My wife and I obtained this bottle last month as part of an auction purchase. While it was fun to open the 17 year old bottle, it is beyond its prime by prob 3-5 years. I gave it a score of 87 only because I enjoy the experience of tasting the impact of age. Wouldn’t buy and would drink it now if you have some!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This lithe and complex wine was probably better a few years ago, since it has given up in energy what it’s gained in integration. Still, it’s nicely layered and quite graceful for a wine at the 15-year mark. Dark purple in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, cassis, bay leaf, and baked herbs. Tastes of blueberry, baked raspberry, cocoa powder, and anise, with a silky, somewhat slight finish. Blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. 14.7% alcohol. The blend is about 81% from mountain sites (62.7% Veeder, 18.6% Howell) and 19% valley sites (11.7% Stags Leap, 7% To Kalon). Drink in next few years.
Unlike many wines this age, this actually improved on the second day, with a touch more sweetness and lift (something that could be driven by it approaching room temperature). Regardless, this is an impressive and alive wine at the moment. I came close to rating it a point higher, but there is a linearity and tartness to the wine that hold it back from other Cardinale I have loved past the 10-year mark (i.e., 2001, 2006, 2007). Drink in next few years. 94+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One hour decant That unmistakable aroma and flavor of a good aged and almost exclusively Cabernet wine. ( 90% ). That can be a good thing but in this case not so much. It’s a little one dimensional, not a lot of depth or secondary flavors. Good fruit, tannin, acidity etc. a nice balance and in its in its window. This is a wine that needs food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pnp at home. Dark garnet with only a very thin, translucent rim. Plenty of red and black berries on the nose, coffee. Same on the palate. Reminds me of a fairly young contemporary Pape Clement before reaching maturity. This is both fairly sweet and acidic but seems to lack the sheer depth of a top left bank Bdx on the palate (this is selling at $300 today so well into Bdx 2nd Growth territory). A very good wine which is still young and with upside potential, but not necessarily great value at today’s price. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow. Really enjoyed this. Medium to full weight, gorgeous red fruit followed by a swirl of secondary notes, soft tannins and a long finish. Began to drink after a 1 hour decant and it was great from the first glass to the last 3 hours later. Unfortunately Chris Carpenter is now pricing this beyond my personal red-line for obscene wine prices.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
3/18/2021 - A Loech wrote: 87 Points
My wife and I obtained this bottle last month as part of an auction purchase. While it was fun to open the 17 year old bottle, it is beyond its prime by prob 3-5 years. I gave it a score of 87 only because I enjoy the experience of tasting the impact of age.
Wouldn’t buy and would drink it now if you have some!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2019 - msuwine wrote: 94 Points
This lithe and complex wine was probably better a few years ago, since it has given up in energy what it’s gained in integration. Still, it’s nicely layered and quite graceful for a wine at the 15-year mark. Dark purple in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, cassis, bay leaf, and baked herbs. Tastes of blueberry, baked raspberry, cocoa powder, and anise, with a silky, somewhat slight finish. Blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. 14.7% alcohol. The blend is about 81% from mountain sites (62.7% Veeder, 18.6% Howell) and 19% valley sites (11.7% Stags Leap, 7% To Kalon). Drink in next few years.
Unlike many wines this age, this actually improved on the second day, with a touch more sweetness and lift (something that could be driven by it approaching room temperature). Regardless, this is an impressive and alive wine at the moment. I came close to rating it a point higher, but there is a linearity and tartness to the wine that hold it back from other Cardinale I have loved past the 10-year mark (i.e., 2001, 2006, 2007). Drink in next few years. 94+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2019 - Kevnzworld wrote: 93 Points
One hour decant
That unmistakable aroma and flavor of a good aged and almost exclusively Cabernet wine. ( 90% ).
That can be a good thing but in this case not so much. It’s a little one dimensional, not a lot of depth or secondary flavors. Good fruit, tannin, acidity etc. a nice balance and in its in its window. This is a wine that needs food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2018 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
Pnp at home. Dark garnet with only a very thin, translucent rim. Plenty of red and black berries on the nose, coffee. Same on the palate. Reminds me of a fairly young contemporary Pape Clement before reaching maturity. This is both fairly sweet and acidic but seems to lack the sheer depth of a top left bank Bdx on the palate (this is selling at $300 today so well into Bdx 2nd Growth territory). A very good wine which is still young and with upside potential, but not necessarily great value at today’s price. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2017 - Red Sox Fan wrote: 97 Points
Wow. Really enjoyed this. Medium to full weight, gorgeous red fruit followed by a swirl of secondary notes, soft tannins and a long finish. Began to drink after a 1 hour decant and it was great from the first glass to the last 3 hours later. Unfortunately Chris Carpenter is now pricing this beyond my personal red-line for obscene wine prices.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment