1999 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Community Tasting Notes (31) Avg Score: 89.9 points

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  12/31/2023 - Winokdub wrote: 92 Points

  Probably a hair past it prime but still fantastic.

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  9/24/2016 - TSRFan wrote: 95 Points

  Deep red color, little oxidation, perfectly ripe red fruit, current, raspberry, floral notes, faint eucalyptus, maybe dried thyme, mocha, beef jerky, faint dust, light oak, medium acidity, good body, soft/silky tannins, med alcohol - AMAZING for a 17 year old wine. Just perfect!

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  7/1/2015 - unionst Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Is Little Richard in the house? Good golly miss Miss Molly!
  
  As dark a wine as you will see. Black with dark cherry at the edge.
  
  Blackberries, ripe currants, leather, some mint with black pepper and green peppercorns in the background. Think of Munch's painting "The Scream"...this wine is in agony for a steak.
  
  Thrilling concentration of dark-berried fruit and plum, sweet and granular tannins, a little tree root for grip. The finish has both astringency (think lemon peel in an espresso) and length. The depth and concentration of this wine make it elite.
  
  As a side note, I overbought 1999 Cabs in general (newly built cellar and determined to fill it - yes, a bit of a rookie mistake). I have found most to be overripe for my palate and, in general, a bit disappointing in that they ar mostly one dimensional. While this example does not deliver layers of nuance it delights because its core (concentration and purity of fruit with great balance) is as good as it gets. 100% Napa terror. Just Outstanding!

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  4/11/2015 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine: 93 Points

  The shoulder of the bottle was packed with sediment, so I decanted for about an hour and a half. Upon decanting, I noticed that wine still looked very youthful- a nice purple rim with no bricking. Notes of creme de cassis, tannic black fruit, and earth were prominent. Flavors of tar, mint, black cherry, black plums, and leather were prominent. The wine was deftly balanced with there being a good amount of fruit left in the wine. I'd don't know if this wine is at it's peak (I'd bet on some good bottle variance) but damn was this a nice wine.

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  3/23/2015 - skoppel Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Fully integrated, drinking at its peak, chocolate and tar come through with a nice longish finish. Did not have much leftover the next day so my sense is that it is at the end of its window.

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