12/17/2020 - woofy Likes this wine:

You need to give this wine about 20 minutes in the glass to open up. Be patient and you will be rewarded with a lovely wine...classic Margaux.

11/18/2020 - woofy Likes this wine:

We had this wine with friends. We were all disappointed. The wine was flat, fruit struggled, tannins were okay. A $25 bottle of wine would have been better.

6/26/2019 - woofy wrote:

I was disappointed with this wine. It was rough, tannic, fruit seemed the be gone. I think it is over-rated.

1/9/2019 - woofy wrote:

This wine is beginning to struggle. The fruit is flat, though the tannins are largely gone. It's time to drink up and not hold this any longer.

8/12/2018 - woofy Likes this wine:

This bottle is much better than the previous one. It is more in keeping with the tasting at Shafer. The sweetness is subdued, and the wine more refined. Dramatically different than d'Yquem, which I use as a standard, but still enjoyable.

7/5/2018 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful wine. Great depth, nose, color, straight from opening. We had it with chicken and steamed veggies...just perfect.

5/17/2018 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful table wine, or better. Nice berries on opening, soft tannins, ready to drink now; no need to wait on this one. Enjoy is now, and into the short to medium term future.

4/28/2018 - woofy Likes this wine:

Berries Galore! This wine is fabulous. It starts immediately with cherries, and more cherries, and then expands to blue, black, boysenberry and more. Just fantastic. This will be tough to cellar for long, it’s so good.

11/24/2017 - woofy wrote:

This is fantastic! True wine bliss.

5/6/2017 - woofy wrote:

I was more excited at the winery when I tasted it than now. It reminds me of Sweet Passover wine than dessert wine in the realm of Vintage Port.

4/1/2017 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine becomes a wow after 30 minutes. Just fantastic. Don't delay in drinking this. It's just heavenly.

4/15/2016 - woofy Likes this wine:

A big wow!

3/9/2016 - woofy Likes this wine:

Just received this from the winery. After about ten minutes breathing, this wine became very nice, a pleasure to drink. I expected more fruit forward, but this wasn't the case. Almost classic Bordeaux style. I expect it will age just as nicely as other Montelena Estate Cabs.

12/20/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a light-sweet Riesling, drinking quite well. Those who suggested that it is past is prime may be mistaken. We had it with afternoon cheese, Pecorino Gigante (from Eataly, NYC) and Cremeau de Borgogne (from Murry's Cheese)...both cheeses strong in flavor, and the wine was perfect to balance the taste. For us, this was delightful.

5/30/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

Wow, wow...what a fantastic bottle of wine. It didn't need any time to breathe. We brought this bottle to a BYOB Japanese BBQ restaurant, Futagu, which just opened on West 17th Street, NYC. They didn't have a liquor license yet, and we were so thrilled to have an opportunity to try this wine with four styles of beef including Kobe Wagyu, Black Wagyu, along with Kimchi, cold noodles...it went great with everything. If you have this wine, then wine life doesn't get better.

5/22/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine is still drinking fine. Nice bouquet, soft tannins, an enjoyable wine. We had it with Grilled Lamb Chops and steamed spinach...went perfect.

4/8/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

A fantastic wine. Great bouquet, tannins gone, so smooth. It was so good, that for our dinner party, three bottles went down over three hours. We all loved it. Perfect with grilled lamb and veal, steamed veggies, salad and pasta.

4/3/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

We finally opened this bottle tonight. Was it worth the wait...maybe. But we have had better. It was good, but not great. We should have opened it years ago. One hour breathing in a decanter and the tannins were soft, the fruit remained, bouquet was okay. We had it with a lamb shank, steamed beets, and other holiday treats. It was our last '86.

4/3/2015 - woofy wrote:

This wine is just okay. I am disappointed. Tannins a bit sharp, fruit is negligible, it's like a "see thru" Pinot in the glass. It's definitely drinkable, and maybe my expectations were too high.

3/29/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

A nice Cabernet. Very deep, dark in the glass, bouquet somewhat missing. Still a bit tough on the tannins, but a very nice wine to enjoy while reading the Sunday papers.

3/29/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

Fantastic! This is Margaux at a great point, ten years old. No need for extensive breathing, it came out of the bottle perfect. Great bouquet, fruit, no tannins, lovely in the glass...what a pleasure. We had it with a grilled boneless rib eye, steamed baby beets, and fresh salad of tomato, cucumber, fennel, and dill. This is what life is about.

3/26/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

We loved this wine. It came out roaring with fabulous fruit, great bouquet, deep, dark purple; what a pleasure. We had this with a light pasta from Eataly, with fresh tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and grated Parmesan. Fantastic. This is a wine to enjoy.

3/24/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine comes out of the bottle quite muddy, so with a mesh screen, a slow pour, a bit of patience, it is a pleasant experience. The wine is deep, dark, but fruity, light tannins, an absolute pleasure. It opened up quickly, and we had it with a chicken stew, fresh steamed carrots and guacamole. Very enjoyable.

3/22/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

We loved this wine, so much, that we squeezed it over two meals. A lunch of lamb stew, just perfect, and a dinner of poached salmon with fresh spinach and tomato salad. It went great with both. On opening it needed time to breath, but within five to ten minutes, overtones of pencil dissipated to lovely fruit. An amazing wine after 26 years.

3/20/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

We really like this wine. In a strange twist, we had it with Sushi, and it worked perfect. Who needs white wine with fish when you can drink Relentless. Enjoy.

3/15/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine comes out great, but one or two swirls in the glass really opens up. Nice bouquet, deep dark, and a smooth as can be. Enjoy.

3/4/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine is a Wow! We had it with lamb, beets and parsnips and it was fabulous...straight out of the bottle, no air time, and it was phenomenal. It comes out in a beautiful bouquet, tannins almost non-existent, deep color. This is what god had in mind about the fruit of the vine.

2/21/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

We had this bottle today with lunch, a salad with grilled chicken, fresh cilantro and dill. The wine was perfect for this meal, on a cold, but not brutal day in NYC. I think Shafer's Merlot is underrated, the effect of Sideways debasing Merlot, but those who have this wine can enjoy with pleasure. And it still has plenty of life in it.

1/27/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

After the Northeast Blizzard that wasn't for NYC, a bottle of this wonderful wine following grilled red snapper, Ahi Tuna, steamed veggies. Along with a 1966 cigar, Tuesday afternoon does not get better with this superb wine. Golden, not too sweet, a medium Riesling-like. Just fantastic.

1/26/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a micro cuvée from the winemaker of Petrus in Pomerol. I like this wine, though a bit early to open. Deep purple, nice berry forward, tannins soft even this early. I am surprised as I didn't know what I would get from a micro cuvée bought while visiting St. Emilion. This could get even better with more time.

1/18/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

Nice deep color, but the fruit is less pronounced than I expected. The wine has less sediment compared to earlier years, but somehow I expected more from this vintage.

1/17/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

it is definitely fading on this bottle. Color less deep, a bit barnyard aroma. But still drinkable.

1/10/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a fabulous Cabernet. We had it with a hearty lunch from Second Avenue Deli and it was great. Then we had a bottle with duck breast and it was even better. Deep purple, wonderful bouquet, just exquisite.

1/11/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a beautiful Shiraz. Deep color, wonderful fruit, drinks so easy. Perfect timing to open this after ten years.

1/8/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

Options
1/8/2015 - I LIKE THIS WINE: (Edit) 92 Points
I was expecting more after 15 years in the cellar. It's still a good bottle of wine, but the fruit seems a bit less, there was a bit more mineral tones, though the color was great, and there was no sediment on the cork coming out. My expectations were too high. I'll try the magnum next to see if there is a difference.

1/8/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

We had this wine after a California Cabernet and we liked this one better. This is a nice soft Barolo, light on fruit, but the tannins were largely gone. Very enjoyable.

1/7/2015 - woofy Likes this wine:

I found this hiding in my cellar thanks to Vinopal, and I am surprised at how good it is. Still fruity, light tannins, wonderful deep purple color...and from a half bottle size.

9/28/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

Ok table wine...nothing more.

9/28/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine came out with a wow! Maybe it was the setting, timing, food, or likely my wonderful wife, but we loved this wine.

9/27/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a fine table wine, but seems beyond its prime.

9/26/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

The wine held up to lamb loin and steamed broccoli, but it is beginning to fade. The fruit was less but so were the tannins. Time to drink up.

7/9/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a great table wine. Deep purple, a bit raspy bouquet, but drinks really well.

7/8/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

What a beautiful wine. Clear, clean, golden, with perfect crispness for a summer evening dinner. We loved it.

7/6/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful classic Bordeaux wine. Great bouquet, a bit of sediment. We had it with a veal chop and steamed veggies, which was great all around.

7/5/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

Less robust than in past, but still nice to drink.

7/5/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

With a little time to breathe, this wine opens up very nicely. I'm enjoying this one with a cigar.

7/4/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful wine. We decanted it for two hours and it was a fantastic wine with a rack of lamb and steamed veggies. It was amazing to watch the bottle go.

7/4/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful table wine. We had it for lunch with beef short ribs and salad...fabulous.

7/2/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

This wine went down fast with sushi. We loved it.

6/14/2014 - woofy Likes this wine:

We had this wine at Goh restaurant, Sofitel in Strasbourg France. It was perfect with our Fois Gras starter and Chateaubriand. Bright yellow, a soft crispness, stayed well through the entire dinner. A great find in Alsace