Laurel Glen, Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Rich red raspberry, dried strawberry & roasted peppered beef. Good balance & acidity. Drinking quite young.

1985 vintage

This was really lovely. Lots of fruit still left on the front with nice tertiary notes of tobacco leaf, cedar, and leather. Somewhat velvety mouthfeel like many new world cabs, but still elegant.

1985 vintage

Holiday tasting (EBCC) : Double decanted about two hours before service. Mild bricking, but wow what a nose- tobacco, mixed red and black fruit, and hints of iron. Integrated and balanced, with red fruit and herbs on the palate. WOTN for a few folks. These old LGs are so good. Now to 2030.

1998 vintage

#QueensCrew Cliff's Birthday Dinner @ Mikhail & Sveta's (Queens, NY) : Cherry cough drop & creosote. Nice mix/complexity of fruit on palate & especially on the nose.

1998 vintage

This bottle was beginning to show its age but still a great pleasure to drink.

1998 vintage

Gave it the Parker 3-hour double decant, it was an excellent 91. A bit steely without the lushness I remember, but quite good. Then it just kept getting better with the food and more air. By the end of the meal 90 minutes later it was singing. What a wonderful surprise!

1985 vintage

4th Saturday Group brown bagger (EBCC) : Blind. Deep red core with a bit of bricking. Leather, currant, licorice and plum aromas. Medium-bodied with soft tannins and flavors of cigar tobacco, currants and herbs. Well-balanced, with a lingering finish. These old Laurel Glen wines are just killer- this is my wheelhouse for CA cabs/blends. Our penultimate bottle, this had been double decanted off its sediment 1.75 hrs before service. Showing well, with a few years left at this level assuming …

1994 vintage

Nine & Wine (EBCC) : Gently and quickly double decanted off its sediment, recorked and poured with dinner about three hours later. Some bricking, appropriate for the age. Aromas of leather, plum and currants. Medium-bodied, with soft, plush tannins and flavors of dark cabernet fruit. It’s just a touch austere as it’s just a touch shy on fruit for the structure that remains. A good but not great example. 88+ pts. A wine I have had on several occasions & …

1994 vintage

Still a dark, semi-saturated purple/ruby. Beautiful nose of creme de cassis, bay leaf, black currant, mint, creosote and vanilla-tinged oak. Medium-bodied, this is lithe and light on its feet with tilled earth, black currant and charred oak. The aroma is amazing but the palate is slightly washed out. Might be going over the hill. That said, there seems to be plenty of life left in it, so no hurry. 92 July 1: Coravined another glass and it’s just as good, …

2006 vintage

PnP, maybe should have decanted??? I must not be a fan of Sonoma Cabernet, I need to try some Verite… Beef stew, forest floor, felt closed. Drank over four hours, so potentially didn’t give it enough time but man, unfortunate. Out of balance and non existent finish. Hoping for better from my other bottles of LG

2006 vintage

(Wineapalooza with Friends.) Spectacular, and red wine of the night for the group. Clear ruby color, no bricking, vibrant nose and in perfect shape, although she probably won’t stay in her prime much longer. Graphite, cedar, bay leaf and quiet plum throughout. Done in a Bordeaux style. Delicious. Drink by 2026. Outstanding.

1985 vintage

Excellent bottle. From Magnum. Youthful color, ruby with barely any bricking. Sage, herbs, dark fruit on the nose. On the palate the tannins are fully integrated, with a sultry texture and a fantastic balance. The finish lasts forever.

1985 vintage

I agree with other recent tastings that this is a lovely wine that has held up beautifully over its 38 years. Still had nice deep red color, clean nose and great balance.

1985 vintage

Last bottle. Past it’s apex but still enjoyable. Soft, easy.

1994 vintage

Only fans of the old Cabs would enjoy this now. It was a killer a dozen years ago but now is dark and tarry. Interesting, educational, and instructive, I found it kind of fun. She not so much.

1989 vintage

Just lovely - resolved tannins- almost floral on the nose. stunningly good. I think I paid under 30 dollars for this on release. Last bottle. Sigh

1994 vintage

Still holding up quite well and this bottle more lively and definitely at not past peak, drinking prime. Tasting experience otherwise very similar to notes from 8/8/2021. Drink or hold but heavily leaning on the drink side.

2005 vintage

Cassis, anise, still some tannin. Very good. B+/B

1994 vintage

At or maybe just past peak so need to drink up any holdings. Beautiful soft Sonoma cab from a great producer, tannins completely resolved and very integrated. Surprisingly floral nose with rose bud and a lighter tropical note as well - think hibiscus. Good mouth feel, moderate length, minimal oak on palate - in fact more cedar then oak right now, dark red color with bricking, fruit still well retained up front with the mid- and late palate more earthy.

2005 vintage

Perhaps a little past prime, but this remains an awesome wine. A dead ringer for Bordeaux. This well balanced , optimally extracted wine shows what can be done with California fruit.

1985 vintage

Wine Diner (Ada St) : Drinking nicely for a 40 year-old. Mountain fruit cedar and mulch with nice bell pepper notes. Mid weight at this age in this vintage but still fresh with some plumpness.

1981 vintage

"Drink it while it's delicious" (Chicago, IL) : It seems that expectations were somewhat tempered for this bottle, but it certainly exceeded almost all of them. This doesn't taste like its 40 years at all; the fruit was still very much fresh and at the forefront, even leaving a sensation of sweetness on the palate. The tannic structure seems to be mature though, and I wouldn't push my luck on aging this much more.

1981 vintage

In a closed phase right now. Much more shy than our last tasting almost two years ago. Drink 2021-2030. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 90.

2006 vintage

Friday Night Brown Bagger (Eagle Brook Country Club) : This had been gently double decanted off its sediment roughly 6 hours prior to being poured. A touch of vegetal/weedy brett with red fruit underneath. Hints of herb, tobacco and saddle leather. Nice, with some charm remaining, but clearly on the back end of peak as the fruit is fading. Drink 'em up.

1989 vintage

Double decanted and served with dinner three hours later. Vibrant crimson red core. Lovely bouquet of mint, black fruit, saddle leather and tobacco. Much of the same on the palate. Tannins are fully integrated.

1994 vintage

I’m hoping this is flawed. It shows no obvious ogns of TCA, but it quite constricted. Super dark black/red. This seems quite youthful and is actually quite decent with a hearty beef and pumpkin stew. That said, it has aromas of black fruit and hot rocks. More of the same on the palate. ??

2006 vintage

Two and a half hour decant. Far more youthful in the glass than I anticipated showing medium ruby with a pale ruby outer edge. Highly concentrated ripe, lush black fruits, blackberry, blackcurrant, cassis, and black plum. Sweet, exotic baking spices, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg come together with deep savoury, mineral, and slightly herbaceous qualities of black liquorice, blood and iron to provide ample drinking pleasure despite lacking some complexity and concentration.

1994 vintage

More green tobacco, earth and minerals than the Montelena and also still has a bit of grip. Doesn't have the depth of the 1995 that I had recently, still, this is distinctly a Patrick Campbell wine and shows its mountain origins. I miss these wines.

1994 vintage

This wine is finally in a clear window, might be at peak. Consistent with previous notes but the nose is far more perfumed and floral than I recall, bringing fresh lavender, potpourri, red roses, forest floor, wet mud, funky bell pepper, and grape hard candy. The palate is full, square with soft edges, concentrated, and balanced, bringing deep dark and blue fruit with lingering red fruit, savory herbs, chocolate mocha, pipe tobacco, old leather, and ripe strawberries into a refined, …

2005 vintage

Tasted with erter99 and friends in Nashville TN, this was consensus WOTN. Tasted along with '85 Leoville Las Cases , 2005 Cos de Estournel, and a '97 St Emillion. Great Cabernet nose and a surprisingly fresh palate still brimming with California fruit. Tannin totally resolved. Good acidity and finish. This well balanced wine has the stuffing to go on several more years, but I expect no improvement. Drink now if you have some.

1985 vintage

Timeless. Abundant nose of aged cedar, wet tobacco leaf, bell pepper and mountain fruit. The palate is still quite rich with herby/minty fruit. Loads of cab character. Perfectly mature. Tannins are suave and well integrated. Bravo.

1994 vintage

I big surprise that it still was alive and well. This was my last bottle and my expextations where very low after my last taste of this vintage 8-9 years ago, when it was sour and unpleasant to drink. A lot of good cassis and nice to drink but nothing to keep.

1994 vintage

Opened and decanted 30-min ahead of a burger and mixed root vegetables. Dark, murky purple-crimson. Nose brings cherry menthol, red roses, pencil lead, grape jam, and wet earth. The palate is full, square, tight, and juicy, bringing blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, plums, coffee, chocolate cherries, pipe tobacco, and wild herbs. The finish is hard and sandy. Despite its hard structure, the wine is still elegant and almost feels medium-bodied. More accessible than 22 months ago but still needs time. Drink 2022-2030. …

2006 vintage

Opened by AllRed. Brownish red color. I found this to be a bit stark. Notes of licorice and grape nuts. The tannins were still pronounced. 90 points.

1994 vintage

Decanted off its sediment and enjoyed over a couple of hours. Notes of violet, cassis and currants. Currants and plum on the palate. Still has some slight tannin. On the early side of a nice window. Now through 2023+.

1994 vintage

What an example of California Cab. Simply excellent! Fruit, nuance, oak all well blended. It is still young at 24 years, should continue to improve for another 7-10 years.

1994 vintage

The first time in years I can taste this. Still fresh, but nicely aged with notes of dark and dark red fruit, tobacco, sweet spices, also spme leather. It's medium-full bodied, with good medium+ acidity and good length. Perfectly aged Napa Cab.

1994 vintage

Was very curious to see what this wine was going to drink like. Fortunately, I thought it was very solid! It tasted as a 13 year old Sonoma Cab should, so I was happy to that extent. With the age, it was very easy to drink and something I could drink all night. Tannins were wonderful, mouthfeel on point, and plenty of fruit to bring it all together. Was just missing that extra umph to make it a great wine!

2005 vintage

Consistent with notes a few years ago, only smoother and more refined. Dark, opaque inky black purple color. Tons of sediment. Super potent red berry notes on the nose and palate. Good frame and balance with silky tannins on the length finish. Drink before 2024. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 92.

2005 vintage

Similar notes as previous tasting. Surprisingly deep color, and drinking very well, Classic old cabernet. Black cherries, blackberries, licorice, chocolate, bell pepper, chocolate, and earthy. Nice complexity, well balanced, and a long finish.

1994 vintage

Full bodied. Bell pepper, perfume and a sensation of bubbles on the palate. Prunes and leather. Unripe tannins.

1994 vintage

Bought on release. Ashbury Mkt Exc fill 1/4" below capsule which spins and is clean beneath. Cork broke. No decant. Color still presents a deep blk cherry tinted core with some amber showing at the edge. The character of the fruit is wonderful here. The wine is in excellent shape at 33 years. Just very fine to drink and enjoy. This is/was a vintage that was very special, drinking beautifully from the get go, and has aged well. Note: I …

1985 vintage

Notes from memory. Nose and palate were rich and dense, but the finish was tight and thin. Needs more time; in a closed window. Try again after 2018. Technical score: 93. Enjoyment score: 92.

2006 vintage

Had with a steak dinner, Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Roasted Mushrooms. This worked perfect for the food, this is NOT your stereotypical New World fruit driven wine. Had fruit to it, without a doubt, but also had a gravelly, graphite edge to it. Tannins are still present, but loosening up and ready to drink. Even with it's age all of the fruit is very clean, blueberry, blackberry and plum... Wish I had more...

2006 vintage

Mild nose but very seem-less on the palate. Tannins are fine but contribute to it's structure, no flabby wine here. Dark fruited but it has aged very nicely with pleasant secondary notes coming thru. I paid well above the CT average cost but not disappointed. Aged Laurel Glen's are almost a "can't miss" for satisfaction. It's just a very solid cab.

1994 vintage

A very strong effort in a difficult vintage; The nose is quite expressive right after opening, with pretty aromas of dried herbs, cedar and leather tones; The palate is fairly elegant, with dark fruits interspersed with earth and herbal notes; This is unlikely to improve from here, but should be in a slow, graceful decline

1989 vintage

From magnum - A savory mix of bell pepper, dark cherry and black currant fruit, and a compelling meatiness on the finish, supported by tongue-prickling acidity and tannin, it has definitely hit its peak but isn't at all in decline. Magnificent.

1985 vintage

Sonoma/Napa with my beautiful wife!; 5/10/2017-5/13/2017 (Northern California) : Perfectly balanced 1/2 fruit driven, half earth. Great balance. The tannins have softened and drinking well right now. Touch of menthol too. Fruit profile straddles between red and black with strawberry, raspberry and almost a blackberry... Very nice wine also, I would drink now or within the next 2-3 years... This is drinking best of the 3 currently, but I love the earthiness of the 09. That being said you can't …

2006 vintage

Still drinking quite well, nice color, pleasant nose, and a long silky finish. Black cherries, licorice, chocolate, and some earthiness with a hint of herbal.

1994 vintage

Perfect wine for my sister's 23rd. Medium to dark garnet red with lighter edges. Interesting nose with leather, mushrooms, more savory notes, a little smoky and only a touch of fruit. Some forest floor as well. Well integrated flavors and tannins (6/10). Layered with tertiary notes, dried cherries, dried twigs and solid earthiness. Solid acidity, holding this wine together. Delicious at 23 years old. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2020.

1994 vintage

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Laurel Glen, Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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