1.5-hr decant. At almost ten years after the chilly Napa summer of 1999, the youthful, sour, black cherry notes continue to dominate this insistent, memorable, but not loveable wine, which stays interesting for its underlying black coffee and slight autumnal notes on the medium finish. Made an impression with both grilled steak and roasted chicken.
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Dark garnet. Cedary nose backed up by a solid core of fruit leads the way into a palate that is juicy and moderately sweet, belying its age, and round but still very savory. The youthful austerity noted by Parker seems to have been outgrown.
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Second night incomparably better than the first. Opened for an hour or two the first night, during and after which (while it was corked and layered with a puff of Private Preserve) it lost a harsh acidity and left us with iced coffee and black cherry and an inticing savory merlotness.
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6/14/2009 - Rollerball wrote: 91 Points
1.5-hr decant. At almost ten years after the chilly Napa summer of 1999, the youthful, sour, black cherry notes continue to dominate this insistent, memorable, but not loveable wine, which stays interesting for its underlying black coffee and slight autumnal notes on the medium finish. Made an impression with both grilled steak and roasted chicken.
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11/26/2007 - tcfishler wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet. Cedary nose backed up by a solid core of fruit leads the way into a palate that is juicy and moderately sweet, belying its age, and round but still very savory. The youthful austerity noted by Parker seems to have been outgrown.
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10/4/2007 - alexc wrote: 88 Points
Although improving after a day in decanter this was a rather sharp, acidic wine without many redeeming features. Paasable but not distinctive.
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8/16/2007 - Rollerball wrote: 90 Points
Distinctive and significant but not overly friendly. The savory notes do keep you coming back for another sip. Next time remember to decant.
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6/26/2007 - Rollerball wrote: 91 Points
Second night incomparably better than the first. Opened for an hour or two the first night, during and after which (while it was corked and layered with a puff of Private Preserve) it lost a harsh acidity and left us with iced coffee and black cherry and an inticing savory merlotness.
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