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+. — a month ago
Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.
The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 2 months ago
We could not believe this was 1996. Young gorgeous fruit in a wine I tasted blind that I thought might be 2009. Gorgeous… a revelation about what a nearly 30 year old Bordeaux could be! Wow! — 2 days ago
Even more fantastic than the previous bottle of 2010 I enjoyed a year ago. Decanted and enjoyed over 7 hours. This was good from first pour but became great and then magnificent over the next 3.5 and 7 hours. It was still full of verve on the last sip! Early only it was more dark fruit but over time the wines softened and became a bit sweeter and rounder. Tremendous length and complexity. — a month ago
I picked up a couple ‘88s recently as I’m always looking for birth year wines and opted to open this one first. Rough label, but provenance was great.
Consumed from bottle over the course of two hours. After 10-20mins of blowing off so 30+yr funk, this became a total surprise! Faded ruby with bricking but that’s the only sign that this had age. Aromatics sported sweet cherry tobacco, older floral/potpurri, and a mix of red and black berry fruits. Juicy and vibrant on the palate! Shocked. Core of red and black fruits carry the profile with fig, herbs and a little bit of leather. Good spine of acidity here. Not much tannin at the finish, but it’s classically old Napa merlot. Drink up and enjoy! — a month ago
2010 is a vintage to leave to your children if you bought this at 50 years old forward. This is a 50-60 year wine with proper storage.
The nose shows nice ruby, fruits of; dark cherries, cherries, strawberries with a dark currant center, blackberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Chocolate mousse, melted, milk chocolate, light caramel, moist sage, warm, slightly sweet dark earth with withering dark & red florals.
The palate is warm, inviting & beautiful. Easy to drink. Dark cherries, cherries, strawberries with a dark currant center, blackberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Red cola/licorice, dark chocolate, melted, milk chocolate, light caramel, moist sage, warm, oak barrel shavings, moist, dark earth w/ dry leaves, celery, used leather, moist tobacco, with withering dark & red florals. Perfect acidity with an excellently balanced, nicely knitted, perfect tension & structure with elegance for days the falls evenly on ripe fruits & soft earthiness.
94-96 in another 10 years. Outside chance at 97. — 6 days ago
We think something has changed at Montrose after the departure of Jean Bernard Delmas. Its not a bad wine by any means but the style is modern and extracted. At ten years this ie very drinkable and great quality but does not speak to its terroir as it used to. Hope its just one year… — a month ago
Doug Powers
From a Napa vintage that I recall as being so-so, this wine shows the Howell Mountain terroir without the normally harsh tannins that were characteristic of Dunn HM wines in the 1980s. But, honestly, this is really lovely, suave, red fruited, with a medium-long finish, and seems way younger than I expected from a 37-year-old Napa Cabernet!! — 5 days ago