Reserve fruit makes the difference! Much softer than the 1995 which is great as well. Less acid than 95 but still has great backbone. Do not decant or air it out at all. The 95 you need to for an hour. Awesome wine and top 10 all time
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Dark in color, with big rich fruit flavors that are apparent in the charming bouquet. Well rounded, with a silky finish. (Decanted about 3 hours ahead.) A delicious wine. Virtually no brown in the rim.
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4th Saturday Brown Bagger (R&D's): An initial bouquet of dark fruit and mint gives way to fresh cucumber. Black fruit on the palate but the cucumber note remains. Acidity is out of balance. No guess. Flawed, or just not a good wine? That depends on whether you believe Laube or Parker.
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Dank and mulchy with damp earth and green herb. An initial entry dominated by green bean and dried sage, with a touch of crushed cranberry in the background. Gripping, drying and firm tannins lash across the palate. This wine has maintained a tight structure and good body, but little else. After nearly 5 hours, this didn't improve or worsen. The fourth day did add a new wrinkle featuring some black cherry, mint and a fresher, herb laced finish. Drink now.
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This wine was average versus my expectation. It was not very robust and its finish was almost non-existent. The wine had been stored well but it seemed to be past its time. Very disappointing.
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Less evolved, younger on the palate than some prior bottles. Shares the same herbaceous green character with other bottles. That bell pepper is not over the top, but is an obvious part of the package. Enough depth of fruit to keep this attractive. Fine tannins on the finish, increasing in intensity the longer the wine is in the glass. Those who like the bell pepper flavor profile might score this a few points higher.
I've had a lot of bottle variation with these, acquired from different sources well after release. Some were tired. Most are drinking well now. This particular bottle could've gone another 5+ years.
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Drinking really well after a short decant. Very floral nose with some candied fruit. Pretty bright on the palate with explosive black fruits, a bit of plum and still some spiky tannins. Loads of acidity. This wine is capable of a few more years in bottle, but is pretty delicious right now. I'm surprised by how young this is drinking. Also a fan of the 13.5% alcohol. A really nice wine.
40+5+5+17+17+8=92
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Very similar to 12/2007 note. A hint of green, comes across as decomposing grass/hay/melon/forest floor on the nose. Pleasant rather than distracting. Smooth on the palate, where the notes from the nose are joined by cassis and dark fruit. Some acidity gives it a fairly high-toned presence. Medium long finish with some fine tannins. I wish I could project where this wine was headed. If I had to bet, I'd say it's drinking at or near its peak.
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Served with grilled Porterhouse. Deep color; vibrant nose of black currant, cassis, blackberry, and lots of smoky tobacco. Velvety smooth on the palate. Long finish. At peak.
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Brilliant, complex and interesting nose exploded out of the glass...waves of tar, tobacco and spice with hints of flowers. First taste was a mix of dark, black fruit that is viscous and full...great mouthfeel! Fruit hangs perfectly on a firm, tight structure. Nice balance. Wine improved steadily through the evening. This is a superb effort despite Parker's review. Each to his own...
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Quite the statement for btl variation. Compared to earlier btls, this one seems to be within its peak drinking window. Sweet, mature fruit on the nose with an attractive note of rich grass/hay. Good depth, balance, and complexity on the palate with a long finish. Also unusual in that the nose of this wine is a perfect predictor and dance partner to the palate. An extraordinary and instructive comparison to earlier tastings.
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Although we enjoyed this wine immensely, it is not as good as it was a few years ago, I need to drink the last bottle in the next few months. Well integrated and balance. The fruit has gotten a little tired and the wine doesn't have the vibrancy it once held. Not enough evolution to compensate for the lost fruit.
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A bit vegetal on opening, but some of that blows off after a bit of time. Elegant and lively nose, but not super overt. Good depth of fruit on the mid-palate with a medium-long finish.
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Just a beautiful balance of fruit and tannin. Drank with friends at a "This wine is ready to drink" dinner (the last of four wines consumed that evening). If you own this, drink it now. We all agreed it couldn't get better than it was that evening.
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Opened 15 min before enjoying. Wonderful complex nose with blackberry and cherry. It filled the mouth with red and black fruit and a hint of tobacco. The tannins were soft and well integrated. The flavor lingers on the palate urging another sip. It continued to evole and develop complexity over the next hour. Drinking well now. I think it still has plenty of time left.
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I decanted this in the morning for an evening dinner and I was treated with a wine at its peak! The nose was full of fruit (blackberry was most notable). The balance between acid and tannin is perfect. If you have this one, open it up and enjoy it!
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7/1/2020 - bherbst4114 wrote: 95 Points
Reserve fruit makes the difference! Much softer than the 1995 which is great as well. Less acid than 95 but still has great backbone. Do not decant or air it out at all. The 95 you need to for an hour. Awesome wine and top 10 all time
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3/15/2020 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
The Last Supper (Before the Covid-19 Shutdown) (El Ideas): Magnum. Minty red cherry aromas. Nice herb, tobacco and bell pepper notes. Classic traditional Cali Cab and still fresh with grip in this format.
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3/15/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Last Wine Dinner Before the Coronavirus Shutdown (EL Ideas - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Clearly ripe and mature with a slightly sweet finish. Good weight. Good overall. I enjoyed it, others seemed to enjoy it more.
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4/27/2016 - Bruce 1er wrote: 95 Points
Dark in color, with big rich fruit flavors that are apparent in the charming bouquet. Well rounded, with a silky finish. (Decanted about 3 hours ahead.) A delicious wine. Virtually no brown in the rim.
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3/28/2015 - AllRed wrote:
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (R&D's): An initial bouquet of dark fruit and mint gives way to fresh cucumber. Black fruit on the palate but the cucumber note remains. Acidity is out of balance. No guess. Flawed, or just not a good wine? That depends on whether you believe Laube or Parker.
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5/29/2011 - vanpe003 wrote:
No detailed notes. One of the good bottles. No green, but fairly lively acidity compared to a '99 Beringer Reserve also opened.
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2/7/2011 - wine maestro wrote: 83 Points
Dank and mulchy with damp earth and green herb. An initial entry dominated by green bean
and dried sage, with a touch of crushed cranberry in the background. Gripping, drying and
firm tannins lash across the palate. This wine has maintained a tight structure and good body,
but little else. After nearly 5 hours, this didn't improve or worsen. The fourth day did add a
new wrinkle featuring some black cherry, mint and a fresher, herb laced finish. Drink now.
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1/9/2011 - bulldurham wrote: 88 Points
This wine was average versus my expectation. It was not very robust and its finish was almost non-existent. The wine had been stored well but it seemed to be past its time. Very disappointing.
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10/3/2010 - vanpe003 wrote: 89 Points
Less evolved, younger on the palate than some prior bottles. Shares the same herbaceous green character with other bottles. That bell pepper is not over the top, but is an obvious part of the package. Enough depth of fruit to keep this attractive. Fine tannins on the finish, increasing in intensity the longer the wine is in the glass. Those who like the bell pepper flavor profile might score this a few points higher.
I've had a lot of bottle variation with these, acquired from different sources well after release. Some were tired. Most are drinking well now. This particular bottle could've gone another 5+ years.
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12/31/2009 - zenfulzoe wrote: 91 Points
Nicely balanced. Good fruit. Tannins have softened. Good nose, medium to long finish. Not going to get better. Drink now.
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11/3/2009 - dannyk8232 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking really well after a short decant. Very floral nose with some candied fruit. Pretty bright on the palate with explosive black fruits, a bit of plum and still some spiky tannins. Loads of acidity. This wine is capable of a few more years in bottle, but is pretty delicious right now. I'm surprised by how young this is drinking. Also a fan of the 13.5% alcohol. A really nice wine.
40+5+5+17+17+8=92
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10/3/2009 - BoulderWine wrote: 88 Points
Still has good fruit but very herbaceous in aroma and flavors. Went well with ribeye steak. Time to drink.
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5/31/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 89 Points
Nice bottle. Opens up a bit vegetal, but blows off quickly. Relatively bright on midpalate and finish. Never really hits its stride.
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2/15/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Very similar to 12/2007 note. A hint of green, comes across as decomposing grass/hay/melon/forest floor on the nose. Pleasant rather than distracting. Smooth on the palate, where the notes from the nose are joined by cassis and dark fruit. Some acidity gives it a fairly high-toned presence. Medium long finish with some fine tannins. I wish I could project where this wine was headed. If I had to bet, I'd say it's drinking at or near its peak.
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1/14/2009 - beaunehead wrote: 90 Points
Served with grilled Porterhouse. Deep color; vibrant nose of black currant, cassis, blackberry, and lots of smoky tobacco. Velvety smooth on the palate. Long finish. At peak.
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3/7/2008 - sureproof wrote: 93 Points
Brilliant, complex and interesting nose exploded out of the glass...waves of tar, tobacco and spice with hints of flowers. First taste was a mix of
dark, black fruit that is viscous and full...great mouthfeel! Fruit hangs perfectly on a firm, tight structure. Nice balance. Wine improved steadily
through the evening. This is a superb effort despite Parker's review. Each to his own...
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1/20/2008 - PJWagner wrote: 92 Points
This wine opened up beautifully after it was decanted. It had lovely fruit flavors and a beautifully balanced finish.
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12/3/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Quite the statement for btl variation. Compared to earlier btls, this one seems to be within its peak drinking window. Sweet, mature fruit on the nose with an attractive note of rich grass/hay. Good depth, balance, and complexity on the palate with a long finish. Also unusual in that the nose of this wine is a perfect predictor and dance partner to the palate. An extraordinary and instructive comparison to earlier tastings.
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11/11/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 85 Points
This bottle was tired and quite ordinary. Fruit was relatively thin against a fair amount of acidity.
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10/7/2007 - greywolf10 wrote: 87 Points
Dark ruby color. Nice fruit slight floral bouquet. Light fruit/floral flavors with light finish. Likely on downside of slope.
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7/29/2007 - daCrusher wrote: 90 Points
Although we enjoyed this wine immensely, it is not as good as it was a few years ago, I need to drink the last bottle in the next few months. Well integrated and balance. The fruit has gotten a little tired and the wine doesn't have the vibrancy it once held. Not enough evolution to compensate for the lost fruit.
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6/17/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 90 Points
A bit vegetal on opening, but some of that blows off after a bit of time. Elegant and lively nose, but not super overt. Good depth of fruit on the mid-palate with a medium-long finish.
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12/26/2006 - wood wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic nose with chocolate notes. Nice flavor and length but starting to decline.
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3/6/2006 - mr.krasnow wrote: 90 Points
very drinkable, ready to drink
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12/29/2005 - ssouth wrote: 90 Points
decanted.. Dry and a little sour. Got a little better over time. Not much secondary development
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11/19/2005 - callmeacab wrote: 94 Points
Just a beautiful balance of fruit and tannin. Drank with friends at a "This wine is ready to drink" dinner (the last of four wines consumed that evening). If you own this, drink it now. We all agreed it couldn't get better than it was that evening.
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11/19/2005 - shine wrote: 94 Points
Opened 15 min before enjoying. Wonderful complex nose with blackberry and cherry. It filled the mouth with red and black fruit and a hint of tobacco. The tannins were soft and well integrated. The flavor lingers on the palate urging another sip. It continued to evole and develop complexity over the next hour. Drinking well now. I think it still has plenty of time left.
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11/2/2005 - Brett wrote: 93 Points
I decanted this in the morning for an evening dinner and I was treated with a wine at its peak! The nose was full of fruit (blackberry was most notable). The balance between acid and tannin is perfect. If you have this one, open it up and enjoy it!
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