Some woody tones and VA layered on deep fruit that's held up incredibly well. Burnished and sweet, but not terribly robust or nuanced. Lots of tannin, and relatively bright. While not a revelation, a real treat and a pleasure to drink.
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Nose is big with dark rich cherry fruit and leather. Palate is chewy, earthy, menthol, tobacco with a drying subtle tannic finish that keeps on going. A remarkable QPR.
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This is totally intact and quite pleasant. Not showing its age in both good and bad ways. Good in that it is not deteriorating. Bad in that it shows no wisdom. Fruit, redolent of black cherries and brambles, is youthful and vibrant, and the acid frame is firm and elegant. There are also some slight menthol notes that I don't find off-putting. And yet, these elements do not come together into a cohesive whole. It's a bit disjointed. That said, I was very happy drinking it with the end bits of a leg of lamb. This is our last bottle of the '84, which was gifted to JR by the winery. If I had more, I would be pleased to drink them, and in no rush, but I will not seek out more. Overall, a very interesting and satisfying experiment.
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Last bottle on Dad's death anniversary. Stood up for 1.5 wk, decanted for 1 h. Some initial mustiness, tart cherries and lots of acid. But after the decant, really nice aromas of plums, dried cherries, currants, cedar, earth, leather, bark. Palate follows with more dry fruits, earth, leather, tobacco all harmoniously blended together. Tannins still come in on the back end although more an accent than a heavy dose. More fruit than last bottle although it was starting to fade a tick 3 hr after opening. Lovely bottle again.
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Still going strong. I'm going to push back the drink date another year. Nose is big with dark rich cherry fruit and a whiff of barnyard at the beginning. Palate is chewy, earthy, menthol, tobacco with a drying subtle tannic finish that gets more intense for a while before tapering off. Excellent QPR. Needs at least two hours to really start showing.
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Another remarkable bottle of this cab. Nose is huge with dark rich cherry fruit and a whiff of barnyard every so often. Palate is chewy, earthy, menthol, tobacco with a drying subtle tannic finish that gets more intense for a while before tapering off. Excellent QPR. No clear sign of being at its peak, though it could be nearing a peak.
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Dusky cab nose with juicy fruit. Still very alive and "young". Dark earthy fruit, herby, smoke, with very dusty tannins at the finish. A luscious lush extremely satisfying, extremely elemental cab.
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Initial taste of cherries, tobacco and spicy cedar. After decanted for 3 hrs, aromas of dried cherries, currants, earth, spices. Palate follows with sweet dried cherries, currants, tobacco, warm baking spices, earth, minerals. Really complex and beautiful. Still very alive and getting stronger with time. Nice moderate finish and still with some tannins. Just amazing.
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Caribbean Cruise - Flights and Bottles; 3/23/2013-3/30/2013 (Caribbean): Birth year wine for my wife, consumed over several hours before, during, and after dinner. Prior to this cab, the oldest cab we've ever consumed was a 10-yr old bottle. So jumping to 29 years was an entirely new experience for us. Dark purple, with bricking on rim, although it still looked youthful. The aromas and flavors were of leather, oak, anise, spice, tobacco, and a touch of dark dried fruit -- much different than we've ever had before. The finish is long and drying. After dinner the finish was so drying it detracted from the wine too much for my taste. Overall a very interesting experience, and one we'll have to do again!
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12/2/2017 - rhit Likes this wine:
Some woody tones and VA layered on deep fruit that's held up incredibly well. Burnished and sweet, but not terribly robust or nuanced. Lots of tannin, and relatively bright. While not a revelation, a real treat and a pleasure to drink.
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10/16/2017 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Final bottle, and still a winner. Big dark nose of rich cherries and chocolate. Palate is chewy, earthy, tobacco.
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5/15/2017 - JWG wrote: 93 Points
Nose is big with dark rich cherry fruit and leather. Palate is chewy, earthy, menthol, tobacco with a drying subtle tannic finish that keeps on going. A remarkable QPR.
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9/20/2016 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
This is totally intact and quite pleasant. Not showing its age in both good and bad ways. Good in that it is not deteriorating. Bad in that it shows no wisdom. Fruit, redolent of black cherries and brambles, is youthful and vibrant, and the acid frame is firm and elegant. There are also some slight menthol notes that I don't find off-putting. And yet, these elements do not come together into a cohesive whole. It's a bit disjointed. That said, I was very happy drinking it with the end bits of a leg of lamb. This is our last bottle of the '84, which was gifted to JR by the winery. If I had more, I would be pleased to drink them, and in no rush, but I will not seek out more. Overall, a very interesting and satisfying experiment.
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9/18/2016 - James Kim wrote: 94 Points
Last bottle on Dad's death anniversary. Stood up for 1.5 wk, decanted for 1 h. Some initial mustiness, tart cherries and lots of acid. But after the decant, really nice aromas of plums, dried cherries, currants, cedar, earth, leather, bark. Palate follows with more dry fruits, earth, leather, tobacco all harmoniously blended together. Tannins still come in on the back end although more an accent than a heavy dose. More fruit than last bottle although it was starting to fade a tick 3 hr after opening. Lovely bottle again.
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1/23/2016 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Still going strong. I'm going to push back the drink date another year. Nose is big with dark rich cherry fruit and a whiff of barnyard at the beginning. Palate is chewy, earthy, menthol, tobacco with a drying subtle tannic finish that gets more intense for a while before tapering off. Excellent QPR. Needs at least two hours to really start showing.
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7/27/2015 - Chiantihound wrote:
From memory. Loved it. Not over the hill at all. Mineraly(?) dusty cab with structure and a medium long after-taste.
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1/22/2015 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Another remarkable bottle of this cab. Nose is huge with dark rich cherry fruit and a whiff of barnyard every so often. Palate is chewy, earthy, menthol, tobacco with a drying subtle tannic finish that gets more intense for a while before tapering off. Excellent QPR. No clear sign of being at its peak, though it could be nearing a peak.
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10/17/2014 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Dusky cab nose with juicy fruit. Still very alive and "young". Dark earthy fruit, herby, smoke, with very dusty tannins at the finish. A luscious lush extremely satisfying, extremely elemental cab.
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1/5/2014 - James Kim wrote: 94 Points
Initial taste of cherries, tobacco and spicy cedar. After decanted for 3 hrs, aromas of dried cherries, currants, earth, spices. Palate follows with sweet dried cherries, currants, tobacco, warm baking spices, earth, minerals. Really complex and beautiful. Still very alive and getting stronger with time. Nice moderate finish and still with some tannins. Just amazing.
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3/28/2013 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Caribbean Cruise - Flights and Bottles; 3/23/2013-3/30/2013 (Caribbean): Birth year wine for my wife, consumed over several hours before, during, and after dinner.
Prior to this cab, the oldest cab we've ever consumed was a 10-yr old bottle. So jumping to 29 years was an entirely new experience for us.
Dark purple, with bricking on rim, although it still looked youthful. The aromas and flavors were of leather, oak, anise, spice, tobacco, and a touch of dark dried fruit -- much different than we've ever had before. The finish is long and drying. After dinner the finish was so drying it detracted from the wine too much for my taste.
Overall a very interesting experience, and one we'll have to do again!
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12/8/2012 - JWG wrote: 92 Points
Dusky cab nose with juicy fruit despite its age. Dark earthy fruit and citrus contrast, with very dusty tannins at the finish. Needs hours to open.
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