Paul J

9.4

Light gold color. Nose of lemons, oak, and ample coconut. Same on the palate. I would decant for 30 minutes as it’s very restrained. Good balance between acidity and creaminess. Medium finish. If this was dialed up 2-3x’s on flavor and depth it would be awesome. Similar to the Matthiasson Linda Vista Chard. Upgraded 1pt. after 45 mins as the air and temp is helping. — 4 years ago

with Brooke

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. — 6 years ago

Susan Hanners

8.9

Light but full of punch! Tangy dark cherry on the nose, taste is elegant, lightly stays with you in a magical way — 7 years ago

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.0

Opulent style but terrific. Nuanced, smoke and forest floor. — 7 years ago

Conrad Green

9.8

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

with Howard, Tony and 1 other

Donald Patz

Owner/Winemaker Patz & Hall

9.7

I’ve had other 1966 wines some of which remain very austere and hard. This 1966 from Leoville las Cases reveals the potential that 1966 carried now fully revealed. Delicious exotic plum and spice and berry/cassis herb and exotic wood and... — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

1996 vintage. At Hotel TerraVina with my pal, Gerard Basset MW. Unfortunately we didn't get time to decant it sufficiently prior to having with lunch. Typically I would have had at least a 2 hour decant before serving. Medium garnet hue, very bright. The nose is simply stunning and evolved constantly in the glass. Blackberry, black plum, cedar wood, lots of spices, cocoa and hints of roasted coffee bean. Tertiary notes have developed but there still seems to be a bit of development to be teased out of this wine yet. The palate exhibited an enormous amount of structure - high acidity and high tannins that are ripe but chunky. There's nothing round here - more linear and angled than curvy. Almost light bodied but with a big two-step punch of a finish: there's an initial hit and then a powerful umph of additional rev's that makes your head bob up and down in joy and happiness. Though it's drinking extremely well now, this will hold for decades to come. Fabulous. — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.1

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

with Sean and India

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.2

Bright acidity from the concrete egg fermentation. The flavors are approachable even though it is a grape most people haven’t heard of. Fresh pineapple and vanilla. People would love it if they could give it a chance. — 12 years ago

John Bratincevic

8.9

Color looks pretty good, nice and dark. Nose: licorice, coffee, chocolate, a whiff of black olives, toffee, wood, some spice or herb I can’t identify, a bit of “purple” - I guess that’s cassis. Good sign. Taste: a little sweet, a lot of that fruity-toffee-coffee taste, also violet and blueberry. Distinctly a Washington wine (based on others I’ve had) because of the licorice and blueberry. A much more complex and grownup version of the affordable fruit bombs blends people love to buy. I wish it were a little more robust, but it is pretty darn good. 89-90. A little fruity for me, but good value, Would prefer Chateau St Michelle for the $13 this cost me, but it is a nice alternative, especially if you want something heavier than that. — 5 years ago

John W

9.0

Dark ruby coloration. On the nose, dark berries, anise, leather, tobacco and warm spices. On the palate, big fruit right away, dark berry and cherry, with hints of vanilla, oak, raspberry, tobacco and leather. Medium body and nice smooth mouth feel. Long finish with the fruit prevailing. — 6 years ago

Brett Rogosin

9.0

Beautiful even color. Nose of ripe red plum, plum skin, leather, wet cinnamon bark, wood bark and some vanilla. Stay ok some grippy tannins with acidity that hits the tip of the tongue and slowly expands around the outside of the mouth. Palate transfers through with some dark chocolate and blackberry. This can use time, but is quite tasty right now. — 6 years ago

Andrea Watt

9.2

Dark cherry and wood smoke with hints of oak and vanilla — 7 years ago

with Lisa

Mike Saviage

9.4

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

Frank Kuo

9.2

Nice color of gold. Nose is nutty, ripe banana, a bit oak and spice, quite pleasant. Taste is also plenty of ripe banana, plenty of mineral, some oak, and a hint of sweetness. Aftertaste is a bit short with dominant minerals. Quite direct tasting experience and she deserves some good scores. — 8 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

It's football season mother f'ers!! 🏈 my favorite time of year. This is a very plush easy drinking merlot. It comes off very low in alcohol with a cherry fruit core and chocolate covered plum flavors. The finish doesn't have significant length but this is a very well made plump and pleasurable bottle. — 9 years ago

Aurash Jason Soroosh

9.0

Crisp, clean, yet pleasantly tanniny. More of a pink color than orange. Good wine, nothing crazy, but good. — 9 years ago

Craig Stanfield

9.5

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. — 10 years ago

Nicole Penalva

9.5

Opened on a the first Friday night of a bottle fed baby! $13.99 from total wine. Great cab for the price ... Should buy again. — 11 years ago

Howard Yang

9.0

Deep burgundy purple, smell of cassis, dark fruit, vanilla wood and plum, medium to dull body, smooth tannin with good acidity at the end, balanced and refined with a medium to long finish. — 12 years ago

Steve Sánchez

9.6

Nectar of the Gods in a bottle! Beautiful silky tannins, earth, dusty notes, espresso and tobacco, oak, white pepper, slight sage and menthol. On the palate , fruit making way for baking spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. 8 years old now but will get another to hold out for ten year mark.
14.3% — 5 years ago

Douglas Braun

9.1

2012 Vintage - berry, leather , a lot of other than fruit, orange zest,wood spice ,umami -red rim color — 5 years ago

Erin Joyce

9.2

Waited a few years to drink the 2017 and it’s even better than I remembered. In times like these it’s important to savor the floral bouquet and stone fruit deliciousness of this wine and essentials like Clorox bleach. — 6 years ago

with Sandra

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Deep Ruby with youthful aromas of blue and black fruits with sweet spice and slight mineral character. The wine is a blend of 86% Cab Sauv, 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec & 2% Cab Franc from their estate-owned Napa Valley vineyards, aged 18 months in French (62%) & American oak (38%) (48% new). On the palate complex flavors, blackberry, plums and ripe cherry with sweet spice, oak and eucalyptus notes. Well balanced with good acidity and tannins still developing. Full-bodied, long finish ending with cacao and wood spice. Delightful! Tasting Sample! — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

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

Matt Mason

9.5

Oakton wine. Enjoyed with baked salmon. C light ruby with burnt tint; a lot of cherry, cinnamon, forest. — 9 years ago

Narun P

8.9

Tasted at Chateau
51% M, 39% CS, 5% CF, and 5% PV

Deep purple, no sign of age, compact rim. Youthful.

Fruit forward, dominated by red currant, underripe raspberry, red cherry. Baking spices and new wood smell.

On the palate, surprisingly approachable. Med plus tannin but softened already, med full body, dry. The midpalate really needs to fleshen out. Slightly lacking. Finish on nutty new oak.

Time will tell if this will turn out to be in line with a line up of superb recent wines from this classic house. 89+? — 9 years ago

Hyunju and Ray

9.0

Good with chocolate. Hints of cherry and some cedar wood on the finish. — 9 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Typical herbaceous brambly style from this maker with notes of geranium. Moss Wood in a lesser year but still an excellent Cabernet- one of Australia's best. — 10 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.2

5 hrs of air. Nice bold Brunello notes. Cassis with dark berry fruit. Tannins integrated but still some stringent wood notes. Great with and elk main in a byob restaurant. — 11 years ago