David Shaw

9.0

Peach, dried apricot, lemon and orchard fruit flavors. Mild fine-grained skin astringency on finish. Decent acid, well balanced. Nice stone fruit aftertaste with length. Fine to sip or match with food not requiring high acid wines. — 22 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2000 vintage. Last tasted 9.25.23 (9.2) after 1.5 hours decanted. Popped and decanted this for lunch. Great fill and solid cork. Throwing a bit of sed but less than anticipated. Meh nose. Medium body initially. Started off on the rich side of the ledger but not plush. Had some smoothness afoot. Tasted after 45 mins open, 1.75 hours open and 8 hours open. First two were unspectacular. After lounging in the decanter 8 hours, wine had firmed up, thinned out, picked up plenty of secondary flavors and had that previously missing grip. If you're gonna open this during the holidays or anytime soon, do it very very early...otherwise, it'll be a total waste. Wine has miles to go. No rush to crush but just air it out in advance properly. 10.16.24. — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. High fill and great cork. Used a Durand. Opened but not decanted. Throwing slightly less sediment than expected. Tasted one hour after opening. Medium body. Cassis, graphite, dark plum and spring mud in the nose. All this plus an appearance of cedar and relatively fresh tobacco notes in the tasting profile. Tapered and muscular with zero fat. No flighty components evident so nothing to wax/wane over the next decade. Fairly unified now and for the foreseeable future. 8.16.24. — 3 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

8.9

1971 vintage. Top shoulder fill. Used a Durand but fully saturated cork still required some clean up on aisle 7. Decanted and tasted after 5 minutes. Threw much much less sediment than expected. Decent color with a little browning. Tertiary nose gave way to similar flavors with it being very slightly brickish. In a holding steady phase where there is no shining light to chase after-everything is consolidated and filed away so you're tasting the interpretations of history. Instructive. 6.13.24. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Enjoyed alongside some other Napa legends from the 80’s and 90’s. The 1985 is lovely and came more than willing, with a mix of tart, ripe and desiccated red fruits, Montmorency cherries, red currants, graphite, toasted coconut, leather and nuts. There was a slightly sherried character early on the nose but the structure seemed to defy age. No need to cellar further as this is delicious now and well stored examples should continue to be through 2030+. — 23 days ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

A good, solid California Cab but what’s all the fuss about? I’m seeing ratings of 98, 99, even 100 from JS. Really? No way. This is a clear case of praise crossing over into hype. Granted, still a bit young and not at its peak but after five years in the bottle and an hour of decanting it needs to be more than just fine if it wants to justify stratospheric scores. This wine compares unfavorably to Ridge Monte Bello, Stags Leap Cask 23 and other peers. It lacked sophistication and poise—where’s the promised minerality, graphite, cedar shavings, oak, leather, blackcurrant, cherry, and complex balance of fine grained tannins, fruit, acid and alcohol? Where? We chose this wine for a birthday dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. Not a disaster but a disappointment given our high expectations (and the high price).
— 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

It has been a little over a year since my last note on the 2018 vintage. Popped and poured, enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 pours a pale garnet with transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with delicate notes of funky cherry, rose water, tar and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. A touch thinner than some of the “bigger” vintages but no less charming. I’m sort of a sucker for the 2018 vintage in how enjoyable these are to drink in their youth. Drink now through 2038 — 4 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

At the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday 3rd October 2024 with winemaker Sarah Crowe. A blend of Shiraz, Viognier, Mataro and Marsanne. The original vineyards of Shiraz and Marsanne were established in 1969 with additional vineyards of Mataro and Viognier planted from 1984 to 1995. A lovely red berried perfume (raspberry) with some stalks added back in. Interestingly some fermenters have added frozen Viognier skins to the bottom, some have Marsanne skins. Sarah is always wanting to push the envelope with her winemaking. A classic Rhone style, blended with perfume in mind. Red wine of the year from the Halliday Wine Companion and awarded 99 points from Philip Rich from that publication. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium garnet , medium wide garnet terracotta rim . Tobacco , sous bois , touch of ash and coffee . On the palate quite rounded but firm tannins , dark cassis , cedar , sous bois . Good acidity and medium grafite tinged finish . Overall a touch rustic in comparison to the other Leovilles , but this is drinking perfectly now , no rush however as this held up well in the glass,
so now and over the next 5-10 years — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened and poured into a decanter about four hours prior to service. The 2005 pours a deep garnet with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and some sediment. One the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe brambles, garrigue, cool spices, leather, licorice, and espresso. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, tart and sapid. A wine of pedigree and yet, has a rusticity that gives a nod to its origin. Drink now through 2035+? — 5 months ago