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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 67 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MXL on 2/22/2023 & rated 93 points: 20 years old and still kicking! (658 views) | | | Tasted by ctmilner on 1/29/2022 & rated 92 points: Continuing to drink well. Decanted for ~2 hours before, could have used a bit more time. (1360 views) | | | Tasted by D.Callahan on 1/24/2022 & rated 84 points: This was past its prime by a fair amount. Earthy wood notes predominate with no fruit in evidence. Still plenty of acidity but little to recommend this wine now. I do not remember if I was able to store this bottle correctly for a couple of years before I bought my first temp controlled wine cabinet which might have prematurely aged this bottle. (1306 views) | | | Tasted by pdadams66 on 1/3/2022 & rated 91 points: Deep dark center, red rim with signs of age.
Sweet, ripe, pipe tobacco, dried leaves, cherry liquor, touch of mint.
Smooth, extra ripe plums and blackberries, well integrated oak, some eucalyptus and mint, pink peppercorns, modest tannin and acidity, great finish.
Excellent Elivette, mature, good to drink now. (1334 views) | | | Tasted by davergny on 2/22/2021 & rated 92 points: Nose and palate is all cassis and mixed berries, some anise and graphite. Inky wine, well balanced, long and precise. Soft and polished but a nice lift from acidity. Saved 1/4 bottle for the next day. The wine was a little spicier and savory, still quite plush. Stylistically different from the SM cabs of the 70's and 80's that I love. There could be room for further development with more bottle age. (1962 views) | | | Tasted by wehouck on 10/24/2020 & rated 93 points: Lovely, still has a few years left, has reached maturity and is drinking well now. (1684 views) | | | Tasted by vin0vin0 on 10/5/2020 & rated 94 points: This Spring Mtn. cab blend is just phenomenal! Loads of dark ripe black fruit. Still very primary with the fruit and also showing a lot of depth/body/chewiness. Tannins are fairly rounded but still have some grip, acid is bright and the finish goes on and on. (1230 views) | | | Tasted by eschaefer on 9/12/2020 & rated 93 points: I always am a fan of aged SMV. I prefer the older mint green labels but this Elivette red blend was showing very well despite the modern label haha. 88 cabernet, 9 merlot 3 cab franc is the blend.
Deep garnet with a light ruby edge. Not bricked yet in the edge. Still very vibrant and youthful. Great texture and viscosity. Dark sweet black cherry nose, along with saddle, mild eucalyptus, grilled herbs. Excellent mouth feel, darker fruits in the palate blackberry and black currant, with cedar and very smooth tannins. Lengthy finish. After writing this note I think it might be higher than 93. Highly recommended. (1329 views) | | | Tasted by SD-Wine-Lover on 9/4/2020 & rated 90 points: We opened this at the end of its drinking window (per cellar tracker - 17 yrs). It was enjoyable - but I’d definitely recommend decanting and leaving to breathe. (We were serving guests for dinner and didn’t get to that part - so I think it would have been much more enjoyable, as it did noticeably improve once it opened up). Very smooth tannins, a bit “plummy”. (1141 views) | | | Tasted by duchamp on 7/18/2020 & rated 95 points: (from memory) Dark garnet with hints of bricking, perfumed nose of menthol, earth, black plum, cassis and licorice, dark fruit on the attack with menthol laced black fruit, well integrated tannins, plump acidity and wet earth, finishes with loads of dark fruit, earth, dried herbs like rosemary and sage, palate-coating tannins, balancing acidity and mature fruit flavors
Note: Recently purchased at the winery, cork in perfect condition with beautiful dark, crystal stained crown, looked like the bottle had not been touched since 2005, exceptional! (758 views) | | | Tasted by 1891 on 6/5/2020 flawed bottle: Waited too long to drink. Didn’t hold its body. Went flat. (632 views) | | | Tasted by cmoore64 on 4/6/2020 & rated 91 points: Amid the Covid-19 shelter in place, pulled out this 2003 for dinner. Initial open was slightly acidic, but that toned down after 40 minute decant. Deep fruity flavor, blackberry, dark red color with very, very slight orange at the edges. Really great cab/merlot/franc blend. (746 views) | | | Tasted by aatherton on 12/24/2019 & rated 93 points: Deep cedar, earth and dark fruit. Well-structured, smooth and interesting. Delicious! (856 views) | | | Tasted by Pluecht on 11/29/2019 & rated 96 points: Outstanding. Hold (885 views) | | | Tasted by lmichels35 on 11/4/2019: Delish (865 views) | | | Tasted by sjburn on 9/1/2018: This was an excellent pairing with a filet mignon tonight. PNP one glass and 1 hour decant for the rest. It was excellent either way. Excellent right now but still has strong tannins and should be great for years to come. (1673 views) | | | Tasted by TheScottieV on 7/22/2018 & rated 94 points: Aromas like play dough, rosemary and wet earth. A powerful black cherry, sage, and leather mouthful. Super long cocoa and blueberry finish. Yum this was so good but it has enough tannin structure and fruit to go another decade. 94 (1664 views) | | | Tasted by tfesmgk on 3/25/2018 & rated 92 points: Wonderful fruit forward cab with plenty of oak, big and round in the mouth. Tannins are gone but a great wine. (1830 views) | | | Tasted by San Diego Sailor on 3/3/2018 & rated 94 points: Stunnngly Rich, dark cherry, blackberry, ripe fruit, long finish. Elegant wine. Peak or near peak. Drink within 3 years. (2040 views) | | | Tasted by mflesh on 7/28/2017: This wine was ready to go from the second the cork was popped. This one is starting to show a bit of age and I think it's on the other side of the curve. I was impressed by the front of this wine. Appeared to show a lot of youth on the front. From what I remember, there was something about the finish of this wine that made me wish I had some honey BBQ wings. Lots of density up front. This wine is showing some signs of age, but not on the decline at all. This wine was singing, and was one of the contenders for wine of the afternoon. Drink now and enjoy! (2594 views) | | | Tasted by MXL on 3/27/2017 & rated 92 points: Still a favorite, subtle but strong. No decant necessary. (2346 views) | | | Tasted by HandmadeHomemade on 1/22/2017: Popped and let sit open for 6 hours. On the nose, I get lots of herbs (rosemary and sage), dry earth, creme de cassis, black cherry, and cured meat. In the mouth, the wine is full bodied, with drying tannins on the tongue. The taste of the wine matches the aroma pretty well, up front I get lots of herbs, ripe black cherries, eucalyptus, a creamy full mid-palate, with a dry cocoa-earthy finish. I think the wine still has a lot of time left in it, it comes off very pretty youthful, but integrated. I wish I had more... (2109 views) | | | Tasted by vin0vin0 on 1/2/2017 & rated 91 points: Beautiful Spring Mtn. Vineyard cab blend (88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc). The perfume nose consists of cocoa powder and ripe raspberry. There's a tongue coating presence of red plum, raspberry, black licorice and tamarind balanced by prominent but fine grained tannin, medium (-) acidity, and a long finish. (1891 views) | | | Tasted by pdadams66 on 12/23/2016 & rated 92 points: Deep dark center, red rim with signs of age.
Plums and raspberry jam, grilled meat, a little greenness, violets and road tar, citrus and rubbed rosemary.
Smooth, mature red fruits - red plums, cherries and raspberries, refined acidity and tannins, vinous, integrated oak, a little pyrazine and bandaid, very good length.
This has matured very well. Good synthesis of old and new world (tending towards the former). Will last 2 or 3 more years, after that things will probably decline (having said that, a recent tasting at SMV showed wines from the 80s in excellent shape, so maybe the future is bright). (1717 views) | | | Tasted by cigardog99 on 11/12/2016 & rated 95 points: Great drink, nice color, took 3 hours to open up. Full bodied plan on buying more! (1334 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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.2003 Spring Mountain Vineyard Elivette
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon 88%, Merlot 9%, Cabernet Franc 3%
Alcohol: 14.6%
Aging: 22 months in French oak barrels
Harvested: October 2003
Bottled: August 2005
Released: September 2007
Production: 1,910 cases
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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