November 12, 2022 - Superb! Bought at auction, so fingers crossed. Cork was pretty loose in the bottle neck. But wine seemed unaffected. Dark purple. Loads of dark fruit; just a hint of tannins. Has many years of good drinking ahead.
February 27, 2020 - [Double decanted at 5pm.]
February 22, 2020 - This wine needs a couple of hours of air, and then it's outstanding. Great fruit and balanced tannins and acid. This wine will last another 20 years.
May 19, 2018 - Decanted two hours before service. Paired with lamb chops.
This is a huge wine that's not even close to maturity. Huge, mouth drying tannins. Blackberries, licorice, and vanilla on the palate. Totally opaque purple color. Lots of sediment. Drink now with a couple of hours of air, or keep over the next 20 years.
February 17, 2018 - On the pop 'n pour this was rough and tannic. 90 minutes later, the chamber maiden turned into Cinderella. This is a massive wine, but silky smooth with mouth drying tannins on the finish.
Color is ink black with a deep currant-purple rim.
A nose of blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, and a hint of vanilla and licorice.
The mouth drying, massive palette with licorice, flowers, and currants. It lasts for several minutes.
The acidity makes the mouth salvate, but the enormous mouthfeel balances it. Truly a magnificent wine that will last for many, many, more years.
December 3, 2016 - OMG! How can a wine be this monstrous...yet SO soft?!! Black as night, with a little raspberry on the rim......gobs of liqueured berry fruit with perfect sweetness to the dry.....mouthcoating glycerin, teeth staining...yet the tannins have melted away leaving an amazing softness like a tempurpedic mattress! Has great youthful acidity, crushed stones for firmness, and fantastic flavors of licorice, graphite powder, warm brownies, white pepper, lilac and white flower florals. Slight aged nuances of rich earth and wet tobacco leaves.....but thats grabbing. Awesome wine....might be eternal?
May 15, 2016 - [Decanted at 2pm. So much inky sediment that I could not see through the bottle even with a very bright light.] Massive nose of ripe blackberries, licorice, lavender, and chocolate. Incredibly rich and silky in the mouth with a wave of tannin on the finish. I will leave it in the open decanter in hopes that those tannins will soften. The fruit and finish are amazing. I think I'll be ordering the prime rib tonight!
[2 hours in the open decanter, then about 2 hours back in the bottle.] Really singing now. Lush, complex, brilliant winemaking. Just wow. Everyone loves it. Perfect with prime rib.
May 14, 2016 - A heady style of petite. A hedonistic wine and should be enjoyed as such! Opened with a steak but a better match with a good block of dark chocolate for dessert. Deep purple coloring, black plum but some graphite in the background to make it interesting. Good now, throwing some sediment but can go longer. A fun wine.
June 27, 2014 - Beautiful bold wine. Drinking great right now.
May 29, 2014 - DEEP RICH FRUIT IN THE NOSE WITH DRIED PLUMS, LAVENDER, AND MINT. DEEP RICH BERRY FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR WITH DRIED PLUMS, AMAZINGLY SOFT WITH GREAT LEGS, NICE COMPLEXITY, LONG VELVET FNSH