1994 Viader, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1994
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$200.00USD

This showed better than the 1998 and at age 29, very nice.  It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, black cherries, spice and slight herbal note.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has juicy acidity.  Black cherries, some cassis, spice, char and slight tobacco.  Complex.  Long finish.  This is probably past peak, but really drinking well.  Drink over the next few years but it might go longer.  It will work well on its own, but will match well with roasted chicken.  

1999 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

What a nice surprise.  Really exceeded expectations on this one.  Purple in color, slight browning, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dried currants, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Still some tannins left.  Well balanced.  On the palate, this is tasty.  Cassis with a Tootsie Roll® (sort of confectionary chocolate), and slight earthiness.  Nice sinewy texture.  Long finish.  This still has a nice freshness to it although it does show some age.  Drink over the next three to five years.  Nice on its own, this would stand up to a steak.  Of course, with bottles this old

1998 Viader, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1998
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Cabernet Franc.  Ruby in color, with slight browning.  The nose has cassis, leather, black cherries, slight tobacco and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has some complexity.  Nice cassis fruit with a bit of underlying tobacco.  Moderate finish.  This is past prime and should be consumed soon.  That said, it does have something to offer.  Better with food at this stage.  A nice wine with Brisket.  

1997 Principesco Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1997
Grade: 

Back when the 1997 vintage was released, there was a lot of fanfare and hype.  Some bought into it and some didn't.  But, the prices rose dramatically and at the time, this was one of the better values in Brunello (around $40).  I was curious how well this held up.  Sadly, after all this time, the bottle was corked (TCA).  What a shame.  

1999 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

This is 100% Sangiovese, which when it was released, did not qualify to call itself Chianti (the rule has since been changed), so it was released as a Super Tuscan.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, tea leaves, spice and dust.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity.  Cherries with underlying forest floor.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This will work better with food.  Pasta or pizza would be great.  Probably past prime, so drink up soon.  

1999 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$109.00USD

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust, dried cedar and slight spice.  Medium bodied. Wispy tannins.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity to it.  Layers of dried cherries, cherries and forest floor.  Good acidity.  Good finish.  This is past prime and on the way down, so drink sooner than later.  It is better with food.  A nice plate of pasta with a tomato sauce would work well.  

2007 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Les Racines, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2007
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

From the excellent 2007 vintage, this winery consistently makes some of the better Gigondas wines.  Ruby/brown in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black raspberries, black pepper and slight dried flower note.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, some cherries, spice and some earthiness.  Good finish.  This seems to be at peak, but will probably start declining soon, so, drink up.  A nice wine with braised lamb of beef.  

1999 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Nice to revisit this.  Back in the day, this was our house wine ($20), but then it was awarded the Wine Spectator WOTY and overnight, the price doubled and that was that.  New vintages are around $65, so it hasn't gone up a lot in 20 years since.  Too bad, because while this might not be a top CdP, it is a very nice wine and this one has held up great.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, and Provencal spice.  Light to medium bodied.  Tannins completely integrated.  On the palate, cherries with some char.  Moderate finish.  Drink up if you have any.  A nice wine

1972 Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Xavier 1972, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1972
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$190.00USD

This is a really interesting wine.  As the story goes, Xavier Vignon is a Rhone producer who also consults.  In his travels, he discovered this wine as it was sitting in a concrete tank with very low levels of oxygen.  It is unclear who made the wine originally.  It was bottle recently and released.

2000 Château Monbousquet, France, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Nice showing for this wine.  In its youth, this was full throttle oak, but at age 23, the fruit, oak and tannins have all integrated and mellowed and come together.  Purple/black in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has clay, black cherries, spice and chocolate.  Medium tannins.  Nice texture.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with a hint of black olives.  The finish is a bit bitter and drying.  Overall, this seems at peak.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  It will work better with food.  A nice wine with a burger.  

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