Tom Garland

9.7

Double decant and pour(decent sediment).  A remarkable still murky dark garnet with bricking.  On the nose:  Intoxicating perfumed notes of dark fruit, worn leather, smoked meat, touch of barnyard, tobacco leaf, mushrooms, mint.  Taste:  silky, fresh, regal, powerful wine with sweet red fruit, meaty, dried herbs, tobacco, mineral, and a earthy orange rind lingering finish with a slight tannic kick.  Amazing!!! YUM! — 16 days ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2023 pours a bright garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of raspberries, pomegranate, rose bushes in bloom, licorice, gravelly earth and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. This was a perfect red for duck confit outside on a warm day. Drink now through 2033. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2023 pours a deep ruby/garnet with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. On the nose the wine is developing with heady notes of tart cherry, mixed brambles, spearmint, red and purple flowers, old school permanent marker, licorice, tomato, green herbs, clove and stony earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the body is, ooof…very nice. Another delicious vintage of Cuvée Réservée. Drink now through 2043. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

2nd wine . Medium garnet ruby, thin garnet rim . Quite serious and mineral , more grafite and , tobacco , seaside scents , spice . Quite cool and elegant in the mouth , sweeter tannin though quite dense still on the palate . Cassis , grafite , cocoa and tobacco finish . Quite rich , good length , spiced finish. This is quite refined and elegant , well balanced freshness , if rounder , more plump than the others (alcohol perhaps ? This is 14,5% but it doesn’t stick out ). Again quite young , needs another 5 years and will last a further 10 or so . Had this down as the Margaux ! — 3 months ago

Tom Garland

9.5

1 hour decant(some chunky sediment). A striking deep garnet color with some bricking. On the nose: exquisite notes of dark fruit, herbaceous, cedar lined cigar box, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: silky, brooding, balanced wine with blackberry/dark cherry, loamy soil, graphite, tobacco, licorice and a minerally roasted coffee persistent finish. YUM!! — 3 months ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.3

2 hour decant. A marvelous medium garnet color (decent fine sediment). On the nose: dark berries, cassis, forest floor, sandalwood, pencil shavings, chocolate, and cigar box. Taste: layered, balanced, still young wine with dark cherry/plum, cedar, dark chocolate, charcoal, and a lingering tobacco/leather finish. YUM! No hurry, a long distance Las Cases. — 7 months ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a two days. Better on Day 2. On the pop and pour, this bottle was backward and really seemed resistant to show much. I didn’t detect any real flaws or faults…just sort of, “meh”. On Day 2, it had opened considerably. The 2017 pours a deep garnet with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe blackberries, currants, mixed flowers, black tea, ferrous earth and a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Drink now with patience and through 2042. — 12 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of dinner. The 2017 Caravina pours a deep garnet/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of black currants, blackberries, black cherry, Poblano pepper, tobacco, some red and purple flowers, cocoa, dried green herbs and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. One of my favorite vintages of Caravina in the last 20 years. Delicious with rib roast. Drink now through 2037. — a month ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Double decant and pour(lots of fine sediment). A striking still dark purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Alluring perfumed notes of red/blue fruit, smoked meat, tobacco, vanilla, eucalyptus, wet forest floor, cloves. Taste: silky, old school restraint, elegant wine with some red fruit, leather, earth, dried herbs, tobacco, and a medium spiced smokey wood finish. Did not wow, but still a pleasure to drink at 38 years. — 2 months ago

with Brenda

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Slight younger looking , a little more ruby both in the core but still mostly garnet rim.
This is high toned slightly redder fruit , less dense than the preceding 3 . Cherry , red plum , cedar, seaspray . On the palate this is again quite elegant and refined , cherry , red plum some cassis , red plum , cigar box . Not overly weighty with perhaps a little less noticeable tannin than some of the others . Long vibrant , spicy grafite tinged finish . Very elegant , reserved and I suppose very Lafite , this grows during the experience but was actually voted in last place by the group , that somehow doesn’t surprise me, at the end of the day one wine did have to come last, and this was relatively discreet only showing its real breeding and class with time in the glass. Needs time , but is very promising , probably another 5-10 years (as with almost all the others ) , will last well a further 20 if not more . The elegance and style of this wine is fantastic , this really grows in the glass . Had to be Lafite for me . Bronze medal here . — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(decent chunky sediment). A striking medium purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Inviting notes of dried red fruit, currants, pencil shavings, floral, stewed meat, milk chocolate. Taste: fully mature, savory, silky wine with dried plum, ground coffee, earth, minerals, tobacco, and a sour cherry/green bell pepper/graphite long finish. YUM!! Drink em if you got em. — 4 months ago

with Brenda

Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Medium deep ruby garnet with wide garnet rim . Open and classic on the nose with tobacco , grafite , herbal , mint , seaweed and some mixed summer fruits . On the palate this is quite fresh and slightly lean in style , quite rustic , bitty tannins and a herbal touch. Mixed summer fruits on the mid palate and a reasonable earthy tobacco tinged finish . Best drunk now and over the next few years on the basis of this bottle . — 5 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium deep garnet ruby , quite thin garnet terracotta rim . This is quite classic and more austere on the nose after the 1990s , grafite , cedar, sweet spice , earthiness and mint. More dry and four square on the palate compared to the 1990s but enough stuffing to fill out. Cassis , plum and blackberry , coffee , grafite . Refreshing acidity , slightly grippy drier tannin. Sous bois , grafite , herbal character with good length and earthy cassis finish . This got better with time in the glass and probably should have been decanted . This shows there is some upside , from now , with time in the glass, and over the next 10 years. The wine that improved the most during the dinner , quite impressive . — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Poured into a decanter to remove sediment prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 1986 pours a garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, dried blackberries, green bell pepper, tobacco, dried purple flowers, earth and fine cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium (integrated) tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. A solid but somewhat demure showing, particularly in the midpalate. Drink now. — 24 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

From magnum. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2012 pours a garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with punchy notes of Morello cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, orange rind, red flowers, and a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and the texture is almost chewy. The 2012 is still an awesome value; really tasty stuff. Drink now through 2042. — 24 days ago

Inseon Hwang

9.6

Deep garnet, dark fruit - plum, black cherries, blackberries. Organic forest floor, some river stones, mushroom. Slight tobacco. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Tasted blind . Slightly more mature colour than 1 . Ruby with some garnet and a more garnet tinged rim . Cooler more mineral on the nose , touches of grafite and wet rocks , sea spray , with some dark spicy cassis . On the palate this is more dark cassis , spicy grafite , cedar , touch of iron filings . Good roundness on the palate , with dusty tannins and balanced acidity, intense and saline . Long cedar tinged grafite length . Quite intense and stlight sterner overall , a little more aloof , more Cabernet , darker in style. Better in 5-10 years and will last well a further 10-20. Had this as Margaux . My 5th placed wine . — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.5

1 hour decant(lots of sediment). A gorgeous purplish garnet color. On the nose: Intoxicating musky notes of dark fruit, potting soil, worn leather, truffles, stewed meat, slight menthol. Taste: velvety, seamless, balanced, intense wine with dark fruit, cassis, earth, tobacco, mineral, herbs, and a chocolate graphite long never-ending finish. YUM! This wine has aged gracefully and has more gas in the tank. Enjoy. — 3 months ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.5

Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a deep garnet with an opaque core and some rim variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, blackberry, black plum, tobacco, menthol, leather, and mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is really delicious.

Initial conclusions: this could be a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend or other Bordeaux-styled blend or a Tempranillo based blend from the United States, France or Spain. This saw French oak so I eliminated Spain. I thought the fruit was outshining the structure…so I liked the USA over France. And, based off the appearance, I thought this probably had 30+ years of age. Final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend from the United States, from California, Napa, Rutherford; 1994. Ugh…the 1990 vintage in Bordeaux has bit me twice now recently. Really awesome stuff! Drink now through 2040+. — 5 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium ruby garnet, quite thin garnet terracotta rim . Quite rich , with ripe red fruits , some tobacco , warm spiciness , cigar box , ripe cassis , sous bois , after a while touch of coffee. On the palate this also shows good roundness with ripe red and dark fruits, cassis , red plum , grafite , touch of earthiness . Balanced acidity and rounded sweet tannin . Quite juicy with a grafite edged finish . Pretty good length. This is at peak now . For now and over the next 5 -8 years. Quite generous and showy , ripe but balanced, a good showing. — 8 months ago