1999 Lail Cabernet Sauvignon J Daniel Cuvée
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Full red-ruby. Sappy black raspberry, blackberry, tobacco and mocha aromas are lifted by a floral element and graphite minerality, with a suggestion of crystallized fruits contributing energy. Densely packed and quite brisk, with its combination of firm acidity and strong tannic spine giving the wine terrific inner-mouth tension. The substantial tannins spread out to saturate the palate on the back end. Incidentally, I had no luck with this wine in its early years as I found a rawness to its oak element and a pronounced finishing dryness, but there are no signs of those elements today. On the contrary, the wine has embarked on its plane of peak drinkability and should continue to unwind for another decade or two in a cool cellar. (14.2% alcohol; 40% new oak)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Quite spiky, sweet Cabernet Sauvignon flavours. Firm, not to say tough structure. Frank, but expensive. Fine, but not especially exciting. (JR)
The opaque purple-colored 1999 J. Daniel Cuvee is aging beautifully. This is one of the vintage's classy and complex efforts. It is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Its gorgeous perfume of graphite, liquid minerals, creme de cassis, and subtle toasty oak (about 40% new French oak is employed) is followed by a focused, delineated offering with high tannin but impressive levels of concentration/extract. This beautifully textured and subtle wine should age effortlessly for two decades, but 3-4 years of cellaring is warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Phone 707-965-1300; fax 707-965-1311
(0) Bright red-ruby. Aromas of currant, menthol and loam, but marred by a high-toned suggestion of cleaning solvent. Juicy, firm and intensely flavored, but a bit generic, with the wine's fruit and soil tones suppressed. Finishes with dusty, slightly dry tannins. Other samples of this wine, both before and after the bottling, gave similar suggestions of raw wood and finishing dryness.