This wine punched above its weight class. Right up there with the Insignia's and Dominus in being very serious wine without being heavy or over-extracted. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine (there are plenty of good flavor descriptors in other notes). Sorry I don'thave more of this vintage.
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Wow, this was an absolutely gorgeous cabernet. It wasn't quite what I expected. I thought it would be a heavy, powerful wine like many of the the other new rising star producers. It's not. It's delicate, velvety, very pretty. Gorgeous sweet red fruits, floral notes, and just the right amount of french oak on the nose. The tannins have melted away, leaving mocha and espresso bean notes on the finish. Incredibly well balanced. A very feminine style of cab for sure. One of the best cabernets I've had so far this year. When I tasted it, I instantly thought of Paul Hobbs, so I'm fairly certain this was made during his time with Fairchild. The wine actually reminds me of Paul Hobb's regular Napa cab from top vintages (the 2002 comes to mind). And I do have a Paul Hobbs palate when it comes to cabs. But it begs two questions: Do the current releases of Fairchild, made by Melka, taste like this? If it reminds me of the regular Paul Hobbs cab, is the Fairchild GIII worth the current price of $175?
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Definitely a food wine. We popped the candid and poured, and it is much more fruit forward with very well integrated tannins, silky smooth, that instance. After spending two hours open in the decanter, then the fruit died down and we were left with a little more backward wine. The tannins seeme harsher but with food this one so often down and was well complemented.
Nonetheless there is great depth to the wine with layers and layers of minority, some smoke, I'm crushed rock, and still lots of fruit just less dominant. I find the finish a little bit hot.
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decanted for 1 hour then returned to the bottle. nose of cassis, black cherries, dark chocolate, spice box, and vanilla unfolds in waves. a mineral edge and subtle hibiscus emerge with additional time in the glass. full body. satisfying, creamy mouthfeel with pleasing symmetry. plenty of structure. the tannin does not get in the way of enjoyment at this point in time, while the acid showcases the fruit so well. displays a level of ripeness that i equate with many other '07s, but still preserves the nobility stature i find in these wines. finishes along the same themes noted above. although i really enjoyed this bottle, i have to give a nod to the '08 GIII. on that note, i'm much more a fan of that vintage. another winner from larry fairchild! after being enamored by the fairchild wines from 3 vintages, i can easily say i'm sticking with this operation for the long haul. kudos!
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6/16/2018 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine:
Needed about an hour in the decanter to really show.
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11/23/2016 - Topper wrote: 96 Points
This wine punched above its weight class. Right up there with the Insignia's and Dominus in being very serious wine without being heavy or over-extracted. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine (there are plenty of good flavor descriptors in other notes). Sorry I don'thave more of this vintage.
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6/8/2016 - Jonathan T Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow, this was an absolutely gorgeous cabernet. It wasn't quite what I expected. I thought it would be a heavy, powerful wine like many of the the other new rising star producers. It's not. It's delicate, velvety, very pretty. Gorgeous sweet red fruits, floral notes, and just the right amount of french oak on the nose. The tannins have melted away, leaving mocha and espresso bean notes on the finish. Incredibly well balanced. A very feminine style of cab for sure. One of the best cabernets I've had so far this year. When I tasted it, I instantly thought of Paul Hobbs, so I'm fairly certain this was made during his time with Fairchild. The wine actually reminds me of Paul Hobb's regular Napa cab from top vintages (the 2002 comes to mind). And I do have a Paul Hobbs palate when it comes to cabs. But it begs two questions: Do the current releases of Fairchild, made by Melka, taste like this? If it reminds me of the regular Paul Hobbs cab, is the Fairchild GIII worth the current price of $175?
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1/6/2015 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Definitely a food wine. We popped the candid and poured, and it is much more fruit forward with very well integrated tannins, silky smooth, that instance. After spending two hours open in the decanter, then the fruit died down and we were left with a little more backward wine. The tannins seeme harsher but with food this one so often down and was well complemented.
Nonetheless there is great depth to the wine with layers and layers of minority, some smoke, I'm crushed rock, and still lots of fruit just less dominant. I find the finish a little bit hot.
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11/20/2014 - DugyDog Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful Cali cab….just what's it's all about. Cassis, sweet tannins resolved. Full body, lush mid-palate, long finish.
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1/21/2012 - etherscreen wrote: 95 Points
decanted for 1 hour then returned to the bottle. nose of cassis, black cherries, dark chocolate, spice box, and vanilla unfolds in waves. a mineral edge and subtle hibiscus emerge with additional time in the glass. full body. satisfying, creamy mouthfeel with pleasing symmetry. plenty of structure. the tannin does not get in the way of enjoyment at this point in time, while the acid showcases the fruit so well. displays a level of ripeness that i equate with many other '07s, but still preserves the nobility stature i find in these wines. finishes along the same themes noted above. although i really enjoyed this bottle, i have to give a nod to the '08 GIII. on that note, i'm much more a fan of that vintage. another winner from larry fairchild! after being enamored by the fairchild wines from 3 vintages, i can easily say i'm sticking with this operation for the long haul. kudos!
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