Decanted. Clear deep garnet-blood red. Bordeaux-like, mellow, classic bouquet of red and black fruits and their liqueurs; tobacco, turned soil, forest floor, baked rhubarb pie, bay leaf, cardamom, eucalyptus. Full body, seamless, balanced, elegant. My #2, group's SECOND PLACE among reds tonight.
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Decanted and shared w/wine group dinner. Lovely old mature Cabernet. Definitely some age on this puppy but still alive. Still some in there with the secondaries. A little dirty but fun to drink. Much better than the last bottle which seemed a bit thin. Notable bricking, little sediment. Tannins soft. Great QPR.
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Old, elegant, and refined. Very enjoyable though in its twilight years. Minor funk, plenty of red fruit, touch of earth. Acid and tannins in check. Thanks to Whine-oh for sharing.
J&A's bottle, a magnum, purchased for $99 at Costco in 1999 and stored cool/passive since. Deep maroon color with only minimal bricking, doesn't show its age. Great mature CalCab nose but very soft on the palate with almost no tannins. Still, fun and delicious.
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The earlier notes on this wine tell you what you need to know--the label and price set a high expectation that is not fully met. It's a good, solid wine, with old-world elements. Good, but not quite up to the hype.
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Purchased on release. Decanted off heavy crust in the bottle, but little sediment in the wine itself. Color was medium dark red with limited thinning. Aromas of currant, cherry, dried flowers, and a hint of tobacco. Palate has light red fruit character with currant and cherry carrying into a medium finish. This is nice old California Cabernet Sauvignon, but seems lacking in stuffing compared to its peers. Honestly earns its reputation as an underperforming flagship in this era.
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Overwhelmed by Brett like the last bottle. Not sure if bad luck or the vintage has simply degenerated. Barnyard and Band-Aid nose, clove palate. There's something underneath but it's too masked.
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Most pristine cork I've ever seen on a BVGDL this old, so we were disappointed that the bottle was flawed. Overpowering brett masked the hints of leather and chocolate and never faded over three hours. I hope the other two bottles are better.
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A good friend brought this over this past weekend. Surprised how much fruit was still there and how structured this still was. Lots of chocolate, earth, leather, and dark fruits with fine tannins throughout. This really surprised us and was arguably the highlight of the evening among some stiff competition, including other Napa wines from the early '90s and a 2001 Burgundy. If you don't believe that good Napa wines can age beautifully, try an older Georges. I typically open at the 10 year mark...this one makes me want to wait longer. 93-95 pts. PJP 2015.
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Allowed to breathe in glass for one hour. Clear deep dark garnet - blood red. Classic profile of mature Napa cabernet with brooding bouquet of creme de cassis, cherry liqueur, underbrush, forest floor, fennel, hints of green tobacco, roasted nuts, and caramel. Similar on the palate, rich, ripe, generous, velvety and balanced, with mouthwatering acidity and lingering finish.
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Some red fruit, cedar and pencil lead on the nose. The fruit is weak on the nose. Thin on the palate with a short disjointed finish. Definitely showing its age. Drink up.
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Low neck fill, excellent cork and capsule. Decanted for 40 minutes. Deep, youthful, cherry mahogany appearance. Attractive bouquet of mountain berries, black currants, leather, spice box, pencil lead, and whiffs of lavender and singed earth. The fresh, vibrant, palate had lots of black cherries, blackberries, currants, wisps of graphite minerality, and a long black fruit finish that picked up a note of peppery spice. Displayed good integration, richness, energy, and purity of fruit. Improved over the course of three hours. An elegant wine worthy of its name.
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Six years since my last tasting, this bottle did not disappoint. Well aged and balanced, leather, spice box, cassis, drank well for four hours, a very nice bottle of wine.
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Fill into neck, excellent capsule and cork. Decanted 60 minutes before tasting. Clear blood-ruby-garnet hue. Bouquet of meat juice, red fruit, and cedar. With another hour in the glass, the meatiness blew off, revealing a sweeter bouquet of pure fruit and wood. The wine actually showed best the following day under vacuum stopper, offering a classic bouquet of lavender, sweet red fruit, aromatic wood, touch of spice, seamless and elegant on the palate. Fully mature with no sign of tiring.
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Decanted through mesh (lots of sediment), directly from storage (56 degrees) - needed over an hour plus before it got going - really enjoyed it after it opened up, though seemed a little thin and past prime
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My last bottle. My companion was stunned that I even had this bottle, and then how good it still was. Had a 93 a week or two before this one. The 91 was better. Delicious though it clearly seemed to be weakening.
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Opened and let sit, no decant. Drank about a hour after popping.. Dark red in color, minimal bricking. Barnyard funk on the nose that never (over 3 hours) blew off. Still some mild fruit on the palate but had to get past the nose.. Mostly secondaries left over, leather n earth. Resovled tannins with a nice mouthfeel. Still hard to enjoy over all. Past its prime? maybe so..
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First night, somewhat sour, tart, and funky, but that lifted overnight. Eventually revealed plum, leather, and strong elements of green pepper. Medium to full bodied, but not at all extracted, and quite traditional. Fairly light tannins, however, suggesting not too much more time.
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Not over the hill at all. Nice moderately complex aged cali-cab nose. Good sweet fruit and still significant tannin. A very good wine that was perhaps not singing but still very fine.
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Nice nose with a strong cigar box scent and some fruit (plum or cherry). At first, the nose had a stuffy attic scent and I was afraid the bottle was bad, but that blew off in just a few minutes to reveal the tobacco and cigar scents. Palate is perhaps a bit tart with some sour cherry at the back end (in a good way), tobacco at the front end, and light-moderate well integrated tannin and a moderately long finish.
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Much more lively than my prior bottle. More fruit (cherry present this time that was absent last time) with blackberry, plum, tobacco. Definitely drink up.
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Drank over the coarse of 2 days. to my surprise it opened up and was better the second day. Clasic cigar box/cedar domanates the dried herbs and red fruits. a real treate.
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This is killer juice but definitely heading down hill so drink it if you have it. Buy it if you can find it under $80 because it kills most $150-200 California wines. On the nose it has ripe cherry, milk chocolate, plum, celery seeds and smoked meats. Mid pallet is dens but super smooth with jammy raspberry, currant, vanilla and a thyme like bite. Tannins are velvety smooth and the finish seem to last forever. Unfortunately after about 4 hours in the decanter it headed downhill quickly, all the flavors are muted and the nose was virtually nonexistent.
Buy and drink it if you can find it. Drink it if you have it.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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Open That Bottle Night 2009 (Kosters Long Island, NY): ** Color: Garnet, with very little bricking Aroma: Plum, cherries and leather Taste: Cherries, Plum and ripe fruit upfront with leather and earth. A smooth, but shorter than expected finish. this was a delightful bottle, far better than the 1990. We opened this bottle up 3 hours before drinking, but did not decant. The cork fell apartn (althought the edges were intact) upon opening. LOTs and Lots of sediment in this. this was my wine of the flight.
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Vertical tasting during annual golf trip. All wines were nice the 91 was brown at the edge but the 95 and 99 we very dark. The fruit and finish was consistent with age. The 99 has more life left in it but the 95 seemed to be the better wine over all.
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Damn I'm out and this was the best bottle to date. Evolving nose in the decanter of mint pure red cherries flowers tobacco and spices. Amazing and seductive nose I could smell all day. one of the best I've smelled. This wine is at its peak. Fresh acid one entry with subtle layers of chocolate covered cherries, spice, tobacco with a little tannic grip on the finish. By far the youngest showing of the bottles to date. Med length finish is its only flaw. 93pts...sad I'm out wish I had grabbed more at 30 bones a bottle.
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Choc covered raspberries, savory notes, evergreen come out in a very classy manner on the nose. Focused acidity blends well with chocolate and cherries on the palate. A bit thin, and single dimensional, but still a really a beautiful example of aged napa cabernet. This wine hasn't disappointed me yet, especially at the price.
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This bottle showed just as well, if not better, then the previous bottle. An unbelievable value for $30 through the KL wine club and to only buy 2 of these was silly. I should have bought at least 6.
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We decanted this to get rid of a good dose of sediment and drank it over the next couple of hours. The color only shows a slight bit of fading toward the edges and the nose is fantastic and in your face with a lot of cherries and currants mixed with a bit of a dusty cedar element. Still lots of ripe fruits and very smooth until you get to the finish, which is a little abrupt and shows a slight bit of bitter tartness of the fruits you get at midpalate. Other then that minor flaw, this is a great wine that is probably at its peak right now. I am not sure how K&L Wines got so many of these but they are in fantastic condition and going for $30, which is an amazing deal.
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Decanted, but drank immediately. Initially this was thin and closed, but by the end of the first glass it had become very full and fragrant. Still holding quite a bit of fruit on it, with flavors of dried prunes, raisins, sweet spice, and a touch of oak. For $30 it's a phenominal QPR and how often are you able to get a wine this old for so cheap? But having recently had the 93 (which is just $10 more), this isn't holding up quite as well. It has much of the same elegance and soft flavors, but turned down a notch.
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Mint and eucalyptus aromatics initially...gorgeous! Also milk chocolate covered cherries, woody spices, hints of herbs, smoky tobacco and cedar....wowa! what a nose!!!
So soft and plush, fruit is at a great stage, cherries cigar and tobacco and milk chocolate overtones. finish is too short for me to go crazy over this plus there is a bit of back end bitterness.
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This bottle was recently purchased at K&L for the amazing price of 30 dollars. We opened it with great anticipation, since I don't have any other older wines. The bottle has a small amount of skunky odor. The smell immediately turned me and my partner off. We could not face it. I wonder if i had decanted and waited an hour or more, if the smell would have boiled off? The finish was lovely and the wine tasted a little fruity and sweet. I just couldn't get past the smell. I replaced the bottle with a 93.
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Beautiful, complex aromas and flavors of mushrooms, currant, and cedar. Extremely silky texture. Still drinking very nicely, and not over the hill at all.
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Decanted for 1.5 hrs. Color getting orangeish. Fruit less noticeable on the nose and palate but still some hints of cassis, cherry, plum and leather. The wine is well past peak and does not exhibit the quality characteristics that it once did.
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Probably a bit past its prime. Still had hints of raspberry and currant on the nose, palate retained some elegance and balance notes of raspberry, mocha and leather, but fruit was fading, and the wine finished a bit thin. Still quite drinkable, but no longer at its peak.
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Similar to prior tasting notes-- "a faded lady". Nose shows some cassis. Palate shows blackberry, cassis, plum, some hints of leather. Somewhat light mouthfeel. Good acidity and in balance. Long finish of raspberry/cassis. Nothing wrong at all, probably was alot better 5 years ago.
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I know this one should have been opened earlier, but it actually drank fairly well. Some light fruit remained. Velvety on the palate. Some oak remained as well.
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This was one really good and still surprisingly youthful -- just as described by a number of reviews immediately below. Needed 45 mins in the decanter to open up. This wine is subject to lots of bottle variation, though; had a mag two years ago that was definitely the "faded older lady" mentioned by one reviewer below (though still very pleasant). And I've had two 750's within the last four years that differed from each other too. But if you like GDL generally, you will like this.
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A bit of a faded older lady. Color is medium garnet with some bricking at the rim. Nose shows light cassis, leather, spice, and a slightly volatile note. On the palate, fruit is somewhat dried out showing dried cherry, cassis, wood, and a leathery note. Wine has definitely lost some body, but is still an elegant drink.
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Say what you like of these older BV’s, but they were certainly build to age, especially the older ones. Surprisingly little sediment, the wine was decanted with nothing held back. Peak after 45 minutes, but then started to falloff after 2 hours. Leather, cassis, crushed leaves, a hint of cocoa and a slight camphor and medicinal quality that I find present in most BV GL’s. The 91 certainly had this element less than other years. Overall, a little bit acidic and light in the mouth with a short to medium finish. I thought it overall balanced and actually did really like it.. More old world than new, but enjoyable none the less.
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Delicious, peaked. Tannins have vanished, fruit is ripe, full of berries, rhubarb, vanilla oak, mint, and a touch of cinnamin. Moderately long finish. Aged gracefully, but drink soon!
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A beautiful wine. Ruby red color. Showing no signs of aging. The nose is classic cabernet with red fruit and currant. The wine is very smooth and elegant in the mouth. Very balanced with a hint of black licorice. The smell and taste remind me of the '94 Phelps Insignia, although this is not nearly as big and powerful. Overall, a very nice showing for this wine.
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Quick Day Trip to Napa (Napa Valley CA): Tasting at winery. Moderate black fruit aromas with some smoke and tobacco. Also moderate fruit intensity on palate, still firmly structured giving a slightly inaccessible character today. Finish shows increased spice, making me think this has upside from here.
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12/31/2023 - Jag76 wrote:
seriously corked, cork was dry, wine undrinkable
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7/29/2023 - Javachip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted. Clear deep garnet-blood red. Bordeaux-like, mellow, classic bouquet of red and black fruits and their liqueurs; tobacco, turned soil, forest floor, baked rhubarb pie, bay leaf, cardamom, eucalyptus. Full body, seamless, balanced, elegant. My #2, group's SECOND PLACE among reds tonight.
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7/29/2023 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and shared w/wine group dinner. Lovely old mature Cabernet. Definitely some age on this puppy but still alive. Still some in there with the secondaries. A little dirty but fun to drink. Much better than the last bottle which seemed a bit thin. Notable bricking, little sediment. Tannins soft. Great QPR.
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7/29/2023 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Old, elegant, and refined. Very enjoyable though in its twilight years. Minor funk, plenty of red fruit, touch of earth. Acid and tannins in check. Thanks to Whine-oh for sharing.
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5/9/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:
J&A's bottle, a magnum, purchased for $99 at Costco in 1999 and stored cool/passive since. Deep maroon color with only minimal bricking, doesn't show its age. Great mature CalCab nose but very soft on the palate with almost no tannins. Still, fun and delicious.
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10/23/2016 - Bob and Joli wrote: 90 Points
The earlier notes on this wine tell you what you need to know--the label and price set a high expectation that is not fully met. It's a good, solid wine, with old-world elements. Good, but not quite up to the hype.
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10/16/2016 - fredb Likes this wine:
Purchased on release. Decanted off heavy crust in the bottle, but little sediment in the wine itself. Color was medium dark red with limited thinning. Aromas of currant, cherry, dried flowers, and a hint of tobacco. Palate has light red fruit character with currant and cherry carrying into a medium finish. This is nice old California Cabernet Sauvignon, but seems lacking in stuffing compared to its peers. Honestly earns its reputation as an underperforming flagship in this era.
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1/11/2016 - dlb291@pacbell.net wrote: 89 Points
okay nose, medium body, tannins slightly harsh, not much left in the finish. average, average, average. drink, drink, drink.
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12/30/2015 - Quiet Lion wrote: flawed
Overwhelmed by Brett like the last bottle. Not sure if bad luck or the vintage has simply degenerated. Barnyard and Band-Aid nose, clove palate. There's something underneath but it's too masked.
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12/14/2015 - Quiet Lion wrote: flawed
Most pristine cork I've ever seen on a BVGDL this old, so we were disappointed that the bottle was flawed. Overpowering brett masked the hints of leather and chocolate and never faded over three hours. I hope the other two bottles are better.
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8/15/2015 - ppaluszewski Likes this wine: 94 Points
A good friend brought this over this past weekend. Surprised how much fruit was still there and how structured this still was. Lots of chocolate, earth, leather, and dark fruits with fine tannins throughout. This really surprised us and was arguably the highlight of the evening among some stiff competition, including other Napa wines from the early '90s and a 2001 Burgundy. If you don't believe that good Napa wines can age beautifully, try an older Georges. I typically open at the 10 year mark...this one makes me want to wait longer. 93-95 pts. PJP 2015.
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11/20/2014 - Javachip wrote: 91 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass for one hour. Clear deep dark garnet - blood red. Classic profile of mature Napa cabernet with brooding bouquet of creme de cassis, cherry liqueur, underbrush, forest floor, fennel, hints of green tobacco, roasted nuts, and caramel. Similar on the palate, rich, ripe, generous, velvety and balanced, with mouthwatering acidity and lingering finish.
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7/27/2014 - bh4buffs Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful garnet color, fruity nose, Classic Cabernet notes leading to a superb, smooth finish. Paired w/ grilled filet, roasted vegetables, and mashed potatoes.
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6/15/2014 - CabIsKing wrote: 89 Points
Some red fruit, cedar and pencil lead on the nose. The fruit is weak on the nose. Thin on the palate with a short disjointed finish. Definitely showing its age. Drink up.
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10/26/2013 - Baron Slick wrote: 92 Points
Low neck fill, excellent cork and capsule. Decanted for 40 minutes. Deep, youthful, cherry mahogany appearance. Attractive bouquet of mountain berries, black currants, leather, spice box, pencil lead, and whiffs of lavender and singed earth. The fresh, vibrant, palate had lots of black cherries, blackberries, currants, wisps of graphite minerality, and a long black fruit finish that picked up a note of peppery spice. Displayed good integration, richness, energy, and purity of fruit. Improved over the course of three hours. An elegant wine worthy of its name.
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2/5/2013 - sacprod wrote:
- Ruby color. It's high in alcohol - Bad
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2/5/2013 - sacprod wrote:
- Ruby color. It's overly acidic with a medium body. Round texture.
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9/15/2012 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
Six years since my last tasting, this bottle did not disappoint. Well aged and balanced, leather, spice box, cassis, drank well for four hours, a very nice bottle of wine.
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7/5/2012 - amitch4 wrote:
85...this wine is tired.
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6/25/2011 - Javachip wrote: 92 Points
Fill into neck, excellent capsule and cork. Decanted 60 minutes before tasting. Clear blood-ruby-garnet hue. Bouquet of meat juice, red fruit, and cedar. With another hour in the glass, the meatiness blew off, revealing a sweeter bouquet of pure fruit and wood. The wine actually showed best the following day under vacuum stopper, offering a classic bouquet of lavender, sweet red fruit, aromatic wood, touch of spice, seamless and elegant on the palate. Fully mature with no sign of tiring.
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3/13/2011 - edjBoca wrote: 88 Points
Balanced but tired....
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2/5/2011 - philastem wrote: 91 Points
Decanted through mesh (lots of sediment), directly from storage (56 degrees) - needed over an hour plus before it got going - really enjoyed it after it opened up, though seemed a little thin and past prime
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12/26/2010 - christerman wrote: 93 Points
My last bottle. My companion was stunned that I even had this bottle, and then how good it still was. Had a 93 a week or two before this one. The 91 was better. Delicious though it clearly seemed to be weakening.
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5/8/2010 - Whine-oh wrote: 84 Points
Opened and let sit, no decant. Drank about a hour after popping.. Dark red in color, minimal bricking. Barnyard funk on the nose that never (over 3 hours) blew off. Still some mild fruit on the palate but had to get past the nose.. Mostly secondaries left over, leather n earth. Resovled tannins with a nice mouthfeel. Still hard to enjoy over all. Past its prime? maybe so..
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1/27/2010 - jgrapski wrote: 92 Points
Just drank the last of these, still showing strong. No decant, tasted a little hot initially but that mellowed out quickly. Sweet fruit, medium body.
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1/24/2010 - Chillwill wrote: 92 Points
Drank w/o decanting, some sediment. Medium body, light tannins. Great wine, worth the money.
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1/9/2010 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 90 Points
First night, somewhat sour, tart, and funky, but that lifted overnight. Eventually revealed plum, leather, and strong elements of green pepper. Medium to full bodied, but not at all extracted, and quite traditional. Fairly light tannins, however, suggesting not too much more time.
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11/2/2009 - jmcdtucson wrote:
Not over the hill at all. Nice moderately complex aged cali-cab nose. Good sweet fruit and still significant tannin. A very good wine that was perhaps not singing but still very fine.
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10/4/2009 - aagrawal wrote: 93 Points
Nice nose with a strong cigar box scent and some fruit (plum or cherry). At first, the nose had a stuffy attic scent and I was afraid the bottle was bad, but that blew off in just a few minutes to reveal the tobacco and cigar scents. Palate is perhaps a bit tart with some sour cherry at the back end (in a good way), tobacco at the front end, and light-moderate well integrated tannin and a moderately long finish.
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9/20/2009 - pford wrote: 92 Points
Drank w/out decanting. Just a bit of sediment. Showing beautifully.
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9/7/2009 - jmht wrote: 90 Points
Much more lively than my prior bottle. More fruit (cherry present this time that was absent last time) with blackberry, plum, tobacco. Definitely drink up.
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8/16/2009 - dehbach wrote:
Sorry to see this go. May have been over the hill, but still lovely.
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6/23/2009 - samer wrote: 92 Points
Wonderfully velvety. No tannins at all. Just a hint of cigar/tobacco enveloping ripe fruit. Smooth on the tongue and a nice lingering finish.
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5/25/2009 - jivey wrote: 92 Points
Drank over the coarse of 2 days. to my surprise it opened up and was better the second day. Clasic cigar box/cedar domanates the dried herbs and red fruits. a real treate.
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5/11/2009 - kietkopelli wrote: 93 Points
This is killer juice but definitely heading down hill so drink it if you have it. Buy it if you can find it under $80 because it kills most $150-200 California wines. On the nose it has ripe cherry, milk chocolate, plum, celery seeds and smoked meats. Mid pallet is dens but super smooth with jammy raspberry, currant, vanilla and a thyme like bite. Tannins are velvety smooth and the finish seem to last forever. Unfortunately after about 4 hours in the decanter it headed downhill quickly, all the flavors are muted and the nose was virtually nonexistent.
Buy and drink it if you can find it. Drink it if you have it.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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4/12/2009 - tendancer wrote: 75 Points
Way, way past its prime.
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2/28/2009 - smahk wrote: 91 Points
Open That Bottle Night 2009 (Kosters Long Island, NY): **
Color: Garnet, with very little bricking
Aroma: Plum, cherries and leather
Taste: Cherries, Plum and ripe fruit upfront with leather and earth. A smooth, but shorter than expected finish.
this was a delightful bottle, far better than the 1990. We opened this bottle up 3 hours before drinking, but did not decant. The cork fell apartn (althought the edges were intact) upon opening. LOTs and Lots of sediment in this. this was my wine of the flight.
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10/4/2008 - bryon m wrote: 89 Points
Vertical tasting during annual golf trip. All wines were nice the 91 was brown at the edge but the 95 and 99 we very dark. The fruit and finish was consistent with age. The 99 has more life left in it but the 95 seemed to be the better wine over all.
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9/7/2008 - clayfu wrote: 89 Points
A bit of green with tobacco, leather, mint. Starting to die off.. let it go any longer in the glass (past 2 hours) it was gone. Drink it quick!
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8/26/2008 - scw wrote: 92 Points
drank the last of 4. This was a fine aged wine a little hint of a lot of thing gouing on. nice fruit, some herbs and leather. Time to dring these up.
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8/22/2008 - elamasters wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. The scent reminds me of morel mushrooms sauteed in butter. Texture is like pure silk.
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8/1/2008 - LPskeleton wrote: 93 Points
Damn I'm out and this was the best bottle to date. Evolving nose in the decanter of mint pure red cherries flowers tobacco and spices. Amazing and seductive nose I could smell all day. one of the best I've smelled. This wine is at its peak. Fresh acid one entry with subtle layers of chocolate covered cherries, spice, tobacco with a little tannic grip on the finish. By far the youngest showing of the bottles to date. Med length finish is its only flaw. 93pts...sad I'm out wish I had grabbed more at 30 bones a bottle.
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7/7/2008 - LPskeleton wrote: 90 Points
Choc covered raspberries, savory notes, evergreen come out in a very classy manner on the nose. Focused acidity blends well with chocolate and cherries on the palate. A bit thin, and single dimensional, but still a really a beautiful example of aged napa cabernet. This wine hasn't disappointed me yet, especially at the price.
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5/26/2008 - RedFaced wrote:
First of three bottles. This was over the hill. No fruit was left; just an acidic finish. Will need to finish the other two bottles this year.
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5/25/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
This bottle showed just as well, if not better, then the previous bottle. An unbelievable value for $30 through the KL wine club and to only buy 2 of these was silly. I should have bought at least 6.
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5/24/2008 - jhannah27 wrote: 90 Points
Same as previous note. I want to kick myself for not buying more of this when it was available. =(
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5/2/2008 - scw wrote: 90 Points
Ver smooth old wine. I was pleasently surprised. I really liked it.
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4/29/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
We decanted this to get rid of a good dose of sediment and drank it over the next couple of hours. The color only shows a slight bit of fading toward the edges and the nose is fantastic and in your face with a lot of cherries and currants mixed with a bit of a dusty cedar element. Still lots of ripe fruits and very smooth until you get to the finish, which is a little abrupt and shows a slight bit of bitter tartness of the fruits you get at midpalate. Other then that minor flaw, this is a great wine that is probably at its peak right now. I am not sure how K&L Wines got so many of these but they are in fantastic condition and going for $30, which is an amazing deal.
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4/27/2008 - jhannah27 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted, but drank immediately. Initially this was thin and closed, but by the end of the first glass it had become very full and fragrant. Still holding quite a bit of fruit on it, with flavors of dried prunes, raisins, sweet spice, and a touch of oak. For $30 it's a phenominal QPR and how often are you able to get a wine this old for so cheap? But having recently had the 93 (which is just $10 more), this isn't holding up quite as well. It has much of the same elegance and soft flavors, but turned down a notch.
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4/24/2008 - LPskeleton wrote: 91 Points
Mint and eucalyptus aromatics initially...gorgeous! Also milk chocolate covered cherries, woody spices, hints of
herbs, smoky tobacco and cedar....wowa! what a nose!!!
So soft and plush, fruit is at a great stage, cherries cigar and tobacco and milk chocolate overtones. finish is too short for me to go crazy over this plus there is a bit of back end bitterness.
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4/14/2008 - signotim wrote: 84 Points
past its peak. some pleasant berry fruit and leather on the palate. but the wine has lost much of its structure.
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4/8/2008 - rrush wrote: flawed
This bottle was recently purchased at K&L for the amazing price of 30 dollars. We opened it with great anticipation, since I don't have any other older wines. The bottle has a small amount of skunky odor. The smell immediately turned me and my partner off. We could not face it. I wonder if i had decanted and waited an hour or more, if the smell would have boiled off?
The finish was lovely and the wine tasted a little fruity and sweet. I just couldn't get past the smell. I replaced the bottle with a 93.
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3/23/2008 - elamasters wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful, complex aromas and flavors of mushrooms, currant, and cedar. Extremely silky texture. Still drinking very nicely, and not over the hill at all.
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2/19/2008 - bflood wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hrs. Color getting orangeish. Fruit less noticeable on the nose and palate but still some hints of cassis, cherry, plum and leather. The wine is well past peak and does not exhibit the quality characteristics that it once did.
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1/26/2008 - Delund wrote: 88 Points
Probably a bit past its prime. Still had hints of raspberry and currant on the nose, palate retained some elegance and balance notes of raspberry, mocha and leather, but fruit was fading, and the wine finished a bit thin. Still quite drinkable, but no longer at its peak.
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1/13/2008 - jmht wrote: 88 Points
Similar to prior tasting notes-- "a faded lady". Nose shows some cassis. Palate shows blackberry, cassis, plum, some hints of leather. Somewhat light mouthfeel. Good acidity and in balance. Long finish of raspberry/cassis. Nothing wrong at all, probably was alot better 5 years ago.
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12/31/2007 - SethR wrote: flawed
Disapointing. This wine should not be over the top, but it either was or was poorly stored before purchase. Very disapointing.
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11/18/2007 - greywolf10 wrote: 87 Points
I know this one should have been opened earlier, but it actually drank fairly well. Some light fruit remained. Velvety on the palate. Some oak remained as well.
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10/29/2007 - Gary wrote: 91 Points
Excellent. surrounded by amazing bottles (Paulee), very much held its own and stood out as great Cab. Chocolate, leather, dark red fruit, cassis.
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3/23/2007 - kmforster wrote:
This was one really good and still surprisingly youthful -- just as described by a number of reviews immediately below. Needed 45 mins in the decanter to open up. This wine is subject to lots of bottle variation, though; had a mag two years ago that was definitely the "faded older lady" mentioned by one reviewer below (though still very pleasant). And I've had two 750's within the last four years that differed from each other too. But if you like GDL generally, you will like this.
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1/4/2007 - jivey wrote: 94 Points
Drinking like silk! Aged perfectly, still had fruit and acidity to keep going.
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12/4/2006 - jivey wrote: 94 Points
Drinking like silk, aged perfectly with enough acidity and fruit to kep going.
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11/10/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 90 Points
Trip to Dallas - 89/90 Bordeaux and Older Cali Cabs; 11/7/2006-11/10/2006 (Dallas, Texas): Frsh red fruit, very clean acidity, very youthful with piercing fruit busting through. Some primary oak still, especially on the finish. I was surprised this was as old as it was.
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11/5/2006 - kstoddard wrote: 91 Points
Bright black currant fruit. slightly tannic finish. Has several more years of life left.
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11/4/2006 - Thilo wrote: 88 Points
A bit of a faded older lady. Color is medium garnet with some bricking at the rim. Nose shows light cassis, leather, spice, and a slightly volatile note. On the palate, fruit is somewhat dried out showing dried cherry, cassis, wood, and a leathery note. Wine has definitely lost some body, but is still an elegant drink.
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10/14/2006 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
Say what you like of these older BV’s, but they were certainly build to age, especially the older ones. Surprisingly little sediment, the wine was decanted with nothing held back. Peak after 45 minutes, but then started to falloff after 2 hours. Leather, cassis, crushed leaves, a hint of cocoa and a slight camphor and medicinal quality that I find present in most BV GL’s. The 91 certainly had this element less than other years. Overall, a little bit acidic and light in the mouth with a short to medium finish. I thought it overall balanced and actually did really like it.. More old world than new, but enjoyable none the less.
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9/3/2006 - mmyette wrote: 92 Points
Delicious, peaked. Tannins have vanished, fruit is ripe, full of berries, rhubarb, vanilla oak, mint, and a touch of cinnamin. Moderately long finish. Aged gracefully, but drink soon!
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2/18/2006 - sweeneyco wrote:
tight, took a long time to open up, not mature enough to drink right now.
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1/13/2006 - scarborough wrote:
Superb. Drinking well now.
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12/30/2005 - compugeek007 wrote: 90 Points
Tight at first but opened up after an hour to dusty fruit with some good chewy tannins.
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12/25/2005 - momandc wrote:
Powerful straight from the decanter, and filled with rich flavors of black cherry and currant.
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12/22/2005 - Rick wrote: 95 Points
Drank w/Jon & Cathy. Most enjoyable!
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11/18/2005 - Dave Dalluge wrote: flawed
Off bottle. Not rated. I would guess VA.
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10/10/2005 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
A beautiful wine. Ruby red color. Showing no signs of aging. The nose is classic cabernet with red fruit and currant. The wine is very smooth and elegant in the mouth. Very balanced with a hint of black licorice. The smell and taste remind me of the '94 Phelps Insignia, although this is not nearly as big and powerful. Overall, a very nice showing for this wine.
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8/7/2003 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Winery: Earthier, bell pepper, prunes, little sour hint (age), great dry frt, lo a’s, med intense t’s, sweet fin., hi compl, bal.
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2/22/2003 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Quick Day Trip to Napa (Napa Valley CA): Tasting at winery. Moderate black fruit aromas with some smoke and tobacco. Also moderate fruit intensity on palate, still firmly structured giving a slightly inaccessible character today. Finish shows increased spice, making me think this has upside from here.
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10/12/2002 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
LICORICE AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE NOSE. BLACKBERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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