At home with some casual fare, its been a while since visiting with this wine. Five bottles left in my cellar, last bottle was in 2016, bottles in my cellar from around 2006. Cork crumbled on the way out, wine not effected. Minimal sediment.
Medium garnet core, thinning at the edges. Earthy nose, whiff of barnyard (dissipated after a bit), dusted red fruits. Palate of old cherry, graphite, mushroom. Earth notes through the finish, tart red fruits. Tannins softened, adding to a velvety texture. Medium body, medium/long finish.
A pleasant surprise to the upside, I thought this might be heading to a tertiary phase. It's settled in like an aged Bordeaux. elegant, earth and old fruit. Doing well 25 years in...I would drink over next 3-5 years
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Rich, full bodied, smooth & long finish. Tertiary notes starting to develop. Drink now for the next few years before maturity sets in (otherwise hold for longer to allow for full development of tertiary flavors).
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Medium Garnet. Nose is a sweet, rich, full red berries. Reminds me of a Shafer Hillside, unfortunately did not live up to the nose. There is a medium weight but a thiness in the mid pallet and a quickness to the finish overall for Nose- I give it a 98. For taste, I give it an 88 so resulting in a 93 score. Drink up.
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Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): Always a favorite of mine - this is a producer that very much is making wines that have the old world style and appeal that way. I had opened and double decanted and then it sat in the bottle while we poured the flight beforehand. To me this needed some more time to open up and it was really only as I was revisiting at the end that I thought it was shining the way I'd have expected it to. Always keeping an eye out for more of these.
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Tannins still very noticeable reminding me of the evolution of a classic Dunn vintage or similar long lived mountain cabs. Based on this bottle, hard to understand the reviews about on the decline. This seems like it will go 20 more years and hopefully soften.
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Dinner w/new friends in Jax (Friend's house): Opened and decanted for sediment and rebottled to bring to dinner. This was a shyer wine to start with. In the beginning I preferred the '02 Le Desir we served alongside. But slowly slowly it started to open up and maybe a few hours into the meal it was really rocking. It's got all of the elegance and balance that you would imagine from a winemaker with old world sensibilities and yet it has the wonderful new world fruit at just the right level and with just the right balance. Excellent.
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Opened and decanted for sediment and then rebottled and brought to restaurant. My impression even while I was doing that is I should have given it a bit of time in the decanter. It was a bit tight. First pour was a hint oaky and lots of tannin and not very expressive. But it opened up really nicely in the glass with just a few minutes of air and then it was dried cranberry and some tart cherry and a nice earthy balance. Even with the slow pourer this bottle went quite fast. Very enjoyable. I think officially it is too early to be drinking the 99s but as there are no wines from this producer before that we've been drinking them anyway.
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Great nose out of the gate when first opened, floral sweet complex red fruit. Body is beginning to age, fruit is starting to show maturity. Fell apart after about 3.5 hours though, became very bitter and dry on the finish. Pretty disappointing overall.
Edit: retried remaining 1/2 bottle after 24 hours (had been vacuum-sealed for 24 hours). Medium body with some red fruits and a bit of sweetness. Finish had mellowed out considerably but still showed dryness and a bit of the lingering astringency.
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Opened a 2001 Le Desir which was corked, so opened the '99 La Joie instead. Wow, it did not disappoint. Rich fruit still present, with layers of mature flavors created great complexity, and a nice long finish. This is how I like my Napa cabs, and glad I kept this one this long. I would drink now however, as it won't get any better at this point.
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Wonderful wine. Lots of must and dust on the nose. You could just tell this wine was going to be big and complex and it was. Took about an hour to open up some and it produces layers of old cocoa (from the can), spices, graphite, cigar flavors that just impressed. Even my Burgundy friends were blown away by what this wine turned into. Well done!
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This is a stunning wine. Still very youthful and fruit-driven, but with impeccable balance and uncommon elegance for a California cab blend. Paired with genuine Kobe wagyu, which it thoroughly deserved.
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I had high hopes for Xmas dinner pairing with prime rib. The wine was tired, with a lot of musky funk on the nose. Double decanted for 3 hours. No improvement at all. Little fruit on the palate. Anise (which I don’t like) and baking spices predominate. So disappointed.
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Wraysbury Dinner (R/Y/B/A) (Home): Double decanted 3 hours. Dark, deep ruby. Dark, dense and ripe-fruited. Lush and dark. Palate similar. Rich and ripe with plenty of glycerin and a touch of heat coming through on the finish. Just a shade riper and denser than the Bordeaux pair, but showing a little more Californian than the La Muse alongside. Almost a touch of sur-maturité. ****
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Beautiful bouquet with autumn impressions and chocolate. On the palate lush and juicy cherries, chocolate, fresh acidity and creamy, round tannin. Beautifully balanced and a great length. Still a great pleasure! 95 - 96
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Decanted and served with steak dinner. The first whiff and taste of this blew me away: light baking spices on the nose, delicately structured soft fruit on the palate. I think I would have preferred to drink it without food; some of the subtlety was lost. This was my first Verite and I'm a fan.
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Dinner with Carol N at Charlie Palmer's in DC. Two bottles from my cellar, this one and a 99 Pavie. 99 is a milestone year for my friend. Both decanted for about an hour, drank over 90 minutes. First bottle from a batch bought at auction a few years back (when Verite was more affordable...)
Deep purple/ruby color, no real signs of age. This is a classic Verite...California meets the Right Bank. Nose showing dark fruits, tobacco and graphite. Palate is silky smooth, red fruits, black currants, tobacco, and truffles...softened and sweet tannins. Long a sophisticated finish. The plush texture shows the Merlot content in this wine (fun to drink next to Merlot driven Pavie). Elegant and drinking close to full maturity...great stuff, should go for a while if wanting to hold but why wait...:)
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This Verite opened firm and tight with a hard edge, then reverted to a layer of barnyard funk, but after two hours, it burst open with complex concentrated structured backbone of dark raspberry and black currant fruits accented by layers of graphite, cigar box, tobacco leaf, spicy okay and floral notes with hints of vanilla, then silky textures of fine tannins on a long lingering tangy finish. At seventeen years, this almost seems like it needs several more years to settle. Will be wonderful to taste this again in five and ten years if you can wait, and get access to some.
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Regular dinner group (@ PZ): Beautiful mature bouquet with chocolate and some autumn impressions. On the palate silky soft and ripe, chocolate, some autumn impressions, a bit salty even, mocha, beautiful acidity and powdery tannin. The wine is completely ready now and will not improve anymore. On the other hand; no real hurry either.
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Definitely bordeaux style. Took a bit to open up more, but wow. blackberries, earthy tannis, the finish seems the best, beautiful and smooth with subtle hints of many flavors. I think after reading the 2013 notes, it has matured much better for 2015.
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Another solid bottle. A lot of secondary on the nose with cigar box, toasted herbs, worn leather and dried blackberries and plums. The Cab characters really show. Medium-Full body initially that continues to flesh out with air as more fruit emerges. Long dusty finish. Very expressive on the nose and palate. Definitely in the character of Pauillac. Drink soon. 5/6 consistent bottles.
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Gorgeous stuff. Not giving a ton on the nose (although tasted from pretty poor glass) but definitely lots of dark fruit. Has some Bordeaux like palate with cedar notes, like a st emilion. Juicy and rich with dollop of blackberry and jam. Drinking great although I'm not sure it improves. Good for another 10 yrs easy.
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Perfect cork and fill. Splash decant for sediment. Immediate Very expressive nose of loam, cigar box, dried black and red fruit and toasted herbs. More fruit filled out the medium body palate after an hour of air. Medium to long mineral tinged slightly tannic finish. Loads of secondary nuances. I'd drink these over the next few years as the fruit is starting to fade. Held up nicely throughout the night.
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Decanted 2.5 hours, drank with tuscan NY strip/balsamic reduction.
There is concentrated but still balanced and lightly stepping mature/transformed dark fruit on the nose and palate which also maintains a floral freshness.
The tannins have a talcum-like smoothness on the long cigar box and mocha finish.
Drinking very well and a great one to share, lots of comments in response to this wine. Bravo!
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Wow! Complex, balanced with medium to full dark fruit in a terrific bordeaux blend style. Interesting combination of distinct blackberry fruit but at the same time delicate to the palate. This wine must be drinking at its peak and a complete joy to consume.
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Fabulous. Funky leathery and sweet plummy fruit. Should be even better in couple years. But is drinking well now. Just enough acidity to pull it all together. Better than the Muse.
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Another excellent wine in the Christmas Eve line up. Dark purple color with black cassis and tar on the palate. Big wine despite all of the merlot that has a long, full bodied finish. Nice tannins that are smooth but tight. Nice wine.
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should have decanted but still opened nicely with time...burnt cherries as noted below and earthiness and bold flavors that recede just as you ID them...fully resolved...very pretty wine
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Beautifully soft and mature bouquet with some chocolate and ripe dark fruits. Very juicy. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity and pleasant bitterness in the finish. Completely ready now and a future of several years.
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Great bottle! As with all Verite's it benefits greatly from decanting (at least 1.5hrs with this one). Complex notes of cigar box, black berry fruit, dark cherry, leather, violets, smoke and some damp earth. Balanced. Medium to full-body, with a medium+ finish. Perfect maturity. Paired nicely with sausage and lamb.
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decanted for 2 hours. old, bdx blend nose if that makes any sense. the nose reminded me of the 73 ridge monte bello we had earlier this year. tea, spice box, leather, some old red and black fruits, and an overall impression of "tired." the palate was more of the same, with nothing terribly interesting. plenty of tannin in the finish, but not enough fruit to match up. there was a really interesting spice note (kind of like sweet BBQ spices) that popped right at the tail end of the finish. overall very disappointing given the pedigree. perhaps poor storage? if scoring, 85-87.
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Decanted 1 hour and it opened up nicely, consumed over 3 hours with prep then grilled steak and blue cheese/grilled onions. Dark brooding Sonoma berry fruit has matured. It remains balanced and is integrated. Tannins are fine and soft. Drinking well.
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This must be the most complex U.S.made wine I ever tasted. There are a cornucopia of flavors ranging from burnt cherry, boysenberry, wet earth, with a strong currant that gives the wine structure and depth. Would challenge anyone tasting this wine blind that it was not from Bordeaux. While not for everyone, there is a lot going on here and it worked well for me.
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Burnt Cherry Smoky leather Balanced Best wine i've ever had from Sonoma....period. Keep for special occasions Opened this up by mistake... Cheer's to making mistakes !!!!!!!
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Super blue fruit. Blueberry cobbler, creamy rich ripe black rock, purple flowers. Some grape flavored bubble gum. Nice finish. So big but balanced to perfection. A great wine. Showed better than the Muse tasted that day.
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Dark wine with nice complexity. Plenty of fruit and fresh tannins. No rush on this one. The score would have been higher if not for a little overbearing tart and sour cherries with leather straps.
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Served blind, it was obviously from California. It was a nice surprise, especially for the vintage.The black and blue fruit, licorice, coffee and chocolate aromatcs meshed well with the full bodied, fat textures. This concentrated Cabernet finished with ripe dark berries, black cherry and mocha flavors.
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Savory, with a mature, Bordeaux-like edge to its dried black fruit, dried shiitake mushroom, soil and fall leaf aromas. Perhaps a little advanced for the vintage, this is still quite alive and vibrant on the palate with a round, seamless texture and persistent black fruit and mushroom flavors.
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Decanted for an hour before drinking. The wine was good, but didn't live up to the expectation. The nose gave a warm aroma of green pepper, chassis and oak. Nicely structure tannins and a hint of dark fruit, but a short finish that seemed to dry up quickly.
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huge hit...dark color. bordeaux like nose of dark fruit and cassis. tar and leather with appropriate fruit. great balance...smooth tannins. varsity wine. glad I have another bottle!
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Somewhat of a disappointment for me, I remember this wine when it was young. But today, the finish was short, the fruit all but non existent, what was left was a rather smoky and okay base. Consumed over 4 hours, so it had plenty of time to open up. Could be bottle variation.
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Raspberry and currant, brown sugar, espresso, eucalyptus and a generous dose of oak though the wine is in balance. Drinking more youthfully than the 99 Ch. St Jean Cinq Cepages we opened alongside. Has the structure to continue developing. Drink now with 2 hour decant but probably better to hold 2-3 more years.
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Yet another example of how great this winery is. The 1999 La Joie was subtle and refined yet beautifully complex. We drank this after a 2003 silver oak napa valley and there was no comparison. Good black fruit and oak on the nose though maybe heavy on the oak. Medium to long finish. Perfect pairing for the lamb chops I served. Unlike the boring and meaty silver oak this wine was sophisticated and lively. Only negative is that It didn't have the huge fruit nose like the 2002 la joie has. But very enjoyable.
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Dinner with R&Y, H&S, G&L (Home): Very creamy, smooth, rounded attack. Lovely from the off. Stylistically similar to the la Joie. Smooth, good acidity and length, complex. Really singing tonight. I don't think I'd hesitate to place this as Californian if served blind, but it didn't seem overdone in the slightest. Lovely wine. *****
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Not decanted. Rich deep crimson to purple. Not a ton on the nose. Initially a bit thin and then gained some weight with tiem. None of the cedar/tobacco of Bdx but more restrained in the style. Pleasant but certainly not the utter lushness described below by Steve Tanzer or Parker. 1/2 left and will try tonight.
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Steve8 Birthday Dinner (Niagara Street Cafe, Toronto, Canada): Dark ruby red colour with black tinges. Aromas of black licorice, herbs (thyme and rosemary), black cherry, vanilla, and olive brine. Full-bodied, silky texture, with herbs, blackcurrant, and black plums. Moderate finish, ~35s, with dark fruit notes. Really nice. Very elegant and balanced.
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I had a little problem with the cork and was forced to decant in a cool-aide pitcher. Suprisingly it was a great glass of wine. It is a big bordeaux style. Some earthiness but not muddy like a lot of merlot. Some leather, chocolate, and currant. It was a casual meal of pasta w marinara and salad. I enjoyed another glass by itslef after the meal and really enjoyed. I was longing for a hunk of cheese. ewineguy
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Very good selection for my BD dinner with my wife. Paired with a Prime Center Cut Filet. Nice but not outstanding nose, strong oak but not overpowering, leathery and balanced. The merlot came through the Cab and gave it a nice Bordeaux feel with a fairly short finish. Will plan to share our other bottle with our good friends living in Houston!
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This is one of those wines that have a huge score discrepancy with the major wine pubs. I did not read them until I drank this and interestingly WS nailed the description. Heavily oaked, opens up a bit after many hours of decanting, but just can't shake the oak bomb. it is bordeaux because of the leather and olive notes, but really never came together for my wife or I.
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Really drinking well now. I'm not sure if it was the storage conditions of the bottle (recently purchased at auction), but it tasted older than I would have expected. I'd like to think I could hold my other bottle for a decade, but I'm not so sure now.
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3/16/2024 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
At home with some casual fare, its been a while since visiting with this wine. Five bottles left in my cellar, last bottle was in 2016, bottles in my cellar from around 2006. Cork crumbled on the way out, wine not effected. Minimal sediment.
Medium garnet core, thinning at the edges. Earthy nose, whiff of barnyard (dissipated after a bit), dusted red fruits. Palate of old cherry, graphite, mushroom. Earth notes through the finish, tart red fruits. Tannins softened, adding to a velvety texture. Medium body, medium/long finish.
A pleasant surprise to the upside, I thought this might be heading to a tertiary phase. It's settled in like an aged Bordeaux. elegant, earth and old fruit. Doing well 25 years in...I would drink over next 3-5 years
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6/21/2023 - enthusiastic_amateur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich, full bodied, smooth & long finish. Tertiary notes starting to develop. Drink now for the next few years before maturity sets in (otherwise hold for longer to allow for full development of tertiary flavors).
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4/10/2023 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium Garnet. Nose is a sweet, rich, full red berries. Reminds me of a Shafer Hillside, unfortunately did not live up to the nose. There is a medium weight but a thiness in the mid pallet and a quickness to the finish overall for Nose- I give it a 98. For taste, I give it an 88 so resulting in a 93 score. Drink up.
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2/25/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): Always a favorite of mine - this is a producer that very much is making wines that have the old world style and appeal that way. I had opened and double decanted and then it sat in the bottle while we poured the flight beforehand. To me this needed some more time to open up and it was really only as I was revisiting at the end that I thought it was shining the way I'd have expected it to. Always keeping an eye out for more of these.
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2/15/2022 - cabfrancair Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicate, persistent, old world, still has fruit and well integrated tannins. Surprised me as I don’t care for tired wine.
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1/2/2022 - ledwards wrote: 91 Points
Tannins still very noticeable reminding me of the evolution of a classic Dunn vintage or similar long lived mountain cabs. Based on this bottle, hard to understand the reviews about on the decline. This seems like it will go 20 more years and hopefully soften.
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11/11/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Dinner w/new friends in Jax (Friend's house): Opened and decanted for sediment and rebottled to bring to dinner. This was a shyer wine to start with. In the beginning I preferred the '02 Le Desir we served alongside. But slowly slowly it started to open up and maybe a few hours into the meal it was really rocking. It's got all of the elegance and balance that you would imagine from a winemaker with old world sensibilities and yet it has the wonderful new world fruit at just the right level and with just the right balance. Excellent.
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5/14/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted for sediment and then rebottled and brought to restaurant. My impression even while I was doing that is I should have given it a bit of time in the decanter. It was a bit tight. First pour was a hint oaky and lots of tannin and not very expressive. But it opened up really nicely in the glass with just a few minutes of air and then it was dried cranberry and some tart cherry and a nice earthy balance. Even with the slow pourer this bottle went quite fast. Very enjoyable. I think officially it is too early to be drinking the 99s but as there are no wines from this producer before that we've been drinking them anyway.
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3/8/2021 - enthusiastic_amateur Likes this wine: 89 Points
Cassis, black fruit, soft tannin. Med+ finish. Drinking well now although starting to show its age.
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1/7/2021 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 90 Points
Waited too long. Was ok, but clearly on the decline.
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8/28/2020 - enthusiastic_amateur Likes this wine: 88 Points
Great nose out of the gate when first opened, floral sweet complex red fruit. Body is beginning to age, fruit is starting to show maturity. Fell apart after about 3.5 hours though, became very bitter and dry on the finish. Pretty disappointing overall.
Edit: retried remaining 1/2 bottle after 24 hours (had been vacuum-sealed for 24 hours). Medium body with some red fruits and a bit of sweetness. Finish had mellowed out considerably but still showed dryness and a bit of the lingering astringency.
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4/19/2020 - louisl Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opened a 2001 Le Desir which was corked, so opened the '99 La Joie instead. Wow, it did not disappoint. Rich fruit still present, with layers of mature flavors created great complexity, and a nice long finish. This is how I like my Napa cabs, and glad I kept this one this long. I would drink now however, as it won't get any better at this point.
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3/18/2020 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect cork and fill, color and aroma were almost perfect.
Touch bit too oxidized or acidic which really muted the fruit.
If you have any drink soon.
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5/16/2019 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful wine. Lots of must and dust on the nose. You could just tell this wine was going to be big and complex and it was. Took about an hour to open up some and it produces layers of old cocoa (from the can), spices, graphite, cigar flavors that just impressed. Even my Burgundy friends were blown away by what this wine turned into. Well done!
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4/27/2019 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 98 Points
An incredibly dark ruby in the glass.
When opening you get this blast of morello cherries followed by an incredible scent of cigar and leather.
On the palate red currant and raspberries are followed by incredible mounds of earth, tar and hints of truffle.
Unlike the 02 which is just opening up the 99 is already in its prime with still quite a bit of life left in it.
IMO if you have any drink it soon.
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2/9/2019 - ttjensen Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a stunning wine. Still very youthful and fruit-driven, but with impeccable balance and uncommon elegance for a California cab blend. Paired with genuine Kobe wagyu, which it thoroughly deserved.
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12/25/2018 - Steve Bird Does not like this wine: 85 Points
I had high hopes for Xmas dinner pairing with prime rib. The wine was tired, with a lot of musky funk on the nose. Double decanted for 3 hours. No improvement at all. Little fruit on the palate. Anise (which I don’t like) and baking spices predominate. So disappointed.
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8/20/2018 - DarinC Likes this wine:
Consistent with previous notes
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7/7/2018 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Wraysbury Dinner (R/Y/B/A) (Home): Double decanted 3 hours. Dark, deep ruby. Dark, dense and ripe-fruited. Lush and dark. Palate similar. Rich and ripe with plenty of glycerin and a touch of heat coming through on the finish. Just a shade riper and denser than the Bordeaux pair, but showing a little more Californian than the La Muse alongside. Almost a touch of sur-maturité. ****
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5/18/2018 - bobwire wrote: 88 Points
Past it’s prime
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9/30/2017 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful bouquet with autumn impressions and chocolate. On the palate lush and juicy cherries, chocolate, fresh acidity and creamy, round tannin. Beautifully balanced and a great length. Still a great pleasure! 95 - 96
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8/3/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted and served with steak dinner. The first whiff and taste of this blew me away: light baking spices on the nose, delicately structured soft fruit on the palate. I think I would have preferred to drink it without food; some of the subtlety was lost. This was my first Verite and I'm a fan.
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12/12/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with Carol N at Charlie Palmer's in DC. Two bottles from my cellar, this one and a 99 Pavie. 99 is a milestone year for my friend. Both decanted for about an hour, drank over 90 minutes. First bottle from a batch bought at auction a few years back (when Verite was more affordable...)
Deep purple/ruby color, no real signs of age. This is a classic Verite...California meets the Right Bank. Nose showing dark fruits, tobacco and graphite. Palate is silky smooth, red fruits, black currants, tobacco, and truffles...softened and sweet tannins. Long a sophisticated finish. The plush texture shows the Merlot content in this wine (fun to drink next to Merlot driven Pavie). Elegant and drinking close to full maturity...great stuff, should go for a while if wanting to hold but why wait...:)
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11/24/2016 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 94 Points
This Verite opened firm and tight with a hard edge, then reverted to a layer of barnyard funk, but after two hours, it burst open with complex concentrated structured backbone of dark raspberry and black currant fruits accented by layers of graphite, cigar box, tobacco leaf, spicy okay and floral notes with hints of vanilla, then silky textures of fine tannins on a long lingering tangy finish. At seventeen years, this almost seems like it needs several more years to settle. Will be wonderful to taste this again in five and ten years if you can wait, and get access to some.
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11/12/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best Bottle Red in Lucerne without a theme (Hopfenkranz in Lucerne): It is a mixture from Cal Cab and Bordeaux, ripe and fine tannins, still some dark berries, crispy acidity and well balanced, very good at the moment and least for 10 more years
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9/17/2016 - G_H wrote: 93 Points
Perfect maturity, herbs, blackberries, lots of licorice, really lots of licorice, great balance!
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5/9/2016 - thwacker Likes this wine: 89 Points
Solid and well-made ripe California fruit bomb, beginning to lose a bit of its luster. Drink up.
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11/19/2015 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Great aged Cali cab. Still has lots of aging potential left
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10/21/2015 - capacious Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the sweet side, nice round cab, good feel on the palate, cherries, tobacco, chocolate, has years to go, but good right now.
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10/17/2015 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Regular dinner group (@ PZ): Beautiful mature bouquet with chocolate and some autumn impressions. On the palate silky soft and ripe, chocolate, some autumn impressions, a bit salty even, mocha, beautiful acidity and powdery tannin. The wine is completely ready now and will not improve anymore. On the other hand; no real hurry either.
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7/24/2015 - norcalcouple Likes this wine: 93 Points
Definitely bordeaux style. Took a bit to open up more, but wow. blackberries, earthy tannis, the finish seems the best, beautiful and smooth with subtle hints of many flavors. I think after reading the 2013 notes, it has matured much better for 2015.
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1/3/2015 - peterk Likes this wine: 93 Points
Better on day 2 than on day 1 - the fruit continued to emerge. Fully mature, the wine is Bordeaux-like and dusty. Delicious.
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5/14/2014 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk WIC at Mike's. My 2nd WOTN. Great mature earthy old Bx nose. Think Leal.91+
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4/11/2014 - DarinC Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another solid bottle. A lot of secondary on the nose with cigar box, toasted herbs, worn leather and dried blackberries and plums. The Cab characters really show. Medium-Full body initially that continues to flesh out with air as more fruit emerges. Long dusty finish. Very expressive on the nose and palate. Definitely in the character of Pauillac. Drink soon. 5/6 consistent bottles.
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11/27/2013 - rcg62 wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous stuff. Not giving a ton on the nose (although tasted from pretty poor glass) but definitely lots of dark fruit. Has some Bordeaux like palate with cedar notes, like a st emilion. Juicy and rich with dollop of blackberry and jam. Drinking great although I'm not sure it improves. Good for another 10 yrs easy.
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11/2/2013 - arniec wrote: 89 Points
Just don't get it. Not my style.
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4/20/2013 - DarinC Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect cork and fill. Splash decant for sediment. Immediate Very expressive nose of loam, cigar box, dried black and red fruit and toasted herbs. More fruit filled out the medium body palate after an hour of air. Medium to long mineral tinged slightly tannic finish. Loads of secondary nuances. I'd drink these over the next few years as the fruit is starting to fade. Held up nicely throughout the night.
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4/14/2013 - Empirate wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 2.5 hours, drank with tuscan NY strip/balsamic reduction.
There is concentrated but still balanced and lightly stepping mature/transformed dark fruit on the nose and palate which also maintains a floral freshness.
The tannins have a talcum-like smoothness on the long cigar box and mocha finish.
Drinking very well and a great one to share, lots of comments in response to this wine. Bravo!
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3/15/2013 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow! Complex, balanced with medium to full dark fruit in a terrific bordeaux blend style. Interesting combination of distinct blackberry fruit but at the same time delicate to the palate. This wine must be drinking at its peak and a complete joy to consume.
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2/22/2013 - acheng wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous. Funky leathery and sweet plummy fruit. Should be even better in couple years. But is drinking well now. Just enough acidity to pull it all together. Better than the Muse.
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12/24/2012 - sureproof Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another excellent wine in the Christmas Eve line up. Dark purple color with black cassis and tar on the palate. Big wine despite all of the merlot that has a long, full bodied finish. Nice tannins that are smooth but tight. Nice wine.
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11/8/2012 - Mr T wrote:
should have decanted but still opened nicely with time...burnt cherries as noted below and earthiness and bold flavors that recede just as you ID them...fully resolved...very pretty wine
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9/29/2012 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Beautifully soft and mature bouquet with some chocolate and ripe dark fruits. Very juicy. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity and pleasant bitterness in the finish. Completely ready now and a future of several years.
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6/24/2012 - DarinC wrote: 93 Points
Great bottle! As with all Verite's it benefits greatly from decanting (at least 1.5hrs with this one). Complex notes of cigar box, black berry fruit, dark cherry, leather, violets, smoke and some damp earth. Balanced. Medium to full-body, with a medium+ finish. Perfect maturity. Paired nicely with sausage and lamb.
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3/5/2012 - Fugu Me wrote:
Fully mature and integrated. Good fruit remaining, but nicely developed secondaries with some leather and earthiness to it.
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1/14/2012 - AlexHop wrote: 90 Points
A touch stinky with dark fruits and forest floor. Mostly round with a sharp finish. Still decent fruit but showing lots of leather.
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12/16/2011 - caeleric wrote:
decanted for 2 hours. old, bdx blend nose if that makes any sense. the nose reminded me of the 73 ridge monte bello we had earlier this year. tea, spice box, leather, some old red and black fruits, and an overall impression of "tired." the palate was more of the same, with nothing terribly interesting. plenty of tannin in the finish, but not enough fruit to match up. there was a really interesting spice note (kind of like sweet BBQ spices) that popped right at the tail end of the finish. overall very disappointing given the pedigree. perhaps poor storage? if scoring, 85-87.
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11/26/2011 - Empirate wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 1 hour and it opened up nicely, consumed over 3 hours with prep then grilled steak and blue cheese/grilled onions. Dark brooding Sonoma berry fruit has matured. It remains balanced and is integrated. Tannins are fine and soft. Drinking well.
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9/24/2011 - Schiffy wrote: 93 Points
This must be the most complex U.S.made wine I ever tasted. There are a cornucopia of flavors ranging from burnt cherry, boysenberry, wet earth, with a strong currant that gives the wine structure and depth. Would challenge anyone tasting this wine blind that it was not from Bordeaux. While not for everyone, there is a lot going on here and it worked well for me.
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6/19/2011 - davidrh1 wrote: 93 Points
Wonderfully balanced. New world style fruit, but Bordeaux-esque minerality and finish. Needed aboout an hour to fully open up.
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5/7/2011 - M5 wrote: 95 Points
Burnt Cherry
Smoky leather
Balanced
Best wine i've ever had from Sonoma....period.
Keep for special occasions
Opened this up by mistake...
Cheer's to making mistakes !!!!!!!
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4/18/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Super blue fruit. Blueberry cobbler, creamy rich ripe black rock, purple flowers. Some grape flavored bubble gum.
Nice finish. So big but balanced to perfection. A great wine. Showed better than the Muse tasted that day.
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2/11/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 1 hr in am.At dinner the initial grip softened to reveal a voluiptuous tactile Napa Cab with a good bouquet and extended finish.
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2/5/2011 - JeremyQ wrote: 90 Points
It drinks like a Bordeaux style Cali cab which is what it is but it didnt wow me. It was smooth and with good fruit. Nice wine.
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11/25/2010 - jtinto wrote: 90 Points
Dark wine with nice complexity. Plenty of fruit and fresh tannins. No rush on this one. The score would have been higher if not for a little overbearing tart and sour cherries with leather straps.
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8/21/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Served blind, it was obviously from California. It was a nice surprise, especially for the vintage.The black and blue fruit, licorice, coffee and chocolate aromatcs meshed well with the full bodied, fat textures. This concentrated Cabernet finished with ripe dark berries, black cherry and mocha flavors.
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7/23/2010 - wino_tim wrote: 90 Points
Savory, with a mature, Bordeaux-like edge to its dried black fruit, dried shiitake mushroom, soil and fall leaf aromas. Perhaps a little advanced for the vintage, this is still quite alive and vibrant on the palate with a round, seamless texture and persistent black fruit and mushroom flavors.
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5/22/2010 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
STILL TIGHT, BLACKBERRIES, CURRANTS AND LICORICE IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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4/3/2010 - SGS wrote: 91 Points
Medium body, ready to drink
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3/13/2010 - hrvinson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for an hour before drinking. The wine was good, but didn't live up to the expectation. The nose gave a warm aroma of green pepper, chassis and oak. Nicely structure tannins and a hint of dark fruit, but a short finish that seemed to dry up quickly.
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2/11/2010 - jkline wrote: 95 Points
huge hit...dark color. bordeaux like nose of dark fruit and cassis. tar and leather with appropriate fruit. great balance...smooth tannins. varsity wine. glad I have another bottle!
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1/22/2010 - Mark wrote: 87 Points
Somewhat of a disappointment for me, I remember this wine when it was young. But today, the finish was short, the fruit all but non existent, what was left was a rather smoky and okay base. Consumed over 4 hours, so it had plenty of time to open up. Could be bottle variation.
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10/16/2009 - wpd wrote: 91 Points
This is about perfectly aged. Outstanding. Mild tannins, still has good fruit and medium finish. Drank over several days and it held up well.
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8/25/2009 - babnik wrote: 90 Points
Raspberry and currant, brown sugar, espresso, eucalyptus and a generous dose of oak though the wine is in balance. Drinking more youthfully than the 99 Ch. St Jean Cinq Cepages we opened alongside. Has the structure to continue developing. Drink now with 2 hour decant but probably better to hold 2-3 more years.
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3/7/2009 - greghart1 wrote: 95 Points
Yet another example of how great this winery is. The 1999 La Joie was subtle and refined yet beautifully complex. We drank this after a 2003 silver oak napa valley and there was no comparison. Good black fruit and oak on the nose though maybe heavy on the oak. Medium to long finish. Perfect pairing for the lamb chops I served. Unlike the boring and meaty silver oak this wine was sophisticated and lively. Only negative is that It didn't have the huge fruit nose like the 2002 la joie has. But very enjoyable.
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6/13/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Dinner with R&Y, H&S, G&L (Home): Very creamy, smooth, rounded attack. Lovely from the off. Stylistically similar to the la Joie. Smooth, good acidity and length, complex. Really singing tonight. I don't think I'd hesitate to place this as Californian if served blind, but it didn't seem overdone in the slightest. Lovely wine. *****
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5/11/2008 - SeaBud wrote:
Bordeaux blend. Nose is very muted. Leather, smoke, oak. Nice balanced wine, but finish is somewhat short, flavors are not sharp as I like.
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12/26/2007 - Mr T wrote:
Not decanted. Rich deep crimson to purple. Not a ton on the nose. Initially a bit thin and then gained some weight with tiem. None of the cedar/tobacco of Bdx but more restrained in the style. Pleasant but certainly not the utter lushness described below by Steve Tanzer or Parker. 1/2 left and will try tonight.
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8/26/2007 - facchair wrote: 95 Points
This 1999 wine smelled like a paint can but tasted like the fruit forward Bordeaux Blend that it is. One of th ebest wines I have drank this year.
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7/18/2007 - futronic wrote: 93 Points
Steve8 Birthday Dinner (Niagara Street Cafe, Toronto, Canada): Dark ruby red colour with black tinges. Aromas of black licorice, herbs (thyme and rosemary), black cherry, vanilla, and olive brine. Full-bodied, silky texture, with herbs, blackcurrant, and black plums. Moderate finish, ~35s, with dark fruit notes. Really nice. Very elegant and balanced.
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6/24/2007 - wpd wrote: 91 Points
Outsanding wne. Big Balanced fruit and tannins. Wonderful Black fruit and berry flavors with a long finish.
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6/9/2007 - wpd wrote: 89 Points
Nice wine. Still quite tannic and could use more aging time. Drank with Linda and Lauren. The agreed that it is a very good wine
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4/10/2007 - ewineguy wrote: 90 Points
I had a little problem with the cork and was forced to decant in a cool-aide pitcher. Suprisingly it was a great glass of wine. It is a big bordeaux style. Some earthiness but not muddy like a lot of merlot. Some leather, chocolate, and currant. It was a casual meal of pasta w marinara and salad. I enjoyed another glass by itslef after the meal and really enjoyed. I was longing for a hunk of cheese. ewineguy
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2/9/2007 - facchair wrote: 92 Points
Very good selection for my BD dinner with my wife. Paired with a Prime Center Cut Filet. Nice but not outstanding nose, strong oak but not overpowering, leathery and balanced. The merlot came through the Cab and gave it a nice Bordeaux feel with a fairly short finish. Will plan to share our other bottle with our good friends living in Houston!
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10/14/2006 - pinotwinelover wrote: 88 Points
This is one of those wines that have a huge score discrepancy with the major wine pubs. I did not read them until I drank this and interestingly WS nailed the description. Heavily oaked, opens up a bit after many hours of decanting, but just can't shake the oak bomb. it is bordeaux because of the leather and olive notes, but really never came together for my wife or I.
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4/28/2006 - ml wrote:
Really drinking well now. I'm not sure if it was the storage conditions of the bottle (recently purchased at auction), but it tasted older than I would have expected. I'd like to think I could hold my other bottle for a decade, but I'm not so sure now.
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