Mike Saviage

9.5

Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 5 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

This is definitely a little bit of a departure from other Cabernets that were enjoyed tonight. Still extremely elegant. Enjoyed En Magnum. This is 15 years of Columbia Valley excellence. The news on this wine was clove, truffle, black cherry. The entry had a little bit of a bleu cheese, green grapestem, black cherry, fig. The middle is where this one started to settle more to a red and black fruit profile.... but mostly favored the black fruit side of things. Finishes with a little bit of black pepper, with softened tannins that carried it through to the finish. If in 750, I would say it is definitely time to start popping and enjoying these. If it is in Magnum, this is actually a rather enjoyable wine and I feel it will likely develop a bit more. — 5 years ago

with Dan and Shay

Mike Saviage

9.4

Reddish tawny, transparent. Fragrant nose. Notes of cranberries, menthol, slate stone, roses, and black soil. Medicinal. Angular in the mouth. Has a little more structure than fruit. Chewy. Gives that exotic La La nose and has a nice richness that comes with a few hours of air. No need to wait more on this. — 6 years ago

Priscilla

9.0

Chris really likes this. Pris thought it was just ok. A little bitter. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose, dark sweet currants, stewed fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries & poached strawberries. Baking spices, dark rich turned earth, dry stones and fresh dark soils. The body is full with M+ tannins. Still a little meaty. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries & poached strawberries. Anise, vanilla, clove, spice, pipe tobacco, leathery, dark rich turned earth, dry stones, black cherry cola/licorice, fruit tea, dry brush, crushed rock powder, touch of mint, round acidity and a dry, meaty tannin, fruity finish. Out of 3L. This needs more time in the bottle. 7-10 + years in 3L. — 7 years ago

Rochelle

9.0

Smooth integrated fruit on day one today day two more Tannic more prune -cherry flavors and a little anise kick — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

The original label from Phelps. This wine qualifies as the reason you age wine as long as you do. The tannins are still there yet only 95% resolved even after 23 years or 21 in bottle. The wine melts in your mouth. There's nothing angular or rubs your palate the wrong way. The fruits are still dark cassis; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, melted mocha milk chocolate, raspberry chocolate cake, dry crushed rocks, spice-box, dry florals, old leather, vanilla, it's crazy but there's a hit of baked peach coming through, there is still a little tension, it's still showing great balance, structure, length, acidity and a finish that does not end. This wine still has 3-5+ years of life even out of 750ml. It's one of the best old Phelps I've had in awhile and I've recently had a number of old Insignia's and Backus's from the 80's and 90's. Given what I paid for this wine, I feel like I've stolen candy from a baby and then some. The purity is incredible if not just plain ridiculous!!! This 93 is sunlight in the rain w/ a rainbow. — 8 years ago

John Caldarella

9.7

Drinking very well. Ripe black raspberries and dark chocolate on the palate. A little orange bitters on the finish. Delish! — 10 years ago

Sabrina Dempsey

9.1

Love the name and the taste! — 11 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

This Petite Sirah from Lodi is always enjoyable. Big and bold, spicy and tangy.

Good by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins.

Showing black fruits, chocolates, coffee, wood, vanilla, licorice, mocha, caramel and peppercorn.

Full bodied with a nice finish. Might be a little sweet for some.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tasted blind. Dark reddish purple color, opaque. Looks and smells rich. Notes of black berry fruit, tobacco, some cassis and a little anise. Chewy in the mouth. Powerful fruit and structure - this is still young. Easy to guess as a young Cal Cab, althought it wasn't that young. — 5 years ago

Kelli

8.9

Tall grass. Smooth, little sweet. Crowd pleaser. Easy to drink on its own. Would buy again — 6 years ago

Vinod Peris

9.2

Wonderful Napa Cab. Just a little bit of fruit and a wonderful smooth but grippy finish — 6 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Third wine with Charles at De Toren. Set to be release in early 2018 similar to the Z.

Darker than the Z, deep and dark ruby red. Needed to open up a little bit on the nose. Gained some dark cocoa on the nose with minerality, pepper and dusty notes. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Darker berries on the palate with some black cherries, cassis and a touch savory in the backend. Dry and long finish. Drink till 2030.

Made up of around 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and around 16% Malbec, the rest is made up of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. — 6 years ago

with Sean and India

David Carpenter

9.3

Smooth, fruity, very drinkable, little on the sweet side. Solid after dinner option.
Trader Joe's, ~$10. — 7 years ago

Dianna K

9.0

Delicious, not too dry — 7 years ago

Beka

10

Very aromatic. Wonderful smell the second I poured it. Flavorful, but smooth. — 7 years ago

Jay Miner

9.2

Still an excellent tannic structure from this 2007. Wonder how much longer it could go? Black cherry and a little prune. One of the other reviewers here wrote "a tawny oxidation." Perfectly stated. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tawny reddish rims. Almost opaque. Deep nose of Violet's black cherry and a little dirt. Huge structure in mouth with round and chewy fruit. Still mostly primary. Good finish. Beat expectations. Needs more time. — 8 years ago

Dan Rath

9.3

Awesome Central Valley Syrah with crazy grip and still balance, stewed black fruit and loamy soil, little jammy on a finish that could be longer/stronger — 8 years ago

Samantha Curtin

9.9

I'm not always a fan of Merlot but this was delicious! Very smooth — 11 years ago

Eric L.

9.5

Structured, yet very well balanced. Lots of black fruit framed by cool menthol tones. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Tawny color, translucent with amber rims. Notes of black cherry, cedar, some spice and a little barnyard floor. Sweet fruit in the mouth, with tannins fully resolved. Guessed 1955 Calon Segur. Perfect looking bottle, the cork revealed this bottle was reconditioned by the Chateau in 2000. — 5 years ago

Karen Lewis Zeilnhofer

8.9

Nice red blend, but a little “jammy.” Had in Gvl, with Dad over steak — 6 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.1

The Little Black Dress is the same size this year as last, but it’s made from different grapes.  The 2017 LBD Rosé was vinified entirely from white wine grapes again, 75% Pinot Grigio, 13% Muscat, 10% Chardonnay and 2% Viognier grapes out of Mendocino County.  
The color is light pink, almost an onion skin tone.  Aromas are powerfully surprising, with a great earthy presence joining the floral and fruity expression.  On the palate, it's dry as a bone and luscious with stone fruit and herbal qualities. The wine pairs beautifully with salad or toast but is a lovely sipper on its own. — 6 years ago

RustyR

9.2

Open. Cassis on nose. Dig and vanilla mostly back of the palate. Fat. Little more tannin would be a plus. But very little dark chocolate flavors and plum/prune. Good little expensive — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

On the nose, stewed fruits of; black plum, blackberries, dark cherries, plum and blueberries. Mocha, chocolate, mixed berry cola, sweet spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, loamy mineral soils and dry dark florals. The mouthfeel is less concentrated than other vintages of Corison but that's indicative of the 10 Napa vintage generally. The tannins are nicely resolved with another 5-8 years before they are completely resolve. The fruits are; dark cherries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, blackberries with strawberries that dance around the rest of the fruit. There's nice barrel toast, vanilla, nutmeg, light clove, cinnamon, touch of wood shavings, liqueur notes, caramel, mocha chocolate, mix berry cola, loamy soils, dry crushed rocks, bramble, dry stems with nice soft round acidity. The finish is a little lean but tasty. Good balance of fruit and earth with long, rich elegance. Cathy slightly overachieved the 10 vintage as a whole. Photos of; her estate building, Cathy in her vineyard, grapes coming in at night (better to harvest when the fruit is cooler) and her estate vineyard in all it's glory. Producer notes and history...Cathy Corison grew up in Riverside, California. She studied biology at Pomona College and was on their men's diving team, because the school didn't have a women's team. In 1972, she had to take an extracurricular class. She signed up for a trampoline class, but changed her mind upon seeing a sign-up sheet for a wine tasting class. This class was the catalyst that sparked her interest in winemaking. After graduation in 1975, she moved to Napa Valley in California. She received her Master's degree in Enology from University of California, Davis. Upon moving to Napa, she started working in the tasting room at Sterling Vineyards and at a wine shop. During this time, she was getting her Master's degree at the University of California, Davis. She was told by her professor that she would not get a job in Napa Valley because of being a woman. However, if she wasn't the first Napa Valley female Winemaker, she was certainly one of the first. She tried to get a job at Freemark Abbey and was denied because they believed she could not work in the cellar. She almost took a job at Christian Brothers in the enology lab. However, she decided not to take the job and in 1978 she became an intern at Freemark Abbey and eventually became their Winemaker. She joined Chappellet in 1983 and was their Winemaker for nearly ten years. She founded Corison Winery, in 1987. The winery is located in St. Helena, California in a barn built by her husband, William Martin. Corison makes Cabernet and Gewürztraminer. They produce about 3,500 cases a year depending on the vintage. The winery makes a Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and as well as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The Kronos is an estate wine that is made from organic grapes. The vineyard is dry farmed. The grapes come from one of the oldest vineyards in Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Cabernet comes from Rutherford. The Gewürztraminer is called Corazón and comes from the Anderson Valley. — 7 years ago

Rebecca Fletcher

9.1

Black cherry, violet, mocha, baking spices, and cedar. Sweet tobacco and licorice. M- acid, m+ firm tannin. Black plum, cassis, dust, and graphite. A bit tight. Needs a little time. — 8 years ago

Katie McVan

9.0

Big fan. Good price. Great taste! — 9 years ago

Ken Rogers

9.5

Rich brambly raspberry fruit, a hint of earthiness, supple and soft, will pair perfectly with seared yellowtail and ginger black rice. — 11 years ago