1 hr decant Still dark in color with no bricking Nose is black raspberry, tobacco leaf, fresh meat and green tomato with a hint of menthol The wine is big and rich with black fruits and tobacco leaf at the forefront. there is green tomato in the finish which is quite long. There is still a good amount of tannin. It is delicious and, at 29 years young, at its peak - but certainly has 10 great years ahead of it. Others around the table rated it a point or two higher than I have
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No notes taken. This wine remains in great shape but prob not as intense as my last tasting note a year ago would suggest. Would drink sooner than later.
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Drank side by side with a 96 Calon Segur. Interesting to try the Cali wines which take the old world influence. This is very restrained for Cali, but next to the CS it's just jumping out of the glass. Lots of fruit. All more restrained in style, but still very much there. Drinking nicely and while the CS kindof opened up in the glass this settled down. Both very tasty.
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Very aromatic with lots of tobacco, cedar, other spices... Similar tobacco-dominated spicy notes on the palate mixed with ripe blackberry. Long finish. It greatly improves with decanting and is drinking great now still showing some structure with mostly integrated tannins, but I don't see a point in aging it any longer
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Single blind tasting Garnet with some bricking Aromatics medium +. Spice/black pepper, blue fruit followed by green bell pepper. Palate medium. Acid medium. Tannins medium +, fine on teeth and gums. Alcohol medium +. Black fruit, raisin and olives Finish has medium + length. Balanced Dry glass notes of spice, cranberry, tobacco, coffee and tomato. Interesting, multi dimensional aged California Cabernet Drinking well now
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Dark ruby, almost opaque color with minimal bricking Cork intact - saturated approx 80% length Medium plus gorgeous aromas of blue/ black fruit and green pepper with graphite/ dry earth elements and a light touch of oak remaining Just amazing - really more Bordeaux-like than any California Cab I have experienced Fantastic and rather explosive palate of red and black fruit Medium plus fine grained and well integrated tannins with medium acidity and alcohol - Finish is extraordinary - 30-60 secs Dry glass aromas of tobacco and coffee Just the epitome of balance but plenty of life left as the fruit is just perfectly ripe Drink now or hold 5-10 more years This is the best wine I've tasted in the last six months
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Textbook new world Cabernet. The purity of the fruit must be experienced to be believed. The wine is at its peak, but will continue to develop, and likely improve for at least another decade in a cold cellar. Herbaceous notes, a touch of ripe capsicum, fine-grained tannins, endless finish. Totally focused, and very Cabernet, although the prevailing fruit is dark plum. As great a Cabernet as I have had in 2020. Dry cork, but came out in one piece...
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Time in the cellar has certainly added a lot to this wine. At 26 years of age, and about 90 minutes in the decanter, it was easy to see that it has softened, filled out and added fabulous nuances of cedar, forest leaf, tobacco and blackberry. Long, full-bodied, round and crisp, I have completely changed my mind on this wine and I am thrilled to have a few more in my cellar.
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Not blind, in to neck filling, decanted for half hour Wow. A neraly perfectly aged CS from California. Elegant, structuted, perfectly balanced. Still red and dark berries, some cigarbox, truffles and coffee. Not at his end but for me at his Peak. Mabe the next 5-7 years. 99-100
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Philip Togni vertical (1983-96) (Chicago, IL): This bottle doesn't quite jive with my last experience with this wine; there's quite a bit of volatility on the nose here, almost giving this a little bit of a balsamic character. In fact, the nose and the palate are both fairly heady, with the palate fairly simplistic by its showing a bunch of pleasant red fruit.
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Well balanced and harmonious with present acidity and backbone, stewed cherries, plum, vanilla bean. A touch of green stemminess only compliments the fruit further and nods to the (seemingly) bygone era of restrained Napa Cabernets.
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Pausing for the Cause 2018 (Chicago, IL): Really green and herbaceous on the nose, as one ought to expect. However, there's an equal amount of black fruit behind that. Very rich and potent on the palate, with the same intensity as a Dunn Howell Mountain, though with less chewiness and tannins. This is clearly a very ripe wine, but it's drinking in a restrained, enjoyable way. A true Napa cabernet.
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Bought new and stored properly since. This was the equivalent of many first growth Pauillacs. Barn yard, forest, all the good things from Napa Terroir. Togni is a master.
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Decanted 4 hours. Outstanding wine but taking the pedigree and one of the greatest Californian vintages - 1994 I am a bit disappointed. Wine is almost black with ruby rim. Smell is dominated by black currant with hints of tobacco and coffee. Increased acidity, medium body, soft tannins, fantastic balance and depth, great structure and long dry finish. As I mentioned this is outstanding wine but it lacks something special ( concentration of flavour?) to deserve for higher rate.
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Once again: soaked cork; once again: seemed muted upon the pnp and took 3 hours to start showing its stuff. Really like a 1990s left bank, but with that crazy minty finish I once again didn't expect.
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First of six bought at auction. Got 90% of the cork out with a screw, then blew it on the dismount. Pnp taste is oddball -- prunes soaking in mint. 30 minutes later, it's smooth and not complex, except for a definite mint finish. Three hours later, this is a different wine. It's what I'd expect from a 24 year old Bordeaux blend. Worth it. More vivid and complex -- suddenly -- than the 94 Peter Michael from a couple days ago. Had a 2010 Larkmead the same night, and it was great, but it was the grandchild to this Togni.
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Decanted and served after 30 minutes. Decanting advisable. Nicol who tried this blind went for Napa, "classic" wine maker cab. But guessed 10yrs old. Such is the vitality of this wine , still a lot of fruit, not overripe or over extrated just lots of healthy fruit. Herbs, tobacco and a bit of a spearmint feel. Very solid 93 once again and this easily has 10 more years at peak performance. Just about turning secondary! 93+
PS - We argued a bit if this had the faintest touch of TCA, Nicol with the super nose picking a small trace while Andreas none.
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Blind tasting group. This is a wine that has most always been declared French, often confused with PichonLaLa. Not tonight. Everyone was squarely in sunny California. "Massive wine. Kind of a eucalyptus or mint or spice thing on the nose. Dense, massive. Is it Phelps Insignia 1997 or 2002? 97 pts" "Agree. I think Mondavi reserve 2002. 94pts" Another vote for Phelps. Generally scored 96-97, and seemed young and powerful.
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Belated birthday session for Davyd. Tasted blind. Drank from decanter after 1 hour of air. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of green capsicums, dark Chinese herbs, cedar, blackcurrant leaf, blackberries, some mushroomy earth. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (12.5%), fine and very smooth high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet blackberries, blackcurrant, dark Chinese herbs, cedar, old leather, mushroomy earth. Long finish. Very good quality. Nice, classic Bordeaux kind of taste. I was actually guessing a nicely aged Right Bank Bordeaux. Lovely classy high mountain Napa Cab. Not a fan of the green bell peppers aromas, but on the palate this is rounded and smooth with tasty black fruits. Ready to drink with a decant. Will still drink well for a good 5+ years.
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Despite being 20+ years old could benefit from another decade of cellaring. Massively tannic, a huge wine with loads of smooth ripe fruit. Certainly enjoyable but not yet at it's prime.
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Decanted two hours. Youthful color, red ruby. Green pepper on the nose with subtle berry notes. Long palate of cedar, dark berry and spice. Wonderful, and with 10 years of peak drinking left easily.
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Drank it the third time in the last 8 months, again delivering very nice. all people in the tasting guessed Bx, still a lot of fruits and elegant and fine grained tannins. Unbelievable freshness and power for 12,0%
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Very early 90s Californian (which I like). The dominant note was pencil lead, but there was still enough dark fruit that the wine didn't seem too angular. With air, a bit of pepper and cedar came out. Nice mouthfeel and weight; the whole package reminded me a bit of the 91 Shafer Hillside Select.
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Best Bottle Red in Lucerne without a theme (Hopfenkranz in Lucerne): The wine of the night for me. This wine didn't reach his peak yet. Very Bordeaux style, some cassis, eucalyptus, violets and spicy, leather and a nice "sweet" finish, 97, Drinkable at least 8-10 years more
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A great Californian Cabernet. Spicy, herbals, some mints but still a fruity black currant as a backbone. Ripe tannins but still alive. The wine will survive at least 10 more years, Refreshing finish. Only 12% alc. Phantastic
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A younger in feel bottle than the last we tried (Papies 95 - March 2015 ) , not austere or angular but still fruit focussed and not as charming as we thought this can become, and we would suggest this needs maybe a good 5 years more patience. Decanting definitely helps at this stage. Togni quality once again, nice balance of fruit and a few secondary notes, nice depth of flavour. Lots of life ahead here. 93 but definitely full of potential
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Parker is right on the money with this one (RP97), however I feel like i need to elevate to 98 points after drinking this bottle with a party of 4 last night. deeply layered, black cherry, spices, pencil shavings, meaty and still incredibly youthful. Will be trying to source more bottles.
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Double decanted off its sediment before leaving the house for dinner. Notes of roasted bell pepper, red and black currants, earth and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, nicely integrated, and drinking quite well, showing currants, tobacco and herb flavors. Finishes with hints of red plum and leather. I'm a big fan of Togni's style. Drinking nicely and should hold at this level for a few years. Drink now-2021.
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Incredible wine that still has amazing life to it. So much going on with this wine... Rich voluptuous black fruit and cassis laced with earth, mineral, olive tapenade, black licorice, green pepper, cigar box, etc. It screams from the glass "I am a left bank Bordeaux", but then once you drink it the creme de cassis comes out and it suggests otherwise giving away that this is powerful Spring Mtn. fruit from Napa Valley. Great juice in this bottle! Purchased straight from the vineyard, so the provenance is clear.
Color still great. Nose dominated by bell pepper. Long flavor, definitely green flavors like pepper but it melds so well with the dark raspberry notes and has such a nice balance and acidity. Aged so well. Drinking perfectly but I suspect has many years of life. (This note is from day 2, sitting on the counter corked. Held up great!).
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Fantastic showing! So young in colour. Nose is starting to show a bit maturity though, but still not near a 20 year old wine. Decant for 1-2 hours and this is good to go now. Green bell pepper, some forest floor and a bit blue berries. Still many years left.
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Dark garnet color. Aromatic right from the start. Black and red berries mixed with touches of bell pepper and smoke. Opened further with decant. Powerful, deep wine. Well structured.
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One bottle in the chiller....cork completely disintegrated and came out in pieces. Tons of sediment filtered out by screen and cheesecloth 2x then by eye to end of glass a 3rd time over 2-3 hours. Easy 93-94 points after that time in the glass. Fine tannins, beautiful nose, reserved but classy black fruit, there, but subdued, just the right amount of oak. Drinking very well but not sure how much time may be left. Hated to see the glass end......generally when I see a big 3-4 pt. swing over 2-3 hours I begin to think maybe returns might start diminishing in the next few years. More and more sediment requires filtering out more so I lose valuable cc's out of the bottom of the bottle!
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Decanted for a couple of hours. A bit fo sediment so one does need to take care. A masterclass of class here for the lovers of classic claret with a new world edge. Good ripe core of fruit from nose to palate, light liquorice, herbal notes and just about turning secondary. Full bodies but in no way overdone and a superb example of fine Napa Cab. 95 easy and with lots of life ahead.
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Aromas of old Bordeaux with plenty of life. The palate is delicious dark fruit with tobacco, similar to a nicely aged Pauilliac. Should go nicely with tonight's filet mignon. Aged Togni is right in my wheelhouse.
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4th Saturday Group brown bagger (Rich & Dana's): From magnum. Aromas of green tobacco, cassis, currants, spice and herbs. Black currants, tobacco, herbs with a long finish. Has some tannin to integrate, but it is drinking surprisingly well out of this format already.
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Napa 1994 (@ JK): Beautiful, deep and complex bouquet with ripe dark fruits and menthol. On the palate even more complex with dark as well as red berry fruits, cedar, sweet spices, powdery soft tannin with still a great bite and future. What a great wine. 96+. Can probably last until well into the 2020's
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94 Napa: a 20-year retrospective @ my place (Netherlands): Awesome wine, huge in complexity, balance and drinkability. The bouquet is an ever changing peacock's tail, unbelievably interesting and cerebral. Very pure and clean on the palate, transparent yet concentrated. Great definition, bursting with menthol, cedar, cassis, graphite, pine kernels. Great to see this perennial favorite of mine perform so well. 97/100 (group scores 96-99)
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I quickly grabbed this from the cellar for a steak dinner without realizing how fine a wine it is. I should have decanted it properly, but no matter, it was lovely. It is very Cabernet and needs considerable air to be at its best - this wine develops well over time and gains complexity. One of the better California cabernets for my tastes - blackberry, licorice, menthol all unwinding slowly. Not oaky and well-balanced. No hurry, but give it time if you are having it now.
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Some people are going to like this more than others including me. While powerful, dense and concentrated, its harsh, green and rustic in the drying, dark red berry finish. Wines like this are not about the quality, it’s a matter of style for most tasters.
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Color is still an opaque purple at the core, lightening out to ruby on the rim. Nice black & red fruits on the nose, cassis and a touch of tobacco.
Sweet blackberry fruit on the palate, nice framing acidity - really nice, and better today than yesterday - this is a note from about 24 hours after the bottle was opened, and the wine has filled out a bit from yesterday.
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A very well made wine, however a littLe disappointing compared to other Togni I have. Ready to drink, light nose, slightly tannic but not overbearing barely perceptible taste of current, blackberry Aafter an hour half tannins mellowed but the fruit never developed like i would expect from this producer.
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Although not as good as the first bottle we had a number of years ago, after a couple of hours, this opened up. The fruit is still good and there was a very large amount of bricking in the bottle when poured. Nice notes of black currant and graphite. Dark fruits. Still has good life in it, but I'd suggest to drink up.
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Delicious wine, but not as great as i had expected, lacking the intensity and concentration i remember from '94 CA cabs. Noticed a little leakage around the cork, and while the wine wasnt oxidized, i wonder if the stopper helped to diminish the wine.Glad we didnt wait another year or two to drink t.
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Dark color. Pretty nose of ripe cassis and blackberries with a hint of char. This is a dense wine with dry tannins on the finish and it really needed a lot of time in a decanter (magnum) to start to open up. Then it showed lovely deep flavors of black and blue fruits along with notes of cassis and forest floor. The finish is finely concentrated and the tannins are powerful and still a bit green. I think this will benefit from more time if the fruit holds up. Excellent with a charred steak. 93+
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Le vin acheté le jour même au domaine (195$) montre un dépôt important. Ouvert quelques heures à l'avance, on découvre toute la magie d'un grand Cabernet américain, de style résolument bordelais par son assemblage et sa fraicheur, son taux d'alcool modéré. Nez suave de poivron rouge très mur, cassis, sous-bois, complexe, il évoque parfois le Médoc et d'autres moments un vin comme Valandraud...! La bouche est d'un équilibre fabuleux, comme celui de grands vins bordelais. Un vin mûr, avec une belle acidité, très savoureux, d'une classe extraordinaire. La finale est large, longue et d'une très belle finesse. C'est un très grand vin, un des meilleurs que j'ai jamais pris de cette région. 96-97 pts
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Way too young in my opinion. Nose of dark blue and black fruits, with that coconut smell I get from too young Cali cabs. Palate starts of really burly and dark, and then shows nice balance with serious but fine tannins. Should be excellent in 10-15 years.
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A touch of bricking at the rim. A bit retrained on the nose (by Togni standards) with notes of roasted herbs, black fruits and tree bark. Medium-bodied; somewhat angular and austere on the mid-palate, but with good depth and focus.
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This wine was improperly decanted because I was in transit, and the cork failed... so it was opened just before a blind tasting of 1994 Cabs with Ken V and friends. I suspect it was a victim of circumstances and ... wonderful company! Still, a 91 amongst 93-97 point wines... not a bad time!
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WCC 1994 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): Young, ripe black fruit nose. Rich and expansive in the mouth. Great length, a riveting wine. Blows away everything in this flight. My 3rd WOTN, but very close to #2. Should drink well now-2030. Nobody else seemed to like this. It got only my one point as my #3 wine.
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Mature Bordeaux Indulgence @ my place (Netherlands): Compact and slightly off nose of stewed/cooked fruit. Still very primary at 17,5 years of age. Juicy and charming but considerably tannic. Lovely nuances of ink, watercolor, grilled bell pepper, blueberry pancakes. Although I could sense the sheer class and promise of this wine, it came across as a tad clumsy and disharmonious. Maybe my expectations were a little to high... Stunning wine, though. 18-18.5/20
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Opened and decanted and consumed over 2 hours. Never really evolved at all. The fruit was there but never really came out. Chocolate with dark blackberry notes, but they were masked by gritty tannins and some unripe greens. In summary, tasted very narrow. Served with a steak and a friend at Casa Orinda. Fair.
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. Opened an hour before dinner and consumed over the next two hours. A youthful purple-ruby core with some bricking at the rim. An ethereal bouquet, offering up stunningly pure notes of blackberry, deep woods / briar patch and crushed rocks. Medium bodied, with a round texture, good grip, focus and balance, with a long and complex finish. As wonderful as this wine was, I still prefer the '92 Togni.
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Had this at the same time as a '93 Spottswoode for a contrast between mountain and valley fruit. Fascinating how different they were, yet equally enjoyable. This was not as exuberant, not as lush on the nose, a bit leaner, but still delicious in the mouth. Relatively long finish, fruit was still great and going strong.
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Sampled 5/28/11. Decanted for 1 hour. Half a teaspoon of sediment. Dark ruby color. A nose of red and black currants. On the palate much the same with slight sour black cherries. Just the right touch of Oak and dried herbs. A wonderful wine. Smooth as silk. Long finish.
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Sampled 5/2/11. Dark garnet color. On the palate the wine has some still gritty tannins that are covered with velvet. Makes no sense? You'll have to try the wine. Dense blackberries and black currant. Pencil lead. some spice. Cedar/oak elements. A huge wine that still has another 10 years to go. We should have decanted it first, as it started off greate and got slowly a little better over a couple hours. Next bottle will be at least a 2 to 4 hour decant.
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Not many notes; some chocolate in the bouquet. Good balance between sweetness and acidity. A really beautiful wine, but not completely living up to the expectations. This bottle was completely ready.
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Popped and let sit for 2 hours prior to pour. Nose of fresh bread and a slight herbal note. Flavors of fresh cherry juice with a slight acid component. Smooth tanin and integrated alcohol.
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Absolutely stunning, with dark cherry, earth, mineral flavors. Hard to understand the mixed reviews on CT, but when stored properly, this wine is spectacular! We drank this after a 1995 Phelps Insignia - hard to pick the winner, but it was a high class problem!
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Spectacular showing for this wine. Dense purple/ruby. Textbook smokey blackcurrant, black olive, toffee, a touch of green pepper, dried meat and a tawny character from age. Beef oxo-cube and marmite. Fresh cut fennel. Very French, very cabernet. Extremely opulent and multi-layered. Perfect balance - strong tannins. A big wine but in no way overbearing. This wine may not be otherworldly but it is knocking on heaven's door! This wine evokes memories of the Pichon Lalande 1982 in terms of balance, complexity and textbook cabernet fruit. For me, proof that greatness in Napa cab does not have to come from over worked, hot and overbearing monsters that fight with food.... A point now but I imagine in a cold cellar this will be good for another decade at least. The cork was a bit crumbly which was a worry....
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Showing medium maturity in the glass. Extremely reticent nose. On the palate, lots of alcohol overpowering a generally clean but very faded wine. This wine just seems very tired now, but gives hints that it might have been spectacular 6 years ago, in a fine Old World style.
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A magnificent wine. Delicious flavors combining the best of CA cab and Bordeaux. Some tobacco but lots of mint that I associate with CA. No reason to think it is in decline, but drinking perfectly right now. My standard for great aging is that there is great length and sweetness in the finish and this wine has both.
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Full bodied, concentratred and tannic, this large scaled wine shows green notes and an austere personality. Big in size, if this is some tasters cup of tea, I'd prefer coffee.
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Perfumed chocolate, sweet black cherry fruit, sage and cedar. Nice lively mountain fruit on the attack, but starting to show some mellowing on the finish, very consistent flavors with the nose. Starting to show a little sign of age, but still had some tannic structure to it - not going to get better, but can last for quite a while longer.
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Enormous and very complete bouquet. A lot of juice with still good tannin and pleasant sweetness. Little paprika. A very sexy wine. I love it! Now ready, but no hurry.
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Uncorked DK does mature Napa Bdx blends (Peter Solberg): Very dark red, almost black. Dense and intense nose with sweet black berries, pepper and espresso. Very pure and dense with fine and slightly dusty tannins. I really like its huge, yet fine, structure, like having the tour of Eiffel on the tongue. Quite complex and with a long aftertaste. (U95,4)
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This wine has held up beautifully, but I doubt it will get any better from here. Deep purple color, with no signs of bricking. Fruit was still sweet, but has started to fade. Plenty of structure. Great look back after 15 years in the bottle.
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(Cult California Cabernet tasting @ Martin Weiner’s) I had higher hopes for the 1994 Togni. The wine had a cloudy purple color, slightly fading at the edges. The nose was pure cocoa and briar. Unfortunately, the flavors from the glass were devoid of fruit. This was a very herbaceous wine with notes of briar and green pepper. The wine still had structure with tannins and acidity. Absent the structure, my rating probably would have been 85. Not my cup of tea. Drink now, if at all.
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Hubba Hubba! Great mountain cab 14 years from vintage date. Improved in the decanter over a two hour period. This is exactly what I want when I go to an aged napa cab - all of the prototypical cigar/spice box/cedar along with a backbone of nicely matured fruit. it is as Wow in its own way as any other great wine. Great winemaker and great site in a great year, now showing what mature wine should be.
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This was a great bottle. It ws big, juicy and had tremenndous backbone. Well intergrated fruits and Tannin. Lot of dark fruit and some floral notes on the nose. It took about an hour to really open and show it's stuff but just got better and better. We had about a third of the bottle left over so after popping a cork in it and returning it to the cellar we got back to it after 24 hours and it was even better, softer and well rounded and velvety on the mouthfeel. An excellent treat!
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Having been very impressed by this wine in the past, I was very disappointed. There was an immediate green/vegetal characteristic to this wine which never blew off and masked the richness which I have previously tasted.
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Served with a couple of grilled ribeyes (sorry, not Bryan this time!) Magnum bottle. Just delicious juice. I don't get a bit of the 'green' element that others seem to taste in this wine. 4 guys drank this down like a milkshake, everyone in love with the wine. The tannins have really resolved. Classic cabernet nose of cassis and cigar box. Taste is a little currant-y and a little tobacco-y. Maybe a little bit of olive or Provencal herbs in here. Really nice balance, just a bit of acid and a bit of tannin to frame the secondary flavors. Really good length. Togni really is a great winemaker, it just takes 10+ years for the wines to come around. He's like an improved 'Dunn', so 10-15 years to drinkability instead of 25-30!
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I've had 3 of these for 10 years since they were highly rated by WA & WS. Finally, decided to try one. Bouquet of flowers on the nose. Black fruit, well integrated, soft tannins. A little oak and some acididty to boot. A very very pleasant wine. I felt it could use a little more complexity, otherwise, it was wondeful.
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I loved this wine...out of a magnum. Color is dark garnet with just a hint of lightening. On the nose, cassis, dark cherry, a balsamic note, and herbs. The palate reveals chewy dark cherry, currant, spices, and an ever-so-subtle herbal note. Tannins are nicely integrated and the wine is in excellent balance. A beauty, and one of the better California Cabs I've had. Thanks to Matt Bair for this star of a very good line-up.
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STILL HAS MANY YEARS, DEEP BLACK FRUITS IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. BORDEAUX LIKE NOSE AND BLACKBERRIES AND BLACK CURRANTS IN THE FLAVOR. VERY COMPLEX WINE WITH A LONG LINGERING FINISH.
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The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Rich & Dana's): Tasted at the Blind Drunks tasting. Inky garnet color, almost opaque. Notes of plum and roasted red bell peppers. Sweet bell pepper flavors bolstering red fruit. Very nice.
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Consumed during lunch at CraftSteak. Wow, this is good juice... The tannins have really resolved since the last time I drank this wine, say 2 years ago. Classic cabernet nose of cassis and cigar box. Taste is a little currant-y and a little tobacco-y. Really nice balance, just a bit of acid and a bit of tannin to frame the secondary flavors. Really good length. Togni really is a great winemaker, it just takes 10+ years for the wines to come around. He's like an improved 'Dunn', so 10-15 years to drinkability instead of 25-30!
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Drank from magnum with steak au poivre and friends. A bit hot on pouring, but opened in the glass after an half hour. Stilll tannic and retains quite a bit of fruit. Philip does not like his wine drunk in less than ten years and the '94 could take a bit more age. I feel the fruit is beginning to fade and will drink my others in the near future. Don't think the added complexity from aging the wine much longer would be beneficial. Bordeaux-ish and seamless.
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STG does 1994 Cal Cab (Michael and Claire's house): This wine did not do much for me. The nose showed wet peat moss, asparagus, and a strange sun dried tomato element. The palate seemed to be breaking apart. I found the fruit to be a bit diffuse, and the wine to be overall a bit watery.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 1994 California Cabernet (Bellevue, WA): Smoky and meaty on the nose with peat moss, sun-dried tomato, and a rotten/overripe element. With more air this gets more and more vegetal, and that should have been my hint. The nose is both wacky and intriguing. Mmm, the palate is fantastic, round and rich with loads of cassis and great mouthfeel.
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Having purchased Togni wines for some years and not drunk one, it was time to experiment. Wonderful Bordeaux-like nose which was confirmed by the taste, but with extra tannins. This is obviously a very fine wine, but much too young. Seems to have a similar ageing profile to Randy Dunne's wines. Leave for another 5 years at least. Buy more! Destined for greatness.
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Big, concentrated mountain fruit. Still tannic. Needs time. The finish ended with a bitter, green note that took away from the ripe cassis and blackberry flavors.
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CT Group does 1994 Cabernets @ Howard's (Westport): Not much aroma. Not very distinctive, slightly herbal. Not showing much, but it could be in a closed state. It did show good weight on the palate. Medium finish.
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3/5/2023 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
1 hr decant
Still dark in color with no bricking
Nose is black raspberry, tobacco leaf, fresh meat and green tomato with a hint of menthol
The wine is big and rich with black fruits and tobacco leaf at the forefront. there is green tomato in the finish which is quite long. There is still a good amount of tannin. It is delicious and, at 29 years young, at its peak - but certainly has 10 great years ahead of it.
Others around the table rated it a point or two higher than I have
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1/22/2023 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
blind
A perfect elegant Bordeaux with low alcohol. Very compact with still firm tannins. For me at his peak but no hurry. 97
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4/17/2022 - dsamuel Likes this wine: 92 Points
No notes taken. This wine remains in great shape but prob not as intense as my last tasting note a year ago would suggest. Would drink sooner than later.
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10/9/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Drank side by side with a 96 Calon Segur. Interesting to try the Cali wines which take the old world influence. This is very restrained for Cali, but next to the CS it's just jumping out of the glass. Lots of fruit. All more restrained in style, but still very much there. Drinking nicely and while the CS kindof opened up in the glass this settled down. Both very tasty.
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2/6/2021 - martin_e Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very aromatic with lots of tobacco, cedar, other spices... Similar tobacco-dominated spicy notes on the palate mixed with ripe blackberry. Long finish. It greatly improves with decanting and is drinking great now still showing some structure with mostly integrated tannins, but I don't see a point in aging it any longer
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1/26/2021 - S.Wayne Likes this wine: 93 Points
Single blind tasting
Garnet with some bricking
Aromatics medium +. Spice/black pepper, blue fruit followed by green bell pepper.
Palate medium. Acid medium. Tannins medium +, fine on teeth and gums. Alcohol medium +. Black fruit, raisin and olives
Finish has medium + length. Balanced
Dry glass notes of spice, cranberry, tobacco, coffee and tomato.
Interesting, multi dimensional aged California Cabernet
Drinking well now
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1/25/2021 - dsamuel Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark ruby, almost opaque color with minimal bricking
Cork intact - saturated approx 80% length
Medium plus gorgeous aromas of blue/ black fruit and green pepper with graphite/ dry earth elements and a light touch of oak remaining
Just amazing - really more Bordeaux-like than any California Cab I have experienced
Fantastic and rather explosive palate of red and black fruit
Medium plus fine grained and well integrated tannins with medium acidity and alcohol - Finish is extraordinary - 30-60 secs
Dry glass aromas of tobacco and coffee
Just the epitome of balance but plenty of life left as the fruit is just perfectly ripe
Drink now or hold 5-10 more years
This is the best wine I've tasted in the last six months
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12/26/2020 - Marc wrote: 98 Points
Textbook new world Cabernet. The purity of the fruit must be experienced to be believed. The wine is at its peak, but will continue to develop, and likely improve for at least another decade in a cold cellar. Herbaceous notes, a touch of ripe capsicum, fine-grained tannins, endless finish. Totally focused, and very Cabernet, although the prevailing fruit is dark plum. As great a Cabernet as I have had in 2020. Dry cork, but came out in one piece...
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11/21/2020 - mnh wrote: 97 Points
Always a great wine its entire evolution.
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8/10/2020 - Moonie Likes this wine: 97 Points
Completely agree with the last review. The essence of a great CA Cab.
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3/10/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Time in the cellar has certainly added a lot to this wine. At 26 years of age, and about 90 minutes in the decanter, it was easy to see that it has softened, filled out and added fabulous nuances of cedar, forest leaf, tobacco and blackberry. Long, full-bodied, round and crisp, I have completely changed my mind on this wine and I am thrilled to have a few more in my cellar.
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1/17/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
not blind
Again a stunning wine. Cali at his best. Didn't reach his peak. 97+
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10/25/2019 - jww Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow couldn’t be a more perfect offering from CA
25 years old and showing beautifully
Balanced, strong fruit, cigar, leather flavors
Smooth finish
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7/15/2019 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 99 Points
Not blind, in to neck filling, decanted for half hour
Wow. A neraly perfectly aged CS from California. Elegant, structuted, perfectly balanced. Still red and dark berries, some cigarbox, truffles and coffee. Not at his end but for me at his Peak. Mabe the next 5-7 years. 99-100
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6/22/2019 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 95 Points
Another beauty, fully mature, brick colored, deep, rich, and a bit more stuffing than the '94 Pontet-Canet
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5/8/2019 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Philip Togni vertical (1983-96) (Chicago, IL): This bottle doesn't quite jive with my last experience with this wine; there's quite a bit of volatility on the nose here, almost giving this a little bit of a balsamic character. In fact, the nose and the palate are both fairly heady, with the palate fairly simplistic by its showing a bunch of pleasant red fruit.
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2/17/2019 - Mistress of Wine wrote: flawed
Suspect this was a poorly stored bottle as it was somewhat maderized.
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10/10/2018 - apward wrote: 93 Points
Well balanced and harmonious with present acidity and backbone, stewed cherries, plum, vanilla bean. A touch of green stemminess only compliments the fruit further and nods to the (seemingly) bygone era of restrained Napa Cabernets.
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9/24/2018 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Pausing for the Cause 2018 (Chicago, IL): Really green and herbaceous on the nose, as one ought to expect. However, there's an equal amount of black fruit behind that. Very rich and potent on the palate, with the same intensity as a Dunn Howell Mountain, though with less chewiness and tannins. This is clearly a very ripe wine, but it's drinking in a restrained, enjoyable way. A true Napa cabernet.
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9/3/2018 - viking92067 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bought new and stored properly since. This was the equivalent of many first growth Pauillacs. Barn yard, forest, all the good things from Napa Terroir. Togni is a master.
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7/29/2018 - Joealex Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours.
Outstanding wine but taking the pedigree and one of the greatest Californian vintages - 1994 I am a bit disappointed.
Wine is almost black with ruby rim. Smell is dominated by black currant with hints of tobacco and coffee. Increased acidity, medium body, soft tannins, fantastic balance and depth, great structure and long dry finish. As I mentioned this is outstanding wine but it lacks something special ( concentration of flavour?) to deserve for higher rate.
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6/24/2018 - CRUSHER Likes this wine: 96 Points
awesome california cab
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6/1/2018 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just supple and gorgeous!
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5/21/2018 - ledocq Likes this wine: 94 Points
Once again: soaked cork; once again: seemed muted upon the pnp and took 3 hours to start showing its stuff. Really like a 1990s left bank, but with that crazy minty finish I once again didn't expect.
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4/22/2018 - ledocq Likes this wine:
First of six bought at auction. Got 90% of the cork out with a screw, then blew it on the dismount. Pnp taste is oddball -- prunes soaking in mint. 30 minutes later, it's smooth and not complex, except for a definite mint finish. Three hours later, this is a different wine. It's what I'd expect from a 24 year old Bordeaux blend. Worth it. More vivid and complex -- suddenly -- than the 94 Peter Michael from a couple days ago. Had a 2010 Larkmead the same night, and it was great, but it was the grandchild to this Togni.
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4/13/2018 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and served after 30 minutes. Decanting advisable.
Nicol who tried this blind went for Napa, "classic" wine maker cab. But guessed 10yrs old. Such is the vitality of this wine , still a lot of fruit, not overripe or over extrated just lots of healthy fruit. Herbs, tobacco and a bit of a spearmint feel. Very solid 93 once again and this easily has 10 more years at peak performance. Just about turning secondary! 93+
PS - We argued a bit if this had the faintest touch of TCA, Nicol with the super nose picking a small trace while Andreas none.
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2/13/2018 - oncocyte wrote: 97 Points
Blind tasting group. This is a wine that has most always been declared French, often confused with PichonLaLa. Not tonight. Everyone was squarely in sunny California.
"Massive wine. Kind of a eucalyptus or mint or spice thing on the nose. Dense, massive. Is it Phelps Insignia 1997 or 2002? 97 pts"
"Agree. I think Mondavi reserve 2002. 94pts"
Another vote for Phelps. Generally scored 96-97, and seemed young and powerful.
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1/16/2018 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
Belated birthday session for Davyd. Tasted blind. Drank from decanter after 1 hour of air.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of green capsicums, dark Chinese herbs, cedar, blackcurrant leaf, blackberries, some mushroomy earth. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (12.5%), fine and very smooth high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet blackberries, blackcurrant, dark Chinese herbs, cedar, old leather, mushroomy earth. Long finish.
Very good quality. Nice, classic Bordeaux kind of taste. I was actually guessing a nicely aged Right Bank Bordeaux.
Lovely classy high mountain Napa Cab. Not a fan of the green bell peppers aromas, but on the palate this is rounded and smooth with tasty black fruits. Ready to drink with a decant. Will still drink well for a good 5+ years.
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12/23/2017 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep, flavorful and mature. Stylish Cabernet fruit in the dark fruit spectrum, nicely integrated tannins. Fairly simple, though, but it’s enjoyable.
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11/30/2017 - timcan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Despite being 20+ years old could benefit from another decade of cellaring. Massively tannic, a huge wine with loads of smooth ripe fruit. Certainly enjoyable but not yet at it's prime.
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9/30/2017 - wDave Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful, rich, ten more years at least at its best.
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9/30/2017 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted two hours. Youthful color, red ruby. Green pepper on the nose with subtle berry notes. Long palate of cedar, dark berry and spice. Wonderful, and with 10 years of peak drinking left easily.
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9/23/2017 - MLwine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still incredibly vibrant with lots of fruit left. Silky smooth and well-balanced. Delightful.
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7/7/2017 - canan wrote: 97 Points
4 Mini Vertical Tastings (Sammarco, Togni, Conseillante, Palmer) (MG): Lovely sweet plum fruit with a huge intensity and long impressive aftertaste.
There is so much character and personality and just a huge balance with everything. Monumental wine!
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3/21/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank it the third time in the last 8 months, again delivering very nice. all people in the tasting guessed Bx, still a lot of fruits and elegant and fine grained tannins. Unbelievable freshness and power for 12,0%
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3/14/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Very early 90s Californian (which I like). The dominant note was pencil lead, but there was still enough dark fruit that the wine didn't seem too angular. With air, a bit of pepper and cedar came out. Nice mouthfeel and weight; the whole package reminded me a bit of the 91 Shafer Hillside Select.
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2/12/2017 - plitton wrote: 93 Points
Rich cab fruit that's firm, with a velvety mouthfeel. Still improving.
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11/12/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
Best Bottle Red in Lucerne without a theme (Hopfenkranz in Lucerne): The wine of the night for me. This wine didn't reach his peak yet. Very Bordeaux style, some cassis, eucalyptus, violets and spicy, leather and a nice "sweet" finish, 97, Drinkable at least 8-10 years more
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7/27/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
A great Californian Cabernet. Spicy, herbals, some mints but still a fruity black currant as a backbone. Ripe tannins but still alive. The wine will survive at least 10 more years, Refreshing finish. Only 12% alc. Phantastic
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5/14/2016 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
A younger in feel bottle than the last we tried (Papies 95 - March 2015 ) , not austere or angular but still fruit focussed and not as charming as we thought this can become, and we would suggest this needs maybe a good 5 years more patience. Decanting definitely helps at this stage.
Togni quality once again, nice balance of fruit and a few secondary notes, nice depth of flavour. Lots of life ahead here. 93 but definitely full of potential
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4/13/2016 - Wine Trader Likes this wine: 98 Points
Parker is right on the money with this one (RP97), however I feel like i need to elevate to 98 points after drinking this bottle with a party of 4 last night. deeply layered, black cherry, spices, pencil shavings, meaty and still incredibly youthful. Will be trying to source more bottles.
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2/20/2016 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Double decanted off its sediment before leaving the house for dinner. Notes of roasted bell pepper, red and black currants, earth and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, nicely integrated, and drinking quite well, showing currants, tobacco and herb flavors. Finishes with hints of red plum and leather. I'm a big fan of Togni's style. Drinking nicely and should hold at this level for a few years. Drink now-2021.
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2/13/2016 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Incredible wine that still has amazing life to it. So much going on with this wine... Rich voluptuous black fruit and cassis laced with earth, mineral, olive tapenade, black licorice, green pepper, cigar box, etc. It screams from the glass "I am a left bank Bordeaux", but then once you drink it the creme de cassis comes out and it suggests otherwise giving away that this is powerful Spring Mtn. fruit from Napa Valley. Great juice in this bottle! Purchased straight from the vineyard, so the provenance is clear.
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1/30/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Color still great. Nose dominated by bell pepper. Long flavor, definitely green flavors like pepper but it melds so well with the dark raspberry notes and has such a nice balance and acidity. Aged so well. Drinking perfectly but I suspect has many years of life. (This note is from day 2, sitting on the counter corked. Held up great!).
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12/30/2015 - UTPK wrote:
Fantastic showing! So young in colour. Nose is starting to show a bit maturity though, but still not near a 20 year old wine. Decant for 1-2 hours and this is good to go now. Green bell pepper, some forest floor and a bit blue berries. Still many years left.
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12/19/2015 - aChave Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark garnet color. Aromatic right from the start. Black and red berries mixed with touches of bell pepper and smoke. Opened further with decant. Powerful, deep wine. Well structured.
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8/1/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 97 Points
Reinterpreted Paris Tasting 'Best Bottle Circle' Style (Emmen, Switzerland): Deep garnet in color. Nose shows black licorice, dark berries, black currant and coffee. Nice sweetness and lots of power. Perfect balance and very hedonistic. Close to perfection...
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6/22/2015 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points
One bottle in the chiller....cork completely disintegrated and came out in pieces. Tons of sediment filtered out by screen and cheesecloth 2x then by eye to end of glass a 3rd time over 2-3 hours. Easy 93-94 points after that time in the glass. Fine tannins, beautiful nose, reserved but classy black fruit, there, but subdued, just the right amount of oak. Drinking very well but not sure how much time may be left. Hated to see the glass end......generally when I see a big 3-4 pt. swing over 2-3 hours I begin to think maybe returns might start diminishing in the next few years. More and more sediment requires filtering out more so I lose valuable cc's out of the bottom of the bottle!
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5/30/2015 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 96 Points
Best of the night, most youthful, really enjoyable
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5/30/2015 - cab blends Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chalky nose and was by far the most youthful of the 1994 tonight.
Dryer on the palate and integrated. Medium body - my WOTN
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3/19/2015 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours. A bit fo sediment so one does need to take care.
A masterclass of class here for the lovers of classic claret with a new world edge. Good ripe core of fruit from nose to palate, light liquorice, herbal notes and just about turning secondary. Full bodies but in no way overdone and a superb example of fine Napa Cab. 95 easy and with lots of life ahead.
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1/21/2015 - BradE wrote:
Haven't had a Togni for ages. This 94 was fantastic, and reminded me what this wine can be when its showing great.
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1/10/2015 - plitton wrote: 92 Points
From memory, rich Cabernet fruit with medium tannins. Old-school California cab style.
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12/17/2014 - Papies wrote: flawed
Unfortunately TCA got the better of this wine.
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11/16/2014 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Aromas of old Bordeaux with plenty of life. The palate is delicious dark fruit with tobacco, similar to a nicely aged Pauilliac. Should go nicely with tonight's filet mignon. Aged Togni is right in my wheelhouse.
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9/27/2014 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
4th Saturday Group brown bagger (Rich & Dana's): From magnum. Aromas of green tobacco, cassis, currants, spice and herbs. Black currants, tobacco, herbs with a long finish. Has some tannin to integrate, but it is drinking surprisingly well out of this format already.
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9/27/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Opened for Dinner by Rich at 4th Saturday Group. From magnum. Red fruits and plums, with smooth integrated tannins. Lovely.
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9/20/2014 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Napa 1994 (@ JK): Beautiful, deep and complex bouquet with ripe dark fruits and menthol. On the palate even more complex with dark as well as red berry fruits, cedar, sweet spices, powdery soft tannin with still a great bite and future. What a great wine. 96+. Can probably last until well into the 2020's
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9/20/2014 - jkoenen wrote: 97 Points
94 Napa: a 20-year retrospective @ my place (Netherlands): Awesome wine, huge in complexity, balance and drinkability. The bouquet is an ever changing peacock's tail, unbelievably interesting and cerebral. Very pure and clean on the palate, transparent yet concentrated. Great definition, bursting with menthol, cedar, cassis, graphite, pine kernels. Great to see this perennial favorite of mine perform so well. 97/100 (group scores 96-99)
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5/23/2014 - Bare Cove wrote:
With Steve Bono and Ray
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4/26/2014 - johnh1001 wrote:
French Laundry (Napa): Not going to rate this as I hope it was off. Over ripe dark fruit that was completely disjointed.
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3/10/2014 - vindictive wrote:
I quickly grabbed this from the cellar for a steak dinner without realizing how fine a wine it is. I should have decanted it properly, but no matter, it was lovely. It is very Cabernet and needs considerable air to be at its best - this wine develops well over time and gains complexity. One of the better California cabernets for my tastes - blackberry, licorice, menthol all unwinding slowly. Not oaky and well-balanced. No hurry, but give it time if you are having it now.
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3/4/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Some people are going to like this more than others including me. While powerful, dense and concentrated, its harsh, green and rustic in the drying, dark red berry finish. Wines like this are not about the quality, it’s a matter of style for most tasters.
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11/17/2013 - Bob H Likes this wine:
Color is still an opaque purple at the core, lightening out to ruby on the rim. Nice black & red fruits on the nose, cassis and a touch of tobacco.
Sweet blackberry fruit on the palate, nice framing acidity - really nice, and better today than yesterday - this is a note from about 24 hours after the bottle was opened, and the wine has filled out a bit from yesterday.
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9/28/2013 - canan wrote: 93 Points
BYO - US wines (Skovridderkroen): Nose: Gun powder, blackberry, coffee, perfumed intensity.
Palate: Earthy, juicy blackberry. Declining a bit..
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5/28/2013 - jww wrote:
A very well made wine, however a littLe disappointing compared to other Togni I have. Ready to drink, light nose, slightly tannic but not overbearing barely perceptible taste of current, blackberry Aafter an hour half tannins mellowed but the fruit never developed like i would expect from this producer.
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12/29/2012 - kenthargis Likes this wine: 90 Points
Although not as good as the first bottle we had a number of years ago, after a couple of hours, this opened up. The fruit is still good and there was a very large amount of bricking in the bottle when poured. Nice notes of black currant and graphite. Dark fruits. Still has good life in it, but I'd suggest to drink up.
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12/26/2012 - BigmikeSC Likes this wine:
Delicious wine, but not as great as i had expected, lacking the intensity and concentration i remember from '94 CA cabs. Noticed a little leakage around the cork, and while the wine wasnt oxidized, i wonder if the stopper helped to diminish the wine.Glad we didnt wait another year or two to drink t.
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10/23/2012 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Dark color. Pretty nose of ripe cassis and blackberries with a hint of char. This is a dense wine with dry tannins on the finish and it really needed a lot of time in a decanter (magnum) to start to open up. Then it showed lovely deep flavors of black and blue fruits along with notes of cassis and forest floor. The finish is finely concentrated and the tannins are powerful and still a bit green. I think this will benefit from more time if the fruit holds up. Excellent with a charred steak. 93+
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9/1/2012 - d'Artagnan wrote: 96 Points
Le vin acheté le jour même au domaine (195$) montre un dépôt important.
Ouvert quelques heures à l'avance, on découvre toute la magie d'un grand Cabernet américain, de style résolument bordelais par son assemblage et sa fraicheur, son taux d'alcool modéré.
Nez suave de poivron rouge très mur, cassis, sous-bois, complexe, il évoque parfois le Médoc et d'autres moments un vin comme Valandraud...!
La bouche est d'un équilibre fabuleux, comme celui de grands vins bordelais. Un vin mûr, avec une belle acidité, très savoureux, d'une classe extraordinaire. La finale est large, longue et d'une très belle finesse. C'est un très grand vin, un des meilleurs que j'ai jamais pris de cette région. 96-97 pts
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6/27/2012 - kenthargis wrote: 96 Points
Such a wonderful wine. Even better than the one last year. Rich, well-integrated, some mocha, black fruits. Truly a spectacular wine.
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6/26/2012 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:
Way too young in my opinion. Nose of dark blue and black fruits, with that coconut smell I get from too young Cali cabs. Palate starts of really burly and dark, and then shows nice balance with serious but fine tannins. Should be excellent in 10-15 years.
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6/9/2012 - tbabes wrote: 90 Points
A touch of bricking at the rim. A bit retrained on the nose (by Togni standards) with notes of roasted herbs, black fruits and tree bark. Medium-bodied; somewhat angular and austere on the mid-palate, but with good depth and focus.
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6/3/2012 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine was improperly decanted because I was in transit, and the cork failed... so it was opened just before a blind tasting of 1994 Cabs with Ken V and friends. I suspect it was a victim of circumstances and ... wonderful company! Still, a 91 amongst 93-97 point wines... not a bad time!
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5/31/2012 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
WCC 1994 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): Young, ripe black fruit nose. Rich and expansive in the mouth. Great length, a riveting wine. Blows away everything in this flight. My 3rd WOTN, but very close to #2. Should drink well now-2030. Nobody else seemed to like this. It got only my one point as my #3 wine.
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2/3/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 93 Points
Mature Bordeaux Indulgence @ my place (Netherlands): Compact and slightly off nose of stewed/cooked fruit. Still very primary at 17,5 years of age. Juicy and charming but considerably tannic. Lovely nuances of ink, watercolor, grilled bell pepper, blueberry pancakes. Although I could sense the sheer class and promise of this wine, it came across as a tad clumsy and disharmonious. Maybe my expectations were a little to high... Stunning wine, though. 18-18.5/20
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1/1/2012 - abursky wrote: 96 Points
heroic, great style with decades of life left
one of the great Cabs of Napa
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10/18/2011 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened and decanted and consumed over 2 hours. Never really evolved at all. The fruit was there but never really came out. Chocolate with dark blackberry notes, but they were masked by gritty tannins and some unripe greens. In summary, tasted very narrow. Served with a steak and a friend at Casa Orinda. Fair.
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10/14/2011 - tbabes wrote: 95 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. Opened an hour before dinner and consumed over the next two hours. A youthful purple-ruby core with some bricking at the rim. An ethereal bouquet, offering up stunningly pure notes of blackberry, deep woods / briar patch and crushed rocks. Medium bodied, with a round texture, good grip, focus and balance, with a long and complex finish. As wonderful as this wine was, I still prefer the '92 Togni.
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9/18/2011 - pkatz wrote: 83 Points
Proving once again that aging wine is a crap shoot. Prior bottle great, this bottle drying, tannic and fruit was harsh.
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8/28/2011 - mxpbuy wrote: flawed
HORRIBLY CORKED!
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6/28/2011 - kenthargis wrote: 93 Points
Had this at the same time as a '93 Spottswoode for a contrast between mountain and valley fruit. Fascinating how different they were, yet equally enjoyable. This was not as exuberant, not as lush on the nose, a bit leaner, but still delicious in the mouth. Relatively long finish, fruit was still great and going strong.
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5/31/2011 - mxpbuy wrote: 94 Points
Sampled 5/28/11. Decanted for 1 hour. Half a teaspoon of sediment. Dark ruby color. A nose of red and black currants. On the palate much the same with slight sour black cherries. Just the right touch of Oak and dried herbs. A wonderful wine. Smooth as silk. Long finish.
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5/3/2011 - mxpbuy wrote: 95 Points
Sampled 5/2/11. Dark garnet color. On the palate the wine has some still gritty tannins that are covered with velvet. Makes no sense? You'll have to try the wine. Dense blackberries and black currant. Pencil lead. some spice. Cedar/oak elements. A huge wine that still has another 10 years to go. We should have decanted it first, as it started off greate and got slowly a little better over a couple hours. Next bottle will be at least a 2 to 4 hour decant.
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3/18/2011 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Not many notes; some chocolate in the bouquet. Good balance between sweetness and acidity. A really beautiful wine, but not completely living up to the expectations. This bottle was completely ready.
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3/11/2011 - rwstorer wrote: 94 Points
Popped and let sit for 2 hours prior to pour. Nose of fresh bread and a slight herbal note. Flavors of fresh cherry juice with a slight acid component. Smooth tanin and integrated alcohol.
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12/19/2010 - no leashes wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely stunning, with dark cherry, earth, mineral flavors. Hard to understand the mixed reviews on CT, but when stored properly, this wine is spectacular! We drank this after a 1995 Phelps Insignia - hard to pick the winner, but it was a high class problem!
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10/31/2010 - Marc wrote: 97 Points
Spectacular showing for this wine. Dense purple/ruby. Textbook smokey blackcurrant, black olive, toffee, a touch of green pepper, dried meat and a tawny character from age. Beef oxo-cube and marmite. Fresh cut fennel. Very French, very cabernet. Extremely opulent and multi-layered. Perfect balance - strong tannins. A big wine but in no way overbearing. This wine may not be otherworldly but it is knocking on heaven's door! This wine evokes memories of the Pichon Lalande 1982 in terms of balance, complexity and textbook cabernet fruit. For me, proof that greatness in Napa cab does not have to come from over worked, hot and overbearing monsters that fight with food.... A point now but I imagine in a cold cellar this will be good for another decade at least. The cork was a bit crumbly which was a worry....
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10/29/2010 - petitblanc wrote: 88 Points
Showing medium maturity in the glass. Extremely reticent nose. On the palate, lots of alcohol overpowering a generally clean but very faded wine. This wine just seems very tired now, but gives hints that it might have been spectacular 6 years ago, in a fine Old World style.
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9/6/2010 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Nose is 100% Cali. Body knows how to party. Touch green. Nice balance.
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8/21/2010 - WineAggregate wrote: 92 Points
Very nice but a little disappointing relative to Parker hype.
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5/9/2010 - pkatz wrote: 96 Points
A magnificent wine. Delicious flavors combining the best of CA cab and Bordeaux. Some tobacco but lots of mint that I associate with CA. No reason to think it is in decline, but drinking perfectly right now. My standard for great aging is that there is great length and sweetness in the finish and this wine has both.
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4/18/2010 - PeterH wrote: 95 Points
Extremely good Calif Cab. Tannins resolved, good secondary flavors (tobacco, cedar, earth). Not any of the 'green' notes that others think are here.
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3/28/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Full bodied, concentratred and tannic, this large scaled wine shows green notes and an austere personality. Big in size, if this is some tasters cup of tea, I'd prefer coffee.
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1/21/2010 - jreis wrote:
Perfumed chocolate, sweet black cherry fruit, sage and cedar. Nice lively mountain fruit on the attack, but starting to show some mellowing on the finish, very consistent flavors with the nose. Starting to show a little sign of age, but still had some tannic structure to it - not going to get better, but can last for quite a while longer.
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11/28/2009 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Enormous and very complete bouquet. A lot of juice with still good tannin and pleasant sweetness. Little paprika. A very sexy wine. I love it! Now ready, but no hurry.
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11/28/2009 - jkoenen wrote: 94 Points
Hedonistic Diner (Restaurant Le Défi, Sprang-Capelle): No formal note. 18.5/20
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11/27/2009 - gorm wrote: 96 Points
Uncorked DK does mature Napa Bdx blends (Peter Solberg): Very dark red, almost black. Dense and intense nose with sweet black berries, pepper and espresso. Very pure and dense with fine and slightly dusty tannins. I really like its huge, yet fine, structure, like having the tour of Eiffel on the tongue. Quite complex and with a long aftertaste. (U95,4)
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10/23/2009 - 2loyal wrote: 92 Points
This wine has held up beautifully, but I doubt it will get any better from here. Deep purple color, with no signs of bricking. Fruit was still sweet, but has started to fade. Plenty of structure. Great look back after 15 years in the bottle.
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9/25/2009 - rthun wrote: 88 Points
(Cult California Cabernet tasting @ Martin Weiner’s) I had higher hopes for the 1994 Togni. The wine had a cloudy purple color, slightly fading at the edges. The nose was pure cocoa and briar. Unfortunately, the flavors from the glass were devoid of fruit. This was a very herbaceous wine with notes of briar and green pepper. The wine still had structure with tannins and acidity. Absent the structure, my rating probably would have been 85. Not my cup of tea. Drink now, if at all.
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3/23/2009 - Knicksfan wrote: 89 Points
Drink up. Fruit is fading and tannin/backbone too. Some improvement after about an hour but dont this this masterpiece getting any better with time.
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12/10/2008 - mnh wrote:
Excellent
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9/28/2008 - caldwell wrote: 96 Points
Hubba Hubba! Great mountain cab 14 years from vintage date. Improved in the decanter over a two hour period. This is exactly what I want when I go to an aged napa cab - all of the prototypical cigar/spice box/cedar along with a backbone of nicely matured fruit. it is as Wow in its own way as any other great wine. Great winemaker and great site in a great year, now showing what mature wine should be.
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1/3/2008 - ski695 wrote: 95 Points
Excellent. No green veggies and quite nice.
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12/9/2007 - dbg wrote:
outstanding
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12/1/2007 - SteveHoch wrote: 94 Points
This was a great bottle. It ws big, juicy and had tremenndous backbone. Well intergrated fruits and Tannin. Lot of dark fruit and some floral notes on the nose. It took about an hour to really open and show it's stuff but just got better and better. We had about a third of the bottle left over so after popping a cork in it and returning it to the cellar we got back to it after 24 hours and it was even better, softer and well rounded and velvety on the mouthfeel. An excellent treat!
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9/29/2007 - tacman wrote: 88 Points
Having been very impressed by this wine in the past, I was very disappointed. There was an immediate green/vegetal characteristic to this wine which never blew off and masked the richness which I have previously tasted.
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8/4/2007 - A&C wrote: 97 Points
This was the wine of the night. Wow. Huge, big, structured, and awesome. I believe. . . .
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8/2/2007 - PeterH wrote: 96 Points
Served with a couple of grilled ribeyes (sorry, not Bryan this time!)
Magnum bottle.
Just delicious juice. I don't get a bit of the 'green' element that others seem to taste in this wine. 4 guys drank this down like a milkshake, everyone in love with the wine.
The tannins have really resolved. Classic cabernet nose of cassis and cigar box. Taste is a little currant-y and a little tobacco-y. Maybe a little bit of olive or Provencal herbs in here. Really nice balance, just a bit of acid and a bit of tannin to frame the secondary flavors. Really good length. Togni really is a great winemaker, it just takes 10+ years for the wines to come around. He's like an improved 'Dunn', so 10-15 years to drinkability instead of 25-30!
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4/14/2007 - tonyo123 wrote: 94 Points
I've had 3 of these for 10 years since they were highly rated by WA & WS. Finally, decided to try one. Bouquet of flowers on the nose. Black fruit, well integrated, soft tannins. A little oak and some acididty to boot. A very very pleasant wine. I felt it could use a little more complexity, otherwise, it was wondeful.
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3/31/2007 - Thilo wrote: 95 Points
I loved this wine...out of a magnum. Color is dark garnet with just a hint of lightening. On the nose, cassis, dark cherry, a balsamic note, and herbs. The palate reveals chewy dark cherry, currant, spices, and an ever-so-subtle herbal note. Tannins are nicely integrated and the wine is in excellent balance. A beauty, and one of the better California Cabs I've had. Thanks to Matt Bair for this star of a very good line-up.
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3/4/2007 - buckeye76 wrote: 97 Points
STILL HAS MANY YEARS, DEEP BLACK FRUITS IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. BORDEAUX LIKE NOSE AND BLACKBERRIES AND BLACK CURRANTS IN THE FLAVOR. VERY COMPLEX WINE WITH A LONG LINGERING FINISH.
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12/17/2006 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Rich & Dana's): Tasted at the Blind Drunks tasting. Inky garnet color, almost opaque. Notes of plum and roasted red bell peppers. Sweet bell pepper flavors bolstering red fruit. Very nice.
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12/11/2006 - PeterH wrote: 96 Points
Consumed during lunch at CraftSteak.
Wow, this is good juice...
The tannins have really resolved since the last time I drank this wine, say 2 years ago. Classic cabernet nose of cassis and cigar box. Taste is a little currant-y and a little tobacco-y. Really nice balance, just a bit of acid and a bit of tannin to frame the secondary flavors. Really good length. Togni really is a great winemaker, it just takes 10+ years for the wines to come around. He's like an improved 'Dunn', so 10-15 years to drinkability instead of 25-30!
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2/10/2006 - heffalump wrote: 97 Points
Drank from magnum with steak au poivre and friends. A bit hot on pouring, but opened in the glass after an half hour. Stilll tannic and retains quite a bit of fruit. Philip does not like his wine drunk in less than ten years and the '94 could take a bit more age. I feel the fruit is beginning to fade and will drink my others in the near future. Don't think the added complexity from aging the wine much longer would be beneficial. Bordeaux-ish and seamless.
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5/6/2005 - Jason wrote: 82 Points
STG does 1994 Cal Cab (Michael and Claire's house): This wine did not do much for me. The nose showed wet peat moss, asparagus, and a strange sun dried tomato element. The palate seemed to be breaking apart. I found the fruit to be a bit diffuse, and the wine to be overall a bit watery.
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5/6/2005 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 1994 California Cabernet (Bellevue, WA): Smoky and meaty on the nose with peat moss, sun-dried tomato, and a rotten/overripe element. With more air this gets more and more vegetal, and that should have been my hint. The nose is both wacky and intriguing. Mmm, the palate is fantastic, round and rich with loads of cassis and great mouthfeel.
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4/15/2005 - Mausersf wrote: 96 Points
Having purchased Togni wines for some years and not drunk one, it was time to experiment. Wonderful Bordeaux-like nose which was confirmed by the taste, but with extra tannins. This is obviously a very fine wine, but much too young. Seems to have a similar ageing profile to Randy Dunne's wines. Leave for another 5 years at least. Buy more! Destined for greatness.
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11/2/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Big, concentrated mountain fruit. Still tannic. Needs time. The finish ended with a bitter, green note that took away from the ripe cassis and blackberry flavors.
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5/26/2004 - mnh wrote:
Still quite good
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5/1/2001 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($100) The First Big DFW Tasting: Ripe and concentrated but tannic and very closed. DFW Tasting.
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4/2/2001 - mnh wrote:
Restrained today
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7/1/1998 - mnh wrote:
Great fruit, nice balance
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12/13/1997 - mdefreitas wrote: 88 Points
CT Group does 1994 Cabernets @ Howard's (Westport): Not much aroma. Not very distinctive, slightly herbal. Not showing much, but it could be in a closed state. It did show good weight on the palate. Medium finish.
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3/1/1997 - mnh wrote:
On Ryndam, great color and nose, layers of fruit, lots of depth and finish. Good now, ? exceptional later
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