Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Merry Christmas 2025! 🎅🎄🎁 🍷 ❄️ ⛄️

23 yrs since birth and 21 yrs in bottle and the evolution is beautiful. Perfect w/the ribroast.

Fruits still holding with excellent integration. Blackberries, black plum to pudding, strawberries, raspberries, black cherries, sandalwood, soft, dark spices with gentle heat, mocha powder, some milk chocolate, caramel notes, understated graphite, anise to some black licorice, gravel, dry stone, used tobacco & leather, mid berry cola presence, dry twig, moist clays, red, dark florals with a violet frame, excellent acidity, well; made, balanced, tensioned, structured with an elegant finish that lasts nearly two- minutes and falls of soft earthiness & soft spice. — a month ago

Elizabeth Vecseri

9.0

Green grassy notes on the nose with grape peel. Bright taste with hint of dryness. Grass, apple, lemon, and pith/rind. Smooth for drinking, light and fresh without being too sharp. — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened a few hours prior to service and enjoyed over the course of an hour. This bottle of the 1986 was re-corked at the chateau in 2011. The wine pours a deep 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 ripe and some dried dark and red fruits: black currants, brambles, black plum, tobacco, pencil shavings, some dried flowers, green pepper, leather, some earth and a gentle 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 seemed evergreen and this bottle spending most of its life in the cellars of the chateau likely has a lot to do with that. Fabulous stuff. Drink now through 2046. — 7 months ago

Paul J

9.4

Medium red color, somewhat translucent. Classic floral nose with a hint of cow shit. Deep in flavor and very floral, earthy, rustic. Long finish. — 8 months ago

with Brooke

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.

I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.

The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.

The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.

What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle. — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Ruby with elegant red fruit aromas and gentle floral spice, aged for 11 months in 37% new, 42% 1-year French oak. On the palate flavors of black cherry and strawberry with notes of herbs, vanilla, licorice with wet stone notes. Soft full tannins on a long finish ending with fruit, vanilla and earthy mineral notes. Very Nice! — 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Beautiful noses that shows a dark core, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum skin and raspberries on the glass edges, dark, dryish earth, sandalwood, river stone, red flowers/roses, framed in bright, brilliant violets.

Beautiful fruit entry with dry, soft tannins. Dryish; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, dark cherries and hints of raspberries. Dark, dry earth, sandalwood, river stone, dark spice, cedar, dry twigs, dry top soil, some dry herbs, dry clay, minimal baking spices, cigar with ash, dark flowers, red flowers/roses, framed in bright, brilliant violets. The acidity is gentle and nice. The finish is 19 elegant & pleasant, mid structured, smartly polished and lasts a full minute.

It has evolved some but still shows as primary. 91+ with some more appropriate cellaring. — 9 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This is being served colder than I would like and that said, the nose is not all that expressive. There is green apple, stone fruits, Meyer lemon to notes of lemon pledge, lime pulp, ripe, juicy pineapple, limestone marl, notes of marmalade, honeysuckle, light butterscotch, yellow lilies/flowers, white flowers.

The palate has a clean, round smooth entry. It is good but it tastes restrained to me. Maybe, the cool temp. Green apple, stone fruits-apricots, yellow peach/nectarine, Meyer lemon to a touch of lemon pledge, lime pulp, ripe, juicy pineapple, kiwi, green melon, notes of marmalade, honeysuckle, more pronounced butterscotch, caramel as it warms up, vanillin, gentle chalky powder, limestone marl, grey volcanic minerals, white spice, herbaceous hues, yellow lilies/flowers, white flowers with greens, nice round acidity, the finish is well balanced, round & elegant, a bit viscous and lasts about a minute.

I’ve had a number of producers from CC. I have had multiple vintages of LL’s CC and it simply doesn’t deliver like some of the other producers I’ve had that make white from CC. For me, it’s a nice wine but has often underwhelmed given the terroir.

I have had good vintages of white Bourgogne’s that show this nicely and better.

@EK225 — 3 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Medium Ruby with elegant red fruit aromas and gentle floral spice, sourced from 20 acres of organically dry-farmed Pinot noir on south-facing slopes in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. On the palate flavors of cherry and cranberry with notes of tea, herb pepper, floral with wet stone notes. Soft tannins on a long finish ending with fruit, spice and earthy mineral notes. Very Nice! — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Pale yellow with pleasing aromas of citrus and tropical fruits, adding in spice and some biscuit notes. On the palate complex palate of flavors, fresh fruit, pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, peaches and Asian pears. Slight earthiness with a smooth and creamy well balanced finish ending with a gentle yeasty character. Very nice! Consistent quality! Will age well! — 8 months ago