February 11, 2023 - 1-hour decant; Cut 432; Cherry cola, cocoa and blackberry bramble nose with a subtle alcohol note; great undercarriage after 22 years: transparent tannins, soft, seamless and well-balanced classic Napa palate. A modest finish consistent with the nose that ends with a slight cinnamon citrus note. Drink up. )
December 26, 2022 - Pop n pour. Dark fruit mild sweetness resolved tannins
February 14, 2022 - consistent with my prior rating....wish I had more!
December 5, 2021 - Subsequent notes on this wine from over four years ago. Deep, dark garnet in color with slight hints of clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of blackberries, dark cherries & cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty, dark cocoa, cedar & tobacco notes, dried herbs, minerals, spices & some oak & vanilla in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of blackberries, dark cherries & cassis with dark cocoa, herbs, minerals, spices, oak & vanilla in the background. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but still has the potential for continued development with additional aging, even at 20 years of age.
January 24, 2021 - From 375ml, still alive. Dark fruit that's drying out, with a bit of earth & dry herb underneath. Probably has several years to go
June 12, 2020 - decanted 30 min, consumed over 2.5 hours. still quite deeply colored tho clear pale ruby at the rim; vintage typical opulent nose of very ripe black fruits, currant/cassis, loam, sweet oak notable as an emphasis; med-full body; suave & supple now, black fruits, mostly plum, black cherry & currant, subtle herbaceous note on the finish, moderate acids, tannins resolved.
winemaker Tony Soter imprint is clear, always good aromatics & balance. because this was my last bottle, will suggest it was at optimal peak, but actually liked it a little better a few years ago.
grilled lacquered prime ribeye w/first chanterelles of the season; grilled asparagus, baked potato
March 21, 2020 - From half bottle. Very much alive, after one of these was off recently. Started out with mint & anise, which later turned toward eucalyptus. Always showed dark cherries that were quite vibrant, just a touch of dust showing the age. Faint tannins in a nice structure. Probably has a few years left but for my taste will drink my last one within 2020.
January 22, 2020 - Beautifully made California Cab. Fully mature but not raisiny, this needed a few hours in the decanter to really hit its stride. Blackberry, dark cherry, graphite, and that wonderful Rutherford dust. Medium body. More about finesse than power at this stage in its evolution.
January 12, 2020 - Vinetasters: Is it ready? (Skokie, IL): Served double blind. A little bit of dried dates on the nose here. Raisiny. This tastes a little like Amarone but not great. The palate is sweet and raisiny, with high alcohol and too much weight. Quite plummy. A bit of a brute, but in the grand scheme of things, drinkable. My 4th, group's 1st.
November 30, 2019 - Glad I held this...well made Napa Cab...opens in 30 mins. fruit forward and powerful...but in the mid and back palate has a bit of pencil, dust, sandalwood flavor that makes this a winner and shows subtle complexity that isn't always apparent in CA!