4/30/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Low expectations, given the age, but it outperformed. Lots of sediment. Medium weight. Still good fruit. Cherry, Ocean Spray cranberry, with a bit of dust turning a little tart on the finish.

3/31/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Intense, though soft, black fruit. Turns a bit flabby on the finish, though very smooth. Tannins lingering on the palate suggest a lot of life left in this wine. So no hurry. Needs a bit more acid, which is a recurring issue with Pride wines.

3/29/2024 - dfcrutcher wrote:

Forgot I had this in my cellar. Long past its time. Faded, but drinkable. Color starting to lose its pigment. Still has raspberry notes, though they are faint. The primary take-away, though, is that it has lost its concentration.

3/22/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Nice and supple, with good mouthfeel. Mocha notes, sort of like eating chocolate with wine (which is not my favorite combo, but it works here). Good acid/fruit balance. Very well done.

3/15/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Not jammy. Nice and soft with subtle Zin fruitiness, if that is even possible. Soft on palate all the way through. Nice wine.

3/9/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Classic Pride. Deep, rich, black fruit, smooth and full bodied. But lacks the acidic bite that balances all that fruit. Still, very nice wine.

2/22/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Rich, smooth and concentrated with blackberry, currant and plum. Still young. Could use a bit more of an acidic bite.

2/17/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Soft tannins, sufficient acid. Loads of black fruit that builds into a nice finish. Very nice wine. No sign of age.

2/11/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Beautiful Bordeaux; far younger than its age. Classic Bordeaux style with forward tannins and tobacco, but with not-so-classic loads of fruit. No hurry to drink. Easily has another 10 years on its expiration date.

1/28/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Fruit forward (for a Bordeaux). Nice soft integrated tannins. Medium plus weight. Very nice wine. Drink soon.

1/20/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Strong black cherry/berry. Good tannin. Good acid. Good balance. Medium-plus weight. should be even better with a little more time.

1/14/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Nice and soft, with integrated tannins and cherry/berry fruit. Medium to light weighted, so it is not a big wine. At or around its peak, so drink up.

1/7/2024 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Soft tannins, ripe fruit. Could use a bit more of an acidic bite. Mocha. Fig. And a tad bit uninteresting.

12/13/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

My last bottle of this wine, and my prior ratings have ranged from 88 to 92. Medium weight. Good fruit, but fading. Still light on the acid. So, it ends somewhere in the middle.

12/12/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Very nice and supple. Fruit fading a bit, but still tasty. Medium weight, at best. Was best immediately out of the bottle - faded as the evening went on. Drink now.

12/3/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Nice soft well-developed tannins. Fruit holding up but fading. Needs to be drunk soon.

11/25/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Concentrated with rich black fruit. Last review complained that it lacked necessary acid balance, but this one seems a bit more balanced. This wine still has years left in it; not fading at all.

11/20/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Deep and rich. Black fruit. No hurry.

11/5/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Exceeded expectations. Deep, rich black fruit with good concentration. Turns a little flat on the finish, revealing a bit of an acid deficit. But a solid wine. Continues to hold up well.

11/1/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Still good vibrant color after all these years. A bit tart, but after 2 hours in the decanter, it began to show some good complexity, even if much of the fruit had faded. Definitely needs time in the air to mellow out its acidity. Will not improve, so drink if you happen to have of this wine.

10/16/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

OK. Fading a bit. Underwhelming fruit yielding to residual tannins. Medium to medium-light bodied. Drink up.

10/15/2023 - dfcrutcher wrote:

A bit dry and fading, and not particularly complex.

9/30/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Delightful. Soft peppery berry fruit with little overt signs of old age. Color turning slightly pruney, but no such flavors on the palate. Maybe some slight fading on the fruit, but exceeded expectations by far. I've one more bottle and would like to see how it evolves in another 5 years.

9/25/2023 - dfcrutcher wrote:

A light Chianti. A bit dusty with fading fruit. Drink up.

9/24/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

A bit dry, light and fading, if not completely faded. Classic Bordeaux notes. Rustic and wanting more fruit. Drink up.

9/9/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Nice and soft. Medium weight. Currants. Still some years left on this.

9/4/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Light and underwhelming, at first. As the bottle developed over close to 2 hours, it woke up measurably. Deep black fruit, but with a soft mouthfeel.

9/3/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Highly drinkable, soft and plummy, with pleasant jammy fruit. Somewhat lacking in tannins and, thus, structure. Drink up.

8/29/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

A beauty. Unctuous black fruit all through the mouthfeel. First glass was a bit harsh and even tannic. Softened over 2 hours with the last ounce the best. So, better decant.

8/6/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Dusty and rustic, with loads of flinty fruit. Medium plus weight all through the finish. Not classic, but very very good.

8/2/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Murky.

7/30/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

A bit hot, with good fruit/acid balance. A little flabby, though, as it goes down, missing some taste element on the finish. As if there is a hole in it. But, overall, a nice wine.

7/25/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Soft and supple with a smooth velvety finish. Good acid balance. Still good fruit. But, it is starting to show signs of age. Better drink soon.

7/23/2023 - dfcrutcher wrote:

A bit murky, with a fair amount of sediment. Faded on the taste. Old saddle notes, but little of the old elegant fruit and glycerin that one would want in a wine this old. Tart on the finish. Will not improve.

7/19/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Medium plus weight, with pronounced tannins. Rather Bordeaux-like on the relatively dry finish. Soft muted black fruit flavors. More time will soften the tannins, but the fruit will likely fade. Quandary.

7/12/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Decanted for several hours before consuming. It helped. Medium weight. Nice soft fruit. Age notes. Lots of sediment for a not-that-old wine. Consistently good through the palate with a solid alcohol burn at the end (in a good way). It will not likely improve, so drink up.

7/9/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Good deep color. Fair amount of sediment. Lots of good deep black fruit. Nice acidic balance. Soft mocha flavors. Still drinking very nicely. No hurry.

7/2/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Exceeded expectations. A bit tart, but still very drinkable. Had with a nice ribeye. Good color. No bricking. But it has lost much of its fruit.

6/17/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Quite stunning. When I pull out 20-year old California pinots, it ordinarily constitutes a cellaring mistake. Not this time. Cork was almost pristine - bottom third red-infused; top third like new. Decanted for half an hour. No bricking on the wine - solution was crystal clear with medium transparency. Deep black cherry fruit on the palate that carried all the way through the finish. Almost wish I'd have waited another 10 years just for fun. Ignore my comment on this wine in 2015.

6/4/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Medium to light bodied. Gripping tannins. Dusty fruit. Saddle, Copenhagen dip, fading fruit. Best with robust food.

5/21/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Nice balance of fruit, tannin and astringency. Rich black raspberry, currant and pomegranate. Consistent quality all through les phases buccales. This wine has plenty of life left.

This is a big wine. Have it with a steak or a cassoulet.

5/5/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Has held up well for a 21 year old Zin. Some aged prune notes, but in a kind of endearing way. Still deep plummy fruit with a long intense finish. No hurry, despite its age.

4/23/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Light ruby color; no bricking. Wonderfully subtle and glyceriney. Soft berry fruit with a sturdy, if reduced, tannic structure. The stunning clarity of the wine is what jumps out. This is a classic old Barolo. What you hope all your younger ones will become.

No hurry, despite its age.

4/22/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Deep fruit and soft tannins with a tad bit of flabbiness (needs a bit more acid). Big mouthfeel that fades slightly on the finish. A very nice wine.

4/21/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Luscious! Wonderful balance of deep fruit and acid. Perhaps the best Cabernet Sauvignon from Dehlinger I've tasted. No hurry to drink. Good until at least 2028.

4/15/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Almost, but not quite, a desert-quality wine. Intense fruit, not quite prune like, but on the verge. Still great color, 20 years after its vintage. It is not over the hill, and probably won't be for some time. Very odd wine, but quite enjoyable.

3/25/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Decanted with modest sediment. Good vibrant color. Slight bricking. Tannins have yielded to crisp acidity (a good thing for my lights). Fading but still present black fruit. Light finish. Certainly past its prime, but very drinkable.

3/25/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Surprisingly good. Held up fairly well. Good acid/fruit balance.

3/11/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Had it at a Bordeaux tasting several months ago and delayed my review here. So, I'll keep it short. Still quite drinkable with all of the expected age notes. Soft and glyceriny with lots of old saddle. Developed over several hours, at first closed, then turning more astringent that balanced out the glycerine. Quite fascinating.

3/10/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine:

Nice and soft with good fruit. A little flabby on the mouthfeel. Unextraordinary. Drink now.