Jason Phillips

9.0

Deep ruby color and great nose. Velvety on palate with rich dark fruits. Soft tannins and a lasting finish. Good blend of Zin, Cab, Petite Syrah, and Syrah. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

From back when Mouton was still a Second Growth. Decanted prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. This bottle of the 1966 pours a garnet color with significant rim variation; medium viscosity with light staining and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated red and black fruits: cassis, blackberries, green pepper, tobacco, leather, old wood, organic earth and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. This was a good showing for the ‘66 and certainly has life left in it however, there’s no need to hold out. Drink now. — 6 months ago

Douglas Braun

9.2

2014 - Vintage Domaine Tempier “La Tourtine” 80%-Mourvedre 10%-Grenache 10%-Cinsault ( no Carignan in this wine) red rim mediums red color, a lot of other than fruit aromas earth,mushroom, sage, undergrowth, black fruit beautifully presented with medium tannins softening nicely. This is out of a magnum ( good time to start drinking but definitely some time left) they have different names on the label signifying different blends this is the La Tourtine but they also have “La Migoua” and just a Bandol with no designation label says 11%-14% ( I bet on the 14%) — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish, cloudy rim.

Red fruits on the nose with light oak, tobacco leaf, herbs, earth and light chocolates notes.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, herbs, light vegetables, earth, dark chocolates and peppercorn.

Nice finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 10 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Saint Estephe is starting to drink beautifully now, but still feels young.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years. Showing good potential to become a 94+ point wine in 10 years.

Rich, but not extracted. Soft and elegant. Fruity and complex. Nicely balanced and interesting.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with food too.

A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in all New French oak barrels for 20 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$180. — 6 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.3

Deep purple color. Aromas of raspberry, cherry cola and cedar. This one is still young and a little tight- definitely needs more time or decanting. Very good flavors of red fruit, spices and oak finish.

95.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.1% Merlot, 1.4% Cabernet Franc, 0.7% Petit Verdot, 0.6% Malbec

🏅94 Points- Decanter — 9 months ago

Michael Phillips

9.3

Somewhat disappointing for a great producer in a great year. Medium body medium color, dark fruit hint of tobacco.
Hopefully a few more years will improve this wine. — 4 years ago

D Scher

9.2

1984 vintage. Cork difficult to extract, ended up in several pieces. Beautiful deep color, little to no bricking even at this age. Seductive at one hour+ of air with black cherry, raspberry, some vanilla, green pepper, graphite. 12% ABV. From the FIL’s collection. — 6 years ago

K Karls

10

Delicious!!! Ripe dark fruit, long finish, deep dark color with a soft pallet! — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.5

Wine of the night. This wine had EXCELLENT fruit, and showed NO VISIBLE SIGNS of decline. Great powerful blackberry. I was guessing 01 Stag's Leap or Rutherford. Turns out it was Caymus SS 01, but I was second guessing myself on the year because it was a very purple color into the decanter and showing well. The wine had great vanilla on the front, blackberry on the front, and a more youthful middle and finish with some herb. This wine has 10 years left in it no doubt. Whoever cut this one off at 2017 has no idea. This one literally showed no signs of decline whatsoever. Drink by date 2007 - 2030. — 9 years ago

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.5

21 years old, so legal to drink. And ready to drink too! Hard to believe this is more than 10 years old. Color is ruby; fruit shows some dried notes but is still juicy and bright; tannins have mellowed beautifully. — 10 years ago

Peter Bourget

10

2013 Whispering Angel Rosé. Pale salmon color. Light berries in the nose. Flavors of red berries, a little citrus. Long finish. — 11 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of red and black fruits with light wood, tobacco and chocolate notes.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, light oak, licorice, chocolates, spices and earth.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Grenache blend is starting to drink very nicely now, with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Elegant and rich. Interesting and engaging. A very traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape in style.

Well balanced and good by itself as a sipping wine. Will also pair nicely with food.

A blend of all 13 allowed grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but mostly Grenache. Hand picked and whole cluster. Aged for 2 years in large French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$110. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2004 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and tart mixed fruit: Blackberries, black cherry, dill, olives, leather, toasted coconut, some vanilla, dried green herbs and fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is in a very lovely place. Drink now through 2044.  — 6 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When Caymus was Caymus!!!

It is good to remember the style of wine Chuck used to make. His wine from 2011 backwards. The wine I used to collect. I refer to this now as Caymus Classic. I have requested they make this style again every time I see a Caymus representative. Just 500 cases by simply picking earlier at lower brix and applying past winemaking. They under estimate how fast those cases would sellout.

I get they made a business decision to make a sweeter wine that will drink easier young. They get better critic scores and sell to a larger customer base. A customer base that generally drinks it like supermarket buyers…within the first two weeks of purchase.

Of course, 1997 was an epic vintage in Napa and this 97 bought weeks ago has been well stored and in perfect condition. I miss this wine as it has so much more character than their 2012 vintage & forward. So do many former Caymus collectors.

The nose reveals, bright, ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries that are just starting to reveal some liqueur notes, raspberries, strawberries & plum. Sandalwood, old, dry tobacco, baking soda, mid berry cola/licorice, some light graphite, dark spice, dry stems, decayed red flowers, red roses and violets.

The palate is exquisite. It is all beauty with nothing bitty or angular. Ripe, juicy, lush; blackberries, cassis, black raspberries, dark cherries with hints of some liqueur notes, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries as it unfurls & plum. Sandalwood, old, dry tobacco with ash, baking soda, mid berry cola/licorice, some light graphite, perfect dark spice with some tongue heat, mocha, dark chocolate baking bar, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg & hints of vanillin, dry herbs, baking soda, dry limestone powder, top soil with pebbles, slightly moist volcanic clay, dry stems, decayed red flowers, red roses and violets, excellent, rainfall acidity and an elegant, balanced, nicely tensioned & structured, polished finish that last two-minutes and lands on spice & gentle earthy tones. I miss their distinct spice. Glorious!!!

This bottle is somewhere on the other side of the bell curve and still singing. Still very sound. It won’t improve and recommend if you own, drink them sooner than later but certainly not a rush.

88% Cabernet, 10% Merlot & 2% Cabernet Franc. 25.95% Paladins, Skruggs, Wright-St. Helena. 52.15% Caymus Estate, Glos, Usibelli-Rutherford, 15.84% Sciambra-Atlas Peak, 6.06% Tambor Vineyards-Mt. Veeder.

Photos of: Caymus tasting room, tasting room courtyard, owner Chuck Wagner and vineyard. — 6 months ago

Vanessa

9.5

Château Latour is an iconic estate in the Pauillac commune on the left bank of Bordeaux, achieving coveted ‘First Growth’ status in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.

The estate has roots dating back to the 14th century and derives its name ‘La Tour’ from a fortress tower built during the Hundred Years’ War, which no longer exists but is prominently featured on the label in recognition of its history.

We weren’t sure what to expect, as many have predicted these 1983s are likely past their prime, but this wine was a masterpiece. 🤩

It was medium garnet in color with expressive notes of cedar box, cigar, clove, peat, leather, forest floor, fig, prune, dried black cherry, plum, cassis, blackberry compote, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, dried violet, potpourri, kalamata olive, pencil shavings, graphite, & bacon fat.

It had the most velvety, fine-grained tannins that washed across the palate with ease, with a gentle but notable acidity that maintained lift and balance. It was concentrated, complex, and had a long, elegant finish. — 7 months ago

with Deked1

Neil Valenzuela

8.9

Dark, inky color. Aromas of boysenberry jam, licorice and mossy forest floor. Black and red fruit on the palate, mocha and tobacco finish. Big and bold. — 6 years ago

Robert Henalt

9.2

Nice rich color. Red fruits some stone medium finish. Moderate oak — 6 years ago

Chris Leon

9.0

Tons of loud notes of rose petals, stone fruit, citrus pith. Also, that color. So much fun. — 9 years ago

Joseph Romano

8.9

Very dark color. Not too tannic but pours very dark colored with a citrusy nose. Slightly imbalanced but relatively easy to drink. — 10 years ago

Jason Boland

10

This gets a 11+ rating if it was possible. The gods would be so lucky to have a sip of this. Incredible wine for Christmas. Such a light color for the age. So round and perfect. Finish that never ends. Doesn't get better. — 11 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.4

2008 very light color cigar box spice fresh earth coffee very pretty and classic bouquet. Fresh and lively on the tongue with a spicy finish tangy red currant berry fruit fonish40 very good + 2009 herb fresh loam peppery spice and a good hand of red currant berry fruit toffee coffee very fresh nice core of red currant berry fruit zesty spice coffee and herbs long finish very elegant wine finish 50 most excellent 2010 ripe currant berry fruit toasty oak spice very youthful a bit musty pnthepalate with good grip with firm tannins and along finish classic pitching contessw finish 50+ most excellent — 13 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened a few hours prior to service and enjoyed over the course of an hour. This bottle of the 1986 was re-corked at the chateau in 2011. The wine pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and some dried dark and red fruits: black currants, brambles, black plum, tobacco, pencil shavings, some dried flowers, green pepper, leather, some earth and a gentle mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This seemed evergreen and this bottle spending most of its life in the cellars of the chateau likely has a lot to do with that. Fabulous stuff. Drink now through 2046. — 6 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.4

Solid! Beautiful deep purple color. Aromas of blueberry, leather, black cherry cassis and cocoa. Amazing dark and blue flavors, very well balanced. — 6 months ago

Paul J

9.2

Such a great food wine!

Classic orange/gold color. Less acidic and bold as prior vintages. Orange, melons, and spaghetti sauce (??) dominate. Lovely texture, — 6 months ago

with Brooke

Tom Garland

9.3

Decant for sediment (lots of chunky/fine sediment) and pour. A stunning medium ruby red color with little signs of aging. On the nose: big inviting notes of dark fruit/currants, worn leather, herbaceous, smoked meat, funky earth, menthol. Taste: silky, evolved, expressive structure with brambly plum, currants, old leather, dark chocolate, graphite, and a black raspberry-iron-dried herb long finish. YUM! It's what's you want in an aged Napa cab, and glad to have just acquired 3 more bottles. — 7 months ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(lots chunky/fine sediment). A gorgeous inky purplish garnet color. On the nose: dark fruit, forest floor, smoked meat, floral, cigar wrapper, pencil lead. Taste: smooth, rich, creamy mouthcoating wine with blackberry/dark cherry, dark chocolate, earth, tobacco, baking spice, and a cedar/graphite medium plus finish with some slight dusty tannins. Had this 2 years ago, and it's improved. In the beginning of its drink window at 18 years? Wow — 9 months ago

with Brenda

Mike Saviage

9.5

Tasted blind. Medium gold color. Nice weight with an enticing nose. Notes of citrus, toast, clay, river stone and pit fruit. Rich and palate staining in the mouth. Seems young. I guess 02 Leflaive Combettes. We were all surprised with the reveal as a few of us have had this bottle a dozen times or more and we didn’t guess it. This bottle had many years of life in front of it yet. Great stuff! — 5 years ago

Denice Carney

8.9

Dark red in color, slight bite, very smooth finish. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Masterclass in San Francisco with Saskia De Rothschild, Chairwoman DBR Lafite. Chateau Rieussec is another property that the Rothschild’s own.

1997 a difficult vintage for reds in Bordeaux. The upside is, when the reds lag, the whites almost always shine.

The nose shows; marmalade, dry peaches & apricots, pineapple, citrus blend, fresh orange peel, burnt almonds, almond cake, nut skin, burnt toffee, honey, caramel, beeswax, waxiness, toast, limestone, gravely stones, fruit blossoms and yellow florals.

The body is thick, gluey and rich. The mouthfeel magnificent. There is almost a dry tannin presence but it is it’s dry, gritty volcanic minerality, marmalade, dry peaches & apricots, pineapple, citrus blend, fresh orange peel, burnt almonds, almond cake, nut skin, burnt toffee, honey, caramel, beeswax, waxiness, toast, limestone, gravely stones, fruit blossoms and yellow florals. The acidity round and splendid. The finish is rich, well balanced, elegant, polished and delicious.

All wines arrived weeks ago directly from the Chateau.

Photos of; the Crown Room on the 23rd floor of the Fairmont where the Masterclass was held, glass of 1997 showing color, Saskia De Rothschild, Chairwoman DBR Lafite presenting and another view of the city of San Francisco/Bay and the Golden Gate Bride in the background.
— 7 years ago

Saman Hosseini

Writer Maison Abattoir

9.4

Deep ruby in color. Bursts with sour cherry, cedar, savory tobacco and leather. Neither gamey nor oxidized. Tannin and fine and silly and finishes with lithe acidity. — 13 years ago