Fantastic. Was concerned that we waited to long to pull the cork on this one, and as the cork was soft and slightly degraded 3/4 of the way down (wishing I had used the Ah-so) I thought it would be over the hill. Gently decanted; poured out first glass and was surprised at how open and fresh it was. Bouquet and aromatic profile were very engaging and correct for the varietal. Opened up nicely during dinner; light to medium bodied on palate, showing some notes of maturity but primary fruit characteristics were still dominant. Threw some light/fine sediment; alcohol is mild at an indicated 13.5%; very enjoyable.
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Pretty good and showing a little mint/herbal/eucalyptus aroma now this one is really probably ready to drink now. Not too dark and viscous (the way I prefer Cab Franc) and still showing a little cherry fruit as well. Definitely some toast and coffee to it in the mid palate and finish.
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Wow, what was I drinking? My experience doesn't line up with the previous tasting notes at all. I tasted a closed, over-oaked, high-alcohol wine that had no character whatsoever. I think I was entirely off my game at this point--this was drunk after a long day of tasting--and since my prior experience with Paradigm has been positive I'll put this on me (instead of the wine) and say that it deserves another try when I get the opportunity. NOT RATED.
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This wine is amazing. There is a lot of earth here. A touch darker than the one that was enjoyed on 4/30/12. Still has quite a bit of tannin left. After a 30 minute decant this one was finally just starting to show itself. I would love to see how 10 years of aging would improve this one. Didn't quite make it to 2013 like I had hoped it would. Still had quite a bit of that floral character, but this one was dark, dense, rich.
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Just about as good as new world Cab Franc gets. Heidi Barratt's deft touch shows medium extraction in glass, with aromas of baked blackberries and violet on the nose, carrying to palate with rich, understated red and black fruits, vanilla, cinnamon and milk chocolate notes, and an addictive lingering finish. Terrific fruit, terrific winemaker and terrific wine.
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I'm on a roll with good wines this week. This wine was uncorked with quite an oddity - there was a red stain all the way down the cork in several places. I was concerned, but the floral nose kind of was the beacon of hope that although the cork might have not been the best, the wine was hopefully intact. The stain was very light. The nose was all floral - lilac, hawthorne, brambly with almost a "pollinated" characteristic that was both inviting and intriguing. The wine was decanted for an hour, not passed through a Vinturi. The wine poured a medium bodied red into the glass. The smell was all floral again. The palate showed young red cherry, strawberry almost (?) with sweet flowers, oak in the mid-palate, but some very soft tannins from mid palate to the end. Quick finish. The wine had a surprisingly very light mouthfeel, and perhaps another year or two of aging will serve it well with the density. I expected some more density to the wine based on the locale. Enjoyed with beef soup with lentil, cabbage, pea, corn, carrot, in a spicy broth. This CF wasn't very spicy and it didn't develop much spice as it opened, but it did augment the spice in the soup which sort of made more cherry and strawberry come out. The one thing that it did have was that franc funk that really didn't show at the start, but really started to show as it opened. The wine turned from a tuxedo wearing proper member of the chorus to a wild and crazy frat boy. I enjoyed this one, and thankfully we have another to enjoy in another year. Enjoy now, but in another year to two years this one will be showing a fuller side I believe.
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5/3/2020 - EastBayPhil Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic. Was concerned that we waited to long to pull the cork on this one, and as the cork was soft and slightly degraded 3/4 of the way down (wishing I had used the Ah-so) I thought it would be over the hill. Gently decanted; poured out first glass and was surprised at how open and fresh it was. Bouquet and aromatic profile were very engaging and correct for the varietal. Opened up nicely during dinner; light to medium bodied on palate, showing some notes of maturity but primary fruit characteristics were still dominant. Threw some light/fine sediment; alcohol is mild at an indicated 13.5%; very enjoyable.
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8/28/2016 - Blackwa Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty good and showing a little mint/herbal/eucalyptus aroma now this one is really probably ready to drink now. Not too dark and viscous (the way I prefer Cab Franc) and still showing a little cherry fruit as well. Definitely some toast and coffee to it in the mid palate and finish.
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12/6/2015 - Blackwa wrote: 89 Points
Tapped through a Coravin. Very muted but opened up over time and had some earth and very dark fruits. Medium bodied. I will let it sit a while longer.
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11/12/2013 - Vino911 wrote: flawed
Tart and sour. Based on previous tastings, there was something wrong with this bottle. Too bad.
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11/9/2013 - kevinacohn wrote:
Wow, what was I drinking? My experience doesn't line up with the previous tasting notes at all. I tasted a closed, over-oaked, high-alcohol wine that had no character whatsoever. I think I was entirely off my game at this point--this was drunk after a long day of tasting--and since my prior experience with Paradigm has been positive I'll put this on me (instead of the wine) and say that it deserves another try when I get the opportunity. NOT RATED.
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11/25/2012 - rpace001 wrote: 93 Points
Toffee, Espresso, Chocolate, and violets on the nose. Utterly fantastic. I am now a Franc convert.
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9/26/2012 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points
This wine is amazing. There is a lot of earth here. A touch darker than the one that was enjoyed on 4/30/12. Still has quite a bit of tannin left. After a 30 minute decant this one was finally just starting to show itself. I would love to see how 10 years of aging would improve this one. Didn't quite make it to 2013 like I had hoped it would. Still had quite a bit of that floral character, but this one was dark, dense, rich.
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5/19/2012 - Snoman wrote: 93 Points
Just about as good as new world Cab Franc gets. Heidi Barratt's deft touch shows medium extraction in glass, with aromas of baked blackberries and violet on the nose, carrying to palate with rich, understated red and black fruits, vanilla, cinnamon and milk chocolate notes, and an addictive lingering finish. Terrific fruit, terrific winemaker and terrific wine.
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4/30/2012 - mflesh wrote: 92 Points
I'm on a roll with good wines this week. This wine was uncorked with quite an oddity - there was a red stain all the way down the cork in several places. I was concerned, but the floral nose kind of was the beacon of hope that although the cork might have not been the best, the wine was hopefully intact. The stain was very light. The nose was all floral - lilac, hawthorne, brambly with almost a "pollinated" characteristic that was both inviting and intriguing. The wine was decanted for an hour, not passed through a Vinturi. The wine poured a medium bodied red into the glass. The smell was all floral again. The palate showed young red cherry, strawberry almost (?) with sweet flowers, oak in the mid-palate, but some very soft tannins from mid palate to the end. Quick finish. The wine had a surprisingly very light mouthfeel, and perhaps another year or two of aging will serve it well with the density. I expected some more density to the wine based on the locale. Enjoyed with beef soup with lentil, cabbage, pea, corn, carrot, in a spicy broth. This CF wasn't very spicy and it didn't develop much spice as it opened, but it did augment the spice in the soup which sort of made more cherry and strawberry come out. The one thing that it did have was that franc funk that really didn't show at the start, but really started to show as it opened. The wine turned from a tuxedo wearing proper member of the chorus to a wild and crazy frat boy. I enjoyed this one, and thankfully we have another to enjoy in another year. Enjoy now, but in another year to two years this one will be showing a fuller side I believe.
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