9/5/2018 - Dennis Graves Likes this wine:

My first Cayuse, and a bit disappointing, given its price and the hype. It had all the components of a fine syrah, but was surprisingly light. Perhaps it will develop and flesh out in a few years, but right now is not in the league of many of the top syrahs I have had over the past few years.

6/8/2017 - Dennis Graves Likes this wine:

Bought on release about 28 years ago. Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled.
Upon decanting, looked like a wine 20 years younger -- no brick or signs of age. Soft tannins with perfect balance and surprising fruit for a 32 year old wine. Gorgeous layered complexity -- classic Sassicaia. Might have been a bit better 5 years ago, but could drink well for another 5 years. Still ample fruit and a very beautiful bottle. This wine obviously has deserved its very high ratings over the years. A special occasion wine!

6/22/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since release.
Upon decanting, some brick color but looks younger than most 26 year old barolos.
The nose was restrained, but shows some underlying spice and complexity.
On the palate, some typical Barolo tannin, though soft enough to be agreeable. After half an hour or so, the fruit blossomed and was quite impressive for a barolo of this age.
This is a more modern style Barolo.
I expect this wine still has a few years of peak drinking.
While I prefer the 89 Corino Vigna Giachini for its complexity, this is still an excellent wine.

5/22/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release.
Upon decanting, this looked much younger than most 27 year old barolos.
The nose is simply gorgeous, with complex, focused layers of spice and cedar and fruit.
The palate follows through with the same flavors and character: a core of balanced, complex fruit, with a silky mouthfeel that moderates the tannins expected in a mature Barolo from a big vintage.
This is a more modern style Barolo and, while not as big as some of the old-style barolos of this era, it may be as enjoyable as any barolo I have had from the outstanding 89 and 90 vintages.
I expect this wine still has a few years of peak drinking, but I think I will drink my bottles soon and not risk any significant loss of the lovely, complex fruit. An exceptional wine.

5/22/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release. After recently having a number of 89 and 90 barolos that were a bit tired, I am pleased to report that this wine is still in good shape. A perfectly balanced, layered, medium bodied wine with spice and none of the sometimes off-putting heavy leather and overbearing tannins of many mature barolos. After being gassed overnight, still had good fruit and was almost as enjoyable as when opened. Although unlikely to develop further, I think it will hold for another year or two.
While not profound, a highly enjoyable and lovely wine. A Mozart of barolos.

5/20/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since release.
A lot of sediment upon decanting.
Nose tight at first but then shows lovely, classic mature Barolo leather, with a hint of roses and tar.
Needed half an hour to open up and come together, but then showed complexity, with dense, deep, fruit. Masculine, though not rough, with mature Barolo tannins.
A fine exemplar of a mature old-style Barolo, with surprisingly good fruit for its age of 26 years. Although still drinking very well, unlikely to improve and may have been better a year or so ago.
A good winter wine that would be a fine match for pappardelle pasta with wild boar and porcini sauce.

5/17/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release. Upon decanting, appeared much younger than a 27 year old wine. Some Barolo brick at the edges but good dense color.

When first opened and decanted:
Nose tight, but some dense fruit showing underneath.
On the palate, some Barolo tannin but well resolved and very drinkable. Not an "old style" Barolo (not big and rough-edged with leather, tar, and astringent tannins). Rather, this is an elegant, balanced wine, with real character and wonderful fruit. The flavors are intense but hard to compare to any other Barolo I can think of, except possibly some of the best Sandrone Cannubi Boschis wines from the 80s. (That is good company.) A wonderful wine that is drinking well now, and should hold for several more years. Seductive, almost silky quality. Beautiful and hard to put the glass down!

After open for an hour:
Elegant, intense fruit is still there, as is the silky mouth feel, though I don't think I would risk decanting this wine 3 or more hours in advance of drinking. Fine complex balance of fruit, acid and Barolo tannin. Would perfectly accompany a creamy white truffle risotto.
Gorgeous wine. Wish all my 89 and 90 barolos were as good!

5/15/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since release. Slight brick color at the edges, but quite youthful for a 32 year old cab. Nose lovely though not showing a lot of fruit.
Palate is very nice, with leather and coffee and cassis. Still a bit of the Dunn Howell tannin, but well-resolved. Surprisingly good fruit for a cab this age, with nice balance and complexity. Still drinking very well and probably will hold for a few more years, although I see no reason to wait.
At a recent tasting of 5 Dunn Howell from the 80s this wine was one of the top three (along with the 82 and the 89). A fine example of the masculine Howell Mountain cabs of the 80s.

5/1/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Nose spicy but somewhat closed. Palate shows lots of rich, dense Oregon pinot, with pepper the most dominant note. Smooth, silky quality. This could use a bit more time. It may improve for a year or two, but don't know if I would chance holding it a lot longer. The 2012 Archery Summit wines were among the very top wines I tasted in an extensive 2014 tasting trip in which I tried hundreds of Oregon pinots.
Very nice pinot. It may lack the structure and complexity of top burgundies, but is very fine example of new world (Oregon) pinot.

4/5/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release circa 2000.
For those who doubt that Vino Nobile di Montepulciano can rise to levels of a great brunello, let me say that this bottle is the equal of any of the several outstanding 88 or 90 brunellos I have had over the past few years. Dense, intense, complex nose and palate, with great fruit. This is a hedonistic bottle, with tannins well-resolved and drinking at its peak. It should remain at its peak for at least another year or two -- perhaps considerably more. The body and silky mouth fill is reminiscent of a fine burgundy, though the flavors of course are quintessentially sangiovese.
While I have had difficulty finding Vino Nobile wines that have the concentration of fruit to outlast the tannins inherent in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, this bottle is one that shows what the appellation can produce in an outstanding vintage from a top producer and vineyard.

3/17/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since purchase 23 years ago.

Good color. Classic mature, old style Barolo nose and palate. After opened for half an hour, was really quite extraordinary. A masculine nose and palate with intense mature fruit, complexity and typical mature Barolo tannins. Excellent wine that is among the best of the many mature barolos I have had from top producers of the outstanding 89 and 90 vintages. Fully mature and not likely to improve, but from my cool cellar is still drinking very well.

3/6/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Nose quite closed, but elegant and showing good potential. Palate restrained but good acid and balance, with a silky mouth feel. An overall elegant impression. If the fruit develops as one would hope, could be very good in 3 years and last several more. At present, could be mistaken for a good Oregon pinot.
Best to wait 3 years to open the next bottle.

2/12/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Bought in 2015 on auction. When first opened, fruit was tight and a stemmy bitterness predominated. After an hour was better but still not enough fruit. Gassed overnight and next day was considerably better, indicating this wine needs at least another 2 or 3 years to develop. Then, could merit a higher rating.

1/19/2016 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since purchase.
Upon decanting, nose was very funky. That mostly blew off over 15 minutes or so.
On the palate: Some mature Barolo astringency, but still enough fruit, balance and complexity to be a nice bottle. Still drinking well, but would not hold much longer.

12/6/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since purchase 25 years ago.
Gorgeous silky mouth feel, with lovely fruit, excellent balance and good complexity. Tannins are evident, but soft. Compared to some of the Dunn Howell Mountain wines I have had from the 80s, this is more elegant.
Really an excellent bottle, which should drink very well for several more years.

11/19/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Had 11/15 out of magnum. Had been stored since purchase at 55 degrees, humidity controlled.
Decanted 7 hours ahead of dinner, but should have decanted 9 or 10 hours ahead as the wine was just starting to open up during dinner. Although a bit too tannic for the fruit that showed prior to dinner, this bottle started to show very nicely towards the end of the evening. Tar, roses -- a classic big Barolo.
I have some regular (750ml) bottles, and will likely not open any for another couple of years. At that time, I suspect the wine might merit the 95 points Parker gave it early on.

10/4/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees with humidity control since purchase in Italy 20 years ago.
Although I would not hold this longer, it has good color, indicating perhaps a few more years of life.
Gorgeous dense, tobacco and spice nose.
Good depth and complexity. Still enough fruit to balance the soft but evident tannins. Not a big wine (medium bodied), but it has a mouth-filling, almost silky, quality.
Quite lovely.

8/24/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since release.
Needed a good hour to open up after decanting. Better after 2 hours.
This is a big, brawny intense wine. Although it has complexity and depth and richness, it also is elegant.
No need to drink this anytime soon as the fruit is still there.
An impressive cab.

7/21/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

When 20+ years old, most wines that were highly rated upon release do not live up to their young ratings. This one does and, at 30, is gorgeous. In fact, Parker's 95 rating about 2 years ago is probably low. Upon decanting, this wine showed brawny and big, with lots of tight fruit a lovely eucalyptus nose. An hour later it smoothed out and became a perfectly balanced, intense and rich cab. Really quite exceptional. While wonderful now, it should drink well for at least a few more years. Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release.

7/5/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

A very lovely, balanced, fruity, fuller-bodied wine with softer tannins and the really wonderful silky mouthfeel that you find in the top syrahs, often from France. La Mouline's little brother?
This drinks well right now but will last for at least 5 years and perhaps considerably more.
I have had the 2012 pinots from this producer, and have been very impressed. This 2012 syrah tells me that the Failla winemaker really knows his business across the board. From the 2012s, I would put this winery on my short list of top new world producers.

6/16/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

A recent purchase, but seems to have been stored well. Dark, youthful color -- no mature brick on edges.
Nose is strong, dense.
This wine is still on the young side. If I had more bottles, I would wait for another 5 years as it might develop further.
A masculine, somewhat coarse syrah, with pretty good concentration and power. Some complexity but not exceptional.
Some tannic astringency. Not as rich, mouth-filling, silky or smooth as the top northern Rhone syrahs.
In my opinion, the high (99 point) Parker rating on release was a bit optimistic. Good, but not 99 point great.
Would match best with gamey red meat or strong cheeses.

6/14/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Much better than the other bottle opened a few months ago. Same storage at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release, but this bottle much better. Very good fruit for a 30 year old wine. Good complexity. Well balanced. Silky, smooth and very enjoyable. Excellent.

6/10/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Deep, rich color. Dense syrah nose. Took two hours to come together after opening, but then was very full, rich, dense and quite complex. Next day (gassed) was smooth and beautiful. Drink 2017 to 2022.

6/6/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since release.
Mature cab brickish color. Nice mature cab nose.
On the palate, still decent fruit. Quite well-balanced, brawny, dense, quite complex. Notes of chocolate and tobacco and cassis. Tannins soft but evident.
Holding up quite well for a 30 year old wine, but would drink within a year.

6/4/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled for 25 years.
I have recently been disappointed in how some of my 80s cabs have held up. This bottle has redeemed my faith in the ability of Cal cabs to age well and stand up to the great Bordeaux.
Slight brick color around the edges, but surprisingly young looking. Nose is gorgeous with notes of classic cab cassis and a hint of tobacco. Rich, quite complex, med-full bodied with outstanding fruit for a 30 year old wine. Well balanced and well resolved tannins.
While I have had a few California cabs that have been better at 30 years (eg, 74 Heitz Marthas), this wine is a great example of what you hope to have after storing a valuable wine for a quarter century.

5/27/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since release.
Mature brick color. Very nice mature brunello nose. Although still a pleasant wine, probably should have been drunk a few years ago. However, even then it likely would have lacked the complexity, body and fruit of the top brunellos of the vintage.
When compared to the top wines of that vintage that I have had recently, a bit disappointing.

5/22/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Fully mature but still with very good fruit. Really a nice super Tuscan. Rich and full with a lovely core of dense fruit. Better than the bottle I had a month or so ago.

5/21/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

One of my quests in wine is to find a new world chardonnay that satisfies as much as a fine pinot, even though rated highly. Although most highly rated chardonnays disappoint me, this wine does not. Indeed, I think the Parker 93 rating does not do it justice. Although still young, this wine is in the league of the really top California chardonnays I have had (eg, the top Rochiolli and Kistler wines). Butterscotch and spice, with excellent balance and depth of flavor. Drinks well now, but should improve over at least the next two years.
A winner!

4/25/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release. Relatively little sediment upon decanting.
Nose is lovey cabernet cassis, elegant but subdued.
On the palate, this wine follows the nose -- elegant but not deep or complex enough to reach the 95 + level.
Still drinking well, but probably will not improve, although 24 hours later (gassed) this bottle was almost as good as an hour after opening.

4/19/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees (humidity controlled) for 20+ years.
Upon decanting, classic cabernet cassis nose, but muted.
An hour after decanting, was an enjoyable, relatively complex, mature cab, but lacked the fruit to merit a higher rating.
As with most 25+ year cabs, Probably should have been drunk a few years ago.

4/16/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release.
Threw a huge amount of sediment upon decanting. Dense brackish color.
After half an hour, was quite impressive. Fruit still holding up well, but probably should be drunk fairly soon. Big, brawny, rich, but balanced, brunello. Would go with a steak -- a brunello in cabernet clothing.
24 hours later (gassed overnight). Really impressive. Silky, smooth, rich, dense, and gorgeous. I cannot think of a 20+ year old brunello I have had that is better.

4/8/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since 1990.
Nice mature cab, which still has enough fruit to be enjoyable. Not a big, complex wine, but still quite nice. Should not be held any longer.

4/7/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release.
After decanted and open for half an hour:
Nose tight, but lovely full bodied, silky burgundy with soft tannins and good balance. Fruit ok, but hopefully will open up and show a bit more.
An hour later: rounded out a bit, but not much more fruit.

4/6/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release.
Slight brick color. Medium bodied. Lovely cab/merlot nose: pencil lead and light berry.
Tannins soft, with a silky mouth feel. A half hour after decanting, good fruit and balance. Not a complex wine, but lovely and fully mature -- very enjoyable. Drink over next year.

4/4/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Gorgeous pinot nose with notes of vanilla. Palate showing some tannins, though soft. Medium body and richness. Good pinot spice and flavors, and some complexity. Could gain complexity and improve for a year or two.
Very enjoyable, but won't be a deep, complex or profound wine. Would not expect this to be long lived -- drink over next one to four years.

4/4/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release.
Some brick but color good for a wine 25 years old.
Very tannic and a quite harsh until 2 hours after decanting. Then it opened up, smoothed out, and was pretty good. Tannins somewhat too pronounced and the wine not as complex and rich as I might have hoped for this producer, vineyard and outstanding vintage. Still, this bottle showed enough fruit to be quite drinkable 20 hours later (gassed overnight).
Bussia is a bit earlier maturing than some of his other wines, so it may have been better two or three years ago.

3/27/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

A lovely, medium bodied pinot with good rich pinot character. Although it still has good acid and nice fruit, I think this bottle is at its peak and may not improve with time. Quite enjoyable.

3/19/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, climate controlled, since release.
This is a terrific reserve chianti. Soft tannins and lots of fruit. Beautifully balanced and good complexity.
This bottle still has time, though drinking perfectly now.

3/5/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release. Drank quite well soon after decanting but, while not a lot of fruit left, was smoother and better 24 hours after opening: smooth, luscious, silky brunello .

3/1/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled since purchase about 27 years ago.
Good color. Very nice, though somewhat tight, cassis nose. After opened for 45 minutes, this was a classic mature Montelena cab. Well balanced, with smooth tannins. Showing some acid with mature fruit. Complex flavors of cassis, leather, and pencil.
Fruit may have been better 3 years ago, but still has life.

2/27/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Amber color. Pronounced butterscotch nose. Older than its years, with some oxidation. While complex, palatable and enjoyable, not as good as the 2004 River Block that I recently had. Since this wine should stand up well for at least 6 years from vintage, I suspect this bottle was not stored well (a recent purchase, so I don't know how it was stored. )

2/26/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

This bottle is still holding up surprisingly well, but it is not (and never was) an outstanding chianti. Certainly was a decent bottle, but lacks the depth and complexity of one of the really top chiantis.

2/24/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored since release at 55 degrees, humidity controlled.
Soon after decanted, showed a lovely silky quality with good balance and depth. Tannins evident but smooth. Would not hold a lot longer but now has beautiful, mature fruit. A gorgeous mature brunello. Compared to the 88 Riserva, which I recently had, this is superior, mostly because of the additional fruit.

2/22/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

After opened for an hour, showed nice balance and good structure, though could use a bit more fruit. Nice wine that may still be coming out of a dumb period OR may be a bit over the hill. Time will tell?

2/17/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored 55 degrees, with humidity control.
Good color. After decanted for half an hour, was well integrated and balanced, with soft tannins. Nice, mature supertuscan that still has some life, though probably should be drunk within a year or so.

2/15/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

After decanted and open for 45 minutes, displayed adequate fruit and smoothed out to become very enjoyable. Fully mature, balanced and lovely. Might have been better a few years ago, but very nice now. Quite rich for a wine of its age.

2/14/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

This bottle was stored at 55 degrees with humidity control since purchase circa 1990. After opened and decanted for an hour, showed nice Barolo character and structure, but unfortunately was a bit over the hill in terms of fruit. Might have been an outstanding wine 5 years ago.
Over time , I have learned that some old Barolo need to be opened a considerable time (eg 6 to 10 + hours) to show their best, and this is one.
Next day: still lacking in the fruit I had hoped would open up and show after open overnight (gassed). However, was smoother and quite enjoyable.

2/9/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees (with humidity control) since release. Good color. Decanted and quickly rounded into form. Rich and big, but well-balanced, with a softly tannic underpinning and surprisingly good fruit for a 27 year old wine. The cabernet seems to predominate over the sangiovese. Indeed, many might peg this for a top notch Bordeaux from the 80s in a blind tasting. Very nice wine, that still has life. Once again, a top Italian wine surpasses most of my California cabs from the same era.
Next day (gassed overnight): Smoothed out overnight. Still superb. As good as the day before.

2/8/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release. This bottle needed 2 to 3 hours after decanting to open up and come together. At that point, it was quite well balanced and enjoyable. However, I believe it is at the end of its drinking window and, indeed, would have been better 2 or 3 years ago.

2/7/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote:

Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled. Decanted and open for 30+ minutes. The wine showed a complex, masculine structure with good balance and still enough fruit to be quite satisfying. 27 years from vintage, this wine has held up surprisingly well, which again demonstrates that an Italian wine from an outstanding vintage and top producer/vineyard will hold up better than many (if not most) California cabs.