Community Tasting Note

msuwine wrote:

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - This rich and modern Cabernet is drinking well right now: it has ripe fruit and silky tannins, but it had a shallow mid-palate and linear, somewhat diluted mouthfeel that held it back from being truly impressive. I was worried that this would be a tannic and burly monster that was too thick to enjoy right now, but instead it suffered from the opposite issue: it's too thin and agreeable - well-integrated and pretty enough, there's not a lot of there there. Howell Mountain can produce intense and unique wines (e.g., Outpost, La Jota), but this is not one of them. The Cade isn't bad, but it's not exciting, either.

Ruby red in color, medium in body, expansive aromas of blueberry, leather, and fresh toast. The wine has somewhat narrow tastes of black cherry, vanilla, and baking spices (narrow in the sense that they drop through your mouth quickly, more like water than milk). The sweet finish, too, is brief, though it carries well-integrated tannins, especially for a mountain wine. Blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot. 15.2% alcohol. Decant at least an hour, since the wine gained (some) substance with air.

I might wait another year, in order to see if the silkiness becomes more of an asset than a liability. Right now, this reminded me of some kind of watered down Revana Estate Cabernet; the Cade is silky and integrated, but less intense or complex than the valley floor wine (?!). It's like the vinous equivalent of a sycophant - pleasant and agreeable, it doesn't say much of anything unique or interesting. Enjoyable, but straightforward. 91-92.

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