November 11, 2022 - Seavey Dinner (bellwether): A tale of two bottles. One was off and so not very expressive and with some time it was almost in the full-out corked space. The other was really wonderful and shining and darker fruits and lots of spices and very well balanced and for me the star of the show although since we were just passing around 1 good bottle I only had a sip of it.
June 4, 2021 - I am grateful to the co-host of our wine party who brought this for our teams to share. Decanted and enjoyed within 30 min, quickly depleted. Beautiful and complex, but no detailed notes. I enjoyed this as almost as much as the '13 Dominus (which my co-host also brought). This tied for 2nd place WOTN in my book.
August 31, 2020 - Sur-maturite, porty nose that I couldn't get past. Flaw?
August 30, 2020 - Nose: Roasty nose of coffee and baked plum. Not off per se, but very much a roasted character on this bottle. Palate: A different story entirely. Layers of plum, black cherry and jammy fruit that are backed up by minerally, herb laden notes. Not one bit shy the Seavey embraces the ripeness here. Finish: A lot of jammy fruit, leather and green tobacco.
The roast notes make me think this was not 100%. Came from the same cellar as the cooked/TCA Montelena. Need to try another to make a complete assessment.
January 27, 2019 - Similar to last note, maybe thinning a little. Would drink sooner rather than later.
December 8, 2018 - This was my last from that year and the best of the bunch. I was very surprised! Nice medium cherry notes blending with some smooth tannin with each and leather notes. I genuinely enjoyed this bottle!
May 22, 2017 - Last of the 94's. past it's prime, but an excellent example of how some Cali Cabs stand the test of time.
December 24, 2016 - Turning a bit red. Oak, forest, leaves, and earthy aroma. Rich flavor that goes on and on. Oak, menthol, blueberry, blackberry and more. Some meat and leather on the finish. This is really good.
September 27, 2016 - Tasted at the winery with the vintner, head to head with the '91. Wow! An expressive but smooth wine, with ample red cherries and finely resolved tannins. Very classy, polished, like a mature high-end Bdx. My favorite of today's "Library Tasting" this blew away the '91 for which the fruit had faded. At peak, ready to drink now. Should stay at peak another 3-5 more years.
We enjoyed a bottle later that night with dinner at Harvest Table in Sonoma. Perfect pairing with ribeye.
June 19, 2016 - Poured into a decanter as there was a fair bit of sediment. Still appears quite youthful. The nose has probably seen better days; saddle leather, sweat, dried fruit.
Medium body, softened yet still some structural tannin and a hint of sweet Napa fruit. Advanced and yet does not appear to have gained much in terms of complexity. Good. Drink now