Opaque blue-black color with red to the rim. The nose is heady with dried dusty tobacco, graphite/pencil box, blueberry, smokey ripened blackberry, and a subtle hint of baking spices. The mouthfeel is dense, silky, and luscious with still present appropriate acidity and tannin that gently support the gorgeous second and first growth Bordeaux style sweet Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, redolent with complexity, that is laced with vanilla bean and blackberry compote that linger through the long elegant finish. The 2008 Napa Valley vintage was problematic for winemakers with a below average crop yield that also produced small berry sized Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that yielded some dark, well-balanced, and powerful wines from the Rutherford area of Napa Valley. This wine is beautiful, and at once mature and still possessing brilliance and the promise of further developmental complexity without the loss of its concentration of youthful fruit flavors. I only wish I had bought more than two bottles, the first of which is a blurred distant memory. Postscript: Only minimal sediment left in one glass.
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We enjoyed this bottle while watching the Vikings defeat the Saints in OT. It is time to drink up those still left in the cellar. Showing signs of fading.
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A big whiff of alcohol on opening which burns off within 10 minutes. Herbal/floral nose, ruby in the glass. Loads of red/black fruit on entry, cherry most prevalent. Mid-weight with sweet cassis and tannins, plenty of acidity left for quite a few more years. I must admit, it's better than I thought it would be. Somebody was wrong on the drink by date.
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Lots of fruit! Good balance, but I think this wine may be peaking now. Paired nicely with some medium rare steaks. Drank alongside a 1999 Tuscan Cabernet. This wine started strong, but paled in comparison after an hour or so.
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This is one of my favorite bottles in this price range. Big fruit forward napa cab. Tons of black fruit with hints of leather, clove and anise. Big finish with nice tannins and acidity. Very good.
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Surprisingly good, given the cost, with a great QPR. Savory Cabernet fruit with classic flavors and a nice and lengthy finish. Would buy more, if I could find it. Bravo!
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I love this cab. Initially the oak monster is screaming when this hits the nose & palate. After a decanting for a few hrs the oak monster settled down but was still very much present. Black fruit very much up front with vanilla & cassis on the finish. Good structure & balanced enough to make me realize why I love this for the price. Nice finish with nicely balanced tannins & structure.
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Solid Honig performance, although I am starting to notice the less tannic 2008 vintage on this wine. Great now, but probably not as long lived as the '07 or '09 in the cellar.
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Good, but this wine was hyped to me when I bought it so the experience was somewhat of a letdown. The nose is flavourful. On the palate, some depth and complexity, but the main flavour is black pepper, almost like a Chilean Carmenere. Overall, very good.
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Cabernet Sauvignon - What's In A Price Point? (Blind Tasting) (Minneapolis, MN): Color: Dark Purple (Most intense wine in tasting) Strong aromas of blackberries, vanilla, oak, with a hint of chocolate Moderate-high acidity, tannins, and body. Medium flavor intensity. The wine was somewhat balanced at this point -- very tightly wound. This wine needs time for the tannins to decrease, and hopefully the higher acidity won't overpower the wine. The group was split on this wine - some enjoyed the focused structure, and others couldn't get past the relatively high acidity and tannins.
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Great fruit on the nose, especially after about 30 mins of letting her open up. Unfortunately, for me the Honig wasn't complex, didn't resemble the forward fruit on the palate and lacked that long lasting, lush finish you'd expect from this caliber full bodied cab. Tasted Jammie, typical vanilla oak you'd expect from your mid tier cab. Not exciting.
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Domestic New Releases Tasting (Binny's, St. Charles): Dusty crimson color. Perfumed dark fruit, currant and licorice notes. Full-bodied, with dusty tannins and flavors of red and black fruit, spice and hints of vanilla. Nice finish. 90-91 pts. $33.99.
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Heavy black current and blueberry coat the mouth in the wonderful cab at a non-rediculous price. Sweet oak on the finish comes from 18 months in American oak. Moderate tannins and a very long finish. I love this!
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this is such a solid wine. huge and masculine in its cassis and creamy oak aromas, with a pop of pure extracted fruit in the mouth and a long lip-smacking finish. very much a crowd pleaser if a little obvious in its impact.
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pop and pour. a little tight initially with cedar, graphite and kneaded bread dominating. but it quickly blew off to reveal deep black fruits, oak spice, mocha, and chocolate-y plum. not much evolution over the 7 hours i drank it, but it really held up beautifully. if i were making wine, i would want to emulate this style. it's not so heady that you have to put your thinking cap on to drink it, but it's still delicious and well-made. mmmmmm.....
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Very new world with tons of mochacino, vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel, spicy oak surrounded by jammy black fruits. Full, round and supple with a silky and creamy texture but the finish is short lived. I can see a lot of new world fans enjoying this because of the flavor profile, but the release price of $30 is a bit steep for this. (Drink 2011 - 2013) - JD
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Casa Sena August Tasting; 8/13/2011-8/14/2011 (La Casa Sena retail shop, Santa Fe, NM): Not much to like here. The oak is very aggressive and dominates with toasty and vanilla flavors & aromas.. Tannic with medicinal cherry and blackberry flavors. Honig website: "Aged for 18 months in American oak barrels (1/3 new barrels)." I guess this is one for fans of varietal American oak aged around Cabernet juice. I'm not a fan of this style, and the youth of the wine did not help its cause. YMMV.
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Opened for five hours, not decanted. Dense and dark ruby color. Bouquet of leafy tobacco, cocoa, vanilla, and black currant. Aggressive oak notes on the palate- cocoa, vanilla, coconut- within are sweet black and blue fruit notes. Grainy across the palate, with big dusty tannins and a medium length finish. More aggressive with oak and sweet dark fruit, and not as approachable and balanced as the 2007. This is big, not sure if it will balance out. Good overall, but not very refined.
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Lots of love in this nose. More hedonistic aromas in the nose than the 07 Groth. Butter, cocoa into chocolate. Shea butter if you want it. Rich and caressing mouthfeel. Over-delivers at $35.99.
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5/27/2022 - Josch48 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opaque blue-black color with red to the rim. The nose is heady with dried dusty tobacco, graphite/pencil box, blueberry, smokey ripened blackberry, and a subtle hint of baking spices.
The mouthfeel is dense, silky, and luscious with still present appropriate acidity and tannin that gently support the gorgeous second and first growth Bordeaux style sweet Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, redolent with complexity, that is laced with vanilla bean and blackberry compote that linger through the long elegant finish. The 2008 Napa Valley vintage was problematic for winemakers with a below average crop yield that also produced small berry sized Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that yielded some dark, well-balanced, and powerful wines from the Rutherford area of Napa Valley.
This wine is beautiful, and at once mature and still possessing brilliance and the promise of further developmental complexity without the loss of its concentration of youthful fruit flavors. I only wish I had bought more than two bottles, the first of which is a blurred distant memory. Postscript: Only minimal sediment left in one glass.
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12/21/2020 - Lou Z wrote:
X mas gift to Mike P
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1/5/2020 - JHalvorson Likes this wine: 91 Points
We enjoyed this bottle while watching the Vikings defeat the Saints in OT. It is time to drink up those still left in the cellar. Showing signs of fading.
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10/31/2019 - GRoz Likes this wine: 90 Points
11 year old Napa Cabernet that’s drinking perfectly. Smooth as silk with great fruit. Drink up 1-2 years.
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6/9/2018 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 92 Points
A big whiff of alcohol on opening which burns off within 10 minutes. Herbal/floral nose, ruby in the glass. Loads of red/black fruit on entry, cherry most prevalent. Mid-weight with sweet cassis and tannins, plenty of acidity left for quite a few more years. I must admit, it's better than I thought it would be. Somebody was wrong on the drink by date.
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4/25/2018 - JHalvorson Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine should continue to drink well for a few years beyond the 2016 date shown in the drinking window.
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8/11/2016 - JHalvorson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very smooth,very ready to drink
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7/26/2015 - dsilver wrote: 90 Points
Fruit forward nose with strong Oak and Vanilla notes. Similar on the palate, with muted tannins
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7/7/2015 - Thomas B wrote: 90 Points
Deep dark colors, plum, blueberry and earth tones.
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5/9/2015 - Snoski62 wrote: 90 Points
Lots of fruit! Good balance, but I think this wine may be peaking now. Paired nicely with some medium rare steaks. Drank alongside a 1999 Tuscan Cabernet. This wine started strong, but paled in comparison after an hour or so.
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4/24/2015 - ericboswinkel Likes this wine: 89 Points
Excellent. More leather finish than I remember, but delicious flavors
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2/15/2015 - Brian_nhi wrote: 100 Points
Awesome bottle of wine! One of the best ever.
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1/16/2015 - srourke Likes this wine: 82 Points
Starting to lose intensity. Drink now!
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10/9/2014 - KAP wrote: 90 Points
Good QPR.
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8/23/2014 - gmbdds wrote: 90 Points
Showed well with blackberry and pepper and balanced oak notes. Offered a hint of a briny note to add complexity.
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6/21/2014 - JHalvorson Likes this wine: 88 Points
A hint of toasty vanilla, a little tight. This wine should continue to improve for several more years. Great wine for the price
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4/2/2014 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is one of my favorite bottles in this price range. Big fruit forward napa cab. Tons of black fruit with hints of leather, clove and anise. Big finish with nice tannins and acidity. Very good.
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2/28/2014 - DonDon Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was excellent tonight. Honestly for this price it's the best napa cab I've had
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12/27/2013 - peeno wrote: 91 Points
Cab candy
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9/28/2013 - Aparritz wrote: 93 Points
Simply the best napa (Rutherford) cab for the price. Rich dark fruit and toasty oak and vanilla. Happiness in a bottle.
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9/22/2013 - ewsds wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly good, given the cost, with a great QPR. Savory Cabernet fruit with classic flavors and a nice and lengthy finish. Would buy more, if I could find it. Bravo!
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8/2/2013 - bbcc66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice fruity nose & tastes. Smooth and well balanced.
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6/22/2013 - winedrinker101 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very good. Still a little young.
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4/7/2013 - JDV.DDSPHD wrote: 90 Points
I love this cab. Initially the oak monster is screaming when this hits the nose & palate. After a decanting for a few hrs the oak monster settled down but was still very much present. Black fruit very much up front with vanilla & cassis on the finish. Good structure & balanced enough to make me realize why I love this for the price. Nice finish with nicely balanced tannins & structure.
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2/9/2013 - nicksala Likes this wine: 90 Points
This was an excellent Cabernet
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12/15/2012 - labs&cabs Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big Cali Cab. Great legs - nice upfront. Enjoyed
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9/4/2012 - DonDon wrote: 89 Points
Very enjoyable especially for the price - an excellent cab sav. Yes it's a little one dimensional buts it's bloody nice
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6/23/2012 - n2wine wrote: 90 Points
Chewy and bold. Great flavors. A very good Cab.
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4/15/2012 - The Raven wrote: 88 Points
Delicious and flavorful, but not like a traditional Cabernet. Very light on the on the tannins and very drinkable with any type of meal.
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4/6/2012 - caeleric Likes this wine:
awesome as always. should have bought a couple cases of this when i had the chance.
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2/24/2012 - td1836 wrote: 91 Points
Solid Honig performance, although I am starting to notice the less tannic 2008 vintage on this wine. Great now, but probably not as long lived as the '07 or '09 in the cellar.
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2/19/2012 - Ombibulous wrote: 86 Points
Good, but this wine was hyped to me when I bought it so the experience was somewhat of a letdown. The nose is flavourful. On the palate, some depth and complexity, but the main flavour is black pepper, almost like a Chilean Carmenere. Overall, very good.
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2/19/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 88 Points
Expressive nose of ripe blackberry and cherry, vanilla and spice. Medium body of ripe black and blue fruits, mocha and spice. Medium finish.
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1/28/2012 - The Raven wrote: 92 Points
Very nice wine with a good body, great aroma and wonderful tannins for the finish. The dark fruits were wonderful. This wine never disappoints.
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1/14/2012 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 87 Points
Cabernet Sauvignon - What's In A Price Point? (Blind Tasting) (Minneapolis, MN): Color: Dark Purple (Most intense wine in tasting)
Strong aromas of blackberries, vanilla, oak, with a hint of chocolate
Moderate-high acidity, tannins, and body. Medium flavor intensity.
The wine was somewhat balanced at this point -- very tightly wound. This wine needs time for the tannins to decrease, and hopefully the higher acidity won't overpower the wine. The group was split on this wine - some enjoyed the focused structure, and others couldn't get past the relatively high acidity and tannins.
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1/13/2012 - Mischa3000 wrote: 87 Points
Great fruit on the nose, especially after about 30 mins of letting her open up. Unfortunately, for me the Honig wasn't complex, didn't resemble the forward fruit on the palate and lacked that long lasting, lush finish you'd expect from this caliber full bodied cab. Tasted Jammie, typical vanilla oak you'd expect from your mid tier cab. Not exciting.
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1/1/2012 - bruceb wrote: 90 Points
Deep, dark color. Rich, full Cab with long finish. Outstanding.
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12/29/2011 - km5 wrote:
not bad if you like the typical vanilla fruit creamy sweetness....
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12/23/2011 - td1836 wrote: 92 Points
Didn't seem as strong on the fruit and oak as I remembered from last time. Much more balanced, but still all around excellent.
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12/9/2011 - caeleric Likes this wine:
consistent with previous notes. so solid!
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11/24/2011 - hr3 wrote: 92 Points
Loved this bottle, great taste and intensity
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10/29/2011 - nogohawk wrote: 91 Points
Popped & poured - dark fruits w/ mocha & a bit of oak - nice finish
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10/24/2011 - AngelicWines wrote: 87 Points
Hedonistic and unchallenging.
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10/22/2011 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Domestic New Releases Tasting (Binny's, St. Charles): Dusty crimson color. Perfumed dark fruit, currant and licorice notes. Full-bodied, with dusty tannins and flavors of red and black fruit, spice and hints of vanilla. Nice finish. 90-91 pts. $33.99.
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10/1/2011 - td1836 wrote: 92 Points
Heavy black current and blueberry coat the mouth in the wonderful cab at a non-rediculous price. Sweet oak on the finish comes from 18 months in American oak. Moderate tannins and a very long finish. I love this!
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9/24/2011 - caeleric Likes this wine:
this is such a solid wine. huge and masculine in its cassis and creamy oak aromas, with a pop of pure extracted fruit in the mouth and a long lip-smacking finish. very much a crowd pleaser if a little obvious in its impact.
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9/17/2011 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Loved this for the money! Nice fruit and silky tannins. Perhaps just as good as the 2007.
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9/15/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Big rich great stuff at $35.
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9/12/2011 - caeleric Likes this wine:
pop and pour. a little tight initially with cedar, graphite and kneaded bread dominating. but it quickly blew off to reveal deep black fruits, oak spice, mocha, and chocolate-y plum. not much evolution over the 7 hours i drank it, but it really held up beautifully. if i were making wine, i would want to emulate this style. it's not so heady that you have to put your thinking cap on to drink it, but it's still delicious and well-made. mmmmmm.....
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9/5/2011 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 86 Points
Very new world with tons of mochacino, vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel, spicy oak surrounded by jammy black fruits. Full, round and supple with a silky and creamy texture but the finish is short lived. I can see a lot of new world fans enjoying this because of the flavor profile, but the release price of $30 is a bit steep for this. (Drink 2011 - 2013) - JD
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8/14/2011 - Cabfrancophile wrote:
Casa Sena August Tasting; 8/13/2011-8/14/2011 (La Casa Sena retail shop, Santa Fe, NM): Not much to like here. The oak is very aggressive and dominates with toasty and vanilla flavors & aromas.. Tannic with medicinal cherry and blackberry flavors. Honig website: "Aged for 18 months in American oak barrels (1/3 new barrels)." I guess this is one for fans of varietal American oak aged around Cabernet juice. I'm not a fan of this style, and the youth of the wine did not help its cause. YMMV.
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8/5/2011 - MattMauldin wrote: 87 Points
Opened for five hours, not decanted. Dense and dark ruby color. Bouquet of leafy tobacco, cocoa, vanilla, and black currant. Aggressive oak notes on the palate- cocoa, vanilla, coconut- within are sweet black and blue fruit notes. Grainy across the palate, with big dusty tannins and a medium length finish. More aggressive with oak and sweet dark fruit, and not as approachable and balanced as the 2007. This is big, not sure if it will balance out. Good overall, but not very refined.
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8/4/2011 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Lots of love in this nose. More hedonistic aromas in the nose than the 07 Groth. Butter, cocoa into chocolate. Shea butter if you want it. Rich and caressing mouthfeel. Over-delivers at $35.99.
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5/8/2011 - Robert Pavlovich wrote: 86 Points
Pleasant I guess but pretty primary and closed at this point, well behind the 07.
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