Matt Perlman

9.6

Happy place. All the Burgundy and Nebbiolo comparisons are apt, but this has a feral quality, a sense of animalistic earthiness that walks the line between elegance and wildness like nothing else I've experienced. I drink one of these almost every year for my birthday and lucky enough so far not to have experienced the bottle variation others have. (This one had a 2012 cork). Eventually they will run out of these library releases and I will be 🙁 — 9 years ago

with Steven

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose, warm, leaner, stewed fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, spiced plum, poached strawberries, black raspberries, cherries, black licorice anise, spice-box, cigar, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, rich dark loamy soils & fresh/dry dark florals. The palate is lean, well resolved tannins, heated, darker spice-box, blackberries, dark cherries, spiced plum, poached strawberries, black raspberries, cherries, black licorice anise, cola, spice-box, cigar, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, caramel, dark chocolate, mocha, rich dark loamy soils & fresh/dry dark florals. Acidity pours over the palate. The finish is smooth, lean, pure elegant fruit with spice. It's lasts over a minute. The 94 is just starting to trend down but still the best vintage of Caymus Special Select I can remember. So if you own, time to enjoy it over the next two years. Enjoyed this at a private dinner/tasting at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay a number of years ago with Chuck and his son Joseph who makes the Bella Clos. Brings me right back to the fire pit closing out the night with this wine & the great group of clients we entertained. First time tasting this vintage with my wife Sofia. Photos of; the Special Select vineyard, estate grounds, beautiful Caymus fruit and the legendary Chuck Wagner-Owner & Winemaker. Another recent pristine bottle from my friend Alex @ "No Limit Wines." — 9 years ago

Gyzylgul Soyunova

10

My favorite one so far❤️ — 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.5

1958 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino: from Jay. This was the Ying to the Mascarello's Yang. Lovely rich ruby colour with virtually no bricking on the edge. The nose developed over the course of 15 to 20 mins in the glass. Unlike the Mascarello that was shedding perfume from the moment it hit the glass, the Monfortino needed more air before becoming less brooding. Dark fruits on the nose. Purple plums, black cherries, some forest floor, light tobacco as well as some floral elements prevailed. The palette was a reflection of the nose so no surprises. The fruit was far from dried out and this particular bottle still had plenty of life left in it but from my recent experience this is the exception rather than the rule. I have had around 10 bottles of old Monfortino ('55 / '58 / and '61) over the last year and the bottle variation, as you would expect, is tremendous with the majority of them past their prime. The finish was strong and in keeping with the rest of the package with reasonable length and quality. Drink now. 95/100.

— 11 years ago

Jeffrey Lew

9.8

We went 2/2 tonight. This bottle was a testament to perfect storage. Cork was perfect, and the wine was dark ruby with ever so slight bricking at the rim. Awesome. More approachable than the 90 and makes you wanna curl up with it for a long time. Better than the bottle I had at the Montrose vertical a month ago. Blind I would guess 10 yrs newer. For this price point and quality it's a must add. Edged out the Margaux. — 11 years ago

Davis Smith

Sommelier Acquerello

10

One of the great wines of my life this far. I was tasting this 10 minutes after it was gone. My mom's birth year too so it's extra special — 13 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.5

Renegade Wine dinner series at Rebelle NYC presented by sommelier Patrick Cappiello. Focus was on Cab Franc: 15 wines paired with 5 courses. Posting a few favorites.

This was WOTN for me. First thing I noticed - and could hardly believe - was how bright red the wine still was being 38 years old. There was some funk on the nose but a ton of fruit as well. The fruit stood out on the palate - and the wine had a brightness to it I couldn't believe. Flavors of raspberries and gravel and still had a great acidity. The somm did note that there is a lot of bottle variation. He opened the same vintage recently and it was all mushrooms and little fruit - so he felt his bottle was a little atypical. But that worked for me. Paired well with Comte. — 9 years ago

Matt Brock

9.3

Brought out the good stuff for V-Day. Aerated and decanted this bottle of beast for over an hour. Intensely rich fruit, rounded out by tannins that have clearly softened given the age of this wine. So rare to experience a bottle of this magnitude. The first few sips have been absolute heaven, and the balance will surely get better. — 9 years ago

with Jennifer

Jacob Robinson

9.8

One of the best I've had so far, smooth, full bodied, an favorite. — 10 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

Ok what we have here is the 2011 which I found cleaning out my cellar so I decided to try a flight for thanksgiving. 11 to 13. From the color these wines are indistinguishable. On the nose they all have the same herbal notes. The 11 has thyme and raspberry it's now very elegant and will be awesome with the meal. These wines however taste unique and are not for everyone. Very style consistent through the vintages. The 12 has more strawberry notes and has a bigger mouth feel. The 13 has cherry notes or Kirsch it is my favorite and the best in my book. The rating is for the 2011. I would NOT recommend to age these wines. Drink NOW. Change! 11 now open for 7 days no oxidation better now! I adjusted the rating up. — 10 years ago

Bryan Garcia

Sales Grand Cru Selections

9.2

So much 🐴🍂✏️🚬 ! Nice to have an "off vintage" in pristine condition. Far from a blockbuster but delicious, soft, and very easy to drink. #birthyear — 11 years ago

Claudia Garza

10

2005 Dunn Howell Mountain Cab! Funky and delicious! My all time fav Cab so far. Full bodied. — 11 years ago

Charles Schneider

9.1

2 for 2, so far. Really overachieving. — 13 years ago

Mark Grammer

9.3

Nose had some funk with leather, mineral and a hint of red liquorice. Evolved nicely with fruit coming out after an hour or so. Blackberry, blueberry were present after the earthy start. — 9 years ago

Bill Bender

9.2

This showed far better than I was expecting. My new associate brought it and it paired well with my surf and turf 🐮🦂 tannic but not overly so. Dark blue/black fruits. Tar, cherry, oak shavings. It paled in comparison to the magnificent Nine Suns but it impressed vs expectations. — 9 years ago

Alex Slutzky

9.0

$13
BEST WINE SO FAR 2/12/16 — 10 years ago

Steve Jette

9.9

Amazing. Best Cab I've had so far. Very full body. — 11 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

Miguel de Leon

Service Director/Wine Educator Casa Mono

9.4

Shockingly accessible out of the gate. Almost at the end of the bell curve, though; give it another year or so and then it's lay down time for Valbuena. — 11 years ago

with Casa

Jenna Congdon

Sales Wine Wise/The Vienna Wine Co.

10

fave pink of the season so far — 12 years ago