1949 vintage (!!!). Very special half bottle, but more than half the volume lost to evaporation. Opened this gem at Totoraku yesterday to go with two full bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1996 and 1952 (!!). This Temple of Beef demands special occasion wines. Cork fell apart in the bottle so we poured it all in a decanter but did not wait to sip. Pale strawberry-orange color, surprising tart fruit nose, supremely delicate taste with just a bit of fruit and life left. Not the best bottle on the table but certainly not in any way undrinkable. Interesting experience. Would gladly do it again in the name of science. Oldest Red Bordeaux I have ever tasted. — a year ago
Cherry, an earthy note, violet, some spices too. The palate is well designed and quite fresh, with a strong acid backbone, a beautiful cherry note all along, a good width and a soft mouthfeel. The mid palate builds up slowly and expands nicely, with a slight layer of grainy tannins. The finsih is long and fruity with a spicy note. This wine is very precise with that sheer acid drive, you can bet it was grown in high altitude from that freshness and that energy. Good one! — 4 years ago
Wow. Under duress of open and pour, and a lousy glass, this wine is sumptuous. I highly recommend it. Only 2100 bottles made. Very long finish with smooth tannins. — 7 months ago
Another solid vintage of this ripe and juicy red. Aromas of cooked red berries and plums. Full and round pallet that features cassis, blueberry and plum. Touch of minerality and earth on the very long finish. Very smooth tannins. Silky texture. Bright, fruit forward and fresh. More fruit than tertiary flavors in this vintage. Excellent QPR. — 3 years ago
Perfumed nose of violets plus blue and red fruits a note of red liquorice. On the medium weight plus palate , ripe plum and chocolate. Differs from Cabernet with no herbal bay leaf characters and softer tannins in this case but persistent. This is a perfect wine to have with steak, in this case T bone. The Argentinians worked this out ages ago. One of the 1001 wines where it is summed up succinctly - The hallmark of the Catena style is refinement and balance but with a big personality. These wines supercede the Malbecs from Cahors because the vineyards are planted between 780 metres and 1500 metres in the Andes. — 3 years ago
A really nice introduction to Snowden Vineyards with this one. Deep cherry color with a thin rim. The amount of earth on the nose is really nice. Graphite and soft red cherries leads to just about the right amount of cedar. Juicy blueberries take the lead after a heavy decant.
Single vineyard Napa Merlot with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon thrown in just for good measure. Medium bodied with tannins on the supple side. 14.0 but doesn’t get the balance off. Nice acidity and structure. The palate mirrors the nose with brambly fruit and toasty wood elements. Long finish with spices and herbs. Next time your dumb friend starts quoting Sideways, give them this.
— 3 years ago
Nick
Purple AF and delicious! Baking spices and ripe juicy red fruits. High in tannins. Got me hamskie after 2 glasses. — 6 days ago