Our first real "cold" night here in Socal called for a movie & a nice bottle.

The bottle itself was in pristine condition, with a great fill. The top-half of the cork was dry, as expected. The lower-half came out with an easy pull (I should invest in an Ah-So!). There wasn't too much bleeding on the cork.

The initial bottle funk blew away after about 20 min. in the decanter. The nose is soft, but quite a bit of dark fruit accompany notes of tobacco & eucalyptus.

Medium ruby core with a bit of bricking around the rim.

The texture & mouthfeel of this wine is silkier than any wine I've had in recent memory. Tannins are definitely still present, but nicely integrated with a 30 second + finish. This is ready to go, but can easily last for 5-10 more years.

94+

Nice notes, Shane. I have some DCs from the late 1970s and 1980s. I'm in no hurry to open them.

From my limited experience with older DC's, I'd say that the "Volcanic Hill" is my favorite of the bunch. That being said, I have yet to try the "Lake Vineyard."

I'm also not sure if the recent vintages are worth the price of admission, considering the low-alcohol back vintages are available all-day at auction.

I don't believe I've tasted or own a DC newer than 1984. Why? I have no idea.