Prime Wine

Robert Mondavi Winery

Reserve Unfiltered Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

13.5% Mondavi reserve from 1997. What a lot of fun to try. Not sure what kinda year this was in Napa, but this is delicious. Perfect pairing with prime steaks on the grill - tons of dark red fruit with great refinement and acid on the finish. Really excellent. — 7 months ago

Bob, Lyle and 2 others liked this

Château Gruaud Larose

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

Rustic old school styled Bordeaux with black fruits, cedar, leather, earth, graphite & cigar box. A wine I have had many times that is just hitting its prime with many years ahead — 10 months ago

John, Shay and 19 others liked this

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Prime 47 Indy, a bit young — 3 years ago

Jenks, Turd and 10 others liked this
Jenks

Jenks

Was just talking to @Turd Ferguson about this wine.
Turd Ferguson

Turd Ferguson

Turd enjoys the Artemis

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1978

This was still showing well though slightly past its prime. Beautiful cooked dark fruits, tobacco and spice notes, and still some youthful green-ness. — 4 years ago

Ericsson and Ira liked this

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 1998

Brownish edge restrained nose leathery and garrigue at or slightly past prime but still lovely — 5 years ago

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1988

Classic bdx, maybe a touch past-prime bc it showed slightly flat on palate. Very yummy! — 6 years ago

Peter C
with Peter
Severn, Lyle and 10 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

Delectable Wine
9.8

I’ve been following this wine since I first tasted it from barrel in the summer of 1990, and it has always been an amazing wine and one of the best examples of this remarkable vintage. This particular bottle, which I helped to drink alongside a superb, dry-aged prime porterhouse at one of the New York City area’s best steakhouses, Rothmann’s on Long Island, might have been the best I’ve ever had. The textbook iron, tobacco and cigar box Haut-Brion character was there in abundance, but this time there was also an almost Burgundian laciness and buoyancy to the wine that I’ve not experienced before. Even at almost 30 years old, it still has a long life ahead of it, but based on this bottle I wouldn’t begrudge anyone opting to drink it right now. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, January 219) — 6 years ago

Brian, E and 4 others liked this

Château Calon-Ségur

Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1988

Birthday year wine for me. So far, I’ve aged better than this bottle but it’s close! The ‘88 is slightly past its prime but still worth tasting. In the garden of earthly delights - dried figs, plums, dates, and mushrooms. Some peat and chocolate. Plenty of spice. Very fun. Happy birthday to me! — 10 months ago

Jillian Varner
with Jillian

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2014

Deep purple with a hint of brick. Cassis and leather and meat in the nose. Pencil graphite cassis violet and a little tar. Rich jammy black fruit. Delicious. Serving with Prime grade rib roast. Sorry to have only one bottle — 3 years ago

Jay, Ted and 6 others liked this

Chateau Montelena

The Montelena Estate Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Understated cassis, mint, and leather. Nicely balanced. Beautifully paired with prime rib. — 4 years ago

Amelia Mowry, CSWPaul MowryOlivia Mowry
with Amelia, Paul and 1 other
Tom liked this

Château Haut-Bergey

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

Nice nose, good initial palette, slides off the end at this point, but, for the price point, awesome with prime NY strip — 4 years ago

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1982

Ken's bday! What a treat! Like no other wines I've tasted, beyond elegant, earthy mushroom, plums and blackberries. Past it's prime but still had a strong sense of what it was at its peak. — 5 years ago

Ira liked this

Myriad Cellars

Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

I have an affinity to Mike Smith wines. Let this baby breathe for a couple hours and it opens up well. Prime for drinking now — bold, dense fruit flavor that you’d come to expect from a Napa cab powerhouse wine maker. Full body and long peppery finish. Still a winner in my book. — 6 years ago

Château de Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend

Might be the bottle but just a bit past its prime. Still good - sweet core, good acid, dark fruits. — 7 years ago

Keith liked this

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1988

Medium ruby , hint of garnet , slight narrower rim , more garnet hue . Quite mineral , herbal tinged blackcurrant, seaside scents . Slightly aloof and austere, though this improves with time in the decanter . However on the palate this opens up with classic cedar tinged dark fruits , blackcurrant, grafite , sea shell and saline tinged. Complex , complete , classic , grafite and mineral tinged with pretty long length finish . Still slightly grippy tannins but these are well integrated and quite polished , fresh balanced acidity. This shows very well and is just coming into its prime drinking window, this also held up very well in decanter for the 4 hours we had it open , always retaining great freshness and verve. From now and over the next 10 to 15 years perhaps . — 8 months ago

Jan, Anthony and 10 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Had this last night (only other time was 4-5yrs ago) and both showed extremely green aromatics. Classical Lafite elegance on the palate.
Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore Premium Badge

Yes @Shay A i think it showed better on the palate , as you say very classic Lafite , aroma was really quite discreet and austere , just wonder whether this will step up a gear with a little more time in the cellar

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1987

Aged and ripened purple fruit. Paired with prime rib. — 3 years ago

Ira liked this

Cakebread Cellars

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Paul J
9.5

Very nice! 1hr+ decant. Dark red color. Prime drinking time. Nose has dark cherries, coconut, and cedar. Wine is deep and extremely smooth. Medium finish. Classic Napa Cab! — 4 years ago

Brooke Weaver Jakubowski
with Brooke
Shay, Tom and 4 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1994

Dark reddish tawny. Herbal nose. Heavy tobacco leaf, black cherries, cedar, smoke, plums, and cut Cuban cigar. Angular in the mouth. Needed five hours to find its groove. Big and powerful wine, paired perfectly with smoked prime rib. — 5 years ago

Paul, Shay and 20 others liked this
Stephen Redenbaugh

Stephen Redenbaugh Premium Badge

Love this vintage of Dominus...

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1980

A little muddled. Great nose but exhibits neither the complexity of a mature wine nor the structure of one its prime. — 6 years ago

Stags' Leap Winery

Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2014

Well worth the price. Drinking very well and perfect with prime rib. — 6 years ago

Brian liked this