July 20, 2019 - This bottle is a 93.499. actually still has quite a bit of astringency on the finish. The nose and entry is very powerful blackberry and blueberry with volcanic red clay influence. Espresso bean in the middle. Hint of tar and smoked tobacco. Finishes with tannic influence. Other 100ml kept until tonight thinking perhaps the finish would improve a bit, bit it really fell a bit into the negative on day 2. Guess that's what I get for having the cork out for about 5 hours the night before. I think this wine is drinking rather well but you might want to hold this another year if you have any.
February 21, 2019 - Nice wine but have had better vintages. Still going strong so maybe will still improve.
November 3, 2018 - Smooth tannins with notes of spice. Lovely wine.
November 18, 2015 - A nice wine that is in a great spot right now. Was honestly quite OK to drink as a pop and pour (and this is how this one was served) but it also developed nicely over 3-4 hours. This wine started out actually a bit astringent with dark black fruit and vanilla. The wine did open quite a bit, and showed a powerful black pepper finish on a blackberry cassis, mocha, lavender, and vanilla-filled front and middle. Tasted very youthful at this present moment in time. LOTS of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Delicious classic mountain cab, and this wine seems like it has not aged one day since it was received in early 2013. Drink 2015-2035
February 8, 2015 - Unfortunately this bottle was a bit closed. Brooding nose of blackberry, smoke, black cherry, earth, charcoal, licorice, coffee, and a sweet cherry to lighten it up. Sweet cassis, blackberry, earth, and a hint of vanilla on the palate. Good acidity, fine but mouthcoating tannins, medium finish. I found this bottle sort of big and serious and lacking the deliciousness factor. There's a lot of good stuff there, so it probably just needs a little more time to unwind a bit.
March 19, 2013 - Even in its youth this wine is amazing. Decanted for about 45 minutes, although I think I was missing out a bit as the wine did change over the successive 3-4 hours that it was slowly enjoyed. This has the capacity to be a huge wine in its maturity...which is not now. The wine did display a very vibrant blackberry, blueberry, and vanilla nose. The cork was a purple stain with crystalline deposits. Left a little sediment in the decanter if you can believe that. This is a FULL BODIED WINE. Palate was all blueberry and blackberry cassis with some leather, vanilla, in the midpalate. The finish was actually very mild with dinner, but very oaked after it had opened with a very stiff, dry finish. This wine has shown little integration but even in its youth the wine is showing a density and thickness that most never achieve. I look for this wine to show more of that Howell Mountain terroir as it opens. The aged Cimarossa wines show some of that herb, grit, and I can't wait for that to develop over the next 20 years.