Tom Casagrande

9.2

This really leans into the darker aspect of Cab. Dark cassis, loads of dark crushed stone, baker’s chocolate, dark iodiney savory notes. Intense in the mouth, but with surprisingly nice acids for its 14.9 frame. Rich, but bone dry. Still tannic, but it’s soft. — a month ago

with Rebecca

Jake Hajer

9.4

Aged wonderfully. Fruit holding. Could easily drink glasses of this. — 2 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Nearly 20 years in bottle. It is still ascending will drink well for another 15 days plus years.

From a warm vintage. Beautiful, even toned fruits with elegant earth & amazing lead pencil bloom for days.

This is approaching its peak, another 5 years from its peak.

Well resolved wine-fruits. The fruits are juicy, blackberries, black raspberries, plum skin, dark cherries & slightly, poached strawberries with a highlight of pomegranate. Mocha, dark chocolate, black tea, sandalwood, sandstone, limestone, some mushroom notes, dark, rich turned earth w/ dry leaves, dry tobacco, dry leather, dry herbs, dry stone, caramel notes, dry, withering, dark, purple & red flowers with excellent acidity, balance, tension, structure and finish for days that lasts 90 seconds. — 8 months ago

John Malcolm

9.2

Lovely wine. Paired with venison. Decanted for a couple of hours. Full-bodied. Dark cherries, blackberries, a hint of dark chocolate, and Smokey. Very satisfying. — 2 months ago

Abbas Zand

9.2

Dark ruby color, aromas of dark cherry and blueberries. Full body, high alcohol 14.8%.
Flavors of dark cherries and plums/blueberries. Notes of cedar and dark chocolate. Well integrated tannins. Ready to drink. Medium+ intensity, medium+ finish. Well done.
$30 sale ( regular price $65) — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium ruby , terracotta /garnet rim. Quite round and ripe , red plum , cigar and ripe blackberry, touch of soy . Touch of cocoa , blackberry and ripe dark cherry , black tea . Quite sweet , rich on the palate, generous for Las Cases , slightly dried fruit , fig and red plum . Pretty decent length , balanced but quite discreet acidity , rounded tannins . This is at peak now and I don’t see much up side from here , so best to drink over the next 5 years or so, though it did hold up in the glass quite well . Atypical for Las Cases with its ripe fruit, quite low acidity , sweet tannin: also this only has 42% Cabernet Sauvignon. Overall probably the least successful of the wines in this tasting , but the level overall was very high. — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium deep garnet with a terracotta rim . This has some sous bois , earthy tobacco , coffee grinds , herbal touches , cedar and dried currants . On the palate this is quite dense and classic in profile , still quite a lot of tannin , sous bois , cedar , some cassis , tobacco and a little herbal. Quite stocky and chunky . Medium length , and balanced acidity . This is still quite dense on the palate , with grippy , slightly rustic tannins . Probably just past peak , but will hold over the next 5 years or so . Tasted at Hedonism Wines , London …. No label on the bottle ! — 7 days ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Big lush, dark fruit that has not reached its peak window yet. But she ain’t far away. I was able to obtain a vertical of 01,02,03,& 04. My first foray into that vertical. No rush on this one but very impressed. Leather, pepper, if not cigar leaf here . Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on here and my lack of Cali knowledge has new intrigue — 5 months ago

Stephanie Carnegie

9.1

Good smooth red — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

As a wine professional, there are few greater pleasures than a bottle that surprises. All too often, our prejudices influence the experience which is why it’s so important to taste wines in double-blind fashion, and often. This bottle of 2005 Terlato Family Vineyards, “Cardinal’s Peak” blew me away. I don’t know anything about the wine making or fruit source but what was in the glass was simply beautiful.

Poured into a decanter about 90 minutes prior to service and then enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2005 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some light signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of mostly ripe, but also some dried black and red fruits: blackberries, black cherry, black plum, raspberry, pipe tobacco, the purple Now and Laters®️, oiled leather, purple flowers, dark chocolate, coffee, dried forest floor, and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and overwhelmingly satisfying. A somewhat, no scratch that, remarkable wine. End stop. Drinking so well right now and absolutely in its prime. Don’t think twice to drink now to enjoy at its very best, but this will continue to drink well through 2030 if you must. 13.8% ABV. — a year ago