1/19/2020 - 2p8h wrote:

Despite laudable concentration of dark fruit, the green/herbal elements overpower the wine currently. Perhaps time will help. On the tongue, a bitter attack, think unsweetened chocolate, whose flavor is lurking in the shadows. Would enjoy with food.

5/10/2019 - 2p8h Likes this wine:

The absolute best cab blend I’ve had this year. Everything in balance. Delicious beyond words. I’m not sure why other reviewers have been stingy with their ratings.

4/19/2018 - 2p8h Likes this wine:

Super concentrated, well integrated, palate coating ecstasy in a bottle. Wish I had bought two cases.

10/19/2017 - 2p8h Likes this wine:

Fantastic Wine, but far too young to experience its full potential. What was I thinking? Patience will be rewarded, I’m sure. Bold, mouth-puckering tannins are getting in the way now, but will shepherd the bountiful blueberry and plum fruit well into the next two decades. Enjoy now with serious decanting and a hunk of cheese, but return in a dozen years and swoon over a classy California Cab. So happy to have a dozen more bottles!

1/8/2017 - 2p8h Likes this wine:

A surprisingly nice wine for under $12 a bottle at a local wine megamart. Was touted by their staff as the best wine value in the store. Offers a pleasant plum, forest floor, and slightly dusty and herbal nose. Dark in the glass and dense on the pallet, the wine nevertheless has an approachable tannin structure. This is a bit too austere to enjoy by itself as an afternoon quaff on the patio, and I'd probably avoid serving to beginners, but it does come alive with food. Try with white cheddar or other firm cheese. I would totally serve with lunch and cook with it. OMG, the perfect beef bourguignon wine. Can get a whole case for the price of a single bottle of a better known right bank wine.

3/2/2014 - 2p8h wrote:

Absolutely stunning.

2/26/2014 - 2p8h wrote:

Pity that "pape du neuf" did not have a chance to taste an untainted bottle of this wine. Simply delicious, medium body, delightfully generous red fruit flavors. Thank you, Doug Wilder, for recommending it years ago! Food friendly. Pity also I have only three more bottles left.

2/8/2013 - 2p8h wrote:

Outstanding!

2/5/2013 - 2p8h wrote:

For me, a memorable wine experience. Though no stranger to great wine, I seldom have the opportunity to taste wine nearly as old as myself. (I shall have the chance to taste a chateau Margaux from my birth year 1953 on my sixtieth in July). I was impressed how fresh and robust this lovingly stored bottle was. Everything in perfect balance. How can it be? Over half a century in the bottle, and this gift of the vineyard provided enjoyment that made my guests sit back in their chairs. All the more impressive when tasted alongside a 1995 Dom Oeno and a marvelous (if precocious) 99 Vogue Musigny VV.

2/3/2013 - 2p8h wrote:

I'm afraid the alluring aromas I first appreciated in the glass gave way to disappointment. There was a slightly off-putting background mustiness not like a corked bottle fault, but something integral in the wine. Pity, because there's also much good to be found in the substantial core. Of course, I had ignored the recommendation to wait till 2021 to open it. I have 4 more bottles, and they will not see the light of day for at least 8 years.

1/26/2013 - 2p8h Likes this wine:

Rather full bodied pinot in the Northern California style, well integrated red and blue fruit flavors, even tempered finish. Good value for the price.

1/22/2013 - 2p8h wrote:

A dark, muscular Pinot. Very enjoyable.

12/31/2012 - 2p8h wrote:

Mr. Lazar was right on the money when he said this wine would make you sit up and take notice. Perhaps the most massive California Cab I have had in recent years on par with Screaming Eagle. This inky mouth coating wine had all engines on full power. Forward and crowd pleasing. Perfect proportion of spice and fruit. Tannins discreetly balanced by massive fruit elements. Will surely become a cult offering. Monsieur Morlet has crafted a masterpiece. Bravo!

12/23/2012 - 2p8h wrote:

This lost soul in my cellar was brought to dinner last night and was a happy surprise. An underrated wine, in my opinion, the 97 Vine Cliff is a great expression of California cabernet. It retained an inky concentration, expressed a generous bouquet of dark fruit, and thoroughly satisfied by delivering an elegant balanced array of flavors that paired well at our table with the lasagna Bolognese. Perhaps not as complex as some would like, but immensely enjoyable nevertheless.

11/3/2012 - 2p8h wrote:

Delicious. Another fine wine from one California's "Grand Cru" properties.

11/2/2012 - 2p8h wrote:

Light golden color, moderate viscosity, opulent & voluptuous. Iconic example of a big Cali Chardonnay. Absolutely stunning. Served to friends visiting from France. They thought it the best wine they ever tasted! This wine maker should be on every serious wine drinker's radar.

8/10/2012 - 2p8h wrote:

One of the best wines at this price point I have encountered in a long time. Bursting with harmonic dark and red fruit flavors, with a touch of pepper and pie spice. Very satisfying now and promising even more nuanced enjoyment in years to come

10/10/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

One of the more unfortunate acquisitions, hyped by my internet wine merchant based on the low price. Opened four bottles, one after the other thinking the first was flawed, only to find consistent characteristics in each. Medium red color, medium body, the nose sporting a paint lacquer aroma, somewhat musty. While there is an element of pleasant light red fruit, it is overpowered by a bitter edge that makes it, for me, undrinkable. You get what you pay for. I got what I deserved. I see no future for my remaining 20 bottles, except to serve as a teaching tool.

8/28/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

My penultimate bottle, enjoyed at our favorite Northern Italian style restaurant. Inky dark in the glass. Fresh aromas of dark fruits. Beautifully balanced with soft tannins, suble leather and mocha flavors. A heafty wine that seems more like an Amarone. A most enjoyable wine for those who like powerhouse in a glass, drinking quite well now. Kicking myself for selling off a few bottles a couple of years ago.

7/30/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

Best Cab of the year for me thus far. Plush, balanced and elegant. In perfect form at this age for those who like the vibrant dark fruit to star the show.

6/10/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

This wine validates my very high opinion of Luc Morlet. It is uncommonly dense with a symphonic flavor profile. Quite enjoyable right now. Can't wait to sample his 2009 Joli Coeur.

4/3/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

To use a musical term for the nose, a bit 'sotto voce", whispering . But oh what a grand pallette of flavors in the mouth. Elegant, seamless, thoroughly enjoyable. the best Clos des Papes I have had to date.

3/5/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

Medium to full bodied Pinot with beautiful barely translucent garnet color. Offering a very pleasant nose of red fruit and spring bouquet. Well integrated flavors with the heft of new world Pinot. After 45 seconds the slightest tinge of bitter herbs, which disappeared once paired with food.

3/5/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

This wine is showing beautifully now. Everything I look for in a Bordeaux blend.

3/2/2011 - 2p8h wrote:

Inky dark color in the glass with profile of fruit mixed dark and red flavors - blackberry,raspberry, lavendar and asian spice, good structure and balance. Should have a long life ahead. Will hold remaining bottles for three years. Leaves one yearning for more bottles.

11/22/2009 - 2p8h wrote:

For many the wine of the evening at a five course dinner celebrating Pinot Noir. Tasted alongside Morlet's Joli Coeur, which was more muscular, the En Famille displayed harmonious balance of red berry flavors, leather, mild spice and sported a delightfully silky texture in the mouth. Bravo!

4/22/2009 - 2p8h wrote:

I agree with those who find this is too young, but it has the potential to really shine in another 5 years. A tempranillo on steroids.

2/15/2009 - 2p8h wrote:

Decanted 2 hours and took to a celebratory dinner serving alongside Peter Michael Les Pavots 2001, both from Magnum. This was showing better than the younger wine by all accounts. Well balanced and elegant, still youthful enough to encourage another 5 years wait for my remaining magnum. Thoroughly enjoyable.

2/10/2009 - 2p8h wrote:

A nicely crafted new world Pinot Noir, required an hour of decanting for best showing. A bit young still, but the grip is glyceril softened, and disguised by a profusion of harmonious berry flavors. I find this wine better suited as an aparatif than with the meal. I'm thinking springtime, al fresco. Late finish is just a little left of center, otherwise would rate 93. In a year or two should gain traction.

8/17/2006 - 2p8h wrote:

Sadly, my only bottle of this stunning wine. Enjoyed it with friends on a lovely summer evening. Vintage port is the best reason I know to live a long life.

6/15/2006 - 2p8h wrote:

Tasted after inadequate decanting, nevertheless offered an elegent mix of soft fruit and a touch of minerality. Food friendly.