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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.5 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 133 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by chugwine on 11/20/2023 & rated 91 points: Definitely bringing some secondary notes to the table, more dried plums and raisins at this point. Lighter mouthfeel for sure with a nice smooth finish. There was a slight bit of tannins left. Felt like this is a couple years over the peak, but very good especially considering the price point ($125). (288 views) | | | Tasted by Masterkim on 12/2/2022 & rated 95 points: For son’s 18th Bday. Just fantastic and fully mature. Versus a 2003 Cos D’Estournel, everyone agreed it was as good or better. (566 views) | | | Tasted by Putnam Weekley on 3/15/2022 & rated 94 points: Glycerin. Chewy. Proportionate tension. Mint. Chocolate and cherries surmaturité. Thriving tannin formation. Decades left ahead of this. (1203 views) | | | Tasted by daved on 3/6/2021 & rated 92 points: Still big, but it has smoothed out. Full mouth feel, dark fruits and the Eucalyptus with a long finish. (1608 views) | | | Tasted by fpg1951 on 12/24/2020: Gift from son in law and daughter, from winery on their honeymoon in 2005 ie cellared carefully for 14+ years. Decanted 2 hours+ and showed marked improvement. Very good mature wine that’s ready for drinking and can probably go a few more years. Dark mature fruit, black Licorice and savory notes with a light chalky mouthfeel. (1705 views) | | | Tasted by stevenjstein on 12/11/2019: This bottle seemed a bit past its prime. (2366 views) | | | Tasted by CleverCorkage on 6/18/2019: Decent showing this past weekend. Served with steak off the BBQ this Father's Day. This might have been better a few years earlier.
Notes of chocolate, dust, fading black currant. Alcohol seemed a little warm but that could have been enhanced by the serving temp. Everyone enjoyed except me. I would be hesitant to buy another Elivette over 15 years of age. (2447 views) | | | Tasted by ascharff on 2/17/2019 & rated 92 points: I have noticed the 2001 Elivette is a little heavier on the Oak than I like. That being said still a nice Bordeaux style wine. So far the 2007 Elivette is my favorite vintage. (2425 views) | | | Tasted by jeginmt on 6/26/2018 & rated 94 points: Rich, viscous, dark ruby, chocolate and black cherry, soft tannins and acidity. A unique approach to a Bordeaux blend. More like a top notch Zinfandel. Excellent. (2650 views) | | | Tasted by bigdogflow on 1/19/2018 & rated 94 points: Tasted at Spring Mtn Vineyard tasting (2775 views) | | | Tasted by EMichels on 9/25/2017 & rated 88 points: On night 1 - Heavy tannins; Dark and fatiguing; Fruit fading before the tannins; Improved on night 2 with a bit more fruit expression (3021 views) | | | Tasted by ESTEELE90 on 9/24/2017: Blind tasting. Brief note. Purplish red core showing orange reflections near the rim. Nose and palate give up tight red fruits, rich creme de mure, roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate and well integrated oak that lends some vanilla to the coffee note. Well rounded and integrated. Tannins seem resolved and the acidity is still fresh but the structure is starting to fade as it goes into it's secondary stage. Drink now. (2787 views) | | | Tasted by fred o. on 9/23/2017: dark red color. nose slight herbs, lightly fruity notes. Palate dusky cherry, faded fruit with low acidity, slight sweet maple flavor. still tannic. at least this bottle was slightly over peak, I think, but interesting to try. (2634 views) | | | Tasted by pdadams66 on 5/31/2017 & rated 91 points: Drinking very well. Fully mature (but will ride it for a few more years). Smooth cherry liquor, aging blackcurrants, great depth and still enough backbone. Sits somewhere between the new and old world. (2211 views) | | | Tasted by FullPolicyLimits on 5/18/2017 & rated 91 points: We all know Cab. We drink Bordeaux and Napa Cab young and old and figure out what we like. I like aged Cab and especially Mountain fruit. This was a WTF bottle that had a PERFECT cork and was just amazing. If you are in to aged mountain fruit and funky Bordeaux I know you get it and you are like me and the wifey. IF it's not your thing then cheers and I hear ya. This wine was on point, rich and sexy with secondary notes that were an olfactory and palate experience. I really appreciate when I find this stuff on the auction sites and it has a sense of pedigree that gives a 16 year experience. This wine is not tired at all for us mountain fruit peeps. Cheers. (2046 views) | | | Tasted by cyber553 on 3/18/2017 & rated 99 points: Fantastic wine. Best we've had in a while. These Elivette's really do get even better with age! (1536 views) | | | Tasted by JEP007 on 2/18/2017 & rated 95 points: Purchased through winebid.com thinking I could save $50 on each bottle. In hindsight, I should have just gone straight to the winery as they still have a large library selection. Our last bottle opening in Dec was incredible, sourced from the estate. I'm on the fence as to which is better, the reserve or the regular cab. The regular cab reminds me more of a Bordeaux with a distinct floral aroma that is the character of the wine. This reserve was all about the fruit, a highly extracted wine which I think actually has less cabernet than the regular cab. Either way, both wines of 2001 are worth the extra bucks! (1984 views) | | | Tasted by pdadams66 on 12/19/2016 & rated 92 points: Excellent mature Cabernet blend. Drinking very well now. (1733 views) | | | Tasted by JEP007 on 11/25/2016 & rated 97 points: Yah baby! This wine is so enjoyable. Hasn't moved to the entire set of secondary favors yet, the fruit was the lead role. Hints of old cabernet (cedar, tobacco, earth) but very young and more elegant compared to the 1999 Elivette. (1549 views) | | | Tasted by tfesmgk on 7/24/2016 & rated 93 points: Even better than the last bottle (1913 views) | | | Tasted by walkerjfw on 4/22/2016 & rated 95 points: Drank with an 08 Realm Beckstoffer and 07 Outpost with Valerie's "Pond View" skirt steak. Really fun to drink three different AVAs, all nicely aged. Decanted for 2.5 hours, drank over 1.5 hours with dinner with a splash left for later.
Deep purple color, vibrant core and no signs of age at the rim. Nose jumps from the glass - dark berry fruits, floral notes - expressive and still young. Palate was dark fruits, blackberry on the front, red fruits, tobacco and earth on mid palate. Mountain fruit signature shining through. Secondary characteristics were dominated by spices, a more forward version of Rhone-like baking spice and cinnamon...this came out clearly after the wine had been open for 4 hours.
This bottle purchased directly from the winery as a library selection and stored in my cellar since, great provenance. What struck me is how young it is still drinking. Seems like other tasters may differ on this so could be bottle variation...based on this bottle I would guess another 5-7 at this level, drinking window of another 15...but who knows...great wine, nice surprise to the upside (2321 views) | | | Tasted by pmarlo on 1/17/2016 & rated 94 points: Based on my poor cork performance for wines 10+ years, expected I would have to sadly pour this down the sink. Gladly I didn't have too. However, the cork disintegrated while extracting, leaving only the bottom stub somewhat enact, the rest crumbled like blue cheese. But no infiltration. Legs run quick first wave, then big fat tears ran slow. Must also be very fine sediment present as glass became stained later on, perhaps halfway through the bottle. Very slight bouquet upon opening, pour through Vinturi and the filter helped. Dirty purple in color. In glass wine lighter at rim. first sip was enough to tell me it was still good. Muted flavors but the essence of the cabernet grape and musty taste and I thought it was fruit faded and past it's prime. However, the longer it remained in the glass the more the fruit came out. That took over the course of the evening until the fruit was more then apple. Got that mountain fruit profile which is hard for me to explain but unique to Spring Mountain. Fully aged and secondary flavors well developed, very tasty blend. I feel this is completely ready right now, but given it took several hours for the fruit to push forward, if you have been storing bottles in ideal condition, i think it could go just a few years more. a pleasant surprise and well related, recommended. (2490 views) | | | Tasted by MXL on 12/18/2015 & rated 93 points: OMG, this is still powerful. Possibly the best 14 year old wine I've had so far. The best part is it has more to give and I have another bottle. Tasting notes on it are spot on so if you can get it with perfect provenance you will not be disappointed I promise. And as a side note, all of Spring Mountain Vineyard wine is above bar so go visit and try their lineup of great wines. (2415 views) | | | Tasted by SLR204 on 11/27/2015 & rated 95 points: Special bottle. Let breathe in bottle for 2 hrs and had for Thanksgiving. Aromatics were off the charts - powerfully floral. On the nose this is the only bottle that has come close to the lone 82 bordeaux I've had (La Lagune). After the incredible air freshener attack, on the palate the wine was a fantastic California take on the bordeaux blend. Delicious red and dark fruits with underpinning of earth and tobacco. A joy to drink now and think would have many years left. Can't wait for the 2002 et al. I have left! (2394 views) | | | Tasted by RichardP on 11/7/2015 & rated 91 points: Pop and pour. The bottom half of the cork disintegrated as I pulled it out of the bottle. Menthol and a note of prune on the nose. On the palate, strong black fruit and raspberry at first, with a white pepper note on the finish, but within half an hour it had changed to show brackish water, menthol, and lemon on the nose, with sweet prune and cherry jam on the palate and notes of cocoa, sage (?), and white pepper showing up on a 15-second finish, with moderate acidity. My wife described this as "candy wine," which is a good description; it's dry, but the fruit makes it seem sweet. I guessed this was 15% alcohol, and the bottle says 14.8%. This is something of a fruit bomb, and it's a bit simple, but it's nicely integrated and easy to drink. Although I didn't enter what I paid in Cellartracker, it wasn't anywhere near the $100 mark it seems to be at now, and I wouldn't pay that much for it -- this would be a good value at $50. It does seem to be at or near its peak. (1824 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/10/2010)
(Spring Mountain, Elivette Spring Mountain District Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, January/February 2006, IWC Issue #124
(Spring Mountain Vineyard Elivette Red Wine Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Spring Mountain Vineyard Producer website
Vineyard: Spring Mountain Vineyard is an 850-acre estate on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain. Over 225 acres of the estate are planted to vine, representing 135 distinct hillside vineyard blocks with many soil types, exposures, and microclimates. Originally four individual 19th century Napa Valley vineyards, Miravalle, Alba, Chevalier and La Perla are now one vineyard producing estate bottled wines. A substantial portion of the vineyard is planted in densities of over 4,000 vines per acre. Because of the diverse and challenging terrain, the vines are trained to the ancient gobelet form. Growing primarily Bordeaux grape varieties, the vineyard yields distinctive mountain wines that consistently display concentration, elegance and longevity. The quintessential wine from the estate is Elivette.Spring Mountain Vineyard Elivette
"The creation of Elivette is overseen by winemaker Jac Cole and vineyard manager, Ron Rosenbrand, who together capitalize on the diversity of Spring Mountain's unique vineyard. Vines are planted in 135 discrete hillside blocks that rise from 400 to 1,600 feet above sea level on the eastern slopes of Napa Valley's Spring Mountain. The austere mountain soil yields fewer than two tons of grapes per acre, yet the resulting wines reflect the intensity of each varietal, supple tannin structures and bright acidity. The fruit from each block is kept separate for fermentation and barrel aging in order to preserve its unique qualities. After selecting only the most elegant wines from specific barrels of the classic Bordeaux varietals, Elivette is blended to become the finest expression of the Spring Mountain Vineyard."Red 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)Spring Mountain DistrictWikipedia article on the Spring Mountain Distric AVA. |
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