this was opened straight from the cellar without decanting. this wine continues to amaze me. the last time i had this was about 6 months ago. since then i has developed a little more. with some coaxing it gives of very dark fruit mixed with sweet semi-sweet chocalate (me thinks). i just love the tannin in this wine, very sweet and not to mouth puckering. i don't know how long this will last but i can't see i getting any better. one of my favorite 99's, especially for the price.

You can also read a lot about ithere.

I have to agree that this wine has improved over the last few months. I first had this wine about 8 months ago and enjoyed it. I pulled the cork on a bottle a few weeks ago and what I noticed most was the mouth feel of the wine! It has put on weight and become more complex over that last few months. Now the only problem is that I only have one left and I am not sure when to drink it .

Brando....did you decant at all?

Dick

Funny, I had this one recently and thought it took a step backwards. I got a bit of herbaciousness.

jb

I had this tonight. With all the talk lately, I wanted to see how mine are progressing.

Originally, I rated this a 92 (just like WS). And, that is very rare (me agreeing with WS ratings). Over the last 6-8 months, I went down to 91 & 90. I can live with 90.

Originally, I bought about 2.5 cases of this. I sold 20 bottles in the last 1-2 months. I drank (so far) about 5-6 bottles & 4 more to go. These 4, I will taste for the next 3-4 years (to see how the Wine is progressing).

Dick - I "decanted" for about an hour and drank over the next 3 hours (give or take).

It's funny, my first bottle (8 mo. ago) to me was OK. The bottle I had a few weeks ago I really enjoyed! Bottle varaition? Conspairisy? The truth is out there!

We drank our last bottle of this last night. It was a mountain of rather harsh tannins with a decent cab struggling to get out. I don't know whether it needs more time or it is over.

It barely cracked 90 points in my book. I think it is a quality wine but I did not care for it.

maybe a bad bottle. i opened a bad one a few months ago. slightly corked but bad enough to dump it out.

Had one Thursday night at a restaurant in Indianapolis. 90 pts, but just barely. Seems to have lost some fruit.

When it came out, I agreed with WS 92points. And, bought a case in a half of it.

But, upon further reviews (tastings), I lowered my ratings on it to 89-90points (just like you guys are posting). And, sold a case of it. Still, a pretty good bottle of Wine for $30.00.

Thanks for the updates. Will finish my 1 remaining bottle soon.

My apologies for printing this review in its' entirety:

"An immense effort, dark, rich and deeply concentrated, packed with layers of rich currant, chocolate, mocha, cherry and herbal nuances. Finishes with a powerful, persistent aftertaste, rich, ripe tannins and wonderful complexity. Best from 2003 through 2012. 12,280 cases made. (JL)"

Between this review by Laube amd the mixed reviews from forum members I'm not convinced whether this wine is going down or simply going through something "funky" right now. I have 4 left and will consume 1 per year starting in 2004. I probably gain little by selling this wine. If it's already going downhill then I'm too late. If it rebounds I win. It is only costing me 4 slots in the cellar.

Interesting. 2012??? Hmmm....

laube does think it has a moderately long life ahead of it. just my $.02, but i think many of the 99 cali cabs are starting to shut down.

Ai... I agree.

I had one tonight and I fond it to be a very pleseant wine.

I don't think I'm going to wait on this wine. I'll drink my whopping two bottles sometime soon. Make room for better stuff... that seems to be the theme with me lately.

fwiw - I finished my case plus of this wine a couple months ago. Frankly, I don't see the need in cellaring this wine.

Like you, mine is gone as well, Short. Last bottle was probably 6 mos. ago.

jb

I had this wine about a year ago in Houston and it was rockin'! I enjoyed it immensely. I can't believe it's going downhill.

Just gave it about 30 mins of airtime and it was good to go. I have about a case left so we'll try one out this weekend and see what's up.