Blueberry, black cherry, mineral, anise and silky tannin. There are touches of sage, spice, florals and a bit of heat coming through. The fruit is dropping a bit and the abv shows, but this is still a great wine.
For me this was at its best a few years ago, but approaching 20-yrs it is holding strong. A excellent representation of Stags Leap District for sur.
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Opened with a regular corkscrew and the cork crumbled and broke into pieces. Also the top was red which may be a sign of heat at some point. So I choose not to decant, vaccumed and placed in the fridge for about one hour.
We started the night with a 2018 Rhys Alpine Chard (93+) and then drank Poetry about 3 hours after opened it…
The wine is clear, clean, beautiful nose of flowers, bright acidity, low in tannins, very nice complexity and good finish. It’s a great wine to pair with pastas, cheese or filet mignon.
Drink of hold but I don’t see it getting any better. At least our bottle!
Densely ruby in the glass. Black and red fruit on the nose. Cassis, raspberry, blackberry, and elements of baking spice, vanilla, and tobacco. Full bodied on the palate with powdery tannin, moderate acidity, and a rich core of fruit. Holding up incredibly well and many years ahead. It’s a big wine with the richness, tannin, and alcohol you’d expect, but it’s done in a very refined way. Truly Stags Leap District. Drink now and over the next 15+ years.
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Light bricking at the edge, garnet core. Opens up aromatically after about an hour. Cassis, tobacco, red fruit, espresso, and a bit of tomato leaf. On the palate, this is still solidly structured. Plenty of grippy tannin, fruit, and acidity to keep it in check. Ultimately, this is great now with a ribeye or some aged cheddar. It will likely peak once the tannin settles. When that may be, who knows. I’d enjoy now and for the next 5-10 years for the power and perhaps longer if more subtly emerges.
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This was a beautiful wine. Very balanced and soft tannins at this point. Recommend drinking now or within a year or so. Caramel on the nose and mid palate stands out. Medium acid.
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Full bodied. Sweet blackberry and black currant notes. Smooth and silky, without any hard edges. The tannins are nearly fully integrated. A bit soft to be considered excellent. Very good now.
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Decanted and served over dinner. Silky, round Stag's Leap Cabernet with mature tannins and medium acid. Red and dark fruit. Beautiful flavors although it lacks the focus and intensity of the best cult cabs.
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Awesome wine! Slightly oxidative, but only enough to add caramel and toffee notes to the nose and palate. Structure was beautifully integrated. Deep aromas of blackberry, black plum, and currant. Palate was smooth and sexy - still showed the fruit on the attack, but tannins were medium and silky on the finish. Acid - medium, ABV - high, but balanced. Finish was long and supple. This was an eye opening bottle for me about 10 years ago, and still epic now. Could easily go 5 more years, but why wait?
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Much better than our prior bottle, so that must have been a mildly tainted bottle. Barely starting to show its age, but should hold up for another 2-3 years.
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Exquisite wine. A robust nose of blueberry and butter, warm rich wet dirt, new leather, Black Forest cake. On the palate not so heavy, silky smooth, albeit moments of dryness, medium finish
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The nose shows sweet & a touch sour floral fruits. Some of the fruits have a baked quality. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, stewed plum, baked cherries & black raspberries & dry cranberries. Dark chocolate, soft, delicate minerals, light spice, light layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon & clove. Some dates, figs & prunes, star anise, saddle-wood leading to cedar, dark, rich, sweet soil, dry rock powder, steeped fruit tea and dark fresh & withering florals.
The body is medium and tannins are round and soft. The flavors are ripe & delicious. The fruits are slightly baked & stewed. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, stewed plum, baked cherries & black raspberries & dry cranberries. Dark chocolate, soft, delicate minerals, light spice, light layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon & clove. Some dates, figs & prunes. Anise, saddle-wood leading to cedar, dark, rich, sweet soil, dry rock powder, steeped fruit tea and dark fresh & withering florals. The acidity fresh, lively and like a waterfall. The finish is flushed out. Balanced, easy to drink but it seems like the bottle might have been longer than optimal as it showed a touch faded. For $350 a bottle at the winery, one can do much better at that price point. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good wine.
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Orange with a hint of brown at the rim. Black currants in the nose Tannins still evident but mostly resolved. Big mouthfeel with lots of black fruits and some heat. Long finish. An auction bottle so not sure of storage but will be drinking my remaining bottles over the next year
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A beautifully aged wine. A blend of 89% Cab Sauv/7% Malbec/2% PV/2% Merlot, with great notes of licorice, blueberry, cherry liqueur. Very plush tannins, a great finish.
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Nose: Beautiful perfume of blackberry, plum/cherry and cassis with earthy barnyard and garden notes notes. Some leather and licorice notes as well. Palate: Enters with a nice textured and layered feel, complex mid-palate of blackberry, cherry, graphite and loamy earth. Plush and precise. Finish: Long streaks of black fruit stick with you, and nice nuances of clove and allspice as well.
Vineyards are close to Shafer HSS and this always show similar fruit quality to me. Great wine, I'll save my last one for another 5+ years and see how it develops.
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Drank on wife's birthday at RPM steak. This was decanted one hour prior to drinking. This is drinking great right now. Beautiful cassis and cocoa nose leads to a medium plus body of dark fruits with hints of red pepper, cigar leaf. Finish lasts over a minute.
This is drinking at peak. I think this will hold for a few years but I am unsure if anymore improvement will occur. Drink up!
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Maybe a questionable bottle given the other stellar reviews, but this Poetry vintage is not as stellar as others we have had. Fruit is too dominant, wine is not balanced enough. Maybe more time to age will help it???
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Decanted from magnum. My last bottle, and drinking beautifully now. Big wine with flavors if ripe blue and dark fruit, mocha, smoke, and mint. Nice acidity that keeps the sweetness in check. Bold, soft tannins.
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So I read the other reviews and in my opinion this was outstanding. Had this compared to the Phelps Insignia and I actually enjoyed this more. This was a classic California Cab. Fruit forward and BIG. Great finish and depth for me. Not as complex as the Insignia but it tasted much more youthful and energetic for me. The fruit rolls over the palate and you can taste the region...stag's leap. I prefer most oakville and Howell Mtn cabs even Rutherford to Oakville but this was ripe and may be hitting its stride. Massive tannins and structure and overall blockbuster for me. We each have our own tastes but for me this was up my alley.
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Consumed from less than ideal glassware. Black as night. Nice cassis nose. Full bodied ripe flavors. Fine tannins on finish. Age has rounded the edges of this nicely. Probably near peak.
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Extraordinary wine, 2 hour double decant, another two and a half hours to drink. Ended too soon. Beautiful nose, long finish. Second time I have had this wine- memorable. Wonderful compliment to a nicely seasoned medium rare dry aged rib-eye. Nuanced Stag's Leap volcanic rock, clay and minerals. Floral hints. Reminds me a great deal of a recently tasted Chambolle-Musigny Groffier Amoureuses 1993. Wish I had more than one bottle left of this wine.
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Hmm...... this was a disappointment. Served the magnum on 2012 Christmas Day and it was uninspiring. This wine has lost most of its personality in the last few years. It used to be a bold but also elegant California Cabernet. Now it is neither bold nor elegant. The bottom line is that the wine did not stand the test of time. This is surprising since wine should age more slowly in a larger format bottle. Unfortunately this is probably my last investment in the higher priced wines of Cliff Lede. They just aren't worth the money. They are great young, but don't age well.
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Decanted for an hour. Nothing dainty here as this dark, almost opacque wine was still youthful with lots of tannin and acidity still coming through. Overwhelming earthiness (almost dirt) and tobacco dominating the palate. Good complexity but not what I was expecting.
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Leftover from 2011 Holiday tasting with MB. Color is dark dark dark. Muted nose with a hint of tartness and plum on the back end. Initially soft and velvety on the mid-palate but gets a nice streak of acidity on the back end. Dark fruit all the way.
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Dark ruby color leads to a somewhat muted nose of cassis, clove & vanilla. Medium full body shows dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate and a hint of tobacco. The mouthfeel is incredibly round and velvet like - wonderful. The finish last 45 seconds with firm tannin. This was decanted 90 minutes prior to consumption. An excellent bottle of wine just entering its optimal drinking window, for my palate this will be much better in 3 -5 years.
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Decanted for 1 hour. Very aromatic nose of dark fruit with a touch of cherry liquor and cedar. Full bodied but not heavy in the mouth with an intense attack of blackberry, black cherry and ripe plum fruit. Some notes of coffee and cedar on the mid palate. The finish is about 25 seconds with surprisingly soft tannins and a little spice and bramble on the back end. Quite powerful in terms of fruit concentration but well balanced and restrained in style. This is a very good, well crafted wine but just lacks a little in complexity for me. Although the tannins have softened this still quite primary, especially compared to the '05 Stags Leap bottling, and so it should improve over the coming years (91+ pts).
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Tasted late in the evening, so notes not very detailed. Dark fruit that was accompanied by herbal tones and soft tannins. Drinking better now than when last tasted.
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Nose: Black Berry. Black Cherry, Creme de Cassis and some sweet new oak. Fruit was very nice, but also had underlying notes of cigar wrapper and leather. Dustyness in the nose helped this come out. Palate: Deeply concentrated Black Cherry, Plum and some cassis. Long and broad in the mouth showing its structure. Hints of bramble and earthy notes creep in at the back of the palate. Finish: Red/ Blue friuts are very peristant. Oak shows prominently in the finish, but not in a bad way. A bit of spice was picked up later in the night.
This was only decanted about 1 hour, so it could have evolved much more with a longer decant. I will stick to a long decant in the future. A wine that is in the big leauges in Napa.
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Extreamly dark ruby color...Nose: After about 3 hours the nose started to open up with red and blue fruit, cassis, clove, dark chocolate and a touch of wood..Palate: Very dark fruit wise on the palate, cinnamon, chocolate, asian spice, charcoal and graphite. Nice complexity but I was wanting a bit more. Nice long finish which was nice. I would hold off at least another 5 years before i popped another. The structure of this wine is impressive and this should age well for another 20 year imo..No rush be patient. Cheers!!
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This wine totally delivered. Violets and field flowers on the nose with cherry and baked blueberry pie on the palate. Amazing structure to this wine. A strong backbone carries the intense fruit through each phase of the palate. It is a baby but delish now.
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Decanted 5 hours prior to consumption, and drunk over 2hours. Nose: Dense Black Cherry, Blackberry and Cassis on the nose with Cedar, Cinnamon, Olives and a bit of Clove. Palate: Gorgeous full bodied weight, silky on the palate and quite vibrant. Bright Red to Dark Blue Fruits showing through the evolution of the bottle with more cedar, spice box and nicely integrated oak showing. Towards the end of the night Espresso Roast, Charcoal and Chocolate were coming through beneath the Red Cherries.
Reminded me of a Hillside Select.
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Nice long decant. Opened up very nicely with dark fruits on the nose. Nice long finish with some chocolate on the back end. Good wine, young, but still good.
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Dark purple color with a dense nose of dark chocolate, tobacco, and espresso. This full-bodied wine has a very frontal, boldly expressive and voluptuous character bursting with flavors of black currant, mocha, cassis, vanilla, and powdered cocoa on the palate. And the finish... Wow, it's like landing on butter. This is an amazing wine, although slightly lighter than the 2004 and still a few points behind the 2007. Drink now up to 2025.
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Tasted at winery – deep ruby, clear. Complex and jammy notes of blackberry, black cherries, coffee and spice. Medium acidity, medium to full bodied with a long finish. Extremely tannic and youngest tasting of the three (2004, 2005, 2006) Poetry wines tasted. Needs serious time. Excellent. 92+
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Very nice nose of chocolate and smoke. Somewhat thin in the mouth but did put on weight with air. Rich intense flavors of currant and oak supported by still sharp tannins. Will sit this overnight to see if it opens up more.
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6/3/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Blueberry, black cherry, mineral, anise and silky tannin. There are touches of sage, spice, florals and a bit of heat coming through. The fruit is dropping a bit and the abv shows, but this is still a great wine.
For me this was at its best a few years ago, but approaching 20-yrs it is holding strong. A excellent representation of Stags Leap District for sur.
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4/8/2022 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened with a regular corkscrew and the cork crumbled and broke into pieces. Also the top was red which may be a sign of heat at some point. So I choose not to decant, vaccumed and placed in the fridge for about one hour.
We started the night with a 2018 Rhys Alpine Chard (93+) and then drank Poetry about 3 hours after opened it…
The wine is clear, clean, beautiful nose of flowers, bright acidity, low in tannins, very nice complexity and good finish. It’s a great wine to pair with pastas, cheese or filet mignon.
Drink of hold but I don’t see it getting any better. At least our bottle!
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10/31/2021 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Densely ruby in the glass.
Black and red fruit on the nose. Cassis, raspberry, blackberry, and elements of baking spice, vanilla, and tobacco.
Full bodied on the palate with powdery tannin, moderate acidity, and a rich core of fruit.
Holding up incredibly well and many years ahead. It’s a big wine with the richness, tannin, and alcohol you’d expect, but it’s done in a very refined way. Truly Stags Leap District. Drink now and over the next 15+ years.
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4/4/2021 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Light bricking at the edge, garnet core.
Opens up aromatically after about an hour. Cassis, tobacco, red fruit, espresso, and a bit of tomato leaf.
On the palate, this is still solidly structured. Plenty of grippy tannin, fruit, and acidity to keep it in check.
Ultimately, this is great now with a ribeye or some aged cheddar. It will likely peak once the tannin settles. When that may be, who knows. I’d enjoy now and for the next 5-10 years for the power and perhaps longer if more subtly emerges.
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12/31/2020 - The Wine Sherpa Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a beautiful wine. Very balanced and soft tannins at this point. Recommend drinking now or within a year or so. Caramel on the nose and mid palate stands out. Medium acid.
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4/25/2019 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
Full bodied. Sweet blackberry and black currant notes. Smooth and silky, without any hard edges. The tannins are nearly fully integrated. A bit soft to be considered excellent. Very good now.
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4/3/2019 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and served over dinner. Silky, round Stag's Leap Cabernet with mature tannins and medium acid. Red and dark fruit. Beautiful flavors although it lacks the focus and intensity of the best cult cabs.
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3/31/2019 - Bozekt wrote: 94 Points
Awesome wine! Slightly oxidative, but only enough to add caramel and toffee notes to the nose and palate. Structure was beautifully integrated. Deep aromas of blackberry, black plum, and currant. Palate was smooth and sexy - still showed the fruit on the attack, but tannins were medium and silky on the finish. Acid - medium, ABV - high, but balanced. Finish was long and supple. This was an eye opening bottle for me about 10 years ago, and still epic now. Could easily go 5 more years, but why wait?
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1/15/2019 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Much better than our prior bottle, so that must have been a mildly tainted bottle. Barely starting to show its age, but should hold up for another 2-3 years.
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11/24/2018 - AYKC Likes this wine: 97 Points
Exquisite wine. A robust nose of blueberry and butter, warm rich wet dirt, new leather, Black Forest cake. On the palate not so heavy, silky smooth, albeit moments of dryness, medium finish
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10/11/2018 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 95 Points
The nose shows sweet & a touch sour floral fruits. Some of the fruits have a baked quality. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, stewed plum, baked cherries & black raspberries & dry cranberries. Dark chocolate, soft, delicate minerals, light spice, light layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon & clove. Some dates, figs & prunes, star anise, saddle-wood leading to cedar, dark, rich, sweet soil, dry rock powder, steeped fruit tea and dark fresh & withering florals.
The body is medium and tannins are round and soft. The flavors are ripe & delicious. The fruits are slightly baked & stewed. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, stewed plum, baked cherries & black raspberries & dry cranberries. Dark chocolate, soft, delicate minerals, light spice, light layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon & clove. Some dates, figs & prunes. Anise, saddle-wood leading to cedar, dark, rich, sweet soil, dry rock powder, steeped fruit tea and dark fresh & withering florals. The acidity fresh, lively and like a waterfall. The finish is flushed out. Balanced, easy to drink but it seems like the bottle might have been longer than optimal as it showed a touch faded. For $350 a bottle at the winery, one can do much better at that price point. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good wine.
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10/1/2018 - bobh22314 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Orange with a hint of brown at the rim. Black currants in the nose
Tannins still evident but mostly resolved. Big mouthfeel with lots of black fruits and some heat. Long finish.
An auction bottle so not sure of storage but will be drinking my remaining bottles over the next year
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8/5/2018 - Doctor Koulodare Likes this wine: 95 Points
A beautifully aged wine. A blend of 89% Cab Sauv/7% Malbec/2% PV/2% Merlot, with great notes of licorice, blueberry, cherry liqueur. Very plush tannins, a great finish.
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9/16/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Nose: Beautiful perfume of blackberry, plum/cherry and cassis with earthy barnyard and garden notes notes. Some leather and licorice notes as well. Palate: Enters with a nice textured and layered feel, complex mid-palate of blackberry, cherry, graphite and loamy earth. Plush and precise. Finish: Long streaks of black fruit stick with you, and nice nuances of clove and allspice as well.
Vineyards are close to Shafer HSS and this always show similar fruit quality to me. Great wine, I'll save my last one for another 5+ years and see how it develops.
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6/3/2017 - flashvictor Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank on wife's birthday at RPM steak. This was decanted one hour prior to drinking. This is drinking great right now. Beautiful cassis and cocoa nose leads to a medium plus body of dark fruits with hints of red pepper, cigar leaf. Finish lasts over a minute.
This is drinking at peak. I think this will hold for a few years but I am unsure if anymore improvement will occur. Drink up!
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4/3/2016 - Coachron13 wrote: 91 Points
Maybe a questionable bottle given the other stellar reviews, but this Poetry vintage is not as stellar as others we have had. Fruit is too dominant, wine is not balanced enough. Maybe more time to age will help it???
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12/13/2015 - bobh22314 wrote: 94 Points
not much nose. Full bodied soft with a some tannins on the finish Long finish. Tons of fruit which has softened to a beautiful round mouthful.
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9/16/2015 - Montaniel Likes this wine: 94 Points
one of the best I have had from Cliff Lede....
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5/26/2014 - KeithSurg wrote: 95 Points
Decanted from magnum. My last bottle, and drinking beautifully now. Big wine with flavors if ripe blue and dark fruit, mocha, smoke, and mint. Nice acidity that keeps the sweetness in check. Bold, soft tannins.
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12/22/2013 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine: 96 Points
So I read the other reviews and in my opinion this was outstanding. Had this compared to the Phelps Insignia and I actually enjoyed this more. This was a classic California Cab. Fruit forward and BIG. Great finish and depth for me. Not as complex as the Insignia but it tasted much more youthful and energetic for me. The fruit rolls over the palate and you can taste the region...stag's leap. I prefer most oakville and Howell Mtn cabs even Rutherford to Oakville but this was ripe and may be hitting its stride. Massive tannins and structure and overall blockbuster for me. We each have our own tastes but for me this was up my alley.
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11/11/2013 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 95 Points
Birthday wine takien to charcoal oven for dinner. Great nose and beautiful aged flavor profile with lush ,long finish. Outstanding
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10/27/2013 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
Consumed from less than ideal glassware. Black as night. Nice cassis nose. Full bodied ripe flavors. Fine tannins on finish. Age has rounded the edges of this nicely. Probably near peak.
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8/8/2013 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Still has time. A great bottle of stags. Went great with steak.
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1/28/2013 - slrankin Likes this wine: 96 Points
Extraordinary wine, 2 hour double decant, another two and a half hours to drink. Ended too soon. Beautiful nose, long finish. Second time I have had this wine- memorable. Wonderful compliment to a nicely seasoned medium rare dry aged rib-eye. Nuanced Stag's Leap volcanic rock, clay and minerals. Floral hints. Reminds me a great deal of a recently tasted Chambolle-Musigny Groffier Amoureuses 1993. Wish I had more than one bottle left of this wine.
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12/25/2012 - JJA wrote: 90 Points
Hmm...... this was a disappointment. Served the magnum on 2012 Christmas Day and it was uninspiring. This wine has lost most of its personality in the last few years. It used to be a bold but also elegant California Cabernet. Now it is neither bold nor elegant. The bottom line is that the wine did not stand the test of time. This is surprising since wine should age more slowly in a larger format bottle. Unfortunately this is probably my last investment in the higher priced wines of Cliff Lede. They just aren't worth the money. They are great young, but don't age well.
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11/17/2012 - iamandyc wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Nothing dainty here as this dark, almost opacque wine was still youthful with lots of tannin and acidity still coming through. Overwhelming earthiness (almost dirt) and tobacco dominating the palate. Good complexity but not what I was expecting.
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10/1/2012 - Jshamansky wrote: 96 Points
Fantastic! Drinking well right now.
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5/5/2012 - vegasoenophile wrote: 94 Points
Fruit forward and very pretty. Very nice wine.
-Wine Spectator Grand Tour 5/5/12
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5/1/2012 - JJA Does not like this wine:
No comparison to the other 2005 Bordeaux wines tasted tonight
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3/15/2012 - KeithSurg wrote: 94 Points
Continues to come together and improve.
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12/28/2011 - Sethbo11 wrote: 92 Points
Leftover from 2011 Holiday tasting with MB. Color is dark dark dark. Muted nose with a hint of tartness and plum on the back end. Initially soft and velvety on the mid-palate but gets a nice streak of acidity on the back end. Dark fruit all the way.
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12/25/2011 - JJA Does not like this wine: 89 Points
This wasn't as good as what I remembered the wine to be last time. Could it be that this isn't aging well? A disappointing experience.
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12/23/2011 - flashvictor wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby color leads to a somewhat muted nose of cassis, clove & vanilla. Medium full body shows dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate and a hint of tobacco. The mouthfeel is incredibly round and velvet like - wonderful. The finish last 45 seconds with firm tannin. This was decanted 90 minutes prior to consumption. An excellent bottle of wine just entering its optimal drinking window, for my palate this will be much better in 3 -5 years.
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10/19/2011 - Yamadori wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Very aromatic nose of dark fruit with a touch of cherry liquor and cedar. Full bodied but not heavy in the mouth with an intense attack of blackberry, black cherry and ripe plum fruit. Some notes of coffee and cedar on the mid palate. The finish is about 25 seconds with surprisingly soft tannins and a little spice and bramble on the back end. Quite powerful in terms of fruit concentration but well balanced and restrained in style. This is a very good, well crafted wine but just lacks a little in complexity for me. Although the tannins have softened this still quite primary, especially compared to the '05 Stags Leap bottling, and so it should improve over the coming years (91+ pts).
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8/21/2011 - KeithSurg wrote: 93 Points
Tasted late in the evening, so notes not very detailed. Dark fruit that was accompanied by herbal tones and soft tannins. Drinking better now than when last tasted.
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5/31/2011 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Nose: Black Berry. Black Cherry, Creme de Cassis and some sweet new oak. Fruit was very nice, but also had underlying notes of cigar wrapper and leather. Dustyness in the nose helped this come out. Palate: Deeply concentrated Black Cherry, Plum and some cassis. Long and broad in the mouth showing its structure. Hints of bramble and earthy notes creep in at the back of the palate. Finish: Red/ Blue friuts are very peristant. Oak shows prominently in the finish, but not in a bad way. A bit of spice was picked up later in the night.
This was only decanted about 1 hour, so it could have evolved much more with a longer decant. I will stick to a long decant in the future. A wine that is in the big leauges in Napa.
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1/17/2011 - vinopa wrote: 92 Points
Extreamly dark ruby color...Nose: After about 3 hours the nose started to open up with red and blue fruit, cassis, clove, dark chocolate and a touch of wood..Palate: Very dark fruit wise on the palate, cinnamon, chocolate, asian spice, charcoal and graphite. Nice complexity but I was wanting a bit more. Nice long finish which was nice. I would hold off at least another 5 years before i popped another. The structure of this wine is impressive and this should age well for another 20 year imo..No rush be patient. Cheers!!
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10/10/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
This wine totally delivered. Violets and field flowers on the nose with cherry and baked blueberry pie on the palate. Amazing structure to this wine. A strong backbone carries the intense fruit through each phase of the palate. It is a baby but delish now.
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7/24/2010 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 5 hours prior to consumption, and drunk over 2hours. Nose: Dense Black Cherry, Blackberry and Cassis on the nose with Cedar, Cinnamon, Olives and a bit of Clove. Palate: Gorgeous full bodied weight, silky on the palate and quite vibrant. Bright Red to Dark Blue Fruits showing through the evolution of the bottle with more cedar, spice box and nicely integrated oak showing. Towards the end of the night Espresso Roast, Charcoal and Chocolate were coming through beneath the Red Cherries.
Reminded me of a Hillside Select.
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3/12/2010 - Fishboy wrote: 91 Points
Opened up over several hours. Dark fruits, chocolate, and noticeable tannins.
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12/24/2009 - sweeedfish wrote: 92 Points
Nice long decant. Opened up very nicely with dark fruits on the nose. Nice long finish with some chocolate on the back end. Good wine, young, but still good.
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10/22/2009 - ews3 wrote: 89 Points
2009 Wine Spectator NYWE Grand Tasting (Marriott Marquis, Times Square, NYC): simpler than most of the other cabs
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4/6/2009 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark purple color with a dense nose of dark chocolate, tobacco, and espresso. This full-bodied wine has a very frontal, boldly expressive and voluptuous character bursting with flavors of black currant, mocha, cassis, vanilla, and powdered cocoa on the palate. And the finish... Wow, it's like landing on butter. This is an amazing wine, although slightly lighter than the 2004 and still a few points behind the 2007. Drink now up to 2025.
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3/21/2009 - godx wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at winery – deep ruby, clear. Complex and jammy notes of blackberry, black cherries, coffee and spice. Medium acidity, medium to full bodied with a long finish. Extremely tannic and youngest tasting of the three (2004, 2005, 2006) Poetry wines tasted. Needs serious time. Excellent. 92+
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2/20/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 91 Points
Very nice nose of chocolate and smoke. Somewhat thin in the mouth but did put on weight with air. Rich intense flavors of currant and oak supported by still sharp tannins. Will sit this overnight to see if it opens up more.
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