A Ledbury lunch (The Ledbury, London): Beautifully detailed and resolved. Briary dark red fruit that develops a haunting blackberry nose. Smooth, the Zin tempered by PS. Smooth, rounded but long and complex. Just so smooth. Gorgeous. *****
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Magnum - I expected the worst and was surprised by this lovely, mature wine. The color is bright; the nose jumps out of the glass. Overall, nicely balanced with soft fruit.
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wow - what a pleasant surprise! no idea how to rate this one. zin at (almost) 30! didn't expect this bottle had survived, but it was an interesting pairing decanted and nicely presented alongside a birthday dinner at the always tasty tar & roses. earthy and dusty, with hints of tobacco and even a little bit of lingering spice. there was also a subtle and concentrated suggestion of sweetness, almost port-like without being saccharine, that played nicely in the balance. certainly long past its peak, but still worth drinking if you have a bottle in hiding somewhere.
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Very closed nose upon initial opening. But good things come to those who wait. And what a nose it has after 30 minutes. Completely a different animal. Still some tannins left on the palate. Well balanced
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We first tasted this wine about 8 years ago and still, after 25 years in bottle, this is drinking like a much younger wine. The palate has shifted, from dark fruit and black licorice to cranberry and fennel; but this is a rich, structured wine...tasty acidity and mouth-coating tannins and ripe (even sweet) fruit really deliver with a rich, full mouth feel. Early after opening there was a strong smokey component, but the oak blew off after an hour and it turned very smooth, with a bit of cigar box, those secondary characteristics just starting to peek through.
There is so much fruit here, and such great tannin/acid balance, that I think this would still be drinking well in 10 years, easy.
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Acker Merrall Pre-Auction Tasting (Le Cirque - New York NY): Tasting, brief note. 64% Zinfandel. Lots of powerful black fruit with good freshness, good concentration and spice hints. Very tasty, even if slightly non-descript, other than "tasty, maturing red wine."
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Beautifully mature wine with excellent color and fragrant bouquet. Soft fruit reflective of 26 years, but still complex and balanced wine. Finish a bit short.
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A bit past it's best but still quite lively with lots of spices, iodine, cedar, and dried cherries. A moderately long finish was similar to the palate. More claret at this point in it's life. Easily the best showing of this I've had in recent years. Though not one to last much longer so I'd recommend drinking this vintage up much sooner rather than later, as in the next couple years at most. 88 Points
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Understated, simple, but so delicious and perfectly balanced. I lack the vocabulary to describe this well...drank at a dinner with many other more flashy wines, this one was my favorite. Quiet, honest, deep.
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Ridge Monte Bello component tasting (and a Meursault!) (Ridge Vineyards, Santa Cruz, CA): Soft and developed. Mature stewed figgy fruit. Light and tired on the palate - not distinctively zin at this point. m body, m acid, m+ alc, low tannins (very rounded and soft). It’s old wine, but it doesn’t taste distinctively Zin. It sort of tastes like all old wine.
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Medium garnet-red color. Teasing amounts of spearmint, leather, cows' milk and musty wood sit in front of slightly overripe dark fruits. On arrival, negligible tannin, low acidity. In the mouth, plum and raspberry fruit, with decent mint and mushroom. Nice finish. A fine food wine whose strength is its aromaticity and which worked quite well with Beef Wellington. Bottle #1 of one, from magnum.
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Frankly, just amazing. If forced I would have guess grand cru burgundy. Soft as silk but a sense of rich raspberry fruit tantalizingly remained. Gorgeous to drink now.
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Blind Tasting 1978 - 1990 Ridge Zinfandels (Rich & Peggy's House, Los Altos, CA): Moderate bricking. I thought this was clearly corked on the nose and stayed that way throughout the tasting. Some agreed but others (including much more experienced tasters than I) disagreed and said it was mustiness that blew off. I will say that the palate had young, ripe cherry fruit and a bit of tobacco, so the TCA wasn't overpowering enough to kill those flavors. I stand by my corked assessment though. (my 8th, group's 7th)
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popped and poured. color dark ruby with brown edges. couldn't get much out of nose except some oak. palate was soft but seemed tired to me. finish was medium with soft oak tannins. this would have been great with a steak, but didn't have one handy.
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Almost an identical experience with the previous bottle. Mixed berries, underbrush, orange, black cherries with a little pepper on the nose. Similar flavors on the palate with a silky mouthfeel and a long, sweet finish. Outstanding for a 20 year old wine.
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Cork crumbled. Dark garnet color and much denser than I expected for a 20 year old wine. Great nose of underbrush and mixed berries along with some tobacco, savory herbs and orange peel. A pleasure to smell. Layers of complex flavors on the palate as well with some licorice, black cherry, tobacco and berries. You can tell this wine saw some oak but it was well done. Tannins are subdued but not gone and everything was in balance. A huge hit and a very impressive wine.
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This bottle was a perfect expression of aged CA zin. Spice, but still some musky fruit like ripe red plums. Hints of herbs, oak, mint, and cedar closet precede an entry of medium weight richness. Good finish. The key to these old Ridges is to let them breathe about an hour in a decanter. Delicious.
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Plenty of life left in this 19 year old beauty. There's still some brambly flavors imparted by the zin component and the wine finishes with plum and chocolate. Electric wine that is juicy and vibrant due to the acidity.
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Decanted wine before going to Russell's steak house in Bothell, WA.Wine was a mature red color with a touch of brown on edge. The boquet had mature fruits of berries and currant with some earthy components. On the palate, the wine was smooth and consistent with medium long length of ripe currants and hints of rasberry in the finish. We consumed the wine about 2 hours after it was opened and decantered.
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Geyserville Vertical (My House): nose: intense and fruity. palate: more tannin than 2 previous vintages, but still subtle. Very fruity. Enjoyable, for sure.
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Tasted at a Geyserville vertical that spanned from 1988 to 2007.
The depth of color here was more brooding and darker than the previous two vintages in our lineup. In many ways, this was more zinfandel-like in character. Cindy noted a true-licorice aroma. When sipped, this was filled with black cherry and raspberry, and maybe just a hint of tropical fruit. Jeff found it to have a cherry Kool-Aid aspect that he quite enjoyed. The tannins were lively, not chalky but quite evident. Dry on the finish, but a fruit-forward wine even nearly 20 years after bottling.
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Deep garnet with the slightest amber at the edge. Bit of sediment. Plum is dominant on the nose, and joined by dark brambleberry fruit, woodsy cedar/rosemary, cocoa, and a hint of oaky vanilla. Bright and fruity on the attack, with soft, lush tannins and juicy acidity in the middle and a slight astringency on the finish. I love me a good ole Geyserville.
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Sweet oak on the nose, and on the palate too, where it supported a gentle berried herby palate - full, harmonious, alive, soft - at its peak - very lovely
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BRICK RED COLOR, ORANGE ON THE EDGE. CHOCOLATE, BLACK CHERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND JAMMY FRUIT IN THE NOSE. FLAVOR MATCHED THE NOSE WITH VERY RICH FRUIT. LONG FINISH. SHOWING VERY, VERY WELL NOW.
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PORT LIKE WHEN OPENED, THE NOSE TURNED TO JAMMY FRUIT, CHOCOLATE, BLACK CHERRIES, LEATHER, & LICORICE.HUGE FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR JUST EXPLODED IN THE MOUTH, BLACKBERRIES, CHERRIES, LICORICE.LNG FNSH
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BLACK CHERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND CHOCOLATE IN THE NOSE & FLAVOR. DEEP JAMMY FRUIT. NICE COMPLEXITY, LONG FINISH. VERY IMPRESSIVE WINE WHICH STILL HAS SEVERAL YEARS IN IT.
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With Toni and Graeme, Richard Al and J. Superb wwine with alcohol in evidence and blueberry milkshake - superb! Great meal - Yellow squash and flower soup, baked ling with garlic confit en pappillot, grilled duck with gratin of new potatoes and porcini mushrooms and new carrots, chicory salad with hazelnut oil. Trio of sorberts (Raspberry, melon, white chocolate) with fresh strawberries.
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With J, Bud and Rebecca - see Kalimna 1986 - certainly the wine of the night. I just love the luscious blueberry cobbler with vanilla custard aromas and taste of this full bodied wine without a hard edge in sight. In fact it showed beter than the Chapoutier Cote Rotie 1991 that was tasted the night after! Similar flavours but the Geyserville wasthat much more rich, concentrated and luscious!
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At Goudy's with John taber, Ed and V with Laville Haut Brion 1985, Ch. Coutet 1989, Cloudy Bay Cabernet Merlot 1990. Wow - opulent rich black and raspberry fruit - superb oak integration and a rich luscious finish. A very yummy forward but reasonably complex wine.
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9/6/2019 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
A Ledbury lunch (The Ledbury, London): Beautifully detailed and resolved. Briary dark red fruit that develops a haunting blackberry nose. Smooth, the Zin tempered by PS. Smooth, rounded but long and complex. Just so smooth. Gorgeous. *****
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4/26/2019 - peterk Likes this wine: 90 Points
Magnum - I expected the worst and was surprised by this lovely, mature wine. The color is bright; the nose jumps out of the glass. Overall, nicely balanced with soft fruit.
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4/19/2019 - idonotlikeliver Likes this wine:
wow - what a pleasant surprise! no idea how to rate this one. zin at (almost) 30! didn't expect this bottle had survived, but it was an interesting pairing decanted and nicely presented alongside a birthday dinner at the always tasty tar & roses. earthy and dusty, with hints of tobacco and even a little bit of lingering spice. there was also a subtle and concentrated suggestion of sweetness, almost port-like without being saccharine, that played nicely in the balance. certainly long past its peak, but still worth drinking if you have a bottle in hiding somewhere.
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7/10/2017 - waywardsailor Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very closed nose upon initial opening. But good things come to those who wait. And what a nose it has after 30 minutes. Completely a different animal. Still some tannins left on the palate. Well balanced
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5/30/2017 - JeffnCin Likes this wine: 93 Points
We first tasted this wine about 8 years ago and still, after 25 years in bottle, this is drinking like a much younger wine. The palate has shifted, from dark fruit and black licorice to cranberry and fennel; but this is a rich, structured wine...tasty acidity and mouth-coating tannins and ripe (even sweet) fruit really deliver with a rich, full mouth feel. Early after opening there was a strong smokey component, but the oak blew off after an hour and it turned very smooth, with a bit of cigar box, those secondary characteristics just starting to peek through.
There is so much fruit here, and such great tannin/acid balance, that I think this would still be drinking well in 10 years, easy.
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4/6/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Acker Merrall Pre-Auction Tasting (Le Cirque - New York NY): Tasting, brief note. 64% Zinfandel. Lots of powerful black fruit with good freshness, good concentration and spice hints. Very tasty, even if slightly non-descript, other than "tasty, maturing red wine."
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1/21/2017 - winecat9 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautifully mature wine with excellent color and fragrant bouquet. Soft fruit reflective of 26 years, but still complex and balanced wine. Finish a bit short.
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1/19/2017 - cofidis2 Likes this wine: 88 Points
A bit past it's best but still quite lively with lots of spices, iodine, cedar, and dried cherries. A moderately long finish was similar to the palate. More claret at this point in it's life. Easily the best showing of this I've had in recent years. Though not one to last much longer so I'd recommend drinking this vintage up much sooner rather than later, as in the next couple years at most.
88 Points
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6/21/2016 - Nebensonne Likes this wine: 97 Points
Understated, simple, but so delicious and perfectly balanced. I lack the vocabulary to describe this well...drank at a dinner with many other more flashy wines, this one was my favorite. Quiet, honest, deep.
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3/20/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 85 Points
Ridge Monte Bello component tasting (and a Meursault!) (Ridge Vineyards, Santa Cruz, CA): Soft and developed. Mature stewed figgy fruit. Light and tired on the palate - not distinctively zin at this point.
m body, m acid, m+ alc, low tannins (very rounded and soft).
It’s old wine, but it doesn’t taste distinctively Zin. It sort of tastes like all old wine.
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12/15/2014 - Hodby wrote: 82 Points
Medium garnet-red color. Teasing amounts of spearmint, leather, cows' milk and musty wood sit in front of slightly overripe dark fruits. On arrival, negligible tannin, low acidity. In the mouth, plum and raspberry fruit, with decent mint and mushroom. Nice finish. A fine food wine whose strength is its aromaticity and which worked quite well with Beef Wellington. Bottle #1 of one, from magnum.
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5/9/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Frankly, just amazing. If forced I would have guess grand cru burgundy. Soft as silk but a sense of rich raspberry fruit tantalizingly remained. Gorgeous to drink now.
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2/5/2012 - don_quichotte wrote:
Lovely, settled down. Probably slightly past its peak, but only because the fruit has faded a little and zin fruit can be sooo delicious...
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10/10/2011 - zscheiner wrote: flawed
Blind Tasting 1978 - 1990 Ridge Zinfandels (Rich & Peggy's House, Los Altos, CA): Moderate bricking. I thought this was clearly corked on the nose and stayed that way throughout the tasting. Some agreed but others (including much more experienced tasters than I) disagreed and said it was mustiness that blew off. I will say that the palate had young, ripe cherry fruit and a bit of tobacco, so the TCA wasn't overpowering enough to kill those flavors. I stand by my corked assessment though. (my 8th, group's 7th)
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5/22/2011 - chcook wrote: 88 Points
popped and poured. color dark ruby with brown edges. couldn't get much out of nose except some oak. palate was soft but seemed tired to me. finish was medium with soft oak tannins. this would have been great with a steak, but didn't have one handy.
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10/23/2010 - Rich S wrote: 92 Points
Almost an identical experience with the previous bottle. Mixed berries, underbrush, orange, black cherries with a little pepper on the nose. Similar flavors on the palate with a silky mouthfeel and a long, sweet finish. Outstanding for a 20 year old wine.
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10/16/2009 - Rich S wrote: 92 Points
Cork crumbled. Dark garnet color and much denser than I expected for a 20 year old wine. Great nose of underbrush and mixed berries along with some tobacco, savory herbs and orange peel. A pleasure to smell. Layers of complex flavors on the palate as well with some licorice, black cherry, tobacco and berries. You can tell this wine saw some oak but it was well done. Tannins are subdued but not gone and everything was in balance. A huge hit and a very impressive wine.
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8/2/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was a perfect expression of aged CA zin. Spice, but still some musky fruit like ripe red plums. Hints of herbs, oak, mint, and cedar closet precede an entry of medium weight richness. Good finish. The key to these old Ridges is to let them breathe about an hour in a decanter. Delicious.
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5/17/2009 - yhn wrote: 92 Points
Cedary, mature nose. Smooth, rich, with black currant and orange, zingy, hints of marachino and prune on the finish. Drink now.
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5/17/2009 - spacewrangler wrote: 87 Points
Plenty of life left in this 19 year old beauty. There's still some brambly flavors imparted by the zin component and the wine finishes with plum and chocolate. Electric wine that is juicy and vibrant due to the acidity.
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5/2/2009 - KimberlyDo wrote: 92 Points
Decanted wine before going to Russell's steak house in Bothell, WA.Wine was a mature red color with a touch of brown on edge. The boquet had mature fruits of berries and currant with some earthy components. On the palate, the wine was smooth and consistent with medium long length of ripe currants and hints of rasberry in the finish. We consumed the wine about 2 hours after it was opened and decantered.
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4/18/2009 - tarheel17 wrote:
Geyserville Vertical (My House): nose: intense and fruity.
palate: more tannin than 2 previous vintages, but still subtle. Very fruity. Enjoyable, for sure.
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4/18/2009 - JeffnCin wrote:
Tasted at a Geyserville vertical that spanned from 1988 to 2007.
The depth of color here was more brooding and darker than the previous two vintages in our lineup. In many ways, this was more zinfandel-like in character. Cindy noted a true-licorice aroma. When sipped, this was filled with black cherry and raspberry, and maybe just a hint of tropical fruit. Jeff found it to have a cherry Kool-Aid aspect that he quite enjoyed. The tannins were lively, not chalky but quite evident. Dry on the finish, but a fruit-forward wine even nearly 20 years after bottling.
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2/22/2009 - Brix wrote: 90 Points
Deep garnet with the slightest amber at the edge. Bit of sediment. Plum is dominant on the nose, and joined by dark brambleberry fruit, woodsy cedar/rosemary, cocoa, and a hint of oaky vanilla. Bright and fruity on the attack, with soft, lush tannins and juicy acidity in the middle and a slight astringency on the finish. I love me a good ole Geyserville.
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12/31/2005 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Sweet oak on the nose, and on the palate too, where it supported a gentle berried herby palate - full, harmonious, alive, soft - at its peak - very lovely
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7/24/2004 - thewinelake wrote: 90 Points
UK wine-pages Geyserville Vertical (London): A bit stinky with nicely acidic well-defined fruit. Typical Geyserville.
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8/16/2001 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
BRICK RED COLOR, ORANGE ON THE EDGE. CHOCOLATE, BLACK CHERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND JAMMY FRUIT IN THE NOSE. FLAVOR MATCHED THE NOSE WITH VERY RICH FRUIT. LONG FINISH. SHOWING VERY, VERY WELL NOW.
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8/14/2001 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
PORT LIKE WHEN OPENED, THE NOSE TURNED TO JAMMY FRUIT, CHOCOLATE, BLACK CHERRIES, LEATHER, & LICORICE.HUGE FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR JUST EXPLODED IN THE MOUTH, BLACKBERRIES, CHERRIES, LICORICE.LNG FNSH
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6/2/2001 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
BLACK CHERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND CHOCOLATE IN THE NOSE & FLAVOR. DEEP JAMMY FRUIT. NICE COMPLEXITY, LONG FINISH. VERY IMPRESSIVE WINE WHICH STILL HAS SEVERAL YEARS IN IT.
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3/16/1996 - RogerG wrote:
(2 of 5) [zin, pet. sirah, carignane blend] Very intense, fruity flavors. Not terribly tannic but quite good. Nose similar.
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11/15/1994 - Marc wrote:
With Toni and Graeme, Richard Al and J. Superb wwine with alcohol in evidence and blueberry milkshake - superb! Great meal - Yellow squash and flower soup, baked ling with garlic confit en pappillot, grilled duck with gratin of new potatoes and porcini mushrooms and new carrots, chicory salad with hazelnut oil. Trio of sorberts (Raspberry, melon, white chocolate) with fresh strawberries.
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6/8/1994 - Marc wrote:
With J, Bud and Rebecca - see Kalimna 1986 - certainly the wine of the night. I just love the luscious blueberry cobbler with vanilla custard aromas and taste of this full bodied wine without a hard edge in sight. In fact it showed beter than the Chapoutier Cote Rotie 1991 that was tasted the night after! Similar flavours but the Geyserville wasthat much more rich, concentrated and luscious!
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11/14/1993 - Marc wrote:
With David and P with Venison stew - very nice - ripe and luscious berry fruit. (2 bottles gifted to raymond and grant earlier this year)
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9/1/1993 - Marc wrote:
Wine dinner with Bud. With Beaucastel 1990, Penfolds Bin 707 1990. Possibly the wine of the night when paired with Roast Mallard with brown sauce!
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3/19/1993 - Marc wrote:
At Goudy's with John taber, Ed and V with Laville Haut Brion 1985, Ch. Coutet 1989, Cloudy Bay Cabernet Merlot 1990. Wow - opulent rich black and raspberry fruit - superb oak integration and a rich luscious finish. A very yummy forward but reasonably complex wine.
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1/21/1993 - Marc wrote:
With david and P upon returning from the US - excellent yummy berry fruti and elegant oak character - too tired to say more. With pizza.
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