Victor Hsu

9.0

A good, solid California Cab but what’s all the fuss about? I’m seeing ratings of 98, 99, even 100 from JS. Really? No way. This is a clear case of praise crossing over into hype. Granted, still a bit young and not at its peak but after five years in the bottle and an hour of decanting it needs to be more than just fine if it wants to justify stratospheric scores. This wine compares unfavorably to Ridge Monte Bello, Stags Leap Cask 23 and other peers. It lacked sophistication and poise—where’s the promised minerality, graphite, cedar shavings, oak, leather, blackcurrant, cherry, and complex balance of fine grained tannins, fruit, acid and alcohol? Where? We chose this wine for a birthday dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. Not a disaster but a disappointment given our high expectations (and the high price).
— 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. High fill and great cork. Used a Durand. Opened but not decanted. Throwing slightly less sediment than expected. Tasted one hour after opening. Medium body. Cassis, graphite, dark plum and spring mud in the nose. All this plus an appearance of cedar and relatively fresh tobacco notes in the tasting profile. Tapered and muscular with zero fat. No flighty components evident so nothing to wax/wane over the next decade. Fairly unified now and for the foreseeable future. 8.16.24. — 9 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Did not make it to 3rd hour of decant. Everyone drank it up quickly. Wine got better with each minute. — 10 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.0

Decanted for an hour or so. Nice color. Reasonable Raveneau nose with notes of citrus, wet stone, white clay and some honey. In the mouth this is a bit disjointed, lacking the acidity you want. But the nose holds its own. For a warm year this is decent but not near the desired Rav experience. — 3 years ago

Jose

9.5

Decanted for about one hour. — 5 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

1 hour decant(some fine and chunky sediment). A stunning dark ruby red with hints of brown. On the nose: dark fruit, minerals, some of that aged cab sweet notes, creme brulee. Taste: black cherry, minerals, earth, floral, and a strawberry currant finish with a silky texture that coats the mouth. Medium acidity keeping it fresh..yum — 5 years ago

Bret Barker

9.3

Off vintage but who cares? Tignanello is a personal favorite. Took a good hour to open up, this wine tastes surprisingly young. cherry, earthiness some mineral and a little smoke flavor as well. Very good — 8 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.5

Stinky at first. Cinnamon, clove, olives, cedar. Tasting this with Walter who is 89 at the Meritage it's from his cellar. Very good. Was decanted and held up for at least 1 hour impressive! — 9 years ago

Hannes Huefken

9.2

I recommend a three-hour decant. — 9 years ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Has finally entered a the period to enjoy with patience rewarded. A nice nose of earth, dark berries, and florals. Nice long finish with a bit of plum coming through. An hour decant to the benefit of the wine. — 7 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

+1 hour decant(some fine/chunky sediment). A splendid crimson red color. On the nose: wonderful bouquet with plum, stewed meat, cassis, sweet tobacco, funky earth, leather. Taste: silky, finessed, balanced wine with red berries/plum, coffee grounds, cedar, tobacco, and a nice peppery pencil lead long finish. YUM! Pure class in a glass. — 8 months ago

with Brenda

Joe DAscoli

9.5

From magnum. Cork and wax were a mess. Totally disintegrated and required the coffee filter and everything just to pour and decant the wine

3 hour decant before dinner. Paired with wagyu ribeye steaks. Amazing. This wine was just balanced and smooth. Just delicious. — 10 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant (lots of chunky/fine sediment). A stunning still dark ruby red with some purple hues. On the nose: blackberry, rich potting soil, slight menthol, little green veggie and black olives, floral. Taste: smooth wine, silky tannins coat the mouth with some dark cherries, bitter chocolate, soy sauce, pepper, and a metallic cedar dry finish. Seems like it should be drunk sooner than later, but holding its own at 20 years. — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Dawn E.

9.3

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all!
Exceptional bottle...a bit more complex than the 2015! Delicious Mike Smith magic! I cannot say enough about this wine! QPR is outstanding!
One hour decant on this! — 5 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. — 5 years ago

B

9.0

3L 1995 Shafer Hillside Select CS. Group dinner at Nmd. Probably should have decanted it longer than the hour we did. It was going through a really funky stage. Just very one-note and dull. — 7 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.5

One hour, at least, to open up. Velvety and luscious with some dark fruits and cedar and a touch of oak; wonderful mouthfeel. A favorite amongst the table. — 8 years ago

with Taryne and Krystal

Mahek Shah

10

Strong berry rich cabernet sav. Aromatics of plum, vanilla, blackberry. Soft to tongue with long finish with just the amounts of spice and oaky. Pairs well with grilled steak. Tannins enhanced after letting it breathe for 30 min - 1 hour. Depth in flavor, great with hearty meal to compliment. — 9 years ago

Mark Juckeland

9.5

Raison on the nose. Well balanced. Could probably breath more than an hour or so — 9 years ago

carl thornblade

9.5

No problems noted despite the age. Very good, but not outstanding. The nose was great at about 30 minutes-1 hour in the glass. The nose seemed to fade over the evening, but still very nice. Acidity is notable. Earthy flavors, tobacco, dried fruit. Great experience trying a 41 year old vintage! — 8 months ago

Vino Joe

9.3

Always reliable. Clearly in its final hour but still soooo enjoyable — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2011 vintage. Decanted with some sed and tasted after 1 hour. Bigg structure with plenty of tobacco, underbrush and dark fruit. A complex kid. Lots of moving parts but really unified currently and moving towards a common goal. Total BDX ringer in a pricey blind. This has miles to go. 8.2.24. — 9 months ago

Alan Hyde

9.2

Needed at least an hour to open up. Wasn’t good until then. Great combination of savory flavors. — 3 years ago

Robert Rothfield

9.6

From Magnum......4 hour decant......just spectacular! — 5 years ago

with Warren

Neal Krishna Devaraj

9.2

Opens up beautifully after an hour. Plums and raisins — 5 years ago

Chris Loretta

9.5

3 hour decant and this is so so good! — 7 years ago

Lori K

9.4

Great dark fruit with pepper. Nice blend. Low acid, great overall dark red. — 7 years ago

Howard Greenfield

9.3

3-4 hour decant. Opened up nicely — 9 years ago

Scott Samlan

9.6

Fantastic. Let it breathe for an hour. Drank w our two friends who own Manousakis Vineyard in Chania. Very special wine that is full bodied with soft tannins. Full of soft cherries and forest floor. It's the bomb — 9 years ago

M. Ventre

9.2

Flashback Friday? 2 hour decant.. All primary.. Nice dark fruit, lifted palate... Supple yet grippy. Wait 5 years.. — 11 years ago

with David