12/28/2023 - JimN wrote:

Opened and decanted for sediment. Absolutely gorgeous small taste. Back in the bottle and slow ox for a few hours before bringing to dinner. So excited to pair it with Wagyu tartare. Poured at the restaurant and badly corked. I guess I missed on opening and the TCA “bloomed” with the exposure to air? This was from a friend’s cellar who purchased on release. Bummer! Hoping for a better outcome next time.

11/24/2020 - JimN wrote:

Meh. No reason to hold, as only going down from here.

11/4/2020 - JimN wrote:

Even in a split, this continues to be symphonic! PnP and singing immediately. Last of the splits, now on to the magnums, but not for at least another five years.

11/30/2019 - JimN wrote:

Meh. Maybe the years have not been kind. Nose is light, palate is light, price is heavy!

8/17/2018 - JimN Does not like this wine:

Neither fish nor fowl. Way too much for Pinot; not enough for Shiraz or Grenache. Shows more alcohol than it actually has. Nothing unpleasant about it, but it doesn’t know what it is. Boring at best.

8/16/2018 - JimN wrote:

No fruit, no life. Nothing to rate.

8/15/2018 - JimN Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine with a long life ahead. A few hours decant is needed. Tannins are now well integrated, but the wine remains dusty and a bit one dimensional. Enjoyable now but sure to show much more in the decade ahead.

3/28/2018 - JimN wrote:

Exceptionally well done. If it wasn’t filtered, could be mistaken for Aubert. The oak is restrained, nice acidity, profile more caramel and honey than fruit. Absolutely in its drinking window, based on my experience with this wine. It may go another 10 years, but it won’t taste like this.

2/3/2018 - JimN wrote:

This was a stunning wine. Opulent, but balanced. Gorgeous fruit and velvet tannins that softened considerably over four hours or so. A bargain at this price. Drink or hold for another decade.

2/6/2018 - JimN wrote:

5 hours slow ox and then 2 hour decant. Absolutely in its drinking window, but plenty of life ahead. Tannins had noticeably softened from first opening. This had far more finesse than I remembered from a bottle I had four years ago. Beautiful fruit and a lush feel on the palate. Drink or hold.

1/26/2018 - JimN wrote:

Pretty much the same tasting experience as Stumpy. This bottle was starting to oxidize and that was bringing out the caramel and butterscotch flavors. Different than what I was expecting based on previous bottles, but interesting nonetheless. I’d say drink up, but I didn’t purchase this bottle from the winery, so it may not have been stored properly.

1/27/2018 - JimN wrote:

Decanted six hours and then back in bottle for two hours. Tannins surprisingly resolved. Some barnyard on the nose, and the fruit is lovely, but restrained. Not epic stuff, at least on this night. May be closed down right now. Rating reflects what it was on this night, not what it might be.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Not as evolved as the 2007 and may never develop the weight and depth. Like a young Burgundy. Muted flavors with marked minerality. Probably should have decanted. Hold.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Vibrant straw color. Rich nose. Gorgeous mouthfeel. Lemon meringue, maybe some peach. In a perfect spot right now but plenty of life ahead. Drink or hold.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Elegant beauty that just won’t quit. Drink or hold.

12/29/2017 - JimN wrote:

Corked. Two in a row.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Nice showing. Elegant and refined. A Bordeaux v. CA at this stage. Fully mature bottle in the home stretch. Drink.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Wish I had tried it young. Still some soft tannins hanging on, but the fruit has faded away and what’s left behind is leather and barnyard. Drink five years ago!

12/27/2017 - JimN wrote:

Followed a 1990 Grace and 1992 Angelus. This was the standout and showed youngest, not oldest. Still some soft tannins and the fruit was surprisingly bright. Pretty good showing for 30+ years. Drink.

12/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

No decant, but needed it. Still tightly wound. Followed some aging beauties, so the dark fruit and intense nose stood out even more. Definitely too soon without a long decant. Hold.

8/5/2017 - JimN wrote:

Serious stuff here. Five hour decant and continued to evolve for the hour or so that we drank it. Ready for business now, but can sit for another 10 years or more.

7/28/2017 - JimN wrote:

Corked!

5/19/2017 - JimN wrote:

Similar to my note from a few years ago. I always worry about these older bottles with synthetic corks, but this wine is in perfect condition with no signs of decline. The lower alcohol (13%) is nice as well. Can't say I noticed the "leesy mercapatan" that Parker highlighted. Really?

5/19/2017 - JimN wrote:

Wow, just remarkable how well these are still drinking. Nose is delicate strawberry and raspberry but on the palate it is full and lush. Still years to go if other bottles are like this one.

5/19/2017 - JimN wrote:

The last of my white Burgundies from the 90s, most of which have been flawed. So glad I stopped buying. The king is dead, long live California.

12/20/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Can't find my tasting notes, but I liked it. A lot. Decanted for four hours.

12/21/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Eight hour decant, and it needed every minute! True to Dunn form, this has the structure of a much younger wine. 10 hours in it was really showing its stuff. Very dark, brooding flavor profile. I always feel like these wines fall exactly halfway between a Bordeaux and a CA Cab. Best of both worlds. Ready to drink now with a very long decant, but probably has decades ahead of it if the fruit can hold on.

12/24/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Wow! I was blown away by this "second" wine when I tasted it at the winery, so I ordered a case. I opened this the day it arrived, and it was no worse for wear. I gave it a four hour decant, and it continued to show more subtlety as the night wore on. Exactly what I recalled from my earlier tasting. Gorgeous bouquet on the nose, velvety mouthfeel, dark cherries, coffee and chocolate. Just perfect balance with soft tannins. So drinkable and complex right now, but seems likely to age for at least 5-10 years.

12/23/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Opened for two hours, but no decant. Beautiful colour, complex nose, and lovely flavors of pineapple, honey, with some citrus tones. Alas, it is starting to get a bit flabby, so time to drink up.

12/23/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Exactly what DuMOL consistently delivers with this wine! Decanted three hours. Full bodied Pinot, rich texture, dark fruit, soft tannins. Not especially complex or nuanced, but that is not why you buy this wine. Not for the burgundy crowd, at least not at this age, but this will settle down a bit in the years ahead. Drink or hold for 10 years.

12/24/2014 - JimN wrote:

Simple wine, but pleasant enough. Hard to beat at $20!

12/24/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

What a pleasant surprise this was at less than $30. Sitting in my cellar for a long time without tasting any bottles. In a great place right now. Bursting with lush fruit with a finish that goes on and on. The Napa fans lapped it up and the bottle was gone before I could get a glass. Good stuff.

12/24/2014 - JimN wrote:

Aptly named! Almost black and coated your teeth. Lush and velvety with dark, brooding fruit. A bit too hot and too simple to score it higher. Enjoyable enough to drink while you are not really paying that much attention to what you are drinking, if that makes sense.

12/18/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

From a magnum. Opened for several hours in the bottle. Given my experience with some older DuMOL Chardonnays over the past week, I'd say 6-10 years is probably the ideal window. This wine was fresh and bright, with great acidity, and delivered some lovely complex flavors of apricot, vanilla, buttered toast, and more. Long finish. Drink now or hold for next several years.

12/25/2014 - JimN wrote:

From a magnum. Two hour decant. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but nothing special here. Couldn't even call it a fruit bomb, as it was surprisingly restrained. A bit better at the end of the night when I went back for a taste, but that may be more a reflection of the state of my palate at that point! Closed? In a dumb phase? I've moved on from this stuff? We'll see...

12/25/2014 - JimN wrote:

From a magnum. Still young and fresh, with tannins that needed a few hours in a decanter to settle down. An enjoyable, if uninspired, Pinot. A crowd pleaser, but not wow factor or complexity.

12/28/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

A winter champagne, not a summer champagne. A port-like quality to it on the nose and on the a palate. I enjoyed more than some others, who I think we're looking for something fresher and lighter. The window on this wine is closing, but for now it remains highly enjoyable and unusual.

12/25/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

From a bottle that has been in my cellar for eight years. Looked, smelled and tasted like a vintage bubbly. Just a hint of oxidation. Toasted almond. Still surprisingly fresh. Was generally preferred, although not by me, over the 1988 Veuve that followed.

12/27/2014 - JimN wrote:

From a magnum. Opened and left in bottle for three hours. Better than the 750l bottle I had a year ago. Definitely CA style, but the years have given it some restraint and balance. A bit of butterscotch and vanilla with a touch of oak. Just enough acidity to hold everything together, but I would drink over the next few years, even from a large format.

12/27/2014 - JimN wrote:

From a magnum. Decanted for two hours and then back in bottle. Drank over four hours. Quite extracted, blueberry and dark chocolate hit your palate with precision. Still showing heat on the long finish. Nothing subtle about this wine. Not really one for standing around and sipping at a party. Needs meat to accompany it! From a magnum, this has a decade or more ahead of it. If this style is in your wheelhouse, the score could be 95+.

12/27/2014 - JimN wrote:

Ready for prime time, but still has a decade or more ahead. Tannins starting to settle down and integrate. Great brooding fruit with tobacco and leather as well.

8/28/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Bold, masculine wine. Notes from Day 2. Softening a bit and becoming much more expressive. The Merlot is prominent on the nose and the palate...currant, spice and peppercorns, hint of prunes. Has plenty of structure to last a long time, but drinking well now with a good decant. I don't get to drink much Canadian wine, so thanks to peterk for this one!

8/22/2014 - JimN Does not like this wine:

PnP, and served in a plastic wine glass, so perhaps that was the problem. Not much going on here on the nose or the palate. Glycerin and a bit medicinal and the alcohol is hot on the finish. Good acidity, but no fruit to complement it. Pumped the remainder and will decant and retaste tomorrow--in a proper wine glass!

8/23/2014 - JimN wrote:

Pretty good showing after 26 years. PnP. Nice Bordeaux qualities, but none of the complexity you'd get with a Bordeaux of this vintage. Sitting in perfect conditions in a friend's cellar direct from the winery, so as good as you'll get storage-wise. Well past prime and heading South. Drink.

8/6/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Couldn't say it better than jsteckbeck note, so I won't. Really good stuff!

8/6/2014 - JimN wrote:

From a magnum. Decanted for one hour for light sediment and then back into the bottle. Others enjoyed this much more than me. It is a feminie style, light bodied, cherry cola, smooth finish. Nothing objectionable, just nothing special.

8/6/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Could there possibly be a better bottle of wine at $18 for a split? Dark brown,extremely viscous, clinging to the glass with each swirl. Burnt caramel, hint of chocolate, almost like maple syrup. Poured it over vanilla ice cream--wow!

8/6/2014 - JimN wrote:

Last of my case and by far the best bottle. Based on earlier notes, perhaps I just consumed too early. Showing much more richness, with good acidity through to the finish.

7/29/2014 - JimN Likes this wine:

Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of 1999 US Cabernets. In a virtual tie as my top wine along with the Screaming Eagle and the Insignia. Showed much better for me the second time through, as my score moved to 94 from 90. Has the wow factor, consistent with my note from five years ago. Back then I suggested a decade or more, and today I'd say it still has a decade or more. A bargain relative to the Screaming Eagle!

7/29/2014 - JimN wrote:

Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of 1999 US Cabernets. I had this rated higher the first time through. Seemed to fade as the evening wore on. Most other tasters had this rated much higher. Noticeable barnyard nose, rich fruit on the palate, with tannins very much in evidence. Might be early for this wine, given the tannic structure and the reputation of the producer. Hold.