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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 32 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by austinwineguy on 12/11/2022 & rated 95 points: Lovely wine that aged very well. Powerful fruit and smooth drinking wine. (355 views) | | | Tasted by jeginmt on 8/20/2021 & rated 95 points: Dark red, dense full bodied, rich currant and blackberry flavors, medium tannins, high acidity and alcohol content. Has plenty of years left in it. This is a blockbuster wine. (684 views) | | | Tasted by jmh st louis on 5/27/2020 & rated 93 points: Smooth and well balanced. (1036 views) | | | Tasted by Vinomnivore on 2/13/2019 & rated 90 points: Smooth and integrated with a touch of earth and tobacco balancing the fruit. I would drink up at this point. Again, amazing value for the cost. I think the table would have been shocked to learn I picked this up for $20.00. (1402 views) | | | Tasted by Vinomnivore on 3/12/2018 & rated 90 points: Enjoyed along side steak. A little low in acidity and lift, but some interesting fruit and mature cab flavors make this worth sipping. (1757 views) | | | Tasted by Vinomnivore on 1/28/2018 & rated 92 points: Amazing for the prices. Still drinking very well with rich vanilla and fruit in balance with soft spices. Benefited from breathing for an hour. (1550 views) | | | Tasted by GrandmaDizzy on 12/4/2016 & rated 94 points: Drank at Bunko Christmas party at Mike and Marry's (1989 views) | | | Tasted by CWang on 12/7/2012 & rated 93 points: Wow! patience was rewarded here; fabulous nose, fantastic palate, and pleasant finish shortly after popping the cork; very much like a Bordeaux wine and way much better than what it was 3 years ago (88-89 points); will probably peak in 2-3 years but 92-93 for now already; another excellent example of how well-made cabernet sauvignon can evolve and transform with proper cellar time. (19878 views) | | | Tasted by DonWinspear on 7/17/2012 & rated 90 points: From magnum. Dark ruby with a hint of red brick on the edge. Nose of mixed red and dark fruit. Palate is very soft and gentle. Tannins are relaxed and inviting - almost to the point where I hoped for a little more punch. Light acidity. Cassis, raspberry, hint of vanilla. Some oak present. Nice overall, but nothing that makes this wine stand out. A moderate finish that complements nicely. (4646 views) | | | Tasted by ListenToMeWine on 1/8/2012 & rated 91 points: Dark fruits on the nose with a hint of cassis. This one had quite a bit of grip and still wasn't completely open and forgiving after about two hours. A nice bottle to ponder over a long evening. (4405 views) | | | Tasted by rickspicks on 8/28/2011 & rated 91 points: Very dark, dense, brooding appearance with a big mountain-fruit-like nose of dark berries, black currant, cassis and lots of oak. Big, ripe, rich, concentrated flavors that match the nose along with a hint of vanilla and spice. Lots of texture and plenty of structure to balance the fruit. Long, slightly drying finish. Still a bit primary and rough for my palate, but there is plenty of fruit and structure to improve. (4641 views) | | | Tasted by Plunge the Worm on 7/25/2011 & rated 87 points: Deep dark blood red. Tinge to brown rather than purple black. Aroma of stewed cherries, cassis, hoisin. My smell memory goes to huckleberry duck sauce. Flavors mostly match although I like more fruit on a cab that should be peaking. Good texture. Finish is more waxy than dusty. The wine is above ave but I detest the tall thin bottles that chew up space in the cellar. (4396 views) | | | Tasted by ed-d on 3/12/2011 & rated 92 points: Nice dark color with a slight browning at the edges. Explosive aroma of vanilla bean dominating the red & black currant fruit. Lush entry of sweet black currant & black plum flavors that flows nicely into a perfectly structured acid & tannin wash on the spicy finish. Nice. (2450 views) | | | Tasted by tapngrill on 1/14/2011 & rated 92 points: Popped and poured with no time to breath or decant. This bottle still held up to the test with typical black and dried fruit flavor and aroma. Tannins were in perfect balance with just the right amount of acidity. Very complex wine that filled your mouth with layers of flavor. Hints of oak, a touch of coffee, and the dusty dryness typical of Oakville soil. A wonderful bottle of wine served at 58 degrees. (2799 views) | | | Tasted by Mike Kopanski on 3/26/2010 & rated 82 points: I was a little disappointed. I and some of the people around me tasting thought this wine had quite a bit of the wine flaw, volatile acidity. We talked to the rep from the winery who assured us that this was the flavor profile the winemaker was trying to achieve. If not for her approval that this wine was up to standard, I might have discounted this bottle as atypical of the vintage. But, we all know, there is no such thing as one bottle with VA. The telltale stinky smell was there. There was a sharp acidity that dominated the flavors, and ruined the mid palate. Swirling did not help. I don't think this was from bottle deterioration. It was very hard to imagine the considerable good qualities we expect this wine to have. Some people liked the briary mustiness, and thought that sharp acidity was acceptable. (2887 views) | | | Tasted by ed-d on 12/25/2008 & rated 94 points: Good deep dark color. Briary Cab, with hints of cassis, blackberry, vanilla & loamy earth. Big, rich black currant with great weight & cleansing acidity. This is still young, but the focused acids make it a keeper. (3382 views) | | | Tasted by DaddyO on 11/24/2008 & rated 90 points: Nice red liquorice spice...not as conducive to my palate as a more earthy bordeaux blend. My wife adores this wine...which tells me that there is a "peppyness" or "freshness" to this wine.
I plan on letting my wife drink half whenever she wants and i'm going to save half of my remaining bottles to cellar for 12 to 24 months. (4035 views) | | | Tasted by slipstream9 on 9/19/2008 & rated 89 points: Great raspberry color. Smooth and well blended with a good finish. (3293 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Swanson Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican 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)Oakville |
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