Jay Kline

9.3

From magnum. No formal notes. The fill was top-shoulder. Underneath the capsule, the top of the cork looked nasty which I wiped down as best I could. About four hours before service, using a Durand (which is almost essential with old bottles) I was able to pull the cork completely intact and decant for sediment. The cork was completely saturated but appeared to have done its job! At this stage in its life, the 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild pours a garnet color but it doesn’t appear particularly tired and the nose supports that. While it’s certainly a vinous wine, there is a lot to like: a mix of red and black cassis, rip and desiccated cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar box, old leather, damp earth, some mushrooms and baking spices. The structure is still sound and while the tannins have integrated and the acid is keeping this very much alive. In fact, this seemed to brighten with air and almost get a second wind! As I find with all great Bordeaux wines once they enter this stage, they seem to live forever. This was a lovely pairing with a Prime, Niman Ranch porterhouse served with corn, squash and porcini. This is squarely in the “drink now” window, not that it will be falling off a cliff anytime soon. Decant for sediment and enjoy through 2030+ — a year ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Surprisingly youthful for 35y, served from a magnum.
Still deep in colour, with not much evolution towards the rim.
Uplifting aromatics with cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, some kirsch, but also some black currant jam.
Medium bodied on the palate with nice balance, the tannins still surprisingly grippy, though a touch dry.
Nicely poised, with good flow and high drinkability.
What a surprise! — 3 years ago

Holly Zahn

9.2

Not bad for how cheap it is. Not too bitter or dry. Has a bit of a funny taste, maybe vinegary or something. But overall pretty smooth and nice. — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark purple tawny and opaque x2. Has an old world bouquet in the nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco leaf, moist forest floor and leather saddle. Rich and luscious in the mouth. Tannins resolved, leaving a velvet fruit coating in the finish. Really good tonight. — 4 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great vintage for DB that is still showing up at 65 yrs with notes of dried cherry, berry fruits, cedar, leather, savory spices, dried herbs, forest floor, lead pencil & tobacco leaf. — 4 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

Outstanding and ready for business. Bay leaf and tobacco nose led a lush, velvety and completely integrated rainbow of dark red fruit, cherries and nutty earth. Perfect display of the potential of Tig in the good years. — 5 years ago

with Melissa

William Hughes

9.3

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 6 years ago

Shengli Hu

8.9

A bit linear. Cranberry!!! Strawberry, strawberry leaf, strawberry yogurt. Long finish, medium+/elevated acidity. Silky tannins that — 2 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Deep & polished showing red & black fruits, cassis with notes of licorice, menthol, graphite & tobacco leaf — 2 years ago

Steven Richardson

9.1

Vanilla is known as ‘the salt of the baking world’ and this wine embodies that. Velvety smooth vanilla, maybe black cherry or Concord grape, peppercorn, tea leaf. I was skeptical at first finding an 11 year old wine in 2021 that had bottle gimmicks like fake gold wire, but is worth the 30$CAD if you can find it! — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 4 years ago

Sidney Jackson

9.0

Not bad for the price def drink again! — 4 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.4

Dusty, earthy nose of tea leaf, humidor, caramel-latte, leather and damp soil. The structured palate echoes the nose but also reveals cedar, graphite, beef blood and dark forest fruit. Tannines are wonderfully rounded and ripe. Medium to full-bodied, this is a gorgeous 95-leftbanker. 🤙🏻 — 5 years ago

Liz Gmoser

8.9

Crisp, with a nice flavor. Good with dinner. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a wide red/brick rim.

Pretty nose of currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, herbs, light vegetables, pencil lead, light vinaigrette, olives, peppercorn, leather, tobacco leaf, earth and dark coffee.

Full bodied and elegant, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cooked black plums, ripen cherries, oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vanilla and black pepper.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Tuscany. Smooth with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

This 19 year old is Interesting and tasty. Not from the best vintage, but still very yummy, and at its peak right now.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours of airtime.

Thank you Judy for sharing this with me.

Robert Parker 92 points. Wine Enthusiasts 91 points.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 24 months in oak barrels (30% new).

14% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$350. — 2 years ago

with Scott

Simone M

9.1

Light and tasty — 3 years ago

Shay A

9.5

WNH Montelena Estate virtual tasting. Others represented were the ‘94 (evidently corked), ‘01, ‘03, ‘07, ‘15.

I may be an outlier here, but Montelena is one of the few wineries where I not only don’t care for them young, I just honestly don’t enjoy them at all (and that’s coming from someone who enjoys the likes of Myriad, Bevan, Rivers Marie, etc on the young side). For my preference, they are just so vastly better with 15+yrs of age to them. YMMV.

After standing this upright for about two weeks, I gave this about a 45min decant. Starting off fairly thin and having some funk to blow off, it really bulked up after an hour and a half. Dark ruby/tawny in the glass. Reminiscent of left bank Bordeaux (leather, herbs de Provence, only a hint of tobacco), but a sweet cherry liqueur and dried cranberry on the nose bring this back to possibly New World. On the palate it sports underripe and dried black cherries, red clay, cedar, bay leaf, and earthy tertiary notes. Gripping, tannic finish with balanced acidity. In harmony here. I’d say this likely has another 3-5yrs in this beautiful drinking window before evolving more. — 3 years ago

Jeff Hasmann

9.7

For the fifth and sixth wines of the week, it’s time to raid the cellar. Drinking the ‘05 Cos d’Estournel next to the ‘05 Montrose. For me, aged Cos d’Estournel is the ultimate expression of Bordeaux. Big, tannic, and layered - a wine you don’t think about touching for 15 years. Perhaps because it was my first introduction to fine wine way back in the early ‘90s, Cos has always held a special place for me and, my oh my, the ‘05 does not disappoint. At 78 Cab / 19 Merlot, the wine has the highest proportion of Cabernet in recent memory and is just now entering its ideal drinking window. Deep ruby in color with a bit of bricking, the bouquet opens after a bit of air. Ripe black currants, plum, tobacco leaf, cedar box, and leather on the nose. Also noticeable are prominent hints of incense, a characteristic that is unique to Cos in the best vintages. The entry on the palate is rich and layered evolving with each sip. Layers of ripe black fruit, black tea, graphite, chocolate-covered cherries, and graphite are evident. The tannins are strong but smooth, and hold the layers together in beautiful harmony.. The finish is long and pervasive with strong notes of cassis lingering. Honestly, St Estephe doesn’t get any better than this. A wine to savor over many hours. It has a long life ahead and will improve further with proper cellaring. 2005 vintage on April 20, 2020 — 4 years ago

Lynn Gowdy

9.0

La Rioja Alta 2007 Grand Reserva 904- cherry, forest spice, forest red and black berries, cinnamon, slight leather, mushrooms, bay leaf, dried herbs, sousbois, smooth drying resolved tannins that are fondue like, a small element of astringency. The color has fallen out yet very traditional style Rioja. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.1

I’ve got to be honest...I don’t think I’ve ever had a BV wine before. Being that their history in Napa runs quite deep, I figured it was time to try a bottle, and this was reasonably priced at the restaurant.

Extremely dark in the glass. Nose was spice, dark chocolate shavings and cassis dominant. Quite smooth (which I find with most ‘14s) from the front palate all the way through the finish...blackberries, black cherry, just a touch of blueberries in the mid-palate that accentuates the oak. Finish has a nutmeg and bay leaf type note. Fairly rich style cab-blend that went well with my hangar steak. — 6 years ago