1994 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale

Community Tasting Notes (54) Avg Score: 93.0 points

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  4/21/2024 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points

  Monthly Tasting Group: California: Anything but Napa (BLVD Kitchen & Bar, Wayzata, MN): Very dark red color. Two hour double decant. Drank a glass over an hour plus. No detailed notes here, but this a favorite on the night. Beautiful wine, pencil, cassis, subtle menthol, long silky. Love these older Dick Arrowood wines.

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  9/21/2023 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 98 Points

  At 29 years old, I had limited expectations given a recent run of corked older wines. Boy did I underestimate this bottle. Better than any prior bottle of the ‘94 or others I’ve had.
  
  PnP and ready from the start. Medium body, somewhat translucent crimson, but very little bricking, thick viscous legs. Red fruited beauty, tannins faded and gone, but plenty of acid in the bottle to go 5+ more years. Blind I would have said early 2000s. Incredible nose and palate even at this age. Tart red cherry, hint of cranberry, cardamom, spice infused fruit, black tea, forest floor, burnt hardwood, tilled earth, black olive. Long finish that went down with ease. Cannot get over how young this tasted for 29 yrs, for my palate a near perfect blend of BDX meets CA from Sonoma. I realize this score is a high outlier, but this wine delivered the goods on this day and deserves the number. The only thing missing is the ability to sit outside . . . maybe in 2-3 weeks when ‘not as hot’ summer starts.

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  6/8/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  TN: Old Cabernet and Young Mourevdre (plus two Rieslings): I last had this wine 17 years ago, and it was getting to maturity then. It's still mature, and what a lovely drink. Mellow red and black fruit, just a trace of tannin, and earthy, smoky, meaty (almost Syrah like) elements made this the most complete of four 1994s served together. This one is on cruise control.

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  2/14/2023 - MJM4032 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Had the deep red of a 10 yr old cab. Lovely with smooth tannins, clean nose, almost untouched cork -another example of how well California cabs can age.

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  1/28/2023 - Geaux Tigers wrote: 93 Points

  Opened and gave it 20 min to blow off the funk. Decent amount of sediment on the cork and in the neck, so a decant recommended but not in the cards for this bottle.
  
  Bordeaux meets Sonoma. Earthy, damp forest floor, mushroom, mint, saddle leather, old wood, grandma’s house, asphalt, eucalyptus, dried currant, slight hint of balsamic, only a faint red cherry note early, complex in the nose, somewhat less so on the palate. Will let this air out a bit and see if it opens up more.
  
  More air did nothing, this stayed where it was over 2 hrs drinking. I was hoping for a touch more fruit in exchange for a few more points, but ‘twas not meant to be.

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