Bright ruby hue all the way to the edge. Concentrated red fruit aromas. Cassis, red cherry, vanilla and tobacco notes. Complex, integrated, full body with enough brightness to keep this fresh. This is Napa cab at its finest. Pure ripe fruit and delicious flavors on the nose and palate. The finish extends over a minute. Obviously in a wonderful place now and will likely continue to drink in its prime for another 10+ years.
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Deep red in the glass with a ruby rim. Macerated red/black fruit, cassis, baking spice, and some toasty vanilla extract character. Full bodied in the mouth, creamy with moderate acidity. Everything is in check here, wonderful balance. The wine clings to the palate extending the finish. All in all, just really focused pure fruit balanced with acidity and framed by soft tannins. This will go another decade but it’s hard to resist now!
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Drank with friends after a splash decant. Deep purple/ruby with minimal sediment. Date, plum, spice and cassis. Soft tannins and good structure will hold it in this sweet spot for several more years but why wait? If a date, this was a 30 year old aerobics instructor who keeps your mind wandering all night, "what if?, What if?"
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Rather tight and dusty upon opening. Needed over 4 hours to open up and could have used even more time. Score reflects where it was headed as the last sips were getting otherworldly. Dark, opaque wine with medium plus body -- became velvety at the end. Milk chocolate, tobacco and baking spice notes (rather typical Cliff Lede spices). Completely integrated by the last sips. Not heavy or tiring -- a delight. Dark fruit was second fiddle to the complexity but still evident (more Bordeaux in profile). Nose was tight but finish was long and harmonious.
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Classic high end Napa cab style. Very monolithic with great fruit and nice secondary oak and baking flavors. Broad on the midpalate. Very find tannins. A wine that tastes designed and build for Parker, which is just fine with me. Long finish. Great balance. Should continue to age with good acid and nice balance, but not sure it will improve much. PDQ94+
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Vindredi (Bellevue, WA): Tasted blind. Oak and spice on the nose, but in nice proportion. A bit bright on the body, with cherry and dark berry fruit leading into a lengthy finish. Fine tannins and nice acidity round out the package. Overall quite nice, if a touch hot.
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Opened and decanted. Tannic to start but opened up at the one hour mark to reveal a lush and juicy, dark melange of blackberry, black raspberry and Concord grape notes. Paired with prime rib at House of Prime Rib in SF. Showing no evidence of fading. May have another 5-10+ years of life ahead. Very Good.
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Garnet color, cloudy with translucent edges. Blue and red fruit on opening with herbal tones creeping in over the next hour. Caressing but somewhat chewy mouthfeel, medium-long finish. Slight caramel flavor that comes with age, but still plenty of fruit left.
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Slow-O for 3 hours, served over the following 2 hours. I should have decanted for sediment, and in retrospect, given its advanced development, I should have served it immediately thereafter. Well developed (and very attractive) secondary aromas and very soft, well-aged fruit are framed by tannins that have only 3-4 years remaining, which is likely a year more than I see the fruit lasting. If ripe, balanced Cali Cab is in your wheelhouse, this has everything you're looking for - but drink now for maximum enjoyment, it's not getting any better. A decent effort, but (at least?) $40 over-priced, IMHO. 14,5% abv, $110 (release).
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Drank last night with a very nice Filet and sauteed spinach. I let it open for about an hour and little by little all the harmonious notes on the nose began to appear. Very balanced of dark fruit and mild dark chocolate. The feel on the tongue was medium bodied with a very well rounded roll to the back of the mouth. And the finish was elegantly long. It reminded me a lot of his next door neighbors 2002 Hillside Select which is by far one of my all time favorites.
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Deep garnet color leads to a nose of buleberry, cassis and tobacco. Supple, huge mouthfeel carries flavors of nose forward while adding some dark chocolate, and cherry. Sweet tannins present on finish which lasts for 40 seconds. Wow!
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Decanted only for 1 hour at room temperature the wine was lovely, heavy currant and almost jamey from point of view. While the dinner was paired well for the wine it was like a desert after another two hours out of the bottle.
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Taken to Harris's Restaurant in SF. Opened not decanted. Starts out with dry, tight fruit with chocolate dust notes. After about a half hour, it develops a rounder, fuller middle with over ripe fruit. Good to Very good.
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Opened not decanted. This is aging very slowly. Mahogany colored, muted nose of earth and wine grapes, a little watery with dark fruit and tanins in the background with a dry finish. Overall impression reminds me of a dark slightly herbal meat taste. Needs to sit another 2-3 years minimum.
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12/24/2020 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Bright ruby hue all the way to the edge.
Concentrated red fruit aromas. Cassis, red cherry, vanilla and tobacco notes.
Complex, integrated, full body with enough brightness to keep this fresh. This is Napa cab at its finest. Pure ripe fruit and delicious flavors on the nose and palate. The finish extends over a minute. Obviously in a wonderful place now and will likely continue to drink in its prime for another 10+ years.
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10/13/2019 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Deep red in the glass with a ruby rim.
Macerated red/black fruit, cassis, baking spice, and some toasty vanilla extract character.
Full bodied in the mouth, creamy with moderate acidity. Everything is in check here, wonderful balance. The wine clings to the palate extending the finish.
All in all, just really focused pure fruit balanced with acidity and framed by soft tannins.
This will go another decade but it’s hard to resist now!
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10/9/2015 - Jerry 3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
decanted 1 hour (could have been longer)
great nose, deep plum color, soft tannins, little sediment
wish we had more of the same but this bottle came from the
Appellation Collection several years ago, finally started to dig into the 15 bottles.
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7/20/2015 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank with friends after a splash decant. Deep purple/ruby with minimal sediment. Date, plum, spice and cassis.
Soft tannins and good structure will hold it in this sweet spot for several more years but why wait?
If a date, this was a 30 year old aerobics instructor who keeps your mind wandering all night, "what if?, What if?"
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12/4/2014 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rather tight and dusty upon opening. Needed over 4 hours to open up and could have used even more time. Score reflects where it was headed as the last sips were getting otherworldly. Dark, opaque wine with medium plus body -- became velvety at the end. Milk chocolate, tobacco and baking spice notes (rather typical Cliff Lede spices). Completely integrated by the last sips. Not heavy or tiring -- a delight. Dark fruit was second fiddle to the complexity but still evident (more Bordeaux in profile). Nose was tight but finish was long and harmonious.
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7/14/2013 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
Classic high end Napa cab style. Very monolithic with great fruit and nice secondary oak and baking flavors. Broad on the midpalate. Very find tannins. A wine that tastes designed and build for Parker, which is just fine with me. Long finish. Great balance. Should continue to age with good acid and nice balance, but not sure it will improve much.
PDQ94+
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7/12/2013 - dpolivy wrote: 92 Points
Vindredi (Bellevue, WA): Tasted blind. Oak and spice on the nose, but in nice proportion. A bit bright on the body, with cherry and dark berry fruit leading into a lengthy finish. Fine tannins and nice acidity round out the package. Overall quite nice, if a touch hot.
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10/4/2012 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened and decanted. Tannic to start but opened up at the one hour mark to reveal a lush and juicy, dark melange of blackberry, black raspberry and Concord grape notes. Paired with prime rib at House of Prime Rib in SF. Showing no evidence of fading. May have another 5-10+ years of life ahead. Very Good.
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3/23/2012 - KeithSurg wrote: 92 Points
Garnet color, cloudy with translucent edges. Blue and red fruit on opening with herbal tones creeping in over the next hour. Caressing but somewhat chewy mouthfeel, medium-long finish. Slight caramel flavor that comes with age, but still plenty of fruit left.
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7/14/2011 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Slow-O for 3 hours, served over the following 2 hours. I should have decanted for sediment, and in retrospect, given its advanced development, I should have served it immediately thereafter. Well developed (and very attractive) secondary aromas and very soft, well-aged fruit are framed by tannins that have only 3-4 years remaining, which is likely a year more than I see the fruit lasting. If ripe, balanced Cali Cab is in your wheelhouse, this has everything you're looking for - but drink now for maximum enjoyment, it's not getting any better. A decent effort, but (at least?) $40 over-priced, IMHO. 14,5% abv, $110 (release).
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8/7/2010 - Sleahy511 wrote: 94 Points
Well-aged full-bodied with a nice finish.
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11/7/2009 - itsallgone wrote: 90 Points
Not nearly as good as the one I popped last year which was in the 94 range...Starting to fade?
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11/7/2009 - Share 67 wrote: 96 Points
Drank last night with a very nice Filet and sauteed spinach. I let it open for about an hour and little by little all the harmonious notes on the nose began to appear. Very balanced of dark fruit and mild dark chocolate. The feel on the tongue was medium bodied with a very well rounded roll to the back of the mouth. And the finish was elegantly long. It reminded me a lot of his next door neighbors 2002 Hillside Select which is by far one of my all time favorites.
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12/24/2008 - flashvictor wrote: 95 Points
Deep garnet color leads to a nose of buleberry, cassis and tobacco. Supple, huge mouthfeel carries flavors of nose forward while adding some dark chocolate, and cherry. Sweet tannins present on finish which lasts for 40 seconds. Wow!
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11/22/2008 - The Modernist wrote: 96 Points
Decanted only for 1 hour at room temperature the wine was lovely, heavy currant and almost jamey from point of view. While the dinner was paired well for the wine it was like a desert after another two hours out of the bottle.
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11/2/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
Taken to Harris's Restaurant in SF. Opened not decanted. Starts out with dry, tight fruit with chocolate dust notes. After about a half hour, it develops a rounder, fuller middle with over ripe fruit. Good to Very good.
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4/8/2006 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. This is aging very slowly. Mahogany colored, muted nose of earth and wine grapes, a little watery with dark fruit and tanins in the background with a dry finish. Overall impression reminds me of a dark slightly herbal meat taste. Needs to sit another 2-3 years minimum.
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