Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Absolutely gorgeous nose of cedar, wood shavings, pine, cigar, cassis and florals, with classic Margaux perfume and extraordinary depth. The palate has really smoothed out since my last bottle, with creamy cassis, unbelievable juiciness, tiny-berry concentration, sweet velvety pointillist tannins and beautiful minerality carrying an enormously long finish. Still structured and angular enough to age, but now far more integrated. One of the great Bordeauxs. — 2 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

Steal of a value in the world of Oregon PN — 5 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.4

Evolved & aromatic
Cedar wood, cigar box and a touch of cassis with some earthy, gravelly undertone.
Evolved and yet very pure. And very enticing.
Beautiful, simply beautiful on the palate. Firm yet polished and ultra fine tannins, juicy acidity, juice creamy black fruit on the mid palate. Elegant with nice depth and great length.
Beautiful juicy austerity. Classic benchmark left bank Bordeaux. And delish!!! — 6 months ago

Christian Fischer

9.1

Last bit from the bottle. Orange color. Smokey and woody. Kept very well for all those years — 7 months ago

with Ruchia

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Medium light garnet , quite wide terracotta rim . Top shoulder ullage . Slightly herbal , old mahogany, hickory , chestnut, minty , dried fruits with sous bois underneath, hoisin . On the palate this has some sweet red fruits , touch of coffee , old wood , earthy , meaty hints . Good acidity and slightly grippy tannins . Not bad length. This bottle shows surprisingly well considering its state , and is very drinkable . Drink now , as this deteriorated quite quickly once in the glass — a year ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Pure and intense on the nose. Deep plum and roses. Violet and a hint of mint. The wood is well integrated. Very harmonious — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark scarlet color with translucent light reddish rims. Old wine nose. Notes of black and red fruit, gravel, barnyard floor, old leather and some old desk wood. Fruit is a bit faded but this has plenty of life with decent acidity and a nice structure. Got better with air and opened up nicely. Better than the last bottle of this lot, despite being a more ragged looking bottle. — 5 years ago

Steve Sánchez

9.6

Nectar of the Gods in a bottle! Beautiful silky tannins, earth, dusty notes, espresso and tobacco, oak, white pepper, slight sage and menthol. On the palate , fruit making way for baking spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. 8 years old now but will get another to hold out for ten year mark.
14.3% — 5 years ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.2

Medium dark rubi robe, with no signs of aging, nose of leather, steak tartare, cedar wood and blackcurrant. So balanced and fresh on the mouth, medium bodied, secondary notes and top soil intermingled with cedar wood and dark cherries. This is sooo good. And you would never guess the bottle’s age. Our favorite vintage of the 80s together with 88. — 3 months ago

with Jose, veronique and 2 others

Jay Kline

9.2

First pour of this and I was like, “uh-oh”. It was clearly full of flaws (Brettanomyces, VA and maaaaybe some slight TCA) but would they be too much to appreciate the wine? Only time would tell so into the decanter it went. After a lot of air, it became clear this was Brett and VA. The wine pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing (still) with notes of blackberries, umeboshi, animale, purple flowers, black pepper, red Flintstone vitamin, horse blanket, wood varnish, and sous bois. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. An elegant, complicated bottle. This is my second time with the 1997 vintage and due to the flaws, a different adventure than previous. That being said, this decidedly grumpy, Burgundian expression of Clape’s Cornas paired really well with the dry-aged steaks. Drink now, with a lot of patience, through 2037? — 5 months ago

Joel Lara

9.4

This is so delicious, and a perfect end to the work week. It’s ruby red and medium bodied. Nose is a bit subdued, with woody herbs, hints of leather, and some raspberry/black cherry as well. Mouthfeel is smooth and rich with beautifully saturated black cherry flavor and a layer of all spice, bay leaf, and subtle leather. Just beautiful. Medium acidity and medium tannins. Long, splendid finish. Now I need to buy a few more bottles to see how this evolves. Day 2: Still beautiful. Getting some sassafras and strong anise flavors now with soft hints of leather in the background. — 7 months ago

Doug Griffin

9.0

Not sure, I think it’s a bit maderized. However still giving some grippy tannins, rich cherry, vanilla and wood…375 ml. Kind of played out — 10 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.8

Dark scarlet color with a deep center. Notes of black cherry, cola, roses, cassis, some spice and a little wood char. Amazing perfume in the nose. Smooth and silky in the mouth. Lots of drama with this one, and many agreed the 59 was better than the 45, the 61 and 82 Latours beside it. Bravo! — 3 years ago

Paul J

9.4

Light gold color. Nose of lemons, oak, and ample coconut. Same on the palate. I would decant for 30 minutes as it’s very restrained. Good balance between acidity and creaminess. Medium finish. If this was dialed up 2-3x’s on flavor and depth it would be awesome. Similar to the Matthiasson Linda Vista Chard. Upgraded 1pt. after 45 mins as the air and temp is helping. — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Bob McDonald

9.7

Definitely one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons I have had this year - also one of the oldest. What a beautiful perfumed nose - red florals, red fruits, mulberry and Spice. A well balanced medium weight palate with those same aromatics coming through on the palate. Smooth resolved tannins. This is the last of a dozen bought on release in the early 2000’s from an excellent vintage. This is living proof of how good Margaret River Cabernet is for top quality Cab. 2 hours later that beautiful perfumed nose never quits. I wish I had a few more bottles left. I do have a magnum of 1996 which needs to be drunk. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. — 4 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.9

A complex, stunning, beautifully elegant wine!
Really well preserved bottle with very little ulage!
Needed a bit of time to open up and lose the damp smell - showing cedar wood, cigar box, red fruit, leather, a bit of mushrooms, complex & still evolving in the glass!
On the palate this was smooth, mellow with bright acidity, layers of juicy red fruit accents and tertiary aromas. The length was just incredible. Sophisticated & elegant.
A truly spectacular & special bottle! — 6 months ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.2

Very dark purple ink robe, nose of cedar wood, top soil, flowers and cherries, with a touch of spices. Its high octane but light on its feet, less complex than the usual as it has no cabernet franc. Frankly long and very complex, an excellent Evangile, that is very drinkable now but has a lot of potential. A few pros noted the marked wood tannins during the futures tastings, here its well integrated and will probably be better in a few years. — 9 months ago

with Jose, veronique and 1 other

Paul J

9.4

Best bottle yet!! PnP. Dark red color. Sour cherries and green elements on the nose. Sweeter than normal which was nice. Medium depth and full of flavor - burning wood. Great QBR! Sad it’s my last bottle but have the ‘13 vintage in the cellar. — 3 years ago

with Brooke

GV

9.0

Old Speckled Hen is a favourite. It's malty, slightly sweet with a nice hint of caramel. A good solid old fashioned English pint. — 4 years ago

John Bratincevic

8.9

Color looks pretty good, nice and dark. Nose: licorice, coffee, chocolate, a whiff of black olives, toffee, wood, some spice or herb I can’t identify, a bit of “purple” - I guess that’s cassis. Good sign. Taste: a little sweet, a lot of that fruity-toffee-coffee taste, also violet and blueberry. Distinctly a Washington wine (based on others I’ve had) because of the licorice and blueberry. A much more complex and grownup version of the affordable fruit bombs blends people love to buy. I wish it were a little more robust, but it is pretty darn good. 89-90. A little fruity for me, but good value, Would prefer Chateau St Michelle for the $13 this cost me, but it is a nice alternative, especially if you want something heavier than that. — 5 years ago