Louis Martini, Special Selection Pinot Noir, Napa Valley

A PRISTINE bottle. Incredible provenance. This bottle was hand signed by Louis P. Martini. Like drinking pure history. Who knows if this has 100% PN in here or not (my thought is that is is not 100%) Probably some Valdigue/Gamay/Grenache/Alicante in there? Incredibly clean. No sediment. Really full and delicious. Really a treat to share this bottle with friends. 12.5% alcohol and singing. Terrific bottle.

My last bottle. Had it standing for several weeks. Decanted off sediment for 30 min. From memory. Nice blueberry and cherry fruit that was still prominent, with bark, brown leaves, hint of dark caramel and mild sous bois. Rancio-type flavors on the back end that became more prominent over time. If it wasn't for the rancio becoming more prominent, this would have been the best bottle yet for me. Regardless, it was a really nice drink an glad to drink …

From memory. Drank this with Wes, Matt, Brandon and crew. Decanted gently off sediment. Nice blueberry/blackberry fruit with some earth, hint of dark caramel w/o any rancio, and damp leaves. Tightened up with less fruit and more acid as the night went along over 4.5 hrs or so. Still doesn't have the sous bois complexity but showed much better than last time with much more balance.

BYO US Pinot and Chardonnay (Kong Hans) : Tobacco and leather with a touch of acidity. Old wine with a very short aftertaste. Slightly boring.

Had it stood up for several weeks in fridge. Low neck fill with good cork. Wonder if this had been recorked at some point. Decanted off of sediment and for 1 h. Initially, quite closed but then over the next 2 hours, aromas and flavors really came together. Burnt caramel, dried cherries and orange rinds, some flowers on nose. Palate follows w a bit of rancio type flavor - reminded me of madeira in a good way. Simple but flavorful. …

A cellar acquisition. Stored in a natural cellar and untouched since 1980. Rich berries, bramble bushes, sous bois, stewed prunes, sage, cinnamon, and pure velvet on the palate. Showed best after it had been open for 2 hours. Fell apart on the palate after 6 hours.

Tasted blind, this certainly fit the bill for a CMF (Chateau mind ____) wine. It had a deep red center and orange rims. The medium- nose displayed cherries, spices, and green olives. In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich with very good balance and nice length. While not particularly complex, this was certainly an interesting, and surprisingly nice, bottle.