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. — 6 years ago
That’s some nice drinkin’ stuff (circa 2017). Thanks to the local somm, Steve, at our Whole Foods for the recom... it was their last bottle and he sacrificed. — 7 years ago
Orange and amazing — 8 years ago
Stellar. Animal fur, burnt wood, forest floor, tannin galore. — 8 years ago
Nice wine...still very young. Lots of tannins-practically chewing on wood for a while. Fantastic once it opened up. It was particularly amazing with cheese tonight! — 9 years ago
Smooth with a hint of coconut and nice full bodied berry finish. Went great with my lasagna! — 10 years ago
Disgustingly yummy! Beautiful deep red fruit, tons of life & structure. 12.5% alcohol. Touchdown! Thank you, Russ. — 10 years ago
Surprisingly good — 11 years ago
Deep, inky purple in the glass with generous blackberry flavors and a spicy, tannic finish. Never met a Hartford Zin I didnt like... — 11 years ago
Tawny with amber rims and nearly opaque. Old Bordeaux nose with some funk on it. Notes of black cherry, spice, old wood, cut cigar and some barnyard floor. Fruit still present and part of the equation with tannins mostly faded. The barnyard notes seems to be brett to me as it becomes a bit more pronounced over the evening (but I’m not as affected by it as some). I liked this more than others. — 5 years ago



Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7
Trade you a SQN for your clorox!A very good Pinot but seems more French style than Oregon. On the dry side with some earthiness, black plum too. — 7 years ago

A treat. Dark in color, slightly cloudy. A powerful nose with dark, very mouton fruit. Incredibly aromatic, blackcurrant, mint,graphite, dried herbs, eucalyptus. The palate is extraordinary. So dense and powerful for a wine of almost 70 years. Dark fruit with a savory undertow- leather, thyme, sour cherry, dark chocolate. Really precise flavors and long. After an hour or two in glass there’s notes of coconut and soft wood. Extraordinary. Clearly there’s a lot of age on this but the sheer quality makes for a really dynamic wine. An exceptional bottle, and a teal treat. — 8 years ago
Oaky, fresh, and delicious! — 9 years ago
Started wth a slight must on the nose, but that blew off. Opened to round and bright red and some blue fruit. Tobacco and wood (not lavish oak, maybe cedar) round it out. Fine grained tannins and a wonderful finish. Love the value of Rioja and hard to believe I just got some of these babies recently. This was the 125th vintage. — 9 years ago
I was so nervous about proposing recently that I forgot my two birthyear wines I had saved for almost a year. Happy Belated to ME! Still celebrating the engagement too. A lot to celebrate! To those who are wondering if 86s are approachable yet, they are. This wine had been solid as a rock forever, but today it was seamless. Dank and pretty, intense cassis and black currant and blackberry reduction. Somehow fresh cut floral notes like lavender and cherry blossom. Fresh earth tone to it with an endless iron steel like mineral finish. Complimented by a rich wood tone. Perfectly softened tannins. This bottle was a milestone for me. — 10 years ago

So good. Slightly peaty. Well balanced — 11 years ago
Total Wine - $13.50 — 12 years ago
@pacific standard time in chicago. Best orange I’ve had in a while, oxidized on the nose, immediately salty in the palette almost like a pecorino cheese and then a smooth sweet finish like apple cider. Infinitely complex and interesting. Love — 7 years ago
Dark ruby, bright, doesn’t look it’s age. Awesome funky old Cal Cab nose. Notes of cherry, cranberry sauce, dirt and some balsa wood. Some steminess. Great perfume. Nice in the mouth but missing just a little bit in the mid palate. Really enjoyed this. — 8 years ago
Brownish tawny. Regal, clear and almost opaque. Sweet old Bordeaux nose. Notes of cola, cranberry, plums, dried fig, earth, spice and some wood. A bit thin in the mouth at the start but with air it firms up. Decent finish. Grows nicely in volume and impact. The fragrant nose is what you remember. — 8 years ago

Complex perfumed Oregon — 9 years ago
Surprise bottle at the end of the tasting. A real treat. Garnet red with medium intensity and quite a bit of sediment. Layered nose with soft blackberries, soft black cherries, and a soft undertone of provenance herbs (lavender). Palate floats right across your tongue with some light red cherries, some toasted wood and a little leather. Still solid moderate tannins (5.5/10) and well integrated with the solid acidity. Medium to light bodied with great structure and texture. Moderate plus finish with a dryness to it. Drink till 2020. — 10 years ago
Wow. The first words out of my mouth were, "This tastes expensive." The nose is full and rich as well. Plenty of layers and complexity here. This is going on the very short list of "excellent." - 2012 vintage — 11 years ago
Just beginning to drink well, but would still wait a couple of years. Classy, black fruit core with liquorice, prune, coffee, mint. Supple, elegant, pure. — 12 years ago
Tim Ruckh
My first time drinking white Port and this one was very nice. — 5 years ago