Drank from a Coravin and finished one month later. Wow. Beautifully mature. Still dark color, bright fruit and a bit chewy n the palate. Tour de force. Drink to enjoy.
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A hallmark vintage of that beautiful ‘90s streak. Still very young. Black berries, cassis, honey, dried herbs, dense and long yet still maintaining that elegance. An absolute favorite of mine.
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No decant Dark color with no signs of ageing A big rich nose of plum, blueberry pie, cinnamon and a hint of menthol The wine is still a huge bruiser with ample tannin, but after a bit of air the rich dark fruit just takes over and it is simply delicious. The mouthfeel is supple and round and the finish is exceptionally long. Consistent with and perhaps a hair better than our bottle last year
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This is really holding up well at age 26. Less fruit than the 97, but more structure, tannin and acidity. Depending on your palate, this is either at or just past its prime drinking window, but certainly still going strong.
Drank next to an 02 Masseto and 90 Latour, which was interesting. It held its own. At full development, with some lingering focused red fruit, it is mostly defined by tertiary notes of forest floor, tobacco, hints of leather, herbs, cured meat and baking spices. Tannins are fully integrated, but still present and suggest this still has quite a while to go on the aging spectrum. Lovely, fresh and persistent, this shines as it heads to the finish. Special wine.
30 minute decant Just starting to show brick at the edge Brooding dark fruit nose with a distinct mint or eucalyptus note On the palate it is a big wine - but supple with no hard edges - that doubles down on the blackberry and plum that linger with a long eucalyptus tinged finish. It has a richness that almost make it a meal itself A really beautiful wine dropped from 95 to 94 as after 2-3 hours the finish developed a slightly astringent note
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Spectacular, a perfect wine! Starts as a Napa, ends like a first growth Bordeaux. I will plagiarize from RP, whose notes include "Peking duck skins" which while making me laugh is spot-on (the man's a poet), along with charcoal, blackberry, herbs and cassis -- it's intense/powerful in all the right ways, silky with a magical finish. Bravo to the Bryant family!!!
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Actually pretty good. Distinctly California Cabernet but the fruit has stood up to the oak which is beginning to resolve decently. Very black and blue still.
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Winorama: A winter in Wineland III; 1/4/2019-1/13/2019 (Portland/Willamette, Eureka, Napa): This was really just wonderful. I love the way that Napa will age. It's still actually fairly young - there's not rush to drink up if it's been well stored. Lots of darker fruits. Starting to get some more secondary notes as well (more cigar, tobacco, leather) although I would say they are muted compared to the fruit. It's really drinking well though. Just kindof jumps out of the glass.
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96 points - This was a good one, and sorry I don't have any more. 20 years old and drinking in perfect balance, with fruit, tannin, alcohol and acid playing off each other. Wish I could identify fruit flavors, though, because this is what I like. Wanted to just let this roll around my mouth for minutes. Nose a little funny, which drops the score a hair. Saved a little bit for second night (under pump) and was holding strong. Don't wait if you've got 'em, don't see this balance holding together.
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Family get together at my parents. My father decided to finally pop another bottle. Dark red and black fruit - dark cherry, currants, and blackberry. Really smooth mid-palate with nice depth. Fairly rich and a little sweet. Solid finish but not overly long nor deep. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Not much improvement with time but at a nice drinking point. In all, a nice wine but I guess I expected more in light of Parker's 99 rating and WS 100 rating. I believe this vintage probably would have shown better for me a little younger in light of my style preference.
Jam, smoke, licorice and very, ripe fruits open the bouquet. Silky, soft, luscious and ripe on the palate, there is freshness and length in the sweet, fruit that dominate the finish.
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Paris Tasting in Zwolle (again... at last) (De Librije - Zwolle): Kleur: Robijnrood, diep gekleurd, oranje randje Aroma / bouquet: Mooie, klassieke en verfijnde neus, niet heel uitgesproken of expressief, een vleugje delikaat hout, ceder, klein pepertje. Bouquet ontwikkelt in het glas. Smaak / Afdronk: Super verleidelijk glas, vanaf de eerste aanzet krachtig maar soepel. Een vuistslag met een fluwelen handschoen. Zachte zuurgraad, boterig zachte tannines. Enige punt van kritiek: een vleugje te alcoholisch (brandewijntje / aardbeienlikeur). Wel een ongelofelijk groots glas wijn. Algemeen / potentieel: Fenomenale wijn, iets te veel alcohol. Serveertip: Temperatuur maximaal 17-18 graden C. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 95/100
Google Translate:
Color: Ruby, deeply colored, orange rim Aroma / bouquet: Beautiful, classic and refined nose, not very pronounced and expressive, a touch of delicate wood, cedar, hint of pepper. Bouquet develops in the glass. Taste / Finish: Super tempting glass, from the start strong but smooth. A punch with a velvet glove. Soft acidity, buttery soft tannins. Only criticism: a hint too alcoholic (brandy / strawberry liqueur). However, an incredibly big glass of wine. General / potential: Phenomenal wine, too much alcohol. Serving suggestion: Maximum temperature 17-18 degrees (celsius). 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 18 + General / potential: 8 = 95/100
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1996 Cult Cabs: (decanted for a few hours and tasted blind) nose - dark fruit, smoke, exotic mouth - massive rich, mouthcoating. dark cherry, plum, cocoa, and mint. Eucalyptus per Brian. Duane tells me that the little bit he managed to save for the following day was singing
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Beautiful wine and I'd suggest is showing well now. Beautiful nose, with subtle hints of cassis and maple. The wine is unfined and unfiltered, which caused it to be a bit cloudy and almost dusty. The mid pallet is the superstar here, boasting balanced complexity and refinement. I found some mature black fruits, combined with an element of tobacco. All elements blend together to create harmony. The finish was a bit shorter than expected, but pleasant. All in all a lovely wine.
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Purchased this from a private collector three years ago and have been very curious.
Decanted for two hours. Brooding ruby with a blackening core. immaculate condition. The nose enraptures you with dark chocolate, black cherry, currant, spice, loam and blackberry. The palate really shows the berry and chocolate. What an outstanding palate, there's so much depth. A lingering finish that really echoes for over a minute. opulent and not too unctuous at all. The oak is not evident at all and this aged rather well. The fruit is very evident and the tannins are in tandem, while remaining soft. This is one of the most stunning Napa Cabs that I have ever had and it really lives up to it's stature. I would put this in the same league as: Mondavi '87 Reserve, Colgin Tychson '01, Shafer Hillside Select '99 and Harlan '02. Never had Shrader and the two Screaming Eagles that I had experienced were not in the same arena. The Bryant still has a decent life ahead. Stupendous. Drink now - 2022.
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Holy crow, this is a great wine. Decanted about an hour before drinking. Deep ruby with strong legs. Nose leapt from the glass...rich chocolate, black cherry and some blackberry. Very rich palate with a ton of fruit but a good acidic backbone to hold it together. Tannins suggest another 10 years of aging potential but it is drinking beautifully right now. Finish easily a minute. Magnificent!!!
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Un autre vin où mes attentes étaient élevées. Cette fois-ci, elles ne seront pas comblées. En première partie de ce vin « spectacle » : un nez exubérant sur les prunes mûres, l’eau de vie, le chocolat noir et les jujubes. En seconde partie, une bouche un peu grossière, guidoune à ses heures, et tartrique dira Christophe. L’exemple parfait de blockbuster qui m’a fait perdre beaucoup d’intérêt en les vins hautement notés par Parker. Heureusement avec le temps, l’ensemble se calme et devient beaucoup plus délicat, sans pour autant perdre ce côté aguicheur. À boire en mangeant obligatoirement. Difficile à croire que ce vin se vend près de 500$ aux États-Unis. Merci tout de même TheDanny pour une expérience unique avec un Cab Culte. 89-90.
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Cabernet Tasting at Chez Bonner (Annapolis): wow. this was incredible. really in a sweet spot right now, but still impressively youthful. layers and layers of flavor, everything well balanced, and a long finish.
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decanted for two hours before drinking. Very dark and clear red color with a wonderful fruity aroma. The best experience came with the tasting. It had a long smooth finish and was a perfect additon to our meal. Surely one of the best Bryants we have tasted.
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White Truffle Dinner (Chez Patrick Sun Street, Hong Kong): Very deep and dark but translucent red. it has an "in your face" saddle leather nose with red light fruits but needs lots of swirling to fail to get anything else and is disappointingly one-dimensional. One the palate it is pure, balanced and very fruity and big with lots of toasty new oak still evident Rich and heavy. Too much "glycerine". Some length and "in the head" sensations on the long finish but again all in a rather one-dimensional way. It was definitely outclassed tonight.
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This is a very nice bottle of wine. Great, classic aromas. I noticed the long, long finish right away before coming back to the deep cassis flavors. Nice evolution over several hours. this is a special wine. Tasted next to the 97 Abreu it was just a touch bigger.
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An incredible bottle of California cabernet. This was one of the best Bryants I've ever had the opportunity to drink. Appears to be entering it's prime drinking window but should have many more years ahead of it. If I had to rank this with all of the great Bryants I've had over the years I would rank it just behind the wonderful '94 and '97 but ahead of all of the other vintages. An incredible effort.
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CT Group does 1996 Bordeaux @ Jeff S: Sweet fruit bomb. Rich cassis liquor, blackberry, licorice. Very deep and very long. Toffee like finish. Amazing in it's concentration of fruit. Wow!
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2/5/2024 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank from a Coravin and finished one month later. Wow. Beautifully mature. Still dark color, bright fruit and a bit chewy n the palate. Tour de force. Drink to enjoy.
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3/29/2023 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
A hallmark vintage of that beautiful ‘90s streak. Still very young. Black berries, cassis, honey, dried herbs, dense and long yet still maintaining that elegance. An absolute favorite of mine.
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2/10/2023 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 95 Points
No decant
Dark color with no signs of ageing
A big rich nose of plum, blueberry pie, cinnamon and a hint of menthol
The wine is still a huge bruiser with ample tannin, but after a bit of air the rich dark fruit just takes over and it is simply delicious. The mouthfeel is supple and round and the finish is exceptionally long.
Consistent with and perhaps a hair better than our bottle last year
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5/14/2022 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is really holding up well at age 26. Less fruit than the 97, but more structure, tannin and acidity. Depending on your palate, this is either at or just past its prime drinking window, but certainly still going strong.
Drank next to an 02 Masseto and 90 Latour, which was interesting. It held its own. At full development, with some lingering focused red fruit, it is mostly defined by tertiary notes of forest floor, tobacco, hints of leather, herbs, cured meat and baking spices. Tannins are fully integrated, but still present and suggest this still has quite a while to go on the aging spectrum. Lovely, fresh and persistent, this shines as it heads to the finish. Special wine.
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2/14/2022 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 94 Points
30 minute decant
Just starting to show brick at the edge
Brooding dark fruit nose with a distinct mint or eucalyptus note
On the palate it is a big wine - but supple with no hard edges - that doubles down on the blackberry and plum that linger with a long eucalyptus tinged finish.
It has a richness that almost make it a meal itself
A really beautiful wine
dropped from 95 to 94 as after 2-3 hours the finish developed a slightly astringent note
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12/23/2020 - Trent Walker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Better than expected
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5/19/2020 - Som-Geo Likes this wine: 100 Points
Spectacular, a perfect wine! Starts as a Napa, ends like a first growth Bordeaux. I will plagiarize from RP, whose notes include "Peking duck skins" which while making me laugh is spot-on (the man's a poet), along with charcoal, blackberry, herbs and cassis -- it's intense/powerful in all the right ways, silky with a magical finish. Bravo to the Bryant family!!!
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8/31/2019 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
Actually pretty good. Distinctly California Cabernet but the fruit has stood up to the oak which is beginning to resolve decently. Very black and blue still.
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1/10/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Winorama: A winter in Wineland III; 1/4/2019-1/13/2019 (Portland/Willamette, Eureka, Napa): This was really just wonderful. I love the way that Napa will age. It's still actually fairly young - there's not rush to drink up if it's been well stored. Lots of darker fruits. Starting to get some more secondary notes as well (more cigar, tobacco, leather) although I would say they are muted compared to the fruit. It's really drinking well though. Just kindof jumps out of the glass.
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12/21/2018 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 96 Points
Predictably delicious in every regard...last bottle...goodbye old friend ��
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3/10/2018 - levinml wrote:
96 points - This was a good one, and sorry I don't have any more. 20 years old and drinking in perfect balance, with fruit, tannin, alcohol and acid playing off each other. Wish I could identify fruit flavors, though, because this is what I like. Wanted to just let this roll around my mouth for minutes. Nose a little funny, which drops the score a hair. Saved a little bit for second night (under pump) and was holding strong. Don't wait if you've got 'em, don't see this balance holding together.
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3/12/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 94 Points
Family get together at my parents. My father decided to finally pop another bottle. Dark red and black fruit - dark cherry, currants, and blackberry. Really smooth mid-palate with nice depth. Fairly rich and a little sweet. Solid finish but not overly long nor deep. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Not much improvement with time but at a nice drinking point. In all, a nice wine but I guess I expected more in light of Parker's 99 rating and WS 100 rating. I believe this vintage probably would have shown better for me a little younger in light of my style preference.
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12/9/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Jam, smoke, licorice and very, ripe fruits open the bouquet. Silky, soft, luscious and ripe on the palate, there is freshness and length in the sweet, fruit that dominate the finish.
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9/27/2014 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 95 Points
Paris Tasting in Zwolle (again... at last) (De Librije - Zwolle): Kleur: Robijnrood, diep gekleurd, oranje randje Aroma / bouquet: Mooie, klassieke en verfijnde neus, niet heel uitgesproken of expressief, een vleugje delikaat hout, ceder, klein pepertje. Bouquet ontwikkelt in het glas. Smaak / Afdronk: Super verleidelijk glas, vanaf de eerste aanzet krachtig maar soepel. Een vuistslag met een fluwelen handschoen. Zachte zuurgraad, boterig zachte tannines. Enige punt van kritiek: een vleugje te alcoholisch (brandewijntje / aardbeienlikeur). Wel een ongelofelijk groots glas wijn. Algemeen / potentieel: Fenomenale wijn, iets te veel alcohol. Serveertip: Temperatuur maximaal 17-18 graden C. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 95/100
Google Translate:
Color: Ruby, deeply colored, orange rim Aroma / bouquet: Beautiful, classic and refined nose, not very pronounced and expressive, a touch of delicate wood, cedar, hint of pepper. Bouquet develops in the glass. Taste / Finish: Super tempting glass, from the start strong but smooth. A punch with a velvet glove. Soft acidity, buttery soft tannins. Only criticism: a hint too alcoholic (brandy / strawberry liqueur). However, an incredibly big glass of wine. General / potential: Phenomenal wine, too much alcohol. Serving suggestion: Maximum temperature 17-18 degrees (celsius). 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 18 + General / potential: 8 = 95/100
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6/22/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
MNSC - Peter (Island Tang): exotic and upfront. not as multi layered as the harlan. a touch too sweet for me. needed the full 2.5 hours in decanter.
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3/2/2013 - soyhead wrote: 95 Points
1996 Cult Cabs: (decanted for a few hours and tasted blind)
nose - dark fruit, smoke, exotic
mouth - massive rich, mouthcoating. dark cherry, plum, cocoa, and mint. Eucalyptus per Brian.
Duane tells me that the little bit he managed to save for the following day was singing
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6/24/2012 - JPLSanFrancisco wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine and I'd suggest is showing well now. Beautiful nose, with subtle hints of cassis and maple. The wine is unfined and unfiltered, which caused it to be a bit cloudy and almost dusty. The mid pallet is the superstar here, boasting balanced complexity and refinement. I found some mature black fruits, combined with an element of tobacco. All elements blend together to create harmony. The finish was a bit shorter than expected, but pleasant. All in all a lovely wine.
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6/2/2012 - reichken wrote: 96 Points
Deep young dark wine, full lush nose of chocolate and purple fruit. Full in the mouth and a really well balanced long finish. Young
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5/13/2012 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
Deep dark wine, nose and mouth of chocolate covered cherries. Very long, still developing. Full bold well made wine
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2/6/2011 - Feeshmon wrote: 98 Points
Very balanced on front and nice long finish. Loads of fruit but not in your face. Has held up very well.. my last bottle :(
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9/3/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 98 Points
Purchased this from a private collector three years ago and have been very curious.
Decanted for two hours. Brooding ruby with a blackening core. immaculate condition. The nose enraptures you with dark chocolate, black cherry, currant, spice, loam and blackberry. The palate really shows the berry and chocolate. What an outstanding palate, there's so much depth. A lingering finish that really echoes for over a minute. opulent and not too unctuous at all. The oak is not evident at all and this aged rather well. The fruit is very evident and the tannins are in tandem, while remaining soft. This is one of the most stunning Napa Cabs that I have ever had and it really lives up to it's stature. I would put this in the same league as: Mondavi '87 Reserve, Colgin Tychson '01, Shafer Hillside Select '99 and Harlan '02. Never had Shrader and the two Screaming Eagles that I had experienced were not in the same arena. The Bryant still has a decent life ahead. Stupendous. Drink now - 2022.
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6/15/2010 - nvandyk wrote: 99 Points
Holy crow, this is a great wine. Decanted about an hour before drinking. Deep ruby with strong legs. Nose leapt from the glass...rich chocolate, black cherry and some blackberry. Very rich palate with a ton of fruit but a good acidic backbone to hold it together. Tannins suggest another 10 years of aging potential but it is drinking beautifully right now. Finish easily a minute. Magnificent!!!
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1/1/2010 - GA wrote: 96 Points
12/09 Concentrated black cherry and dark chocolate. 96 pts.
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12/19/2009 - BigJul wrote: 90 Points
Un autre vin où mes attentes étaient élevées. Cette fois-ci, elles ne seront pas comblées. En première partie de ce vin « spectacle » : un nez exubérant sur les prunes mûres, l’eau de vie, le chocolat noir et les jujubes. En seconde partie, une bouche un peu grossière, guidoune à ses heures, et tartrique dira Christophe. L’exemple parfait de blockbuster qui m’a fait perdre beaucoup d’intérêt en les vins hautement notés par Parker. Heureusement avec le temps, l’ensemble se calme et devient beaucoup plus délicat, sans pour autant perdre ce côté aguicheur. À boire en mangeant obligatoirement. Difficile à croire que ce vin se vend près de 500$ aux États-Unis. Merci tout de même TheDanny pour une expérience unique avec un Cab Culte. 89-90.
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12/18/2009 - wa2ofd wrote:
More soft silky than would have expected...tasted in blind flight...sublime wine, may not get any better than drinking today...
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8/21/2009 - ews3 wrote: 98 Points
Cabernet Tasting at Chez Bonner (Annapolis): wow. this was incredible. really in a sweet spot right now, but still impressively youthful. layers and layers of flavor, everything well balanced, and a long finish.
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8/20/2009 - rsepulve wrote: 99 Points
Didn't take notes but it's hard to imagine a better Cab, except for this same wine in 5-10 more years!
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4/4/2009 - DaveHughes wrote: 96 Points
decanted for two hours before drinking. Very dark and clear red color with a wonderful fruity aroma. The best experience came with the tasting. It had a long smooth finish and was a perfect additon to our meal. Surely one of the best Bryants we have tasted.
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11/6/2008 - Goldstone wrote: 89 Points
White Truffle Dinner (Chez Patrick Sun Street, Hong Kong): Very deep and dark but translucent red. it has an "in your face" saddle leather nose with red light fruits but needs lots of swirling to fail to get anything else and is disappointingly one-dimensional. One the palate it is pure, balanced and very fruity and big with lots of toasty new oak still evident Rich and heavy. Too much "glycerine". Some length and "in the head" sensations on the long finish but again all in a rather one-dimensional way. It was definitely outclassed tonight.
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9/15/2007 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: flawed
COrked
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12/29/2006 - agnorger wrote: 97 Points
This is a very nice bottle of wine. Great, classic aromas. I noticed the long, long finish right away before coming back to the deep cassis flavors. Nice evolution over several hours. this is a special wine. Tasted next to the 97 Abreu it was just a touch bigger.
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8/23/2006 - Screameagle wrote: 98 Points
An incredible bottle of California cabernet. This was one of the best Bryants I've ever had the opportunity to drink. Appears to be entering it's prime drinking window but should have many more years ahead of it. If I had to rank this with all of the great Bryants I've had over the years I would rank it just behind the wonderful '94 and '97 but ahead of all of the other vintages. An incredible effort.
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10/17/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 97 Points
CT Group does 1996 Bordeaux @ Jeff S: Sweet fruit bomb. Rich cassis liquor, blackberry, licorice. Very deep and very long. Toffee like finish. Amazing in it's concentration of fruit. Wow!
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