4/7/2024 - Charlie C wrote:

Dark cherry red with slight fading at the rim. Bright berry aromas. Bit astringent on the palate, blackberry, cherry. Some heat (16% ABV). Fine tannins, sharp acidity, bit out of balance. Finishes moderately long and sharp. Much poorer showing than my last bottle. Probably better a few years ago.

9/24/2021 - Charlie C wrote:

Dark red core with fading at rim. Musty black cherry nose. Plate follows the nose. Black cherries but muted and a bit muddy. Fine tannins, nice acidity and balance. Finishes short with red fruits. This bottle strikes me as past peak, but not shot. With a wine of this age and caliber, another bottle may give very different results. I hope so, I have more.

9/6/2021 - acyso wrote:

I'm on a boat (Chicago, IL): The nose has a fair bit of reduction, as well as some tart white fruit aromas. The sulphur however seems to be a little stinkier than usual. That follows through on the palate, where the wine itself comes off as slightly dilute. That dilution though is somewhat hidden by the sulphur on the palate. I know many people seem to love these wines; I admit I don't get them.

7/22/2021 - Charlie C Likes this wine:

Translucent red in color. Pretty strawberry nose. Lovely, spicy red fruit, strawberry, cherry. Fine, polished tannins, beautiful acidity and balance. Finishes long, delicate yet spicy. Lovely wine. Drink over the next 5 years.

2/11/2021 - Charlie C wrote:

A lovely yellow gold in color. Not much on the nose, but there is a hint of pretty floral and citrus aromas. It’s on the palate that this wine falls apart – or more accurately never comes together. Faint lemon and pear fruit and some nice minerality, but nothing that attractive. There’s nothing wrong here, just nothing all that particularly right. Decent acidity and balance. The finish lingers very lightly, but not pleasantly, with lemons and pears, a touch too much minerality. This tastes like a wine made from grapes that were harvested under ripe. Tasted three separate times with one at cellar temp and the last at close to room temp. It performed best at room temp, but not enough better to change these notes. 12.1% ABV.

1/29/2021 - jimcopland wrote:

Excellent, silky smooth, velvet. Tannins melted away, but wine holding on nicely. Perfect pairing with a ribeye, but also worked with the wife's halibut!

12/4/2020 - Charlie C Does not like this wine:

Disappointing is the best description. I decanted this bottle for 2.5 to 3 hours and followed up with it the next day as well. Tight nose, bit of black cherry. The palate disappoints. Tart cherries, tobacco, a pronounced green streak. Muddy plum notes on the mid-palate. Fine tannins, good acidity, uneven balance. Finishes moderately long and harsh. Brightens some with food and the green notes lessen. Returned to bottle and into the fridge; next day, not much improvement; seemed monolithic. Either this wine needs 10-15 more years, a 72 hour decant or it just isn't all that good. My vote is the last option. I'm starting to suspect that there is a fair amount of bottle variation in the Dunn cabs. At this price point that is unacceptable.

5/23/2020 - Charlie C wrote:

A nice translucent cherry red in color. The nose is a but funky (after a slow ox for about 2 hours). There is bright cherry fruit on the palate and rare roasted meats, but the funk gets in the way. Resolved tannins, bright acidity, good balance. Finishes short and undistinguished. Not as good as my last bottle a year ago. I think this may be headed downhill.