Edward Chung

9.2

Beautiful 18 year old CdP! Medium bodied, well balanced wine, wonderfully paired with Thanksgiving dinner. Plenty of structure to go another 10+ years. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Part 1 of the final and main event for the Fall WNH. The most spectacular lineup of wines I’ve ever seen, and an overall wonderful ending to an amazing trip with fantastic people.

One of my contributions. I think I surprised myself at claiming it needed 30-45mins of air as well as needing to be brought down from room temp to closer to cellar temp. This is a gorgeous wine, and a wonderful creation from the Heitz team. Underripe black fruit and plum on the nose, giving way to an herbal/earthy blackberry pie note. Seamless and well balanced on the palate showing red and black fruit, dark cocoa dusted bay leaf and older fig. A touch of their signature eucalyptus on the finish. Many years to go. — 8 years ago

with Mike, David and 5 others

Brian Adler

9.4

2003 Jordan Cab was drinking like a a few mid 90s Bordeaux i have tasted recently. Really lovely wine showing delicate fruit, integrated tannin and plenty of length to the finish. — 8 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.3

If tar and rose petal are the stereotype, then I think I'm safe in calling this traditional. However, there's plenty of nuance in the layers and the style that make this special. An old leather-bound book, citrus peel, dried tarragon, and ripe strawberry. The finish is firm, but not without a lively and racy acidity. One of the better food wines I've had in a long while. — 9 years ago

Paul Barnes

9.5

Aussie screwcap FTW - this is legit. Plenty of Syrah notes for only 8% of the blend. — 10 years ago

Cass Franklin

9.2

Plenty of fruit, rounded tannins, lots of black cherry, — 10 years ago

Daniel Steilen

9.4

Beautiful. A little barnyard, some musty dark fruits, but beautifully integrated, with plenty of acidity. Has a ton of life ahead. — 10 years ago

with Chris, Glen and 1 other

Giancarlo Cicero

9.5

Is actually the Capo. Plenty of life left. Sweet tannin to start. Meaty and juicy. Great. — 10 years ago

with Heath

Max Reichwage

9.2

Really special, still plenty of life, eternal tannins and acidity — 11 years ago

Alan Dickinson

9.0

A little rough in the aromatics. Cork was suspect, looked and smelled a bit funky. wine was otherwise youthful in the mouth with raspberry, tar, spice and plenty of lively acid. Have a few more '89s and think its time. overall a beautiful wine still but perhaps in aromatic decline. - 1989 vintage — 11 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.8

Effortless claret, light to medium bodied, with delicate black currant fruit that soared with Doug's fabulous tri-tip. Not for score lovers, this wine has plenty of herbal intrigue for the table and no extra fat. — 13 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Mmmm....better. 1999 was a meh vintage to most critics. I find it has evolved to better things with this much time in bottle.

The nose reveals, ruby and candied; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, black raspberries, raspberries, poached cherries & strawberries. Touch cooked green bell pepper, mixed berry licorice, anise to black licorice, used leather, saddle-wood to cedar, dark, moist, black earth, limestone, stones, graphite, vanilla, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg and dark spice, coffee, dark chocolate with fresh & withering, dark, red, blue and purple flowers.

The body is just full. The tannins are soft, round, chewy and tarry. The structure, tension, length and balance are pretty good for 99. ruby and candied; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, black raspberries, raspberries, poached cherries & strawberries. more cooked green bell pepper on the palate, mixed berry licorice, anise to black licorice, used leather, saddle-wood to cedar, dark, moist, black earth, limestone, stones, graphite, vanilla, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg and dark spice, coffee, dark chocolate with fresh & withering, dark, red, blue and purple flowers. The acidy is nice. The finish is elegant, well balanced but, not as rich as other good vintages Palmer. It is spicy and persists minutes on the palate.

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 7 years ago

Mike Evans

9.2

Showing very well and much younger than expected, currant with a dash of bell pepper and a dollop of leather, there is still quite a bit going on here and plenty of life left. — 8 years ago

.

9.1

Delicate bouquet of roses, light spices, and cranberries. Medium bodied, with moderately high acidity, and drying tannins on the leathery finish. This has plenty of years of good drinking ahead. — 8 years ago

Keith Levenberg

8.9

Still plenty of personality to this, but neither the freshest nor cleanest bottle of wine you're likely to come across. Starts out smelling of musty attic and old used books, and it never kicks it entirely, but does pick up enough other elements like cedar and cigar box to keep things interesting. What it doesn't really pick up is any fruit, which is fine for its age, but it's a bit disappointing once you compare it to something like the '75 Beychevelle which is in much better shape now with plenty more stuffing. The tannins have completely melted away so the texture is fine and it goes down easy. Interesting now, but would have been better 5-10 years ago. — 10 years ago

Frank Zbignewich

9.0

Young Caymus wine so some of the comments are interesting. Great dark berry flavors and much room to develop. Not the toasty oak of the 2012 but still needs some time to evaluate over the next 4 years. Still a fun wine to drink. — 10 years ago

Peter 0'Neill

9.2

I was concerned that this was too young and indeed it's absolutely best days are ahead of it but with plenty of air and a good decant it opened up very nicely and showed its class. — 10 years ago

Keith Crump

9.4

2006 plenty of body better after a little breather not the big noise I have noted before with Gruaud Larose but good complex Bordeaux I acknowledge St Julian has its critics but this good wine — 10 years ago

Cody Short

9.4

Still fresh, plenty of fruit and drinking at peak — 10 years ago

Matthew Beckman

9.3

Lovely nose of cherry and tobacco...plenty of time left for this but approachable now. My wine of the night — 11 years ago

Joel Tan

9.0

Musky tones, just amazing smell. Lighter on the palate, sappy and still plenty of acidity perfect for all the meats at dinner — 12 years ago

Rob Lateiner

9.6

Chave Rouge 06. Plenty of heat and a little oak too it seems (could be wrong). Oak will integrate, heat is surprising. Serious peppered beef and teriyaki jerky. Some black red fruit - black cherry. Hints of jello tease overripeness but this remains sharp and poignant. The pure jello influenced fruit makes me think few stems here, too. Oak seems to present itself not as vanilla thankfully but in a beautiful hazelnut quality that matches the fruit perfectly and uniquely to syrah. Again, this could be something else other than oak. This definitely shows some jello/jelly, no doubt. Totally ripe red cherry actually. Importantly, this has no heaviness in terms of weight or thickness yet is pungently aromatic as first, smoked, peppered meat and second as fruit. This wine makes me think of, all in the same vein, concrete vats, minerality and tiny berries. The teriyaki quality makes me think these are high toast barrels? This should continue to integrate better and better over the coming years. I can't say I ever got the "bacon fat" thing before in N Rhone but this really has Benton's bacon fat to it. Amazing all this umami while still maintaining a bright ripe red-fruited cherry core. Prefer the '06 Jamet right now for its lower alcohol but certainly love the transparency and uniqueness of flavor here. This is likely a bit more structured than the Jamet. Again, I think time will treat this well. This is dried meat while the Jamet was about the long pepper spice. So interesting how different these expressions of syrah are. — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Masterclass in San Francisco with Saskia De Rothschild, Chairwoman DBR Lafite. Chateau Rieussec is another property that the Rothschild’s own.

1997 a difficult vintage for reds in Bordeaux. The upside is, when the reds lag, the whites almost always shine.

The nose shows; marmalade, dry peaches & apricots, pineapple, citrus blend, fresh orange peel, burnt almonds, almond cake, nut skin, burnt toffee, honey, caramel, beeswax, waxiness, toast, limestone, gravely stones, fruit blossoms and yellow florals.

The body is thick, gluey and rich. The mouthfeel magnificent. There is almost a dry tannin presence but it is it’s dry, gritty volcanic minerality, marmalade, dry peaches & apricots, pineapple, citrus blend, fresh orange peel, burnt almonds, almond cake, nut skin, burnt toffee, honey, caramel, beeswax, waxiness, toast, limestone, gravely stones, fruit blossoms and yellow florals. The acidity round and splendid. The finish is rich, well balanced, elegant, polished and delicious.

All wines arrived weeks ago directly from the Chateau.

Photos of; the Crown Room on the 23rd floor of the Fairmont where the Masterclass was held, glass of 1997 showing color, Saskia De Rothschild, Chairwoman DBR Lafite presenting and another view of the city of San Francisco/Bay and the Golden Gate Bride in the background.
— 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This wine has all the makings of being great one day. It’s just about 8-10 years more years away.

The wine is just staring to round out, integrate and show its elegance. Ruby, creamy currants, earth, graphite, tobacco leaf, stones, dark most soil, round acidity and a very well polished finished.

This is my favorite Ribeye wine and it didn’t disappoint...only that is still too young. 95-96 in another decade.

Photos of, the Chateau & grounds, newer tasting room & barrel room and Estate vines that are adjacent to Chateau Latour. — 8 years ago

Somm 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. — 9 years ago

Cody Short

9.1

Doesnt live up to the top vintages of the 90's but still an impressive wine. Plenty of stuffing to last several more years but don't see this getting much better. — 10 years ago

Joe Rice

9.1

By the glass at the winery. Dark fruit, not stewed, plenty of oak spice, even more to the forefront than the 890. A bit more time to integrate. — 11 years ago

Pepe Ruiz

9.0

Classic Rioja. Cedar box medium weight plenty of acidity. This will continue to evolve. — 11 years ago

David Kelly

9.2

Big, dark, concentrated, and dense. Jammy and overripe fruit. Smoky, barbecue and tar notes. Pepper, clove and cardamom. Dried potpourri. Low acid and plenty of alcohol. — 12 years ago

Donald Patz

Owner/Winemaker Patz & Hall

9.5

Beautiful. Still plenty of life — 13 years ago