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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Decanting Queen on 1/11/2020 & rated 93 points: Much darker than expected for its age and still plenty of fruit. Blackcurrant, mint, tobacco, some green herbs. Still plenty of acid and tannin, this is nowhere near on its last legs. And keeps getting better with air.
I acquired this wine at auction as part of a bundle and I was interested in some of the other bottles. I didn’t think this would be drinkable given the CT dates. Also, I had never heard of it and it came in a strange dessert type bottle. So what a pleasant surprise to find it is a lovely aged Napa cab, drinking exactly how I like them. I’ll go put that backup bottle away now!! (2290 views) | | | Tasted by Quiet Lion on 7/16/2016 & rated 89 points: I don't think this bottle was past its prime. It began pleasant but muted, then evolved into a tight and confused state, then finally a flavorful blend with some eucalyptus, bitterness, and band-aid. I didn't love any of the stages. (1937 views) | | | Tasted by H*3 on 12/22/2013 & rated 92 points: From Magnum. Great balance and depth of flavor and not at all on the decline, probably aided by the fact it was from magnum. My last bottle. (2875 views) | | | Tasted by VinoDiver on 12/22/2013 & rated 92 points: From magnum, this showed very well and was showing nice fruit but also the development of good secondary aged characteristics. Still quite youthful land showed the structure to continue to age for several years at least in the large bottles. (2949 views) | | | Tasted by shiel on 4/9/2011 & rated 92 points: Just a beautiful Napa Cab with plenty of fruit. Delicious and deep fruit. Holding up with years to go. (4556 views) | | | Tasted by Yamadori on 1/18/2011 & rated 91 points: Opened and left to breathe for 30 mins. Nice nose of blackcurrant with some floral and mint components. Medium bodied but very smooth and refined. Quite feminine in style with plenty of dark red fruit on the palate. Shows great balance and a nice transition to the mid palate leading to a 20 second finish with fully integrated tannins. Not a lot of complexity here but the fruit is very clean and focused making this a pleasure to drink. I have not had this Gemstone vintage before but based on this bottle it seems like it is still in it's peak drinking window and while it probably won't get any better i wouldn't be in a rush to drink these up. Excellent wine but still a bit expensive in terms of QPR. (3936 views) | | | Tasted by Seo on 8/19/2009 & rated 90 points: Enjoyable, if not a little simple. Red and some dark fruit with a touch of oak. Seems to be thinning out. Drink up (3602 views) | | | Tasted by 60secondfinish on 10/25/2008 & rated 98 points: Almost perfect in every way . . .
The 1998 Gemstone blew me away. 78% Cab, 13% Cab Franc, 7% Merlot and 2% Petite Verdot = 100% pure enjoyment in wine. With 14.1% alcohol this wine is no fruit bomb and not too light either. The blend outlined above worked in perfect harmony creating a truly amazing wine A light red fruit nose that gave me the feeling of silk chiffon because it was oh so delicate. Also, a bit of earth and herb was present in the palate with the red fruit with the slightest amount of oak...barely there. It showed its age with a slightly orange/brown edge in the decanter. The tannins were perfect and sweet with no dryness at all. Perfect weight and balance all night, this wine hummed along until the bottle was gone. I wish I had 10 more bottles. Drink now if you have them! (3335 views) | | | Tasted by Taylor56 on 10/18/2008 & rated 91 points: Popped and poured. Very balanced wine and nicely polished with softened tannins. Purple in the glass with a slight garnet rim. If tasting this wine blind I would have thought it was a Mondavi Reserve as it was very dusty. The blend is 78% cab/13% cab franc/7% merlot/2% petite verdot (drinks like a higher percentage of merlot). This is about as good as this one will get - drink up within the next 12-18 months. (2780 views) | | | Tasted by Phin on 12/29/2007 & rated 93 points: Not as deep, dark and extracted as the 2000 vintages. (2424 views) | | | Tasted by wcork on 12/25/2006 & rated 95 points: This is a great bordeax style Wine.. Great nose and depth with a 35sec finish... (3012 views) |
| Gemstone 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)Yountville Appellation America |
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