NOSE: fur-bearing critter … earth, iron … cacao … a bit of cassis. Savoury. Pine and forest.
TASTE: iron, blackberry, cassis, MEATY, orange chocolate, leaves…good old fashioned dirt. Great deal. Could certainly age a while. 92.
NOTE: I tasted this a year ago (I forgot!) and notes were different. Unsure if it’s me, the bottle, or the extra year of age. Anyway, I liked it both times! — 23 days ago
1990 vintage. Last tasted 01.20.23 (9.6) and 05.16.21 (9.4). This slots in just between. Tastes as if from a colder cellar because this specimen was as fresh (too fresh) as a daisy. Decanted and tasted after 2 hours. Tannins for tannins sake. And I love big tannins. Less evolved than the January visit and drinking better than the 5.16.21 visit. Still bleeping massive as it ever was upon release back in the day. Very little has changed. This wine and the 1989 Gaja Sorí Tilden Barbaresco the two biggest, uncompliant wines with years to go before really revealing those hidden charms that I've tasted in recent memory. Getting closer but not quite ready to settle down any time soon. Out of a larger format bottle, must be positively overwhelming…like jumping to hyperspace accidentally…or on a boozy dare. 9.21.23. — 10 days ago
1995 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 1 hour. Still, big nose and frontal palate. Dwindles somewhat in the closing chapters. Fairly harmonious and alive for the majority of another decade. Feel there could be some bottle variation here so wouldn’t surprise me if someone posted a 9.2-9.4 tomorrow. S’life. 9.20.23. — 11 days ago
I guess there was no point in waiting so long for this wine. The fruit is no longer noticeable. Lots of earthy notes, leather, tobacco and dark chocolate. Very pepper finish. Tannic, medium acidity. — 3 days ago
2006 vintage. Lean and mean. Decanted and tasted after 1.5 hrs. Not too much sed. Nice little sprinkling of cocoa powder in a feminine nose but, otherwise, all business and very transactional. Difficult to love and hard to understand with this effort being pretty linear vs what we've come to know/expect/love from this property. Plenty of concentration but lacking that extra oomph of finishing depth and seems like it has topped out/not improving. 9.23.23. — 8 days ago
Hall probably has the most extensive Napa cab lineups of all the producers - something like 15 different bottling. Of the several I’ve tasted, this is no doubt my favorite.
The nose and flavor are quite similar to the Anderson’s estate reserve of the same vintage, but in a more subtle way with more nuances. There is underlying elegance that sets it apart from the the other 2 bottles. — 14 days ago
Didn’t get to decant and out of wine fridge .. wine was v tight . Needed a bit of air for sure . Dry and big ! — a day ago
Tom Garland
Finally opening a bottle with a 1.5 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A still majestic dark garnet with some bricking. On the nose: expressive notes of red fruit, smokey vanilla, cedarwood, pine, and pencil lead. Taste: silky, opulent, creamy wine with red fruit, cassis, chocolate covered cherry, earth, iron and a saline/slightly bitter graphite long finish. YUM! Drinks well with the decant, but still on the younger side and will be fun to see where it goes....fortunately have more bottles — a day ago