Norman Gennaro

9.1

Great fun with the boys. — a month ago

Shay A

9.2

92-93 for me.

Consumed half bottle at pop, then corked for another 4hrs before consuming the rest. No change.

What a beautifully elegant and refined ‘09. The highest compliment I can give this is that it was a simplistic joy. Some wines make it easy to get nerdy and command your attention…some wines are underwhelming and not worth your time. This was squarely in the middle. It was a joy to not feel the need to overthink…it’s exactly what it should be. No bricking at almost 15yrs. Decidedly black fruit heavy (black currant, cassis, underripe blackberries) with a sprinkling of raspberries and black cherries. Aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, dark florals. Integrated on the palate with good structure and acidity…not a massive wine, but it put on a bit of weight/length the longer it was open. Still sporting a fair bit of tannin at the finish, but it’s balanced. Drink or hold. — 3 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Brief Notes:- A medium weight red fruited savoury, earthy, bombshell of M+ intensity…a tarry note with liquorice adding to its Chateauneuf personality. An excellent example. More Burgundian than Rhone in weight and texture. Not sure further cellaring will add much but delicious right now. NB I have a bottle or two left and maybe a magnum? Must check. Had another bottle 17 weeks later on 18th May 2024 with similar notes. Pale tawny, dirty Ruby in colour - almost transparent. First aromas of tar, roses and violets. Medium bodied / red fruits, strawberries and raspberries in a savoury style. — 5 months ago

Jack Goldenberg

9.1

Classic Lafite. Hard to put into words. It was delicate yet still powerful. I’ve had the wine in my cellar since a year or so after release. We were stunned at how well it had aged…45?years old and still retained its fruit. It was worth the wait — a month ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium to light ruby , wide ruby garnet rim . Spiced red cherries , with raspberry jam , menthol , grafite , liquorice touches. On the palate juicy spiced sweet red fruits with those liquorice notes and dried herbs. Good balancing acidity and velvety but grippy tannins and slightly noticeable alcohol. Good length with a liquorice, cherry tinged finish. Enjoyable now though will age well over the next 10 years or so . — 4 months ago

Paul J

9.3

1hr decant but probably could have PnP’d. Nice dark red color. Some cedar and dark cherries on the nose. Easy to drink. Nothing remarkable or off putting, just a solid wine. Fades pretty quick with medium depth and finish. — 5 months ago

with Brooke

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/brick rim.

Very complex nose with cedar, black fruits and vegetables.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward with great complexity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, tobacco leaf, earth, dark coffee, chocolates, black pepper, black tea, bell pepper, Indian spices and vegetables.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 26 year old Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking very nicely now, although might be past its prime.

Feels like an aged Left Bank Bordeaux.

Loved the nose here, but needed an hour of airtime to open up. After 3 hours of airtime, more vegetable and earth notes show up.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$150. — 7 months ago

Joe Weinberger

9.1

Can’t tell if not in a great spot or maybe some slight heat damage—but leaning to the latter. Tasty, but not as good as it should have been — 3 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1989 vintage. Tasted 5.5.23 (9.5), 4.4.23 (6 different btls-avg 9.4) and 12.9.22 (9.6). Above average fill for the age and impressive cork (about 70% saturated). Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Threw a decent amount of powdery sed. Medium nose slightly muted for the first 10 minutes or so but then came roaring to life. Yes, still the hallmark blueberries and cocoa powder along with a dash of raspberry but bigg graphite with this bottle. Drank consistently great for 1.75 hours, then seemed to lose a little steam at the very end. Not improving but still think cellar dwellers need to be popped in the next five years to enjoy the magic before it fades. 3.28.24. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Flight #2 of our 1997 Retrospective and these were the thoroughbreds. Presented single-blind; no formal notes. Wine #2 had great color, was developing, fresh, focused, balanced; great structure. One of those glasses of wine you didn’t want to end and, for me, a tough call for favorite of the flight along with Wine #1. I vacillated between this being Dominus or Monte Bello; ultimately calling the former. This is in a beautiful phase of life. Monte Bello is one of those wines that needs decades to show its best. Drink now through 2040. — 5 months ago