December 31, 2023 - Did not expect much. Opened to use for braised pot roast with little hope we'd drank with dinner. Actually complimented rich roast and root vegetables quite adequately.
January 28, 2019 - Opaque purple with purple bubbles in the pour. Very lush and soft, with completely resolved tannin and an undertow of fruit sweetness and licorice. Acidity is noticeable only at the end of the swallow. For a Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is outside the normal range for fruit-acid-tannin balance, to its detriment. The low acidity especially reduces how refreshing and mouth cleaning the wine is. A good hint about what the problem comes from is the very high 15.9% alcohol. While the taste does not have separated alcoholic fumes or burning heat, only late harvested grapes would achieve the higher sugar level needed to reach 15.9% alcohol. A very common side effect of late harvest is a serious dip in the acidity level. This wine got a flattering 93-95 review from the Wine Advocate, which most likely could happen only because the wine was at its best from the young and tasty fruit and some tannin. But kept to where the tannin started softening and getting less prominent, the wine lost the grip it needed to age well.
May 13, 2016 - It is definitely coming down from its peak. Drink now if you have any bottles. The wine needs to be decanted for 2 hours before one can appreciate it. It has herbal notes with a port like nose. Very herbal on the palate with little depth.
November 27, 2013 - One of the worst wines I've ever smelled. Almost couldn't get myself to taste it. And I wish I hadn't.
October 1, 2013 - Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Phenolic, and Ethyl Acetate. The body is Medium. The wine has Coarse texture. The wine finishes Short. Alvaro's wine. This is obviously an OFF VINTAGE for this wine. Alvaro's prior experience and other CT notes reflect the VA. Surprisingly, I have the 2000 Vintage, one of which I drank 18 months ago and I gave it a 94, and noted it was my Wine of the Month.
May 11, 2012 - Terrible. Nail polish nose. Heavy, porty, raisiny palate without any of the good stuff that actual port provides. Yuck!
December 30, 2011 - This bottle did not do well with age. It was reminiscent of port, but without the lingering sweetness. Drinkable, but only marginally enjoyable.
October 17, 2009 - Inky color, full-bodied black cherry fruit, port-like, very hot, cough medicine like but drinkable, very eccentric, short finish
June 18, 2009 - 5 of 8 people at the table called this undrinkable. Overextracted, overoaked, cough medicine. I don't think this was flawed, it just was far from our taste. My first taste of a B&H wine and I surely will not be a future purchaser. The color was fine, but after that it had no redeeming features whatsoever.
March 24, 2008 - Too fruit forward, not enough finish, fruit bomb and still a bit hot, not impressive