An excellent depth of flavor for such a light wine. Nose of dried roses, dried flowers, dusty roads. Light, ethereal flavors of grabby red fruits, underripe strawberries, red brick, light pepper. Strong structure to stand up to a dry aged ribeye. Excellent. — 12 days ago
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. It’s been almost a year since my last visit with the 2018 vintage and it’s in a very pretty spot right now. All notes previously apply though I should point out that the florals are especially showy right now. The nose is simply beautiful to experience. The fruit remains fresh and mostly red fruited. The structure is still firm. Very, very easy to enjoy on its own or with a meal. Drink now through 2038+. — 21 days ago
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. — 3 months ago
Dark red-purple color with faint orange on the rim, rich, deep currants and cassis, great acidity highlights the crispness and freshness in the nearly 40-year-old wine, for a 1986, this shows little tannic structure, long, lingering finish, outstanding!! — 25 days ago
(Two previous 1983 vintage wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from CT).
My experiences with 1983s has been fairly positive, and this PL certainly is among the better I’ve had from the vintage. Holding color nicely with deep ruby and slight bricking around the rim. Started off a bit dense and muddled, but hit stride about 30mins later with a mix of red and black berry fruit, cassis, a streak of herbal green down the middle (something I always get with PL). Excellent example of the fruit showing lots of flavor without being overly ripe. Leather, sweet pipe tobacco, graphite, and still some vibrancy at the finish with tannin structure. Clean and elegant at this stage. Showed well over the course of two hours. Drink up and enjoy. — 2 months ago
Amazing older Napa Cabernet, redfruits (currants and cassis), this is amazingly fresh and youthful, structure is there, just a faint green note pops out in the super long finish, great wine (and clearly showing much more youthful than the 1986 Dunn Napa we opened in mid-March)!! Randy killed it in this vintage, planning to open a 1987 Howell Mountain Cabernet in the next few weeks, it should be fantastic!! — 18 days ago
Decanted about an hour in advance and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2022 Cuvée Réservée pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe and tart bramble fruits: blackberries, Marionberries, raspberries, “Oops All Berries!!”, garrigue, red and purple flowers, black pepper, licorice, a balance of cool and warm spices, river rock. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from nose; particularly the power and quality of fruit. The finish is long. Early days for the 2022 Cuvée Réservée but holy smokes is it already pretty special. The ABV is a scorching 16% but you would never know it. The power and freshness of fruit with the titanic structure keep everything in balance. Drink now through 2042. — 22 days ago
Jason Keefer
Delicious and zippy, nice contrast of juicy red fruits and earthy, vegetal notes. Drinking great now and has a lot of structure for staying power! — 11 hours ago