dodongo
Member #49,564 signed up 3/27/2008
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2005 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
12/30/2012 - dodongo wrote: 90 Points
As usual, patience pays great dividends with even the entry-level Duckhorn wines. This is their "starter" Cab, nothing vineyard or estate designate about it, just good ol' Napa Valley Cab. Seven years post-vintage, this bad boy has aged only slightly, owing to the house style of unapologetic tannins with well-placed acidity and overall balance with respect to the alcohol presence. It's just great, and if you have more '05s in your cellar, you needn't be in any hurry, in my opinion. Just delicious!
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2002 Oriel-Guiraud Ondine
11/24/2011 - dodongo wrote: 89 Points
This was a lovely, albeit not outstanding, Sauternes. Frankly, I'd like to smell a bit more rot in mine (something a wine geek doesn't often get to say aloud)! It is quite lovely, though, showing massively condensed sugars evocative of various dried fruits, honey, etc., and an absolutely lovely body as one would expect from such a high RS wine. I can't recall much more in the way of specifics other than to say it seemed entirely on the mark for a slightly-aged Sauternes, and it filled its role in the dessert pairing really well. Shared it with friends tonight over a pumpkin pie with cream cheese in the filling, and it was absolutely outstanding in that role. Not in the upper tier of Sauternes, lacking in overall complexity a bit, but a solid value as an example of the style.
[EDIT: I wrote all that to take *major* exception to the recommendation that this wine be consumed "by 2011". No way in hell. If you've got 'em, hold on to them in the cellar. This guy's doing just fine, and will continue to evolve and be of interest for... I can't say how long. Maybe not forever, but probably decades yet, if the cork holds.]
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2005 Iron Horse Vineyards Cabernet Franc T Bar T Vineyard
9/29/2011 - dodongo wrote:
I'm super surprised by this. If you are still fortunate to have this in the cellar, feel free to keep holding on. Tannins have smoothed really nicely, but the fruit is still super-present, and the wine is not in any danger of going over the hill as far as oxidation or tannin precipitation. It's drinking very elegantly and is quite impressive, but I don't get the sense that any hurry is necessary for this one just yet. Can go another year or two to peak, probably. Very nice! [EDIT: Only now re-reading my previous reviews, which I stand by and have me over the moon with respect to my earliest predictions. The acid has indeed come into balance with the wine. The tannins are but a touch astringent still, but this is *much* closer to ideal balance than in previous tastings. I was very wrong at the beginning on how long this wine could go, but rest assured, it's still going there, friends. Very good juice.]
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