Served double blind. Quite ripe and rounded; not quite Champagne in its acidity, but stylistically it is definitely there. It's a touch cloying for a sparkling wine (the dosage feels especially high) and I'm not a huge fan of the relatively grapey profile.
Served double blind. Seems to show a fair bit of age, but this is obviously Napa cabernet. A slight bit of pyrazine on the nose here, and more unpleasantly, vanilla from oak. This comes across with more berry notes (blueberry) than stone fruit. The oak leaves too much astringency on the back end. Slightly pruney as well. My 3rd, group's 3rd.
Served double blind. An intense blueberry nose (not very milkshakey though). Sweet and slightly cloying owing to the lack of acidity. High alcohol and oak, with a distinctly purple bent. Feels slightly candied as well. Obviously a very young wine -- comes across almost as a barrel sample. My 2nd, group's 7th.
Served double blind. Woodsy and a lot of oak on the nose (mercifully less on the palate). Sweet and slightly cloying fruit, but the palate does manage to show some acidity. Powdery and drying tannins, but quite long and generally more balanced than most of the other wines today. My 1st, group's 5th.
Served double blind. Clearly shows some age on it, with some cabernet pyrazines as well. Dried dates and leathery notes; leaner on the palate, this almost reminds me a bit of a youngish Rioja. There's a slight browning to this, making me think that this was older than it actually was. A somewhat hollow midpalate. My 4th, group's 1st.
Served double blind. Of all the wines, this actually had a little bit of spice to it, making me question whether everything in the lineup was actually cabernet sauvignon. I actually guessed that this was syrah. In any case, this is very purple, with too much bitter oak tannin on the finish. There's a raisinated quality that I didn't care for at all. My 7th, group's 8th.
Served double blind. Raisinated. Comes across almost Amarone-like in that sense, with some chocolate notes and coarse tannins. Lacks a midpalate. My 9th, group's 11th.
Served double blind. I've never experienced 2004 red Burgundy green meanies in a cabernet wine ever. Thin, weedy, with unpleasant crushed ladybug notes as well as notes of jalapeño peppers. Very much underripe fruit. Reminds me of the awful Stein carbernet-merlot. My 11th, group's 9th.
Served double blind. High alcohol, raisinated stuff that somehow manages to have a midpalate that has no flavour at all. Way too many lactone notes here, with coconut, vanilla, and oak. Weirdly peppery as well, with a very bitter finish. My 10th, group's 4th.
Served double blind. A slight brettanomyces note here. Weirdly, a nose of Swedish fish candy. The palate is very chewy with intense, oak-derived tannin. Some out-of-place brown Christmas spice notes as well. Missing a midpalate, but reminds me of eating some cherry candy. My 8th, group's 2nd.
Served double blind. Tons of oak on the nose as well as some blackberry liqueur. Syrupy on the palate, but unlike some of the preceding wines, with more a midpalate. Slight heat on the finish with lots of lactone notes as well. My 5th, group's 6th.
Served double blind. A note of gummy candy on the nose -- not really what I want in my cabernet. Some raisinated sweetness going on here, with mostly desiccated fruit yielding a cloying quality. Quite a bit of oak to boot, which doesn't help either. My 6th, group's 10th.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
From half-bottle. Insert Senator Bentsen-style quote about Port here. Sweet and cloying, with the spirit not quite properly proportioned. Kind of like thinning out grape juice with spirit. Truth be told, I'm surprised that it's even allowed to call this Port. Would have hoped the Portuguese were on top of this.
2008 Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut Mt. Veeder 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Quite ripe and rounded; not quite Champagne in its acidity, but stylistically it is definitely there. It's a touch cloying for a sparkling wine (the dosage feels especially high) and I'm not a huge fan of the relatively grapey profile.
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2011 Anthem Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Mt. Veeder 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Seems to show a fair bit of age, but this is obviously Napa cabernet. A slight bit of pyrazine on the nose here, and more unpleasantly, vanilla from oak. This comes across with more berry notes (blueberry) than stone fruit. The oak leaves too much astringency on the back end. Slightly pruney as well. My 3rd, group's 3rd.
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2019 Brandlin Cabernet Sauvignon 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. An intense blueberry nose (not very milkshakey though). Sweet and slightly cloying owing to the lack of acidity. High alcohol and oak, with a distinctly purple bent. Feels slightly candied as well. Obviously a very young wine -- comes across almost as a barrel sample. My 2nd, group's 7th.
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2007 Cuvaison Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Woodsy and a lot of oak on the nose (mercifully less on the palate). Sweet and slightly cloying fruit, but the palate does manage to show some acidity. Powdery and drying tannins, but quite long and generally more balanced than most of the other wines today. My 1st, group's 5th.
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2005 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Clearly shows some age on it, with some cabernet pyrazines as well. Dried dates and leathery notes; leaner on the palate, this almost reminds me a bit of a youngish Rioja. There's a slight browning to this, making me think that this was older than it actually was. A somewhat hollow midpalate. My 4th, group's 1st.
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2013 Kind Cellars Syrah Lampyridae Vineyard 83 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Of all the wines, this actually had a little bit of spice to it, making me question whether everything in the lineup was actually cabernet sauvignon. I actually guessed that this was syrah. In any case, this is very purple, with too much bitter oak tannin on the finish. There's a raisinated quality that I didn't care for at all. My 7th, group's 8th.
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2014 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon 83 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Raisinated. Comes across almost Amarone-like in that sense, with some chocolate notes and coarse tannins. Lacks a midpalate. My 9th, group's 11th.
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2011 Paratus Cabernet Sauvignon 70 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. I've never experienced 2004 red Burgundy green meanies in a cabernet wine ever. Thin, weedy, with unpleasant crushed ladybug notes as well as notes of jalapeño peppers. Very much underripe fruit. Reminds me of the awful Stein carbernet-merlot. My 11th, group's 9th.
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2016 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder 83 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. High alcohol, raisinated stuff that somehow manages to have a midpalate that has no flavour at all. Way too many lactone notes here, with coconut, vanilla, and oak. Weirdly peppery as well, with a very bitter finish. My 10th, group's 4th.
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2014 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 83 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Served double blind. A slight brettanomyces note here. Weirdly, a nose of Swedish fish candy. The palate is very chewy with intense, oak-derived tannin. Some out-of-place brown Christmas spice notes as well. Missing a midpalate, but reminds me of eating some cherry candy. My 8th, group's 2nd.
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2018 Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon Melange du Baum Mt. Veeder 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. Tons of oak on the nose as well as some blackberry liqueur. Syrupy on the palate, but unlike some of the preceding wines, with more a midpalate. Slight heat on the finish with lots of lactone notes as well. My 5th, group's 6th.
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2008 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Segassia Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Served double blind. A note of gummy candy on the nose -- not really what I want in my cabernet. Some raisinated sweetness going on here, with mostly desiccated fruit yielding a cloying quality. Quite a bit of oak to boot, which doesn't help either. My 6th, group's 10th.
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NV Schweiger Vineyards Port IV 80 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
From half-bottle. Insert Senator Bentsen-style quote about Port here. Sweet and cloying, with the spirit not quite properly proportioned. Kind of like thinning out grape juice with spirit. Truth be told, I'm surprised that it's even allowed to call this Port. Would have hoped the Portuguese were on top of this.
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