Much better than my last bottle. The fruit was still hanging on, lots of green pepper notes. Very Napa. The wine improved the next day, showing riper fruit and less of that green pepper note (some love it, I tolerate it).
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A friend found a stack of these bottles in a neighbor's basement so he brought a few over to pop open and check out.
The cork was fully saturated, with a little seepage. The fill was low in the neck. I thought for sure that this one was a goner. The cork came out in two pieces, and a muddy smell of cherry and vanilla emanated from the bottle. I decanted the wine and served immediately.
It took a good five minutes for the funk to blow off, the wine revealed it's better nature. Notes of leather, ripe black cherries, old wood, and vanilla filled the glass. The wine is surprisingly youthful in appearance with a vivid garnet tint. Flavors echo the nose, with fully integrated tannins and a nice, balanced acidity, the wine drinks very well. I would say that the wine was probably better, maybe a bit more complex 5-10 years ago, but this was a very pleasant surprise- part of me wants to give it a few more points because of that.
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Older nuances of baked cherries and red fruit. Some underlying eucalyptus and cedar. Old but not over the hill. Fruit still alive. Much better than last experience.
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7/6/2017 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:
Much better than my last bottle. The fruit was still hanging on, lots of green pepper notes. Very Napa. The wine improved the next day, showing riper fruit and less of that green pepper note (some love it, I tolerate it).
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11/20/2015 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine: 90 Points
A friend found a stack of these bottles in a neighbor's basement so he brought a few over to pop open and check out.
The cork was fully saturated, with a little seepage. The fill was low in the neck. I thought for sure that this one was a goner. The cork came out in two pieces, and a muddy smell of cherry and vanilla emanated from the bottle. I decanted the wine and served immediately.
It took a good five minutes for the funk to blow off, the wine revealed it's better nature. Notes of leather, ripe black cherries, old wood, and vanilla filled the glass. The wine is surprisingly youthful in appearance with a vivid garnet tint. Flavors echo the nose, with fully integrated tannins and a nice, balanced acidity, the wine drinks very well. I would say that the wine was probably better, maybe a bit more complex 5-10 years ago, but this was a very pleasant surprise- part of me wants to give it a few more points because of that.
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6/13/2013 - allenAchilles wrote: 94 Points
Spectacular still - from Magnum
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12/23/2012 - cjsavino wrote: 92 Points
This was our second bottle of the night and paired with the main course. Dusty on the nose, Bdx like with slight tannins and well integrated fruits.
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6/12/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 89 Points
Older nuances of baked cherries and red fruit. Some underlying eucalyptus and cedar. Old but not over the hill. Fruit still alive. Much better than last experience.
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