Paul K

9.1

Think it’ll get better in a few years. — 8 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.
— 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

I am more and more convinced that the wines from Chateau La Vieille Cure are made for the pleasure of those who truly love old school Bordeaux. There is absolute nothing modern about them. Dark currants, earth, pencil shavings, olive tapenade, and mushrooms. About as rustic as they come. Tannins are well integrated but the structure is holding fast. While I think it’s safe to say that the 2005 has entered its gradual, graceful decline, I have no doubt in my mind this will deliver the goods for at least a decade. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

BBQ & Zin night!

This surprised me. The fruit here wasn’t as sweet as expected. Black peppercorn spice and tart black cherry pie. I think this is actually young and could go quite the distance. — 7 years ago

with Dan, Clare and 1 other

Randy Fuller

9.8

I love smelling the wines of Randall Grahm. He makes savory walk and talk and jump through hoops. This wine, the 30th anniversary vintage of Cigare, brings it home like it always does. It shows a medium dark color in the glass and on the nose. There is cassis and licorice, but the savory notes carry the load. Black olive is the first smell I get, followed by a bit of tar and a whiff of smoke. Cigar box, leather and bacon fat finish out a complex aroma package. The palate is delicious as always. Grahm says the ‘13 is “less muscular” than the ‘12, but I think there's more to it. This Cigare drinks with the weight and elegance of a Pinot Noir. Black fruit is forward, while more savory aspects of sage and mint come in to join it. The tannins are gentle, the acidity fresh and the finish long. — 8 years ago

Bret Barker

9.2

One of the first bottles I bought when I started collecting. Sat in the back of my closet for 6 months- that was my wine locker back then! Huge fan of this producer. Don’t get sucked into epic vintages solid producers make great wine in any vintage. 01 wasn’t anything to write home about but when you drink this, you think otherwise. — 8 years ago

Ronald LaMascus

9.2

As good as advertised! The nose permeates the air immediately upon uncorking! And what a nose it is! The ripe fruits just burst out of the bottle before you finish pouring the first few ounces. Full bodied, great mouthfeel, mild tannins but enough to think it could age a bit very nicely. But, why wait when it’s drinking so well already. Even though it sells in the $65-70 range nationally, my local wine store has it for under $40 which makes it quite the bargain. Will definitely be stocking up!! — 9 months ago

David Walser

9.3

Thanksgiving dinner at our friends house in St Helena. Has aged beautifully at 10 years. I don’t think it will get any better. — 4 years ago

Conrad Green

9.6

The first opened of these. Deep and sexy on the nose. Deep plum fruit with an inky saline middle. Violets at the edges and then a lovely fresh finish. This is really good stuff. A little young but showing a lot now. In a decade I think this will be amazing. — 5 years ago

with Bex and Matt

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

Victor Hwang

9.2

88 mouton with Keith harding art work. The nose upon opening was sublime. As it decanted and opened, it was a bit disjointed. Has a lot of potential but at this age I think it’s not going to come together. The nose weakened, and the body to finish is a bit jarred. — 7 years ago

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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

Jody Scharf

10

Musty basement. Loved it. History. Not many around. Like 10 bottles I think. — 8 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Deep ruby garnet , thin garnet rim . Just beginning to show some development, with grafite tinged , pipe tobacco, cassis , spicy herbal hints and oyster shell notes. On the palate this still comes across as very young , dark cassis , blackcurrant fruit and a very long , detailed mineral and saline length. Sweet but grippy tannin , and fresh acidity. Tobacco and oyster shell return on the long finish . Needs time but has a great future . Come back in 5 -10 years , will last well a further 25 . Apologies for the silly stock photo , don’t think I took one having been so excited by both the 2016 and 2010. A huge , vast improvement on the rather chunky , forced and flat 2009 had at Vinous Icons Miami in Nov 2024. At Vinous Icons NY , Pier 60 , Feb 2025. — 10 months ago

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9.3

The 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a vintage that I have not tasted for a number of years. Matured in two-thirds new oak, it has an open and expressive bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, estuarine scents, touches of liquorice emerging with time. It is higher-toned than the 1995 with iodine evolving with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, fresh acidity, quite sweet in the mouth and maybe like the 1995, just missing that complexity and terroir expression that I think has defined recent vintages from this estate. Maybe it is slightly compromised by some Merlot (25%) that was picked a but later, but still, there is a lot of pleasure to be found in this 1996. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2022)
— 4 years ago

Jim Nelson

9.5

Amazing Early California style, before things got big. We couldn’t believe, I can’t believe, this wine is 46. (1974!) I don’t think many Californians were as Bordeaux-y as this, or as age-worthy as this, back then. — 6 years ago

with Camille

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. — 7 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

Bill Bender

9.3

After a spirited tussle between myself and the Durand vs a dry and crumbly cork I was able to double decant this and segregate away the remnants of floating debris. I was immediately struck by the bouquet which was unmistakably borne from Cabernet Franc (and I believe this blend is less than 10%). It was a positive sign. The wine is completely intact and boasts ample fruit albeit waning acidity. Simple Concord grape, bruised black plum and sweet oak flavors are holding on 2 hours in. This has some time left, but not much. This is a testament to Opus One quality in the early days (I believe this was the 3rd or 4th vintage) and while I think the ‘87-‘97 era was their best, this is an profound example of an exemplary wine at age 37! — 8 years ago