January 27, 2024 - Classic eisele sophistication, but certainly onto more tertiary notes with the big fruit all but gone. Notes of graphite, mushrooms, clover, and dried anise. Past its peak, but still worth a drink
December 2, 2023 - No cimment
April 28, 2023 - WB DC Offline - Mostly Napa (Bistrot Lepic): Deep ruby. On the nose tobacco leather and black fruit. On the palate chocolate and black cherries, savory notes, extreme complexity, never ending finish. One of my wines if the year.
October 23, 2021 - One hour decant, plum color w orange tint, to yellowish at the edge. Nose is red fruit, briny olive, dried leaves. Palate is consistent with the nose, red fruit, olive, herb, earth. Relative to earlier bottles, it feels like the fruit is taking the back seat, in a way that feels maybe a bit past its prime. Still a lovely bottle, but not the show-stopper I experienced earlier. Perhaps just this bottle.
September 27, 2021 - Extraordinary aged Napa Cab here, even better than expected. Fully mature and a showy, secondary nose of truffles, forest floor, cedar, and leather. Same thing on the palate, tons of savory notes of soy, mushrooms, tea and cassis. Would buy again for sure and nice QPR at $200/750ml
May 23, 2021 - Decant for an hour. Nose was classic cali...think it would have evolved for hours. This wine is still young and vibrant.
March 18, 2021 - Just a beautiful wine, very Bordeaux in style, which is what Eisele is known for. This 30+ year wine is just a stunner. Mild nose of blackberry, cassis, vanilla, and cedar. Subtle, yet full of depth. Notes of rose petals, cigar box and a long, elegant finish.
November 23, 2020 - Delicious with hints of graphite swimming in plums and stewed cherries. Cedar is poking out a bit now and the wine declined after time in the glass. Long finish that is now slightly out of balance and showing fatigue. I would say this is in decline and better today than tomorrow. Drink
October 10, 2020 - Decanted and poured. Color is an orange-y purple to almost yellow at the edge. Robust old-world nose of earthy, briny elements, some red and black fruit, a touch of crushed rock. Palate is elegant and complex, well-integrated, featuring red fruit, black olive, clay dust, a hint of graphite, some black fruit, a green note...smooth mouth feel, full-bodied, pleasant tannic aspect. This was my second bottle this year, similar notes. Very left-bank Bordeaux, doesn't surprise me Pinault bought it. This is a wonderful, elegant wine, probably well into the drinking window, but still outstanding.
June 26, 2020 - Was almost near greatness that I had to pull back a little b/c omething was missing but it was a spectacular wine. Blue fruit, black fruit, creme de cassis, some graphite, lots of dust and age. Took 1 hour of decanting to get going and 2 hours to really show it's power. Wow, what a wine and the 99s are showing beautifully. Long, savory, memorable finish.