola notes. really good wine.
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3/19/2013 - awineo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Picked this up at a wine store going out of business.
Solid wine. Big fruit and solid tannins. Expensive (at regular price) for what it is.
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9/28/2012 - overhill wrote: 93 Points
California versus France at Claudio's (Claudio's House, Chappaqua, NY): Just like the other Lail wine tonight, this had personality in spades. Flamboyant and almost sweet on the nose, this delivered waves of grape scratch and sniffs, blueberry pie, rhubarb pie, and floral. Great weight in the mouth with tons of flavor and a long, persistent finish. This received four first place votes and was second to the Petit Mouton on the night
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8/27/2012 - winelover1 wrote: 91 Points
Lovely. Great fruit and Lail does a great job integrating the tannins. Buy it!
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9/14/2011 - CK6865 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 1 hour , nice deep red pour, nice black fruit, rich and tasty served with pork loin, a good but not great wine.
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8/22/2011 - elbosco wrote: 94 Points
Raw purple appearance. In your face brawny young Cab that needs some time to settle down. Expressive, unleashed style.
Despite sharp edges, a solid effort offering rustic enjoyment now with plenty of upside.
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8/18/2011 - DGR wrote: 93 Points
One of my favorite wines. Drinking very well. Benefits from decanting 30-45 minutes and then just gets better over the next 2 hours or so.
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3/12/2011 - fatnuglyvhl wrote:
Drank on March 12, 2011. Still a bit young. Had the Lail with steak and it's a good wine for steak. Can drink the Lail alone. Not really big nor bold as it was aged in french oak. Aerate and decant half the bottle and the other half left in bottle to air. Enjoyed the bottle over a 3 hours period. Definitely better at the end but was down turning at the 3 hours mark, so don't let it sit too long. Do not aerate and decant as it takes away a lot of the tannins. Just let it air in the bottle and after the one hour mark, the tannins will start to build. Will wait another year or so before opening my next bottle of Lail of this vintage.
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8/24/2009 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
2009 Family Winemakers Annual Tasting; 8/23/2009-8/24/2009 (Fort Mason, San Francisco, California): Intriguing cassis, eucalyptus, berry nose; tasty, rich but elegant plum, black fruit, berry, cassis palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts.
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