Community Tasting Notes 43

• sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 96 points

  March 22, 2023 - My 8th bottle of this in the past half dozen or so years, with 6 through a private party purchase and 2 through auction. This came out of the bottle surprisingly disjointed, alternatively thin, funky and a bit oxidized, but it came together surprisingly well after about 2 and a half hours, wonderfully elegant, balanced and complex with black cherries and plums, graphite, loam, anise, leather and dark chocolate. This was even better on night 2, which was a treat to have, since the last 2 Cain 5s I had, both mags, a ‘97 and an ‘07, were both consumed in one night (with groups, I hasten to add). While still firmly on the BDX side of Napa, this was relatively more fulsome and rich version of this bottling, and it’s drinking beautifully, like it has years of peak consumption left, if decently stored, cheap cork notwithstanding. Worked really well with burritos, but also a pleasure to sip on its own. It’s hard for me to understand my cult cab-drinking but BDX-loving CT friends not appreciating this bottling, but I do think that its relatively mediocre scores vintage in and vintage out on CT are due to people drinking these too early and without enough air, as this does take time to fully flower, but patience will be rewarded. Great stuff. 95-96+

  Comment

• Mdubnik Likes this wine: 93 points

  February 26, 2022 - Really, really, really good. In a perfect place from a 375ml bottle. Wish I had more!

  Comment

• sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 95 points

  February 13, 2022 - First of 2 ($84@) from an auction lot, after finishing a lot of 6 from a private party purchase about 18 months ago. Consistent with my prior notes, but all components were working together especially seamlessly, making for making for a subtle and expressive wine, yet with surprising persistence and much more savoriness than sweetness. This wine definitely skews toward the delicate on a lithe frame which would lead me, if tasting blind, to probably place this closer to the Right Bank than Spring Mountain in nine of 10 guesses. I’m a semi-regular drinker of this cuvée in multiple vintages, and this is arguably the best I’ve had outside of the wondrous vintage of 1997, and this was a standout with mixed grill one night and a bespoke pizza the next. While my Napa tastes are slightly more traditional than modern, just a bit more power and intensity could have lifted this another point or 2, but this is still outstanding and highly recommended at the price point I paid. Not sure that there’s much upside, but should be several years of very good drinking ahead if well-stored. Continue to believe that this is consistently underloved and underrated on CT, perhaps because tasters are drinking it too early or without enough air. 94-95. NB: Another terrible C5 cork.

  Comment

• sfwinelover1 wrote:

  August 22, 2020 - Last of the original 6, but I bought 2 more at a similar price after the 5th of 6. Similar notes to 8/19. Savory, a bit saline with more funkiness than George Clinton from his best Parliament days, with impressive length and intensity. Definitely one of the most Bordeaux-oriented cabs I've found from CA. Food friendly and versatile: a standout with leg of lamb, but worked surprisingly well with halibut. Deducting one point for another crappy cork; for a winery that boasts that its wines can successfully go on for 30+ years, there should be some disclosure that its corks can't make it much past 10. Early drinking window. 93 if scoring.

  Comment

• lolo66 wrote:

  January 1, 2020 - from .375. elegant. mocha notes are subtle now. tannins fully resolved. Maybe a touch advanced due to passive cellar storage. but enjoyable and a good showing.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 4

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2004
• Type Red
• Producer Cain Vineyard & Winery
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation Cain Five
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Napa Valley
• UPC Codes 000000181440, 000002974651

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 825 (56%)
• Consumed 658 (44%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine