Paul T HB

9.5

Copy & paste will not format so excuse the incompetence 👌🏼First time having this one, smells better on day 1 by a smidge tastes better on day 2 . Winery notes 35% Fiddlestix, 35% Radian, 12% Bentrock, 12% Sanford & Benedict, & 6% Rancho La Vina. The blend comes from lots that were 89% destemmed and 11% whole cluster. The wine was aged on its lees for 19 months in French oak barrels (50% new) and bottled unfined & unfiltered. We think it is remarkably expressive for such a dramatically scaled, well structured wine, and its silky texture and impeccable balance will yield a tremendous aging curve. Drink 2026-2038+. — 12 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

I think if you read this nonsense I post, you know how I feel about this producer, past & present. This 07 is outstanding & top of its bell curve. It is so good to revisit these great vintages of Caymus Classic.

This is fresher than the 97. It is rich/lush, cassis to currents, ripe, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries & strawberries. Dark chocolate, mocha, classic, beautiful, Caymus Classic spice that I miss dearly in their new wines, black licorice, fudge, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg & vanillin, most top soil, limestone, dry herbs, dry tobacco, barrel shavings, taut leather, volcanic grey clay, dark, fresh & slightly withering flowers, violets, beautiful round acidity, balance, structure, nice tension and elegant finish that last minutes and falls on spice and evoluted earth tones.

This bottle is in fine shape. Still strong and will last another 10 years of fine drinking. Phenomenal vintage and time to enjoy. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2005 vintage. Light-medium/medium bod. Rocking don't bother knocking. So good. At the top of its respective bell curve and looks to hang out for quite some time. Maybe an extended residency? Not going anywhere anytime soon. 12.11.24. — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2013 vintage. Nice fill. Excellent cork. No Durand needed. Decanted with some sed and tasted multiple times over the course of two hours. Origin story medium-heavy body now a light-medium body but with zero loss of color intensity. Primary flavors completely evacuated with secondary and tertiary flavors rushing in to fill the nature-abhorred vacuum. Initially, pretty bretty and likely too much for many...especially those not enamored with/used to such. Black olives, garrigue and cracked black pepper throughout mitigated the sweaty saddle and in serious leather (apologies to Frank Zappa) tendencies in the first hour. Overt, bretty notes dissipated after 45 minutes, This particular wine and vintage at the zenith/absolute top of its' particular bell curve and tastes like it can hover there another 5-6 years without drop-off or apology. 10.28.25. — 9 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This was bloody marvelous last night at dinner.

18 years in bottle and it was singing. Perfect condition & around the top of its bell curve.

I have had now many older vintages of Felsina and have yet to be disappointed by any of them. One of the very best & consistent producers in Chianti.

Think I recently (6 months ago) paid $35 for this 05. Extremely great value. — 6 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I purchased this yesterday from an A+ wine storage facility that also sells its clients wine when requested. This has been stored there since its release. I bought this perfect bottle for $35 because it has sentimental value and for $35 bucks…come on!

In a former life, I only drank well made CA Chardonnay. I know it’s hard even for me to imagine, let alone remember & admit it. Now, I hardly drink CA Chardonnay.

My sisters were visiting and they like reds. So I stopped at the former “Wine Club” retail shop in Santa Clara. It was the 1999 Pine Ridge “Stag’s Leap Cabernet” (2x) I bought that started me down the red rabbit hole. The Andrus is as close to that as I’ll get to their Stag’s Leap bottling at this point. Close enough and one of their best. We enjoyed it with Chinese takeout! 😂

This 99 is just and I mean just the other side of its peak bell curve. Still has another 5 years of life left. It is its unbelievable storage that has kept this 99 fresh as it’s not from not an awful vintage, but certainly not a great one, not like 98. Yet, it still shines 25 years later.

The nose reveals dark currants & cassis. Hints of barrel toast. Brambly blackberries, black raspberries, stewy black plum, poached, dark cherries & strawberries, burnt cranberries, black tea, burnt brush, old tobacco w/ ash, old baking spices, baking soda and dark, red, withering florals.

The palate shows; ripe, juicy, brambly blackberries, black raspberries, stewy black plum, poached, dark cherries & strawberries, burnt cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, black tea, mid berry cola, burnt brush, touch of black pepper, softened, dark spice, old tobacco w/ ash, well used leather, baking spices-clove, cinnamon, nutmeg & vanillin, cooked caramel. Some dry sage, baking soda, limestone powder, dry top soil, grey volcanics and dark, red, slightly withering florals set in violets, rainfall acidity with an elegant, juicy, well balanced/structured & still showing nice tension on the finish that lasts two-minutes plus.

I had this corvined over two nights and at the halfway point threw some very chunky sediment.

What a great remembrance! — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2005 vintage. Decanted and tasted immediately and over the course of 4 hours. Medium body with a continually morphing nose. Super-impressive bouquet throughout the night. Overt fruit fallen off the framework and replaced with secondary attributes/complexities. @Bill Bender remarked twice about a lack of “heat”since the usual CDP ABV range seemed underwhelming One might think that would present issues but, rest assured, it did not. Great wine possibly at its’ zenith/top of the bell curve and living its’ best life now. Backed up the hype and then some. Tied for WOTN along with the 2006 Krug Clos du Mesnil Champagne (missed a picture for that one) for both myself and @Shay A 09.21.25. — 2 months ago

with Shay and Bill

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2000 vintage. Last tasted 02.09.24 (9.5) and 12.02.22 (9.6). Decent fill, solid cork. Decanted and tasted after 5 minutes. High decant had the appropriately aged, BDX funk in the atmosphere where multiple guests could smell it. Compacted, light body. Explosively complex flavors and notes. This is at the top of the bell curve currently. Possibly another 4-5 years in these lands. Yet again, need to pick up more. The very definition of finesse. 03.08.25. — 8 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

HBTM! 🥳 🎉🎂 🎈

WOTN!

Still fresh & youthful. Perfect. Great fill. Still peaking.

Bramble, nicely, fresh fruits of; blackberries, creamy, black raspberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, hints of blueberries, poached to dry strawberries. Lead pencil for days, dry tobacco, used leather, liquid herbaceous notes, volcanic & limestone marl & grey clay, eucalyptus/pine tar, black licorice, dark spice, touch of black pepper, mushroom, light baking spices, dry top soil, dry river stone, dry stem, well done toast, dry & withering; dark, red, some blue florals framed in lavender & violets, perfect acidity and extremely well; balanced, structured, tensioned, balanced, smarty polished finish that last several minutes finish.

Photos of; Latour and their vine close to the D2, entrance to Chatesu Latour and their barrel room. The cleanest cellar I’ve seen and I have seen most of the wine world.

It’s just the left side of the bell curve. Stored correctly it has another 10 plus years of good drinking.

Robert Parker launched his career calling this vintage correctly upon release when others were not. — 2 years ago