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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.8 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 48 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by nfurlong on 8/14/2022 & rated 93 points: initially concerned about the orange tint on the rim of the glass, but the nose held true -- cinnamon notes with deep black fruit tones, forest floor and cigar box; palette is as delightful as ever, perhaps peaking now, with blackberry and black cherry predominant. Very soft tannins, very well integrated, a massive wine, with plenty of heat and long lingering aftertaste. Enjoy! (497 views) | | | Tasted by nfurlong on 10/10/2021 & rated 93 points: nice garnet color; cigar box, black raspberry must and wet rainforest nose; soft tannins, packed black fruit, tobacco, briar, chocolate notes with a whiff of cinnamon on the long aftertaste. still going strong! (838 views) | | | Tasted by Wineaux67 on 3/22/2019 & rated 93 points: After a 2 hour decant, the stinger herbal notes mellowed. Fruit was toned down as would be expected of a wine this age. There was still plenty of structure left. Drinking well right now. (1393 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 7/14/2018: I held this purposely to understand the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon aging process. Clearly fully mature and in decline. Some signs of bricking at the edges, but the core is still, clear deep ruby. Fully developed and mature with pronounced complex aromas and flavors, as the primary fruit is mostly absent, replaced by aromas of spicy jalapeño pepper, smokey leather, dried tomato leaf, ground black currant leaf, dried tobacco, and parched, rocky earth. Vestiges of red currant persist in the background. Surprisingly there is still acid and tannin in support. Weak finish as expected. I’m still holding some “higher end” 2001 Cabs, so we’ll see how they fare! (1520 views) | | | Tasted by Santiagogomez on 5/14/2017: drink by 2017 (1906 views) | | | Tasted by nathanbsmith on 6/23/2016 & rated 93 points: P&P through a soriee decanter. A nice amount of dark sediment was present on the bottom of the cork.
COLOR: garnet red ever so slightly cloudy.
NOSE: funky, tobacco, cedar
TASTE: initial taste reminded me of other bottles of a different vintage. Cedar and tobacco; very balanced in the palate.
IMPRESSIONS: I'm a fan of Ardente CS and this 12 year old bottle did not disappoint. (2541 views) | | | Tasted by LaCroix on 2/9/2015 & rated 92 points: Following previous advice, I decanted 90 minutes before dinner with a Venturi. I normally don't smell the cork, but the dark color drew me to it and I was surprised at the hint of a special wine.
Pouring from the decanter, an initial smell and taste excited me. A bouquet of blackberries and tobacco, the fruit was muted on tasting, with a long silky finish. By dinner this wine opened up even more. It was a hit along with my wife's pot roast. This wine has matured very well after 27 months in our cellar. (3849 views) | | | Tasted by nathanbsmith on 12/29/2014 & rated 92 points: FANTASTIC!!!! (3567 views) | | | Tasted by nathanbsmith on 12/22/2014 & rated 92 points: Delicious Napa Cab!! (3396 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 12/17/2014: Delicious aged Napa cab. (4454 views) | | | Tasted by joesi16 on 11/7/2014: Poured a taste and wasn't happy, the wine had an off flavor and i was worried that it might be a bad bottle. Came back about an hour later and thankfully it was much improved. So let it breathe. (3020 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 4/14/2014: Doing just brilliantly. Great fruit, nice dust, tannins resolved, plenty of life left so no rush. Wish I had more of this stuff, especially at the woot price. (4010 views) | | | Tasted by ddmhunter on 3/15/2014 & rated 91 points: Aged very well, awesome QPR (2429 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 11/8/2013 & rated 92 points: Decanted to allow the sediment to settle. Big aromatic and perfumed nose of dried red currants and cherries, tobacco, leather, spicy cinnamon, and piney, wet earth. Still plenty of balanced and dusty red fruit, and mocha in the mouth; tannins are rounded and well integrated. Great long finish. Enjoy with or without food. Fanatic QPR given the quality and age. (2842 views) | | | Tasted by merryberry on 10/12/2013 & rated 90 points: Dark magenta with a bit of garnet. Soft nose of red fruit, spice and forest. Medium bodied, blackberries, black cherries, pepper, dusty tannins, tobacco, decent acid, and a dark chocolate medium finish. This was a bit bretty on night 1, but is drinking very nicely tonight. (3027 views) | | | Tasted by nathanbsmith on 9/28/2013 & rated 91 points: Tasting 9/28/13: Color: burgundy, crimson, brown
Nose: cherry, strong, fingernail polish
Palate: full-bodied, creamy texture, cherry, tart (2521 views) | | | Tasted by Aparritz on 8/24/2013 & rated 90 points: Lots of earth and dried red fruit here. Decanted half the bottle for 2 hours and drank the other half in glasses every 30 minutes or so. each lot was different but the 2 hour decant was the best. Not as much rich flavor as I hoped for, but still very complex and good. (2158 views) | | | Tasted by nathanbsmith on 8/16/2013 & rated 91 points: Another fantastic aged Cab from Ardente. (1926 views) | | | Tasted by kmays on 7/15/2013 & rated 91 points: All the other reviews have it right. Delicious, smooth, complex. Glad I have two bottles. (1986 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 6/20/2013 & rated 91 points: PnP. Very slight bricking, but in excellent condition for almost eleven years old. Perfumed. Mature, and complex, displaying mostly dried red fruits and plenty of earthiness and tobacco. There are still slight vestiges of some black fruit but flavors seem to have evolved mostly toward red. Tannins well integrated. Great, long smooth finish. Great find on Woot @ $21 a few months back. (1951 views) | | | Tasted by Furry Goat on 4/30/2013 & rated 92 points: The nose shows big tobacco, black licorice, and cherry. Sweet and pungent. The palate shows candied cherry, black olive, leather mitt, and dark chocolate. This wine still has a pleasing amount of tannin present especially coming through on the mid palate. Good fruit, balance, and complexity. I am enjoying this wine so much more than the last time. Sad it's my last bottle. Long finish. (2111 views) | | | Tasted by JLuch1 on 4/3/2013 & rated 89 points: Consistent with previous tasting notes (2321 views) | | | Tasted by Sandydog on 3/31/2013 & rated 92 points: Blackberries, aged nicely, smooth (1956 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 3/30/2013 & rated 91 points: There's nothing like a well aged Cabernet or Bordeaux! Decanted briefly to allow sediment to settle. Signs of bricking as the color is brownish purple. Opens up immediately with aromas of currant, tobacco, sweet dark berries, and some mocha. Tannins are well integrated and the flavors are complex, the palate smooth, but still vibrant for an eleven year old wine. Medium finish. Definitely a great QPR at $21 from Woot and a pleasant surprise. Drinking very well at present but should be consumed over the next two years. (1823 views) | | | Tasted by WABonsaiGuy on 3/27/2013 & rated 88 points: Color: brick/maroon
Nose: currant, slight farm, grapey
Mouth: fruity, sharp tannins at first
Finish: smooth, ripe (1873 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Ardente Estate Winery Producer website2002 Ardente Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Grande Riserva2002 Ardente Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak, Napa Valley 750ml
The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is a richly textured wine with intense, ripe flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum and cassis. This full bodied wine is well-balanced with moderate tannins and a long, expansive finish. The harvest is intentionally delayed until the end of October to guarantee complete ripeness of the grapes. The resulting wine is then aged for eighteen months in French Oak barrels and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The character and elegance of this Cabernet Sauvignon with its profound dark fruit intensity is then blended in complete harmony with the bursting cherry flavor of Ardente's merlot.
Varietal Composition: 90% Cabernet, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Harvest dates: October 21 - November 10
Age of Vines: 14 years
Fermentation: 14 - 20 days
Alcohol Level: 14%
pH Level: 3.58
Residual Sugar Level: Dry
Acid Level: 0.57 grams/1 00 mls
Aging Process: 18 months in small French oak barrels, 40% new French oak
650 cases producedCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Atlas Peak Atlas Peak Appellation Association |
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