January 12, 2019 - Still holding together nicely and good for a few more years in the bottle. Fresh cherry and tobacco notes with hints of cocoa
June 7, 2018 - Meh.
April 14, 2015 - Amazing fruit for a wine of this age
February 28, 2015 - Still plenty of life left in this. Deep cherry nose with tobacco and hint of mint. Long finish and still a nice tannic structure. Fantastic bottle of this wine. Wish I had more.
May 19, 2014 - The nose and palate are both muted on opening. By hour two, there's more expressiveness but things stall out there and there's no further development into hour three. On the nose, there are suggestions of blackberry liqueur, wet rocks, and something that reminds me of fine shoe leather. The palate is medium-to-full bodied with a little acidity poking out around the edges. I'm looking for a little more depth but it's just not there. Tart black cherries make an appearance on the finish. I suspect I missed peak on this one by a few years.
March 3, 2014 - Tobacco, blackberry and smoke are the first things you notice before getting to the sweet and semi-tart cherries on the palate. The wine really remains in your mouth creating a long finish.
November 29, 2013 - Drinking very well after a 1 hour decaunt
March 26, 2013 - Dark ruby purple; purple fruit, cassis, plum, leather, hint of sandiness; sweet cassis, fresh due to the nice acidity, very drinkable. Impressive wine. Prefer this to the Private Reserve for sure.
March 8, 2013 - Youthful purple color; cabby notes of black currant, hint of green pepper, cedar; smooth on the palate with soft tannin, no noticeable oak, strong dark cherry and licorice on the midpalate, fresh, and slight heat on the finish initially. Really tasty and representative of a quality CA cabernet.
August 30, 2012 - Drank against 87 88 and 89 Montelena. Probably second only to the 87. Wonderful balance with more structure remaining than I recall. This is a better wine for a tasting of older cabs than standalone with a meal.