Kurt Schuster

9.6

One of our absolute favorites. Light and living and just effervescent with lemon curd and clean starfruit and just enough acid to keep the structure together. Incredibly delicate and a well done balancing act to get these flavors to exist with just enough yeast to reflect the lees. Absolutely delightful.  — 9 days ago

with Denise

Victor Hsu

9.0

A good, solid California Cab but what’s all the fuss about? I’m seeing ratings of 98, 99, even 100 from JS. Really? No way. This is a clear case of praise crossing over into hype. Granted, still a bit young and not at its peak but after five years in the bottle and an hour of decanting it needs to be more than just fine if it wants to justify stratospheric scores. This wine compares unfavorably to Ridge Monte Bello, Stags Leap S.L.V. and other peers. It lacked sophistication and poise—where’s the promised minerality, graphite, cedar shavings, oak, leather, blackcurrant, cherry, and complex balance of fine grained tannins, fruit, acid and alcohol? Where? We chose this wine for a birthday dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. Not a disaster but a disappointment given our high expectations (and the high price).
— 25 days ago

John Malcolm

9.2

An excellent, smooth wine with floral notes. A little less powerful than other vintages I have tried from Lynch-Bages. Cassis, blackberries, blueberries, milk chocolate, a hint of vanilla, and mushrooms. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.3

I never would have anticipated drinking my birth year of Cheval Blanc out of a Solo cup yet, here we are. The ‘81 is ruddy still; deep garnet color with some browning towards the rim and loads of sediment. The nose shows some of the telltale green-ness of vintage but everything has found harmony: the fruit has blossomed and structure has integrated. Dark fruited with tobacco, dried purple flowers, mushrooms, herbs and soft eastern spices. Charming! No particular rush to drink these but lovely now. — a month ago

Ericsson

9.3

Yes, this is liquid luxury, on a pnp, young, and off vintage (fires). Can’t wait to try one with some years on it. — a month ago

Nancy Béland

9.3

A win to celebrate 🎉 Zac and Pascale’s wedding. Outstanding ♥️ — 2 months ago

Nathan Renfro

9.3

An enjoyable vintage, even if it’s not a top vintage, it still portrays typical P-C. Always enjoyable. Drinking very well with just a short decant. — 17 days ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Has finally entered a the period to enjoy with patience rewarded. A nice nose of earth, dark berries, and florals. Nice long finish with a bit of plum coming through. An hour decant to the benefit of the wine. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened several hours prior and decanted off sediment and a portion of the cork that had broke and crumbled before returning to the bottle. The 2007 “Howell Mountain” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core and very slight rim variation. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of dark fruit: black currants, blackberries, tobacco, leather, earth and gentle spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. This is firing on all cylinders right now and the structure suggests the power of the 2007 vintage is not slowing down anytime soon. Drink now with a decant and through 2037 with ease. — a month ago

Ed Chin

9.1

A day 2 tasting. Slightly stewed fruit that reminded me for just a moment of some liquor and white pepper. — a month ago

Robert Torretti

9.2

Amongst the second growths, the wine of the night (still can’t top the Lafite Rothschild). Really singing. The last glass, poured from another bottle, was less dynamic. I’ve had a good bit of 1989 Gruaud Larose in the last several years, and it is a great wine in this vintage. — a month ago

Conrad Green

9.4

From mag. Bright and zesty with vivid lemon fruit and a touch of sweetness. Great acid. Fresh and delicious — 2 months ago

with BOT, Jean-Francois and 2 others

Rick Phillips

8.9

Like a lot of the older SO this Alexander Valley didn’t last long. Opened to lots of bright fruits but died quickly. — 2 months ago

with Letha

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.5

The 2001 Opus One is a masterful blend that truly embodies the elegance and structure of Napa Valley wines. The deep ruby color is immediately captivating, and the nose opens with rich aromas of black currant, dark cherries, and subtle hints of tobacco and cedar. On the palate, it delivers an impeccably balanced experience, with layers of ripe blackberry, plum, and a touch of dark chocolate, all interwoven with earthy undertones and a refined minerality. — 25 days ago

with Michael

Slestyan

9.2

Tasty but a little out of age — 20 days ago

Vino Joe

9.5

Fantastic and seemed even more mature than 13 years. Dark dark but smooth and developed. It’s a focused wine in great balance. No complaints but you can tell it was a bit below the heights for Latour. Double decanted and enjoyed over 4+ hours. — a month ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium Ruby with quite wide garnet rim. More truffle , tobacco , violet , cassis and earthy notes. Takes a bit of time to get going and certainly shows a bit more age than the 2009. On the palate, more austere with dryer tannin than the 2009 , but very well balanced and classic in style . Cassis, blackcurrant , tobacco graphite notes . Some dry spices too . Quite fresh acidity , and slightly gritty tannin. Long , saline, graphite tinged finish. This is showing some development , but will improve further over the next 5 possibly 10 years and hold well a further 5-10 — a month ago

Sherwin Taghdiri

9.1

Has a nice deep fragrance cherry, chocolate and leather and balsamic!
Has rich flavor of spice, dark cherries, and dark chocolates. Spice lingers on the palate, but remains smooth. — a month ago

with Boris and Renny

Bruce Leboff

9.2

Drinking well. Lovely nose of crushed rose petals and a hint of grilled meat and scintilla of tobacco. A touch dry on the palate but otherwise smooth and a nice long lasting finish — 2 months ago

with David

Norman Gennaro

9.4

I think I preferred the 2015 but ever so slightly and as much as I struggle to believe glasses make a difference they poured the 2016 in a big cab glass and I think that distracted from the flavors that were evident in the tighter 2015 glass. — 2 months ago