Pooneet K

9.2

Not sure I’ve had any other 2006 Bordeaux but decided to pull this to give it a go at nearly 20 years of age. Nice wine but perhaps not one that justifies the price point. At first quite tight, but after a 5 hour decant this really comes into its own. Lots of leather and dark blue and black fruit. Oak is really only apparent in structure now. Great acid. 13% which is nicely balanced. — 4 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

I think if you read this nonsense I post, you know how I feel about this producer, past & present. This 07 is outstanding & top of its bell curve. It is so good to revisit these great vintages of Caymus Classic.

This is fresher than the 97. It is rich/lush, cassis to currents, ripe, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries & strawberries. Dark chocolate, mocha, classic, beautiful, Caymus Classic spice that I miss dearly in their new wines, black licorice, fudge, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg & vanillin, most top soil, limestone, dry herbs, dry tobacco, barrel shavings, taut leather, volcanic grey clay, dark, fresh & slightly withering flowers, violets, beautiful round acidity, balance, structure, nice tension and elegant finish that last minutes and falls on spice and evoluted earth tones.

This bottle is in fine shape. Still strong and will last another 10 years of fine drinking. Phenomenal vintage and time to enjoy. — 6 months ago

Lawrence Bernstein

9.0

5/25 with Howard. Lotsa power. Hard edged at first with lots of structure. Mellowed beautifully. Complex. Became port like. 90 — 7 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

Vintage 2008 | 17 years, great drinking but also potential to ripen further. Real Pauillac character: strong wine with good structure, cherries and mint. — 8 months ago

Shay A

9.3

(Two previous 1983 vintage wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from CT).

My experiences with 1983s has been fairly positive, and this PL certainly is among the better I’ve had from the vintage. Holding color nicely with deep ruby and slight bricking around the rim. Started off a bit dense and muddled, but hit stride about 30mins later with a mix of red and black berry fruit, cassis, a streak of herbal green down the middle (something I always get with PL). Excellent example of the fruit showing lots of flavor without being overly ripe. Leather, sweet pipe tobacco, graphite, and still some vibrancy at the finish with tannin structure. Clean and elegant at this stage. Showed well over the course of two hours. Drink up and enjoy. — 10 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

Always and forever one of my absolute favorite wines. 07 Reynard from the master showed just as well as the bottle I had in February. It’s deep, powerful and has a searing intensity. It’s layered with dark fruit, campfire smoke, olive tapenade, violets and a crushed rock minerality. There is superb concentration along with a firm tannic structure that is beginning to soften. It’s exceptionally well balanced and detailed with a palate saturating texture and a harmonious finish that goes on and on. An outstanding Reynard. — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago

Her Mir Tage

9.0

First Time Trying "Calon Segur" 1995 – Tasting Notes

Background:
- Wine:Château Calon-Ségur 1995 (Third Growth, Saint-Estèphe)
- Blend:Bordeaux Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot)

Tasting Notes
Appearance
- Color:Ruby-red with a "pigeon blood" hue, still vibrant for its age.

Nose (Aroma)
- Initially:Tight and powerful upon opening, dominated by cedar, oak, and smoky notes, with subtle earthy undertones. Fruit and floral aromas were restrained.
- After 30 mins of decanting:Began to open up—blackcurrant, raspberry, and a savory, almost "natural wine" minerality emerged.
- After 1 hour:Evolved further with liquorice, dark chocolate, and a touch of tobacco.

Palate (Taste)
- Tannins: Softened nicely but still present (typical of aged Bordeaux).
- Acidity:Noticeably high, giving freshness but slightly dominant early on.
- Flavor Profile:Balanced but not overly complex—black fruits, earthy notes, and oak spices in harmony.

Structure & Finish
- Body:Medium-full, elegant but not heavy.
- Finish:Moderate length, ending with lingering cedar and dark fruit.

Impressions & Comparisons
- Balance:Very well-integrated—no single element overpowers (aroma, flavor, acidity all upper-medium tier).
- Lacking Distinction? In a blind tasting of Bordeaux, this might blend in—no standout "wow" factor(e.g., missing the rose petal florality sometimes associated with "Calon’s romantic charm"). — 5 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Decant for sediment (lots of chunky/fine sediment) and pour. A stunning medium ruby red color with little signs of aging. On the nose: big inviting notes of dark fruit/currants, worn leather, herbaceous, smoked meat, funky earth, menthol. Taste: silky, evolved, expressive structure with brambly plum, currants, old leather, dark chocolate, graphite, and a black raspberry-iron-dried herb long finish. YUM! It's what's you want in an aged Napa cab, and glad to have just acquired 3 more bottles. — 7 months ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.3

Decanted about an hour in advance and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2022 Cuvée Réservée pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe and tart bramble fruits: blackberries, Marionberries, raspberries, “Oops All Berries!!”, garrigue, red and purple flowers, black pepper, licorice, a balance of cool and warm spices, river rock. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from nose; particularly the power and quality of fruit. The finish is long. Early days for the 2022 Cuvée Réservée but holy smokes is it already pretty special. The ABV is a scorching 16% but you would never know it. The power and freshness of fruit with the titanic structure keep everything in balance. Drink now through 2042. — 9 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark scarlet color with translucent light reddish rims. Old wine nose. Notes of black and red fruit, gravel, barnyard floor, old leather and some old desk wood. Fruit is a bit faded but this has plenty of life with decent acidity and a nice structure. Got better with air and opened up nicely. Better than the last bottle of this lot, despite being a more ragged looking bottle. — 4 years ago

Scott Kahn

9.1

A surprisingly nice mouthful, with nice oak to support the structure of the fruit. The vintage lacks the power of many Palmers albeit the wine is a very nice complement to any meal. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This needed a couple of hours decant to shed some of its tannin structure & open to show mostly black fruits, spice, earth, leather, pepper & tobacco — 5 months ago

Nathan Renfro

9.4

Always prefer the Howell Mountain, but the Dunn Napa Valley I consider to be a great value, especially at the price these were a few years ago. Great fruit - black and red, minerality, graphite, pencil shavings, black licorice, great structure, nice finish. Solid all around and very nice for a ‘17. — 6 months ago

Shay A

9.4

My contribution to a large Rhône dinner. Standouts were ‘07 Chapoutier Le Meal Blanc, ‘89 and ‘90 Jaboulet La Chappelle, ‘11 Guigal La Mouline.

An over-generalization, but what I love about Cornas is the rusticity and sometimes feral nature of the wines (which I don’t find in Hermitage or CR) and this ‘05 is in that vein. I followed this from pop (after all, we are at the almost 20yr mark) and over the course of three hours.

Interplay of red and black berry fruits, black pepper, slightly herbal (maybe closer to potpurri floral) aromatically. Bright and nimble on the palate, nothing about this is ripe or soft. Energetic acidity all the way through surrounded by notes of iron (sanguine-like) and rocky minerality. Crunchy red and black fruits (whole-cluster?), hint of gaminess but not in the meaty-style I semi-expected. Clean and pure style of Syrah. Big structure at the finish…hard to imagine drinking this 10+yrs ago. Acidity and tannin will carry this a long time, but I think this is peak window for getting depth of fruit and complexity. — 7 months ago

Jason Keefer

9.3

Delicious and zippy, nice contrast of juicy red fruits and earthy, vegetal notes. Drinking great now and has a lot of structure for staying power! — 8 months ago

with Natasha

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

Seems almost a shame to rate this as it was just too young. There is a massive structure here with wild tannins than need at least a few more years for this wine to start fulfilling its potential. One for the back of your cellar to forget about — 3 years ago

Cameron Hoppas

9.6

Delicious and elegant. This wine was remarkable. I tasted it blind and had trouble placing it because it's structure and aromatic complexity didn't match with my fruit driven expectation of gamay. I've been drinking discount bojo. This was phenom. — 5 years ago

Bill Mowry

9.3

Dark berries that are the perfect balance between tart and sweet, structure that expands on the pallet as you swallow — 5 years ago