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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 56 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by tomlee on 10/21/2021 & rated 91 points: Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Intoxicating nose of black and blue fruits, Whitman Sampler box and eucalyptus. Full bodied and plush with copious, rich fruits in spades. You would be hard pressed to know this wine is 17 years of age. Blackberry, blueberry liqueur, black currants and chocolate truffle on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. I liked this bottle better than a bottle a year or so ago. The bottom line here is you have to know this wine is big and heady and open it when the setting is right. This was my last ’04 and I am happy to move on to other vintages of Switchback Ridge. Drink over the next 3-5 years. (855 views) | | | Tasted by yinha on 1/8/2021 & rated 88 points: Raisin-y / amarone like. Not at all what I was expecting nor looking for, especially after the very solid experience I l previously had with a 2010. Perhaps a storage issue - noticed the bottle marked as 'from private collection' from K&L so that makes me a bit wary on older vintages sold by the aggregator merchants (990 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 8/21/2020 & rated 88 points: Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Heady nose of black fruits, cassis liqueur, molten licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Full bodied with ample acidity. There is notable heat on the palate. Big, plush and hedonistic. Black cherries, currants, plums and chocolate on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Just a big Cabernet Sauvignon that might be a little too much for some. Drink in the near term. Best over the next 1-2 years. (1154 views) | | | Tasted by brettay on 11/30/2018 & rated 86 points: This is quite evolved but still nice. There is loads of tobacco and fig to complement the black cherry fruit. The fruit is still fairly juicy and has yet to start drying out. The vanilla and chocolate in combination with a high alcohol level is reminiscent of an Amarone in many ways. The vanilla infused oak is very prominent on the finish, a bit to the wine's detriment. I think this would have been better 5 years ago when the fruit could have handled the alcohol and oak better. (1394 views) | | | Tasted by Rbtrage on 10/16/2018 & rated 89 points: Too much alcohol for my taste... (1354 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 8/5/2017 & rated 92 points: Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Soaring nose of red fruits, creme de cassis and a newly opened box of Whitman Sampler. Richly textured, plush and chewy. The balance is notable give the high ABV. Currants, raspberries, cassis liqueur and dark chocolate on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long with fine grained tannins. This wine has a spot in my cellar but you have to pick the right spot when opening. I'd advise against opening this with your friends who prefer old world style wines. Not for the faint of heart. Drink over the next 3-5 years. (1686 views) | | | Tasted by hanasowner on 5/26/2017 flawed bottle: Popped and poured...cork crumbled...not a good sign...slight bricking and some fruit on the nose, but after a while I asked the sommelier to confirm my suspicions that the wine was oxidized...too bad. (1573 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 11/19/2016 & rated 91 points: I was prepared to really dislike this wine after reading the ABV of 15.7% on the label. I decanted it at 4:30 pm and drank it over the next 4 hours. It is very viscous....credit the alcohol, it is opaque garnet colored. The nose is very closed and reticent with some vanilla, tar and blackberry bramble. On the palate i get chocolate, black plum, blackberry and a touch of anise. There is fairly low tannin, pretty fully integrated . Chewy mouthfeel. Finish is pretty short for such a big scale wine. Very modern Cali styled in my view, which is not my usual preference. But, all in all a well made wine with a lot of stuffing, though a bit more extracted and rip than I prefer. (2246 views) | | | Tasted by Mscruggs on 8/20/2016 & rated 91 points: Had a slight candied edge that seemed to blow off after decanting for about 30 minutes, wondering if these wines will hold, need to open another bottle to confirm. (2072 views) | | | Tasted by jswine15 on 3/19/2016 & rated 91 points: I expected this wine to be bigger and more robust than it turned out to be. It may be in a dumb phase, but it wasn't the classic california cab that I remembered, more like a Chilean cab that Napa. (2501 views) | | | Tasted by sastewart on 2/22/2016 & rated 86 points: Very overripe nose hard to get past. On the palate - quite sweet with some blueberry, cassis and licorice. Still has plenty of fruit and fair tannin so might improve but very disappointing. 86 points (2004 views) | | | Tasted by maitredgreg2 on 5/16/2015 & rated 97 points: 96+ (2553 views) | | | Tasted by mdefreitas on 9/8/2013 & rated 86 points: Football & Domestic Cabs @ Howard's 2013 (Old Greenwich, CT): There's some enjoyable red fruit here, but a significant alcoholic note detracts what might have been an excellent wine for me. (4358 views) | | | Tasted by drdebs on 4/13/2013 & rated 93 points: Blackberry and cedar aromas give way to a palate dominated by berries, black tea, and a touch of licorice. Lots of cedar and anise in the aftertaste. Best with food (think steak or something using lots of rosemary). This is a big, bold Cab in the full-bore Napa style, with no apologies and no holds barred. Not a wine for everyday drinking, but with the right food or for the right occasion it delivers. (3770 views) | | | Tasted by nfafoglia on 3/23/2013 & rated 88 points: Substantial nose of cedar and black fruit. Almost port-like on the palate with kirsch and deep red fruit. A bit hot on the finish. Past it's prime? (3334 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 8/2/2012 & rated 93 points: WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opened and decanted about 90 minutes before serving. Followed over the next hour.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of lavender, currants and black berries. Flavors of currants, black berries and plums. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink or hold. No rush. (4507 views) | | | Tasted by jaxpaj on 7/23/2012 flawed bottle: Port like and awful. (4206 views) | | | Tasted by hkfoebee on 2/25/2012: 02-07 6-bottle SBR CS vertical. Unfortunately drank all day so taste buds shot for the flight tasting. From what I've been told, the 02, 04, 06 and 07 stood out... (3001 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 2/22/2012 & rated 92 points: Pop/pour. An alluring nose that initially reminds me a lot of Creed's men's cologne - Bois du Portugal. After it opens up a bit - cab fruits with a bit of a port note, backdropped by elegant woods and a slightly sour note. On the palate, big, oaked but with a definite cedar box undertone. Some cassis lurking underneath. In the background, an acidity that's somewhat olive in character. Very long finish, with some light tannins (at least early on). With one more bottle left, I think I'll try to hide it away until 2017 at a minimum. It's not that I think this has a ton of structure, but rather think it's just going to take some time to settle in and integrate what today seem like good raw materials, if presented as separate components. If this does come together, it could be really outstanding. If not, as a previous reviewer suggested, it could be a mess. I'll take the gamble and hide away the last bottle. Though, at 15.7%, that might be a risk. (2527 views) | | | Tasted by hkfoebee on 12/24/2011: Port-like at first. Then worsened like one hot mess over the span of 2 days. Maybe an off bottle perhaps?? (2804 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 7/23/2011 & rated 93 points: Sacred Cow Rocky Mountain Offline - Day 4 (CAVU Cabin, Hartsel, CO): WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Briar patch blueberries, currants, black berries and white pepper. Flavors of black cherries, black berries, black currants and dark plums. Medium acidity, firm tannins, full bodied. Drink now with plenty of air or continue to hold. Big, young wine. (3425 views) | | | Tasted by bwaverley on 6/27/2011 & rated 89 points: WHile others liked this one better, I would have to call it a disappointment compared to the first bottle I drank over three years ago. Too much oak and too much heat. The fruit, spices and complexity were missing. Unlikely to age well - drink what you have now! (2870 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 4/29/2011 & rated 92 points: WIML92+/-?
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Revisited about 3 hours later.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, fairly clear looking throughout. Nose of white pepper, black berries, black cherries, currants and dried herbs. Flavors of currants, black cherries and black berries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. No rush. (2962 views) | | | Tasted by jaxpaj on 2/28/2011 & rated 89 points: A poor vintage for Switchback. Medium bodied, dark purple with gray hues. There is a definite mineral/lead flavor that has taken over the wine, much like oak in most Silver Oaks. A decent wine but not worth $70. If I had tasted blind I would of marked it as a $40 bottle. Disappointed that I have 5 more in the cellar. Will pair with some bold foods in the future and believe it will help the wine tremendously. I bet if I had this with a nice t-bone, I wouldn't of been dominated by the lead and the rating would be in the 92-94 range. (3257 views) | | | Tasted by jeff nowak on 2/18/2011 & rated 88 points: 15.7% alcohol. decanted 2 hours, drunk over 2 hours. thick and lip puckering tannin. black licorice, too much oak. not a fan, in general, of the 04 napa cabs. i'm not prejudicially against high alcohol, but this is an example of too much hang time/over extraction. the quality of the fruit and the wine team gives all it can, but this is kind of a dud, all things considered. i see little hope of a magical transformation with more age. (3666 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Switchback Ridge Producer website
Switchback Ridge Wines are sourced exclusively from the Peterson Family Vineyard in Calistoga. The property has been in the Peterson family since 1914 and encompasses nearly 100 acres located at the mouth of Dutch Henry Canyon. For over 75 years the property was primarily maintained as a farm and plum orchard, with vines intermingled amongst the trees. In 1990, the orchards were replanted to vineyard, where there are currently 18 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah vines, in addition to a three acre 50+ year old Petite Sirah block that John Peterson helped plant as a child.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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