Mark Farrell

9.5

Deep ruby in color with slight brick color on the rim. Nose is quite pleasing with berry compote, lavender, and dark chocolate. Also a bit of earthiness. Wow. A great mouthfeel on this wine. Well balanced with tannins still a bit heavy. That said, I like my wines with a bit more tannic backbone. These notes are from pop and pour taste. Will let it open up a bit and will update if it changes significantly. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Deep Ruby in colour. Strong earthy stony aromas with deep ripe plum plus red and black fruits. An example of a Hunter Valley wine trying to be like a South Australian Shiraz - too ripe and full bodied. “Clumsy” HH said when it was first released. Thankfully wine makers lately in the Hunter have returned to the old medium weight, savoury, “sweaty saddle “ style. Returning to this 2005, this is more full bodied and rich but the quality of the very old vines planted by Maurice O’Shea pulls it over the line as a high quality wine. The more recent vintages of Maurice O’Shea are of extreme quality (2014 - 99 points), back to what the Hunter does best, and will live for decades. — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Popped and poured; no formal notes. The 2000 Chateau Musar Grand Vin Rouge pours a deep, slightly hazy garnet color with some signs of sediment. On the nose, this is drop dead gorgeous with all the vibes I would come to expect from a 20+ year old Musar. Clearly a vinous wine with a wonderful mix of red and dark fruit; mostly ripe while some dried fruits are beginning to appear. Earthy characteristics were also playing a strong supporting role along with sweet pipe tobacco, leather, some red and purple flowers, some green herbs, exotic spices and there was a touch of brettanomyces but nothing out of control. On the palate, the wine was quite spry with ample structure still; firm tanning and lovely acid. The finish was long and simply to die for. Musar's Grand Vin Rouge is often compared to some of the great wines from Bordeaux however, I have traditionally eschewed this comparison as I have found these wines to be almost singular. That being said, this bottle was far and away the most relatable to Bordeaux that I have so far experienced. It should also be noted that this bottle came to me ex-chateau a couple of years back and provenance likely had something to do with the strength of this showing. It was a fabulous pairing with grilled lamb chops and fattoush. Based off this experience, I expect well stored examples to drink well for at least another decade and likely, longer than that. — 2 years ago

Jenks

9.2

2020 Silver Oak at the sky club. Hype Napa cab, would normally avoid this like the plague but not gonna lie it’s pretty fucking good. Would I buy it? No. Will I throw excess miles at it, absolutely. — 4 months ago

Andy Stabile

9.2

My last bottle…
A few years back I bought 3 bottles. Now can’t find another 2017 on the inter-webs.

Soft mouth feel with a kick not from tannins, per se, but from a strong peppery finish. Just loved.
36% Grenache, 36% Syrah, 31 mourverdre…
After 2017 they jacked up the Grenache and it hasn’t been the same. Not sure the vineyard is even still around.

Was fun while it lasted…. — 6 months ago

Robert Torretti

9.3

Lovely bottle of 1986 Ducru Beaucalliou. A little smoky and not as long as the last bottle but solid with rib chop, sautéed spinach, mushrooms Diane, and Beef Fat Fries at Hawksmoor NYC. Staff said they were going to decant and then did not. I think it would have opened more had they. Next time: insist. — 7 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.3

Delicious pairing with duck. Reminds me of old Ravenswood 👌🏻👌🏻 — 4 months ago

Thomas Clinch

10

Peppery, cherry, cranberries. Rosemary pairs well. Duck, figs, pork chops. — 5 months ago

carl thornblade

9.0

A little green in flavor (as in unripe), too acidic, but had some elements of tropical fruit, just not full and ripe. Has potential but not the best. — 7 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

Probably said this before: pound for pound this is the best Napa Cab out there. This vintage specifically is riveting: bright dark fruit with incredible acidity and depth on the palate. Balanced, round tannins, medium alcohol and notes of fig and cedar on the medium plus finish. Yup, hats of to this pretty little dear in 2020. — 2 years ago