Well past prime. Initial taste was thin and dried out. But opened up in the glass. Ended up being a good enough accompaniment to the Christmas tenderloin.
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Quite subtly translucent and still relatively youthful pomegranate red color with a colorless rim. Dry, meaty and somewhat oxidative nose with aromas of dried blackcurrants, some raisiny tones, a little bit of sweet cherry marmalade, light vegetal notes of bell pepper, oxidative hints of soy sauce and hoi-sin and a touch of woody oak spice. The wine is full-bodied, rather tertiary and getting already somewhat thin on the palate with very evolved flavors of wizened blackcurrants, some gamey meat, a little bit of beef jerky, light oxidative notes of soy sauce, a hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of tar. The wine is still quite structured with its moderately high acidity and firm medium tannins. The finish is dry, long and quite tertiary with rather old flavors of gamey meat, wizened blackcurrants, some sour cherries, a little bit of savory wood spice, light smoky tones and a hint of hoi-sin.
A stylish and savory Napa Cab that is a bit too old for its own good. Structurally the wine feels wonderfully balanced, but the fruit has already started to give in, making the taste come across somewhat thin and somewhat oxidative. The wine progressed only to its inevitable decline over the evening, so decanting didn't seem to help; this was at its best quite soon after opening the bottle. Still drinkable, but not showing its best anymore and won't benefit from further aging. Drink sooner rather than later.
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Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): Maybe my favorite of the tasting. Ok, yes, it's old and it's aged and it's not exactly where it could be, but it's still drinking well and if I have a choice for just crossing the border of age or too young I'm going this way all the time. This bottle was also open already so hard to say that where it was for us is where it is. Fresher in style. Herbal dominated. Black fruits in the background. I enjoyed it.
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Good steak wine. Still a good amount of fruit, and lots of acid, but balanced out a bit with age. Not particularly note-worthy in terms of complexity, but pleasant nose, and very agreeable at under 13% ABV. Don’t decant, and drink fast. Starts to fall apart in 45 minutes.
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Lindsay Becker brought to MW at The Marq. Definitely fully mature. Limited notes but some serious hoisen and dark coffee roasted cherries. Palate was showing even less fruit. Cork was soaked through basically. A nice wine that was showing pretty well.
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Delicate. A bit lean and acidic at first. But opened up. Graceful and elegant at the end. Drank a 2008 Staglin later which felt heavy and overstated in comparison.
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Surprise of the night. A bottle several years ago was pretty tired, ‘88 isn’t a great vintage, and I’ve gotten less and less enamored with BV GdlT over the years. But this was pretty good- red berry fruit, lots of herb, just a hint of green pepper. Tannins resolved, drinking well, this tastes like a nice aged Chinon (from me that’s a compliment). B+
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Had a special dinner with friend bringing the 3L bottle. Difficult to open - cork broke. Decanted for one hour - it still improved over the 2 hours we drank it with dinner. I think it is several years past its prime - very little fruit left. It was an excellent balance with strong earth, tobacco nose and taste. The history, wine and 3L made for a spectacular evening with friends. We then moved to a 1989 Mouton Rothschild which we did not like as well.
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Iron in the nose, harsh, tannic, closed, completely lost the classic recipe. Tasted as part of a 27 wine vertical, and everything post 1980 was a shadow of the wines prior to that.
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Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Well, actually Peking Duck. Not sure what to expect given tasting notes here, but this bottle was in fine shape. Cork came out easily, color was still quite dark, did not look like a nearly 30-year-old wine in the glass. Not quite profound, but very pleasant to drink, still some fruit, some advanced flavors, good acidity.
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Well, it seems as though the extra age has helped this wine (because there is no such thing as bottle variation, right?). Green pepper and cassis on the nose that morphed into black pepper and then back. Ten minutes later intense vanilla. And back to green pepper. Whoa. I don’t think I’ve seen so many transformations in such a short period. I thought it was dying but it has clawed back to relevance. In a big way. We all reminisced about 1988, which underscored how special this is. Whoa. Outstanding. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Relax and enjoy this beautifully aged Napa CAB. Smooth and silky. Slightly browned at the edge with a strong dark red core. Every drop tasted delightful. I suppose that you could wait a few more years, but hard to imagine that it will improve. Enjoy!
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I bought this from the vineyard 2 years ago for a reasonble price. It was probably once a great wine, but it has lost much of its fruit and is somewhat pale in taste and color. Would drink now, as it is losing it's vitality.
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Decanted for half an hour, and proceeded to drink over the next two hours. Nice blackberry notes, earthy but overwhelmingly vegetal. Had a little left over which I tried the next day. No improvement. Would not buy this again.
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Decanted briefly, maybe about 30 minutes. Stewed on the nose but elegant on the palate. Perhaps should have been popped a few years ago, but this was nice. Even very nice. Excellent to Outstanding.
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Lots black current and cherry, smokey and earthy. Fairly thin but pleasant. We drank it with prime rib and it didn't keep up as well as we'd hoped. It would be fine before dinner with appetizers as a lead- in to a bigger red for dinner. Don't wait much longer to drink this vintage which probably peaked a year or two ago.
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Nice, but not wonderful. Old but elegant. Accompanied grilled flank steak, collards braised with prosciutto. I remember (no notes) drinking a bottle from this same lot about 5 years ago and being sadly disappointed -- lean, almost harsh, acidic, thin. Not so with this bottle, this time. Different bottle? Time lapse? Would say that it is past prime.
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Poured from a 375. Very nice, but yes, it's a bit past it's prime, not bad for 21 years though. Purchased directly from the winery on release and stored under ideal conditions. Characteristic BV medicinal nose, very fragrant, with sour cherry, spice and a bit damp. A bit thin on the palette, with fading fruit in the mouth. Best from open and for about 1.5 hours, then the nose starts to fade away. Short to medium finish. I've had better examples of what old aged BV can become, but this is still not bad and an enjoyable bottle. Will go for a few more years, but no upside.
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When first opened this seemed thin, hot and overly herby, I contemplated heading down for an '88 Bdx but decided as food didn't call for it just to wait. This sat about an hour before I tried again, some improvement. Redder fruit, some plum and a little prune, tannins still there and a bit drying on finish. The herbalness is still there, though not as dominant. This is a bit past its prime, though I doubt its prime was ever that sparkling. C+/B-
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Magnum was stored at 55 or so for 10 years or more. Still have plenty of fruit, but very thin and short finish. Nose was very pleasant but more cherry/red fruit than the normal black fruits of Rutherford Cabernet. Still an excellent bottle.
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12/27/2023 - pford wrote: 85 Points
Well past prime. Initial taste was thin and dried out. But opened up in the glass. Ended up being a good enough accompaniment to the Christmas tenderloin.
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1/8/2022 - pford wrote: 90 Points
Still showing nice fruit and color at 33.
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2/19/2020 - forceberry wrote: 86 Points
12,6% alcohol.
Quite subtly translucent and still relatively youthful pomegranate red color with a colorless rim. Dry, meaty and somewhat oxidative nose with aromas of dried blackcurrants, some raisiny tones, a little bit of sweet cherry marmalade, light vegetal notes of bell pepper, oxidative hints of soy sauce and hoi-sin and a touch of woody oak spice. The wine is full-bodied, rather tertiary and getting already somewhat thin on the palate with very evolved flavors of wizened blackcurrants, some gamey meat, a little bit of beef jerky, light oxidative notes of soy sauce, a hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of tar. The wine is still quite structured with its moderately high acidity and firm medium tannins. The finish is dry, long and quite tertiary with rather old flavors of gamey meat, wizened blackcurrants, some sour cherries, a little bit of savory wood spice, light smoky tones and a hint of hoi-sin.
A stylish and savory Napa Cab that is a bit too old for its own good. Structurally the wine feels wonderfully balanced, but the fruit has already started to give in, making the taste come across somewhat thin and somewhat oxidative. The wine progressed only to its inevitable decline over the evening, so decanting didn't seem to help; this was at its best quite soon after opening the bottle. Still drinkable, but not showing its best anymore and won't benefit from further aging. Drink sooner rather than later.
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1/7/2020 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): Maybe my favorite of the tasting. Ok, yes, it's old and it's aged and it's not exactly where it could be, but it's still drinking well and if I have a choice for just crossing the border of age or too young I'm going this way all the time. This bottle was also open already so hard to say that where it was for us is where it is. Fresher in style. Herbal dominated. Black fruits in the background. I enjoyed it.
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11/25/2019 - JohnTheBastard Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good steak wine. Still a good amount of fruit, and lots of acid, but balanced out a bit with age. Not particularly note-worthy in terms of complexity, but pleasant nose, and very agreeable at under 13% ABV. Don’t decant, and drink fast. Starts to fall apart in 45 minutes.
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8/20/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 90 Points
Lindsay Becker brought to MW at The Marq. Definitely fully mature. Limited notes but some serious hoisen and dark coffee roasted cherries.
Palate was showing even less fruit. Cork was soaked through basically. A nice wine that was showing pretty well.
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12/24/2018 - pford Likes this wine:
Delicate. A bit lean and acidic at first. But opened up. Graceful and elegant at the end. Drank a 2008 Staglin later which felt heavy and overstated in comparison.
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1/3/2018 - DaleW wrote:
Surprise of the night. A bottle several years ago was pretty tired, ‘88 isn’t a great vintage, and I’ve gotten less and less enamored with BV GdlT over the years. But this was pretty good- red berry fruit, lots of herb, just a hint of green pepper. Tannins resolved, drinking well, this tastes like a nice aged Chinon (from me that’s a compliment). B+
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5/27/2017 - franm Likes this wine: 90 Points
cheers - this wine aged beautifully, label had water damage, but cork was perfect...drank over 3 hours, and kept getting better.
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9/1/2016 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 90 Points
Had a special dinner with friend bringing the 3L bottle. Difficult to open - cork broke. Decanted for one hour - it still improved over the 2 hours we drank it with dinner. I think it is several years past its prime - very little fruit left. It was an excellent balance with strong earth, tobacco nose and taste. The history, wine and 3L made for a spectacular evening with friends. We then moved to a 1989 Mouton Rothschild which we did not like as well.
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4/3/2016 - salcorn Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Iron in the nose, harsh, tannic, closed, completely lost the classic recipe. Tasted as part of a 27 wine vertical, and everything post 1980 was a shadow of the wines prior to that.
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8/19/2015 - Tubulus wrote: 90 Points
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Well, actually Peking Duck.
Not sure what to expect given tasting notes here, but this bottle was in fine shape. Cork came out easily, color was still quite dark, did not look like a nearly 30-year-old wine in the glass. Not quite profound, but very pleasant to drink, still some fruit, some advanced flavors, good acidity.
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8/11/2015 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 93 Points
Well, it seems as though the extra age has helped this wine (because there is no such thing as bottle variation, right?). Green pepper and cassis on the nose that morphed into black pepper and then back. Ten minutes later intense vanilla. And back to green pepper. Whoa. I don’t think I’ve seen so many transformations in such a short period. I thought it was dying but it has clawed back to relevance. In a big way. We all reminisced about 1988, which underscored how special this is. Whoa. Outstanding. thedrunkencyclist.com
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10/13/2014 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Relax and enjoy this beautifully aged Napa CAB. Smooth and silky. Slightly browned at the edge with a strong dark red core. Every drop tasted delightful. I suppose that you could wait a few more years, but hard to imagine that it will improve. Enjoy!
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9/1/2014 - docdavid wrote:
Drink now. Wont ladt
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7/25/2014 - docdavid wrote: 88 Points
I bought this from the vineyard 2 years ago for a reasonble price. It was probably once a great wine, but it has lost much of its fruit and is somewhat pale in taste and color. Would drink now, as it is losing it's vitality.
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7/11/2013 - europat55 wrote: 88 Points
1988 Cabernet Retrospective, Part 4 (Tom's house in Palo Alto, California): Strange nose. Some sourness, oxidized? (B+). Good depth (B+)
My #7, Group's #7 (74 pts). Tasted blind.
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6/16/2013 - amanofwords Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Decanted for half an hour, and proceeded to drink over the next two hours. Nice blackberry notes, earthy but overwhelmingly vegetal. Had a little left over which I tried the next day. No improvement. Would not buy this again.
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3/2/2013 - The Drunken Cyclist wrote: 91 Points
Decanted briefly, maybe about 30 minutes. Stewed on the nose but elegant on the palate. Perhaps should have been popped a few years ago, but this was nice. Even very nice. Excellent to Outstanding.
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8/21/2012 - Double D's Cellar wrote: 94 Points
Decanter 3x, this one was outstanding. Held up to a 1995 Silver Oak we had the same evening
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8/10/2012 - bromion wrote: 93 Points
Amazing! Still a bright and powerful wine after all the years.
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12/26/2011 - smebeb wrote: 84 Points
Lots black current and cherry, smokey and earthy. Fairly thin but pleasant. We drank it with prime rib and it didn't keep up as well as we'd hoped. It would be fine before dinner with appetizers as a lead- in to a bigger red for dinner. Don't wait much longer to drink this vintage which probably peaked a year or two ago.
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8/23/2009 - pford wrote: 88 Points
Nice, but not wonderful. Old but elegant. Accompanied grilled flank steak, collards braised with prosciutto. I remember (no notes) drinking a bottle from this same lot about 5 years ago and being sadly disappointed -- lean, almost harsh, acidic, thin. Not so with this bottle, this time. Different bottle? Time lapse? Would say that it is past prime.
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4/11/2009 - Mark wrote: 90 Points
Poured from a 375. Very nice, but yes, it's a bit past it's prime, not bad for 21 years though. Purchased directly from the winery on release and stored under ideal conditions. Characteristic BV medicinal nose, very fragrant, with sour cherry, spice and a bit damp. A bit thin on the palette, with fading fruit in the mouth. Best from open and for about 1.5 hours, then the nose starts to fade away. Short to medium finish. I've had better examples of what old aged BV can become, but this is still not bad and an enjoyable bottle. Will go for a few more years, but no upside.
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8/16/2008 - DaleW wrote:
When first opened this seemed thin, hot and overly herby, I
contemplated heading down for an '88 Bdx but decided as food didn't call for it just to wait. This sat about an hour before I tried again, some improvement. Redder fruit, some plum and a little prune, tannins still there and a bit drying on finish. The herbalness is still there, though not as dominant. This is a bit past its prime, though I doubt its prime was ever that sparkling. C+/B-
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6/17/2008 - staglin wrote: 90 Points
Magnum was stored at 55 or so for 10 years or more. Still have plenty of fruit, but very thin and short finish. Nose was very pleasant but more cherry/red fruit than the normal black fruits of Rutherford Cabernet. Still an excellent bottle.
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1/14/2008 - LGelsomini wrote:
Slightly pass prime
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3/5/2006 - jarvisdrinker wrote:
Completely dead and over the hill. Undrinkable. It was cellared properly for its lifetime.
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11/2/2003 - Eric wrote:
DeLille Cellars 7th annual Paulee de Woodinville (Woodinville, WA, USA): Medicinal, mint, somewhat dilute, fairly straightforward. Not a wine of huge interest for me after the various Bordeaux that had just floated by.
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