Kai Mildenberger

9.8

Absolutely amazing. Perfect in every way I can think of. I will remember this one, what an absolute joy! — 5 months ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.2

We think something has changed at Montrose after the departure of Jean Bernard Delmas. Its not a bad wine by any means but the style is modern and extracted. At ten years this ie very drinkable and great quality but does not speak to its terroir as it used to. Hope its just one year… — 7 months ago

with Jose, veronique and 1 other

David Rein

9.2

92 is rating ws and many others are giving it and I think that is right on the mark. It’s really gets meaty and a little more peppery the longer it breathes. The bouquet in the glass when it’s nearly empty is remarkably wonderful. Very enjoyable vintage. — 4 years ago

Joe Weinberger

9.1

Cuvée N - Lapierre’s non-sulphured Morgon. The 2019 vintage is very accessible now, but I think could give even more pleasure with some short to medium term aging. Lapierre certainly has a “house style” and this fits squarely into a similar structure as past vintages. The fruit is very high toned (almost verging on VA territory), and there is ample acidity that should carry this wine for years to come. — 5 years ago

Shawn R

9.4

From a mag and what a offering. I think drinking at it apex right now. Excellent. — 6 years ago

with David

Meg Herring

9.1

Got so much better after it was open for several hours. Starting to show some aged characteristics. I think you could hold it longer but personally I think it’s great right now. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago

Michael Walker

9.8

This might be OTH at this point - nose is great, full of fruit, but the palate comes up short and a bit wooden. I think this is part of the batch that froze in the garage at Verona - might have something to do with it — 6 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Flight 2 , wine 1 . Quite deep garnet , less terracotta rim . This had a whiff of oxidation about it at first which seemed to somewhat dissipate with time . Some dark spiced fruits , liquorice and menthol hints , cedar and sous bois . On the palate good ripeness and spiced dark cherry hints . Good acidity and rounded tannin . Nice length also , offering some spiced black fruits and menthol hints . Don’t think this is a pristine bottle but was enjoyable none the less , I was unsure at first if this was Napa , but coming back to it … and reading my notes , it became quite obvious . However I had this down as the Ch Montelena , not the Dominus — 8 months ago

Paul H

9.4

When they say bring your A game you can think of this bottle. This is an amazing glass of wine. It benefits from decanting for a good bit. Upon opening I thought of dusty plum and cedar on the nose. Tasting brought plum, currant, blackberries, vintage leather plus an array of other items indicative of this style of big wine. There is a good mix of tannins and acid that makes this a classic great glass of wine. I want to try it again in a few years to see how much better it may get. — 4 years ago

Ron R

9.1

We really wanted to love this, but alas, we think that around 2012 was when Caymus decided to focus on an à la carte presentation, which makes for quite a shallow encounter.
They have tapped into the logic of the Skinner box operant conditioning. We humanoids press a lever (in this case pull a cork), and a one-night-stand promptly arrives in our glass. Us peeps tend to follow the crowd (I present myself as exhibit A), but when you taste this, it makes a splash, but flatters to deceive.
— 5 years ago

with Anne-marie

Pete Tulyathan

9.6

Deep dense Ruby in color with a tinge of garnet at the rim. The 14% Merlot is hardly recognizable when I took a whiff, with the 85% Cabernet clearly dominating the nose, but in a sort of mellow, tantalizing kind of way. The outstanding scent was the strong scent of pencil shavings, indicating high minerality. After a couple hours, I picked up a scent of cured leather, damp earth and old leaves that are quite persistent. I think all that new oak is quite well integrated now. A sip of the Mouton '05 left a sense of a lush and silky black fruit texture. There was a hint of chocolate in the second layer. The tannin level was just right. The acidity has already started to mellow down. The aftertaste lasted three full minutes. This wine is now in the early stage of it's drinking window. Mouton '05 is powerful and fund to drink, yet a very complex and elegant wine. Worthy of above 95 scores. — 6 years ago

Justin Wade

8.9

Not bad, only a little bit sweet. Good mouth feel and flavor. — 7 years ago

with Matt and Camilla

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2021 vintage. Pleasant throughout and hit plenty of notes without screeching. The KB style has changed in the last few years. Gone are the mega-extracted pinots altho those are still around and holding up in the cellars/secondary market. Those older wines were a 10 on the volume scale. The last few vintages are closer to a 5. That said, this should hold up and develop nicely for a decade+ without issues. Those that don't think you can drink CA pinot noir over 4-5 years old are in for quite the surprise with quality producers. 04.18.25. — 6 months ago

Paul K

9.1

Glad I picked up a bunch of these from Costco a few years ago. Great value! Looking forward to enjoying for the next few years. Don’t think this is a long term lay down but over next five years a great mid week bottle. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.3

N: Marzipan, Oranges, almonds, verging on sherry, petrol.
P: weirdly fresh as a daisy, bright, you can sense the long time in American oak, but it has no weight. All this from the “ lesser” vineyard of Gravonia.
A wine to think and drink.
— 3 years ago

Ed Tostanoski

9.2

Not as great as the 85s but still deliciously earthy. I don’t think more time would have helped this one. — 5 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Very grassy. Key lime pie, green apple, and a load of primary yeast flavor. This is beautifully balanced and I think it will benefit from some time in bottle. Disgorged 2019 — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured out of a 1.5L and this was lights out good. I love the 2005 vintage in Barbaresco and this was a beautiful example and seemed to have so much left in the tank! The fruit was still bright and full of life. Tannins are still firm. Great acid for food and paired beautifully with frutta di mare fra diavolo. Secondary characteristics are just barely creeping into the fore. Wish I had another mag to drink in 2029. — 6 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.5

Rather suddenly, and without much explanation, Bordeaux found itself in the middle of my crosshairs as being the next place I wanted to conduct a deep dive in. With this shift in my general attention from New World to Old World I began to do more research on the various appellations, prominent chateaus, and nuances of Left Bank and Right Bank, as well as compile a spreadsheet highlighting specific bottles I wanted to seek out. For a reason unbeknownst to me, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was the producer I wanted to start my deep dive with. I researched the history of the chateaux, learned about their wines, priced out vintages that were immediately available for my acquisition, and added it to my Bordeaux spreadsheet, waiting for the time to pull the trigger and purchase a bottle (or two) to start the trek with. As far as wines are concerned it was all I could think about: Ducru-Beaucaillou. Apparently, the mere act of researching a chateau left me beguiled, craving a wine I had never even had before! With all of this research in mind I’ve learned over the years that as much as I thoroughly enjoy researching and trying wine, it’s certainly more enjoyable to share the knowledge and the experiences with others. Enter @codyuzzel, who has heard more than his fair share of my wine ramblings over the years. One day we began discussing Bordeaux, Left Bank v. Right bank, and changes in our thought patterns about the region over the years, which eventually lead him to asking the million-dollar question: Are there any producers you’ve highlighted that you’re particularly interested in? I told him that Ducru-Beaucaillou was in my crosshairs, along with a handful of other producers that I’d explore once I’d tried Ducru. That’s when he texted me the picture; a picture of him holding a glorious bottle of 2012 Ducru-Beaucaillou. “I took this pic before we started this conversation.” Given the serendipitous nature of this occurrence he extended an invitation to pop the cork upon our next meeting, which is interesting in and of itself given that I had been thinking about visiting him at the wine bar just earlier that day. It’s moments like these that truly make the wine journey a sweet and rewarding one. Thanks, Cody, for your generosity and epic invitations.
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Anise, graphite, plums, and blackberries. Very polished and very delicious. — 7 years ago

with Cody