Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 3 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.8

Day 2 of WineBoyz Wineapalooza. Tasted blind. Deep, dark reddish amber color with clear rims. Big, rich and heavy in the glass. Notes of black cherry, cracked walnuts, mocha, cranberries and cherries. Great structure and energy. The walnuts descriptor leads me to guess this spot on as the 61 Latour. Not at the some stratosphere level of the last bottle or two of this that we've had, but I'm splitting hairs. This is an awesome, immortal bottle of juice. — 3 years ago

David Nicewicz

9.3

This was stubbornly closed and unyielding. I think a lot of 2000 BDX are in the same “quiet” spot right now. The normal Palmer bouquet was very muted here that was far more pronounced in the 2004 I opened a few weeks ago. I think this is a sleeping giant though as there is a dense velvety tannin structure that sits heavy on the tongue. I’m holding off opening the the rest of my bottles for a few more years. I think this has 9.7+ potential... — 4 years ago

Nathan Renfro

9.4

@"Odedi" comments below are spot on. Gave this bottle 2 hours decant and it was drinking very well. Very approachable, a lighter Napa cab, very well balanced with just ripe dark fruit, medium plush tannins, med acidity. Drinking very well. Really enjoyable. Can’t wait to watch this evolve with many more years left. — 22 days ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

Although I find that La Closerie generally needs some bottle age to fill out and come into its own, LC19 is already showing fabulously flaunting deep, powerful layers of ripe orchard fruit with smoky minerals, toasted hazelnuts and exotic spices. The palate is impeccably structured and concentrated with a satiny texture and vibrant energy that gives way to a long mineral inflicted finish. Pinot Meunier from the master, it just can’t be matched. This is the best release since LC13. — 3 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.5

In a perfect spot. Chestnut, truffle, forest floor, potpourri and dried cherry and strawberry on the nose. Plenty of beautiful and lively fruit on the palate. Red berries, amaretto, roasted meat, toasted cocoa and earth. More minty and herbal on day two, but hasn’t faded a bit. One of the finest aged bottles I’ve had- really exquisite. This bottle has special meaning for me because it is one of the first wines I ever bought intentionally to cellar. Two bottles left. — 3 years ago

Lolis Elie

9.1

Beautiful. Drinking on the sweet spot. — 2 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Garnet with terracotta rim . Quite a lot of sous bois , mostly red fruits , earthy tobacco. Nicely rounded on the palate , touch of cassis , red currant sous bois, herbal touches on the finish . Nice refreshing acidity , slightly drying tannin , but still well balanced. Very enjoyable and in a perfect spot in this format, now and over the next 5 years . — 2 years ago

Evelyn Manlove

9.2

Described to me as an easy drinker but with enough interest to chew over with grassy, herbal notes. I found this to be spot on. I was also told it's a grape usually used in blends, but put center stage here. That intrigued me. I really enjoyed it and hope i come by it again. — 3 years ago

Joe Weinberger

9.3

This is in a very good spot right now. I had the 2017 Les Aussigouins earlier this year and felt it was a bit disjointed and needed time. I would think this is drinking at about peak right now but it could still go for a few more years if you have a bottle around. This has some classic beeswax/lanolin character but really relies on its acid structure to carry it. Lots of minerality and texture. — 4 years ago