11/6/2023 - Girardian Likes this wine:

My last bottle was flawed or corked, but this was excellent. Fully mature and ready to drink. Herbal notes on the nose, no bricking, fully integrated fruit, dynamic and sophisticated. Bottle variation suggests cautious purchasing (my bottles were purchased on release and stored in temp-controlled environments so unclear that provenance provides the desired safety net).

7/3/2022 - Girardian wrote:

Surprisingly fresh - light and lively for a Napa Bordeaux blend of this age. Integrated, not over powering, good with food. Tastes like it has life ahead, but depending on how you like your style, this is a candidate for near-term consumption. CT note through 2027 seems on. The group gave a slight preference to a '99 Ch. Spleen (bottle was on point).

7/2/2022 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Perfectly stored. With Spanish charcuterie. Takes time for the fruit to re-emerge. Perhaps bottle variation but I got a good one.

6/22/2022 - Girardian wrote:

Drank at Lazy Bear. Awesome! Curnchy, crisp, accessible but sophisticated. Bravo!

6/20/2022 - Girardian wrote:

Excellent - will benefit from time. Had 2002 on NYE last year and was excited to try this vintage. Will try again in 4 years.

5/30/2021 - Girardian wrote:

Surprising. Lively with a touch of spice. Not rustic mountain but not rich valley floor. Solid.

4/25/2021 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Spicy but integrated - attention grabber. Great wine. Best on day 1.

11/7/2020 - Girardian wrote:

Presumably a flawed bottle. Wine was flabby and flat, faint funk around the fruit. Hints of Syrah spice but overwhelmed by the weirdness of the rest of the wine. I suspect there was an issue with the cork as when I Corovined the bottle it pushed the cork part way out of the top of the bottle and it pushed back in very easily (below the flush surface of the bottle).

11/7/2020 - Girardian wrote:

Drinking beautifully. Worth the wait! Exceptional QPR.

11/7/2020 - Girardian wrote:

Opened at a side by side with a Merryvale Beckstoffer 2001 -- both were excellent, and different. This wine is fully developed and drinking beautifully. Not tired or over the hill, but hints at being a bit fragile. This bottle was purchased on released and stored in a cellar since purchase, so conditions were perfect.

11/7/2020 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Fully developed and drinking nicely. Seemed a little shy on the fruit at the outset, but got better over the night and kept going back to it over and over again. Put it on the WineKeeper but might as well have just opened the bottle as it was mostly gone the first night.

11/4/2020 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Excellent QPR. In a very nice spot. Fresh, but complex. Good both on its own and with food. Well done.

11/4/2020 - Girardian wrote:

Excellent QPR and in a very good spot right now.

11/4/2020 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Coravin'd my last bottle last night. What a wine. Wish I had more. Rumor suggests blended Diamond Creek fruit in this bottling. Cannot comment on that but I can say this way outperforms for the price.

10/16/2020 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Drink up. Three years ago this was a 94 pointer for me - now it’s flat by comparison. Same profile but lost its grip. I have had this wine several times over the past 5 years and wish I’d consumed by 2019. Still enjoyable but soft, chalky on the finish, with fruit muddled compared to a few years ago. Slight stewed fruit profile.

7/4/2020 - Girardian wrote:

Spicy and great QPR.

12/9/2019 - Girardian wrote:

25th reunion - really great. Quite surprising.

11/10/2019 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Coravin from a fresh bottle. Drinking VERY well with little time in the glass. Great time to revisit or drink this wine. Still has life and time in it, but no good reason not enjoy now - in a very unctuous place.

10/10/2019 - Girardian wrote:

I have had this wine many times and right now it is completely closed up and very uncooperative. Even after an hour in the glass it was tight and unyielding. It has become more herbaceous and spicy with the tannins being counterintuitively more visible. If you are considering opening this one right now note that it is backwards (but not in decline). I would suggest holding it for 12 to 18 months. Perhaps there is something wonderful on the other side.

8/16/2019 - Girardian wrote:

Drink up. Incredible nose that outshines the palate. Classic cab. Not overbearing and agree it’s a bit muted. Pairs well with food that brightens the experience. Also an excellent essay drinking cab by the fire pit with friends who usually bring over wines you wish they wouldn’t .....

3/7/2018 - Girardian wrote:

WOW. Properly stored and this wine blew my mind. AMAZING. Forget about the drink dates on these wines. No / minor oxidation, incredible flavors, singing.

9/18/2016 - Girardian wrote:

Still fresh and vibrant from the 375; taking on secondary notes. This is drinking very well right now.

5/22/2016 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Taking on secondary characteristics; still youthful but mature. Plenty of life left depending on how you like the style. Elegant.

11/22/2015 - Girardian wrote:

Concentrated. Long finish (60+ seconds). Round with a little earth underneath. Delicious. Life left here.

4/12/2015 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Perfectly stored and purchased directly from the winery. Incredible nose. Deep garnet color. Surprisingly fresh and fruit forward with some glycerin showing. Concentrated classic Napa cab flavors. Shows the marks of the vintage. Beautiful example of an elegant wine in this style. Very polished. Still very much alive, should continue to age beautifully.

9/7/2013 - Girardian Likes this wine:

Ready to drink now. Signs of sophistication in this bottle -- time to enjoy it.

6/3/2012 - Girardian Likes this wine:

This wine has potential but is still young. It is rich and displays early signs of complexity yet to fully emerge. Recommended window: 2014 onward. Currently this wine shows no signs of fatigue and the blend of Cab Franc gives it backbone and structure.

I agree that for $55 (what I paid) there are better wines, but if you have this give it a few more years or decant for 2+ hours before starting the bottle. I drank it over the course of 2 hours and I expect it needed another 2 hours to show itself.