wow. totally shocked by the combination of fruit and depth.. tasted blind with a group of 12 against a variety of comparable top-growth Bordeaux and the BV was a universal favorite of the evening.... how it maintained its fruit was stunning... Really incentivized me to find more old BV
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In surprisingly good shape at 50 years old. Great colour, little sign of bricking and surprisingly little sediment in the bottle. Chose not to decant it, but it developed beautifully in the glass and so I think could comfortably take 30 mins in a decanter. The fruit is gone, but the wine is still rich and slightly chewy with great length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My wine, same bottle as Rocknroller and Galewskj. Beautiful nose of leather and wood, and early on I thought I picked up some soy too. Others mentioned mint. Iron and leather on the palate to start. Surprisingly to me, this really blossomed in the glass with some air. So fun to try these older bottles, and what a treat this one was. 93+, based on my notes, but I'm probably being stringy. My WOTN, and the competition was stiff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Guys Night Out: Bring Something You've Never Had (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Medium dark red to marroon color with a 15mm bricked margin, the color largely belies its age. PNP, drank a glass plus over 2 hours. Funny thing about these old BV wines (and old wines in general), and I've had a few now, if they're intact, then they really need at least 15 minutes or more to really open up. Don't be afraid to decant them gently. In this case, I found this getting better throughout the first hour. That's pretty darn impressive for a 50 year old wine. This is one of those wines, you know is older when you drink it, but I suspect not many would guess it this old either. This started off just full of mint in several variations. That seemed to dominate for 15 minutes and then the aromas just blossomed; earthy, dried earth, fine leather, savory, dried cherries and later a pretty black currant top note. The palate is at that wonderfully resolved point where things are so harmonious; cherry, woodsy, subtle and soft, medium body, elegant, mint and spices. It's a beautiful thing to drink a wine like this. Way to go James. 93+ to 94pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fabulous nose of currant and leather with textbook Rutherford dust, not quite as vibrant on the palate, but still quite alive. With air it rounds out and a little mint joins the party, fantastic and a real treat!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
At peak drinking, I agree it will not improve, yet has several years of nice drinking ahead. This was the wine of the night. Tasted alongside the 1970 which is in decline, 1965 Charles Krug which is late stage drinkability, 1968 Martin Ray "Cailfornia" which had nice taste, yet odd balsamic aroma and the 2002 Staglin which seemed so young next to the other wines.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
As someone that takes pride in writing more than just a few words to express my experience with a wine, all I really need to say here is, BOOM! (and I never use an exclamation point in a wine's description, so this, too, is saying a lot). It's everything you hope for, and a some more. Because. Plenty of fine notes/descriptors here already. Find. Buy. Drink. Repeat. highly recommended
Served non-blind (and I really know nothing about these wines, so I had no preconception anyway). Special, resonating.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow wow wow. At a dinner at Press Napa Valley. Nice red brick color and still good viscosity. Carmely cognac like aromas with cigar smoke and spice. 1 minute plus finish. One of the best wines I've ever tasted. I think it still has a few years of life. Highest recommendation.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was clearly a well-stored bottle with mid-neck fill and cork in good condition. Immediately upon opening, the bouquet smelled surprisingly clean and good. Color was still vibrant and with no real browning. On the nose, the wine exhibited some port-like aromas, but folks didn't seem to mind, and it reflected the fruit still alive in the bottle. The port aromas would occasionally integrate better into the bouquet, but they never really went away. Nice complexity. Nice and balanced on the palate. This wine won fans for how well it performed at 47 years of age (amazingly well). In and of itself, perhaps this wine wasn't fantastic, but in the context of its age and novelty, it was universally liked and voted on as wine of the night against some good competition. The wine totally held up when exposed to air over the three hours. Well-stored bottles of this wine still have years of life left. Nice treat and nice piece of history!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
+1 for getting better with time- first tasted after double decant, then 8 hrs later, notes refer to later tasting- residual bottle gained weight and complexity after the "official" tasting-rich dark cherry and black plum nose; allspice/ cinnamon and berry nose, very much like a 15 yr old BV; med finish. This wine is still at/near peak !
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. No doubt about it, it is an old Cali cab and a great one. Nose of bright red cherries, pomegranate, red currants, campfire smoke, leather, sage. Palate repeats the nose. As with the last one, this kept going and evolving for more than three hours. Long finish with the tannins completely melted. Beautiful stuff, great with short rib ragu. Sad to drink the last one but glad to catch it while it still was at its very best. Drink over the near term.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
When you can get a perfectly stored bottle, this is still an amazing wine, almost identical to the stellar 1968 vintage. In this case tasted from a tenth with perfect fill, the wine exhibited the classic redwood and cedar Greorges de la Tour nose, with only a light amount of maderization typical of this age of California wine. Full bodied fresh red berry fruits on the palate, and a long woody finish. I've started to drink these old BV wines up, but I will be sad to see them go, as they are all little time capsules of how wonderful they were back in the 70s and 80s.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another stunner from '69. Tasted after 30 minutes after the cork was removed in 2 pieces. The cork was soft and soaked but it did it's job as this bottle had a top shoulder fill.
What joy springs from this bottle. There were the ripest red fruits and cherries encased in bittersweet chocolate. But wait, there's more! Spices abound along with seasoned leather. The acidity was still there to keep this aged wine balanced and food friendly. If tasted blind I might have guessed a very old Brunello. A wonderful gift, thank you.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
this bottle had a nid to low shoulder ,some evidence of seapage on the top foil , the cork fell in the bottle when touched. a watery rim but not brown, not cooked at all.definat leather nose, got better after 1 to 2 hours - the mid pallet funk blew off after 40 min.Has some fruit and smooth tannin. comples. better after 3 hours interesting to try. .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just a Friday with buddies (Austin, TX): Popped and poured. Right off the get go this showed a bright red fruit profile on the nose with cherries, red currants, pommegranate, herbs, and hint of leather. This keep filling in and becoming more more interesting the best sips were the last ones after the bottle had been open three hours. Bright flavors of cherry, red currant, cedar, hint of tobacco, plum, leather, and a hint of dust. Finishes with resolved but present tannins and great balance. Absolutely stunning and I might be underrating this particular bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
11 people tasted the 1969 along with six other BV Private Reserves - 1978, 1985, 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2007. Eight had the 69 as their top wine. Still has a pleasing/big taste and is reasonably full-bodied. Fruit still evident in bouquet and taste unlike lots of older wines. We did not decant this wine, but let it breathe in the bottle for slightly less than 30 min. Clearly this wine will not get any better and should be drunk now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is as old as me, Sept. '69, and like me it is fantastic! ; )
Tasted about 20 minutes after the cork was pulled. Fading color but still with a tinge of bright red in there. Nose of plums, cherries, and perhaps a whiff of cocoa/chocolate. Surprisingly youthful acidic body; flavors of cherry, leather, a touch of musty earth.Tannins well in the background. Dare I say aged to perfection?
Thank you Javachip for your generosity and for sharing the '68 a few nights prior.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Halloween at the U Club (University Club, San Diego): Very top shoulder fill. Cork slightly depressed and slightly loose, removed in two large pieces. Cork was in much better condition than a 1968 BV opened four days prior. Allowed to breathe in bottle for 10 minutes, then decanted gently and served immediately. Clear medium blood-ruby-brick hue. Heavenly bouquet of figs, tart cranberries, red cherry, pomegranate, dry sauna, lavender, mint, rose petals, cashews. Hint of Christmas wreath. Medium body, silky, seamless, substantial yet weightless. Began maderizing in the glass after 40 minutes. As a tobacco non-user, I possess a normal complement of functioning taste buds and olfactory receptors, and so I get all the excitement I could ever want from these elegant, understated old wines. Let the tobacco smokers have their over-extracted fruit bombs. For me, this is about as good as it gets. The clear favorite of the night.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Madierized but still amazing, with Madiera-like complexity, and a sweet, long finish. Classic old Georges, holding up well in a half bottle after more than 40 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Agree with comments by cct. I'm not sure if the wine was flawed.. most likely, as the nose certainly was not typical. On the palate, it was rich with plenty of fruit and with a nice finish. It's hard to score given the above.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Original purchase cellared since release. Neck fill, SOM'd overnight.
At first some apple cider on the nose, but underneath was excellent fruit, more black than green olives, savory flavors, and again vanill. Excellent transparency, and quite pretty. Score would be higher without the apple cider. 89 pts Thanks RN.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A case study in the power of slow-ox. On day one, this was showing delicate and mature and drinking more than 5 years older than the 74 we had side by side. Pleasant and intriguing, but did not wow anyone. Fast forward to the next night to check on the remnants left in the bottle. An amazing transformation with weight, complexity, and fruit all developing. A special treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I purchased this 3 years ago from the winery while on a vist to Napa (paid way too much for it). I opened this 40 year old wine my 40th birthday. This wine was wonderful. It held up very well. Delicious!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perfectly preserved in a well-filled tenth. Good color. Classic BVGDLTPR nose of redwood and incense. Extremely close in quality to my favorite 1968 vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mature garnet color. Blackberry aromatics. Tastes of blackcurrant, violet, blackberry and cherry. Lots of cedar. Well balanced. Elegant finish with incredible depth of fruit. This wine is in amazing shape and appears to be stored perfectly over its 40 years of life. After about 20 minutes in the glass this wine began to fade heavily however it was pure heaven up until then. Quite impressive. A beautiful wine made by the man Andre Tchelistcheff himself. 12.5% alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pale brick color. Dusty, earthy nose with some red currant fruit showing. Acid overwhelmed fruit flavors - out of balance. Wine improved with time in the glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I found this wine to be stunning. Super complex. The nose right off the bat showed a bitter chocolate, dried black fruits, warm spices. Elegant palate with great balance, not a whole lot of fruit, but with delicate warm spices, tea leaves and tobacco. Peaked within half an hour, but offered one great drinking experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner and Fine, Aged Wine at Le Francais (Wheeling, IL): Ruby in color with browning at the rim. Giving nose of cherry fruit and medicinal notes (and the more I sniffed it the more it reminded me or cough syrup). Velvety fruit that had a sherry-like character and firm acidity. In some ways youthful but my feeling is this is breaking down with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice nose which still shows plenty of bright red cherry notes. However, the palate is pretty much gone only retaining lots of funkiness and volatile chemical notes, particularly paint thinner. I have no idea what this wine used to be like, but it's undoubtedly far past its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
5/29/2022 - docwong3 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great; at peak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2021 - JR1575 Likes this wine: 93 Points
wow. totally shocked by the combination of fruit and depth.. tasted blind with a group of 12 against a variety of comparable top-growth Bordeaux and the BV was a universal favorite of the evening.... how it maintained its fruit was stunning... Really incentivized me to find more old BV
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
WX+ Meetup at The Marq with Brian Ball from Skipstone Vineyards (The Marq - Chicago, IL): This was killer. WOTN for me. Just as it should be showing at this stage. Still nice fruit with old leather saddle and tobacco box.
Anise, red autumnal leaves. Palate still had life and vibrancy. Excellent wine. Thanks Rami.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2019 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
In surprisingly good shape at 50 years old. Great colour, little sign of bricking and surprisingly little sediment in the bottle. Chose not to decant it, but it developed beautifully in the glass and so I think could comfortably take 30 mins in a decanter. The fruit is gone, but the wine is still rich and slightly chewy with great length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2019 - JCGuthrie wrote: 93 Points
My wine, same bottle as Rocknroller and Galewskj. Beautiful nose of leather and wood, and early on I thought I picked up some soy too. Others mentioned mint. Iron and leather on the palate to start. Surprisingly to me, this really blossomed in the glass with some air. So fun to try these older bottles, and what a treat this one was. 93+, based on my notes, but I'm probably being stringy. My WOTN, and the competition was stiff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2019 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
Jason's Guys Night - Bring Something You've Never Had Before (Jason's House): This really surprised me, although I didn't know what to think. Leather, cigar, cedar, dried cherry. My only complaint is there was a touch of sourness on the finish. This wine performed above my expectation.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Guys Night Out: Bring Something You've Never Had (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Medium dark red to marroon color with a 15mm bricked margin, the color largely belies its age. PNP, drank a glass plus over 2 hours. Funny thing about these old BV wines (and old wines in general), and I've had a few now, if they're intact, then they really need at least 15 minutes or more to really open up. Don't be afraid to decant them gently. In this case, I found this getting better throughout the first hour. That's pretty darn impressive for a 50 year old wine. This is one of those wines, you know is older when you drink it, but I suspect not many would guess it this old either. This started off just full of mint in several variations. That seemed to dominate for 15 minutes and then the aromas just blossomed; earthy, dried earth, fine leather, savory, dried cherries and later a pretty black currant top note. The palate is at that wonderfully resolved point where things are so harmonious; cherry, woodsy, subtle and soft, medium body, elegant, mint and spices. It's a beautiful thing to drink a wine like this. Way to go James. 93+ to 94pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2019 - 1lpellicia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Elegant claret type color soft tannins but yet still flavorful, most predominantly plum and tobacco hints
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2018 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous nose of currant and leather with textbook Rutherford dust, not quite as vibrant on the palate, but still quite alive. With air it rounds out and a little mint joins the party, fantastic and a real treat!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2017 - curtr Likes this wine:
At peak drinking, I agree it will not improve, yet has several years of nice drinking ahead. This was the wine of the night. Tasted alongside the 1970 which is in decline, 1965 Charles Krug which is late stage drinkability, 1968 Martin Ray "Cailfornia" which had nice taste, yet odd balsamic aroma and the 2002 Staglin which seemed so young next to the other wines.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
As someone that takes pride in writing more than just a few words to express my experience with a wine, all I really need to say here is, BOOM! (and I never use an exclamation point in a wine's description, so this, too, is saying a lot). It's everything you hope for, and a some more. Because. Plenty of fine notes/descriptors here already. Find. Buy. Drink. Repeat. highly recommended
Served non-blind (and I really know nothing about these wines, so I had no preconception anyway). Special, resonating.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2016 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with light tawny rims. The high- intensity nose offered up cherries, camphor, plum, and soil.
In the mouth, this wine had big rich fruit with light rounded tannin and good length. It had some complexity but not as much as I might hope for.
While this appears to be at its peak, it will certainly last 5-10 years. While it might get better, I wouldn't bet on it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2016 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow wow wow. At a dinner at Press Napa Valley.
Nice red brick color and still good viscosity. Carmely cognac like aromas with cigar smoke and spice. 1 minute plus finish. One of the best wines I've ever tasted. I think it still has a few years of life. Highest recommendation.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2016 - InTheMunee Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was clearly a well-stored bottle with mid-neck fill and cork in good condition. Immediately upon opening, the bouquet smelled surprisingly clean and good. Color was still vibrant and with no real browning. On the nose, the wine exhibited some port-like aromas, but folks didn't seem to mind, and it reflected the fruit still alive in the bottle. The port aromas would occasionally integrate better into the bouquet, but they never really went away. Nice complexity. Nice and balanced on the palate. This wine won fans for how well it performed at 47 years of age (amazingly well). In and of itself, perhaps this wine wasn't fantastic, but in the context of its age and novelty, it was universally liked and voted on as wine of the night against some good competition. The wine totally held up when exposed to air over the three hours. Well-stored bottles of this wine still have years of life left. Nice treat and nice piece of history!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2016 - vinojones wrote: 94 Points
+1 for getting better with time- first tasted after double decant, then 8 hrs later, notes refer to later tasting-
residual bottle gained weight and complexity after the "official" tasting-rich dark cherry and black plum nose; allspice/ cinnamon and berry nose, very much like a 15 yr old BV; med finish. This wine is still at/near peak !
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2016 - BradE wrote:
1969 and 1986 Cali Lunch: Sweet American oak on the nose. Still a lot of fruit. This came on strong with time in the glass, and I liked it a lot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2016 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped and poured. No doubt about it, it is an old Cali cab and a great one. Nose of bright red cherries, pomegranate, red currants, campfire smoke, leather, sage. Palate repeats the nose. As with the last one, this kept going and evolving for more than three hours. Long finish with the tannins completely melted. Beautiful stuff, great with short rib ragu. Sad to drink the last one but glad to catch it while it still was at its very best. Drink over the near term.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2014 - salcorn wrote: 95 Points
When you can get a perfectly stored bottle, this is still an amazing wine, almost identical to the stellar 1968 vintage. In this case tasted from a tenth with perfect fill, the wine exhibited the classic redwood and cedar Greorges de la Tour nose, with only a light amount of maderization typical of this age of California wine. Full bodied fresh red berry fruits on the palate, and a long woody finish. I've started to drink these old BV wines up, but I will be sad to see them go, as they are all little time capsules of how wonderful they were back in the 70s and 80s.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2014 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Another stunner from '69. Tasted after 30 minutes after the cork was removed in 2 pieces. The cork was soft and soaked but it did it's job as this bottle had a top shoulder fill.
What joy springs from this bottle. There were the ripest red fruits and cherries encased in bittersweet chocolate. But wait, there's more! Spices abound along with seasoned leather. The acidity was still there to keep this aged wine balanced and food friendly. If tasted blind I might have guessed a very old Brunello. A wonderful gift, thank you.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2013 - candyman wrote: 90 Points
this bottle had a nid to low shoulder ,some evidence of seapage on the top foil , the cork fell in the bottle when touched. a watery rim but not brown, not cooked at all.definat leather nose, got better after 1 to 2 hours - the mid pallet funk blew off after 40 min.Has some fruit and smooth tannin. comples. better after 3 hours interesting to try. .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2013 - anonymoose12345 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still has so much life! An interesting, delightful treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 95 Points
Just a Friday with buddies (Austin, TX): Popped and poured. Right off the get go this showed a bright red fruit profile on the nose with cherries, red currants, pommegranate, herbs, and hint of leather. This keep filling in and becoming more more interesting the best sips were the last ones after the bottle had been open three hours. Bright flavors of cherry, red currant, cedar, hint of tobacco, plum, leather, and a hint of dust. Finishes with resolved but present tannins and great balance. Absolutely stunning and I might be underrating this particular bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 85 Points
Falling apart and quite oxidised. Since I had spectacular bottles of this I will have to keep searching.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: flawed
Completely oxidised. Too bad.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2011 - Missy3 wrote: 92 Points
11 people tasted the 1969 along with six other BV Private Reserves - 1978, 1985, 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2007. Eight had the 69 as their top wine. Still has a pleasing/big taste and is reasonably full-bodied. Fruit still evident in bouquet and taste unlike lots of older wines. We did not decant this wine, but let it breathe in the bottle for slightly less than 30 min. Clearly this wine will not get any better and should be drunk now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2011 - Racer117 wrote: 95 Points
This wine is as old as me, Sept. '69, and like me it is fantastic! ; )
Tasted about 20 minutes after the cork was pulled. Fading color but still with a tinge of bright red in there. Nose of plums, cherries, and perhaps a whiff of cocoa/chocolate. Surprisingly youthful acidic body; flavors of cherry, leather, a touch of musty earth.Tannins well in the background. Dare I say aged to perfection?
Thank you Javachip for your generosity and for sharing the '68 a few nights prior.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2011 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
Halloween at the U Club (University Club, San Diego): Very top shoulder fill. Cork slightly depressed and slightly loose, removed in two large pieces. Cork was in much better condition than a 1968 BV opened four days prior. Allowed to breathe in bottle for 10 minutes, then decanted gently and served immediately. Clear medium blood-ruby-brick hue. Heavenly bouquet of figs, tart cranberries, red cherry, pomegranate, dry sauna, lavender, mint, rose petals, cashews. Hint of Christmas wreath. Medium body, silky, seamless, substantial yet weightless. Began maderizing in the glass after 40 minutes. As a tobacco non-user, I possess a normal complement of functioning taste buds and olfactory receptors, and so I get all the excitement I could ever want from these elegant, understated old wines. Let the tobacco smokers have their over-extracted fruit bombs. For me, this is about as good as it gets. The clear favorite of the night.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2011 - salcorn wrote: 92 Points
Madierized but still amazing, with Madiera-like complexity, and a sweet, long finish. Classic old Georges, holding up well in a half bottle after more than 40 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2011 - rnellans wrote: flawed
Agree with comments by cct. I'm not sure if the wine was flawed.. most likely, as the nose certainly was not typical. On the palate, it was rich with plenty of fruit and with a nice finish. It's hard to score given the above.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2011 - cct wrote: 89 Points
Original purchase cellared since release. Neck fill, SOM'd overnight.
At first some apple cider on the nose, but underneath was excellent fruit, more black than green olives, savory flavors, and again vanill. Excellent transparency, and quite pretty. Score would be higher without the apple cider. 89 pts Thanks RN.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2011 - jerhardt wrote: 93 Points
A case study in the power of slow-ox. On day one, this was showing delicate and mature and drinking more than 5 years older than the 74 we had side by side. Pleasant and intriguing, but did not wow anyone. Fast forward to the next night to check on the remnants left in the bottle. An amazing transformation with weight, complexity, and fruit all developing. A special treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: 97 Points
Extremely well in shape. Mint, herbs, red fruits, leather. Very very special.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2010 - spotaha wrote: 92 Points
Held up well. Good color and only a couple minutes for the funk to blow off. Still has great fruit and a wonderful finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2010 - NomadicEntrepreneur wrote: 93 Points
slightly bricked, took a little bit to open up til the funk wore off. still good tho!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2009 - Peech wrote: 92 Points
very strong polyurethane and burnt rubber nose, with mineral notes. Tannins a little firmer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2009 - ILTDW wrote:
I purchased this 3 years ago from the winery while on a vist to Napa (paid way too much for it). I opened this 40 year old wine my 40th birthday. This wine was wonderful. It held up very well. Delicious!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2009 - salcorn wrote: 97 Points
Perfectly preserved in a well-filled tenth. Good color. Classic BVGDLTPR nose of redwood and incense. Extremely close in quality to my favorite 1968 vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 93 Points
Mature garnet color. Blackberry aromatics. Tastes of blackcurrant, violet, blackberry and cherry. Lots of cedar. Well balanced. Elegant finish with incredible depth of fruit. This wine is in amazing shape and appears to be stored perfectly over its 40 years of life. After about 20 minutes in the glass this wine began to fade heavily however it was pure heaven up until then. Quite impressive. A beautiful wine made by the man Andre Tchelistcheff himself. 12.5% alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2009 - ntydrd wrote: 89 Points
Pale brick color. Dusty, earthy nose with some red currant fruit showing. Acid overwhelmed fruit flavors - out of balance. Wine improved with time in the glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2009 - jjclips2 wrote: 95 Points
I found this wine to be stunning. Super complex. The nose right off the bat showed a bitter chocolate, dried black fruits, warm spices. Elegant palate with great balance, not a whole lot of fruit, but with delicate warm spices, tea leaves and tobacco. Peaked within half an hour, but offered one great drinking experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2006 - Nanda wrote: 88 Points
Dinner and Fine, Aged Wine at Le Francais (Wheeling, IL): Ruby in color with browning at the rim. Giving nose of cherry fruit and medicinal notes (and the more I sniffed it the more it reminded me or cough syrup). Velvety fruit that had a sherry-like character and firm acidity. In some ways youthful but my feeling is this is breaking down with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2006 - D. Fulton wrote:
Nice nose which still shows plenty of bright red cherry notes. However, the palate is pretty much gone only retaining lots of funkiness and volatile chemical notes, particularly paint thinner. I have no idea what this wine used to be like, but it's undoubtedly far past its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment