Absolutely fantastic for the price, I'd pay double what it costs in a blind test. — 10 years ago
We went 2/2 tonight. This bottle was a testament to perfect storage. Cork was perfect, and the wine was dark ruby with ever so slight bricking at the rim. Awesome. More approachable than the 90 and makes you wanna curl up with it for a long time. Better than the bottle I had at the Montrose vertical a month ago. Blind I would guess 10 yrs newer. For this price point and quality it's a must add. Edged out the Margaux. — 10 years ago
Towering about the other 5 wines in tonight's blind tasting, massive redfruits, great acidity hides the massive tannins, great wine that seems close to first growth quality!! — 11 years ago
Wow. This is young, and the nose is a bit of dark red berry suffusing a sea of resolving American Oak. The American oak is so pronounced that, had I tasted this blind, I might have taken it for Ridge... :) This has decades ahead, even if -only- a Riserva. Like La Rioja Alta 904, a fantastic value in old school Rioja... — 8 years ago
Great finish. — 10 years ago
Beautiful honey-amber color in the glass. Nose is a little hot with airplane glue and spice. Palate is much softer, still warm though with oak and loads of vanilla and spice. Nice neat, better with a few drops of spring water. — 10 years ago
Second type of cab I've tried, very different flavor. I'm a fan of California Reds!
— 11 years ago
Fourth of the blind tasting for Father's Day weekend.
Deep and dark purplish ruby red. Dark fruits with a touch of acetone or whiskey on the nose. Some cigars and dark cocoa as well. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and medium bodied. A touch lighter than expected. Extracted dark fruits and bitter dark cocoa on the palate. A little unbalanced with a medium plus finish. This is still a baby and needs time to settle. Drink till 2029. — 8 years ago
Great breeding trumps a below-average vintage. Blind, the nose alone gives away the DNA of this phenomenal wine. This Merlot-dominated Cheval has a beautiful core of cocoa powder, prune and plums. Structure from sweet oak and cab franc skins come through on the finish. Excellent, but a world away from the 2000 that's a palate-reference for me. Don't wait on this one, this well-stored bottle felt past its apex. — 9 years ago
Love this blend from 2014 — 10 years ago
Love is blind tasting. A much better showing than the 89. Pleasant and smooth. Pleasant for $169 is just not worth the special occasion price. — 10 years ago
Tasted blind, the first thing that struck me on the nose was the amount of forest floor and pine.
Filled the mouth with concentrated fruit , some pepper and very smooth tannins. — 10 years ago
Would be great in a blind Bordeaux tasting — 11 years ago
Patrick Derdeyn
We threw this in as a ringer in a tasting of older CA bdx blends and ring it did! Blind i thought this was old monte bello, glad i wasnt ridiculously off base. — 7 years ago