This was a wonderful bottle of wine and the best during our the Thanksgiving festivities with family and friends. It is a combination of dark and red fruit, some earth and leather and just that hint of sweetness. It was aromatic, fresh, balanced, lovely on the palate and had a long finish. Even though Gus Anderson is no longer with us, he is still remembered and the fruits of his many talents are still being enjoyed.
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Pn'P. This was pleasing from the start. Moderate amount of funk from start to finish but it wasn't imbalancing. Aromas and flavors of dark red berries, plum, and musty earth. Body was medium and this did well on its own and with hearty food; sausage platter, chicken liver, antelope sliders (man food!).
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PnP, decanted, drank over 3 hours. Loads of sediment, quite a bit which had settled just below the cork. I purchased this online a year ago, so maybe it was previously stored cork down? 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. The cab franc was dominant on the nose from the get go - ripe red fruit, spicy, with menthol. The cabernet sauvignon aromas gradually integrated as the wine evolved after opening. I could smell the wine from 3 feet away - quite powerful, yet soft at the same time. I was very impressed at this point. However, this wine was quite mellow. The flavor was there, melding well with a bison meatloaf. The tannins were well integrated, although weaker than expected so as to appear a bit flabby. The finish had good length as well. My main complaint with this wine was the lack of complexity -- it just wasn't interesting. We drank this for an hour before dinner and I was shocked to realize we had consumed only 6 ounces between the wife and I. If you want a well-balanced, soft Napa Bordeaux blend this is your wine, but I want more flavor and power. If drinking over dinner, I definitely wouldn't pair this with a hearty steak, but would opt for lighter fare. This should continue to age, but the lack of tannic backbone would have me concerned about long term ageability. I'd drink this in the next few years.
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night one - pnp, pretty candied cherry (and orange?) nose, palate was nice with orange marmalade/peel and or apricot that i sometimes get from shiraz, good acid and some tannins and grip... nice wine, still feels young... wonder what this will be like in five, suspect higher rating then
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Excellent fruit forward Bordeaux blend that has rich dark cherry and strong currant to give this wine a distinctive taste. Good complexity and acidity that is nicely balanced with hints of mint. Drinking very well right now.
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Dark maroon. I had the decanter ready, but this one was open for business right away. Color me completely surprised on this. I was expecting something a bit over the top, but this was a wonderfully balanced, beautiful bottle of wine. The nose was a great mix of red currant, a touch of mint and some cigar box. This is medium to full bodied with a chunk of red fruit on entry and shockingly evident acidity as it moves through the mid palate manifested with bright, tart red fruit. Darker notes check in on the back of the palate, and silky tannins accentuate the haunting finish. Delicious wine!
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Drinking spectacularly. Bordeaux meets California. Bright red fruits, cigar box, cedar, with roasted herbs. Palate is medium bodied with suave tannin. Great place - this should hold for another decade.
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Excellent. Clearly not yet past its prime. Agree with other comments that this is a velvety blend with more of a Bordeaux style than Napa, but with a Napa influence.
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Drinking just beautifully on night two. Nose is full, layered and effusive with crushed black cherry, mineral, cigar ash and green herbs -- the Cab Franc is really adding aromatic kick and elegance. Palate is medium rich with sappy currant fruit. Great interplay of fruit with suave tannins. Good acidic frame provides freshness and lift in the finish. A kiss of vanilla oak and cedar, otherwise flavors on the palate echo the nose. California with a tip of the cap across the Atlantic. Complex and delicious. Well done ACV. Ready, but youthful and should hold for several years.
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Pop and pour. Drinking at or near its peak. Highly aromatic nose of sweet, dark berries, smoke, cherry, and sandalwood. Excellent length and juiciness on the palate with sweet fruit flavors. The nose suggested a very heavy, high alcohol wine but it showed restraint on the palate instead. A pleasant surprise!
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This continues to be a pleasing but not particularly profound wine. After a 90 minute decant, the heavily perfumed nose offered aromas of blueberry, hints of currant, and dill. Palate gives more blueberry and currant, with a dill/herbal note. Lots of cab franc influence on the nose and the palate. Could use a little more structure -- as previously noted, tannins are essentially gone in this wine, making it a bit flabby.
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Popped, poured and drank over a couple hours - notes are over two bottles. Color is a bit opaque, with some bricking - showing some age. On the nose, cassis and smoke, with a little leather and oak. Palate follows with some tart cherries, earthiness, oak and a black olive component that wasn't there last time. Initially, this was out of balance, with acidity overwhelming the other flavors. It settled down a bit with time in the glass, so I'd recommend a short decant. Nice intensity through the midpalate into the medium/long finish - wine is mature with the tannins fully integrated at this point. Overall, I don't like how this has evolved, but that's because I don't like olives and that flavor component was pretty distracting for me. Still, a quality wine, although I don't see it benefitting from any more time and not sure whether this has more than a year or two left before it's too far downhill. 5+13+16+6.
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A pleasant bottle -this seemed to be at a mature point and i don't suspect it will benefits from further age. The nose (red fruit & plum rhubarb & cedar) gave the impression of a more robust wine yet the flavors were more restrained. Med body lighter than expected. Bright, A bit monolithic in It's profile -this could have used a little more complexity with a slightly chalky finish. I actually wonder if this may have been better several years ago. Hard to make a call based on one bottle but RP's drinking window of 2020 may be very generous.
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Open and delicious nose. Aromas of sweet minerals, spice-filled currant fruits, floral and toasty notes. Palate has medium-to-full body and is rich, with restraint. Forward fruit is pure and polished across the midpalate with lively acidity providing cut, freshness and length. Good length - with modest intensity. A fine example of old world meeting new. Restrained and elegant with richness of fruit and sweetness of tannins. A real treat. 92-93 pts
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I was a little underwhelmed by this wine, but perhaps that's because of the steller reviews it has received of late in this forum. Nice color, rather one-dimensional nose of mostly fruit. None of the cedar or cigar box I would have expected, faint herbal tones. On the palate, lots of fruit with sour red fruits that I would have expected to go well with food. Limited earth tones. Decent finish. Tannins seem resolved, so I think this is what you get. I might wait a bit longer to allow the fruit to mute a little more and allow the whole thing to come into better balance...but the fruit is what it has going right now so you might want to stick with it
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first two bottles of this were good but not overly impressive. This last bottle was so much more complex and delicious I was surprised by it. Lovely nose of fruit and sage. Smooth, complex, with a longer finish than the previous bottles. Now I wish i had a few more...
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This was good, but not great. Its most interesting attribute was it’s fine balance. There was fruit, and earth, and dried things. I would have liked more structure. It has finess. It’s a good wine, but didn’t rock my world.
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soft elegant and somewhat understated but still very good. Cherries, currant, earth, pencil lead. Tannins are almost gone. There is some complexity. This is on the fast aging track IMO. Ready for drinking now.
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On the nose, currants, dark cherries, pencil lead and earth. On the palate, cherries, currants, raspberries, and earth. Definitely can taste the cab franc. A nice, long finish. A very good wine now -- I read the descriptions of this as "elegant," and I tend to agree, although a glass-half-empty guy might call this wine unremarkable. My question really relates to how this wine will age from here. The tannins are completely gone -- will the wine develop complexity and nuance, or is this as good as it is going to get? I've got a few more, so time will tell.
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Very different from the '02. Medium, ruby red in color with more red fruits present than dark fruits. Notes of dried cherries & raspberries with a touch of new leather and tobacco. Very balanced, rich and unctuous on the palate, while maintaining a certain elegance, which these days is lacking in so many Napa Valley wines.
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Clear, ruby color. On the nose, a little muted with red cherry, mint and cedar, and some smoke and leather. Palate is nicely balanced although not terribly complex, with cherry, oak, and smoke underpinned by just the right amount of integrated tannins. Nice long finish. Everything is in balance here - not an intense wine but very nice. Drinking well right now but can wait too. Solid, good value even though not cheap.
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Color is dark garnet with a hint of lightening at the rim. Nose shows blackberry, plum, spice, cedar, and a touch of smoke. On the palate, juicy blackberry and cassis are balanced by spice, toasty oak, and a hint of char. Good acidity balances this very enjoyable California meritage.
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11/23/2018 - Labrador Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a wonderful bottle of wine and the best during our the Thanksgiving festivities with family and friends. It is a combination of dark and red fruit, some earth and leather and just that hint of sweetness. It was aromatic, fresh, balanced, lovely on the palate and had a long finish. Even though Gus Anderson is no longer with us, he is still remembered and the fruits of his many talents are still being enjoyed.
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3/25/2014 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pn'P. This was pleasing from the start. Moderate amount of funk from start to finish but it wasn't imbalancing. Aromas and flavors of dark red berries, plum, and musty earth. Body was medium and this did well on its own and with hearty food; sausage platter, chicken liver, antelope sliders (man food!).
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9/28/2013 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 90 Points
PnP, decanted, drank over 3 hours. Loads of sediment, quite a bit which had settled just below the cork. I purchased this online a year ago, so maybe it was previously stored cork down?
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot.
The cab franc was dominant on the nose from the get go - ripe red fruit, spicy, with menthol. The cabernet sauvignon aromas gradually integrated as the wine evolved after opening. I could smell the wine from 3 feet away - quite powerful, yet soft at the same time. I was very impressed at this point.
However, this wine was quite mellow. The flavor was there, melding well with a bison meatloaf. The tannins were well integrated, although weaker than expected so as to appear a bit flabby. The finish had good length as well. My main complaint with this wine was the lack of complexity -- it just wasn't interesting. We drank this for an hour before dinner and I was shocked to realize we had consumed only 6 ounces between the wife and I. If you want a well-balanced, soft Napa Bordeaux blend this is your wine, but I want more flavor and power.
If drinking over dinner, I definitely wouldn't pair this with a hearty steak, but would opt for lighter fare. This should continue to age, but the lack of tannic backbone would have me concerned about long term ageability. I'd drink this in the next few years.
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6/27/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 91 Points
night one - pnp, pretty candied cherry (and orange?) nose, palate was nice with orange marmalade/peel and or apricot that i sometimes get from shiraz, good acid and some tannins and grip... nice wine, still feels young... wonder what this will be like in five, suspect higher rating then
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2/9/2012 - Schiffy wrote: 92 Points
Excellent fruit forward Bordeaux blend that has rich dark cherry and strong currant to give this wine a distinctive taste. Good complexity and acidity that is nicely balanced with hints of mint. Drinking very well right now.
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12/27/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
Dark maroon. I had the decanter ready, but this one was open for business right away. Color me completely surprised on this. I was expecting something a bit over the top, but this was a wonderfully balanced, beautiful bottle of wine. The nose was a great mix of red currant, a touch of mint and some cigar box. This is medium to full bodied with a chunk of red fruit on entry and shockingly evident acidity as it moves through the mid palate manifested with bright, tart red fruit. Darker notes check in on the back of the palate, and silky tannins accentuate the haunting finish. Delicious wine!
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9/17/2011 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Drinking spectacularly. Bordeaux meets California. Bright red fruits, cigar box, cedar, with roasted herbs. Palate is medium bodied with suave tannin. Great place - this should hold for another decade.
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6/4/2011 - pickhardt wrote: 91 Points
Excellent. Clearly not yet past its prime. Agree with other comments that this is a velvety blend with more of a Bordeaux style than Napa, but with a Napa influence.
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4/24/2011 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Drinking just beautifully on night two. Nose is full, layered and effusive with crushed black cherry, mineral, cigar ash and green herbs -- the Cab Franc is really adding aromatic kick and elegance. Palate is medium rich with sappy currant fruit. Great interplay of fruit with suave tannins. Good acidic frame provides freshness and lift in the finish. A kiss of vanilla oak and cedar, otherwise flavors on the palate echo the nose. California with a tip of the cap across the Atlantic. Complex and delicious. Well done ACV. Ready, but youthful and should hold for several years.
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1/17/2011 - rsepulve wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Drinking at or near its peak. Highly aromatic nose of sweet, dark berries, smoke, cherry, and sandalwood. Excellent length and juiciness on the palate with sweet fruit flavors. The nose suggested a very heavy, high alcohol wine but it showed restraint on the palate instead. A pleasant surprise!
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1/14/2011 - curtr wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully now.
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12/28/2010 - curtr wrote: 91 Points
Velvety, fully integrated. Not the California over-the-top style.
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8/14/2010 - JOJ wrote: 89 Points
This continues to be a pleasing but not particularly profound wine. After a 90 minute decant, the heavily perfumed nose offered aromas of blueberry, hints of currant, and dill. Palate gives more blueberry and currant, with a dill/herbal note. Lots of cab franc influence on the nose and the palate. Could use a little more structure -- as previously noted, tannins are essentially gone in this wine, making it a bit flabby.
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12/25/2009 - DLT wrote: 90 Points
Popped, poured and drank over a couple hours - notes are over two bottles. Color is a bit opaque, with some bricking - showing some age. On the nose, cassis and smoke, with a little leather and oak. Palate follows with some tart cherries, earthiness, oak and a black olive component that wasn't there last time. Initially, this was out of balance, with acidity overwhelming the other flavors. It settled down a bit with time in the glass, so I'd recommend a short decant. Nice intensity through the midpalate into the medium/long finish - wine is mature with the tannins fully integrated at this point. Overall, I don't like how this has evolved, but that's because I don't like olives and that flavor component was pretty distracting for me. Still, a quality wine, although I don't see it benefitting from any more time and not sure whether this has more than a year or two left before it's too far downhill. 5+13+16+6.
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10/2/2009 - bon vivant wrote:
A pleasant bottle -this seemed to be at a mature point and i don't suspect it will benefits from further age. The nose (red fruit & plum rhubarb & cedar) gave the impression of a more robust wine yet the flavors were more restrained. Med body lighter than expected. Bright, A bit monolithic in It's profile -this could have used a little more complexity with a slightly chalky finish. I actually wonder if this may have been better several years ago. Hard to make a call based on one bottle but RP's drinking window of 2020 may be very generous.
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1/26/2009 - Dr. Pato wrote: 91 Points
Score for the nice fruit nose. Damp cellar quality to the palate battled the fruit and won.
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7/6/2008 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Open and delicious nose. Aromas of sweet minerals, spice-filled currant fruits, floral and toasty notes. Palate has medium-to-full body and is rich, with restraint. Forward fruit is pure and polished across the midpalate with lively acidity providing cut, freshness and length. Good length - with modest intensity. A fine example of old world meeting new. Restrained and elegant with richness of fruit and sweetness of tannins. A real treat. 92-93 pts
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5/25/2008 - pinotwinelover wrote: 94 Points
another great bottle, if you like the over the top US cab blends it may be too understated for you.
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5/10/2008 - blaine wrote: 89 Points
I was a little underwhelmed by this wine, but perhaps that's because of the steller reviews it has received of late in this forum. Nice color, rather one-dimensional nose of mostly fruit. None of the cedar or cigar box I would have expected, faint herbal tones. On the palate, lots of fruit with sour red fruits that I would have expected to go well with food. Limited earth tones. Decent finish. Tannins seem resolved, so I think this is what you get. I might wait a bit longer to allow the fruit to mute a little more and allow the whole thing to come into better balance...but the fruit is what it has going right now so you might want to stick with it
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4/18/2008 - texaswino wrote: 95 Points
first two bottles of this were good but not overly impressive. This last bottle was so much more complex and delicious I was surprised by it. Lovely nose of fruit and sage. Smooth, complex, with a longer finish than the previous bottles. Now I wish i had a few more...
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4/16/2008 - mebydef wrote: 91 Points
This was good, but not great. Its most interesting attribute was it’s fine balance. There was fruit, and earth, and dried things. I would have liked more structure. It has finess. It’s a good wine, but didn’t rock my world.
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1/15/2008 - texaswino wrote: 91 Points
soft elegant and somewhat understated but still very good. Cherries, currant, earth, pencil lead. Tannins are almost gone. There is some complexity. This is on the fast aging track IMO. Ready for drinking now.
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8/26/2007 - JOJ wrote: 92 Points
On the nose, currants, dark cherries, pencil lead and earth. On the palate, cherries, currants, raspberries, and earth. Definitely can taste the cab franc. A nice, long finish. A very good wine now -- I read the descriptions of this as "elegant," and I tend to agree, although a glass-half-empty guy might call this wine unremarkable. My question really relates to how this wine will age from here. The tannins are completely gone -- will the wine develop complexity and nuance, or is this as good as it is going to get? I've got a few more, so time will tell.
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4/7/2007 - rothdog wrote: 91 Points
Very different from the '02. Medium, ruby red in color with more red fruits present than dark fruits. Notes of dried cherries & raspberries with a touch of new leather and tobacco. Very balanced, rich and unctuous on the palate, while maintaining a certain elegance, which these days is lacking in so many Napa Valley wines.
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3/21/2007 - DLT wrote: 94 Points
Clear, ruby color. On the nose, a little muted with red cherry, mint and cedar, and some smoke and leather. Palate is nicely balanced although not terribly complex, with cherry, oak, and smoke underpinned by just the right amount of integrated tannins. Nice long finish. Everything is in balance here - not an intense wine but very nice. Drinking well right now but can wait too. Solid, good value even though not cheap.
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3/4/2007 - VCvino wrote: 95 Points
Excellent wine, wonderful body and strong chocolate finish.
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12/31/2006 - pinotwinelover wrote: 94 Points
this is a classic cab blend with cassis, cherry and silky mouth feel. Great wine
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7/21/2006 - VCvino wrote: 94 Points
Very nice - complex
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3/24/2006 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
BLACKBERRIES, BLACK CHERRIES, AND A TOUCH OF LICORICE IN THE NOSE FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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2/10/2006 - Thilo wrote: 91 Points
Color is dark garnet with a hint of lightening at the rim. Nose shows blackberry, plum, spice, cedar, and a touch of smoke. On the palate, juicy blackberry and cassis are balanced by spice, toasty oak, and a hint of char. Good acidity balances this very enjoyable California meritage.
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