May 4, 2024 - Sadly corked.
March 22, 2024 - Wine Rating Methodology
96-100: One of the most enjoyable wines I have ever tasted. I would not hesitate to open this wine for any Master of Wine.
91-95: Extremely enjoyable wine that I would drink and buy again. Fantastic to open up for those who appreciate wine.
85-90: Decent to good wine. Weekday bottle you don’t feel guilty about not finishing.
Below 85: would not drink or buy again.
***Price of wine vs. enjoyment (value) is taken into consideration
***I do not provide tasting notes as everyone’s palate is different, and will have a different experience.
December 23, 2023 - Great stuff. Decanted 2+ hrs, really opened up and drinking so well. Dark blue / purple, no real sign of age, great aromas throughout. Terrific balance and length, a large style but not at all over the top. Great with grilled steaks, everything worked and in a great place right now.
December 8, 2023 - See prior year notes - drinking very nicely right now
October 28, 2023 - Nose of dark fruit, black cherry. Still see this wine evolving based on tannin presence. Integrated minerality with blueberry and some raspberry on the palate which was very enjoyable. Tasted over two nights. Fun to see the difference between night one and two. Great value as well.
October 25, 2023 - Opened but not decanted 2 hours prior to sharing among 3 other Cabs. Viewed as top 2 of the 4 among middle-of-the-road comparisons. Per other tastings, fruit is more dominant than tannins at this point of its life. If you decant would not choose to do it for too long. Would be very surprised if this has much left after 2028-29.
September 30, 2023 - Decanted for about an hour before our first glass. This is a very fruit forward driven wine but not overwhelming. At four hours the wine was in it's best spot as the fruit settled down allowing some tertiary flavors to show up.
August 26, 2023 - Age or bottle variation? In any case, this is much better than 19 months ago. Tannins are more defined, prunes are gone, extraction seems about right, the rest is still good.
1/18/2022 Note: Pruney smelling and tasting, over-extracted and lacking complexity. Redeeming qualities are there: good balance, integrated tannins, smooth mouthfeel, nice finish…but the sum of the parts isn’t all that good. 87 pts.
August 11, 2023 - 45 mins slow-ox. Muted bordeaux-like nose of old leather with a hint of eucalyptus. Catching AG's candle wax as well, something I don't think I've previously included in a TN.
As w my last note, red fruit dominates but the long finish crosses the entire palate and provides lots of interest. None of the off flavors from LY, thanks to Mark1's decant guidance.
~4hrs after pulling the cork this is an interesting mix between an aged Bordeaux and a super Tuscan. The wine certainly seems older than it is the bottom line is that it's quite enjoyable on its own or with food, and was a great pairing with tonights smoker grilled fillets.
Unless you plan to drink within an hour of opening, I wouldn't recommend decanting
August 11, 2023 - Update from my review last year. Two hour decant. Structured with more complexity than previous notes. A tad of black pepper and some chocolate. Long finish. Matched well with filet mignon this evening.