Needs some air- hour 3 was by far the best. Very good , but a hint of sour, and not as much secondary flavor as I would like to see. Does it need more time??
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Pnp. Nose exhibited eucalyptus, blackberries, dark currants, leather, graphite and smoke. Palate was youthful and vibrant with layers of sensation that resembled the nose. Drinking at peak but likely to stay at this level for a long while.
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Will need more time to open up. Will come back. Now noticing the musk, though is nuanced. Has a very interesting finish that Harris called and I only noticed after he mentioned — potpourri and soap. Also noticing an odd pineapple juice (may be the gumbo in front of me, who knows…). Rocky and I agreed, it’s syrupy pineapple juice out of the Dole preserved pineapple can. We came back to this glass. Totally green pepper and pyrazine (Harris called this 2 hours back, we are slow…) @ Napa Boys Trip
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Waited a little to long to consume. Had not turned, but would have been much better if I had had it 2 years earlier. Dunn is a great wine. My mistake for waiting.
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Nose of saddle leather, black berry, black cherry, dry, and dusty earth, same on the palate, big body, at peak, amazing at 35 years of age, mouth filling fruit, rich fruit, and a long flavorful finish and aftertaste, thank you Derrald for a lovely, timeless treat.
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As 87 is my birth vintage, I have tried most of the 87 Napas that are highly acclaimed. The Dunn Howell Mountain is consistently my favorite alongside Dominus, Montelena and Opus one. The wine tonight exhibits herbs, cassis, dark fruit, smoke and gravel. The fruit is round on the palate with penetratable depth and layers. While it is drinking at its peak, it is likely to stay elevated for a very long while. 93-94
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1987 is a legendary vintage in California. The nose is delicate, with notes of rancio, smoke and eucalyptus.
The palate is like the nose, quite thin, almost lace, a change from the syrupy bombs of the New World. This does not prevent the juice from asserting its presence on the palate, with notes of leather and old cedar trees very present. Very nice balance with fully integrated acidity and melted tannins, the whole giving off a feeling of fullness. Superb minty finish, intense, like a breeze on the face that stretches all in length and delicacy.
Very beautiful wine, I would have liked just an extra depth in the mouth to qualify it as great because it is one-dimensional on the palate.
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Pop and pour. Aromas of leather, dried cherry, dried blackberry, Earth and hint of smoke. Flavors of dried cherry, dried blackberry, dried currant, earth and touch of dried plum. Ends with a 40 second finish with dried cherry and blackberry. Might be the best showing yet for this wine.
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34 year old juice and still going with loads of lush fruits black currant and some cedar. no sign of fatigue and might easily last 2 additional decades. delicious
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On its 33rd birthday, this Dunn Howell Mountain at first seemed all musk on the nose and damp forest floor on the palette. That funk blew off with an hour in decanter and glass--even more time would have been better. Then we were in secondary & tertiary land: mushrooms, tobacco, and earth, with just a bit of blueberry still shining through. The tannic structure has and will likely continue to hold up beautifully, but I don't think there's either much time left for the fruit or any upside for new flavor development. If we could find more bottles, we'd definitely want to drink them in the next 2-3 years max.
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blind we had three 87 Cali's this was the best one for me but all very close (Dominus, Beringer). Some etherical notes but a lot of tertiary notes that could be Bordeaux either. Eucalyptus, blueberries. 95
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La Paulée Zachy's Auction - Thursday (Le Bernardin Privé): Not as enjoyable as a bottle I was able to sit with 3-4 months ago. This glass was broodingly stubborn on the nose. Palate was chewy and dense with sweet fruit. Still needs time to integrate. Upside with aeration or a few more years in the cellar.
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Deep, somewhat translucent and very dark ruby to black cherry color; surprisingly youthful for its age. Powerful, savory and rather straightforward nose with intense aromas of fresh blackcurrants, some meaty tones, a little bit of bouillon, light sweet notes of cherry marmalade and a hint of graphite. The nose doesn't feel young anymore, but it isn't fully tertiary either. The wine is full-bodied, muscular and quite robust on the palate with intense, dry flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some tertiary notes of beef jerky and leather, light bloody tones, a little bit of meaty umami, a sweet hint of juicy dark plum and a woody touch of pencil shavings. The overall feel is very structured with the high acidity and quite assertive, grippy tannins. The finish is ripe, robust and rather tannic with intense flavors of juicy blackcurrants, meaty umami, some peppery tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light sweet notes of dried red fruits, a hint of savory oak spice and a touch of meat stew.
A very powerful, impressively structured and enjoyably old school Napa Cabernet with lots of muscle to keep all that intense fruit in check. Overall the wine is quite evolved and getting rather tertiary, although there's still lots of fruit still left to the wine. Most likely the wine is peaking now; even though the structure could use some further aging, I doubt the fruit will benefit from any further cellaring. Compared to the regular 1987 Dunn Napa Cabernet that was tasted alongside, this feels somewhat bigger and more structured with more concentrated fruit - but surprisingly more developed as well. While the regular Napa Cab was surprisingly youthful for its age, showing capability to age even further, this Howell Mountain Cab is pretty much at its peak. Although I preferred the slightly more delicate and harmonious style of the regular Dunn Napa Cab, this is quite stunning a wine as well. Highly recommended.
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boy started off shaky...thought it went bad. brick color...sour, acidic...decanted for 2 hours and color deepened. faint cherries, blueberries, integrated saddle leather and tobacco...great!
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I was not expecting too much when the cork crumbled even using an ah-so cork puller. But wow was I surprised on the first sniff and sip after I splashed it back and forth 6 times ( my version of decant-arrested). Though there is a definitive orange rim to the wine it is still very much fresh and alive. On the nose initially forest floor, earth, tobacco and hint of leather. Then evolved to ripe red fruit after 2 hours. But the palate on this is just wonderful. Blueberries, dust and plums then ripe plums and menthol and eucalyptus. I chose this wine to watch AFC playoffs but it turned to be Super Bowl worthy! The wine kept evolving all night getting richer and deeper. Matched with both chocolate mousse and a New Zealand ultra creamy milk chocolate and was very pleased. The finish is at least 45 seconds long and just makes you want another sip as soon as it dissipates. My initial score was 94 but as the wine evolved I had to raise it, first 95 then 96
Wine Flock Champagne Gala (Park Ridge CC): Generously shared (along with the 83) by JLGNML. The 83 was a touch more intense and precise, but there isn't much white space between these two amazing wines. Fully mature and in a peak window now.
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Decant and slowly drink Still has some ripe fruit and life. The tertiary flavors of mushroom, cedar and earth makes this older wine complex and enjoyable. The fruit faded after the first hour and the other flavors predominated. This isn’t a wine that needs a long decant ( which differs from my last review ). The fruit went from moderately fresh to stewed and some barnyard flavors emerge. The finish is herby, sage and oregano. An enjoyable evolution from pop to finish
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Dunn's 1987 Howell Mountain is everything you want in an old Napa Cabernet. Evolving throughout the night, out of the gate this showed soaring, savory eucalyptus and coffee notes. With air the greenness faded to reveal a complex, deep dark fruited nose. A silky, gorgeous texture carries dark fruit flavors with a killer mineral lift. Soft, mostly resolved tannins. A slightly clipped finish shows the bottle's age and suggests any remaining should be drunk up in the near to medium term. Excellent.
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P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt FAIRLY quickly met by an astringent pucker which only loses some of its structure by the LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS through '22, quite poss more, then drinking for __ more? A *big* style that will LIKELY eventually be > my EXC. 13.0% ABV; 97 pts WS, 95 Jeannie Cho Lee (5/16/13), 92 Tanzer, 90 RJonWine, & 87-93+ John Gilman.
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Pnp. Nose displayed herbs, dark fruit, tobacco, incense and dried flowers. Palate was deep and complex with round dark fruit. Very balanced and elegant. Long finish. Drinking in a sweet spot. Much deeper than the 87 Dunn Napa.
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Decanted for three hours. Lighter colour, but a tremendous amount of sediment. Very open wine at this point, with sufficient fruit, but probably fading and on the downside. Plenty of acid, making this a lively wine still at 32 years old. 60-second finish. Was probably a 95+ wine a few years ago when the fruit was in better balance with the acid.
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The wine was decanted 2 hours. Flavor of eucalyptus, stewed fruit and dark berries with a hint of old leather The wine opened up and improved with a few additional hours. The tannin and acidity remain well balanced with the fruit. The finish was long and delicious
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2+ hour decant. Loads of earthiness and funk even then. Eventually it relented and some Eucalyptus came through. Black and some red fruits and hard leather notes. Near silky.
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Deep Garnet color. On the nose aromas of blackberries, mulberries, vanilla, forest floor, earth, well-aerated compost, capsicum. On the palate a full bodied wine with smooth velvety medium plus tannins and medium plus acidity. Flavors of blackberries, toast, vanilla, cloves and a mid palate herbaceous note- tarragon with a lingering finish of fruit and spice. A complex wine with intensity, balance and a long finish. Clearly outstanding more than 30 years later. In fact this could hold out another 3-5 years such is the quality.
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Nose of black cherry, black berry, black currants, and briar, same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, almost elegant, slightly soft, but still mouth filling fruit, easy to enjoy at its peak or maybe on the down hill side, so time to reward yourself for your cellar efforts, and a long flavorful finish.
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Spectacular. Great fruit and structure but previous tasters make no mention of the fabulous funk as well. This seems like its not tiring anytime soon. Thanks to Bomba503 for opening.
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Easily among the best bottles of wine that I have ever had. Purchased directly from Dunn last year. Brought to a restaurant where it was up against an also excellent 2005 Araujo Eisele. Give this wine the attention it deserves - it evolved magically in the decanter over the course of 2 hours. Dead ringer for Left Bank. Herbs, spices, earth, red fruit + cassis, beautifully medium bodied. A special wine on a special night.
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Several years ago a good friend did a tasting of some old Dunns. I thought they all were tight, tannic and not yet ready. I was worried that they might never be ready. Nevertheless, last night I opened the '87 Howell Mtn to have with a grilled steak and WOW. It was outstanding... spicy, complex with a long, long finish. No rush, but this baby is finally ready to go.
The best Dunn I have ever had. Gorgeous color. No browning around thedges at all. Serious fruit. Blackberries, cherries, galore. The least tannic Dunn I have ever had but still plenty of structure thanks the perfectly balanced acidity. Wine is just perfect, like an awesome vintage bordeaux that has plenty of time to age.
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1987 DUNN VINEYARDS HOWELL MOUNTAIN NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- the first hit was of 4-ethylphenol Bretanomyces with its bandaid, barnyard, horse stable character; fortunately, it was mild enough to allow for some of the redeeming qualities to be enjoyed which included spice, milk chocolate and liquorice laden black currant.
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Considering age, youthful garnet color and nearly completely opaque. The smells are dark cherry, currant smoke, hoisin, with floral and earthy notes and bell pepper. The tastes are cherries, sweet spices, meat and iodine. The acidity was biting and this wine is complex.
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Another perfect showing - but this one was incredibly youthful and fresh. The bottle came from a very humid passive cellar where it had sat for 25+ years. The label was a mouldy mess, but the wine inside was stunning. Drinking beautifully after a 2 hour decant, but had many, many years of life ahead of it.
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Forest floor, dried herbs, a hint of tobacco and dust on the nose. The wine is incredibly elegant. I did not decant. Tannins are soft. I don't know how much longer one can wait on this. The wax and cork disintegrated. The finish is great.,
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It wasn't defective, but it had a heavy green note that didn't go away. I've been through quite a few '87 Dunn HM and they've been superb until now. This one was a big disappointment.
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I've had many excellent bottles of the 87 HM, but this was far and away the best. A perfect bottle in its absolute prime. Grown men wept as they drank it. It will be hard to beat as my WOTY for 2017 and it's only Jan 1st.
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A very special wine, worth the praise, people who know their wine tell me Dunn HM requires a lot age but this is ready to drink, meditative, mystic like Big Sur forest, fairly short aftertaste compared to various vintages of Dominus and Opus One consumed in the same tasting but it does not bother me or maybe the aftertaste was simply on the light side compared to the rivals. Heaven.
Tasting of 2 vintages of Dunn Howell Mountain this wine and 1989. Both of us agreed this was the better wine. Nose of blackberry, black currants, and black cherry, mouth filling fruit but slightly passed it's peak, medium body, easy to sip and enjoy, improved slightly as the evening went on, long finish.
No detailed notes taken, but this was fresh and youthful, a fine Bordeaux ringer. Drinking well, but likely to improve and integrate its structure in the coming years.
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Bottle was in great condition with the cork wet about 30% up from the bottom. Visually, there is a light rim forming, but looks to be late 90's to me in appearance! Still a dark, deep core.
The nose is wonderful with earthy traces like flint and sweet smoke, but also some bright blueberry, vanilla, and violets. I really loved the nose, more interesting to me than most Dunn's.
The palate is well balanced and integrated with enough grip to support the still considerable blue fruit profile. But each taste seemed to reveal additional earth and mineral tones. It was ever-changing. A real treat!
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First smell and sip was concerning ... But this opened up nicely over 40 mins or so. Black fruits, vanilla, spice, and wet tobacco on the nose. Palate has an elegant mouth feel and nice weight. There is a nice balance of dark fruit and oaky spicey tones. This wine has great structure and the acidity is mouthwatering.
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Blind Tasting mainly Californian Reds: A reluctant elegant Cal Cab, a lot of black currant and dark berries, a hint of Vanilla,ripe tannins, well integrated, well balanced with the alcohol, starting to reach his peak, will live at least 10 more years, 96-97
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Decanted for about half an hour, but ideally could use a little more. Marvellous old-world tobacco, graphite and blackcurrant nose. Nice subtle bretty tones. Sweet and silky, with perfectly integrated tannins and a fabulous 40+ second finish.
Dunn Howell Mountain is consistently the best wine in the USA, providing you can wait thirty years for it to mature.
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1987 Howell Mountain measured up to our high expectations (again!) and really sang with intense dark fruits and of fine sweetness, plums, some vanilla sweetness, little lovage, cigar ash, leather and cedar. Fine, deep and perfectly balanced on the palate with vital acidity and dusty tannins. Finishes very long with freshness of beautiful fruit and peppery spiciness. An exceptional wine where power and presence meet finesse and complexity!
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If blinded I would have easily guessed Bordeaux. Loads of graphite and tobacco, ripe fruit, and a great interplay of acidity, tannin, and minerality. A 1992 a couple years ago was still incredibly tannin, but this 1987 is beautifully open. I do suspect though that it may further improve over the next decade.
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NEEDS at least an hour in a decanter, two hours are better. Opens up to a lush and classic California Cabernet with boatloads of cherries, nicely layered anise and cedar, in a bright and palate soaking draught. The flavors are complex, deep, and bright with fresh acidity. There is some bricking in the color, but it remains dark and this Dunn has a good long life ahead of it.
Note: The cork was soft and broke in several places, requiring filtered decanting for the many crumbs that fell into the bottle.
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Tasting 3 Dunn Howell Mountains Cabernet Sauvignons (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Tasting of 1987, 1986, and 1983 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose of old style cabernet Sauvignon, black berry, black currants, and briar, same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, mouth filling fruit, rich fruit, showing its age tonight, and a long, long finish. My #2 of 3.
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Shining velvety colored. Fine red fruit of cherries, berries and little strawberry on the nose with filigree, multi-layered aromatics, beyond fruit, with beautiful sweet vanilla, cloves, dark chocolate, leather, almond paste, cinnamon, lovage and the coolness of freshly-cut herbs. Velvet, smooth and intense on the palate with dark berries, leather, little earth, hints of coffee and fresh spiciness of fennel. Finest tannins and acidity round up the perfectly structured, harmonious and elegant package of presence, density, length and finesse. Intense, yet delicate, ultimately complex and sophisticated wine that was best during its first two hours in the decanter. A timeless classic!
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Melville Clone Tasting AND pre-2000 California Cabernet: Plenty of black currant fruit/leaves flavor with plenty of complex spices. Not sweet in any way and overall very impressive. Clearly Bdx in style with an impressive structure and acidity. Very impressive wine!
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Stunning as always. Time has mellowed this: it's smooth, sublime and complex, but it still has excellent acidity and body with some ever-present silky tannins. Profile of pungent black currant, masses of cigar box, a bit of green olive and celery, plus some herbs (thyme?) and violets.
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I opened and decanted this about four hours before dinner. The cork crumbled completely requiring a further fining through a coffee filter. Having never opened a 28 year old Dunn Howell before, with the obliterated cork I was prepared for anything, but all my hopes and expectations were fulfilled as there was no sign of diminution from age whatsoever. Dark garnet colored, full bodied, the Dunn exhibited aromas of leather, blackberry, black currants and floral tones. Complex but nicely balanced, the berry fruits were accented by a layer of leather and floral with tones of dried tobacco leaf and hints of creosote and earth on the firm but nicely integrated silky smooth tannin finish.
I only had two 1987 Mags left and was on a trip to FL with friends and decided to pop one. The "old" Dunn wins seem to last forever. I finished my last 750ml of 1986 and 1987 a little while ago. The mag as expected was incredible..... the fruit was solid with supple tannins.... SMOOOOOOOOOOTH mouthfeel. This was a great wine with food.
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Pop/pour. Fairly green and thin. Perhaps a decant would have brought it together, but as it was, fairly underwhelming. Not formal rating, but I would have put this at 86 pts or so.
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No sign of bricking. Decanted for three hours. Aromas of cherries. Tastes of the deepest black cherries, cedar, licorice, sleek and smooth. Looong on the palate. A big mountain Cabernet. This is wonderful and it has plenty of life, at least another eight years to enjoy at peak levels.
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Opened at Salt with Allred, VM and our wives to celebrate our 27th anniversary. This was opened and decanted for about three hours by the time we got to the restaurant and starting drinking it. Any worries about this being gone with an early decant were for naught. Black fruits, cigar box, cedar and leather on the nose and palate. A real treat, and made even better by the company.
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Opened by m/m thelostverse, decanted for about three hours. Dark crimson core with just the slightest bit of bricking at the meniscus. Aromas of saddle leather, black currants and plum, rose and lavender. Integrated and balanced with plenty of fruit remaining. Red and black fruit, leather and violets on the palate. Long finish. Happy anniversary m/m tlv, and thanks for sharing this beauty.
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Opened by Lostverse at Salt of the Earth in Fennville, MI on their anniversary (their anniversary vintage). Decanted for 3 hours. Solid red color with a little bricking on the rim. Velvety texture. Very lovely aged California Cab. Solid fruit with notes of blackberry, tar and a bit of coffee. Rich mouthfeel. 94-95 points
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My first experience with Dunn as well, and wow! Huge black currant nose, and some earthy undertones. Sweet tannins, rich texture dark fruits on the palate. This was in an excellent place, and I'm tempted to say this will remain there for quite a bit longer.
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Dunn Vertical at Post 154 (Post 154 Westport, CT): This was more mature than the 86 and the most of any wine in the tasting. Amazing how different this and the 86 were but both retained a signature style. Leather, dried cherry, cassis and earth on the nose. Again, no hard edges on this with flavors of raspberry, dried cherry, earth and iron. Nose on the 86 was more expressive and fruit was a bit brighter on the palate. Had the 87 Napa Valley last week and honestly these two are neck and neck in terms of quality.
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Superb wine and a perfect showing. After drinking a number of great 90s Dunn, this was my first bottle of 80s Howell Mountain and it raised the Cali Cab bar by a whole bunch of notches. A rich, complex nose that I wanted to inhale all night. One of our group said Pauillac. Yup. If someone sold it as aromatherapy, I'd be down to the wellness store and talking about my chakra in a heartbeat. Leather, cedar, smoke, black berries, and great gobs of herbs and perfumed floral notes. Equally rich and complex palate with cedar and black fruit leading the way, and riding over it, an intriguing note on the upper palate that someone pegged as pomegranate. A profound wine experience.
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Old School Cali Cab Tasting (Colicchio & Sons, New York, NY): My bottle. Very savory nose - soy, smoked meat, umami, dark cherry, stemmy, herbal, touch of eucalyptus. Great on the palate - huge intensity and acid, sweet deep plummy fruit, smooth tannins. This is quite deep and sappy. Mostly mature - this Dunn seems downright friendly and ready to drink. Delicious. Runner up for WOTN for me. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.
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Decanted 3 hours. Needed a couple hours to loosen up and reveal its subtle, sweet, pure fruit profile. Classic Cabernet in every respect, precise flavors, beautifully seamless mouthfeel. Catcher's mitt aromas yield to red currant and wild cherry. Not angular or astringent as some old Cabs can be. Doesn't quite justify the price, but it's definitely an exceptional wine. Not over the hill at this point, but I'd recommend drinking within the next couple years.
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had this with 99, 03 and 2010....this '87 was the wine of the night hands down. nice mature dunn but still has long life ahead. great balance with great nose. reminded me of very nice aged bordx.
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Decanted. Clear deep dark garnet-blood-ruby color. Brooding, rich bouquet of red and black currants, blackberries, boysenberry jam, cloves, cocoa, vanilla, hints of anise seed and nutmeg. Rich, balanced, full body with long finish. No signs of tiring. My #1 and group's #1 tonight.
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Opened and decanted for 30min. Served in Reidel Vinum Bordeaux stems at 63 F. Color dark,garnet red color....Nose of light roast coffee bean, casis, dust and lead pencil Wonderful polished mouth feel, sweet, slightly sour plum/cherry/currant/boysenberry fruit..., dusty aged oak, dried tobacco. still drinking well. This wine is ready to drink but could age more.. Outstanding.
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Last of the 1987. These old Dunn's hold up so well. The fruit was solid but softer as you would expect in a 27 year old wine. Did a vertical compared to a 1999.
The 1987 had the best nose hands down of the two.
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Two Bottle Vertical at the Lake (Bob and Anita's Place on Lake Wylie): Tom shared an 87 with me a couple of months ago. Did not know he had another hanging out in his cellar. This one was not as good to me as last time - could be that it was due to being able to compare to the '99 at the same time. Considerable browning - especially compared to the '99 which showed little if any. Had that earthy funky nose (not Bret - but just that musty old wine smell) that let you know this was an old wine from the first whiff. I got cherry and all red berry notes. Lynn (and then Tom for the rest of his glass) got a lot of cedar. The group all shared what we were doing back in 1987 which was cool.
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Chicago Rotating Wine Dinner Series - July 2013 (Chris' House - Highland Park, IL): Awesome aromatics with layers of dusty red fruits, mushroom, florals, and some sweet spiciness. The palate was mature but did have a firmness to it that suggested it still has a long life to go. Nice integration of fruit, earth, and floral notes with some great acidic pop on the finish. Great stuff.
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Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and chewy tannins. The structure is still very youthful with classy tones of mint, cassis, dark red fruits, cedar, incense, potpourri, and floral tones.
Overall: This was a real polished Dunn. There is really good depth and layering on it, but there is still a long way for it to go.
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Decanted for two hours. Library, tobacco leaf, currant, anise, sage brush and red berries. Fresh and still has grip on the back palate; the tannins are of firm silk; there's presidential and timeless qualities. Dunn and Ridge Monte Bello are finally becoming more en vogue again, and bottles like this show how being true to oneself is a major component. Exceptional condition, the cork was intact and no signs of seepage. A sanguine, with garnet and a slight bricking rim. I would have guessed this to be younger.... Drink now - 2025.
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This is what you get when you wait and wait and wait. Perfect with solid fruit and smoooooooooooth tannins. Still one of my favorite Dunn vintages and I have one left.
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South Charlotte Wine Lovers - April 2013 (Tom and Sue's Casa): Oldest wine I have been fortunate to have (at just shy of 26 years in the bottle). Very Bordeaux like. Perfect balance. Lots of earthy undertones. Still has many great years of drinking. Great bottle to end the evening on.
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I can see how a perfectly stored bottle from the winery might be better, but I think the reality is for most of us this is past its prime. Nothing to complain about - elegant, and nice secondaries for a Cali Cab, and improves with some air - but this wine is not what it use to be and is best drunk up now. B+/?
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(Dunn Tasting Dinner, NY Vintners) - Rich and complex, starts with the fruit, but quickly moves to spice and earthiness. Truly a delicious wine and drinking very well right now.
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Tasted single blind. Dark and the youngest appearance of the trio. Resinous, juicy, tobacco, car tire, smoke, red fruit nose. Serious palate with plenty of tannin intact, anise, sweet fruit, and a very racy, mineral finish. So much vigor, stuffing, and youth here compared to the Phelps, this is probably just hitting maturity. Beautiful wine.
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Creosote, piney, poblano pepper, distinctively Dunn HM. Very spicy palate with good fruit, a touch of flab on the midpalate, but finishes big and intense. Terrific.
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The condition of this bottle was impeccable. The fill was well into the neck and just a quarter inch from the bottom of the cork. The color was quite youthful, with just a little lightening on the rim. Although I haven't had many Dunns before, I doubt I would have pegged this as one, as the tough and tannic character these wines are noted for was not really displayed here. Instead, this was an accessable, fruit filled wine with some secondary character beginning to evolve. The tannins were sweet and fine grained and the finish persistent. A lovely and enjoyable wine.
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Really quite a bottle, all four at the table agreed this was a classic Napa Cab from a great vintage. The nose really jumped from the glass and was of "wow" proportions. Fresh red fruit flavors of mixed berries and perfectly balanced. Was almost like sinking your teeth into fresh red fruits, slightly hard from the acidity, but plenty ripe and flavorful at the same time. Really remarkable at the age of 25.
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The wax covering the cork had developed a "bulge" at the top - so I removed it. I noticed that there was some wine seeping (albeit slightly) from the edges of the cork - so I feared that the seal had been compromised and the wine was ruined. However, once I opened the bottle and sniffed the contents - I didn't notice any immediate offensive aromas, so I remained optimistic that the wine was still good. There was considerable sediment in the bottle after 25 years - so I filtered the wine through a cheese cloth and into the decanter. There was an initial "funk" on the nose (very similar to an odor from a 1980 BV Georges de Latour I tasted a a couple of years ago) - but like the Latour, it quickly blew off and the wine began to display more familiar aromas of dark fruit, earth and vanilla.
In the glass the wine was still a beautiful, deep garnet color. There was not a hint of the brick-red color that I expected for a wine this old - even on the edges. On the palate, the taste was smooth - but the tannins were still very noticeable (this is Howell Mountain fruit after all) - and without a doubt the wine has the structure to continue to age for several more years. The initial flavor was green pepper (again not surprising, given the altitude at which the fruit is grown) - followed by blackberry and some vanilla from the oak. As the wine became more exposed to the air - the wine settled into a very nice drink.
I normally will pair big wines like this with some type of grilled beef. But in this case, I'm actually glad that we drank it on its own so that its flavors were not masked by the meat - allowing us to truly enjoy the sense of "place" that this wine displayed. Truly a treat for the red wine aficionado.
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The wine was watery and did not have much flavor. It is definitely not what I expected from a Dunn. I would not drink this vintage from Dunn again. 79 points and I am being generous. It was one of the worse 1987 California Cabs I have ever tasted.
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French Laundry note 3/4: The high-point of the evening, opening our 25th Anniversary wine at the French Laundry, we had our bottle signed by Randy Dunn at a visit to the vineyard the day before and Kristina Dunn informed us that the Sommelier team from the Restaurant had been by a few weeks before to try their wines and that they would be stoked to open the '87 for us, Sommelier Dennis Kelly confirmed their visit, and we all laughed at Randy Dunn's 'crusty' reputation, which I confirmed when Mr. Dunn asked me what the French Laundry would be charging us for corkage ($75), Dennis got a laugh out of this as well, truly memorable and the wine was close to perfection - Dark with only slight ambering rim, full bodied with a nose of dusty black and blue fruit, cigar box, green leaf tobacco, mocha and vanilla, AMAZING structure for a 25 year old Cali Cab, completely integrated, soft, silky smooth on the palate with a finish that went on forever, still years left in this beauty, extraordinary! (98 Points).
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UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers): I was looking forward to tasting this. Very nice dark red color. Very green, bell peppers galore on the nose. Same on the palate. With holding a rating as I think this bottle wasn't very representative.
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New Year's Eve dinner with friends in Scottsdale. Consumed before dinner. The wine had been well stored and the cork was solid with no seepage. Bricking characteristics observed. Aromas and flavors of cherries, blackberry, cedar, leather, tobacco, spice box. A highly elegant and complex wine. Soft and velvety in the mouth. A nice long finish. Very pleasurable.
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Medium ruby-purple. Two hours of air helped to mostly dissipate some green elements. Remarkably youthful, showing firm tannins and juicy acidity, and chewy, dark fruit. Long, sweet, grapey finish. Lacking complexity now, this needs more age on it, and could be spectacular in 10 years. Another impressive older Dunn.
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WOW!!! This wine was amazing. The fruit is still right there and the tannins are balanced. I was a wonderful experience to sip and smell it for hours. I was concerned that it may be getting near the end of life, but based on this bottle it still has a long way to go. I have two more left. I think I will wait a couple years before I try the next one.
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Had Xmas dinner with Prime Rib and Polenta.... Color was almost black. Incredible for a 23 year old cab. Fab - Fab - Fab. Lot's of life left. Tanins still present. Very earthy - more like a Bordeauk than a California Cab. Loved it - Was my last one...Ugh..
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Mature, albeit with a firmly tannic finish so often found in these. Dark fruits. Cedar/tobacco notes. Paulliac-like. Robust styling with clear pedigree. Very nice.
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Sampled 11/13/10. The wine's color shows absolutely no signs of age. Further, there was no sediment in the bottle. The wine took over 2 hours in a decanter to open up and probably would have benefited from 4 to 6. A dense and wonderful wine that reminded me a little of the '91 Dominus, but not quite as excellent. Layers of black cherry and black currant with a hint of red currant. Some nice leather, herbs, tobacco and sweet Oak notes. Smooth with long and pliable sweet tannins. This wine just goes on and on. No rush to drink - you've got up to 10 more years on this one.
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Mature with effusive aromas of truffle, cedar, dried herbs and red fruit. Tart red berry flavors emerge on the light to medium bodied palate, where acidity shows strongly.
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Decanted this foe about half an hour. Beautiful colour with very little bricking on the edges. the nose offers wonderful dark fruit on the palate dark berries, gorgeous earthy notes with spice box and a little leather. This wine is showing incredibly well now but there is no rush to drink these up still has a long way to go.
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Ever want more proof that Randy Dunn build them to last, the soft edged, vibrant and fruity '87 will convert you. Showing beautiful bottle age with mounting complexity as the tannins slowly fade away, I think this wine will further improve as the intense mountain fruit is gently intergrating all the earthy enhancements from its time in the barrel. A real pleasure.
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Cork was dry and crumbling. The color is deep red with a hint of mahogany on the edge.; it's lost that garnet/purple hue. The nose was subtle and of rich dark red fruits. The wine had a base of blackberries and cherries with a bit of spice, charcoal, chocolate and earth. The taste is extremely well-integrated, subtle and complex. I was surprised at how much the fruit dominated the early taste, especially for a 22 year old wine. I'm tempted to say that it could continue to age, but why wait any longer? This is an elegant wine.
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Excellent. Decanted for 90 minutes and filtered. Consumed over next hour. Characteristics of a Bordeaux more so than a CA cab. Cork was dry. Long fininsh, ton's of fruit. Could go another 5 to 8 years, but don't know if it could be much better.
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Best wine by far at our Thanksgiving 2008 feast. Ethereal. Reminded me of a fine old Margaux. Defnitely an older cabernet, but with no flaws, just pluses. This is what you age wine for. Perfect with turkey, since its softness and purity didn't overwhelm it. Fruit, fruit, fruit, but it was the texture that blew us away. Like a cloud or a whisp. Endless finish. This is a wine, though, to open (carefully, since the cork on my bottle had started to fall apart) and drink right away. I went back to my glass after an hour and the wine had become sharp and unpleasant, as if we'd caught it in its last moment of liveliness, and it just wasn't meant to be much longer for this world. One of the most memorable bottles in my life, I'd say.
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Also had a very dry cork. The color was perfect deep ruby with a mahogany edge, and the nose was strong and clean. The fruit was concentrated dark berry -- blackberry, cherries -- and the acidity was moderate, as were the tannins. After an hour in the glass the complexities emerged with a strong hint of spice. Lovely bottle.
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decanted and filtered at same time. should have done a second filtering of wine. also should have let sit for one hour or more. full bodied whith light fruit but high oak finish. recommend drink all now as corks are beginning to dry out
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I decanted the bottle and let it breath for one hour. A great bottle that was at its best at ninety minutes and began to fade at 1 hour and forty five minutes. Smooth, big and harmonious. What a treat. Still has several years left on the plateau.
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My, my, my! Plenty of life in this bottle. FIne aroma (chocolate and wood, who woulda thought!) Lovely fruit. Amazing Howell Mountain Cab from Dunn. Enjoyed with pasta and was the winner of the evening (compared against '97 Spring Mountain which also showed so very well)
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12/07 Dark red - fruit nose - strong black cherry note with a lasting oak chocolate coffee finish - good balance - resolved tannins with backbone - an approachable Dunn Howel Mountain finally. 92 pts.
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Upon opening, brett, earth and moderate fruit. Decanted for 1+ and the brett and earth were nicely balanced by sweet tannins, blood, mushrooms and fruits. In the window and drinking wonderfully.
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Hmmmm, tough one to describe. This thing literally has 25 years left. Still has huge, but sweet, tannins and tons of fruit. The only criticism, which holds back the score, is they are not fully in balance (yet?). I actually think this will be better in 5+ years. The nose was closed at first, but definitely opened up to show cedar, cigar box, black fruit, etc. Had alongside a 2002 Shafer Hillside Select, which was a huge wine and in balance, but at least right now, over the top on oak (a huge butter nose). A great side by side though of two completely different styles.
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A 19 year old wine that is showing no signs of its age. Bricking is negligible at best. Based on how the wine looks in the glass, I would have guessed a wine with no more than three to four years of bottle age. Poured without decanting which I believe was a mistake. A friend had this recently and said his bottle was over the hill (huh?). So...I was a bit hesitant to decant, should have followed my instinct on this one. Anyway, out of the bottle not much to comment on other than I was pleased to NOT have any hint of the wine being corked. I've had all too much of that lately, but I digress don't I? After drinking from the bottle for three hours the wine is just now starting to appeal to me. I can now pick up on the fruit as well as the "Dunn Famous" tannins. Cassis and as ST said "...palate staining tannins”. I’m not sure this wine has the balance for extended aging from this point. That being said, it was and is quite enjoyable this evening.
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Young, mineral nose with a pleasant touch of brett. The palate is a study in balance; there are ample tannins, but fruit and acidity to match. This is hitting its peak and will stay there for awhile. 50+5+12+20+9=97
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Pre-Auction Wine Tasting w/ ZHs and Colgins (NYC): Thick, concentrated wine. Cassis, with some hints of mint, herbs and black olives which add complexity (not herbaceousness). Brooding yound wine.
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At Singer & Foy survey of Dunn. Very dark ruby. Brooding. I can tell there is a lot of fruit in this wine, but the nose is closed. Mouth is fairly smooth, with a licorice note. Surprisingly supple for its age. 5-9-15-7: 86/100.
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5 Great Cabernet Sauvignons (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group Christmas Tasting of 5 Cabernet Sauvignon . Was tasted twice this month at $50 retail. this wine was seen by several tasters as light on fruit. However, I found it to have a rich, fruity nose that's slightly closed, lush, rich, blackberry fruit and currants in the mouth, very structured and forward tasting compared to the 1985 and 1986, long, concentrated cabernet and enough acid to suggest this wine needs 7 years of cellaring. My #1.
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9/2/2023 - WhineEnthusiast Likes this wine: 96 Points
Needs some air- hour 3 was by far the best. Very good , but a hint of sour, and not as much secondary flavor as I would like to see. Does it need more time??
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7/2/2023 - jonboy74 wrote: 94 Points
Stellar. Long life ahead of it. Dang that wax capsule !!!
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6/27/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pnp. Nose exhibited eucalyptus, blackberries, dark currants, leather, graphite and smoke. Palate was youthful and vibrant with layers of sensation that resembled the nose. Drinking at peak but likely to stay at this level for a long while.
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4/12/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Best to flash decant and serve. Consistent with previous note. Good spice and Cali sunshine on the palate.
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3/10/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
2023 Napa in the City: Gala Dinner (The Pool in NYC): Out of a magnum. Totally awesome. Drinking really well. Lots of mineral and fruit and good energy. Plenty of time left but drinking really well today.
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2/4/2023 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 95 Points
Will need more time to open up. Will come back. Now noticing the musk, though is nuanced. Has a very interesting finish that Harris called and I only noticed after he mentioned — potpourri and soap. Also noticing an odd pineapple juice (may be the gumbo in front of me, who knows…). Rocky and I agreed, it’s syrupy pineapple juice out of the Dole preserved pineapple can. We came back to this glass. Totally green pepper and pyrazine (Harris called this 2 hours back, we are slow…) @ Napa Boys Trip
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12/17/2022 - Ered RN Likes this wine: 92 Points
Waited a little to long to consume. Had not turned, but would have been much better if I had had it 2 years earlier. Dunn is a great wine. My mistake for waiting.
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9/2/2022 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose of saddle leather, black berry, black cherry, dry, and dusty earth, same on the palate, big body, at peak, amazing at 35 years of age, mouth filling fruit, rich fruit, and a long flavorful finish and aftertaste, thank you Derrald for a lovely, timeless treat.
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6/25/2022 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
As 87 is my birth vintage, I have tried most of the 87 Napas that are highly acclaimed. The Dunn Howell Mountain is consistently my favorite alongside Dominus, Montelena and Opus one. The wine tonight exhibits herbs, cassis, dark fruit, smoke and gravel. The fruit is round on the palate with penetratable depth and layers. While it is drinking at its peak, it is likely to stay elevated for a very long while. 93-94
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5/2/2022 - Philip67 Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Huge wine but not pleasant. I'm afraid my note does not reveal more.
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12/16/2021 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 94 Points
1987 is a legendary vintage in California. The nose is delicate, with notes of rancio, smoke and eucalyptus.
The palate is like the nose, quite thin, almost lace, a change from the syrupy bombs of the New World. This does not prevent the juice from asserting its presence on the palate, with notes of leather and old cedar trees very present. Very nice balance with fully integrated acidity and melted tannins, the whole giving off a feeling of fullness. Superb minty finish, intense, like a breeze on the face that stretches all in length and delicacy.
Very beautiful wine, I would have liked just an extra depth in the mouth to qualify it as great because it is one-dimensional on the palate.
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7/24/2021 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pop and pour. Aromas of leather, dried cherry, dried blackberry, Earth and hint of smoke. Flavors of dried cherry, dried blackberry, dried currant, earth and touch of dried plum. Ends with a 40 second finish with dried cherry and blackberry. Might be the best showing yet for this wine.
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2/26/2021 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 95 Points
34 year old juice and still going with loads of lush fruits black currant and some cedar. no sign of fatigue and might easily last 2 additional decades. delicious
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2/20/2021 - jimcopland wrote: 94 Points
Excellent, mature, tannins resolved. Perfect pairing for porterhouse.
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11/20/2020 - rkww Likes this wine: 95 Points
On its 33rd birthday, this Dunn Howell Mountain at first seemed all musk on the nose and damp forest floor on the palette. That funk blew off with an hour in decanter and glass--even more time would have been better. Then we were in secondary & tertiary land: mushrooms, tobacco, and earth, with just a bit of blueberry still shining through. The tannic structure has and will likely continue to hold up beautifully, but I don't think there's either much time left for the fruit or any upside for new flavor development. If we could find more bottles, we'd definitely want to drink them in the next 2-3 years max.
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7/14/2020 - aquacongas wrote: 95 Points
blind
we had three 87 Cali's this was the best one for me but all very close (Dominus, Beringer). Some etherical notes but a lot of tertiary notes that could be Bordeaux either. Eucalyptus, blueberries. 95
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3/5/2020 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
La Paulée Zachy's Auction - Thursday (Le Bernardin Privé): Not as enjoyable as a bottle I was able to sit with 3-4 months ago. This glass was broodingly stubborn on the nose. Palate was chewy and dense with sweet fruit. Still needs time to integrate. Upside with aeration or a few more years in the cellar.
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3/5/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Zachys La Paulee Auction; 3/5/2020-3/6/2020 (Le Bernardin Prive - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. Big and bold with rich fruit, but tannins still a bit too pronounced.
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2/19/2020 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
13,4% alcohol.
Deep, somewhat translucent and very dark ruby to black cherry color; surprisingly youthful for its age. Powerful, savory and rather straightforward nose with intense aromas of fresh blackcurrants, some meaty tones, a little bit of bouillon, light sweet notes of cherry marmalade and a hint of graphite. The nose doesn't feel young anymore, but it isn't fully tertiary either. The wine is full-bodied, muscular and quite robust on the palate with intense, dry flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some tertiary notes of beef jerky and leather, light bloody tones, a little bit of meaty umami, a sweet hint of juicy dark plum and a woody touch of pencil shavings. The overall feel is very structured with the high acidity and quite assertive, grippy tannins. The finish is ripe, robust and rather tannic with intense flavors of juicy blackcurrants, meaty umami, some peppery tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light sweet notes of dried red fruits, a hint of savory oak spice and a touch of meat stew.
A very powerful, impressively structured and enjoyably old school Napa Cabernet with lots of muscle to keep all that intense fruit in check. Overall the wine is quite evolved and getting rather tertiary, although there's still lots of fruit still left to the wine. Most likely the wine is peaking now; even though the structure could use some further aging, I doubt the fruit will benefit from any further cellaring. Compared to the regular 1987 Dunn Napa Cabernet that was tasted alongside, this feels somewhat bigger and more structured with more concentrated fruit - but surprisingly more developed as well. While the regular Napa Cab was surprisingly youthful for its age, showing capability to age even further, this Howell Mountain Cab is pretty much at its peak. Although I preferred the slightly more delicate and harmonious style of the regular Dunn Napa Cab, this is quite stunning a wine as well. Highly recommended.
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1/5/2020 - DesMarteau Likes this wine: 95 Points
boy started off shaky...thought it went bad. brick color...sour, acidic...decanted for 2 hours and color deepened. faint cherries, blueberries, integrated saddle leather and tobacco...great!
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1/4/2020 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 96 Points
I was not expecting too much when the cork crumbled even using an ah-so cork puller. But wow was I surprised on the first sniff and sip after I splashed it back and forth 6 times ( my version of decant-arrested). Though there is a definitive orange rim to the wine it is still very much fresh and alive. On the nose initially forest floor, earth, tobacco and hint of leather. Then evolved to ripe red fruit after 2 hours. But the palate on this is just wonderful. Blueberries, dust and plums then ripe plums and menthol and eucalyptus. I chose this wine to watch AFC playoffs but it turned to be Super Bowl worthy! The wine kept evolving all night getting richer and deeper. Matched with both chocolate mousse and a New Zealand ultra creamy milk chocolate and was very pleased. The finish is at least 45 seconds long and just makes you want another sip as soon as it dissipates. My initial score was 94 but as the wine evolved I had to raise it, first 95 then 96
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12/21/2019 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Wine Flock Champagne Gala (Park Ridge CC): Generously shared (along with the 83) by JLGNML. The 83 was a touch more intense and precise, but there isn't much white space between these two amazing wines. Fully mature and in a peak window now.
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12/21/2019 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 96 Points
Big nose, bright fruit, swelling flavor on the palate. Plenty of years ahead for this wine.
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9/23/2019 - Kevnzworld wrote: 93 Points
Decant and slowly drink
Still has some ripe fruit and life. The tertiary flavors of mushroom, cedar and earth makes this older wine complex and enjoyable.
The fruit faded after the first hour and the other flavors predominated.
This isn’t a wine that needs a long decant ( which differs from my last review ).
The fruit went from moderately fresh to stewed and some barnyard flavors emerge. The finish is herby, sage and oregano.
An enjoyable evolution from pop to finish
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7/16/2019 - gejohnston Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fabulous. Great way to turn 50. Had been saving for a special occasion. Well worth the wait.
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7/1/2019 - rlove wrote: 95 Points
Dunn's 1987 Howell Mountain is everything you want in an old Napa Cabernet. Evolving throughout the night, out of the gate this showed soaring, savory eucalyptus and coffee notes. With air the greenness faded to reveal a complex, deep dark fruited nose. A silky, gorgeous texture carries dark fruit flavors with a killer mineral lift. Soft, mostly resolved tannins. A slightly clipped finish shows the bottle's age and suggests any remaining should be drunk up in the near to medium term. Excellent.
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6/28/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Friday Tasting Group: "Killer Bar" (#03 for me): "New World" Theme (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): N: Barnyrd, blowing a bit to RIPE, choc berries
P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt FAIRLY quickly met by an astringent pucker which only loses some of its structure by the LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS through '22, quite poss more, then drinking for __ more? A *big* style that will LIKELY eventually be > my EXC. 13.0% ABV; 97 pts WS, 95 Jeannie Cho Lee (5/16/13), 92 Tanzer, 90 RJonWine, & 87-93+ John Gilman.
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5/23/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pnp. Nose displayed herbs, dark fruit, tobacco, incense and dried flowers. Palate was deep and complex with round dark fruit. Very balanced and elegant. Long finish. Drinking in a sweet spot. Much deeper than the 87 Dunn Napa.
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5/13/2019 - andtheboat Likes this wine: 91 Points
Can't see this getting any better.
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2/2/2019 - nm10 wrote: flawed
Decanted for three hours. Lighter colour, but a tremendous amount of sediment. Very open wine at this point, with sufficient fruit, but probably fading and on the downside. Plenty of acid, making this a lively wine still at 32 years old. 60-second finish. Was probably a 95+ wine a few years ago when the fruit was in better balance with the acid.
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8/31/2018 - Kevnzworld wrote: 93 Points
The wine was decanted 2 hours.
Flavor of eucalyptus, stewed fruit and dark berries with a hint of old leather
The wine opened up and improved with a few additional hours. The tannin and acidity remain well balanced with the fruit.
The finish was long and delicious
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8/25/2018 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
2+ hour decant. Loads of earthiness and funk even then. Eventually it relented and some Eucalyptus came through. Black and some red fruits and hard leather notes. Near silky.
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6/29/2018 - dbay Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep Garnet color. On the nose aromas of blackberries, mulberries, vanilla, forest floor, earth, well-aerated compost, capsicum. On the palate a full bodied wine with smooth velvety medium plus tannins and medium plus acidity. Flavors of blackberries, toast, vanilla, cloves and a mid palate herbaceous note- tarragon with a lingering finish of fruit and spice. A complex wine with intensity, balance and a long finish. Clearly outstanding more than 30 years later. In fact this could hold out another 3-5 years such is the quality.
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6/15/2018 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose of black cherry, black berry, black currants, and briar, same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, almost elegant, slightly soft, but still mouth filling fruit, easy to enjoy at its peak or maybe on the down hill side, so time to reward yourself for your cellar efforts, and a long flavorful finish.
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5/11/2018 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spectacular. Great fruit and structure but previous tasters make no mention of the fabulous funk as well. This seems like its not tiring anytime soon. Thanks to Bomba503 for opening.
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4/15/2018 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Another spectacular showing. My favourite California wine, and my favourite vintage.
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2/17/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep and concentrated; complex and mature; blackberry and structure; long rugged finish.
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12/30/2017 - Eric.S Likes this wine: 97 Points
Easily among the best bottles of wine that I have ever had. Purchased directly from Dunn last year. Brought to a restaurant where it was up against an also excellent 2005 Araujo Eisele. Give this wine the attention it deserves - it evolved magically in the decanter over the course of 2 hours. Dead ringer for Left Bank.
Herbs, spices, earth, red fruit + cassis, beautifully medium bodied. A special wine on a special night.
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12/10/2017 - romanyoder Likes this wine:
Cork was destroyed and tasted rough right out of the bottle. After about 30 minutes it came back to life. Great bottle
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12/2/2017 - WinoRick wrote: 95 Points
Several years ago a good friend did a tasting of some old Dunns. I thought they all were tight, tannic and not yet ready. I was worried that they might never be ready.
Nevertheless, last night I opened the '87 Howell Mtn to have with a grilled steak and WOW. It was outstanding... spicy, complex with a long, long finish. No rush, but this baby is finally ready to go.
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11/15/2017 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great cab in it's prime, still with good color and fruit, balanced tannins, elegant, complex aromatics, long finish
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11/11/2017 - AJCowen wrote:
The best Dunn I have ever had. Gorgeous color. No browning around thedges at all. Serious fruit. Blackberries, cherries, galore. The least tannic Dunn I have ever had but still plenty of structure thanks the perfectly balanced acidity. Wine is just perfect, like an awesome vintage bordeaux that has plenty of time to age.
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11/4/2017 - Blake Brown wrote: flawed
1987 DUNN VINEYARDS HOWELL MOUNTAIN NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- the first hit was of 4-ethylphenol Bretanomyces with its bandaid, barnyard, horse stable character; fortunately, it was mild enough to allow for some of the redeeming qualities to be enjoyed which included spice, milk chocolate and liquorice laden black currant.
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5/19/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Considering age, youthful garnet color and nearly completely opaque. The smells are dark cherry, currant smoke, hoisin, with floral and earthy notes and bell pepper. The tastes are cherries, sweet spices, meat and iodine. The acidity was biting and this wine is complex.
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3/4/2017 - sunnylea57 wrote: 98 Points
Another perfect showing - but this one was incredibly youthful and fresh. The bottle came from a very humid passive cellar where it had sat for 25+ years. The label was a mouldy mess, but the wine inside was stunning. Drinking beautifully after a 2 hour decant, but had many, many years of life ahead of it.
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2/24/2017 - bostypixie wrote:
- A Medium finish.
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2/22/2017 - jkvedar wrote: 93 Points
Forest floor, dried herbs, a hint of tobacco and dust on the nose. The wine is incredibly elegant. I did not decant. Tannins are soft. I don't know how much longer one can wait on this. The wax and cork disintegrated. The finish is great.,
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2/17/2017 - sunnylea57 wrote: 87 Points
It wasn't defective, but it had a heavy green note that didn't go away. I've been through quite a few '87 Dunn HM and they've been superb until now. This one was a big disappointment.
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1/24/2017 - paulst wrote: 93 Points
Tar earth and blackberry; still integrating; tannins noticeable; sweet finish.
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1/1/2017 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 98 Points
I've had many excellent bottles of the 87 HM, but this was far and away the best. A perfect bottle in its absolute prime. Grown men wept as they drank it. It will be hard to beat as my WOTY for 2017 and it's only Jan 1st.
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12/31/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Austere; balanced; sweet blackberry; long finish.
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12/8/2016 - Lype Likes this wine: 94 Points
A very special wine, worth the praise, people who know their wine tell me Dunn HM requires a lot age but this is ready to drink, meditative, mystic like Big Sur forest, fairly short aftertaste compared to various vintages of Dominus and Opus One consumed in the same tasting but it does not bother me or maybe the aftertaste was simply on the light side compared to the rivals. Heaven.
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6/9/2016 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasting of 2 vintages of Dunn Howell Mountain this wine and 1989. Both of us agreed this was the better wine. Nose of blackberry, black currants, and black cherry, mouth filling fruit but slightly passed it's peak, medium body, easy to sip and enjoy, improved slightly as the evening went on, long finish.
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6/4/2016 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
No detailed notes taken, but this was fresh and youthful, a fine Bordeaux ringer. Drinking well, but likely to improve and integrate its structure in the coming years.
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5/21/2016 - Grenik Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bottle was in great condition with the cork wet about 30% up from the bottom. Visually, there is a light rim forming, but looks to be late 90's to me in appearance! Still a dark, deep core.
The nose is wonderful with earthy traces like flint and sweet smoke, but also some bright blueberry, vanilla, and violets. I really loved the nose, more interesting to me than most Dunn's.
The palate is well balanced and integrated with enough grip to support the still considerable blue fruit profile. But each taste seemed to reveal additional earth and mineral tones. It was ever-changing. A real treat!
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5/14/2016 - Abologna Likes this wine: 93 Points
First smell and sip was concerning ... But this opened up nicely over 40 mins or so. Black fruits, vanilla, spice, and wet tobacco on the nose. Palate has an elegant mouth feel and nice weight. There is a nice balance of dark fruit and oaky spicey tones. This wine has great structure and the acidity is mouthwatering.
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5/8/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Blind Tasting mainly Californian Reds: A reluctant elegant Cal Cab, a lot of black currant and dark berries, a hint of Vanilla,ripe tannins, well integrated, well balanced with the alcohol, starting to reach his peak, will live at least 10 more years, 96-97
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4/23/2016 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for about half an hour, but ideally could use a little more. Marvellous old-world tobacco, graphite and blackcurrant nose. Nice subtle bretty tones. Sweet and silky, with perfectly integrated tannins and a fabulous 40+ second finish.
Dunn Howell Mountain is consistently the best wine in the USA, providing you can wait thirty years for it to mature.
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3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 97 Points
1987 Howell Mountain measured up to our high expectations (again!) and really sang with intense dark fruits and of fine sweetness, plums, some vanilla sweetness, little lovage, cigar ash, leather and cedar.
Fine, deep and perfectly balanced on the palate with vital acidity and dusty tannins. Finishes very long with freshness of beautiful fruit and peppery spiciness.
An exceptional wine where power and presence meet finesse and complexity!
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12/22/2015 - bpj87 Likes this wine: 94 Points
If blinded I would have easily guessed Bordeaux. Loads of graphite and tobacco, ripe fruit, and a great interplay of acidity, tannin, and minerality. A 1992 a couple years ago was still incredibly tannin, but this 1987 is beautifully open. I do suspect though that it may further improve over the next decade.
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12/17/2015 - DesMarteau Likes this wine: 98 Points
Hard to beat these...purple color that looks still so young...plum, saddle leather, tobacco, graphite, blueberries, mold, dust...long finish.
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11/14/2015 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
NEEDS at least an hour in a decanter, two hours are better. Opens up to a lush and classic California Cabernet with boatloads of cherries, nicely layered anise and cedar, in a bright and palate soaking draught. The flavors are complex, deep, and bright with fresh acidity. There is some bricking in the color, but it remains dark and this Dunn has a good long life ahead of it.
Note: The cork was soft and broke in several places, requiring filtered decanting for the many crumbs that fell into the bottle.
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11/7/2015 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 11/7/2015 (Grande Colonial Hotel (Nine Ten Restaurant), La Jolla, California): Clear dark garnet color. Fabulous aromas and flavors of red currants, cherries, rhubarb, stony soil, forest floor, nutmeg and cloves. Rich, full body, beautifully balanced, amazing wine. My #1 and group's FIRST PLACE among red wines. Thanks ShaneT!
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10/2/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasting 3 Dunn Howell Mountains Cabernet Sauvignons (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Tasting of 1987, 1986, and 1983 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose of old style cabernet Sauvignon, black berry, black currants, and briar, same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, mouth filling fruit, rich fruit, showing its age tonight, and a long, long finish. My #2 of 3.
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7/9/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 96 Points
Shining velvety colored.
Fine red fruit of cherries, berries and little strawberry on the nose with filigree, multi-layered aromatics, beyond fruit, with beautiful sweet vanilla, cloves, dark chocolate, leather, almond paste, cinnamon, lovage and the coolness of freshly-cut herbs.
Velvet, smooth and intense on the palate with dark berries, leather, little earth, hints of coffee and fresh spiciness of fennel.
Finest tannins and acidity round up the perfectly structured, harmonious and elegant package of presence, density, length and finesse.
Intense, yet delicate, ultimately complex and sophisticated wine that was best during its first two hours in the decanter.
A timeless classic!
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5/29/2015 - canan wrote: 95 Points
Melville Clone Tasting AND pre-2000 California Cabernet: Plenty of black currant fruit/leaves flavor with plenty of complex spices. Not sweet in any way and overall very impressive.
Clearly Bdx in style with an impressive structure and acidity.
Very impressive wine!
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4/18/2015 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stunning as always. Time has mellowed this: it's smooth, sublime and complex, but it still has excellent acidity and body with some ever-present silky tannins. Profile of pungent black currant, masses of cigar box, a bit of green olive and celery, plus some herbs (thyme?) and violets.
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1/17/2015 - rmcnees wrote: 92 Points
I opened and decanted this about four hours before dinner. The cork crumbled completely requiring a further fining through a coffee filter. Having never opened a 28 year old Dunn Howell before, with the obliterated cork I was prepared for anything, but all my hopes and expectations were fulfilled as there was no sign of diminution from age whatsoever. Dark garnet colored, full bodied, the Dunn exhibited aromas of leather, blackberry, black currants and floral tones. Complex but nicely balanced, the berry fruits were accented by a layer of leather and floral with tones of dried tobacco leaf and hints of creosote and earth on the firm but nicely integrated silky smooth tannin finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/dunn-vineyards-howell-mtn-and-napa-cabs.html
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10/16/2014 - awineo Likes this wine: 96 Points
I only had two 1987 Mags left and was on a trip to FL with friends and decided to pop one. The "old" Dunn wins seem to last forever. I finished my last 750ml of 1986 and 1987 a little while ago.
The mag as expected was incredible..... the fruit was solid with supple tannins.... SMOOOOOOOOOOTH mouthfeel.
This was a great wine with food.
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9/14/2014 - vanpe003 wrote:
Pop/pour. Fairly green and thin. Perhaps a decant would have brought it together, but as it was, fairly underwhelming. Not formal rating, but I would have put this at 86 pts or so.
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8/26/2014 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
No sign of bricking. Decanted for three hours. Aromas of cherries. Tastes of the deepest black cherries, cedar, licorice, sleek and smooth. Looong on the palate. A big mountain Cabernet. This is wonderful and it has plenty of life, at least another eight years to enjoy at peak levels.
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8/17/2014 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose - Just lovely. Some tannin still present.
Palate - As above. Mature, delicate, fine.
Rivals the better bordeaux.
What a treat!
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8/15/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 96 Points
Opened at Salt with Allred, VM and our wives to celebrate our 27th anniversary. This was opened and decanted for about three hours by the time we got to the restaurant and starting drinking it. Any worries about this being gone with an early decant were for naught. Black fruits, cigar box, cedar and leather on the nose and palate. A real treat, and made even better by the company.
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8/15/2014 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Opened by m/m thelostverse, decanted for about three hours. Dark crimson core with just the slightest bit of bricking at the meniscus. Aromas of saddle leather, black currants and plum, rose and lavender. Integrated and balanced with plenty of fruit remaining. Red and black fruit, leather and violets on the palate. Long finish. Happy anniversary m/m tlv, and thanks for sharing this beauty.
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8/15/2014 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
Opened by Lostverse at Salt of the Earth in Fennville, MI on their anniversary (their anniversary vintage). Decanted for 3 hours. Solid red color with a little bricking on the rim. Velvety texture. Very lovely aged California Cab. Solid fruit with notes of blackberry, tar and a bit of coffee. Rich mouthfeel. 94-95 points
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6/23/2014 - wineholder Likes this wine: 96 Points
still a ton of fruit
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6/22/2014 - AWBryce Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first experience with Dunn as well, and wow! Huge black currant nose, and some earthy undertones. Sweet tannins, rich texture dark fruits on the palate. This was in an excellent place, and I'm tempted to say this will remain there for quite a bit longer.
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5/31/2014 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dunn Vertical at Post 154 (Post 154 Westport, CT): This was more mature than the 86 and the most of any wine in the tasting. Amazing how different this and the 86 were but both retained a signature style. Leather, dried cherry, cassis and earth on the nose. Again, no hard edges on this with flavors of raspberry, dried cherry, earth and iron. Nose on the 86 was more expressive and fruit was a bit brighter on the palate. Had the 87 Napa Valley last week and honestly these two are neck and neck in terms of quality.
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5/30/2014 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Superb wine and a perfect showing. After drinking a number of great 90s Dunn, this was my first bottle of 80s Howell Mountain and it raised the Cali Cab bar by a whole bunch of notches. A rich, complex nose that I wanted to inhale all night. One of our group said Pauillac. Yup. If someone sold it as aromatherapy, I'd be down to the wellness store and talking about my chakra in a heartbeat. Leather, cedar, smoke, black berries, and great gobs of herbs and perfumed floral notes. Equally rich and complex palate with cedar and black fruit leading the way, and riding over it, an intriguing note on the upper palate that someone pegged as pomegranate. A profound wine experience.
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5/18/2014 - GA wrote: 93 Points
5/14 Black cherry balanced firm tannins - excellent drinking window - plenty of life left. 93 pts.
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5/2/2014 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Old School Cali Cab Tasting (Colicchio & Sons, New York, NY): My bottle. Very savory nose - soy, smoked meat, umami, dark cherry, stemmy, herbal, touch of eucalyptus. Great on the palate - huge intensity and acid, sweet deep plummy fruit, smooth tannins. This is quite deep and sappy. Mostly mature - this Dunn seems downright friendly and ready to drink. Delicious. Runner up for WOTN for me. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.
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4/27/2014 - Giggs wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Needed a couple hours to loosen up and reveal its subtle, sweet, pure fruit profile. Classic Cabernet in every respect, precise flavors, beautifully seamless mouthfeel. Catcher's mitt aromas yield to red currant and wild cherry. Not angular or astringent as some old Cabs can be. Doesn't quite justify the price, but it's definitely an exceptional wine. Not over the hill at this point, but I'd recommend drinking within the next couple years.
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2/28/2014 - rickym13 wrote: 94 Points
had this with 99, 03 and 2010....this '87 was the wine of the night hands down. nice mature dunn but still has long life ahead. great balance with great nose. reminded me of very nice aged bordx.
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2/20/2014 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
Decanted. Clear deep dark garnet-blood-ruby color. Brooding, rich bouquet of red and black currants, blackberries, boysenberry jam, cloves, cocoa, vanilla, hints of anise seed and nutmeg. Rich, balanced, full body with long finish. No signs of tiring. My #1 and group's #1 tonight.
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1/2/2014 - profiler54 wrote: 96 Points
Opened and decanted for 30min. Served in Reidel Vinum Bordeaux stems at 63 F. Color dark,garnet red color....Nose of light roast coffee bean, casis, dust and lead pencil Wonderful polished mouth feel, sweet, slightly sour plum/cherry/currant/boysenberry fruit..., dusty aged oak, dried tobacco. still drinking well. This wine is ready to drink but could age more.. Outstanding.
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11/28/2013 - plitton wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful "old-world" California Cab. Some nice leather and barnyard. Still showing some youth in the fruit. Open last bottle in 2016.
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8/27/2013 - awineo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last of the 1987. These old Dunn's hold up so well. The fruit was solid but softer as you would expect in a 27 year old wine. Did a vertical compared to a 1999.
The 1987 had the best nose hands down of the two.
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8/24/2013 - TastesGoodToMe wrote: 91 Points
Two Bottle Vertical at the Lake (Bob and Anita's Place on Lake Wylie): Tom shared an 87 with me a couple of months ago. Did not know he had another hanging out in his cellar. This one was not as good to me as last time - could be that it was due to being able to compare to the '99 at the same time. Considerable browning - especially compared to the '99 which showed little if any. Had that earthy funky nose (not Bret - but just that musty old wine smell) that let you know this was an old wine from the first whiff. I got cherry and all red berry notes. Lynn (and then Tom for the rest of his glass) got a lot of cedar. The group all shared what we were doing back in 1987 which was cool.
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7/30/2013 - tooch wrote: 93 Points
Chicago Rotating Wine Dinner Series - July 2013 (Chris' House - Highland Park, IL): Awesome aromatics with layers of dusty red fruits, mushroom, florals, and some sweet spiciness. The palate was mature but did have a firmness to it that suggested it still has a long life to go. Nice integration of fruit, earth, and floral notes with some great acidic pop on the finish. Great stuff.
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7/30/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Rotating Dinner Series- 70s and 80s California Cabernets (Chris' place, Highland Park IL): Nose: The nose was a bit tight at first, but it then revealed beautiful tones of mint, cassis, dark red fruits, potpourri, licorice, spices, cedar, and some floral tones. There is very nice depth and style to the nose as well.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and chewy tannins. The structure is still very youthful with classy tones of mint, cassis, dark red fruits, cedar, incense, potpourri, and floral tones.
Overall: This was a real polished Dunn. There is really good depth and layering on it, but there is still a long way for it to go.
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7/22/2013 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for two hours. Library, tobacco leaf, currant, anise, sage brush and red berries. Fresh and still has grip on the back palate; the tannins are of firm silk; there's presidential and timeless qualities. Dunn and Ridge Monte Bello are finally becoming more en vogue again, and bottles like this show how being true to oneself is a major component. Exceptional condition, the cork was intact and no signs of seepage. A sanguine, with garnet and a slight bricking rim. I would have guessed this to be younger.... Drink now - 2025.
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4/25/2013 - awineo Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is what you get when you wait and wait and wait.
Perfect with solid fruit and smoooooooooooth tannins.
Still one of my favorite Dunn vintages and I have one left.
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4/20/2013 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 92 Points
South Charlotte Wine Lovers - April 2013 (Tom and Sue's Casa): Oldest wine I have been fortunate to have (at just shy of 26 years in the bottle). Very Bordeaux like. Perfect balance. Lots of earthy undertones. Still has many great years of drinking. Great bottle to end the evening on.
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2/3/2013 - MC wrote:
I can see how a perfectly stored bottle from the winery might be better, but I think the reality is for most of us this is past its prime. Nothing to complain about - elegant, and nice secondaries for a Cali Cab, and improves with some air - but this wine is not what it use to be and is best drunk up now. B+/?
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1/26/2013 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
(Dunn Tasting Dinner, NY Vintners) - Rich and complex, starts with the fruit, but quickly moves to spice and earthiness. Truly a delicious wine and drinking very well right now.
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12/31/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 94 Points
Tasted single blind. Dark and the youngest appearance of the trio. Resinous, juicy, tobacco, car tire, smoke, red fruit nose. Serious palate with plenty of tannin intact, anise, sweet fruit, and a very racy, mineral finish. So much vigor, stuffing, and youth here compared to the Phelps, this is probably just hitting maturity. Beautiful wine.
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12/30/2012 - blanquito wrote: 93 Points
Creosote, piney, poblano pepper, distinctively Dunn HM. Very spicy palate with good fruit, a touch of flab on the midpalate, but finishes big and intense. Terrific.
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12/1/2012 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was in a really good spot. Drinking wonderfully right now.
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11/11/2012 - mdefreitas wrote: 93 Points
The condition of this bottle was impeccable. The fill was well into the neck and just a quarter inch from the bottom of the cork. The color was quite youthful, with just a little lightening on the rim. Although I haven't had many Dunns before, I doubt I would have pegged this as one, as the tough and tannic character these wines are noted for was not really displayed here. Instead, this was an accessable, fruit filled wine with some secondary character beginning to evolve. The tannins were sweet and fine grained and the finish persistent. A lovely and enjoyable wine.
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11/11/2012 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Very brief notes on another night of excess (at Salil's): Still very youthful; berries and sweet oak on the nose; soft; good acidity, sweet tannins; yummy! ++
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11/5/2012 - Robert Pavlovich wrote: 95 Points
Really quite a bottle, all four at the table agreed this was a classic Napa Cab from a great vintage. The nose really jumped from the glass and was of "wow" proportions. Fresh red fruit flavors of mixed berries and perfectly balanced. Was almost like sinking your teeth into fresh red fruits, slightly hard from the acidity, but plenty ripe and flavorful at the same time. Really remarkable at the age of 25.
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8/24/2012 - kuhawk88 wrote: 90 Points
The wax covering the cork had developed a "bulge" at the top - so I removed it. I noticed that there was some wine seeping (albeit slightly) from the edges of the cork - so I feared that the seal had been compromised and the wine was ruined. However, once I opened the bottle and sniffed the contents - I didn't notice any immediate offensive aromas, so I remained optimistic that the wine was still good. There was considerable sediment in the bottle after 25 years - so I filtered the wine through a cheese cloth and into the decanter. There was an initial "funk" on the nose (very similar to an odor from a 1980 BV Georges de Latour I tasted a a couple of years ago) - but like the Latour, it quickly blew off and the wine began to display more familiar aromas of dark fruit, earth and vanilla.
In the glass the wine was still a beautiful, deep garnet color. There was not a hint of the brick-red color that I expected for a wine this old - even on the edges. On the palate, the taste was smooth - but the tannins were still very noticeable (this is Howell Mountain fruit after all) - and without a doubt the wine has the structure to continue to age for several more years. The initial flavor was green pepper (again not surprising, given the altitude at which the fruit is grown) - followed by blackberry and some vanilla from the oak. As the wine became more exposed to the air - the wine settled into a very nice drink.
I normally will pair big wines like this with some type of grilled beef. But in this case, I'm actually glad that we drank it on its own so that its flavors were not masked by the meat - allowing us to truly enjoy the sense of "place" that this wine displayed. Truly a treat for the red wine aficionado.
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6/30/2012 - GPMJ wrote: 79 Points
The wine was watery and did not have much flavor. It is definitely not what I expected from a Dunn. I would not drink this vintage from Dunn again. 79 points and I am being generous. It was one of the worse 1987 California Cabs I have ever tasted.
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6/29/2012 - Tarrant wrote: 98 Points
French Laundry note 3/4: The high-point of the evening, opening our 25th Anniversary wine at the French Laundry, we had our bottle signed by Randy Dunn at a visit to the vineyard the day before and Kristina Dunn informed us that the Sommelier team from the Restaurant had been by a few weeks before to try their wines and that they would be stoked to open the '87 for us, Sommelier Dennis Kelly confirmed their visit, and we all laughed at Randy Dunn's 'crusty' reputation, which I confirmed when Mr. Dunn asked me what the French Laundry would be charging us for corkage ($75), Dennis got a laugh out of this as well, truly memorable and the wine was close to perfection - Dark with only slight ambering rim, full bodied with a nose of dusty black and blue fruit, cigar box, green leaf tobacco, mocha and vanilla, AMAZING structure for a 25 year old Cali Cab, completely integrated, soft, silky smooth on the palate with a finish that went on forever, still years left in this beauty, extraordinary! (98 Points).
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5/22/2012 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Somewhat light cherry color. Generous nose. Smooth palate with multiple layers. This is drinking very well right now! Amazing!!
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1/26/2012 - IWineAlot wrote:
UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers): I was looking forward to tasting this. Very nice dark red color. Very green, bell peppers galore on the nose. Same on the palate.
With holding a rating as I think this bottle wasn't very representative.
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1/26/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 85 Points
Poor showing this time. Green and earthy, no fruit, despite a fine youthful color. Okay with earthy food (roasted beets) but unpleasant to sip.
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1/1/2012 - Chainthroer wrote: 95 Points
New Year's Eve dinner with friends in Scottsdale. Consumed before dinner. The wine had been well stored and the cork was solid with no seepage. Bricking characteristics observed. Aromas and flavors of cherries, blackberry, cedar, leather, tobacco, spice box. A highly elegant and complex wine. Soft and velvety in the mouth. A nice long finish. Very pleasurable.
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12/7/2011 - paulrc56 wrote: 97 Points
outstanding, even decanted for 1 hour this wine can cellar for another 5-6 yrears.
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11/2/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind; 11/1/2011-11/2/2011: - Purple color with medium forming legs. It's balanced with a medium body. Polished texture with a long finish - Barry's wine. His WOTN. Amazingly youthful.
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9/25/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
Medium ruby-purple. Two hours of air helped to mostly dissipate some green elements. Remarkably youthful, showing firm tannins and juicy acidity, and chewy, dark fruit. Long, sweet, grapey finish. Lacking complexity now, this needs more age on it, and could be spectacular in 10 years. Another impressive older Dunn.
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5/21/2011 - awineo Likes this wine: 97 Points
WOW!!! This wine was amazing. The fruit is still right there and the tannins are balanced. I was a wonderful experience to sip and smell it for hours. I was concerned that it may be getting near the end of life, but based on this bottle it still has a long way to go. I have two more left. I think I will wait a couple years before I try the next one.
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1/8/2011 - Thegman wrote: 96 Points
Had Xmas dinner with Prime Rib and Polenta.... Color was almost black. Incredible for a 23 year old cab. Fab - Fab - Fab. Lot's of life left. Tanins still present. Very earthy - more like a Bordeauk than a California Cab. Loved it - Was my last one...Ugh..
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11/26/2010 - psmith wrote:
Mature, albeit with a firmly tannic finish so often found in these. Dark fruits. Cedar/tobacco notes. Paulliac-like. Robust styling with clear pedigree. Very nice.
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11/14/2010 - Mike Toast wrote: 92 Points
Slow to open and by the time it was fully there, most of it was gone. Still, dont think we missed much.
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11/14/2010 - mxpbuy wrote: 95 Points
Sampled 11/13/10. The wine's color shows absolutely no signs of age. Further, there was no sediment in the bottle. The wine took over 2 hours in a decanter to open up and probably would have benefited from 4 to 6. A dense and wonderful wine that reminded me a little of the '91 Dominus, but not quite as excellent. Layers of black cherry and black currant with a hint of red currant. Some nice leather, herbs, tobacco and sweet Oak notes. Smooth with long and pliable sweet tannins. This wine just goes on and on. No rush to drink - you've got up to 10 more years on this one.
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10/25/2010 - plitton wrote: 94 Points
Still drinking surprisingly young. Yes, several hours decant or hold for 5 years. This is a spectacular wine.
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10/23/2010 - plitton wrote: 87 Points
This was on the edge of old, unfortunately. Still enjoyable but this bottle would have been better 5 years ago.
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9/25/2010 - jsully75 wrote: 94 Points
Took a few hours to open, be sure to decant for 2+ hours despite it's age.
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6/7/2010 - Thegman wrote: 94 Points
Excellent... Decanted for 4 hours... remarkable..
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6/2/2010 - wino_tim wrote:
Mature with effusive aromas of truffle, cedar, dried herbs and red fruit. Tart red berry flavors emerge on the light to medium bodied palate, where acidity shows strongly.
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2/28/2010 - curtr wrote: 94 Points
A real beauty. Stunning fruit. My last bottle of the case.
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1/24/2010 - acreemer wrote: 95 Points
Decanted this foe about half an hour. Beautiful colour with very little bricking on the edges. the nose offers wonderful dark fruit on the palate dark berries, gorgeous earthy notes with spice box and a little leather. This wine is showing incredibly well now but there is no rush to drink these up still has a long way to go.
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9/19/2009 - curtr wrote: 94 Points
A stunning wine. Holding up well. One of the best examples of the great cabernets from the 80's. Decant for 1 hour.
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7/23/2009 - mtennenbaum wrote: 95 Points
Ever want more proof that Randy Dunn build them to last, the soft edged, vibrant and fruity '87 will convert you. Showing beautiful bottle age with mounting complexity as the tannins slowly fade away, I think this wine will further improve as the intense mountain fruit is gently intergrating all the earthy enhancements from its time in the barrel. A real pleasure.
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5/19/2009 - vine20 wrote: 95 Points
Cork was dry and crumbling. The color is deep red with a hint of mahogany on the edge.; it's lost that garnet/purple hue. The nose was subtle and of rich dark red fruits. The wine had a base of blackberries and cherries with a bit of spice, charcoal, chocolate and earth. The taste is extremely well-integrated, subtle and complex. I was surprised at how much the fruit dominated the early taste, especially for a 22 year old wine. I'm tempted to say that it could continue to age, but why wait any longer? This is an elegant wine.
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12/25/2008 - Thegman wrote: 95 Points
Excellent. Decanted for 90 minutes and filtered. Consumed over next hour. Characteristics of a Bordeaux more so than a CA cab. Cork was dry. Long fininsh, ton's of fruit. Could go another 5 to 8 years, but don't know if it could be much better.
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11/27/2008 - hfindlay wrote:
Best wine by far at our Thanksgiving 2008 feast. Ethereal. Reminded me of a fine old Margaux. Defnitely an older cabernet, but with no flaws, just pluses. This is what you age wine for. Perfect with turkey, since its softness and purity didn't overwhelm it. Fruit, fruit, fruit, but it was the texture that blew us away. Like a cloud or a whisp. Endless finish. This is a wine, though, to open (carefully, since the cork on my bottle had started to fall apart) and drink right away. I went back to my glass after an hour and the wine had become sharp and unpleasant, as if we'd caught it in its last moment of liveliness, and it just wasn't meant to be much longer for this world. One of the most memorable bottles in my life, I'd say.
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10/11/2008 - vine20 wrote: 92 Points
Also had a very dry cork. The color was perfect deep ruby with a mahogany edge, and the nose was strong and clean. The fruit was concentrated dark berry -- blackberry, cherries -- and the acidity was moderate, as were the tannins. After an hour in the glass the complexities emerged with a strong hint of spice. Lovely bottle.
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8/3/2008 - Jaco2112 wrote: 94 Points
Went well with a little St Andre cheese.
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7/3/2008 - MARATHON MAN wrote: 96 Points
decanted and filtered at same time. should have done a second filtering of wine. also should have let sit for one hour or more. full bodied whith light fruit but high oak finish. recommend drink all now as corks are beginning to dry out
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1/5/2008 - curtr wrote: 94 Points
I decanted the bottle and let it breath for one hour. A great bottle that was at its best at ninety minutes and began to fade at 1 hour and forty five minutes. Smooth, big and harmonious. What a treat. Still has several years left on the plateau.
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12/28/2007 - sbfireman wrote: 95 Points
My, my, my! Plenty of life in this bottle. FIne aroma (chocolate and wood, who woulda thought!) Lovely fruit. Amazing Howell Mountain Cab from Dunn. Enjoyed with pasta and was the winner of the evening (compared against '97 Spring Mountain which also showed so very well)
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12/9/2007 - GA wrote:
12/07 Dark red - fruit nose - strong black cherry note with a lasting oak chocolate coffee finish - good balance - resolved tannins with backbone - an approachable Dunn Howel Mountain finally. 92 pts.
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10/20/2007 - curtr wrote: 93 Points
Big, bold, rugged cabernet. Twenty years old and showing no sign of getting near the end.
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10/7/2007 - SeaBud wrote: 94 Points
Upon opening, brett, earth and moderate fruit. Decanted for 1+ and the brett and earth were nicely balanced by sweet tannins, blood, mushrooms and fruits. In the window and drinking wonderfully.
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11/13/2006 - plhew wrote: 95 Points
Still a huge wine after 21 years. Fruit and tannins still present. Can last.
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11/4/2006 - cadamson wrote: 93 Points
Hmmmm, tough one to describe. This thing literally has 25 years left. Still has huge, but sweet, tannins and tons of fruit. The only criticism, which holds back the score, is they are not fully in balance (yet?). I actually think this will be better in 5+ years. The nose was closed at first, but definitely opened up to show cedar, cigar box, black fruit, etc. Had alongside a 2002 Shafer Hillside Select, which was a huge wine and in balance, but at least right now, over the top on oak (a huge butter nose). A great side by side though of two completely different styles.
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7/31/2006 - jdtonic wrote: 94 Points
Early still. amazing concentration. wait 2.
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7/7/2006 - tsutton wrote: 94 Points
A 19 year old wine that is showing no signs of its age. Bricking is negligible at best. Based on how the wine looks in the glass, I would have guessed a wine with no more than three to four years of bottle age. Poured without decanting which I believe was a mistake. A friend had this recently and said his bottle was over the hill (huh?). So...I was a bit hesitant to decant, should have followed my instinct on this one. Anyway, out of the bottle not much to comment on other than I was pleased to NOT have any hint of the wine being corked. I've had all too much of that lately, but I digress don't I?
After drinking from the bottle for three hours the wine is just now starting to appeal to me. I can now pick up on the fruit as well as the "Dunn Famous" tannins. Cassis and as ST said "...palate staining tannins”.
I’m not sure this wine has the balance for extended aging from this point. That being said, it was and is quite enjoyable this evening.
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3/24/2006 - burningstarIV wrote: 97 Points
Young, mineral nose with a pleasant touch of brett. The palate is a study in balance; there are ample tannins, but fruit and acidity to match. This is hitting its peak and will stay there for awhile. 50+5+12+20+9=97
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7/24/2004 - buckeye76 wrote: 95 Points
REDDISH BROWN ON THE EDGE, DEEP BLACKCURRENT AND BLACKBERRY FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. COMPLEX WINE WITH A LONG FINISH.
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3/2/2002 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Inky smelling nose with some cedar and bell pepper. Dense and closed compared to the Napa bottling.
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10/1/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 93 Points
Pre-Auction Wine Tasting w/ ZHs and Colgins (NYC): Thick, concentrated wine. Cassis, with some hints of mint, herbs and black olives which add complexity (not herbaceousness). Brooding yound wine.
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4/3/1992 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 86 Points
At Singer & Foy survey of Dunn. Very dark ruby. Brooding. I can tell there is a lot of fruit in this wine, but the nose is closed. Mouth is fairly smooth, with a licorice note. Surprisingly supple for its age. 5-9-15-7: 86/100.
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12/29/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 98 Points
5 Great Cabernet Sauvignons (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group Christmas Tasting of 5 Cabernet Sauvignon . Was tasted twice this month at $50 retail. this wine was seen by several tasters as light on fruit. However, I found it to have a rich, fruity nose that's slightly closed, lush, rich, blackberry fruit and currants in the mouth, very structured and forward tasting compared to the 1985 and 1986, long, concentrated cabernet and enough acid to suggest this wine needs 7 years of cellaring. My #1.
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