April 20, 2020 - this was -- again -- an outstanding wine, and also another in a string of Cali cabs from '78 that have really rocked my world... would have been 1 point higher if not for sensing a tiny bit of tiredness... fruit was red in color, acidity was medium plus, no wood at all, no tannin... mouthfeel had texture and this went down smoooooooth... love old Cali cabs, pre-the-go-big-move that ruined the whole thing in the late 90's and early 2000's
April 1, 2019 - Funky and dirty on the nose with grass and dirty socks but palate was classic aged napa. Sweet dark currant, tobacco and smoke. Enjoyable.
October 20, 2018 - SLDS Single Bottle Dinner: A green streak throughout this wine, with capsicum and herbs. The palate is holding on to light weight fruit, though it fades towards the finish. This bottle was at the end of its life.
December 25, 2017 - Totally different from the 1977 we had a couple months back. The 1978 was a less concentrated wine with subtle notes of caramel, cedar and tobacco. The fruit was alive and after a few hours of decanting, the sour finish faded away and the best of this wine showed. Nothing extraordinary, except for that this baby is still kicking after 40 years.
April 30, 2017 - wow, my last note said it very well for this bottle, the only difference was that this one was 92 (versus 96 pts!!)... I think 96 pts may be the highest rating I have ever given a bottle... this was beautiful for sure but that other bottle must have really had mojo
August 1, 2015 - beautiful funky / savory nose, double decanted about 9 hours before dinner, a touch of bricking but very slight, otherwise color was dark purple with hints of red around the rims, palate was luxurious with smooth rich mouthfeel, dense but light on its feel with funky / savory / grapey fruit, great fruit and great spice and savory notes to balance... sooooooooo nice
December 8, 2014 - fruit is fading but wine still good
November 22, 2014 - not nearly as good as my previous bottle, color showed lots of age - more than before, on the pop 'n pour there was no fruit, nose was funky, over three hours some subtle fruit appeared but not much, good but not great
April 4, 2014 - Mildly corked, damn it. Great fruit underneath, youthful, would have been a nice bottle.
December 22, 2013 - WOTN against some tough competition (Sauzet chevalier '94, Laurent Vaucrains '98, Herm La Chapelle '89, etc), this wine had classic aged cab character and secondary flavors but backed up with a ton of fruit to make for a knock out one two punch, bright still with good mouthfeel and texture, for sure a complex flavorful wine it was also gulpable, dynamite!