Consumed August 3rd at my bachelor party alongside RockinCabs – shared tasting notes - Nose: lead pencil and incredibly floral like rose pedals and lilacs. very nuanced and delicate with hints of steel and slate. Little less rim variation than I would have expected so aging really well. Palate: cool berry fruit, get that steely characteristic from cool mint herbalness. The absolutely scream of unlit cigar and tobacco, this was the huge marker that stuck with me. Holding up phenomenally well and the lingering fruit is still well integrated (stewed strawberry mixed with plum and cassis). Would get into these though if you’ve got them.

Consumed August 3rd at my bachelor party alongside RockinCabs – shared tasting note - Nose: Cedar, leather, lead and oak barrel. Palate is 100% classic Napa Howell Mountain fruit but given the age drinks like a very sophisticated Bordeaux. The fruit has been extracted nicely with still impressive blueberry, sage, blackberry fruit and plum/raspberry. The cedar wood that comes through this is amazing with round oak nuances, leather and tobacco spice. Throwing a ton of sediment. This one is drinking perfectly right now and the marker that stuck with me was I could have mistaken this for an old Bordeaux given how well it’s integrated and mellowed out. Of the 80s vintage high quality Napa wines I’ve tasted, this is one of the best.

Consumed August 3rd at my bachelor party alongside RockinCabs – shared tasting note – Agreeing w/ RockinCabs on this one, this is what gets people on cult cab. Monster wine as it opened but integrated in a way that feels finessed and light/delicate on the palate and not overwhelming. Nose: heat given it’s youth and plum, dark cherry fruit, cassis, mocha and definitely baking spice (not sure if there is some American oak on this but maybe). I love the floral cab franc (one of my favorite varietals) in this for a little roundness too. Palate: Plum, raspberry, blueberry, heat, chocolate and I get a surprisingly pleasant amount of acid on this wine too which might account for 09 being a relatively temp moderate vintage. This is such classic Oakville with that haunting terroir. This wine rocks but will hang in very a long time. Probably could have decanted this for many hours before service.

Consumed August 3rd at my bachelor party alongside RockinCabs – shared tasting notes – This one was one of the tougher wines for me that night given how tight it was and the incredible complexity and gripping tannin structure. Nose: Sweet fruit, cherry pie, graphite, mineral, pencil. Palate: Cherry pie, sweet baked apple spice, maybe a touch of pineapple fruit (sweetness and acid balance maybe). This was really complex with some elements and flavors that were a very new terroir to me. Incredibly impressive complexity with this wine. This is going to hang for a very very long time could decant for a long time and probably wish I had another one of these to really focus on.