NFL wildcard weekend football with Walter (Titans vs Patriots). PnP. Brick red in color. Dried cherries and flowers on the nose. Bkack cherries plums and cocoa on the palate with leather and eucalyptus in the background. Medium body wuth tannins fully resolved. Not as powerful as the bottle I had in 2015, but still a very enjoyable wine after a quarter century. (The shorter finish was perhaps the most notable difference.) Went nicely with my beef sandwich.
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Didn't taste as old as it was, but the lower alcohol made it noticeably different versus newer vintages. Plum, blueberries, leather, and sweet pipe tobacco. Ripe tannins, lively acidity. Nice balance. Good wine, nothing spectacular. Won't get any better.
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Super Tasting 3 of 5; Going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali (Maciej and Steve host a 1994 California Horizontal) (George, Toronto, ON): Served blind. Popped and poured. Garnet in the glass, with a light brick. On the nose, this is very clean, with dark fruits, mint, spice, but not really showing much in the way of complexity. On the palate, quite clean, with nice concentration, with sweet dark fruit, spice, earth, mint and pyrazine notes. Well crafted, relatively polished, but showing a bit simplistic. Reveal was not all that surprising. Reasonable wine, but not of much interest on this nice.
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Year 2 - Super Tasting 3 of 5 - Maciej and Steve do 1994 Napa Cabernet (George Restaurant, Toronto, ON): Popped and poured, served blind. Notes of menthol, pure dark fruit, mint....dense but lacking complexity....a typical cali bruiser. Palate showed big dark fruit, mint, menthol but not a lot else...the fruit is overwhelming and over the top for me. The finish had big fruit, nothing else and was boring to say the least
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1994 California Cabernet Horizontal (Super Tasting Year 2, 3 of 5) (George Restaurant, Toronto, ON): (tasted single blind) This had aged well, though hasn't picked up any secondary interest for my palate. Nose is ripe and forward. Typical straightforward Cali cab. Lush and densely black fruited with baking spice and a hint of Jujube. Elevated alcohol. The palate reveals bitter anise notes and firm tannin. This performed at or near expectations.
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Dark color. Aromas of perfumed florals, dark fruit, tobacco and cedar. Fully-integrated and balanced with flavors of dark fruit, chocolate and saddle leather. Long finish. 93+ pts.
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Green pepper, baby. A smooth operator with some green intrigue. Strong and rich nose, tannic grip and deep, dark, lingering fruit. Quite complex and satisfying. An elegant, aged Californian with remaining life. But don't wait long.
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I've has this in the cellar since release. This is my first bottle in at least 12 years, probably since its release. Really impressive wine. Still adequate tannins left but really supple fine tannins. Very classic styled wine. Lots of red berries, cherry and cassis. Some really sweet componentes although the wine does not seem sweet on the palate. Drank next to a 93 Viader and this really showed the Viader up. Really good classic cab.
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Drank at the end of a very fun evening. Not a very remarkable wine. Seemed a bit over the hill, but that certainly should be taken with a grain of salt. Very little fruit with mostly a green tea, wet leather earthiness feel. We were having too much fun anyway to really notice.
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I decanted one bottle and poured two into reidel sommiliers about two hours before dinner. It was better when first opened. Cassis is the prominent flavor.
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Purchased in secondary market in 2001 for $30. Opened and allowed to sit (undecanted) for 90 mins. Fruit is still present but beginning to diminish from recollection. Nice body, extremely well-integrated tanins. Fruit flavors don't scream out any particular characteristics, but have red-fruit dimensions, along with a bit of dark tea leaf, tar and earth. Outstanding mouthfeel and a nice if brief 15-20 second finish of fruit - tannic flavor lingers on for about 40 seconds. This is a very nice bottle; presently my final bottle, but I may seek more out for near-term consumption.
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Did not decant. Initial pour had largely fruit aroams and a very quick finish. Over the course of 4.5 hrs this opened up fairly well. Nice legs but a little off-balance. Figs, berries, leather and bit of glycerin, which eventually dissipated. Alcohol seemed much stiffer than the 13% on the label. Mint and faint oak came out after two hours, with casis, plum and big cherry appearing later. Good mouthfeel, 20+ second finish and an outstanding wine for all of $30 when first purchased. Still have 1 bottle left and will hang onto it for another 2 years before opening.
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1/4/2020 - mhudes Likes this wine: 91 Points
NFL wildcard weekend football with Walter (Titans vs Patriots). PnP. Brick red in color. Dried cherries and flowers on the nose. Bkack cherries plums and cocoa on the palate with leather and eucalyptus in the background. Medium body wuth tannins fully resolved. Not as powerful as the bottle I had in 2015, but still a very enjoyable wine after a quarter century. (The shorter finish was perhaps the most notable difference.) Went nicely with my beef sandwich.
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11/15/2015 - DRK III Likes this wine: 90 Points
Didn't taste as old as it was, but the lower alcohol made it noticeably different versus newer vintages. Plum, blueberries, leather, and sweet pipe tobacco. Ripe tannins, lively acidity. Nice balance. Good wine, nothing spectacular. Won't get any better.
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2/26/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 89 Points
I found this to be hanging tough after 20 years - leather and plum with sweet tannin still present
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6/7/2014 - alittle wrote: 89 Points
Super Tasting 3 of 5; Going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali (Maciej and Steve host a 1994 California Horizontal) (George, Toronto, ON): Served blind. Popped and poured. Garnet in the glass, with a light brick. On the nose, this is very clean, with dark fruits, mint, spice, but not really showing much in the way of complexity. On the palate, quite clean, with nice concentration, with sweet dark fruit, spice, earth, mint and pyrazine notes. Well crafted, relatively polished, but showing a bit simplistic. Reveal was not all that surprising. Reasonable wine, but not of much interest on this nice.
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6/7/2014 - Dave Canada wrote: 89 Points
Year 2 - Super Tasting 3 of 5 - Maciej and Steve do 1994 Napa Cabernet (George Restaurant, Toronto, ON): Popped and poured, served blind.
Notes of menthol, pure dark fruit, mint....dense but lacking complexity....a typical cali bruiser.
Palate showed big dark fruit, mint, menthol but not a lot else...the fruit is overwhelming and over the top for me.
The finish had big fruit, nothing else and was boring to say the least
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6/7/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote: 89 Points
1994 California Cabernet Horizontal (Super Tasting Year 2, 3 of 5) (George Restaurant, Toronto, ON): (tasted single blind) This had aged well, though hasn't picked up any secondary interest for my palate. Nose is ripe and forward. Typical straightforward Cali cab. Lush and densely black fruited with baking spice and a hint of Jujube. Elevated alcohol. The palate reveals bitter anise notes and firm tannin. This performed at or near expectations.
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6/6/2014 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Dark color. Aromas of perfumed florals, dark fruit, tobacco and cedar. Fully-integrated and balanced with flavors of dark fruit, chocolate and saddle leather. Long finish. 93+ pts.
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1/16/2014 - jeffal66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Green pepper, baby. A smooth operator with some green intrigue. Strong and rich nose, tannic grip and deep, dark, lingering fruit. Quite complex and satisfying. An elegant, aged Californian with remaining life. But don't wait long.
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12/6/2011 - JKGarden wrote:
wine was ok cork fell apart
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7/29/2010 - SparkDogg wrote: 89 Points
On the decline - drink up if you have any left.
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12/27/2008 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 91 Points
I've has this in the cellar since release. This is my first bottle in at least 12 years, probably since its release. Really impressive wine. Still adequate tannins left but really supple fine tannins. Very classic styled wine. Lots of red berries, cherry and cassis. Some really sweet componentes although the wine does not seem sweet on the palate. Drank next to a 93 Viader and this really showed the Viader up. Really good classic cab.
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3/14/2007 - gregg g wrote:
Drank at the end of a very fun evening. Not a very remarkable wine. Seemed a bit over the hill, but that certainly should be taken with a grain of salt. Very little fruit with mostly a green tea, wet leather earthiness feel. We were having too much fun anyway to really notice.
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12/26/2005 - johnleeper wrote: 90 Points
I decanted one bottle and poured two into reidel sommiliers about two hours before dinner. It was better when first opened. Cassis is the prominent flavor.
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12/24/2005 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Purchased in secondary market in 2001 for $30. Opened and allowed to sit (undecanted) for 90 mins. Fruit is still present but beginning to diminish from recollection. Nice body, extremely well-integrated tanins. Fruit flavors don't scream out any particular characteristics, but have red-fruit dimensions, along with a bit of dark tea leaf, tar and earth. Outstanding mouthfeel and a nice if brief 15-20 second finish of fruit - tannic flavor lingers on for about 40 seconds. This is a very nice bottle; presently my final bottle, but I may seek more out for near-term consumption.
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6/30/2005 - cjyounge wrote: 92 Points
Very good. Could have sat for another year.
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2/15/2004 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Did not decant. Initial pour had largely fruit aroams and a very quick finish. Over the course of 4.5 hrs this opened up fairly well. Nice legs but a little off-balance. Figs, berries, leather and bit of glycerin, which eventually dissipated. Alcohol seemed much stiffer than the 13% on the label. Mint and faint oak came out after two hours, with casis, plum and big cherry appearing later. Good mouthfeel, 20+ second finish and an outstanding wine for all of $30 when first purchased. Still have 1 bottle left and will hang onto it for another 2 years before opening.
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