Sound cork and the wine appeared to be in fine condition. A youthful, deep ruby red. The high point of this wine was the bright and seductive nose of cigar box and herbs. The aromas really jumped out and grabbed you. On the palate, complexity, good acidity and excellent balance. A little restrained, however, and the wine did not significantly open up even after a couple of hours in the decanter. As expected this lacked the fruit profile that I’ve grown accustomed to with California cabs.
Nice note, Mike. This was one of the most profound wines I’ve ever drunk back when I had it … 2007? I think it was then. Freaking brilliant. Sounds like my bottle was a touch more open than yours.
Tom, This was extremely enjoyable, but I guess I was just a tad disappointed. Not “freaking brilliant”, more like “freaking comfortable and satisfying” (in the way that solid old Bords are).
Possibly this should have been opened/decanted longer.
We consumed it at a restaurant (Pacific’s Edge in Carmel), so we didn’t have that luxury.
That’s the thing about high-end Bords. You pay a king’s ransome for them, stash them away for years … and then hope that your particular bottle shines like it should.