Robert Sinskey, Vineyard Reserve RSV, Chalk Hill

Magnum. Opened day prior and let breathe in bottle for a couple hours before recorking and drinking over the following 3 days. Decent, sleek, fruit was fading, some minerality, tasted a bit flat, it didn't evolve over the 3 day span. As a magnum I thought it could have more longevity but then again it is 22 years old. This would have been better 2010-2015. Drink now.

Had two Coravin glasses from a magnum with dinner—dry-aged ribeyes and a spicy dirty rice with chipotle, black beans, corn and bacon. It did not disappoint! Color was a deep garnet. Legs formed and ran slowly. Nose smells like beautiful fruit. On the palate: tamed fruit with blackberry, raspberry, cherry, roasted vegetables and slight tobacco and leather. Absolutely delicious. If you still have one of these bad boys, know that it is drinking fantastically at the moment.

Truly a special treat! This wine drank extremely well after a two hour decant, enjoyed by me and six friends, clear ruby red translucent in color, vegetal raspberry notes on the nose, vibrant, red ripe lingering fruit on the pallet, Oohs & Aahh's all around. The reward of patience and risk....

We had to decant several times but after an hour it was drinking nicely.

I lusted for the ’98 Sinskey RSV but couldn’t afford it back then, and neither could Steve. Until one lucky day, the tasting room guy felt our pain (or liked our girlfriends) and emerged from storage with two cases for 70% off. Apparently a bottle had broken in the cellar, soaking the cartons pink and affecting a few of the labels as well. I think we paid fifteen bucks a bottle. And man we enjoyed those '98 Sinskeys for years. …

Wondering if the others here didn't allow this wine to open up? It was initially very closed and one dimensional with no fruit. After decanting and aerating this wine bloomed into a complex beast. Definitely not a lot of stuffing left, but good balance and structure and layers of flavors. Crushed red berries, cacao shells, rose petals, leather and ollalieberry. Slight hint of ocean air and sea beaten wet rock.

Should have been consumed 2-3 years ago. The wine still had quite a bit of fruit in the nose and finish which was a nice surprise considering the age of the wine.

Killer! Drinking very well right now.

A little disappointing for a Sinskey Reserve... maybe too old.

Nothing special about this stuff. Decent wine, with okay fruit, spice, tannin, and stuffing. This was way too hot for me. Made the wine out of balance. Glad this was my only bottle.

Cal-Cabs Blind at Campisi's: Blind Red 7 - Labeled as "NL" - Next to Last. Bordeaux-like nose smells old world. Medium-full bodied with suggestions of rust, cedar, red currant fruit. The color suggests a bit of age, as does the sediment. While the nose may say "old world" the alcohol and liqueur quality suggest new world. Zachary described it as "ashey" which I could kind of perceive. This has 20% Cabernet Franc in the blend, along with Merlot and Cabernet. …

Heritage: DArk plum & blkberry mix w/plenty of juicy cassis/dark jam; sweet leather; very supple t’s; silky.