Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

Plenty of tannins left. 25bucks. Those were the days! 14%| Quite classic. Browne tinge. Needs at least 2-3 hours of air. Quite harsh and astringent. Roses, earthy and dusty, very dry. Hint of truffles. - Not super exciting at first (15min) so wait. Will last another 10 years - but i do worry about the fruit component if you need space in your cellar - i would suggest drink up. I will. Some folks tend to hype these wines i don’t - after all this is their most basic version with a large production volume. Total volume is 500,000 bottles a year at this cooperative. My guess they to make a lot of this one. — 7 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (91.3%) and Merlot (8.7%). A bit tight and unexpressive right out of the bottle. After a 45 minute decant, this wine was awake and very alive. Dark ruby color. Aromas of graphite, forest floor, wet gravel and dark black fruit. Flavors of black currant/cherry/berry/plum, tobacco, baking spices, dark chocolate and minerals. Distinct notes of smoky oak and wet earth on the long and lingering finish. Tannins were a bit lighter than expected at first but developed with aeration. Quite savory, rich, full bodied and powerful. Beautiful texture. Exceptional (once it opened up) but not the bottle of near perfection that I had heard so much about. Thanks for sharing, Petey and Happy Birthday, Kase! — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby . This seems a bit more advanced . This is a bit harder and more structured on the palate , more tannin , less velvety and a bit more astringent . More spicy , drier on the palate . This needed more time to open . This was quite difficult to judge , I wasn’t 100% convinced about this bottle as it just seemed a little oxidative, however it did actually seemed to come together better after an hour or so , but still quite hard and astringent in comparison to the others (especially La Mission) . Showed a touch more mineral and grafite on the finish too after a while. This needed time , and I would imagine another bottle might tell a different story . — a year ago

Conrad Green

9.8

A treat. Dark in color, slightly cloudy. A powerful nose with dark, very mouton fruit. Incredibly aromatic, blackcurrant, mint,graphite, dried herbs, eucalyptus. The palate is extraordinary. So dense and powerful for a wine of almost 70 years. Dark fruit with a savory undertow- leather, thyme, sour cherry, dark chocolate. Really precise flavors and long. After an hour or two in glass there’s notes of coconut and soft wood. Extraordinary. Clearly there’s a lot of age on this but the sheer quality makes for a really dynamic wine. An exceptional bottle, and a teal treat. — 7 years ago

with Howard, Tony and 1 other

Chris England

9.6

This may be the smoothest Hermitage I've had @ £83 it's like a pig rolling in velvet 🐷 so smooooth 😍 Great now but 97+ over next 5-20yrs 😎

🍷 Ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Cloves, Olives, thyme & piggy 💩 through blackberry w/ touch of liquorice & minerals

👄 Med+ body incredibly super smooth olive tapenade, blackberry & dark cherry - surprisingly well balanced @ this age 👍

🎯 Long dark fruit & olive pure silk finish — 9 years ago

Kristi Lynn

10

Funny story, we ordered the bottle of wine on the line after this bottle on the menu. The waiter brought this bottle as a mistake which we found out was listed as a $485 bottle of wine! We took one sip and knew that it was too good to be true. Come to find out that this is one of the first super tuscan wines ever made. Even though management took the bottle from our table as soon as it was realized, that was the luckiest and most delicious mistake that's ever happened to us. — 9 years ago

Pierre Arneaux

9.2

Wow. More flavor, much better than their regular cab. Silky, velvet, smooth. Chocolate. Rich fruit. Big, full flavor, lots of flavor. Not old world style for sure, not subtle. It's a big bomb. We would pay up to $75 for this so a bit overpriced to us.
— 10 years ago

B

10

Magnum 1998 Cheval Blanc. Third red for dinner at the house w B&K K, J&L B, and M&R H and BP. Awesome! So much fun to try this Bordeaux after the 2002 Domaine des Lambrays burgundy. This wine felt young, even though older than the Lambrays. A bit tight at first, despite decanting a few hours. Fun contrast of round vegetal and green noted, stronger tannins. Such a treat. Probably the fave of the night. — 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! — 10 years ago

Josh Betz

9.9

The 2006 was worth waiting for. Harlan is such an incredible@experience The earthy and softness of this wine yet so complex and incredible. Happy anniversary to my bride and celebrating 26 years together. — 7 months ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.6

Wow. What a deep and complex story here. Very serious and austere, as usual. But this guy is gonna reveal so much interesting aroma with some evolution. — 8 months ago

Paul J

9.3

This wine is so inconsistent it’s annoying!!

1hr+ decant. Dark red, dark maroon color with slight bricking. Caramel, alcohol, absinthe, and cedar on the nose. Fruit is more prevalent on the palate and very deep wine. Finish is okay with some tea elements.

Not my style, but I’m sure some love it. — 9 months ago

with Brooke

Brian J.

8.9

At almost 15 years old, this baby was about to retire so we decided to finally open it for Christmas dinner. Still that classic Silver oak fruit. Nice velvety texture. — 6 years ago

Chris MacLean

9.4

Thanks again to @Francesco Petroli for bringing this ringer! Too young but so great anyway. — 8 years ago

with Federico, Sarah and 3 others

Bret Barker

9.6

This is a gem, deep purple in color with red and dark fruit. The hints of vanilla came really came across. Smooth as silk and for being so young it wasn’t overly tannic- very surprised. — 8 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.0

Showing the best of this tasting so far. Lots of green vine though. I'd like to see riper, less-green fruit. — 9 years ago

Scott C

Founder / Co-director SR Wine imports

9.7

Golden nectar , would love to come back to this in a few years . So long and dreamlike — 9 years ago

Deni

9.4

Absolutely amazing. Lots of good brett. Balanced and delicious. Great dark fruit aromas and flavors. So smooth. Medium high tannins and acidity. Perfect silky texture. A little funk on the nose and palate (positive). Aroma and flavors are out of this world. Leather bag full of cherries and raspberries. Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carmenere. Complex. Delicious 13.5% abv — 9 years ago

Jimmy Hayes

Estate Director Mayacamas Vineyard

9.6

This was explosive. So fresh but so concentrated. Brioche, hazelnut, toasted meringue. Powerful, wine. Really stopped me in my tracks. #tdc — 10 years ago

Emily Hauptman

10

Loved this wine!! So smooth!! — 11 years ago

Rachael Ryan

Sommelier Quince Restaurant

9.5

Why is this wine so good? Fantastic value. Wondering why there isn't more Gamay in the US. — 11 years ago

Doug Powers

9.2

From a Napa vintage that I recall as being so-so, this wine shows the Howell Mountain terroir without the normally harsh tannins that were characteristic of Dunn HM wines in the 1980s. But, honestly, this is really lovely, suave, red fruited, with a medium-long finish, and seems way younger than I expected from a 37-year-old Napa Cabernet!! — 8 months ago

with Jim

Kevin Kaley

9.1

2021 vintage. A great red blend, a little harsh upon opening but with some time was smooth and full bodied. Picked this up at Buc-ee's for $20. Only had 2 so took both. Wishing they had more.... — 8 months ago

Brandon Boesch

9.6

Wow! So glad I bought a bottle of this. Funky on opening. After 2 hours it is so good. Violets, roses, cherry, baking spice is in background, there’s an earth/herbal component I cannot pinpoint. It is so drinkable but evolves with almost every sip. Need more Pinots like this in my life. — 9 months ago

Vanessa

9.3

Celebrating our completion of the WSET Level 3 exam today!

It was a labor of love. Results won’t be released for several months, but, hey, we poured ourselves into this prep and so wine not celebrate the milestone of getting ‘er done!

Cheers @win_tries_wine @deked1 — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Greg

9.5

Enjoyed this stunning 1995 with a perfect steak meal. So glad I still have a few more on the shelf! — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

When it comes to my B-day, there is only one fit, an old Pichon Lalande with my Ribeye. As a lover of Bordeaux, these two are my favorite pairing. It’s a very slow walk to the finishline. A small bite of steak and a sip of 89 Pichon Lalande. Then, repeat until finished. I had some concerns about this bottle. A slightly slippery and crumbling cork. The first sip was not bad, but not what you want or are expecting. After some time in the decanter, it really started to shine. On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral cassis, blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The body is full, round and silky. Tannins are well resolved at around 80%. The texture, length, tension and length are in a sweet spot. The fruits are ripe, ruby & expressively floral. Blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The acidity is just a little off but still nice. The finish is divided nearly equally in fruit, earth, florals and herbaceous. It’s very enjoyable but falls just a little short in longer, lingering length. This bottle had good storage, not great. Even so, still has another three to five years ahead. A bottle with excellent storage has another five years beyond this one. Photos of; the backside of Pichon Lalande, angled terrace view of their vines right next to Latour, my steak & twice baked potato (so good) and CEO Nicolas Glumineau. — 8 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.4

This is ridiculous. Most interesting rose I've ever had. Nose is yeasty, earthy, minerally, so ripe and sappy. I could sniff this for hours. Way more depth of flavor than even good roses too: it's like sending a perfectly extracted Pinot red to a custom car shop to make into an awesome wine you can serve chilled. Terrific length and freshness. Dang! @Lyle Fass better get some more of this! (Oh, and another thing. I had to decant it because it threw a pant load of sediment . . . which is a GOOD thing!) — 9 years ago

with Lyle

Tim O'Rourke

9.6

What? So good. All the olive and pepper and leather that you would expect and plenty of game and mushroom as well. I don't suppose I'll have another chance to taste this, so I'll have to rely on memory of something so delicious. — 10 years ago

Francis Plante

9.4

Wow - you know I had my biggest wine disappointment with a 1998 Beaucastel and this 2005 brings me back on why i pay so much for Grenache. It was an amazing experience and it is still so very young. I unfortunately broke my decanter with this wine but it was worth it. I am glad i still have 2 in my cellar. See you in 6 years brother. — 11 years ago