1989 vintage. From a 375ml. Opened not decanted. Great top shoulder fill. Used a Durand. Pristine cork. Throwing slightly less sed than anticipated. Dusty and earthy nose. Tasted 30 minutes and 1 hour after opening. Light-medium body throughout. Front palate a bit thin and watery but back end had some gamey/meaty notes intertwined with dirt clods. Despite the descriptors, maintained elegance for the duration. Seems to be holding the line here for a spell in the 375ml format. 10.17.25. — 2 months ago
Procured via auction. Have had bad bottles before but cork looked solid (used Durand to take no chances).
This bottle was excellent and the wine developed nicely in the glass over about 1.5 hours. Kept in my ETO.
Nice black and dark fruits with a little muscle. Oak integrated and not overpowering.
Lovely pairing with steak. — 9 months ago
1978 vintage. Great fill with a fully saturated cork. Used a Durand to remove and cork held up but big cork splinters shedding upon removal. Decanted and tasted over the course of an hour. Super silky, not chunky, sed. Light-medium body. Had to coax the nose out a little but revealed cassis, tobacco, dark plum, sandalwood and cherry pits. All these plus a slight, beef broth touch in the flavors. Not improving but can sustain another half-decade in this incarnation. Gorgeous, old BDX. Drink now till 2029. 12.8.23. — 2 years ago
Vintage 2021 | Note to self: móre Rousanne. After tasting I put half a bottle in the fridge for 48 hours. Drank it with a baked dab, cichory and baked potatoes. Makes me happy. The wine is Rousanne 40 Grenache 30 and Clairette 30. Much violets in smell and a perfectly balanced taste. — 8 months ago
Hints of Maple Syrup in the nose.
This is still very fresh. Ripe, juicy; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, black plum pudding, strawberries, notes of blue fruits, dark spice, black licorice, mid berry cola, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, anise, cedar to sandalwood, dry herbs, mint/eucalyptus, used leather, dry, crushed, rock powder, notes of maple syrup, caramel, dark, red withering rose petals with violets, waterfall acidity and an elegant, balanced, softly tensioned, well knitted, smartly polished finish that lasts minutes.
Color is still dark. Cork came out whole with a Durand but was completely soaked.
What a treat to drink well stored old Napa Cabernet. Will hold another 3-5 years.
Bottle semi-recently acquired from the property via a Somm buddy. — 2 years ago
1989 vintage. Last tasted 3 years ago (9.6). Nice fill. Durand used to open. Cork 95% saturated with extensive bottle rim cleaning involved before pouring. Not decanted. Tight, minty nose throughout along with a decided, lingering zinc note under the tongue at the finish line. Tasted 2 hours after opening. Power but without delineation. Just a consistent, forgettable push. Nothing wrong with the wine...it just needed more air/time and a decant but it wasn't my call. Feel like the zinc flavor would have dissipated/blown off with more time. Good but more memorable for what it wasn't vs what it was. Pity and an entire wasting of what could have been. 11.21.25. — a month ago
2005 vintage. Last tasted 11.23.23 (9.4), 11.15.19 (9.4), 06.01.17 (9.5) Last bottle. Respectable, low neck fill. Used a Durand and excellent cork. Decanted with sticky (to the bottle) sediment and not that much floating loose to navigate. Tasted after 30 minutes. Those inimitable, sexy Cos stylings. Medium/medium heavy (still!?) bod. Richness. Ample fruit. Slight amount of aged George Clinton/Bootsy funk. Highly restrained tannins. Woah. This. Did. Not. Suck. Time to reorder. 9.13.25. — 3 months ago

Louis Martin
Light, smooth, tart, paired excellently with a truffle tagliatelle. — 15 hours ago