We opened this wine with 7 friends. It came out of the bottle ruby red, but changed almost immediately to include some characteristic rust. Over the course of the next hour the taste profile changed several times. Mineral and berry notes would change places on the palate. The flavors would deflate, then go back to the previous notes after 15 minutes. At one time there was an agreement that there was an old metallic auroma and taste but after time that too went away. This cycle repeated several times, until the wine collapsed like a tired barn in a gale. What an experience!
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Freeload tour in Washington (Bellevue/Woodinville): Fully matured amber red. Red cherries, roast beans, and minerals. on the palate gives off a leathery flavor. Very balanced and medoc-like. Classy stuff.
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Still amazing. I have two left. Very old world traditional cab. Huge flavors of cedar, cassis, dark fruit, soft tannins. erich and elgant, lingering flavors.
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Christmas 2009; 12/24/2009-12/26/2009: Wow again. Youthful, vibrant and still getting better. I went 93 this time. very elegant, everything I love in David Lake's wines. Beautiful as before.
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Medium garnet in the glass, no bricking at all. Full aroma of cassis, leather, and some meaty aromas. Still plenty of fruit left, the palate is medium weight and has a juicy feel. The tannins are completely integrated, the mouthfeel is smooth and silky. Very low acidity, not much backbone left at all now. It's developed some nice complexity, with some very subtle nuances. The finish is moderately long. Overall, very nice, and interesting.
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I threw a couple of ribeyes on the grill. I had three of these left and decided one needed to be consumed. The cork came out whole with no issues. I poured a small sample and it was a deep purple, perhaps a bit cloudy with no orange around the edges. I put my nose to the glass and knew this was a winner. Big dark fruit and real deep cherry nose. The flavors matched, along with cedar, cassis, a hint of baseball glove leather. Soft and supple but big yet- it was not past it's prime at all. A marvelous bottle of wine. 93-94 at least. It reminded me of what these wines were like in their youth. Age was graceful, at least to this bottle. My wife asked for a not too big cab tonight and I wanted a big one, so I went for an older bottle and we both got what we wanted. Age had surely mellowed out the tannins to get rid of the heaviness these had in their youth but the tannis softened into a wonderful set of complex and long lived flavors. Annette and I were quite impressed.
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Wine Bid has afforded me a few of these reasonably. Popped one with a nice NY Strip steak on the grill. Subdued, probably a little past it's prime but softened tannins give it a level of elegance that is fun. The fruit and power is fading so I will drink the remaining soon. The last a few weeks ago had more fruit left than this one.
It is interesting to drink something old and laid back in a sea of fruit forward and bomb-iness out there today. The cork broke even with the thief but I got the last piece out with a screwpull and no implosion of cork occured. Color is still a deep purple and is not very bricked out red yet.
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Popped this with a cheating-on-the-diet-steak tonight. Was going to have it on VD and wound up working. So tonight I had a totally marbelized ribeye and this.
The cork had a tiny bit of seepage when I removed the foil. Not enough to drip out of the foil, but there may have been prior seepage (per Wine Bid) and some old bottle marks. The cork moved easily but broke anyway. Not a biggie as the other piece came out whole. If the seepage sealed out the air we were going to be saved.
The wine was still a dark purple with only a hint of orange on the extreme edge. I sniffed cautiously and no vile vinegar smells were emitted so I was heartened. I poured a bit in a glass and saw the intact colors.
I gave it a quick swirl and sniff. A little licorice perhaps, along with an older and wiser cabs' odors. A quick taste and there was tightness. It needed to breathe. If this was a damaged wine, I'd hate to think what it could have been! Bell pepper vegetal mineral flavors abounded. A complex older cab. Not totally great but perhaps verging on exceptional. Annette and I poured and sipped a little then waited.
I have a little left here almost 4 hours later. After it breathed the tannins almost completely softened out with only a hint of tightness, hinting another year or two might be possible but this is certainly bearing end of useful life. The bell pepper and licorice screamed out. Great older cab flavors of warm cassis and a almost-eucalyptus-but-not-quite flavor. I'm sitting here pondering and typing.
Score? 90, perhaps maybe 91 but it's close. Still some tight berry hints on the finish. A very, very nice wine.
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5/12/2012 - dsarendt wrote: 91 Points
We opened this wine with 7 friends. It came out of the bottle ruby red, but changed almost immediately to include some characteristic rust. Over the course of the next hour the taste profile changed several times. Mineral and berry notes would change places on the palate. The flavors would deflate, then go back to the previous notes after 15 minutes. At one time there was an agreement that there was an old metallic auroma and taste but after time that too went away. This cycle repeated several times, until the wine collapsed like a tired barn in a gale. What an experience!
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2/3/2012 - LelouchViBritannia wrote: 92 Points
Freeload tour in Washington (Bellevue/Woodinville): Fully matured amber red. Red cherries, roast beans, and minerals. on the palate gives off a leathery flavor. Very balanced and medoc-like. Classy stuff.
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8/21/2010 - Steve Jones wrote: 93 Points
Still huge. Amazed our friends with it's youth and intensity. Only one left- I'll have to save that one.
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5/31/2010 - Steve Jones wrote: 93 Points
Still amazing. I have two left. Very old world traditional cab. Huge flavors of cedar, cassis, dark fruit, soft tannins. erich and elgant, lingering flavors.
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12/25/2009 - Steve Jones wrote: 93 Points
Christmas 2009; 12/24/2009-12/26/2009: Wow again. Youthful, vibrant and still getting better. I went 93 this time. very elegant, everything I love in David Lake's wines. Beautiful as before.
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12/23/2009 - JavaMonkey wrote: 90 Points
Medium garnet in the glass, no bricking at all. Full aroma of cassis, leather, and some meaty aromas. Still plenty of fruit left, the palate is medium weight and has a juicy feel. The tannins are completely integrated, the mouthfeel is smooth and silky. Very low acidity, not much backbone left at all now. It's developed some nice complexity, with some very subtle nuances. The finish is moderately long. Overall, very nice, and interesting.
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8/28/2009 - Steve Jones wrote: 94 Points
I threw a couple of ribeyes on the grill. I had three of these left and decided one needed to be consumed. The cork came out whole with no issues. I poured a small sample and it was a deep purple, perhaps a bit cloudy with no orange around the edges. I put my nose to the glass and knew this was a winner. Big dark fruit and real deep cherry nose. The flavors matched, along with cedar, cassis, a hint of baseball glove leather. Soft and supple but big yet- it was not past it's prime at all. A marvelous bottle of wine. 93-94 at least. It reminded me of what these wines were like in their youth. Age was graceful, at least to this bottle. My wife asked for a not too big cab tonight and I wanted a big one, so I went for an older bottle and we both got what we wanted. Age had surely mellowed out the tannins to get rid of the heaviness these had in their youth but the tannis softened into a wonderful set of complex and long lived flavors. Annette and I were quite impressed.
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6/29/2009 - Steve Jones wrote: 90 Points
Wine Bid has afforded me a few of these reasonably. Popped one with a nice NY Strip steak on the grill. Subdued, probably a little past it's prime but softened tannins give it a level of elegance that is fun. The fruit and power is fading so I will drink the remaining soon. The last a few weeks ago had more fruit left than this one.
It is interesting to drink something old and laid back in a sea of fruit forward and bomb-iness out there today. The cork broke even with the thief but I got the last piece out with a screwpull and no implosion of cork occured. Color is still a deep purple and is not very bricked out red yet.
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2/26/2009 - Steve Jones wrote: 91 Points
David Lake Signature Series.
Popped this with a cheating-on-the-diet-steak tonight. Was going to have it on VD and wound up working. So tonight I had a totally marbelized ribeye and this.
The cork had a tiny bit of seepage when I removed the foil. Not enough to drip out of the foil, but there may have been prior seepage (per Wine Bid) and some old bottle marks. The cork moved easily but broke anyway. Not a biggie as the other piece came out whole. If the seepage sealed out the air we were going to be saved.
The wine was still a dark purple with only a hint of orange on the extreme edge. I sniffed cautiously and no vile vinegar smells were emitted so I was heartened. I poured a bit in a glass and saw the intact colors.
I gave it a quick swirl and sniff. A little licorice perhaps, along with an older and wiser cabs' odors. A quick taste and there was tightness. It needed to breathe. If this was a damaged wine, I'd hate to think what it could have been! Bell pepper vegetal mineral flavors abounded. A complex older cab. Not totally great but perhaps verging on exceptional. Annette and I poured and sipped a little then waited.
I have a little left here almost 4 hours later. After it breathed the tannins almost completely softened out with only a hint of tightness, hinting another year or two might be possible but this is certainly bearing end of useful life. The bell pepper and licorice screamed out. Great older cab flavors of warm cassis and a almost-eucalyptus-but-not-quite flavor. I'm sitting here pondering and typing.
Score? 90, perhaps maybe 91 but it's close. Still some tight berry hints on the finish. A very, very nice wine.
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