23x California 1974: Do the legendary 1974s still hold up? The answer is a resounding YES, and not just for one or two top wines, but across the board. These best wines showed incredible complexity, with still vibrant fruit cores perfectly complemented by layers upon layers of tertiary aromas, a fully intact structural frame, stature, poise, and freshness. While many of these wines should continue to age well, I don't expect them to get any better than they are now. The top wines in the tasting were the Mondavi Cabernet and the Phelps Insignia (both 97pts), the Mondavi Reserve and the Mount Eden (both 96pts), and the Ridge Monte Bello (95pts). Many more wines scored in the 90-94 point range. I'm convinced that many wines would have scored even higher in a different tasting setting, where you can follow the wine over the course of an evening. Only 5 of the 24 bottles showed signs of weakness, with 1 of those already oxidized, but given the substance that could be tasted underneath, this is more likely due to weak corks or poor storage than anything nature delivered this year. All the wines had very good fill levels and had been quickly double decanted before tasting to remove the sediment.
TN: This wine captivates with a vibrant nose of graphite, blue and dark red fruits, initially hinting at TCA which quickly dissipates. On the palate, it's powerful yet supremely elegant, seamlessly integrating layers of blue and dark red fruits with graphite and subtle herbal touches. Early signs of leather and tobacco lurk in the background, promising future complexity. With time in the glass, it unfurls, becoming increasingly open and complex. A tight contest with the regular Mondavi Cabernet (rated 97pts), which appears more developed, hence more complex, and to me slightly superior, though others favor this Reserve for its impressive structure and future potential.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A 1974 Napa Retrospective (Zunfthaus zur Waag Zürich): While the regular mondavi was showing well right out of the bottle, this needed 10 minutes or so in the glass to come to life. Red berries, some dried herbs, black tea, eucalyptus and mint. Love this style!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle had been standing up for several weeks, but the decision to drink was last minute, so just decanted off sediment and consumed over a couple of hours. Far less eucalyptus than our last bottle a year ago, which for me is a good thing, still plenty of mature black fruit, crushed leaves, and sun warmed leather. The texture was slightly dusty, despite being perfectly clean of all sediment - just a function of age, not preparation. Perhaps a little more mature than ideal, but still showing lots of energy and with a fully intact frame. We've had a lot of these other the years, and, while they are not as strong as a few years ago, it's a testament to the golden age of California wine that these are still so beautiful at nearly 50.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a nice looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had light orange rims and a red center. It had dropped an unusually large amount of sediment suggesting it was advanced. The medium+ intensity nose was rather overripe and slightly oxidized for the first hour or so. It put forth fig, over-ripe blackberry, cherries, and soil. Unfortunately, the oxidized character did not disappear.
In the mouth, this wine was over-ripe at first but developed a strong spine behind the slightly over the edge fruit. It came around into a better balance after 2+ hours. However, the fruit was a bit sloppy and the alcohol was not fully integrated.
While drinkable, this bottle was quite advanced and certainly not going to be getting better. My guess is that it was keep in a warm room that didn't cause it to leak but accelerated its maturity. Disappointing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(from memory) Deep garnet, seductive nose of black plum, leather, graphite, black pepper, and Asian spices, mature red fruit on the attack with stewed plum, spice, mocha, fully integrated tannins and medium acidity, finishes like a Grand Cru Classé à Pauillac, with cedar, dark fruit, earth, ganache, balancing acidity and lingering wood and black tea notes
Note: had the 1994 (purchased from the winery) the night before and it wasn't in the same ballpark, sort of flat and lifeless, the '74 (at least this bottle) is in a league of its own
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From mag. My second time enjoying this from mag although the previous time was at least a decade ago. Rich, chocolatey but not at all heavy. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Gareth's Magnum Dinner, part 1 (Noize): Magnum. I seemed to be in a minority in not loving this: I respected it, but found certain unusual notes that I couldn't quite get past, so the wine seemed to me a bit of a curiosity rather than delicious per se. Caraway, mint chocolate (Matchmakers, to be precise), plenty of deep dark fruit. Nice mouthfeel and clearly lots of life left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a low fill, SOS bottle so expectations were restrained. Stood upright for a week, then decanted off considerable sediment about an hour before serving and served on the cool side, allowing to warm in the glass, in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems. Saturated garnet color, very little bricking at the rim. Pretty classic in structure and style, notes of dill pickle and eucalyptus on the nose, along with a generous amount of somewhat faded black fruit. Nice medium body and dense, silky mouthfeel. Jonathan noted the possible damage in lack of tension, balance and precision, and I thought there was too much eucalyptus - an element to which I am sensitive. With air, the fruit faded gradually and by the end of the 3 hours or so period of which we drank the bottle, it was getting a little fuzzy. No doubt it wasn't a perfect example, and the next gear from a more sound example would have been nice to see, but it was still a fun and interesting bottle, though out performed on this occasion by the '74 Guasti Clemente Barolo Riserva drunk on the same evening.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The cork was actually in a bad shape and broke despite my best effort. I was still able to pull it all eventually without damage to the wine. Color was actually still fairly deep for its age, with a light rim variation. The nose was elegant and subtle with notes of cherries and blackberries, clove and leather. The palate was the most impressive to me, with incredible silky texture and somewhat youthful sweet fruit, fully resolved tannins and a good backbone of acidity that makes this wine stand the test of time with great class. A fantastic wine that aged beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I have written this wine up quite a few times but this bottle was the best I have had. It didn't hurt that the cork was solid as a rock and the bottle had a bottom neck fill.
This wine had a deep red center with orange rims. The high- intensity nose offered up rhubarb, blackberries, allspice, roasted meat, clove and some Cuban cigar.
In the mouth, this wine was attractive from the start but certainly filled out and firmed up with a couple hours in the decanter. By then, it was firing on all cylinders with rounded tannin, firm acidity, lovely fruit complexity, and great length.
While fully mature, well stored bottles like this should last another 10 years or so. Outstanding!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red center with orange at the rim. The medium intensity nose put forth blackberry, tan spices, fig, and soil.
In the mouth, this wine was a bit rough at first but smoothed out nicely with air. After 3+ hours the texture really came out. It had attractive balance, solid acidity, and very good length.
This is at its peak. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a nice looking bottle with a HS fill, this wine has a deep red center with orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth an intense cherry/blueberry mix, cigar box, figs, and alluvial dust.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with light, rounded tanin, solid acidity and good length. The only element that held it back was a bit of excess heat (alcohol).
Thi wine had a lot of sediment which I drank separately. These dregs turned out to be very fine grained like Burgundy sediment. In retrospect, I should have included these in the decanter as they would have helped balance out the slight spike of alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted in double-blind fashion from a bottle with good provenance, this 45-year-old Napa Cab was impressive from attack to finish. Deep garnet in color, it delivers an aromatic and flavor profile of dark plums, leather, cigar, clove, truffle and cocoa. Medium-bodied and with medium acidity, it is softly textured by virtue of its fully melted tannins, seamless alcohol and well-woven oak. Plump on the mid-palate and long on the back end, this is impressive for a wine of any age. Bottles such as this have enough residual fruit to stay on plateau for at least another five years, meaning that it will celebrate a nice 50th birthday! Drink now-2024.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chevillon Survey (Brasserie Margeuax): A wine for the ages. Explosive nose of aged plum and black cherry, with dried tobacco, cedar, and bell pepper. What a perfume. The palate is still so fresh with rich, round fruit and still present tannin. Wow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chevillon study (Chicago, IL): Wow, this wine is absolutely epic. The nose is a little stinky and bandaidy with the brett, but somehow it manages to slough off those off flavours with air. Then, this wine truly reveals its majesty -- the pyrazines here are fully ripe and sweet, and the sheer amount of fruit here is supernatural. It's not even desiccated or browned -- it's fruit that you would expect from a young bottle of wine. Not to mention, this has some Pichonesque (Lalande) perfume notes here too thanks to those ripe pyrazines. An incredible drink; I'm not sure you could ask for more out of a 45-year-old wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From bottle with a MTH shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center and tawny rims. The medium+ intensity nose was impressive right off the bat with its concentrated cherries, dusty red soil, blackberries, and baking spices. A hint of band-aid was a minor distraction.
It the mouth, this wine was quite rich and ripe with a great chewy texture. It had nice acidity, light rounded tannin, and very good length.
Interestingly, this bottle had a bit of a primary and slightly rustic note on top of its attractive complexity and lovely mouthfeel. It is clearly at a peak but should easily last for 10 years or so. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a nice looking bottle with a very top shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center with orange rims. While not particularly special in the first hour, this wine blossomed nicely afterwards to show black cherries, dark soil, mocha, and just a hint of Provençal herbs.
In the mouth, the wine was rich, ripe and yet so well balanced. It has great poise, acidty, and length.
Tasted blind, I am sure this would be tough to guess. Another very impressive showing but just slight less impressive than the last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last had this 10.5 years ago, and amazing how much my note then still match this bottle, now at 44 years of age. "A fantastic nose, especially if you like older french style barnyard, leather, cedar and cigar box. What a glorious funk. As for the palate, fruit still very good, still a bit of soft tannin, dusty, light in texture, good finish." I would certainly say time is to drink up, but while not at its prime, is still a glorious old school treat. #3 of 6 in a tasting of 1970's/1980's Cali cabs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Tasting of Aged Napa Cabs (Residence): Very balanced wine, but reached its limit. Still with medium acidity and medium-minus tannins, this drank reasonably well, but the oxidation had taken over the fruit and was a few years beyond its drinking window. The fruit had moved to more prune and raisin, rather than fresh fruit flavors. This would have drunk better at around 35 years, around 5-10 years ago. Drinking blind, the brownish color around the rim and stewed prune flavors gave this away, almost all of the group tasting identified this wine correctly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a nice looking bottle with a TS full, this wine had a very deep red center with bright orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth dried cherries, roasted meat, mineral dust, and plums.
In the mouth, this wine was rich but with firm integrated acidity and excellent balance. While fruity, the fine grained acidity have the wine a lovely texture.
This kept building with air for 4+ hours. While it is at it peak, it will last for at least a decade. high-end 94 or low end 95.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rubber and tar; outstanding; balanced and youthful with sweet blackberry and velvety tannins; a bit of bitter in the back; smoke; sweet long earthy finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
An incredible and beautiful wine...at almost 42 years old! From an excellent vintage, the wine still has a deep color with orange nuances on the edge. Powerful nose of leather, tobacco, red berries and barnyard notes on the finish. Very, Very long and extremely balanced. That bottle patiently waited over 40 years in Mondavi's cellar to be enjoyed yesterday. The bottle was in pristine condition, albeit dusty :) At it's peak, but can certainly hold another 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a virtually perfect bottle (picture uploaded), this wine had a very deep red center with some oranging at the rim. The medium+ intensity nose was attractive from the start. It offered up black cherries, chocolate mint, red dust, and blueberries.
This was very nice right away with a blast of fruit and red dust. After an hour or two it showed some spiky acidity. After 4+ hours, this acidity became integrated again. This was a spectacular bottle. It was fruit but beautifully balanced by firm acidity. It also had rounded tannin and excellent length.
I don't think this wine would be mistaken for a Bordeaux too often. There was just too much fruit. In fact, some bottles show a slight excess of ripeness. This bottle did not and it was fantastic. The wine is clearly in the zone and I doubt it will get better. However, well stored bottles like this one will easily last another decade. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a bottle with a high shoulder fill and a depressed cork, this wine had a red/purple center with orange rims. The medium intensity nose showed sautéed cherries, anise, red dust, and some raspberries.
In the mouth, this is on the edge of overripe. It is super rich with a great lush texture, rounded tannins, and excellent length. This was best after 4 hours of air.
While at its peak, this wine will easily last 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
very spicy and herbal, a touch of eucalyptus, not comparable to Martha's Vineyard of Heitz. Decanted for an hour, Surely on the tertiary aroma side, very well drinkable with a long finish because of the fresh acidity, inmy opinion at his top
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a good looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had a deep red center with orange rims. After 4+ hours of air the medium+ intensity nose displayed bing cherries, Provencal herbs, red dust, and roses. A hint of Band-Aid holds this wine back from an even higher score.
In the mouth, this wine wine ripe and rich but with a medium body and great balance that could confuse blind tasters. While fairly obviously California, it is not obvious that it is 40+ years old.
A lovely wine that is at its peak but will easily last 10+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted from a 6 liter bottle. Beautifully evolved. Crafted like a fine Bordeaux. Complex fruit, tobacco, and mineral flavors, with soft tannins in the finish. Considerable life left.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Out of a 6L #129 and poured for the IWFSC Ladies night at L20. Wonderful, brooding nose, wood chips, blackberry, fragrant, lasting and developed quite nicely in the glass. Could last another 10-20 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From same 6L as Pwillen's note below: This was a constantly evolving wine offering a different experience over the 20 minutes or so I had it in glass. Over that time I experienced aromas of old cherries, old leather, pipe tobacco, strawberries, and cement. A very fun wine to smell and ponder. Initially light flavors of old dark cherry, tobacco and earth. Structurally very grippy tannins are still present but show nicely. The wine ends with a savory note and apparent age but is very well composed. Really nice wine, very complex. 89-92
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
6 Liters of Mondavi and Some Randoms (Willamette Wine Storage): From a 6L bottle. Poured a dark, clean color with no bricking, disguising the age. The nose only reticent for a moment, then big tobacco aromas that just persisted for minutes. Spent 10 minutes nosing the wine and only toward the end of that time did any cedar poke out. Almost entirely big, giant, pure tobacco. Finally the aroma turned to body odor. On first sip it was very light, more pinot than cab, with tannins ending the experience rather quickly, but within a few minutes and with some air, it put on nice weight as the palate expanded from blackberries to blueberries to fake cherries. With a bite of Dungeness crab, the blueberries really showed, all the while tobacco remaining on the nose. The tannins were ever present and certainly this wine should hold up for some time. Overall, a magnificent and complex experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
bottle, fill and cork all excellent. This was decanted for about an hour prior to drinking - it could stand many more hours in the dacanter. This is a lovely, powerful wine with years of evolution ahead. Beauiful nose and plenty of muscle, this wine really shows the strength of the '74 vintage and shows that California used to make world worthy wines. It was fascinating to try this wine with the '71 Mouton Rothschild- a wine with less muscle, but at least at present, much more nuance. The Mouton was at peak and just kept giving more and then ... it was gone. The Mondavi was still evolving. We can only hope that someone is making wine in Calirfronia today that will be as good as this one in 40 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Took this to partner dinner at ryans house, really beautiful, darker than i would have expected but with tinge of orange, nose was rich and round with some oak, palate very similar with oak noticeable but fruit and structure still holding up remarkably well (for 39 yr old wine), not a faded image but still med to full bodied believe it or not... If i need to be critical i'd only say that the oak shld have toned down by now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had this wine in honor of what would have been Robert Mondavi's 100th birthday.
Began the evening with a 2010 Mondavi Napa Valley Unoaked Chardonnay, one of the best chardonnays I've ever had. Crisp with notes of melon and green apple. Simply delicious. 92 points.
Main event of the evening was a "face-off" between a 1974 Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet and the '74 Reserve Cab. Same vintage, maker, (essentially) grapes, but what a difference. The reserve was drinking well right out of the gate, with a richness of cherry, leather, and lead pencil notes. Very Bordeaux-like without the usual "terroir perfume" of 40-year old Left Bank wines. Maintained its fruit over the course of the two-hour dinner. 95 points.
The "regular" '74 was initially lean without much complexity, finally opening up after an hour or so, but never demonstrated the fullness or depth of the Reserve. That said, the color of this wine was virtually indistinguishable from its cousin, with just a slight tinge on brown surrounding an increasingly dark red core. 90 points.
Both reds were a testimony to the greatness of this legendary winemaker.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner with Julian/Ada (Bearfoot Bistro): ordered off Bearfoot's list. level into neck. gorgeous nose that reminded me if a very good bottle of Las Cases 82, only richer and sweeter on the palate. a stunner!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow. What a treat. A local restaurant found a few of these in their cellar during a recent remodeling. Put it on the wine list for less than current auction price. So....it was time to take a risk, with the sommelier saying "if it's bad, we'll pop something else".
Bad? Not hardly. A perfect capsule, perfect cork. Still dark red in color. On the nose, lots of secondary character. Aromas of dark cherry and a library full of leather chairs. More of the same on the palate. This reminded me a lot of the '73 Mayacamas we had a few year back. A rare treat to drink an almost 40 year old Napa that is as lively as this bottle was.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a nice looking bottle with a top shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center and oranging rims. The high- intensity nose showed, currants, black cherries, anise, and classic Napa red dust.
This was a bit tannic and rustic at first, and certainly needed a couple hours to round out and show its stuff. It seemed to be more firm than some bottles I have had. In any event, it was nonetheless outstanding with a huge black cherry pit finish, rounded tannin, and a long finish.
Give it at least 3 hours of air time. This wine seems like it will hold for at least another decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a nice looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had a deep red center and oranging rims. The high- intensity nose was impressive and displayed black cherries, red soil, cinnamon, and raspberries.
This wine was clearly excellent as soon as it was poured. However, it took about 2 hours of air to allow the wine to integrate and to bring out that extra dimension that provides a "peacock's tail" type finish. Overall, it was medium bodied with light, rounded tannin and great length.
This is complex and interesting enough to fool people into thinking it is Bordeaux. However, I don't know of any Bordeaux wines that show this predominately "red dust" flavor profile.
While this will last for 5-10 years, I see no reason to wait. Outstanding!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
CT Texas IV (Austin, TX): Tasted non blind at a wine dinner. Opened approximately 2 hours before pouring. If it is like other California wines I have had from the 70's, it could have likely benefited from some more slow-oxing before tasting. It had nice red fruit and dark berries on the nose along with some leather. On the palate it had more of the same along with some graphite, bell peppers and eucalyptus. The texture was very fine and the tannins mostly resolved. Long, dusty finish. Quite enjoyable but would liked to have sequestered myself with the bottle and followed it over a few more hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
CT Offline IV--Hill Country Edition; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin / Texas Hill Country / Castleman Ranch): A bit bitter, yet still a good amount of life in it. Some barnyard at the very front of the nose, yet smooth, sweet, and a bit garlicky. And there's some great green pepper and onion notes. Leather, a bit of earth, and some nice cedar resolution as well. Great finish also. Just love this wine. Lovely and really great experience! Thanks for sharing GalvezGuy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted non blind at a wine dinner. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet color in the glass, fairly clear looking. Nose of leather, plum, spice and wet stones. Flavors of berries and plums. Medium acidity, integrated tannins, medium body. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
CT Texas IV - A Hill Country Treat; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin, Texas): Consumed at CT Texas IV. This came after some bruising CdP's so it may have suffered a little. Great nose of red fruits, sage, mint, plum, cigar box, and hints of leather. On the palate smooth and silky with ripe currants, plum, mint, tobacco, cedar. Finishes with resolved but present tannins and great balanced. A great example of the brilliance that was Napa in the 70s and 80s. Drink over the next few years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very classy. Medium bodied, super well balanced tobacco and cedar notes with ripe though tempered dark fruits. Still very youthful. Like an 82 Bordeaux in its full, balanced character. Best bottle of this I've had. Very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brought by Josh K. Nose - shoe leather and polish (in a good way), very vegetal, cool and deep - minty and menthol. almost salty. Soft and plush, deep and complex - vegetal, plummy, mint, leather. Chewy and great - old school Cali cab from a great year - wish they still made them like this ... Nose: 5/6, Palate: 6/6, Finish: 5/6, Je ne sais quoi (wild card): 2/2 = 18/20 = 95/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was a touch worried about this bottle as it had a high shoulder fill. However, the garnet red center and appropriately oranging rims reduced my anxiety. The high- intensity nose was very attractive with ripe black cherrys, red soil, soy, and a hint of provencal herbs. In the mouth it was medium bodied with great ripeness, impeccable balance, solid acidity, and very good length. The tannins were round and fine-grained (dusty).
This continued to gain in the glass and was at its best with 4 to 5 hours of air. While this wine is at its peak, I would expect it to stay there for 5 to 10 more years. A (somewhat underappreciated) Napa classic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is one of the absolute greatest vintages of this wine, it still has a decade or more of pure pleasure ahead with the tannins still very present and still quite a bit of fruit. It has a great sweetness and some notes of eucalyptus and cinnamon. Great wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank amazingly and improved over the course of 4 hours in a decanter. Displayed exactly what would be expected from a phenomenal Napa Cab. Well balanced tannins, good fruit nose, maintained a dark color for its age. A lttle tight to start but opened up in the decanter.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Having tried more modern, banal wines from Mondavi, this was a surprise and certainly the best wine I have ever had from this producer. Years of life ahead, but drinking well now, this wine has more of the menthol / mint / camphor side of California. Held up well over 2 hours. I doubt the more recent Mondavi wines will achieve this kind of complexity, but time will tell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red. Huge nose. Tons of cedar and dark fruit. Great flavours. I thought maybe an older Grange. Couldn't be more wrong considering what ti was. Should keep going for years. Could this be Mondavi's greatest wine? My third favorite of the California wines but equally great quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit murky, should have decanted much better. Having said that....what a nose. A fantastic nose, especially if you like older french style barnyard, leather, cedar and cigar box. What a glorious funk. As for the palate, fruit still very good, still a bit of soft tannin, dusty, light in texture, good finish. Very pleasant and a fantastic bottle of 34 year old CA cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A medium deep color still lighter than the Montrose. Cassis and loamy earth. Blackberries and mineral tones. Some bitter chocolate, bloody meat and a touch of spearmint. Very nice but on the downslope. 89 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still drinking beautifully. Tastes more French than Californian at this age. Musty, complex and long finish. Should be good for at least a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
this wine was AMAZING at 33 years. allspice, red currant, menthol and bell pepper on the nose, and beautifully structured on the palate even with the low acidity, over all an amazing wine that was still quite alive for it's age. Mr Mondavi, i salute you! [i had a bottle in 06 as well and had similar notes.]
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Skinner Fine Wine Auction Reception (Boston, MA): Skinner auction reception. End of bottle. Cloudy with sediment but nice nose of leather, truffle, earth. Some stewed fruit. Can't say much more--wish I had gotten a better sample.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of coffee, plum, cedar, mint, and something floral—the delicate, floral scents distinguish this from other excellent cabs and are the mark of the 1974 vintage. Delivers cedar, while brimming with sweet, ripe plum flavor; currants finish for a strong bodied wine. Some tannins still on the finish! Altogether holding its structure, fruit, and complexity. I hate to say the media is right on the 1974, but they are.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not even kept under the most ideal conditions, this wine still had its main body and qualities. Some delightfully separated notes, including solid cassis, anise, and tar. Tannins still have quite a grip; I wonder if they'll ever let go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On opening, a great perfume of leather, earth and herbs but the palate is light bodied and without much fruit. After an hour in the decanter, the palate has picked up significant concentration with fruit coming to the forefront. Unreal complexity showing a fantastic mix of red cassis fruit, anise and cloves with tertiary flavors of leather, earth and tar. Balanced with fruit and totally melded tannins. Great mouthfeel and seamless into a long, long finish. Stunning what 32 years can do to a great cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Jean-Luc Thunevin Dinner (Chanterelle, NYC): Lovely, delicate nose of classic old cab, with a bit of pepper as well. On the palate, elegant fruit with a nice earthy/mossy sub-floor thing going on. Graphite, pencil lead - some real dark earth underneath the fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
TWITS first official tasting (John G's): Compared to the Haut Brion, this had a sharper nose, but was otherwise fairly similar on the nose. Light red in color, with no browning detected. Again, a delicate, gentle wine, soft and rounded. Gravel and minerals. Very graceful. A vibrant, lively cab. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dan Bailey offline. From Magnum. This was a treat, and an excellent pairing with the 1934 Latour. Youthful purple - nothing too old about this wine. There is an intense attack of fruit - secondary flavours, but with bright acidity. It's full of life, complex and vibrant, with lovely sweet tannins. This is really fantasic. sup
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Offline chez Dan Bailey (London): Out of magnum. This is the most mature Californian I've had the pleasure of tasting. Colour was dark, almost purple ruby, with only slight bricking and thinning at the edges. Lots of dark fruit on the nose, mostly cherries. Medium weight but velvety on the palate, with blackcurrant and cherry fruit. Peppery finish. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rocking out at Chez Leve with Hermitage and a whole lot more (Los Angeles, CA): This had a beautiful, pure nose of black currants and mint. Impeccable fill. Oh that mint, what a nice lift it gives to the wine. The palate is medium weight, beautiful, not showing loads of complexity after 32 years yet a joy to sip. Yet the purity and delineation was very fine with black fruit and good vibrancy on the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle is not showing nearly as well as the others I have had this year. Much more herb and possibly mint than cigar box and graphite in this particular bottle. Not as velvety on the palate, this bottle tastes much much younger. No complaints on a 30+ year old wine, I expected some bottle variance at some point.
Maybe this bottle will round out with a bit of air. It has, the wine continues to expand and is showing off more on the nose and palate. Reminiscent of the smell of a favorite pair of old leather shoes that you just can't throw away along with more cigar box and pencil shavings on the nose--losing some of the initial mint notes. Earthy, rustic, rich on the palate with some tannins present on the finish. Barely a hint of orange on the rim, the wine appears and tastes a decade or two younger than it is. This is more of a bruiser than earlier bottles, but special nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Possibly a perfect wine (especially the nose) on first sip with huge lead pencil and tobacco aromas bursting from the glass, the wine faded a bit after 45 minutes but wow what a wine...I guess this is classic CA Cab and would be fun to taste side by side with an '83 Margaux or other older clarets....very rich on the palate, just wonderful. Bottom shoulder fill. May have been the most memorable CA Cab experience for me to date.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine and Dinner with Brad England and Scott Manlin (Brad England's House): A beautiful wine. It was too dark to see if the color showed signs of aging, but who cares. The nose is very expressive with red fruit, herbs, and cedar. In the mouth this is full of fruit (much more fruit than the other wines served this night). It was powerful and balanced with a long finish. This was very impressive. My only complaint would be that it did not show off a unique personality like the other wines tasted this night. Nonetheless a real treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
cork was ruined and showed serious signs of seepage. first wine that has ever made me physically ill. without a doubt a very bad bottle that wasn't stored properly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(From magnum acquired from Robert Mondavi) What a beautiful exuberant nose! Like all the 70s Mondavi Reserves I've had in the last 5 years, the nose exceeds the palate. But this is not to say the wine is not very fine. Fully resolved tannins. A little bit long in the tooth, but still a fair bit of gorgeous red fruit and currant. A touch of the signature dust. Nice and plush on the palate with spreading flavours. Given the format and provenance of this bottle, and given how nicely it is drinking, I'd say drink up soon!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What a wine! This is the second bottle I've had in the last month. This wine is fully mature and it's at its peak. The garnet disc reveals its age (30 years old) and the matured nose is fully of cassis, leather, dried herbs and asian spices. In the mouth, it's silky, with melted tannins. I wish the finish was a bit longer but still it's a lovely wine. I believe this should be drunk sooner than later. If you open one try to drink it within the hour of opening the bottles, as it will start to fade from there on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank this along with the 74 Mayacamas and it paled in comparison. This is a great wine but it's declining from its peak. The tannins are beautifully integrated and showed complex nose of cassis, cedar and dried herbs. I would not hold on to this much longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
With MPL and BLR at London Wine Bar. Ruby color, orange edge. Candied fruit; cherry. Simple. Slightly over the hill; even weird. Over? 4-10-9-3: 76/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
With MPL and BLR and Diane at London Wine Bar. ($95). Dark, brooding, ruby color. Slight orange at the rim. Looks mature. Good legs. Nose very pretty, open, ripe; slight tomato. On the palate, very fruity but lots of tarry, earthy flavors from unresolved tannins, especially in the finish. Raisiny. All in all, only fair. A disappointment. 5-9-12-5: 81/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very deep concentrated fruit in both aroma and taste, almost chewy when opened. Rich tasting, bouquet had overtones of mint & chocolate. Excellent complexity, long aftertaste.Excellent nose
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
5/1/2024 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
23x California 1974: Do the legendary 1974s still hold up? The answer is a resounding YES, and not just for one or two top wines, but across the board. These best wines showed incredible complexity, with still vibrant fruit cores perfectly complemented by layers upon layers of tertiary aromas, a fully intact structural frame, stature, poise, and freshness. While many of these wines should continue to age well, I don't expect them to get any better than they are now. The top wines in the tasting were the Mondavi Cabernet and the Phelps Insignia (both 97pts), the Mondavi Reserve and the Mount Eden (both 96pts), and the Ridge Monte Bello (95pts). Many more wines scored in the 90-94 point range. I'm convinced that many wines would have scored even higher in a different tasting setting, where you can follow the wine over the course of an evening. Only 5 of the 24 bottles showed signs of weakness, with 1 of those already oxidized, but given the substance that could be tasted underneath, this is more likely due to weak corks or poor storage than anything nature delivered this year. All the wines had very good fill levels and had been quickly double decanted before tasting to remove the sediment.
TN: This wine captivates with a vibrant nose of graphite, blue and dark red fruits, initially hinting at TCA which quickly dissipates. On the palate, it's powerful yet supremely elegant, seamlessly integrating layers of blue and dark red fruits with graphite and subtle herbal touches. Early signs of leather and tobacco lurk in the background, promising future complexity. With time in the glass, it unfurls, becoming increasingly open and complex. A tight contest with the regular Mondavi Cabernet (rated 97pts), which appears more developed, hence more complex, and to me slightly superior, though others favor this Reserve for its impressive structure and future potential.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2024 - BradE wrote:
This was in perfect shape and drank well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2024 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
A 1974 Napa Retrospective (Zunfthaus zur Waag Zürich): While the regular mondavi was showing well right out of the bottle, this needed 10 minutes or so in the glass to come to life. Red berries, some dried herbs, black tea, eucalyptus and mint. Love this style!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2023 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
This bottle had been standing up for several weeks, but the decision to drink was last minute, so just decanted off sediment and consumed over a couple of hours. Far less eucalyptus than our last bottle a year ago, which for me is a good thing, still plenty of mature black fruit, crushed leaves, and sun warmed leather. The texture was slightly dusty, despite being perfectly clean of all sediment - just a function of age, not preparation. Perhaps a little more mature than ideal, but still showing lots of energy and with a fully intact frame. We've had a lot of these other the years, and, while they are not as strong as a few years ago, it's a testament to the golden age of California wine that these are still so beautiful at nearly 50.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2023 - vindictive wrote:
Still going strong Needs a few hours decanting Beautiful California wine from the golden age
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2023 - hahaha123 wrote:
Amazing 48 years wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2022 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 93 Points
great -- as always -- but beat out by the 1978 version the night before... it was a hard compare as the '78 was one of the best ever
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2022 - fclarity wrote: flawed
From a nice looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had light orange rims and a red center. It had dropped an unusually large amount of sediment suggesting it was advanced. The medium+ intensity nose was rather overripe and slightly oxidized for the first hour or so. It put forth fig, over-ripe blackberry, cherries, and soil. Unfortunately, the oxidized character did not disappear.
In the mouth, this wine was over-ripe at first but developed a strong spine behind the slightly over the edge fruit. It came around into a better balance after 2+ hours. However, the fruit was a bit sloppy and the alcohol was not fully integrated.
While drinkable, this bottle was quite advanced and certainly not going to be getting better. My guess is that it was keep in a warm room that didn't cause it to leak but accelerated its maturity. Disappointing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2021 - duchamp Likes this wine: 94 Points
(from memory) Deep garnet, seductive nose of black plum, leather, graphite, black pepper, and Asian spices, mature red fruit on the attack with stewed plum, spice, mocha, fully integrated tannins and medium acidity, finishes like a Grand Cru Classé à Pauillac, with cedar, dark fruit, earth, ganache, balancing acidity and lingering wood and black tea notes
Note: had the 1994 (purchased from the winery) the night before and it wasn't in the same ballpark, sort of flat and lifeless, the '74 (at least this bottle) is in a league of its own
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/24/2021 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
From mag. My second time enjoying this from mag although the previous time was at least a decade ago. Rich, chocolatey but not at all heavy. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/24/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Gareth's Magnum Dinner, part 1 (Noize): Magnum. I seemed to be in a minority in not loving this: I respected it, but found certain unusual notes that I couldn't quite get past, so the wine seemed to me a bit of a curiosity rather than delicious per se. Caraway, mint chocolate (Matchmakers, to be precise), plenty of deep dark fruit. Nice mouthfeel and clearly lots of life left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2021 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
This was a low fill, SOS bottle so expectations were restrained. Stood upright for a week, then decanted off considerable sediment about an hour before serving and served on the cool side, allowing to warm in the glass, in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems. Saturated garnet color, very little bricking at the rim. Pretty classic in structure and style, notes of dill pickle and eucalyptus on the nose, along with a generous amount of somewhat faded black fruit. Nice medium body and dense, silky mouthfeel. Jonathan noted the possible damage in lack of tension, balance and precision, and I thought there was too much eucalyptus - an element to which I am sensitive. With air, the fruit faded gradually and by the end of the 3 hours or so period of which we drank the bottle, it was getting a little fuzzy. No doubt it wasn't a perfect example, and the next gear from a more sound example would have been nice to see, but it was still a fun and interesting bottle, though out performed on this occasion by the '74 Guasti Clemente Barolo Riserva drunk on the same evening.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2021 - frenchiecagowine Likes this wine: 94 Points
The cork was actually in a bad shape and broke despite my best effort. I was still able to pull it all eventually without damage to the wine.
Color was actually still fairly deep for its age, with a light rim variation. The nose was elegant and subtle with notes of cherries and blackberries, clove and leather. The palate was the most impressive to me, with incredible silky texture and somewhat youthful sweet fruit, fully resolved tannins and a good backbone of acidity that makes this wine stand the test of time with great class. A fantastic wine that aged beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2021 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
I have written this wine up quite a few times but this bottle was the best I have had. It didn't hurt that the cork was solid as a rock and the bottle had a bottom neck fill.
This wine had a deep red center with orange rims. The high- intensity nose offered up rhubarb, blackberries, allspice, roasted meat, clove and some Cuban cigar.
In the mouth, this wine was attractive from the start but certainly filled out and firmed up with a couple hours in the decanter. By then, it was firing on all cylinders with rounded tannin, firm acidity, lovely fruit complexity, and great length.
While fully mature, well stored bottles like this should last another 10 years or so. Outstanding!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2020 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Deep red center with orange at the rim. The medium intensity nose put forth blackberry, tan spices, fig, and soil.
In the mouth, this wine was a bit rough at first but smoothed out nicely with air. After 3+ hours the texture really came out. It had attractive balance, solid acidity, and very good length.
This is at its peak. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2020 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
From a nice looking bottle with a HS fill, this wine has a deep red center with orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth an intense cherry/blueberry mix, cigar box, figs, and alluvial dust.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with light, rounded tanin, solid acidity and good length. The only element that held it back was a bit of excess heat (alcohol).
Thi wine had a lot of sediment which I drank separately. These dregs turned out to be very fine grained like Burgundy sediment. In retrospect, I should have included these in the decanter as they would have helped balance out the slight spike of alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2020 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding; fruit and earth in balance; sweet jammy raspberry-blackberry; balanced; sweet finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion from a bottle with good provenance, this 45-year-old Napa Cab was impressive from attack to finish. Deep garnet in color, it delivers an aromatic and flavor profile of dark plums, leather, cigar, clove, truffle and cocoa. Medium-bodied and with medium acidity, it is softly textured by virtue of its fully melted tannins, seamless alcohol and well-woven oak. Plump on the mid-palate and long on the back end, this is impressive for a wine of any age. Bottles such as this have enough residual fruit to stay on plateau for at least another five years, meaning that it will celebrate a nice 50th birthday! Drink now-2024.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2019 - Nanda wrote: 96 Points
Chevillon Survey (Brasserie Margeuax): A wine for the ages. Explosive nose of aged plum and black cherry, with dried tobacco, cedar, and bell pepper. What a perfume. The palate is still so fresh with rich, round fruit and still present tannin. Wow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Chevillon study (Chicago, IL): Wow, this wine is absolutely epic. The nose is a little stinky and bandaidy with the brett, but somehow it manages to slough off those off flavours with air. Then, this wine truly reveals its majesty -- the pyrazines here are fully ripe and sweet, and the sheer amount of fruit here is supernatural. It's not even desiccated or browned -- it's fruit that you would expect from a young bottle of wine. Not to mention, this has some Pichonesque (Lalande) perfume notes here too thanks to those ripe pyrazines. An incredible drink; I'm not sure you could ask for more out of a 45-year-old wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2019 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From bottle with a MTH shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center and tawny rims. The medium+ intensity nose was impressive right off the bat with its concentrated cherries, dusty red soil, blackberries, and baking spices. A hint of band-aid was a minor distraction.
It the mouth, this wine was quite rich and ripe with a great chewy texture. It had nice acidity, light rounded tannin, and very good length.
Interestingly, this bottle had a bit of a primary and slightly rustic note on top of its attractive complexity and lovely mouthfeel. It is clearly at a peak but should easily last for 10 years or so. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazingly alive, very impressive. Soft, fruit fresher than most Bordeaux of similar age. But relatively simple without tertiary nuances.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/18/2019 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From a nice looking bottle with a very top shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center with orange rims. While not particularly special in the first hour, this wine blossomed nicely afterwards to show black cherries, dark soil, mocha, and just a hint of Provençal herbs.
In the mouth, the wine was rich, ripe and yet so well balanced. It has great poise, acidty, and length.
Tasted blind, I am sure this would be tough to guess. Another very impressive showing but just slight less impressive than the last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2018 - cadamson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last had this 10.5 years ago, and amazing how much my note then still match this bottle, now at 44 years of age. "A fantastic nose, especially if you like older french style barnyard, leather, cedar and cigar box. What a glorious funk. As for the palate, fruit still very good, still a bit of soft tannin, dusty, light in texture, good finish." I would certainly say time is to drink up, but while not at its prime, is still a glorious old school treat. #3 of 6 in a tasting of 1970's/1980's Cali cabs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2018 - djlevin wrote: 90 Points
Blind Tasting of Aged Napa Cabs (Residence): Very balanced wine, but reached its limit. Still with medium acidity and medium-minus tannins, this drank reasonably well, but the oxidation had taken over the fruit and was a few years beyond its drinking window. The fruit had moved to more prune and raisin, rather than fresh fruit flavors. This would have drunk better at around 35 years, around 5-10 years ago. Drinking blind, the brownish color around the rim and stewed prune flavors gave this away, almost all of the group tasting identified this wine correctly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2018 - BradE wrote:
A very good bottle. Had a lot in common with an old Lafite. Terrific.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Leather and manura; blackberry and currant; textured with balance and length.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2018 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
From a nice looking bottle with a TS full, this wine had a very deep red center with bright orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth dried cherries, roasted meat, mineral dust, and plums.
In the mouth, this wine was rich but with firm integrated acidity and excellent balance. While fruity, the fine grained acidity have the wine a lovely texture.
This kept building with air for 4+ hours. While it is at it peak, it will last for at least a decade. high-end 94 or low end 95.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dense and layered; concentrated; raisen; tannins still lively with robust finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Rubber and tar; outstanding; balanced and youthful with sweet blackberry and velvety tannins; a bit of bitter in the back; smoke; sweet long earthy finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cedar with tobacco; light cherry; mature; earth; brick brown; plummy and a bit tart; sweet cedar finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 98 Points
Light rubber and cedar; sweet earth; coffee; layered and complex; integrated at peak; long long sweet blackberry; a classic; fantastic.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2016 - jlgnml Likes this wine:
Muddy color after a quick double decant. Sweet and tasty on the palate. Showing its age, good mouthfeel, light finish. Very good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Acker Pre-Auction Tasting Wines & In-Auction Dinner Wines (Zuma - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. Very elegant and nicely mature and well balanced. Certainly Bordeaux-like, but with less complexity or length than from a comparably good vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2016 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Just alright… guys at table claimed other examples better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/18/2016 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 94 Points
An incredible and beautiful wine...at almost 42 years old! From an excellent vintage, the wine still has a deep color with orange nuances on the edge. Powerful nose of leather, tobacco, red berries and barnyard notes on the finish. Very, Very long and extremely balanced. That bottle patiently waited over 40 years in Mondavi's cellar to be enjoyed yesterday. The bottle was in pristine condition, albeit dusty :) At it's peak, but can certainly hold another 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2015 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
From a virtually perfect bottle (picture uploaded), this wine had a very deep red center with some oranging at the rim. The medium+ intensity nose was attractive from the start. It offered up black cherries, chocolate mint, red dust, and blueberries.
This was very nice right away with a blast of fruit and red dust. After an hour or two it showed some spiky acidity. After 4+ hours, this acidity became integrated again. This was a spectacular bottle. It was fruit but beautifully balanced by firm acidity. It also had rounded tannin and excellent length.
I don't think this wine would be mistaken for a Bordeaux too often. There was just too much fruit. In fact, some bottles show a slight excess of ripeness. This bottle did not and it was fantastic. The wine is clearly in the zone and I doubt it will get better. However, well stored bottles like this one will easily last another decade. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2015 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From a bottle with a high shoulder fill and a depressed cork, this wine had a red/purple center with orange rims. The medium intensity nose showed sautéed cherries, anise, red dust, and some raspberries.
In the mouth, this is on the edge of overripe. It is super rich with a great lush texture, rounded tannins, and excellent length. This was best after 4 hours of air.
While at its peak, this wine will easily last 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 92 Points
very spicy and herbal, a touch of eucalyptus, not comparable to Martha's Vineyard of Heitz.
Decanted for an hour, Surely on the tertiary aroma side, very well drinkable with a long finish because of the fresh acidity, inmy opinion at his top
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2015 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From a good looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had a deep red center with orange rims. After 4+ hours of air the medium+ intensity nose displayed bing cherries, Provencal herbs, red dust, and roses. A hint of Band-Aid holds this wine back from an even higher score.
In the mouth, this wine wine ripe and rich but with a medium body and great balance that could confuse blind tasters. While fairly obviously California, it is not obvious that it is 40+ years old.
A lovely wine that is at its peak but will easily last 10+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2014 - Bruce 1er Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted from a 6 liter bottle. Beautifully evolved. Crafted like a fine Bordeaux. Complex fruit, tobacco, and mineral flavors, with soft tannins in the finish. Considerable life left.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2014 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 93 Points
Out of a 6L #129 and poured for the IWFSC Ladies night at L20. Wonderful, brooding nose, wood chips, blackberry, fragrant, lasting and developed quite nicely in the glass. Could last another 10-20 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2014 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: flawed
Old School Cali Cab Tasting (Colicchio & Sons, New York, NY): Corked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2013 - CDLON wrote: 94 Points
(Taken to Simon's) wonderful rich ripe nose. Decanted 1 hour. Bright and still fresh; age on rim but still drinking beautifully. No rush with these.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2013 - gripNsip Likes this wine: 91 Points
From same 6L as Pwillen's note below: This was a constantly evolving wine offering a different experience over the 20 minutes or so I had it in glass. Over that time I experienced aromas of old cherries, old leather, pipe tobacco, strawberries, and cement. A very fun wine to smell and ponder. Initially light flavors of old dark cherry, tobacco and earth. Structurally very grippy tannins are still present but show nicely. The wine ends with a savory note and apparent age but is very well composed. Really nice wine, very complex. 89-92
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2013 - pwillen1 wrote:
6 Liters of Mondavi and Some Randoms (Willamette Wine Storage): From a 6L bottle. Poured a dark, clean color with no bricking, disguising the age. The nose only reticent for a moment, then big tobacco aromas that just persisted for minutes. Spent 10 minutes nosing the wine and only toward the end of that time did any cedar poke out. Almost entirely big, giant, pure tobacco. Finally the aroma turned to body odor. On first sip it was very light, more pinot than cab, with tannins ending the experience rather quickly, but within a few minutes and with some air, it put on nice weight as the palate expanded from blackberries to blueberries to fake cherries. With a bite of Dungeness crab, the blueberries really showed, all the while tobacco remaining on the nose. The tannins were ever present and certainly this wine should hold up for some time. Overall, a magnificent and complex experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2013 - vindictive wrote:
bottle, fill and cork all excellent. This was decanted for about an hour prior to drinking - it could stand many more hours in the dacanter. This is a lovely, powerful wine with years of evolution ahead. Beauiful nose and plenty of muscle, this wine really shows the strength of the '74 vintage and shows that California used to make world worthy wines. It was fascinating to try this wine with the '71 Mouton Rothschild- a wine with less muscle, but at least at present, much more nuance. The Mouton was at peak and just kept giving more and then ... it was gone. The Mondavi was still evolving. We can only hope that someone is making wine in Calirfronia today that will be as good as this one in 40 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2013 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
Took this to partner dinner at ryans house, really beautiful, darker than i would have expected but with tinge of orange, nose was rich and round with some oak, palate very similar with oak noticeable but fruit and structure still holding up remarkably well (for 39 yr old wine), not a faded image but still med to full bodied believe it or not... If i need to be critical i'd only say that the oak shld have toned down by now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2013 - BostonRob64 wrote: 95 Points
Had this wine in honor of what would have been Robert Mondavi's 100th birthday.
Began the evening with a 2010 Mondavi Napa Valley Unoaked Chardonnay, one of the best chardonnays I've ever had. Crisp with notes of melon and green apple. Simply delicious. 92 points.
Main event of the evening was a "face-off" between a 1974 Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet and the '74 Reserve Cab. Same vintage, maker, (essentially) grapes, but what a difference. The reserve was drinking well right out of the gate, with a richness of cherry, leather, and lead pencil notes. Very Bordeaux-like without the usual "terroir perfume" of 40-year old Left Bank wines. Maintained its fruit over the course of the two-hour dinner. 95 points.
The "regular" '74 was initially lean without much complexity, finally opening up after an hour or so, but never demonstrated the fullness or depth of the Reserve. That said, the color of this wine was virtually indistinguishable from its cousin, with just a slight tinge on brown surrounding an increasingly dark red core. 90 points.
Both reds were a testimony to the greatness of this legendary winemaker.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2013 - yotaiwan Likes this wine: 95 Points
aged well, still has good soft tannins and body. like a elegent bordoux with a slightly more "cowboy" ending.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2013 - dkstar1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fantastic!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 98 Points
Dinner with Julian/Ada (Bearfoot Bistro): ordered off Bearfoot's list. level into neck. gorgeous nose that reminded me if a very good bottle of Las Cases 82, only richer and sweeter on the palate. a stunner!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2012 - vanpe003 wrote: 94 Points
Wow. What a treat. A local restaurant found a few of these in their cellar during a recent remodeling. Put it on the wine list for less than current auction price. So....it was time to take a risk, with the sommelier saying "if it's bad, we'll pop something else".
Bad? Not hardly. A perfect capsule, perfect cork. Still dark red in color. On the nose, lots of secondary character. Aromas of dark cherry and a library full of leather chairs. More of the same on the palate. This reminded me a lot of the '73 Mayacamas we had a few year back. A rare treat to drink an almost 40 year old Napa that is as lively as this bottle was.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2012 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
From a nice looking bottle with a top shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center and oranging rims. The high- intensity nose showed, currants, black cherries, anise, and classic Napa red dust.
This was a bit tannic and rustic at first, and certainly needed a couple hours to round out and show its stuff. It seemed to be more firm than some bottles I have had. In any event, it was nonetheless outstanding with a huge black cherry pit finish, rounded tannin, and a long finish.
Give it at least 3 hours of air time. This wine seems like it will hold for at least another decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2012 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From a nice looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had a deep red center and oranging rims. The high- intensity nose was impressive and displayed black cherries, red soil, cinnamon, and raspberries.
This wine was clearly excellent as soon as it was poured. However, it took about 2 hours of air to allow the wine to integrate and to bring out that extra dimension that provides a "peacock's tail" type finish. Overall, it was medium bodied with light, rounded tannin and great length.
This is complex and interesting enough to fool people into thinking it is Bordeaux. However, I don't know of any Bordeaux wines that show this predominately "red dust" flavor profile.
While this will last for 5-10 years, I see no reason to wait. Outstanding!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2012 - floydtp wrote: 92 Points
CT Texas IV (Austin, TX): Tasted non blind at a wine dinner. Opened approximately 2 hours before pouring. If it is like other California wines I have had from the 70's, it could have likely benefited from some more slow-oxing before tasting. It had nice red fruit and dark berries on the nose along with some leather. On the palate it had more of the same along with some graphite, bell peppers and eucalyptus. The texture was very fine and the tannins mostly resolved. Long, dusty finish. Quite enjoyable but would liked to have sequestered myself with the bottle and followed it over a few more hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2012 - ckinv368 wrote: 93 Points
CT Offline IV--Hill Country Edition; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin / Texas Hill Country / Castleman Ranch): A bit bitter, yet still a good amount of life in it. Some barnyard at the very front of the nose, yet smooth, sweet, and a bit garlicky. And there's some great green pepper and onion notes. Leather, a bit of earth, and some nice cedar resolution as well. Great finish also. Just love this wine. Lovely and really great experience! Thanks for sharing GalvezGuy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2012 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
CT Texas IV - Friday Night Dinner (Hudson on the Bend, Austin, TX): WIML93
Tasted non blind at a wine dinner. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet color in the glass, fairly clear looking. Nose of leather, plum, spice and wet stones. Flavors of berries and plums. Medium acidity, integrated tannins, medium body. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 93 Points
CT Texas IV - A Hill Country Treat; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin, Texas): Consumed at CT Texas IV. This came after some bruising CdP's so it may have suffered a little. Great nose of red fruits, sage, mint, plum, cigar box, and hints of leather. On the palate smooth and silky with ripe currants, plum, mint, tobacco, cedar. Finishes with resolved but present tannins and great balanced. A great example of the brilliance that was Napa in the 70s and 80s. Drink over the next few years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2011 - psmith wrote:
Very classy. Medium bodied, super well balanced tobacco and cedar notes with ripe though tempered dark fruits. Still very youthful. Like an 82 Bordeaux in its full, balanced character. Best bottle of this I've had. Very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2011 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 95 Points
Brought by Josh K. Nose - shoe leather and polish (in a good way), very vegetal, cool and deep - minty and menthol. almost salty. Soft and plush, deep and complex - vegetal, plummy, mint, leather. Chewy and great - old school Cali cab from a great year - wish they still made them like this ... Nose: 5/6, Palate: 6/6, Finish: 5/6, Je ne sais quoi (wild card): 2/2 = 18/20 = 95/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/17/2011 - G_H wrote: flawed
Corked or stealth cork! What a shame
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2011 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
I was a touch worried about this bottle as it had a high shoulder fill. However, the garnet red center and appropriately oranging rims reduced my anxiety. The high- intensity nose was very attractive with ripe black cherrys, red soil, soy, and a hint of provencal herbs. In the mouth it was medium bodied with great ripeness, impeccable balance, solid acidity, and very good length. The tannins were round and fine-grained (dusty).
This continued to gain in the glass and was at its best with 4 to 5 hours of air. While this wine is at its peak, I would expect it to stay there for 5 to 10 more years. A (somewhat underappreciated) Napa classic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2010 - G_H wrote: 94 Points
This is one of the absolute greatest vintages of this wine, it still has a decade or more of pure pleasure ahead with the tannins still very present and still quite a bit of fruit. It has a great sweetness and some notes of eucalyptus and cinnamon. Great wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2010 - Staff Sargent Dignam wrote: 95 Points
Drank amazingly and improved over the course of 4 hours in a decanter. Displayed exactly what would be expected from a phenomenal Napa Cab. Well balanced tannins, good fruit nose, maintained a dark color for its age. A lttle tight to start but opened up in the decanter.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2009 - vindictive wrote:
Having tried more modern, banal wines from Mondavi, this was a surprise and certainly the best wine I have ever had from this producer. Years of life ahead, but drinking well now, this wine has more of the menthol / mint / camphor side of California. Held up well over 2 hours. I doubt the more recent Mondavi wines will achieve this kind of complexity, but time will tell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2009 - Rupert wrote: 95 Points
Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve: vertical tasting 1966 to 2001 (Institute of Directors, London): Mint/menthol nose, fabulous concentration, lots of cassis, but in a savoury wrapping - bright, animated - fantastic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2008 - David J Cooper wrote:
Dark red. Huge nose. Tons of cedar and dark fruit. Great flavours. I thought maybe an older Grange. Couldn't be more wrong considering what ti was. Should keep going for years. Could this be Mondavi's greatest wine? My third favorite of the California wines but equally great quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2008 - cadamson wrote: 92 Points
A bit murky, should have decanted much better. Having said that....what a nose. A fantastic nose, especially if you like older french style barnyard, leather, cedar and cigar box. What a glorious funk. As for the palate, fruit still very good, still a bit of soft tannin, dusty, light in texture, good finish. Very pleasant and a fantastic bottle of 34 year old CA cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2008 - cct wrote: 89 Points
A medium deep color still lighter than the Montrose. Cassis and loamy earth. Blackberries and mineral tones. Some bitter chocolate, bloody meat and a touch of spearmint. Very nice but on the downslope. 89 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2008 - plitton wrote: 93 Points
Still drinking beautifully. Tastes more French than Californian at this age. Musty, complex and long finish. Should be good for at least a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2007 - happynothing wrote: 98 Points
this wine was AMAZING at 33 years. allspice, red currant, menthol and bell pepper on the nose, and beautifully structured on the palate even with the low acidity, over all an amazing wine that was still quite alive for it's age. Mr Mondavi, i salute you! [i had a bottle in 06 as well and had similar notes.]
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2007 - cgrimes wrote: 89 Points
Skinner Fine Wine Auction Reception (Boston, MA): Skinner auction reception. End of bottle. Cloudy with sediment but nice nose of leather, truffle, earth. Some stewed fruit. Can't say much more--wish I had gotten a better sample.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2007 - Haj wrote:
Nose of coffee, plum, cedar, mint, and something floral—the delicate, floral scents distinguish this from other excellent cabs and are the mark of the 1974 vintage. Delivers cedar, while brimming with sweet, ripe plum flavor; currants finish for a strong bodied wine. Some tannins still on the finish! Altogether holding its structure, fruit, and complexity. I hate to say the media is right on the 1974, but they are.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2007 - Haj wrote:
Not even kept under the most ideal conditions, this wine still had its main body and qualities. Some delightfully separated notes, including solid cassis, anise, and tar. Tannins still have quite a grip; I wonder if they'll ever let go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2006 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
On opening, a great perfume of leather, earth and herbs but the palate is light bodied and without much fruit. After an hour in the decanter, the palate has picked up significant concentration with fruit coming to the forefront. Unreal complexity showing a fantastic mix of red cassis fruit, anise and cloves with tertiary flavors of leather, earth and tar. Balanced with fruit and totally melded tannins. Great mouthfeel and seamless into a long, long finish. Stunning what 32 years can do to a great cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2006 - trankin wrote: 92 Points
Jean-Luc Thunevin Dinner (Chanterelle, NYC): Lovely, delicate nose of classic old cab, with a bit of pepper as well. On the palate, elegant fruit with a nice earthy/mossy sub-floor thing going on. Graphite, pencil lead - some real dark earth underneath the fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2006 - trankin wrote: 92 Points
TWITS first official tasting (John G's): Compared to the Haut Brion, this had a sharper nose, but was otherwise fairly similar on the nose. Light red in color, with no browning detected. Again, a delicate, gentle wine, soft and rounded. Gravel and minerals. Very graceful. A vibrant, lively cab. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2006 - Jeff W wrote:
Dan Bailey offline. From Magnum.
This was a treat, and an excellent pairing with the 1934 Latour.
Youthful purple - nothing too old about this wine. There is an intense attack of fruit - secondary flavours, but with bright acidity. It's full of life, complex and vibrant, with lovely sweet tannins. This is really fantasic. sup
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2006 - Rani wrote: 96 Points
Offline chez Dan Bailey (London): Out of magnum. This is the most mature Californian I've had the pleasure of tasting. Colour was dark, almost purple ruby, with only slight bricking and thinning at the edges. Lots of dark fruit on the nose, mostly cherries. Medium weight but velvety on the palate, with blackcurrant and cherry fruit. Peppery finish. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2006 - Eric wrote: flawed
Four decades of Mondavi Reserve Cabernet (Seattle, WA): Corked. That's too bad, as at first pour it seemed like this was going to be very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2006 - Eric wrote:
Rocking out at Chez Leve with Hermitage and a whole lot more (Los Angeles, CA): This had a beautiful, pure nose of black currants and mint. Impeccable fill. Oh that mint, what a nice lift it gives to the wine. The palate is medium weight, beautiful, not showing loads of complexity after 32 years yet a joy to sip. Yet the purity and delineation was very fine with black fruit and good vibrancy on the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Slightly past its prime, with a chocolate, mint, tobacco and earth nose, the lacked fruit in the semi tart finish. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2005 - MikeZ wrote:
This bottle is not showing nearly as well as the others I have had this year. Much more herb and possibly mint than cigar box and graphite in this particular bottle. Not as velvety on the palate, this bottle tastes much much younger. No complaints on a 30+ year old wine, I expected some bottle variance at some point.
Maybe this bottle will round out with a bit of air. It has, the wine continues to expand and is showing off more on the nose and palate. Reminiscent of the smell of a favorite pair of old leather shoes that you just can't throw away along with more cigar box and pencil shavings on the nose--losing some of the initial mint notes. Earthy, rustic, rich on the palate with some tannins present on the finish. Barely a hint of orange on the rim, the wine appears and tastes a decade or two younger than it is. This is more of a bruiser than earlier bottles, but special nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2005 - MikeZ wrote:
Possibly a perfect wine (especially the nose) on first sip with huge lead pencil and tobacco aromas bursting from the glass, the wine faded a bit after 45 minutes but wow what a wine...I guess this is classic CA Cab and would be fun to taste side by side with an '83 Margaux or other older clarets....very rich on the palate, just wonderful. Bottom shoulder fill. May have been the most memorable CA Cab experience for me to date.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2005 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Wine and Dinner with Brad England and Scott Manlin (Brad England's House): A beautiful wine. It was too dark to see if the color showed signs of aging, but who cares. The nose is very expressive with red fruit, herbs, and cedar. In the mouth this is full of fruit (much more fruit than the other wines served this night). It was powerful and balanced with a long finish. This was very impressive. My only complaint would be that it did not show off a unique personality like the other wines tasted this night. Nonetheless a real treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2005 - jamiekutch wrote:
Loosing fruit and high in acidity this was slightly medicine tasting and on the downward slope.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2005 - anthonyiez wrote: 70 Points
cork was ruined and showed serious signs of seepage. first wine that has ever made me physically ill. without a doubt a very bad bottle that wasn't stored properly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
(From magnum acquired from Robert Mondavi) What a beautiful exuberant nose! Like all the 70s Mondavi Reserves I've had in the last 5 years, the nose exceeds the palate. But this is not to say the wine is not very fine. Fully resolved tannins. A little bit long in the tooth, but still a fair bit of gorgeous red fruit and currant. A touch of the signature dust. Nice and plush on the palate with spreading flavours. Given the format and provenance of this bottle, and given how nicely it is drinking, I'd say drink up soon!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2004 - Hammer wrote: 95 Points
What a wine! This is the second bottle I've had in the last month. This wine is fully mature and it's at its peak. The garnet disc reveals its age (30 years old) and the matured nose is fully of cassis, leather, dried herbs and asian spices. In the mouth, it's silky, with melted tannins. I wish the finish was a bit longer but still it's a lovely wine. I believe this should be drunk sooner than later. If you open one try to drink it within the hour of opening the bottles, as it will start to fade from there on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2004 - Hammer wrote: 92 Points
Drank this along with the 74 Mayacamas and it paled in comparison. This is a great wine but it's declining from its peak. The tannins are beautifully integrated and showed complex nose of cassis, cedar and dried herbs. I would not hold on to this much longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/1990 - MicklethePickle Does not like this wine: 76 Points
With MPL and BLR at London Wine Bar. Ruby color, orange edge. Candied fruit; cherry. Simple. Slightly over the hill; even weird. Over? 4-10-9-3: 76/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/1990 - MicklethePickle wrote: 81 Points
With MPL and BLR and Diane at London Wine Bar. ($95). Dark, brooding, ruby color. Slight orange at the rim. Looks mature. Good legs. Nose very pretty, open, ripe; slight tomato. On the palate, very fruity but lots of tarry, earthy flavors from unresolved tannins, especially in the finish. Raisiny. All in all, only fair. A disappointment. 5-9-12-5: 81/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/1987 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
Very deep concentrated fruit in both aroma and taste, almost chewy when opened. Rich tasting, bouquet had overtones of mint & chocolate. Excellent complexity, long aftertaste.Excellent nose
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment