Mary H

9.2

Few bubbles in the glass. Bruised golden apple, golden pear, slightly reductive / sherry-like. Reminded me a lot of the Peter Lauer 1987 Riesling sekt, but with fewer bubbles. An interesting but not crowd-pleasing Champagne. @ Persona, Stockholm — 19 days ago

DAL 9000

9.2

Decanted with a candle. Swirled in a decanter. Bouquet of dusty dried cherries and plums. . Initial bold fruit and dry finish before it opens up. Afterwards, the fruit moves to a dusty middle. Medium tannins. — a year ago

Ericsson

9.0

Revisiting this disruptive wine as I often do. This time 24 years after it’s initial release, and much has changed since since it’s inception. The wine is still exciting, maybe for the wrong reasons, maybe for the right reasons but exciting nonetheless. It’s still a big and bold beast of a wine, no matter the vintage. — 2 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.5

Drank over 3 days,
First day I paired with Mediterranean Lamb chops which had too much seasoning and overpowered the wine, my bad.
It reached peak drinking on day 3.
Great on initial pop & pour then tightened up. — 2 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

2019 Disg- Rich, intense and with riveting energy. Selosse VO to me is a huge step up from Initial. It’s ultra complex and layered with candied citrus, rum barrels, caramel and salted nuts. There is massive structure with a simultaneous purity and weightlessness. Infinite finish. Decanted and served in Zalto Bordeaux. Fantastic. — 5 years ago

Rebecca Cooper-Mullin

9.0

Very light, cherry and dry. Pairs well with BIDEN HARRIS 2020 / goodbye obese turtles. — 6 years ago

J Ferrugia

9.1

A surprisingly big wine that did not emerge until after about 40minutes in the decanter. Deep ripe fruit on the nose with plenty of initial tannin up front on the palate that softened into deep, ripe cherry and then into a smoky dark fruit.
This 2004 has held up well and should be enjoyed now. This is a luscious wine.. — 6 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.1

A bit stemmy and astringent on initial pop but came into its own with air. Surprisingly complex and elegant nose of sweet blackberries, black cherry, cedar, violets, leather and green tobacco leaf. Palate is fairly rustic texturally but lots of sweet black and red fruit beneath the tannic and mineral surface, with a pleasing green tinge on the finish. Overachiever! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I used to drink this producer in the late 90’s & early 2000’s. I’ve been revisiting older vintages based on recent price points. I think they sold a bunch of their cellar for revenue. It is out of need after the Glass Fires. They were somewhat consumed by it. The winery & part of their vineyards. Unfortunate!!!

Decanted an hour and enjoyed over 2-3 hours.

I was further inspired to acquire the 2006 by @Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego who posted more than respectful thoughts of the 2006 not long ago. So, I acquired some winery stored bottles at $39. A more than fair price point. The cork had a millimeter or less along its side. The bottle neck showed trapped tannins. Extremely solid.

The nose is inviting. Slightly smoky & nicely ripe; dark core of blackberries, dark cherries, poached/baked strawberries, plum, blueberries and pomegranate. Slate, gentle, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, mid & light berry cola/licorice-red vines, soft dry tobacco, used leather, very soft graphite, graceful herbaceous notes, whiff with black & white pepper, dark, rich soils, mix of limestone/sandstone, red florals/roses, dark florals and purple lily blossoms.

The entry is elegant, ripe, slightly rich with nothing bitty. Medium, softened, mushy tannins. It shows nearly perfect elegance at or just and I mean just the other side of its peak. Ripe; dark core of blackberries, dark cherries, poached/baked strawberries, plum, blueberries, raspberries and pomegranate hues. Slate, gentle, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, mid & light berry cola, soft dry, used tobacco w/ ash, used leather, graphite, herbaceous notes, stem inclusion, some black & white pepper, dark spice box with mid intensity palate heat, layered baking spices-nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & understated vanillin, dark chocolate, caramel, steeped teas, moist to dry volcanic clays, rich, dark, almost sweet soils, mix of limestone/sandstone, red florals/roses, dark florals and purple lily blossoms, very nice acidity, evolved, well-knitted, balanced, structured, tensioned, elegant finish that lasts nearly two-minutes and long sets on spice and beautiful earthiness. This will drink nicely for another 5+ yrs.

A good revisit and perhaps the most elegant Cain Five I’ve had.

Photos of; the Cain Five vineyards, Chris Howell-Winemaker, pressed grapes and the somewhat unglamorous cleaning out of stainless steel tanks after initial fermentation. — 2 months ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.2

Red garnet in color with brown hues showing signs of bricking. Nose - Savory and perfume vanilla aromas pop from the glass. Raspberry, forest floor and cedar notes follow. Taste: creamy and elegant and flavors well integrated; smoke plum-blueberry flavors are the initial taste. The minerals and spice of the wine are noted with flavors of vanilla and cedar following. A medium and juicy finish. A nice wine for a Sat evening. — 4 years ago

with Karin and Jill

DAL 9000

9.2

Decanted. Big Aroma of berries. Smooth initial taste of berries and cherries and plums. Then notes of vanilla and chocolate in the palate. Another winner from Arnie, we will miss you. — 5 years ago

Dennis Kellison

9.0

Initial fruit, berry..hint of spice — 6 years ago

Skip Smyser

9.8

Big Boy wine for a big boy lunch.just opened and will decant and savor every drop. Initial impression is that it has cellared well and is alive and full of red fruit, tobacco with a long lingering aftertaste that centers mid pallet — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

In 1805, Daniel Phelan, an Irish wine broker, acquired le Clos de Garamey, and was followed in 1810 by the acquisition of the Segur de Cabanac estate, creating the domain that remains today. Initial Aromas of leather, oak and earthiness hit about, medium(+), bringing in subtle flavors of blackberry and herb. On the palate subtle fruit flavors of blackberry, herb, leather, smoky oak and meatiness carry from the nose. Medium(+) acidity on firm medium(+) tannins of this full body wine carry the flavors to a medium(+) length finish. Very good, but undelivered a bit, drink now will not get better. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a dull purple/garnet color with a translucent core and significant rim variation, moving towards a rust color. The wine has medium viscosity with light staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, dried blackberries, dried red and purple flowers, old leather bound books, tobacco, a touch of menthol, some earth, old wood and a sprinkle of warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Super high quality but a touch thin.

Initial conclusions: Due to the observable characteristics of color, rim variation, sediment, smell and flavor, I think this wine has significant age; 30+ years. However, this is still very alive and showing more than enough markers to give an indication of place. Subsequently, this could be a Cabernet-based blend or a Tempranillo-based blend from the United States, France, or Spain. For me, I’m getting new French oak vibes instead of American so I’m eliminating Spain. I also think this leans more towards its fruit than its structure and since this comes across a little on the thin side, I’m going to say this comes from a tougher vintage. My final conclusion is this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from the USA, Napa, 1981. Wow! This showed really well.

It never ceases to amaze me how analogous the 1981 vintage was in both Napa and Bordeaux. I find it equally amazing how well that vintage has held up; particularly when considering its poor reputation, mostly based on the prevailing thought at the time. From my perspective, well stored examples are not going to fall off of a cliff but I would drink now through 2031. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2020 vintage. Big, darkly-fruited nose that rolls over to the flavors. Medium body. Great complexity for initial and mid-palates, Finish is where things drop off a cliff. Solid banger for the price. If only some of that impressive, frontal assault could be transferred to the back end, we'd be in clover. Nice, first-time BDX to get the palate rolling/draw people in tho. 3.15.24. — 2 years ago

KD

8.9

Pale yellow with relatively intense nose of green apple, lime, beeswax, cantaloup melon and whiteflower. The medium body has less intensity than the nose and there's almost an effervescence in the front of the mouth, with a good acidity that is not overwhelming. Notes of apple, lime, apricot, melon and ginger on the palate with minerality. The finish is quite short and carries some spicy ginger. Nice wine but I was expecting more, especially after the initial wonderful nose. — 5 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

Vintage 2013 | This wine gets even more interesting when aged. Nice impression of honey and quince in smell. Vibrant taste, quite full bodied. Good Chenin Blanc | Paired with sushi (fine!) — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Initial aromas of cedar box, fruit and nut chocolate and a herbal nuance. With air a note of violet after about 2 hours. On the medium to full bodied palate absolutely fluid and seamless with that berry and dark chocolate note but largely restrained. Such perfect balance that nothing really jumps out. From my limited experience with Napa Valley Cabernets I have always thought that Dominus is the most Bordeaux like of these Cabs. Not surprising when you know the owner Christian Moueix is the owner of Petrus and other right bank icons. Linda Murphy for Jancis said “Could be Christian Moueix’s best Dominus.” — 6 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.0

Still opening...

Red to orange to yellow to clear lip. Unfined with sediment mixed in (clearly I disturbed her). Some initial strawberry on the nose, then anise, and mild petroleum. Strong green olives on the palate, any taster would immediately identify this note. Going to hold for a bit before pronouncing judgement...

1 hour in.... Olives have bent towards muddled mushrooms. Better...

So I certainly respect this wine, but there really isn't a lot to hang my hat on. The fruit is pretty much dead. The olives wouldn't relent overall. It remains savory. So this could possibly pair with a soft mild cheese (brie), or on the other side of dinner with something not too sweet (cheesecake), but I'm stretching. I guess , in
my opinion I would surmise that it is past peak.

90+ points — 7 years ago