Community Tasting Notes 69

• Vinnut wrote: 87 points

  February 5, 2024 - Deep dark garnet in color with clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & somewhat plummy with overtones of herbs, minty, spices, soy & toasted oak/vanilla notes. Medium bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, somewhat simplistic, ripe dark fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & stewed prunes with herbs, spices, minerals & toasted oak/vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at 26 years of age, but it is at or near its peak of development, so I wouldn't age it any further.

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• Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 90 points

  August 24, 2023 - Our last bottle of the night, pnp’d after the 1976 Rioja we had planned was corked!
  I always love old style cali cab and this was no exception. Although on the downside of its drinking curve, still plenty of mature plummy fruit. Lots of worcester sauce and savory spices—something that made me want to eat it but couldn’t quite name it. I did note some ‘cap gun gunpowder’ that was very faint, I’m not sure I would call it a sulphur flaw. There was something about this that despite its age made it seem a bit rustic or rough around the edges—the alcohol and acid had some pointy elbows at times. Agree with Mark that our old Arrowoods are drinking more smoothly.

  Comments (3)

• Mark1npt Likes this wine: 90 points

  August 24, 2023 - Final wine of the 1st night opened by my host, DQ.
  
  Pnp'd into our glasses. Still very dark in the glass, little signs of aging. Nose of black plum, not stewed. A hint of creosote with a kerosene top layer that an hour later turns to gunpowder, of all things. Maybe a slight Sulphur flaw, IDK, it's really hard to tell but I find it enjoyable and intriguing at the same time. Palate is well integrated, with nice acidity and smooth tannins matching the fruit level. Just not many layers to it. DQ and I both remarked about how much more we enjoy an old Arrowood of a similar age. 90 at best for me and nice to try one of these this old!

  Comments (2)

• robmatic wrote: 89 points

  August 19, 2023 - Considerably better than the bottle we had several months ago, this one was much fresher, structured, and vibrant. I'd still call it a bit tired, but it was pretty enjoyable.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• robmatic wrote: 86 points

  March 6, 2023 - This bottle was pretty tired. While still holding on, the fruit was fairly weak, and the sheer age of the wine was not quite enough to redeem it.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1998
• Type Red
• Producer Chateau St. Jean
• Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
• Designation Cinq Cépages
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Sonoma County
• Appellation Sonoma County
• UPC Code 089819056583

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 660 (53%)
• Consumed 584 (47%)

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