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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 86 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by spectrumphoto on 12/25/2019 & rated 92 points: Has softened notably. Was a touched worried upon opening as all the succulence and vigor was missing.
BUT... after 15 min, this gal popped to life. Opened to elegance and nuance. Fruit n structure came to be in Neal glory. Not the fruit heavy wine it once was but the structure and palate ended up much like many of the greats that auction for 3x,4x,5x its cost. (1279 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 6/22/2019: 4th Saturday group uptown tasting (M&R's): Blind. Red fruit and subtle bouillon notes. Resolved tannin. Dark fruit, spice and a hint of bouillon on the palate as well. The bouillon notes get stronger as this sits in the glass. This had been quickly double decanted about 90 minutes before the flight was poured (no off notes or bouillon at that time). Passive storage may have had a hand in this. (1608 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 1/20/2018 & rated 88 points: Popped and poured with dinner. A bit past prime, the fruit has started to dry out and there's a subtle worcestshire quality to it. Plum and currants. Perhaps not representative, but we will open our last bottle within the next few months. (1746 views) | | | Tasted by weinmatt on 11/17/2017 & rated 93 points: Mature cab, elegant nose, paired with filets in a blueberry bourbon reduction sauce. (1716 views) | | | Tasted by Stevenwsims on 10/14/2017 & rated 94 points: 2 hour decant. Mature fruit long finish (1860 views) | | | Tasted by Whine-oh on 7/21/2017 & rated 91 points: Dark and inky. Lots of sediment. Still very young and fresh out of the bottle. Big fruit nice and soft mouthfeel. Soft tannins. Went well with burgers n dogs. (1501 views) | | | Tasted by weinmatt on 4/15/2017 & rated 93 points: This is really good. Mellow, mature Cab. Blackberry, plum, currant, milk chocolate. Fine tannins. I bought this to drink it so that's what I'm doing... (1497 views) | | | Tasted by spectrumphoto on 2/2/2017 & rated 97 points: Seriously, a single vineyard that still in 2017 sells for under $100. I've had these since winery release. Its awesome, don't really care to go into crazy critique. I've enjoyed all the big Napa boys, Neal holds its own for typically less than 1/3rd the cost. If it helps, Lewis is my other go to wine (and they got WOY this year) (1423 views) | | | Tasted by schimmy23 on 10/4/2015: No rating on night 1. Can't tell if my sickness is affecting the wine or if it just needed more time in the glass before drinking. Cork disintegrated on opening. Nose is somewhat muted. Tannins present, but not that bad after 90 minutes in the glass. (1930 views) | | | Tasted by schimmy23 on 11/24/2014 & rated 90 points: Popped and poured at restaurant. A little restrained at first, but emerged nicely after 30 minutes. Tannins started to express themselves as well. Drinking very nice now, but less nose and complexity than expected. (2217 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 5/2/2014 & rated 92 points: Dark color. Perfumed; black fruit, cassis and currant notes. Lovely mix of red and black fruit on the palate, with spice notes coming in on the finish. Nicely balanced and in a really nice spot but will hold for quite a while. 92-93 pts.
This had been given a short double decant off its sediment, and ended up being poured in the last flight about three & a half hours after the cork was initially pulled. (2672 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 3/5/2014 & rated 91 points: Opaque red violet color; milk chocolate, chocolate syrup, baked black fruit nose; mature, rich, chocolate, ripe black currant, mocha palate with lowish acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points (462 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 7/17/2013 & rated 91 points: WIML91
Tasted non blind with dinner. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about 90 minutes.
Dark garnet color in the glass, fairly clear throughout. Nose of currants, black berries, plums and soapstone. Flavors of currants, berries and plums. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink now. Blowing a little sediment at this point. (3108 views) | | | Tasted by Whine-oh on 10/22/2012 & rated 90 points: Had 2 separate bottles on back to back nights while in Vegas with SD group. Night one with a decant and let sit for an hour. Night 2 opened and NO decant, but let sit for an hour. No bricking noted, dark in color. Nose and palate restrained more so on night one than two. Nice cab profile, dark fruits on nose and palate good structure. Enjoyable, but not a wow wine. Group was mixed on preference on night one vs two. I preferred night 2. (3237 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 7/4/2012 & rated 91 points: Very dark red violet color; rich, black fruit, black currant, tart berry nose; tasty, maturing, tart black currant, tart berry, tart black fruit palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points (1182 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 4/22/2012 & rated 88 points: Domestics 10 Years Old and Older (Pittsburgh Blue, Edina, MN): Small pour. No details, blackberry liqueur nose and palate, impression 88pts. (3940 views) | | | Tasted by hcampana on 2/18/2012 & rated 91 points: Very refined tannins after 10 years. Smoky, deep and medium to full bodied. Very fine indeed. (3304 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 12/13/2011 flawed bottle: Dinner with xhoser (Wildfire, Oakbrook): Corked. (3617 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 6/30/2011 & rated 92 points: WIML92
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of lavender, currants, berries and cherries. Flavors of berries, cherries and plums. Medium acidity, medium tannins, full bodied. Drink over the next 3-5 years. (2819 views) | | | Tasted by Holagatitos on 2/15/2011 & rated 94 points: Classic California Cab, but restrained with the time it has spent in the bottle. Dar fruits, heavy aromas of asphalt, cherries, and smoke. Drank over two days and bottle maintained consistent dark cherry, black fruit flavors very elegantly wrapped in medium tannins. A very nice bottle drinking very well now. (3008 views) | | | Tasted by soyhead on 10/10/2010 & rated 91 points: nose-cocoa
mouth - illegible scribble. thats about what time in the night it was. (3171 views) | | | Tasted by alamoave on 4/16/2010 & rated 92 points: Wasn't expecting too much but liked this better than the Napa basic Neal. More tannic grip and complexity. Very good, with a few years left for sure. (3523 views) | | | Tasted by markjanes on 2/22/2010 & rated 85 points: Kobe Burgers and New World Wines (Reno, NV): Dark color, ruby red rim. Somewhat muted aromatics though had a distinctly herbal, red fruit cabernet profile which surprised me... plenty of barrique spice. On the palate the wine held itself together well with good acidity, a very classic cabernet midpalate, a n ice transition into a firmish tannic finish... I guessed this at 14.5 to 15 which is .5+ less than actual ETOH. Quality wise this wine didn't have many highs or lows and had reasonable balance between moderate + ripe fruit and good firmness of texture... decent finesse, intensity, and complexity... good length, texture, and expression of place. Not a wow wine and of hugely suspect qpr... but for its size and style it held it together quite nicely. Will hold a few more years though I don't lnow how much better it can get. (4155 views) | | | Tasted by goofy Yno on 1/3/2010 & rated 87 points: not nearly as good as last time, decent fruit but no complexity, and a touch flat. (3614 views) | | | Tasted by fisk15 on 12/21/2009 & rated 91 points: More cedary and herbal than the last one, the Howell Mt was much more rich and fruited than this. Still enjoyable but tight. I think these are better consumed in the near term given the amount of fruit showing, maybe it's there.. (3574 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/5/2014)
(Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Second Chance Vineyard) Opaque red violet color; milk chocolate, chocolate syrup, baked black fruit nose; mature, rich, chocolate, ripe black currant, mocha palate with lowish acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points 91 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/4/2012)
(Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Second Chance Vineyard) Very dark red violet color; rich, black fruit, black currant, tart berry nose; tasty, maturing, tart black currant, tart berry, tart black fruit palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Neal Family Vineyards Producer websiteCabernet 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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