Wine is ruby red. On nose its Figs, blackberries, oak, vanilla, pine woods. On palate, Blackcurrants, black cherries, licorice, its medium+ acidity, medium intensity with fruitiness, tannic ending and long finish. Its a good wine and drinkable now. — 6 months ago
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Dark inky in color with a reddish rim.
Very pretty nose with black fruits, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, Indian spices, cola and light black tea.
Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, chocolates, toast, light vanilla, dark coffee, Indian spices, light cola licorice and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious 9 year old Merlot from Columbia Valley. Rich and extracted. Spicy and entertaining.
Peaking now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours of airtime.
Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Smooth and elegant. Fruit forward and tangy. The high alcohol is well integrated by now.
Good by itself as a sipping wine.
A blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 22 months in (85% new) French Oak barrels.
14.9% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$75. — 9 months ago
Shafer ‘Hillside Select’ Cabernet Sauvignon 1995: Balanced. Smooth. Vibrant. Full dark fruits, plum, tobacco, vanilla & oak. Long, distinguished finish. For me, this wine has aged extremely well and is still very luscious; the fruit still delivers, remaining full & soft, even after all these years. A 1995 Napa Cab doesn’t get much better than this. Amazing in every way! Cheers🍷 — 3 years ago
Label was very very new looking. Questionable as to real or not. Cork is correct. Wine us correct. On the way out but just won't leave. Brown to rust color. Better as it went on. Light fruit. Amazingly long Finish. Wow. — 9 years ago
Slightly medicinal notes. Dark fruit, leather, cedar, plum and bitter cherry. Soft and long. — 5 months ago
This old Napa wine was superb. The longer the decanting the more flavorful it became. Spicy at first sip with bursts of flavor from dark berries, leathery tannins, currant, earth and strong blackberry. Gains intensity and shows its depth and concentration on the finish, which is long and detailed. — 9 months ago
Boysenberry and blueberry, some tannins, very rich. — 3 years ago
Agree with those who describe the finesse in this reserve. Long open but worth the wait every time. apparently higher in sangiovese than other vintages and it works just fine. Really nice Antinori offering! — 5 years ago
Citrusy with a strong aroma of orange zest, fresh coriander and sal del mar, finishing smoothly with a palate cleansing clean high acid taste. Pairs well with salmon, sautéed mushrooms, summer evenings. — 9 years ago
Pop and pour. A splendid medium straw color. On the nose: asian pear, crisp apples, lemon rind, almonds, floral. Taste: chalky, oily, vibrant wine with lemon zest, white peach, saline, slate, and a mineral lime peel long finish. YUM! Nice compelling wine at 19 years. — 9 months ago
Opened and double-decanted several hours prior to service; enjoyed over the course of three hours. The 1996 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core. On the nose, the wine is developing and loaded with currants, pencil lead, earth and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and super grippy; slightly bitter and earthy. A lovely, classic expression of Bordeaux and drinking well in its prime. Drink now through 2046. — 10 months ago
One of my faves. I ordered two half bottles - imagine my delight when I received two full bottles at the half bottle price. — 12 years ago
Andrew Cullimore
Medium lemon colour . Persistent and fine perlage. This is quite restrained at first with lemon oil , toasty baked pastry and oyster shell hints . On the palate this is really quite intense , honied lemon , ginger, toasty yellow fruits , toasted nuts and quite mineral, oyster shell hints. Long and complex on the finish , fresh acidity , intense and complete . Needs a little more time, will show even better in 5 -10 years or so and over the next 10-15 years . — 5 months ago