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2005 Vintage

90-91  Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2007
Deep red. Elegant, sharply focused currant aromas show bright mineral lift. Sweet and juicy, with supple tannins and fresh red berry flavors given support by firm acidity. This has Old World spice and tannin structure, finishing on a bright red fruit note.

88  Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate December 2007, Issue 174
Fashioned from lots culled out from all of David Ramey’s Cabernet projects, the 2005 Claret is a stylish, delicious red that is meant to be consumed during its first 7-8 years of life. It offers up aromas of cherries, underbrush, black currants, and cedar. Evolved and medium-bodied with a silky finish, it will drink well for 5-7 years.

2004 Vintage

88-91  Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2006
Good full ruby. Blackberry, licorice and menthol on the nose. Sweet, dense and rich, with a silkier texture than the 2003 and strong chocolatey fruit. Finishes with plenty of tannins, but has the fruit to support them.

89  Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-22-06
The 2004 Claret shows soft, seductive notes of black fruits intermixed with bay leaf, white chocolate, and sweet, subtle wood. It is soft, round, generous, and best drunk over the next 5-8 years, although I suspect it will keep longer.

89  Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 07
Deep ruby. Suave redcurrant and cherry aromas are open-knit and ripe. Supple and sweet, with pliant tannins supporting ripe cherry and dark berry flavors. Not at all heavy, this shows good freshness on the finish.

2003 Vintage

87     Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-26-05
Ramey's Claret is essentially a blend of leftovers culled out from his two or three top cuvées of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a bistro-styled wine meant for easy and early drinking. The 2003 Claret offers aromas and flavors of smoke, herbs, cedar, red and black currants, and spice. Drink it over the next couple of years.

85     Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, Dec. 2005, p. 25
55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 28% Merlot; 16% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot. Subtle suggestions of curranty fruit sit to the side of dark chocolate, loam and oak in the nose here, and the wine's similarly composed, not-quite-fruity flavors are presently blunted by forceful tannins. Muscle and mass more than beauty are the messages here, and four or five years of forbearance are recommended.

88   Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2006
(A blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot) Good red-ruby. Cherry syrup, menthol and cedar on the nose. Supple and chocolatey in the mouth, with light tarry and porty elements. Finishes with mouthdusting tannins.

89-91   Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2005
Deep red-ruby. Black fruits and menthol on the nose. Sweet, lush and oaky, with very broad flavors of blueberry, violet and tar. Today this comes across as a bit more minerally and long than the 2002, and finishes with broader tannins.

87-88   Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate 2-28-05
The plum/purple-colored 2003 Claret offers up aromas of cedar, smoke, licorice, tobacco, and black currants. It does not display the depth, concentration, or weight of its two siblings.

2002 Vintage

89-92   Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate 12-23-03
The seductive, dark plum/purple-colored 2002 Claret reveals a voluptuous texture along with wonderfully sweet notes of cedar, chocolate, black currants, raspberries, and roasted coffee in a succulent, opulent full-bodied style that is hard to resist.  Even the barrel sample could have been drunk with great pleasure. 

89-92   Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2004
Deep ruby-red. Currant, black raspberry and graphite on the nose, along with a note of cough syrup. Sweet, superripe and concentrated but somehow lively despite its rather soft texture. Slightly medicinal flavors of currant and licorice. Ramey notes that this wine just went into the tank and that its big tannins will be refined by a light egg white fining.

87   Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, December 2004, p. 28
Marked by plenty of winemaking polish and filling the niche of a well-mannered middleweight, this appropriately titled effort eschews mass, muscle and tannins in favor of clarity and clear-cut fruit. It finds finesse in spite of its evident ripeness, and, if hardly a wine with the strength for a decade of age, it will stand up well for several years yet.

2001 Vintage

89   Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, 12-23-03, p. 38-39
His 2001 Claret, which is composed of declassified lots that would have gone into the Jericho Canyon or Diamond Mountain cuvées, is a tasty blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, and 17% Merlot.  Melted fudge, intermixed with cedar, mocha, and jammy black fruit aromas jump from the glass of this seductive, lush, Pomerol-inspired offering. Round, generous, and easy to drink, this substantial red should be drunk over the next 7-10 years.

89   Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 2004
Red-ruby. Smoky aromas of blackcurrant, roasted meat, tobacco and hot stones. Supple and rich but dry, with flavors of black raspberry, cassis and dark chocolate. Ultimately shows a rather lush mouth feel and a round finish, with slightly drying tannins.

88 (one puff)  Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, December 2003, p. 26
Yet another solid and substantial wine from Ramey, this one is awash in rich oak and just a touch short of conveying the kind of fruity depth and range shown by its pricier partners. It gets a little dry at the finish despite the fact that its tannins are held in check, and, if moderately fruity throughout, it is anything but moderate in its scene-stealing oak.

87   California Grapevine, Vol. 30, No. 1, February-March 2004, p. 5
Medium-dark ruby; pleasant, herbal, floral, spicy, cherry and red currant aroma with hints of cranberry and green olive; medium-full to full body; moderately rich, plush, textured, cedary, ripe blackberry fruit flavors; medium-full to full tannin; tight, lean finish; lingering aftertaste.  Deserves several more years of bottle aging. Highly recommended.