Soo's birthday: Thought it might have been a Bordeaux at first but the sweet fruit slowly emerged to make clear that it was a Napa. Smoky, dark cherry fruit, gained structure and asserted itself more with air. These old Napa Cabs have consistently been a treat; love how they evolve so differently from aged Bordeaux but are equally enjoyable.
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Wasn't sure this was going to be drinkable! Don't have my notes but was happy to find that it was. Very decent old wine. Still had some youthful fruit too. About as smooth as it gets. Wish had better notes.
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Drank at an event, no formal notes. Got the very last quarter glass pour of the bottle, so full of sediment. Nevertheless this is still really good. It's thinned out a bit but the concentration of flavor and aromatics are quite good.
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What a treat to open a 1977 BV GdL! Acquired form Aucwine for a very sharp price. In very good condition with well over a 90% fill level. It is quite solar, in the sense that there is still ripe fruit, but it is lovely in texture and mellow and somewhat complex. We had it alongside a 1983 Certan de May Pomerol with Christmas Eve dinner (smoked leg of lamb) and this was less good with the food, but quite nice when sipped on its own. A real treat. It seems to be at peak maturity now to me, though will probably still stay there for a few more years.
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Agree with wineismylife. Spot on TN as we enjoyed it last night. Very claret style with some browning coming in to the core. Let it evolved in the glass. Do not decant. Drink.
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Garnet color in the glass, a little dusty looking. Nose of licorice, cocoa powder and tobacco. Flavors of tart red berries, cherries and cranberries. Tart acidity, resolved tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink now.
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A supreme example of what makes tasting very old wines a divine experience at the apex of wine drinking, well worth it no matter how many such bottles are tainted, fruitless, faded, or dead on arrival. The wine of the night by far with 6 first place votes, when tasted side by side among 8 Cabernet Sauvignons that came from the cellars of 8 people who love and collect Cabs. Despite having a cork that was increasing crumbly and saturated toward the bottom, this 40 year old wine is very dark in color with no discernible brown. The nose has clear fruit aromas, including black currant. The tannin is plush and caressing yet still supportive with secondary leather, and the acidity remains refreshing. But the most magnificent thing about this wine is how integrated, seamless, delicious, and enjoyable it is, like great choral music where all the voices harmoniously work together.
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Light garnet color with some bricking at the edges.
Quite a lovely nose of mint, cedar, red flowers and mixed berry fruit.
Aristocratic palate of mostly black, but also a hint of red, fruits. Wonderful texture and balance. Really expands on the long finish across a variety of fruits, acid, and very fine grained tannin. Leaves a classic Rutherford dust impression.
I've had mixed results with GdL of this era - a perfect bottle perhaps?
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Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of tobacco, berries and cherries. Flavors of berries, cherries and strawberries. Medium to tart acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink now.
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Garnet color and brick to the edge, translucent with good clarity. Aromas are herbs, raspberry, floral, earthy, menthol, and barnyard. The tastes are sour cherry, earth, tea, raw meat, iodine, and briary notes. The tannins are thin and the finish is a bit sour and earthy.
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Getting tired. Big taste of cherries as in previous tastings, but now also shellac and varnish. The age blows off somewhat with 20 minutes in a decanter, but the pure red fruit flavors in previous showings are gone. Still well balanced, supple, with all tannin perfectly resolved. Time to drink up. This bottle had an extraordinarily good fill in the middle top neck and a pristine cork.
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From the Club's forgotten lockers, popped and poured into a decanter and off its sediment, of which there was only a little bit of very fine stuff, with a nearly pristine cork that was soaked only 1/3 of the way up. Initially lots of tea leaf and dried out "old" notes, we poured a couple of ounces into our glasses. Fifteen minutes in and there are some nice floral notes- violets and lavender- with red fruits underneath, and a bit of cherry and white currant on the palate. After thirty minutes or so it begins to head downhill, smelling a bit dried out and leafy, without the fruit and floral qualities, and develops a sour note on the palate. Not undrinkable, and actually very nice for a few brief minutes. More of a science experiment or academic drink at this point than something offering a lot of pleasure, but I am happy to have had the opportunity to try it.
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This is fun. We weren't sure what to expect. The cork was perfect - like new pretty much! Deep ruby color with just the slightest hint of brick red at the edges. Hardly any sediment. So anyway....I recommend decanting for a bit. We couldn't wait, so we poured right out of the decanter immediately. It was SO concentrated that it was kind of off-putting....it just needed some time to waft off a bit. Learned our lesson after that first sip and set it aside to breathe! Once it calmed its tits though - nose of cedar, cassis, eucalyptus, and old books. Palate surprisingly youthful but dense. Leather, tobacco, cherry, strawberry, forest. I was expecting the typical old-Cali-Cab raisiny flavor but it just isn't there. If I were to taste this blindly, I'd never guess it was pushing 40. It's really lively and bold.
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"ATS" Wine Group, Spring Gathering: One of the more magical wines I've experienced. An overwhelmingly perfumed nose that filled the room and a surprisingly concentrated and firm palate that also showed a lot of viscosity. The flavors also stood firm with ripe cherries and sweet baking spices.
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Strangely enough, no sediment. Utterly elegant though. Balanced and round in flavor. Fresh and clean, feminine, long on the palate, complex. Tasted alongside a masculine 1987 Volcanic Hill. If stored properly this should last for years. Excellent.
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Was fortunate to have 2 of these bottles in my cellar. Both equally as good as the other. Excellent into the neck fill and no sign of seepage. Decanted right out of the bottle... allowed 30mins. Very nice color... beautiful. Delightfully surprised by the amount of fruit left! Smooth and very light acidity. Wish I had more.
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Opened for thanksgiving figuring it was over-the-hill but was wonderfully surprised! Almost brown--great nose of barnyard and rich cab flavors. What a treat!
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perfect fill and cork hardly saturated so I wondered whether it was a fake but the first sip gave it away - the fruit was faded leaving a mellowed and soft wine with minimal tannins and a slight acidity
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The fill was high. The cork did break about half way, though there were no signs of seepage. The color was medium burgundy with light browning on the edge. The nose was musky or barnyard. The flavor was smooth and light, which surprised me after experiencing the bouquet. The nose did settle down after awhile. Overall, is was just a good. For the record, I'm not an experianced wine drinker with older wines.
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The last time I tasted this wine, some 10 years or so ago, it seemed to be quite unforgiving - a massively tannic wine that offered no suggestion it would ever yield. Hence, I really didn't know what to expect.
First thing I observed was that the fill level was quite high - midway between the bottom of the bottle neck and the lower surface of the cork. The cork was quite tight, but came out in one piece, and appeared to be in remarkably good condition.
The wine's colour was excellent - deep mahogany in the centre, moving to an amber and brown rim; swirling in the glass suggested a full bodied wine; clean and bright, with all of the sediment decanted out; the aromas kept changing - a pleasing whiff of sawn cedar or cedar shavings, some scented berry fruit, then back to the cedar with very distinct black currant fruit drifting up the nostrils; full bodied, with excellent sweet black currant fruit swelling up on the palate; the tannins have certainly softened considerably, but remain a presence under the fruit; acidity is very good, and continues to refresh; excellent grip; fruit doesn't die away and carries through for quite a lengthy finish, and the tannins continue to hold under this fruit layer.
Bottom line - I was pleased with the wine, and it proved to be a fine choice to partner the pork loin. Carried on with the wine to accompany a soft blue gorganzola cream cheese and a medium Swiss butter cheese.
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At Singer & Foy. Light ruby, fading. Nose is not too good; shows faded fruit and, frankly, an "off" character reminiscent of shoe polish. Palate is perhaps even worse. Very few redeeming qualities. 3-4-4-1: 62/100.
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8 Georges de La Tour tasted at Mike's house, storage quality much higher than the Primas Tasting 8 days earlier. Was a surprise as it showed that pleasant, musty, old cabernet fruit on the nose, rich full bodied mouthful of wine, almost elegant wine, nice burnt orange peel finish. My #5.
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With the gang at Katy Rogers' going away party at Trader Vic's. Medium ruby. Mature. Fine nose. Mulberry. On the palate firm, good fruit, drinking well now. At its peak. Very nice. 5-11-15-7: 88/100.
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With MPL and BLR at Singer & Foy's "Legends of California." Best color of the tasting so far. Very dark, rich- looking. Sweet, rich nose, good solid fruit. Very varietal. On the palate, good fruit, great balance. Excellent wine. True to the grape. Probably at its peak. 5-12-17-8: 92/100.
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At London Wine Bar with MPL and BLR. Brilliant, deep ruby. Very enticing "come hither" scent. Excellent nose. Nice fruit, but almost overwhelmed by by tannin in the finish. The color, nose, and mouth belie its age, but will the fruit last? 5-12-13-7: 87/100.
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11/3/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 94 Points
Soo's birthday: Thought it might have been a Bordeaux at first but the sweet fruit slowly emerged to make clear that it was a Napa. Smoky, dark cherry fruit, gained structure and asserted itself more with air. These old Napa Cabs have consistently been a treat; love how they evolve so differently from aged Bordeaux but are equally enjoyable.
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8/28/2023 - JustOneMoreGlass Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wasn't sure this was going to be drinkable! Don't have my notes but was happy to find that it was. Very decent old wine. Still had some youthful fruit too. About as smooth as it gets. Wish had better notes.
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12/31/2022 - JMellet Likes this wine: 99 Points
Still in great shape.
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12/14/2022 - goodvitis.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at an event, no formal notes. Got the very last quarter glass pour of the bottle, so full of sediment. Nevertheless this is still really good. It's thinned out a bit but the concentration of flavor and aromatics are quite good.
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12/29/2021 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 92 Points
What a treat to open a 1977 BV GdL! Acquired form Aucwine for a very sharp price. In very good condition with well over a 90% fill level. It is quite solar, in the sense that there is still ripe fruit, but it is lovely in texture and mellow and somewhat complex. We had it alongside a 1983 Certan de May Pomerol with Christmas Eve dinner (smoked leg of lamb) and this was less good with the food, but quite nice when sipped on its own. A real treat. It seems to be at peak maturity now to me, though will probably still stay there for a few more years.
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8/14/2021 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 92 Points
Agree with wineismylife. Spot on TN as we enjoyed it last night. Very claret style with some browning coming in to the core. Let it evolved in the glass. Do not decant. Drink.
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10/13/2020 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Garnet color in the glass, a little dusty looking. Nose of licorice, cocoa powder and tobacco. Flavors of tart red berries, cherries and cranberries. Tart acidity, resolved tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink now.
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2/8/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote:
In Costa Rica. Thanks Kate!!
Fill looks really solid, high shoulder. Opens smoothly,. Very brown leaf to the nose, mineral laced palate.
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7/18/2017 - Mossrose wrote: 97 Points
A supreme example of what makes tasting very old wines a divine experience at the apex of wine drinking, well worth it no matter how many such bottles are tainted, fruitless, faded, or dead on arrival. The wine of the night by far with 6 first place votes, when tasted side by side among 8 Cabernet Sauvignons that came from the cellars of 8 people who love and collect Cabs. Despite having a cork that was increasing crumbly and saturated toward the bottom, this 40 year old wine is very dark in color with no discernible brown. The nose has clear fruit aromas, including black currant. The tannin is plush and caressing yet still supportive with secondary leather, and the acidity remains refreshing. But the most magnificent thing about this wine is how integrated, seamless, delicious, and enjoyable it is, like great choral music where all the voices harmoniously work together.
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3/28/2017 - bobdobilina wrote: 95 Points
Light garnet color with some bricking at the edges.
Quite a lovely nose of mint, cedar, red flowers and mixed berry fruit.
Aristocratic palate of mostly black, but also a hint of red, fruits. Wonderful texture and balance. Really expands on the long finish across a variety of fruits, acid, and very fine grained tannin. Leaves a classic Rutherford dust impression.
I've had mixed results with GdL of this era - a perfect bottle perhaps?
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1/27/2017 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of tobacco, berries and cherries. Flavors of berries, cherries and strawberries. Medium to tart acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink now.
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1/4/2017 - RedLoverJim Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent bottle! The fruit was still surprisingly strong, with some secondary notes typical of an older Cab.
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1/4/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Garnet color and brick to the edge, translucent with good clarity. Aromas are herbs, raspberry, floral, earthy, menthol, and barnyard. The tastes are sour cherry, earth, tea, raw meat, iodine, and briary notes. The tannins are thin and the finish is a bit sour and earthy.
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10/29/2016 - Lipsman wrote: 89 Points
Getting tired. Big taste of cherries as in previous tastings, but now also shellac and varnish. The age blows off somewhat with 20 minutes in a decanter, but the pure red fruit flavors in previous showings are gone. Still well balanced, supple, with all tannin perfectly resolved. Time to drink up. This bottle had an extraordinarily good fill in the middle top neck and a pristine cork.
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10/14/2016 - AllRed wrote:
From the Club's forgotten lockers, popped and poured into a decanter and off its sediment, of which there was only a little bit of very fine stuff, with a nearly pristine cork that was soaked only 1/3 of the way up. Initially lots of tea leaf and dried out "old" notes, we poured a couple of ounces into our glasses. Fifteen minutes in and there are some nice floral notes- violets and lavender- with red fruits underneath, and a bit of cherry and white currant on the palate. After thirty minutes or so it begins to head downhill, smelling a bit dried out and leafy, without the fruit and floral qualities, and develops a sour note on the palate. Not undrinkable, and actually very nice for a few brief minutes. More of a science experiment or academic drink at this point than something offering a lot of pleasure, but I am happy to have had the opportunity to try it.
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4/1/2016 - partylikeakennedy wrote: 93 Points
This is fun. We weren't sure what to expect. The cork was perfect - like new pretty much! Deep ruby color with just the slightest hint of brick red at the edges. Hardly any sediment. So anyway....I recommend decanting for a bit. We couldn't wait, so we poured right out of the decanter immediately. It was SO concentrated that it was kind of off-putting....it just needed some time to waft off a bit. Learned our lesson after that first sip and set it aside to breathe! Once it calmed its tits though - nose of cedar, cassis, eucalyptus, and old books. Palate surprisingly youthful but dense. Leather, tobacco, cherry, strawberry, forest. I was expecting the typical old-Cali-Cab raisiny flavor but it just isn't there. If I were to taste this blindly, I'd never guess it was pushing 40. It's really lively and bold.
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5/30/2015 - pgb67 wrote: 97 Points
"ATS" Wine Group, Spring Gathering: One of the more magical wines I've experienced. An overwhelmingly perfumed nose that filled the room and a surprisingly concentrated and firm palate that also showed a lot of viscosity. The flavors also stood firm with ripe cherries and sweet baking spices.
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5/12/2015 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bricking at edge. Fully mature with fresh cherries, mocha, some tobacco, nice complexity. Needs to breathe to blow off the caramel.
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4/2/2015 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
Strangely enough, no sediment. Utterly elegant though. Balanced and round in flavor. Fresh and clean, feminine, long on the palate, complex. Tasted alongside a masculine 1987 Volcanic Hill. If stored properly this should last for years. Excellent.
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8/23/2013 - Curiousnight wrote: 92 Points
Was fortunate to have 2 of these bottles in my cellar. Both equally as good as the other. Excellent into the neck fill and no sign of seepage. Decanted right out of the bottle... allowed 30mins. Very nice color... beautiful. Delightfully surprised by the amount of fruit left! Smooth and very light acidity. Wish I had more.
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4/2/2011 - ppaluszewski wrote: flawed
Difficult to comment on this bottle as it was tainted with TCA.
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11/25/2010 - Cellar Guru wrote:
Opened for thanksgiving figuring it was over-the-hill but was wonderfully surprised! Almost brown--great nose of barnyard and rich cab flavors. What a treat!
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2/13/2010 - S. Lorin wrote: 88 Points
perfect fill and cork hardly saturated so I wondered whether it was a fake but the first sip gave it away - the fruit was faded leaving a mellowed and soft wine with minimal tannins and a slight acidity
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8/21/2009 - NVWINE79 wrote: 90 Points
Quite nice. Bottle was in perfect condition. Very pure flavors of cassis, plum, and spice with subtle herbal notes. Very enjoyable.
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11/6/2006 - reddog wrote: 84 Points
The fill was high. The cork did break about half way, though there were no signs of seepage. The color was medium burgundy with light browning on the edge. The nose was musky or barnyard. The flavor was smooth and light, which surprised me after experiencing the bouquet. The nose did settle down after awhile. Overall, is was just a good. For the record, I'm not an experianced wine drinker with older wines.
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5/30/2004 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
The last time I tasted this wine, some 10 years or so ago, it seemed to be quite unforgiving - a massively tannic wine that offered no suggestion it would ever yield. Hence, I really didn't know what to expect.
First thing I observed was that the fill level was quite high - midway between the bottom of the bottle neck and the lower surface of the cork. The cork was quite tight, but came out in one piece, and appeared to be in remarkably good condition.
The wine's colour was excellent - deep mahogany in the centre, moving to an amber and brown rim; swirling in the glass suggested a full bodied wine; clean and bright, with all of the sediment decanted out; the aromas kept changing - a pleasing whiff of sawn cedar or cedar shavings, some scented berry fruit, then back to the cedar with very distinct black currant fruit drifting up the nostrils; full bodied, with excellent sweet black currant fruit swelling up on the palate; the tannins have certainly softened considerably, but remain a presence under the fruit; acidity is very good, and continues to refresh; excellent grip; fruit doesn't die away and carries through for quite a lengthy finish, and the tannins continue to hold under this fruit layer.
Bottom line - I was pleased with the wine, and it proved to be a fine choice to partner the pork loin. Carried on with the wine to accompany a soft blue gorganzola cream cheese and a medium Swiss butter cheese.
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7/25/2001 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasting of 13 BV Georges de Latour, brown color in the glass, lovely rich fruit, plum, fig, on the nose, great taste, medium/long finish. #4/13.
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5/25/2000 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 74 Points
9 Cabernet Suvignons from the 1970s (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nice, old, cardboard nose, rich, black fruit with cardboard taste. My #8 0f 9.
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2/1/1992 - MicklethePickle wrote: flawed
At Singer & Foy. Light ruby, fading. Nose is not too good; shows faded fruit and, frankly, an "off" character reminiscent of shoe polish. Palate is perhaps even worse. Very few redeeming qualities. 3-4-4-1: 62/100.
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12/16/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 85 Points
8 Georges de La Tour tasted at Mike's house, storage quality much higher than the Primas Tasting 8 days earlier. Was a surprise as it showed that pleasant, musty, old cabernet fruit on the nose, rich full bodied mouthful of wine, almost elegant wine, nice burnt orange peel finish. My #5.
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4/26/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 88 Points
With the gang at Katy Rogers' going away party at Trader Vic's. Medium ruby. Mature. Fine nose. Mulberry. On the palate firm, good fruit, drinking well now. At its peak. Very nice. 5-11-15-7: 88/100.
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10/28/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 92 Points
With MPL and BLR at Singer & Foy's "Legends of California." Best color of the tasting so far. Very dark, rich- looking. Sweet, rich nose, good solid fruit. Very varietal. On the palate, good fruit, great balance. Excellent wine. True to the grape. Probably at its peak. 5-12-17-8: 92/100.
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8/9/1988 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 87 Points
At London Wine Bar with MPL and BLR. Brilliant, deep ruby. Very enticing "come hither" scent. Excellent nose. Nice fruit, but almost overwhelmed by by tannin in the finish. The color, nose, and mouth belie its age, but will the fruit last? 5-12-13-7: 87/100.
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5/10/1987 - buckeye76 wrote: 87 Points
Opened up after 40 minutes, but was probably past prime. Fruity aroma
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