Shay A

9.4

Impromptu meet up at Classic!

Young. Almost truffled mushroom alongside ripe red and black fruit with saddle leather on the nose. The aromatics are powerful, but also soft. Very smooth with perfect balance on the palate. Kirsch, cassis, and underbrush/wood mixed with black cherry medley. Decant at this age (which is just so crazy/impressive to me) or this will go for 10+yrs easily. — 8 years ago

with Mark

Chip Hughes

9.3

Textbook. Raspberry, saddle leather. A sappy quality that suggests both Cru Bojo and N. Rhône. Dark and ripe. First-rate. #mercurey #pinotnoir #cotechalonnaise — 9 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.1

Nice drinking claret. Fully mature with sweet, soft red fruits, cedar, saddle leather, cigar ash and rose petals. — 10 years ago

Murphy Perng

9.1

Jammy, fruity, medium m/full bodied merlot-- with Carmen and Leah — 10 years ago

John Hubbell

9.4

Dark color with green pepper full fruit and saddle leather. Acid a bit dominating. Will give it a year or two. — 10 years ago

Ted Germosen

9.0

#itsaSicilianmessage #Christmaswine #MtEtna #NarelloMascalese #MtEtnaSicily #Graci 2013 the nose exudes warm violets, blackberries, coffee bean, cedar, citrus rind & charred earth. Nice & stinky. The palate is lean, a bit crisp & smoky, crushed violets, horse saddle, leather, savory herb, black cranberry and slightly bitter, dark and lasting finish. Still a baby! #sommlife #somm #sommelier #instawine #Sicilianwine #Italianwine #Sicily #wineofthenight
#MerryChristmas2015 — 11 years ago

Bryon Sheets

9.5

This fabulous wine reminds me why we simply cannot create the same terroir flavor profile in California. Cedar, incense, saddle leather - none in over abundance, but all perfectly balanced. It's like the symmetry of a beautiful woman's face. This tremendous effort will pair well with almost any red meat. — 11 years ago

Colin Chin

9.2

Still fruit on the nose. Taste was old Bordeaux leather saddle tobacco. Still needed to open up but it was 45 years old. Drank January 2015
— 12 years ago

Michelle Smith

9.6

Found this at boiler house — 12 years ago

Patrick Quinlan

10

Happy bday, Katie! — 13 years ago

with Katie

Mike Saviage

9.8

From a pristine bottle with a 4cm fill and an appropriate cork. Reddish tawny color with reddish amber rims. Barely translucent. Looks young for its age. Notes of rich warm fruit, cassis, smoke, some cedar planks, and a whole lot of leather saddle. Incredibly rich in the mouth. Silky. Long impactful finish. This wine appears to have no end of life in sight for it. Guesses were all in the 1980’s. Amazing wine. BDay dinner 10/12. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A redo after that disappointing 2002 Pichon Lalande two weeks ago on #steakandclaret night. While this is not again what I expect from this producer, it is better than the 02. Nose of cedar, fresh tobacco, stones and dry soil, quiet baking baking spices, ripe & lean; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, hues of blueberries, light mushroom, soft leather, black licorice cola and fresh red florals. The body is leaner to medium and well resolved. The fruits are fresh & bright. Dark cherries, cherries, lean blackberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate & cranberry juice, hues of blue fruits, saddle-wood, sweet suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar, dry stones, top soil & rich turned dark earth, limestone minerals, dry stems, slight touch of dry herbs, round, mouthwatering acidity and lean, long, well balanced fruit & earth, good structured finish with length. Finish lasts a full minute. Still 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. 9.3 with the ribeye. — 9 years ago

Anna Sangiacomo

9.0

Love this Estate bottled Blackjack. Can almost taste the saddle leather. — 10 years ago

WC Fields

8.9

Light. Cedar, tobacco, cherry, and saddle leather — 10 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Aromatic nose of sweet black fruits, barnyard, saddle leather, cigar box, and cedar. Drinking beautifully! — 11 years ago

Devin Bray

9.0

Super funky, barnyard nose that almost reminds me of lambics that are described as smelling of "horse blanket." Some spice and cherries. A surprisingly smooth, easy entry Bordeaux dominated by pepper and spice, with some cherries mingling with heavy duty tannins, saddle leather, tea leaves. — 11 years ago

Christine Havens

9.5

From the famed Prichard Hill estate vineyard, this 100% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a cult wine, rubbing shoulders with Screaming Eagle, Harlan and Colgin. The nose is typical of Napa Cab, with rich aromas of steeped blackberries, cassis, saddle leather, spice box and carmelized brown sugar. On the palate, it's silky, sexy and nicely balanced. There is a lovely, polished interplay of fine tannins and glycerol, along with darker notes of saddle leather, cedar, and espresso beans. Medium plus finish. — 11 years ago

Richard Rynda

8.9

Deep ruby color. Pure ripe berry fruit on the nose. Currant. Hints of oak Simple and not very complex. Tart cherry, on the palate, it has good acid and is bright and fresh. The lack of "size and jaminess" is appreciated in this wine. It's subtle, but nice and drinkable.
— 12 years ago

John Allred

9.9

Mo's 11/14/12 — 14 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

From magnum and paired well with three different Tri-tip steaks sources and marinades.

On the nose, sweet & sour, ripe dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, some ripe, slightly rustic rhubarb with just a hint of blue fruits. Glycerin, touch of fruit liqueur, vanilla, dry stones, crushed rocks, hints of dry herbs, used leather, saddle-wood, dark rich soils, soft dark spice, underlying white pepper and dark red fresh and slightly withering florals with a touch of violets.

The palate is med and beautiful. The length, structure, tension and balance are at its peak harmony from magnum. Sweet & sour, ripe dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranate, some ripe, slightly rustic rhubarb, burnt orange, with just a hint of blue fruits. Glycerin, touch of fruit liqueur, vanilla, dry river stones, crushed rocks, hints of dry herbs, used leather, saddle-wood, dark rich soils, limestone minerals, dry stems, more presence, soft dark spice, underlying white pepper and dark red fresh and slightly withering florals with a touch of violets and blue flowers. The acidity is waterfall perfect. The rich, ripe, fresh fruit, well balanced finish is simply beauty on steroids.

Photos of, Lopez de Heredia, Vat fermenters that are still in use and somewhere between 100-200 years of age (they repair them as needed to keep them tight), their cooperage and Maria José López de Heredia who now runs the family business. — 8 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Another great btl of 70 PC. Classic Graves personality showing sweet red fruits, cedar, saddle leather, cigar ash, mineral, iron & dried herbs. Fully mature that should drink well for many years. — 8 years ago

Eric Grasser

9.1

Plum, dark cherry, cassis, dry tobacco, thyme, menthol, horse saddle and the next morning campfire. Really balanced with great acid. Light to medium tannin. Drinks more medium-bodied and in the now. Very interesting for the vintage. — 9 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.2

Lovely secondary elements of sweaty saddle leather, cedar and later some cigar box. Soft, integrated tannins. Long finish and very nice nose. — 10 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.0

Initially rich saddle leather and earth show through on the nose and palate. Not as complex or elegant as the 1990 but lovely nonetheless. A bit ripe on the palate. Color is a mature brick red. Will fall apart with air and time so don't dally. Palate and nose flatten with air — 10 years ago

Justin Ennis

10

This is the 1985 Napa Cab and was tasted out of 5 liter. This wine was excellent! Herbal notes with a touch of saddle. I was so surprised by how much red fruit was on the pallet with a wine this old! Amazing! — 11 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.6

Classic and great vintage of La Mish. Deep dark color, very aromatic nose of black fruits, with smoky, tarry, tobacco, leather, black olive, basalmic, soy, cedar and saddle leather. Still drinking young and long finish reaching full maturity. Just an amazing wine! — 11 years ago

Russell Killgo

9.2

Had the '82 next to a '75 Petrus. Margaux was earthy with secondary notes of cigar box, saddle leather with that typical smoothness found in Margaux. — 11 years ago

Ellis Jeff

9.6

Good, simple could be a bit more complex. Flakes on bottom of this and the 09 too. Liked this more than 09 tho maybe this had more time to breathe. — 12 years ago

Ed Thralls

Owner/Winemaker Thralls, Director Flowers Winery,

8.9

Dried dark cherry, dusty tannins, saddle leather. Great acid — 13 years ago