Norma Normington

8.9

This is only the second Tannat I’ve ever had and it good but not great. Missing some finer complexity to the wine but I was grateful to find it in the “other reds” section. — 12 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1985 vintage. Decanted and open 3.5 hours before tasting. Oh hell yes. Can go another 3-5 years in this end-game, optimal drinking window, Beguiling nose filled with feminine cocoa powder. A flavor/tasting sense of eternity here. Underrated property that usually gets plenty of recognition but ages better than expected. Would/will take a meh vintage of L'Evangile vs a solid/great vintage of many comparable Right Bank properties. 8.19.23. — 9 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

1 hour decant(decent fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: certain vintages really embrace the brett on the property, this is on the milder side. Notes of red plum, nutty vanilla, pine, funky wet earth, old leather, some cherry. Taste: smooth, delicate, silky wine with savory notes of cigar box, currants, wet dirt, peppery, little dark plum, cedar, slightly meaty. YUM! A very good vintage for Cain, a little more intensity could have increased the score even more. — a year ago

with Brenda

Paul T HB

9.4

Still plenty of life left, but use the Durand
K&L notes as follows, it is better than their 2000! We have been following the property for the last five years and we think it is on a great track with their new releases, but try this 20+ yr old beauty. It is elegant and has a long, lingering finish. Smokey, toasty aromas, tons of cassis fruit on the palate. In a blind tasting at K&L (January 2019), one of our top Bordeaux staff thought it was a first growth Pauillac from the 80s. A steal at this price.
Drink from 2019 to 2022 — 3 years ago

Jesse Shortt

10

My all time favorite and go to! — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

2006 vintage. Lean and mean. Decanted and tasted after 1.5 hrs. Not too much sed. Nice little sprinkling of cocoa powder in a feminine nose but, otherwise, all business and very transactional. Difficult to love and hard to understand with this effort being pretty linear vs what we've come to know/expect/love from this property. Plenty of concentration but lacking that extra oomph of finishing depth and seems like it has topped out/not improving. 9.23.23. — 8 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The 07 Bordeaux’s have turned out better than critically reviewed young for many quality producers. I became aware of that in 2014 when I had the 07 Smith Haut-Lafitte at the property with beef stroganoff prepared by their chef at lunch. I wouldn’t hold the 07’s as long as I would hold many other vintages but drinking beautifully now.

Nose show’s floral, slightly ruby to baked fruits of; blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, strawberries, raspberries on the glass edge, touch of pomegranate, tobacco leaf, excellent, soft graphite, dark, rich, moist, forest floor with dry leaves, notes of steeped tea, touch of black licorice, wet clay, limestone minerals, mixed dark berry cola, vanillin, light, fresh herbaceous notes, understated cinnamon & nutmeg, gentle, dark spice, sandalwood with fresh & withering dark, blue, purple forals.

The palate/mouthfeel is ruby, lush and pretty. Crazy beautiful. Blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, strawberries, a touch of purple fruits, raspberries on the glass edge, touch of pomegranate, candied tarriness, tobacco leaf, excellent, soft graphite, dark, rich, moist, forest floor with dry leaves, saline, notes of steeped tea, touch of black licorice, wet clay, limestone minerals, dry soil, dry river stones, crushed rocks, mixed dark berry & cherry cola, red licorice, vanillin, light, fresh herbaceous notes, understated cinnamon & nutmeg, gentle, dark spice, sandalwood with fresh & withering dark, blue, purple forals. Beautiful acidity. The lush finish is well balanced, nice structure even mix of fruit & earth and lasts two-minutes.

Great pair with the Allen Brothers Cowgirl Bone-in Ribeye.

Photos of Chateau Pape Clement’s magnificent property. — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1971 vintage. Bottom shoulder fill initially had me worried. Decanted and tasted immediately and after two hours. Absolute ton of sed more appropriate for a vintage port. This was banging. Light-medium body. Chunky frontal palate. Plenty of charcoal in the mid-palate with some surprising freshness on a longer than expected finish. Not getting better but feel it can stay the current course for a spell (4-5 years). This was from a 750ml format but a larger format would undoubtedly be an upgrade. La Mission HB is a fave property and this reaffirmed those feelings. 10.13.23 — 7 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Outstanding w/ 10 years in bottle. Honeysuckle, lemon, lime, stone fruit, crème, powdery minerals, beautiful acidity, white & yellow flowers, amazing structure, balance and finish for days.

Best Chardonnay since I had the 96 Gaja Chardonnay at the property out of magnum in 2015. — a year ago

Shay A

9.3

A visit to Cimarossa in early 2018 was a highlight of our annual Napa trip that year. Property, experience, people and wines were all top notch. I normally prefer Ponente, then Rian, then Levante in that order, and this bottle reinforced that opinion.

When compared to the 2014 Ponente and Rian, this 2014 Levante has less depth and mid-palate. This Levante is decidedly more red fruit driven compared to the darker fruit profile of the others. I also normally get a really distinct red clay note on these, but in its place was a more herbal note. The herbal and slightly less full-bodied nature made this a good pairing to thin crust pizza. Tannins and acidity are pretty elevated when compared to most 2014 Napa cabs, even after a few hours in the decanter. I think I’d hold if I had more, but I’m not sure how different it gets. — 2 years ago