March 25, 2024 - Still alive and kicking. Lovely balance of red and dark fruit mixed with secondary flavors of dusty earth, cigar ash. Tannins are fully integrated and resolved. Length is phenomenal. I was going to pair this with some food but honestly, it felt right to drink it by itself.
January 19, 2024 - Randy Dunn is my hero - in a perfect world I would own a heck of a lot more of his product, but for now I will just savor these special moments with his special wines. This one was shared with #1 or #2 in a blind (to him) tasting next to '03s from Solaia and Calon Segur. All were wonderful, but the Dunn was the show-stopper. Heavy wax seal required some chiseling to remove; deep purple color without any bricking; heavy sediment. The nose is inviting with cassis, blackberry, barn floor, and floral notes in perfect harmony. The tannins are well integrated, very pleasant. Phenomenal at 2 hours decant, even more so at 4 hours, and still going strong on day one and two later. In a great place right now but probably another 10 good years left - drink or hold (though why would you?). Masterful winemaking - thanks again, Randy!
January 19, 2024 - wine night @ uncle victor’s! …in a cab fwd line up alongside the ‘03 calon segur and ‘03 solaia, this was WOTN for me. knock your socks off nose of black currant, blackberry, florals, dusty earth and pretty incense (the aroma from the glass had me reminiscing of visits to old european cathedrals). palate is perfectly balanced, both fruity and savoury, fantastic weight - silky with beautiful weight mid palate carrying through a velvety mineral-laced close. fabulous.
December 31, 2023 - Yum. Had this bottle since birth.
December 25, 2023 - What a lovely aged Cabernet. This was nice balance of fruit and terroir. Lilac, pepper on the nose and a nice long finish drinking really well.
October 30, 2023 - From a magnum personally purchased upon release and cellared under ideal conditions, this wine was decanted off its sediment and allowed five hours in carafe prior to sampling. Comprised of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged for 32 months in new French oak, it is opaque garnet in color, without any hint of bricking. Aromatically effusive of dark plums, cassis, bittersweet chocolate, spice cake, licorice and bark, it is a full-bodied, fresh red with well-woven alcohol (listed as 13.8%) and flavors that mirror the nose. The plentiful fine-grained tannins are still integrating, which is also true for the wine's oak. Dense and layered on the mid-palate, it concludes with a lengthy, albeit grippy finish. Last tasted from a 750 cc bottle four years ago, this magnum is clearly a step backward in time with respect to maturity. Comparably cellared magnums will benefit from more time in the cellar, and should last substantially longer than bottles in 750 cc format. Drink 2028-2043.
September 9, 2023 - 2 hr Decant: dark Ruby red, no bricking; nose is primal, soil based, a little black olive note, balanced, mild herbal smell and taste; early impression is to go with a steak or savory dish. Very balanced wine mid way between fruity youth and mature integrated older Cabernet. Soft but tannic finish calls for assertive cheese course or rich meaty dish to finish.
A good example of aged California wines
September 4, 2023 - Good, not great. No decant needed and tannins have fully integrated at this point. Probably best to drink up.
June 14, 2023 - This bottle was in great condition. The top 3/4 of the cork pretty much disintegrated but that last bit came out clean without much falling in the bottle. Beautiful red color with no evidence of color change or bricking. Tannins were still present to give support to lovely ripe red fruits. Just the slightest hints of age on the palate. This bottle could have gone for many more years. I live in a small house in a big city with limited storage so I don’t usually buy more than a couple bottles of any one wine for long term storage but I wish I had more bottles like this one.
April 7, 2023 - Mature now, but should last a decade or possibly also two. Big mouthful, fresh, black currants and plums, complex, could had done with a bit more structured finish.