25th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective

Lyon Down Inn
Tasted Saturday, November 4, 2023 by Grinner with 124 views

Introduction

Once again we delve into 10 year old wines with even older friends. These bottles were all double decanted at least 3 hours before the first taste. The Spottswoode and a Mt Eden cork broke (that was OFF). Otherwise they looked good! Wines were double blinded with multiple folks involved in a "shell game" once bagged. Everyone had a list so guessing got easier after unbagging each flight as we went!

Flight 1 - The Openers (3 Notes)

The sparklers were served with Tete de Moine en girolle with strawberry lavender jelly in croissant.

The Envy served as the "First Ice Skater" once we were seated

Flight 2 - Red Flight One (6 Notes)

  • 2013 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Flawed

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    4/18 purchase $69. On its side, temp controlled x 5+ years. The cork broke like it was dried! The wine? No nose, no taste, no joy, typical of light TCA. Replaced in this tasting by the Behrens.

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  • 2013 Provenance Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    Black and blue berries with some plum and stone notes. 90 on day 2.

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  • 2013 Orin Swift Papillon 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    My notes is this blind tasting read, "hot, heavy, and a hoot! Who put a big Aussie in this tasting?"

    My last note:
    5/21/2016 rated 91 points: PHMG WAG: 2013 Napa Reds (Lyon Valley): This bottle was a beast! I felt like I needed a whip and a small chair to handle this wine. Those aren't hands on the label, they're claws! Hot, coarse, rustic, and tannic with deep dark fruit reminiscent of a hypothetical Oz/Washington blend containing some Zin. Fun but (palate) tiring. If you only have a couple I'd wait a year. (4553 views)

    It HAS settled down a bit and a bit more on day 2 = 90.

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  • 2013 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Glycerin laden palate giving it a very smooth velvety feel. Dense blackberry and currant fruit with limited complexity and resolved tannins. Denise's WOTN. 90 on day 2 with acid being more obvious. Only a brave soul would save this beyond 2028.

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  • 2013 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Millennium MM Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Ahhh, back to a wine of structure! Valley fruit with some creme de cassis leading the way, supported by spice, mint, and loam. 94 on day 2. Great wine!

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  • 2013 Chalk Hill Estate Red 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill

    Nice mix of red and black fruit supported by iron/mineral and herbal notes. Structure more obvious on day 2 =92pts.

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Flight 3 - Red Flight Two (5 Notes)

  • 2013 Dominus Napanook Red 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Blackberry, black cherry, and raspberry backed by some espresso, licorice and oak. Still very supple and loamy on day 2, 92pts.

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  • 2013 Ridge Monte Bello 96 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    My #3, this screams mountain grown fruit that is deep and mineral laden. The density, balance and length are phenomenal! "Youngest" of these 2013's tonight. Nothing left to try on day 2. Best 2025-2050!

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  • 2013 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

    94+ with "bigger" jammier black fruit than the Monte Bello right before it. Mocha, herbs and graphite wave their pom-poms from the sideline. I could not decide if this was mountain vs. valley fruit during this blind tasting. 93 on day 2.

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  • 2013 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Signature 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Great open nose! this is all about black fruits, mocha, spice, and oak. Notable balance and integration. 93 on day 2.

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  • 2013 DeLille Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Ciel 95 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    SO smooth for a big wine! Blackberry, cassis, plum, licorice, and cocoa sitting on a big oak barrel. I guessed Leonetti. 95 on day 2, wow!

    4 years ago:
    1/18/2019 rated 96 points: Lyon and Woodward Frenzy (Woodyville): On a previous trip to the Carriage house, this was a bonus pour and I was so impressed I asked for 2 (not knowing the $ details!). The guy comes back with a 3 pack in OWC, "you gotta have this!" Then Joe elbows me in the ribs and says, "check the price!" Whoa! Back to one bottle... Now this wine 'tis the coup de grace for the club tasting this day and it's smokin'! Massive crème de cassis, blackberry, spice, mocha and leather go on and on! I'm saving mine for 2023 or 2033! (1686 views)

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Flight 4 - Red Flight Three (5 Notes)

  • 2013 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall Napa Valley 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    93+, this bottle and score suffered a little from a tight nose. The palate made up for it with a blast of blackberry jam, black cherry, Andes chocolate mints, and charcoal/oak. 93 on day 2, both etoh and glycerin more obvious.

    Last time:
    1/20/2018 rated 95 points: PHMG WAG: Cabs of Hall (The Lyon Hall): My WOTN, this bottle had some spice notes overlying the "blackberry jam on toast", black cherry, cocoa, mint, and loam. Layers and layers to find your way through. New World extremism that I wouldn't want often but when the mood hits, hit back and tilt a glass! Now-2028. (4866 views)

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  • 2013 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 94 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Back to a beautiful open nose! Creme de cassis and black berries and cherries. Loam, oak and tannins are formidable goalkeepers, might want to wait a year to take this slapshot. 94 on day 2, structure and berries still fighting it out!

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  • 2013 Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon Jayson Napa Valley 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    During this tasting the structure was winning over the black and red fruit. Nice cinnamon and plum jam notes. 93 on day 2, better balance!

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  • 2013 Entre Nous Cabernet Sauvignon Flawed

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    "Entre NO", this bottle was subtly off and nowhere near as good as a bottle this past summer. I gave it 88pts in my tasting notes as the black fruit, olive note and tannins left an impression. But the VA was more obvious on day 2.

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  • 2013 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    Back to a big stone/mineral driven Cab in this tasting! Currants, black plum, fig, and spice riding the tannin wave. 94 on day 2 with glycerin more obvious-- smooth!

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Flight 5 - Red Flight Four (5 Notes)

  • 2013 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    My scribbles in this blind tasting read just like a previous bottle unblinded:

    2/18/2017 rated 94 points: PHMG WAG Blind Pairs: Quality vs. Price (The Lyon's Downed Tree House): This is a dark brooding wine with black fruit, espresso, stone, and oak notes. The tannins are substantial without being coarse. 94+ on day 2. Drink 2018-2030. (4019 views)

    I'm gonna roll with that!

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  • 2013 Cayuse Flying Pig 93 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    First and only wine where everyone had it pegged before I could even sit down from pouring! Cayuse funk overlying the plummy fruit, smoke, herbs, and violets. 92 on day 2, the funk mellowed substantially.

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  • 2013 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    95+, this bottle would not surprise anyone who likes Hall Cabs. Big, dense and long with currants, blueberries, spice, earth and oak. 95 on day 2, with even better balance (despite the tiny fruit fade). 2024-2030.

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  • 2013 Robert Mondavi Winery BDX 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    This punched above its weight in this blind tasting. Did the smidge of To Kalon fruit prop it up at this age? The complexity from the blend was obvious. Velvety texture with dusty valley fruit and florals. 93 on day 2.

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  • 2013 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    96+ and my WOTN by a stave over the Darioush. My notes in this tasting are usually very short by now but not for this bottle! An open nose of black plum, creme de cassis, fig jam, black cherry, minerals/iron, and stone are reflected on the palate. You can just hear Chris Berman, "It. Could. Go. All. The. WAY!" 96 on day 2 with the glycerin being a hair more obvious while you wax poetic on the balance.

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Flight 6 - Red Flight Five (5 Notes)

Flight 7 - Dessert (1 Note)

Foie gras, thumbprint cookies, or macaron anyone?

  • 2013 Château Climens 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    What a great finish! Both to the wine and the tasting! Orange marmalade, dried apricot, honey, tropical fruits, and caramelized nuts are poised like a jockey on the galloping acidity. Now-2040+.

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Closing

With few exceptions, these were great wines that have 5-10 years left. Great day, great people, so see you for the '14 OPN's in 11/24!

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