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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.7 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 71 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 1/25/2024: What I believe was a PnP (not my bottle), and enjoyed over two hours. In a really great place now, showing some age to the color; the aromas and palate are in very fine shape. An elegant full body, with early tertiary, and lovely secondary characteristics. Blue-fruited, with fine, sweet tannins that gently frame this classic beauty. Such a treat to have visited it in this moment, even if it does have a long road ahead, too. highly recommended (750 views) | | | Tasted by Rick 4 Wine on 4/18/2023 & rated 95 points: Wow, just drinking great here. Not sure how people think this drinking window closes this year (‘23); I prefer the way Forman wines age. Just beautiful. (854 views) | | | Tasted by Luap1111 on 4/24/2022 & rated 95 points: First grilled burger of spring. Forman is an under the radar wine. The 2008 is in a perfect place. (1244 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 9/1/2021: No decant, blue fruits, limited oak, true to house style. 91-93 (1622 views) | | | Tasted by JS199 on 2/28/2021 & rated 92 points: A broad powerful wine that has plenty of time left. Tastes French except for the high alcohol. Earth and wood notes stand out. 92/93 (1875 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 12/18/2020 & rated 96 points: This rich and gravelly Cabernet blend is complex and delicious at a fantastic price (less than $100 on release, about $120 currently on secondary market). These wines remind me of a more rustic version of Abreu, since each have a dense, spicy, earthy ripeness that, to me, is incredibly appealing. Forman’s vineyard is about a mile from Thorevilos, and Ric and David apparently worked closely for decades, so the similarity has some basis (but - bonus! - the Forman wines are way, way cheaper). Bottom line, the 2008 Forman is a stunning wine that over-delivers in almost every category (e.g, flavor, price, originality).
Dark purple color and full in body, the wine offers compelling aromas of blackberry, pencil lead, leather, and dried spices. Flavors of blueberry, graphite, cocoa powder, and anise, with a layered and long finish. I initially thought Forman was of the restrained, “classical” ilk, but this came from drinking his wines too early. From what I can tell, Forman makes modern, somewhat burly wines that require some age, but become stunning - and generous - when they hit their stride. 14.9% alcohol. Blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, and 7% Merlot. Decant two hours. No rush on drinking, since this seems built to last. (3441 views) | | | Tasted by etherscreen04 on 5/3/2020: This is firing on all cylinders. Eucalyptus, bay leaf, dark berries, and cedar on the nose is followed by a palate of good intensity with balanced structure. Lovely old school Napa. (2070 views) | | | Tasted by shellywine on 1/8/2020 & rated 94 points: This was a 3 liter bottle which we drank over three days with gassing of bottle at the end of each evening. Each evening started with a one hour decant. The wine continued to improve each evening. Started with a 92, then 94 and finally a 95. Throughout the three days, the finish was full bodied and medium to long. Not a huge nose but overall the wine was extremely well balanced. (1891 views) | | | Tasted by Scott and Lisa on 11/24/2019 & rated 98 points: Ah man. Deep powerful. Mature but in your face. A wine that you can’t not love. The deep sunset in the ocean air. (1598 views) | | | Tasted by YankeeRobio on 7/24/2019 & rated 94 points: cassis, pine cone, Chambord, cherry pipe tobacco. (1713 views) | | | Tasted by intrinsicvalue on 10/5/2018 & rated 93 points: This wine needs time to open up but when it does it is lovely and I disagree with those who say it isn’t getting any better. Still has plenty of structure, great fruit and acidity. Green pepper, pencil shavings and slightly leathery nose. Tart cherry mid palate and Lingering mild peppery finish. Enjoyed this with a prime t bone and whipped sweet potatoes (2111 views) | | | Tasted by mckillop on 3/25/2018 & rated 93 points: Drinking very nicely. PnP and let it evlove in the glass. Dark fruits, round tanins and long finish. (2728 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 1/21/2018 & rated 92 points: This wine has significantly improved since my last bottle from 4+ years ago.
Decanted and consumed over an hour with friends, this 10 yr old Napa Cab (from one of my favorite producers) performed beautifully.
This "Cabernet Sauvignon" is said to include 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot and 7% Merlot.
I served it blind to my guests, all of who guessed this to be an Old World wine, based on the structure, the perfectly ripened and reeled-in fruit, and well-balanced acidity.
Notes of blackcurrant, cassis, camphor, wet soil, and a beautiful hint of green pepper (from the CF?) makes this a highly complex and delicious wine.
There is ample acidity, and layers of flavors that continue to develop with aeration, all supported by firm and chewy tannins that are starting to resolve nicely with bottle aging.
Drink this gorgeous wine now through 2025+. (2571 views) | | | Tasted by whits on 11/28/2017 & rated 92 points: fleshy berry and minty chocolate scents, balanced, the tannins are softened, medium to full bodied, restrained in style, zippy acid, chocolate chips, dark berry, cigar wrapper and cherry flavors, deep and lush, nice finish, this was very nice with rib-eye steak, drinking well now (2613 views) | | | Tasted by leandrosantos on 11/20/2017 & rated 90 points: Good but not earth-shattering. Not as bold / complex as I’d expected for a 9 year old Cab (2391 views) | | | Tasted by michigan dogs on 11/1/2017 & rated 92 points: I bought this for $50.00, wish I had bought alot more. This is a really nice cab but I think it has peaked, fruit is more subdued than previous bottles. Drink up. (2262 views) | | | Tasted by RMundell on 10/4/2017 & rated 94 points: drinking great! (1701 views) | | | Tasted by jctra on 2/27/2017 & rated 94 points: Still one of my favorit Napa cab. Old school, Bordeaux like, starts to drink perfectly but will hold another 8 years for sure. (2595 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 6/11/2016: Friend's 50th Birthday Party (Boston, MA): From a 3L bottle, decanted for about 2 hours prior to tasting. This wine with some air time was drinking beautifully. Really well balanced with an incredibly long finish. One of the stand out wines of the evening. (3436 views) | | | Tasted by ledwards on 5/16/2016 & rated 92 points: Dark brooding fruit coupled with pencil lead and a streak of minerality. Full bodied. (2943 views) | | | Tasted by ageverett on 2/28/2016 & rated 93 points: Slow ox for 4 hours. Consumed over 3 hours.
Deep red. Rustic nose with some sandalwood and cedar. Medium + body, medium + finish. Tannins still quite present. Didn't really change during the 3 hours it was open. Did enjoy it more with food.
This paired really well with NY strips - the fat in the strips helped bring out. Very well structured and built to last; still in a primary drinking window. Probably better in a few more years. 93+ for now. (3567 views) | | | Tasted by JohnSh on 12/6/2015 & rated 91 points: Solid Napa cab, just starting to open up now but still quite youthful. Smooth, medium to full bodied, classic cab notes of black and blue fruits and quite dry on the solid finish. Some tannins left too (A-). (3088 views) | | | Tasted by Rick 4 Wine on 6/20/2015 & rated 93 points: We had the '06 and '10 in the past month or so and the '08 is the most backward of any. With decanting and agitation it still required 2 hours to really show. Fruit and minerals are well balanced but tannins are impossibly tight at the finish; I'm not sure what the acidity is of this wine is but we got the bitterness and heat in the finish to back off after thirty minutes opened and decanted with some good old fashioned bred and butter. 90 minutes later with duck breast Jed rep are, this wine was popping! The fruit stood out and even pushed forward on the tongue a but with multiple hues. This wine needs another year however before trying again. (2932 views) | | | Tasted by Cristal2000 on 5/8/2015 & rated 94 points: Excellent wine. Opened next to a Chimney Rock Stag's Leap from the same year and the Forman blew it away. Rich and fruity on the nose, this wine has great mouthfeel. It is elegant and not overdone. The finish is impressive and the structure and complexity leads me to believe this will last for 10+ more years. (3713 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 4/29/2015 & rated 95 points: Showed very well tonight, right out of bottle. Ripe, rich, but balanced. No decant necessary. (2367 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Forman Producer website
Robert Parker: "Ric Forman is arguably Napa Valley’s first superstar winemaker. Although sometimes overlooked today, there is little question Forman has had a profound influence on a number of younger winemakers who still speak of him with great reverence. In 2012 Forman celebrated his 46th harvest. Today, Forman counts on the assistance of his son Toby, in running this small, family-owned jewel of an estate. As for the wines, they are superb, but, best of all, remain realistically priced for the consumer who wants to drink top-flight Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon without having to take out a second mortgage. Forman’s Cabernet is one of the classic masterpieces of Napa Valley, even if recent vintages come across as a bit riper than the norm. Still, it is impossible to go wrong with any of these wines."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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