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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 102 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by DenverGreek on 2/14/2023 & rated 93 points: Excellent wine but slightly past it's peak. (537 views) | | | Tasted by cucycling on 6/5/2022 & rated 87 points: Sadly this bottle showed signs it could be fading. (949 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 9/25/2021 & rated 88 points: Decanted for sediment and aeration about an hour before tasting over another 2 hours. Labeled as 14.5% ABV. This wasn’t bad but I found it lacking in several respects. It was a dark dense opaque garnet purple. It had decent dark fruit and modest acidity but pretty bitter tannins. This is very modern in style but seemed to have an edge to it that I didn’t care for. Also lacked much in the finish outside of the bitterness. Seemed a little unbalanced to me, lacking freshness and coherent structure. The fruit while decent seemed hidden by some vanilla/oak elements. Maybe past prime but I didn’t see any significant oxidative notes. It never really opened up and the bitterness grew with time in the decanter. (1714 views) | | | Tasted by lelandinmichigan on 4/19/2021 & rated 89 points: Dark core with crimson color. Showing orange aging signs at the rim. Musty cherry with a green vegetal aspect. Has a depth and berry liqueur character. Medium body, gentle and polished. Has a fairly nice balance. But it has a raisin-y, sugary, funk that isn’t inviting and keeps me from wanting more than a glass. (1481 views) | | | Tasted by MindMuse on 2/11/2020 & rated 91 points: Nice drinking bottle, with rich blueberry and cassis aromas, sous bois, menthol. Still good fruit density and richness. After open a while started leaning too acidic, otherwise would have rated a point higher. (1914 views) | | | Tasted by skip13 on 11/16/2018 & rated 93 points: Drank my last bottle with Beef Bourguignon and it did not disappoint. Less expressive then I remember but now i seems like a more sophisticated cab, but less fruit. Love this vintage/wine; probably time to drink it up. Probably not going to evolve to something more complex. (2016 views) | | | Tasted by big.cactus34 on 9/17/2018 & rated 91 points: Fruit somewhat dissipated but still present as is the alcohol. Good fruit and backbone. Was a Pnp so definitely needed air to open up. Time to start drinking up. 90-91 points. (1946 views) | | | Tasted by jerrysvino on 8/26/2017 & rated 87 points: Earthy, maybe too earthy. No fruit remaining. (3064 views) | | | Tasted by skip13 on 8/11/2017 & rated 93 points: This wine has been, and continues to be, a beautiful wine. Great value and great representation of a Napa cab. Lowish tannins, low alcohol, but still nice with moderate complexity. Slight berry, cherry, fennel, blueberry, light tobacco. Consumed with pork tenderloin and paired well as a less complex Cabernet. (3076 views) | | | Tasted by mjm226 on 2/10/2017 & rated 90 points: This was much better than the last bottle. Decanted for 3 hours. It really opened up. Very full bodied and smooth. Decent finish but fairly short. Good overall - last bottle must have been corked. (3303 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 12/31/2016 & rated 92 points: Drinking just perfectly, with notes of red fruit (currants, cherry), cedar, herbs, a touch of bay leaves and tannins on the finish. A great pairing with the filet mignon. (2688 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 7/30/2016 & rated 90 points: Dinner with Barbara, Lance, Jen and me in Princeton (Princeton, NJ): I thought this drank well, with notes of red fruit, spice, cedar and bay leaf, with definite tannins remaining. Was good with the dry-aged steak. I didn't try it with the fillet as it was already gone. The wine followed Lewelling cabernet (always a tough act to follow) but was tasty on its own. Drink now with beef but it has time, too. With Barbara, Lance, Jen and me in Princeton. (3729 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 7/29/2016 & rated 92 points: Cellar clean-up. We had another bottle of these with steak and it was excellent. (2268 views) | | | Tasted by Mattshank on 6/18/2016 & rated 93 points: Nose: Brambly black fruits with some assorted herbs and dust. Great nose. Palate: Sweet black fruits and good balancing tannins and acid. Just superb balance and more akin to first bottle (notes on 11/28/14). Last bottle of this and it is stellar. Always go out on a high note. (2490 views) | | | Tasted by EdKz@comcast.net on 5/15/2016 & rated 92 points: medium body, dark fruit aromas and flavors, touch of cassis, moderate finish;improved a little during first two hours followed by oxidation; fair QPR (2261 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 4/22/2016 & rated 89 points: Ok but not super Showing. Perhaps better with a hanger steak? These bottles are variable. (2177 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 3/18/2016: Previously CV'd bottle seems shallow. Tobacco, sour dark fruit on the nose. Dusty tannins give a dry mouthfeel but lacking any fruit flavor. Imagine the cork has been compromised based on prior and others' notes. No rating. (1773 views) | | | Tasted by Mattshank on 1/31/2016 & rated 91 points: Nose: Earth, moss and blackberry aromas with hints of lavender. Palate: Good spice levels with subtle blackberry flavors. Much more evolved and secondary compared to last notes on 11/29/14. While this is still drinking well I much prefer the last bottle which was stellar (93 points). (2013 views) | | | Tasted by Radboy on 10/10/2015 & rated 91 points: Went well with a ribeye. (2234 views) | | | Tasted by pinoteer on 9/22/2015 & rated 91 points: I like this much better than my first bottle review (Nov. 2014). I've drunk several more bottles since then. More going on in the mid-palate now than my first-bottle review indicated. Very drinkable by itself or with food. My major criticism is the short finish. Otherwise, it's an excellent example of CA claret, without being over the top. Still not sure that I can go more than 91 because of the short finish. (2060 views) | | | Tasted by Blankje on 9/10/2015 & rated 90 points: Medium to full body, seems very well balanced now. Dark fruit, blackberry, cassis. Nice oak on the nose. Slightly jammy. Very approachable now. Really enjoyed this wine tonight. Great QPR at $25
(2088 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 8/31/2015 & rated 91 points: I thought this wine was drinking quite well -- better than on its arrival.
There were notes of red fruit (cherry and currants), spice and still some nice tannins on the finish. Good depth and great balance.
It went well with the tasty hanger steak, seasoned with pepper. The winery notes say it goes especially well with grilled meat, and I think that is right.
With David D, Suzanne G, Jen and Tash (and Ursula) in Princeton, NJ.
(There was also a delicious, dry martini, made by David with Bombay sapphire gin, which I will record in these notes but not rate). (1898 views) | | | Tasted by wynnewood500 on 7/2/2015: Popped and poured first of three bottles. A bit sweet and short on complexity. Tannins resolved. OK but nothing special. (1980 views) | | | Tasted by Rogie on 6/20/2015 & rated 90 points: Tasty, but tired. Drink up. (1801 views) | | | Tasted by 82Latour on 6/6/2015 & rated 89 points: Pretty unmemorable. Bit sweet and jammy like most of the 07s are turning out to be. (1730 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Vine Cliff Winery Producer website2007 Vine Cliff Winery Cabernet SauvignonWinemaker's Tasting Notes:
"Nuanced aromas of both red and dark fruits, with blueberries and red cherries playing a leading role. Hints of spice, bay leaf and cocoa add layers of complexity and character. Entering with bright sweet fruit, the palate is rich, full bodied and powerful. Shades of mocha and molasses from the French oak provide a complexity that lingers through the finish.The rocky Oakville Bench vineyard gives the black fruit aromatics, structure and concentration while the Calistoga vineyard imparts floral notes,a supple texture and a lengthy finish."
This cab is made for steak, lamb, duck, or just about anything off the grill. -
2007 Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon Claret blend includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, four of the five acknowledged Bordeaux grapes and is crafted in a bold but elegant style.
Proprietor Rob Sweeney held this wine back for quite some time before release. Vine Cliff Winery Cabernet SauvignonWinemaker Notes:
The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is our interpretation of a “classic” Napa cab. A combination of fruit from several of our estate vineyards. Cabernet 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)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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