Joe Fischer

9.6

Well, this is my last 2015 and after 11 years it’s close to perfection. Ruby with aromas of dark cherry, blueberry, cedar, and chocolate. On the bud, it smooth, rich, and a long finish. Stewed fruit and a spice note tease the palate. Great with my 40 day aged Ribeye and Red Potatoes. — 3 months ago

Steven Heydemann

9.1

Delicious, but 26 years later it will still strip the enamel off your teeth. — 2 years ago

Pooneet K

9.3

An absolutely wonderful Talbot. Perfect condition and with a 2.5 hour decant this is drinking wonderfully. Excellent pairing with a medium rare dry aged strip steak. Quite seamless on the palate with excellent acid and a hint of menthol. Deep dark fruit and earth. Just lovely. — 4 years ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Beautiful, beautiful wine. The last 96 we had was maybe a smidge more together but it’s marginal. Quite dark in the glass. Deep restrained red fruit on the nose. Tannins are slightly dusty but overall very seamless. Excellent refreshing acid. Perfect with a dry aged strip steak. — 6 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.3

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of eating out in Chicago on the river and enjoyed this 2017 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot. From Napa Valley this blend is 88% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Everything is all outside, no dining in and social distancing is a must, though masks are optional out doors and waitstaff has to wear the masks.

On the nose was black cherry, raspberry, black plums, tobacco, chocolate, rose petals and dusty earth.

On the palate there is beautiful fruit, black cherry, black plum, raspberry, cocoa, licorice, red currant, vanilla, spice and dusty earth.

The wine is medium to full bodied that has a creamy, silky smooth mouth feel with medium to medium + acidity and medium + fine tannins that leads into a long fresh fruit finish. A very enjoyable bottle of wine that went very well with my NY Strip. I hope everyone is well and healthy? Please stay safe and continued health. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 years ago

Jim Wagonfeld

9.1

Aerated 2 hours and the consumed over 2 days. Almost purple in color. Nose of loam, dark fruit and cedar. Palate of dark berries, plums, graphite and licorice. Smooth tannins. Finish of medium length. We enjoyed this with a strip loin roasted in my BGE. Favorable PVR. @andrew schirmer and @nancy dwight were sheltering in place. — 6 years ago

with Judy

Ken Z

9.1

Drank 7/27/18. Birthyear wine for me.

No formal tasting notes. Drank with friends and a NY strip.

Nose with green pepper and some wet earthy notes. Palate of red fruits with fully resolved tannins. Past it's prime, but still quite enjoyable. If you have any, drink up! — 8 years ago

with JT

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have written a few times regarding my tale of Caymus & Caymus Classic. Their vintages post 2011 and their vintages pre 2011.

I have at event tastings that Caymus was pouring, encouraged their staff to talk with Chuck to make both Caymus & Caymus Classic. Recently, I emailed them to pass on my thoughts to Chuck asking him to make both. If you liked Caymus the way it was, I encourage you to do the same. There is a dwelling amount of older, well preserved Caymus Classic vintages. info@wagnerfamilyofwine.com should you be so inclined.

Their post 2011 Caymus Cabernets are picked at higher brix and syrupy sweet. I get why Chuck changed. Many like sweeter Cabernets that drink easy young. That is not my wheelhouse.

In my intermediate wine days, I aged and enjoyed many pre 2012 vintages. This perfect bottle bought on the secondary market at around $70 is extremely well stored. The cork when I cut the foil looked slightly depressed, when I pulled it with an Ah-so was next to new.

I enjoyed this with a Ribcap, not the best wine for that steak but, ok. This 07 is more filet or NY Strip.

The nose shows; a very dark core of sweet currants. Ripe-lush-blackberries, black cherries, the blackest of plum to pudding, black raspberries, poached/slightly baked strawberries, circling raspberries, anise to black licorice, woven baking spices-cinnamon, clove, nutmeg & vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, mellow dark spices, sweet tarriness & dark earth, dry crush limestone, moist, grey volcanic clays, dry top soil, dry tobacco, some sweet graphite, steeped black tea & withering/candied, dark, red flowers framed in liquid violets/lavender.

This bottle now nearly 18 years in bottle has not faded. It is at its precipice and will hold a few yrs. 2007 a grand Napa vintage. Decanted a little over an hour and enjoyed over the next 90-120 minutes. With this experience, another hour in the decanter is even better.

M-M+ velvety, rounded, tannins. The palate is round, ripe, lush, ruby fruits of; dark core of sweet currants. Ripe-lush; blackberries, black cherries, the blackest of plum to pudding, stewed plum, black raspberries, poached/slightly baked strawberries, circling raspberries with notes of liqueur overtones, anise to black licorice, woven baking spices-cinnamon, clove, nutmeg & vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, black licorice, dark berry cola, distinct dark, Caynus Classic spices w/ palate heat, herbaceous notes, sweet tarriness & dark earth, dry crush limestone/rock, moist, grey volcanic clays, dry top soil, dry river stone, charcoal, notes of menthol, dry tobacco, leather, dry oak barrel shavings, some sweet graphite, steeped black tea & withering/candied, dark, red flowers framed in liquid violets/lavender, perfect, round acidity with an incredibly; balanced, well knitted-toned-structured, elegantly/smartly polished finish that goes on and on and long sets on beautiful earth & spice.

94+ This experience is becoming rarer & rarer. — 4 months ago

Matthew W.

9.5

Wagyu strip steak…..check
Lobster tail……check
Frog’s Leap Napa Cab…..check
Unbelievable dinner…..check
Absolutely love this — 5 years ago

joe leatherwood

9.3

Grilled NY Strip night in Oregon. Bringing out 2001 Napa. Bordeaux like on the nose, dark fruit and leather, fully resolved tannins. Worth holding on until now. — 6 years ago

Sean Thomas

9.1

I straight up love Matthiasson. This one needs a little time to open and evolve. First smell and sip was straight up cherry off the bat. After opening up...on the nose: cherry, floral, Stoney mineral, very slightly dusty. On the tongue: cherry, blueberry, blackberry, slight “forest-ish” finish. Tannins are light and it’s mouthwatering. Who makes a Napa cab at 13% alcohol? This is food wine. Paired with a bison strip, phenomenal. Any kind of lean meat will pair well with the light, well rounded tannins. — 6 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.2

The Generous Pour at The Capital Grill. This delightful wine event stacked with Houston Restaurant Weeks was an instant win 💯

Solid Cab that pairs nicely with a Kona-crusted dry aged NY strip. — 8 years ago

with Krystal

Matthew W.

9.3

Always a delicious treat. Excellent pairing with a Snake River Farms Wagyu Strip. Deep fruits, balanced, elegant finish. — 8 months ago

ESF

9.0

paired nicely with/NY strip - had guts & tannic structure with standard dark fruit profile. some polish & elegance — a year ago

Cathy Levy

9.0

Delicious with a NY strip — 4 years ago

Andy Hall

8.9

This bottle was a big tease. Intoxicating nose and delightful on the front palette. Gets your mind thinking of great things for the finish like depth, complexity layers etc. It never comes. The finish is completely lacking. Such a tease. — 5 years ago

Matthew W.

9.3

Opaque red color. Sweet cherry, raspberry fruits. Cigar box, chocolate-vanilla swirl. Good pairing with a butter/ rosemary seared strip steak. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

Bright dark ruby. Initially reticent nose opened in the glass to reveal wonderfully complex scents of black- and redcurrant, blackberry, minerals, licorice, loam and tobacco leaf, plus a whiff of leather. Seamless, savory and classy on entry if a bit subdued, then delivers lovely restrained sweetness and a complicating wildness in the middle palate that still calls for more bottle aging. Old World in its classic dryness, this highly concentrated Opus One really shines on its vibrant, slowly building back end, where the broad, dusty tannins caress and saturate the palate and allow the fruits and minerals to build. A wine of outstanding depth, clarity, finesse of grain and class; it's hard to imagine that this site could give more. Long-time winemaking director Michael Silacci noted that the estate did not strip leaves prior to the brutal August heat spike. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.1

Celebrating snowpocolypse 2019 and 33” of snow today... paired with USDA prime NY Strip. Nose of roasted hazelnut, clove, plum and luxardo cherries. Juicy, slightly thin cranberry and cherry fruit. Soft mouthfeel and touches of leather. Weight speaks to a weaker vintage. Drinking great now. — 7 years ago

Ken Z

9.3

Drank 7/27/18.

No formal tasting notes. Drank with friends and a NY Strip.

100% Italian Cab. Italian nose with red and black fruit flavors and nice acidity. Medium well integrated tannins. Sadly, my last bottle. — 8 years ago