Last one. Really aging nicely, still good fruit and balance. Sad to see it go. Top of the cork was crumbly, despite side storage, but the bottom was OK and the wine was fine.
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Cassis and cherry aroma, with some smokiness and floral tones. Strong toasty/smoky flavor is a little too dominant for me. Good balance and long finish. Mellow.
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Mmm, this really is a terrific Napa Cab. It actually seems more forward now than when I had it last year. A little toasty oak on the nose is quickly subsumed by deep, powerful notes of cassis. Textbook Cabernet. A lovely palate, deep, black fruit, lots of ash, olive and leafy tones remind you that yes, this really is Cabernet. No grape jelly here. This is a winemaker who is not worried about some slight vegetal tones in his Cabernet, and thank goodness. Supple, very well balanced, and quite gorgeous. Very nice.
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This is a very nice Napa Cabernet that really expresses itself well as Cabernet and not grape jello. A lovely nose of cassis with a pleasing hint of stalk, mmm, a really nice, truly Cabernet, faintly vegetal accent really helps this. The palate is juicy and fresh with black cherry and licorice notes finishing out with a bit of tobacco leaf and bittersweet cocoa. Dusty tannins coat your palate. Very nice balance and freshness here seem to suggest that this will age nicely for a few years, but it is quite irresistible right now. It is a pleasure to see restraint in a new Napa Cab and the fact that the winemaker is not afraid to let a few vegetal elements shine through. In my mind that makes this infinitely more interesting than many of the monstrously ripe and jammy Cabs coming out of late. I am not buying or cellaring a lot of Napa cab, but this is one to add to my list.
Add to that the winery owners have a wonderful story and seem like genuinely nice people, I wish them great success and look forward to future vintages.
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Nothing about my expectations were met by this bottle. I thought it would be silly, cheap, non-serious wine trussed up in an expensive marketing campaign. Wrong on all fronts. It's a delicious, subtle and focused California cab destined for cult celebrity. The nose dashed most of my preconceptions. Ganache, cherry and a nutty earthiness. After some air, the cocoa and fruit gave way to a rich, floral perfume. There's some oak, but it steps lightly and elegantly (65% new French). And whatever else I was expecting died on the surprisingly linear palate. Red fruits, with black cherry dominating, highlight the attack, followed by an earthy mid-palate that builds into chewy tannins with a slightly herbal expression of anise and black tea. A beautiful chalky, chocolate finish arrives and lingers long enough to revive your long dormant memories of your first birthday cake. If your date lives up to this red, it should end in Vegas.
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This is really an impressive bottle of cabernet. It's got beautiful, floral aromatics and the texture of silk velvet with very food-friendly blackberry, currant, and cassis flavors. There is a strong core of tobacco with earth and black tea notes running straight through the center which really moves the wine towards the long, juicy finish. The overall effect is (Ann Noble would kill me) that of a butch-femme wine that really does exemplify date night. We had it with quiche and tomato salad--and if you'd ever told me these would go AT ALL with cab I would have laughed out loud. Organic fruit. Love the label. An excellent splurge wine.
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5/25/2020 - WVWine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice bottle of wine with burgers and corn on the cob for Memorial Day. Deep red color. Tastes of berries and medium finish.
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11/6/2015 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big and rich, with decent acidity, but a bit oaky
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10/25/2014 - chasjacq Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last one. Really aging nicely, still good fruit and balance. Sad to see it go. Top of the cork was crumbly, despite side storage, but the bottom was OK and the wine was fine.
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11/22/2012 - budh wrote: 91 Points
Cassis and cherry aroma, with some smokiness and floral tones. Strong toasty/smoky flavor is a little too dominant for me. Good balance and long finish. Mellow.
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10/23/2011 - bigdomer wrote: 91 Points
Wonderful nose. Great dark fruit. I didnt detect any vegetal notes from other TN.
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12/29/2010 - Kayeman wrote: 93 Points
And then there were 3 !! Sad only 3 left of this great Napa cab. Really getting a lot of rich dark chocolate and dark red fruit in the mouth.
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7/28/2009 - Eric wrote: 93 Points
Mmm, this really is a terrific Napa Cab. It actually seems more forward now than when I had it last year. A little toasty oak on the nose is quickly subsumed by deep, powerful notes of cassis. Textbook Cabernet. A lovely palate, deep, black fruit, lots of ash, olive and leafy tones remind you that yes, this really is Cabernet. No grape jelly here. This is a winemaker who is not worried about some slight vegetal tones in his Cabernet, and thank goodness. Supple, very well balanced, and quite gorgeous. Very nice.
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8/8/2008 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
This is a very nice Napa Cabernet that really expresses itself well as Cabernet and not grape jello. A lovely nose of cassis with a pleasing hint of stalk, mmm, a really nice, truly Cabernet, faintly vegetal accent really helps this. The palate is juicy and fresh with black cherry and licorice notes finishing out with a bit of tobacco leaf and bittersweet cocoa. Dusty tannins coat your palate. Very nice balance and freshness here seem to suggest that this will age nicely for a few years, but it is quite irresistible right now. It is a pleasure to see restraint in a new Napa Cab and the fact that the winemaker is not afraid to let a few vegetal elements shine through. In my mind that makes this infinitely more interesting than many of the monstrously ripe and jammy Cabs coming out of late. I am not buying or cellaring a lot of Napa cab, but this is one to add to my list.
Add to that the winery owners have a wonderful story and seem like genuinely nice people, I wish them great success and look forward to future vintages.
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7/21/2008 - RationalDenial wrote:
Nothing about my expectations were met by this bottle. I thought it would be silly, cheap, non-serious wine trussed up in an expensive marketing campaign. Wrong on all fronts. It's a delicious, subtle and focused California cab destined for cult celebrity. The nose dashed most of my preconceptions. Ganache, cherry and a nutty earthiness. After some air, the cocoa and fruit gave way to a rich, floral perfume. There's some oak, but it steps lightly and elegantly (65% new French). And whatever else I was expecting died on the surprisingly linear palate. Red fruits, with black cherry dominating, highlight the attack, followed by an earthy mid-palate that builds into chewy tannins with a slightly herbal expression of anise and black tea. A beautiful chalky, chocolate finish arrives and lingers long enough to revive your long dormant memories of your first birthday cake. If your date lives up to this red, it should end in Vegas.
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7/17/2008 - drdebs wrote: 93 Points
This is really an impressive bottle of cabernet. It's got beautiful, floral aromatics and the texture of silk velvet with very food-friendly blackberry, currant, and cassis flavors. There is a strong core of tobacco with earth and black tea notes running straight through the center which really moves the wine towards the long, juicy finish. The overall effect is (Ann Noble would kill me) that of a butch-femme wine that really does exemplify date night. We had it with quiche and tomato salad--and if you'd ever told me these would go AT ALL with cab I would have laughed out loud. Organic fruit. Love the label. An excellent splurge wine.
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