April 8, 2024 - Unbelievable wine! Still young after 30 years! My fourth bottle, and the best: deep, deep dark color, supercomplex nose. On the palate an explosion of dark fruit accompanied by chocolate, vanilla, coffee, tobacco and an overlay of wonderful sweetness. And additional layers of cedar, sandalwood, exotic spices…. Depth and freshness plus power (14% alc only…) Very long, elegant and silky finish. A legend! Will enjoy winelovers for another decade!
August 13, 2023 - Phenomenal balance and structure. Holding like a first growth. Great nose, body, fruit, balance and finish. Lots of black fruit, very soft and mellow tannins, phenomenal balance and structure. Mental, still has that cedar wood but very subtle. Seems like it still has a decade in it, no sense of any cracking even on edges.
June 28, 2023 - A revenge selection to make up for a cancelled flight, this was quite fun to drink. Held up great over 2 days. A bit of a musty nose at first, but opened up to show some dried floral notes. Still a bit of dark fruit on the palate with a hint of iodine. While this still has plenty of tannins and structure for longer aging, can't see this getting much better from here. Drink now with a couple hour decant.
April 8, 2022 - Via Coravin, no decant. Deep red color. Very complex nose. Not the same Superman show than 3 years ago: the wine developed more secondary notes and additional Bordeaux-like elegance, more deepness. On the palate a wonderful harmony of very present mostly dark fruit and very ripe and silky tannins creating an opulence and decent power that ends in an incredible long finish. Power, elegance and complexity in a marvelous balance. This is the stuff why wine drinkers like me love Californian Cabernet! World class!
October 5, 2021 - Very good.
June 23, 2021 - Small vertical of Hillside Select 1994/2002/2016. All wines showed great with unbelievably complex aroma profiles, laser-sharp precision, and an impeccable structure. They have the Napa fruit and ripeness but all is well dosed and with so much hillside minerality to balance it. The 1994 (97pts) was almost Bordeaux-esque and almost fully mature (the opposite of a very young bottle 2 years ago). The 2002 (96pts) is slowly getting there, shows incredibly complex but still has to lose some baby fat. The 2016 (97+pts) is of course very young but the most singular 2016 Napa I‘ve had to date (out of probably 30) and is a great promise for the future.
TN: Expressive, layered nose with herbs, mint, dark fruits, intense graphite aromas and some barnyard aromas. Superb precision and very inviting. Very fresh, full of tension with fine tannins and a light and creamy texture. Very complex aromatics with a fresh dark fruit core, earthy notes, old leather, tobacco which got more intense by the minute, herbs, mint, spices, coffee. Very intense and ever changing into a long and expanding finish. Easily 97+ points. For a higher score the wine would need a touch higher precision.
Decanting: Quickly double-decanted 7 hours before consumption, good from the go but got better by the minute in the glass.
Glass: Conterno Sensory
April 24, 2021 - Tasted blind as part of a mini-vertical (1994, 2002, 2016). All 3 bottles were only double-decanted as no longer decant was needed. This being blind, it was hard to find the common denominator that would have given away a vertical with all three wines showing very distinct features. In terms of ranking #1 was 2002 followed by 2016 and 1994.
Tasting note
Leather and wet earth, dried tobacco, sour cherry and dark cherry. Menthol notes provide for a fresh touch. Also dried herbs and only hints of sweet spices. A distinctly mineral complexity with lots of slate. Some fleshy traits. Fresh with a great, tangible yet soft texture. Juicy. sumptuous, becoming fresher and sweeter with a brighter fruit over time (red currant). Deep, full bodied, with big bag of aging aromas on the palate. Finish goes on and on. Maybe lacks the tension and precision for a higher score, but clearly in a fantastic spot right now.
April 24, 2021 - Spectacular! At the perfect point for a high-end Cabernet. Minimal tannins, but still fruity for those who like mature wines. The nose the amazing wet leaves. Taste is of dried cherries, the slightest tint of tabacco, with the smoothest of finishes.
April 21, 2020 - Very good but definitely ready to drink now rather than waiting a few more years.
December 16, 2019 - 1994 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel, New York): Fruit forward nose. High acidity. Youthful. Really enjoyed this but not sure worth the price tag. 93+