Ming L

9.1

Tasted alongside the Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay of the same vintage, this wine opens with nose of ripe peach, lemon curd, lightly toasted almond, and a whisper of vanilla—echoing the Kistler’s profile. However, the resemblance stops there. Pineapple and underripe star fruit emerges, lending a refreshing, aromatic lift. On the palate, the tropical theme persists, layered with zesty lime and wet stone minerality. Bright, sharp acidity is balanced by a softly textured mid-palate. Clean precise finish. — 12 days ago

Ericsson

9.5

In the glass, it’s a deep, opaque ruby, promising something serious. The nose has blackcurrant, cedar, and graphite, with a hint of dried herbs, dust and cigar box, like stepping into an old library. There’s restraint here, almost old school. No overripe fruit, no excess; just balance, precision.

On the palate, it’s all about structure. The tannins are firm but refined, holding together layers of dark fruit, espresso, and a touch of cocoa. The acidity is just enough to keep it fresh, cutting through the richness of it all. As the wine opens up, there’s a shift; an earthy, almost savory depth that lingers on a long, seamless finish. Could have saved it but it is peaking and paired perfectly with a thick cut of ribeyes over mesquite charcoal with great company and conversation. — 2 months ago

Austin Moberg

9.1

Was drinking well enough maybe a tad on the backend — 4 months ago

Peter Heyboer

9.7

This wine is exactly what I wanted. I knew it would be good after touring the winery and hearing the history but this wine delivers. Citrus/lychee/ floral aroma and flavor. Everybody should drink this wine even if they're not the biggest chardonnay fans. — 6 months ago

with Matthew, Ethan and 2 others

Ira Schwartz

9.2

One can not help but to get excited when you see an iconic producer and an almost 50 year old bottle. The nose is Bordeaux like with elements of old wooden furniture, , leather, and an autumn day in the woods. On the palate those elements meet up with plums and dark berries . A wine held together by structure. Would have loved to have tried 10-15 years ago. — 15 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Flight 2 , wine 1 . Quite deep garnet , less terracotta rim . This had a whiff of oxidation about it at first which seemed to somewhat dissipate with time . Some dark spiced fruits , liquorice and menthol hints , cedar and sous bois . On the palate good ripeness and spiced dark cherry hints . Good acidity and rounded tannin . Nice length also , offering some spiced black fruits and menthol hints . Don’t think this is a pristine bottle but was enjoyable none the less , I was unsure at first if this was Napa , but coming back to it … and reading my notes , it became quite obvious . However I had this down as the Ch Montelena , not the Dominus — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1994 vintage. Nice fill with a slightly shrunken and fully saturated cork. Durand helped plenty in the opening assist. Not decanted and tasted after 1.25 hours open. Hadn’t tasted since the early 2000’s. Definitely dropped all the baby fat. Toffee, coffee and chocolate covered cherries in the nose. Light medium body (thought it would be a touch bigger). Still plenty of focus but slightly less grip than desired. Can it match biggie shizz like Montelena, Dunn, Diamond Creek, BV GDL Reserve, Mondavi Reserve, Araujo, Peter Michael Les Pavots, Mayacamas, etc? No. Is it really really nice? Absolutely. Can hold another 5-6 years at this juncture before boarding the downhill bell curve train. 11.8.24. — 5 months ago

Sheila G.

9.3

Cherry Burnt sugar. Light wood. Asparagus. Drinking at berns steakhouse in Tampa — 9 days ago

with Mike

Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Flight 1 , wine 1 . Quite dense and intense sweet fruit on the nose . Touches of spice , currants , plum and liquorice . This is a little advanced and probably could just be this bottle . Currant and plum notes on the palate , good roundness and rounded sweet tannin . Balanced acidity . This is perhaps not the most representative bottle , but has to be Napa. Actually oxidised quite quickly in the glass, but was enjoyable whilst it lasted . Sure there are better bottles out there . Had this as the Inglenook . — a month ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Flight 4 , wine 2. This was quite a difficult wine to read at first , again quite closed , mineral and tobacco edged . Dark fruits. On the palate rounder than expected , good richness and balance , dark cherry , blackberry fruit . Good rounded tannin and ok length . Quite obviously Bordeaux in the context of this tasting , though I had this as the Lynch Bages 1982 when it was actually the Brane Cantenac 1986 …..I give up ! 90

This was an interesting , though challenging tasting , all served blind in flights of 2 wines , 3 flights of 1 Napa and 1 Bordeaux and 1 of 2 Bordeaux; served in a random sequence . The fact that at least a couple of wines were not pristine didn’t help , though if you will taste 8 , 40 year old wines that is probably par for the course . I found it relatively easy to spot whether what was in the glass was Napa or Bordeaux but didn’t actually get a single wine completely correct ! Probably overall the winner of the tasting was Napa (won the 3 rounds 2-1) as they had more suave polished , rounded personalities. Many put the wines the wrong way round , imagining that Napa was Bordeaux etc. The 1982s in general showed poorly too much funk and brett on the Lynch and Talbot but the Duhart showed surprisingly well . The 86s both showed pretty well and equalled the Dominus (even though I didn’t think we had a pristine bottle) . The Montelena was enjoyable , though was the first to oxidise whilst the Inglenook was the biggest positive surprise , still drinking surprisingly well at 47 . — a month ago