I don't know how, but this is better than ever. Loads of dark fruit, cedar and mixed berry. Full bodied and balanced tannin. Medium+ finish. Really sad I only have one left.
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These are still drinking wonderfully, with the slightest hint of age. Plenty of dark fruit, cedar and red berry. Integrated tannin and full body. Medium+ finish. This is fantastic and held up well over the course of an hour. 92-93
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Man, what a great bottle. PNP, with informal notes, this was drinking young out of the gate, with plenty of fruit. It was damn near gulped by the wine enthusiasts in our group and all commented on its quality. It will be a sad day when this is gone. 92+
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We drank this at our Seder last night. Slo ox'd for 60 minutes. A really dark grape color set the mood. This was an Oh Boy wine for 10 years old. At the $35 I paid, it was just as good as wines twice it's price. Good QPR. This is the last of my 09's (and '08's). Thanks for the ride Steve. No notes taken. If you have one of these in your cellar, drink and enjoy or hold.
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Damn, this is drinking so well at this point on the pnp. Loads of dark fruit and berry cobbler, this hs plenty of firming tannin to make this drinkable and food friendly. Continued to get better over 3 hours. 93+
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Ruby red with a tinge of magenta and some sediment. Pleasant nose of dark fruit and spices, no overt alcohol fumes. Tastes of blue and purple fruit with evolves into very subtle notes of tobacco. Light handed oak. The tannin is fine, good quality. Texture is silky without being mouth coating/syrupy. Fair acidity. Good density and finish. Very good balance. Good example of elegant Napa cab that has classic cabernet sauvignon flavors. I noted that my wife went through her glass fairly quickly (as did I) and she exclaimed "it's very easy to drink!" We both agreed the wine tasted good before and during the dinner, which is not often the case for many of the Napa cabs we've encountered. Pop and pour, drinking well right now.
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Totally singing on night 1. I saved a couple of glasses for night 2, but the wife used it for cooking before I could catch her. @#$%^^& This bottle showed as before, which is excellent. I absolutely adore this winery! 93-94
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Really nice napa cab that fall right in the middle with typical flavor profile. Equally expressive on the nose and the oak is quite restrained. Has plenty of life yet.
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Similar to my first experience. Fantastic nose of dark fruit and dusty earth. Quite Bordeaux like. Layered, rich palate with excellent structure. Medium-long finish. 93+++
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Beautifully ripe (not overripe) sweet Napa fruit on the nose, not overbearing, but rather with elegant lift. Really expressive with some secondary cabernet aromas as well. This is a really nice napa cabernet, the fruit balanced with judicious oak and acidity. This is very open right now, so I think it's right in its prime drinking window, compared to the 08 which I felt was holding back.
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C: Very dark,showing no signs of age. N: Loads of dark fruit, oak, dusty cellar and a hint of earth and spice. Very complex. P: Wow. More dark fruit, some red, oak, spice and superbly balanced. Medium-full body with mouth coating fruit and tannin, but perfect acidity to keep it from being too heavy. F: Long with loads of complexity. This was good right out of the bottle, but it certainly improved over the course of 2 hours and drank well over 3 days. Absolutely great Cabernet with a long life ahead and I wouldn't be surprised if this rated higher with time. 94+
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Tons of complexity on the nose and palate. Dark fruit and some red, earth, herbs and enough acidity to cut through the fat of a prime steak. Throwing some sediment. Just a delicious wine at a steal of a price.
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A tiny bit of dough on the nose that blows off in seconds after pulling the cork, then red & purple fruits with a bit of white pepper and the tiniest whiff of herbs. The palate matches the nose almost exactly, with only the herbs being a more noticeable than the nose alludes to. As it sits in the glass, the fruit blossoms and a hint of leather develops. It's fun to inhale deeply before each sip. Swirl, smell, sip, repeat. While there's a little less than average acidity, it's definitely enough to extend the finish well over 40 seconds, during which the sweetish fruit takes a slightly pungent turn (an excellent development if you ask me). The oak has fully integrated, and the tannins are blending in without interfering - both are only noticeable at all at the end of the finish where a smidge of vanilla and a teeny drying sensation shows up as the herbal element subsides. 20 minutes in the glass and this was singing. It's possible this could get better with a year or two of rack time, but why wait?
This evolved a little on Day 2 to have a tiny bit more spice & herbs. The spice became slightly more prevalent on the finish on Day 3 while the herbs toned down. Neither was a huge change, and it doesn't make this better or worse, just a pinch different. I've also noticed the wine is at its best when served somewhere between room temperature and the mid 60's. Let it warm above cellar temp.
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Wife and I both loved. Great secondary notes on the nose and Bordeaux style. Nice fruits, earth and smooth mouthfeel - drinking well now. Maybe a touch sweet if a knock, but its subtle.
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A good third or fourth bottle of the night wine. Singular simplistic, not bad but not good either. White pepper, pencil shavings, some faint red fruits, but not enough...
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this was drinking very well, some nice secondary flavors coming through with leather and tobacco, a bit of Bordeaux/old world character mixed in. Sadly my only bottle.
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A warm November eve in Cleveland (Our backyard): Excellent Cabernet. This continues to evolve but I do not think it is at peak yet. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is very nice with cassis, slight spice and some dark cherry fruit. Nice texture. Starting to show some tight layering. Juicy acidity. Lots of dark cherry fruit, some cassis and a bit of dry leathery tannins make for a really interesting and outstanding Cab. Nice finish. This is not a monster in style but drank very well with and without food (roasted sweet potato "sushi").
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Classic Napa cab with cassis, cherry, earth and a bit of meat on both the nose and palate. This opened up with an hour or two of air then maintained its freshness over four days. Medium, mostly integrated acid/tannins and a medium finish. Open a bottle now if you have more than one; this should easily last past its 10th birthday.
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Really nice showing for this. It is still young with potential to improve a bit. Pretty much classic Cal Cab. Middle of the road in style. Nice cassis, a bit of oak and some cherry on the nose. Medium tannins. There is a nice depth here. Tight layering. Delicious wine. Nice finish. Food friendly. Glad to own some more in the cellar.
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2 hr decant in cellar. Dark and opaque. Aromatics of dark fruit, blackberries, cassis, hints of cedar and something unique I can't put my finger on (meaty brown sugar? the best I can come up with). Powerful palate dominated by black currant, other black fruits with nice structure and the classic Napa Cab herbaceousness leading to long finish. Medium weight mouthfeel with tannins resolving, plenty of acidity to make food friendly. Solid QPR.
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30 minute decant. Decent aromatics, somewhat tight on the palate with cedar, dark fruit, herb, and ash. Paired with a vegetarian goulash one night, then with pork added to the stew on another, it seems enjoyable at a Very Good level, but should there be more? Will there be more with age?
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This started off as a hot Napa cab but with a decant and some time it started to unwind a bit. Good heavier red fruit flavors - more red current, maybe some heavier red berries. With a bit more time started to get just a hint of spice. Have a bit left. Will be interesting to see what another day does.
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Nose dominated by dark cherry, cassis and mocha, which is exactly what I look for in a classic Napa Cab. Smooth mouthfeel leads to an excellent mid-palate, with a long finish. A very balanced wine, and one that will most likely improve in the future.
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Dark and opaque. Nose of sweet black-red fruits with cassis and sassafras. Palate shows some nice dense black currant, black plums and black cherries. This has some nice textural elements to it. Tannins seem behaved and overall balance deft and has maintained the dustiness I found previously. This has morphed into a pretty and accessible wine with lots of lift and elegance. I also maintain the hour decant if possible. A great effort.
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The fruit is a bit in the background at the moment, and the other blending grapes seem to come more to the fore in this wine. But of course the similarities are there with the other years; Black cherry and raspberry, graphite, and I get a hint of linen in all of these wines.
Steve noted the '09 had 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, and was done in 40% new oak.
Maybe leave this alone for a year, or give it a multi-hour decant.
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Opened about an hour beforehand. Fragrant black and red fruits on the nose; dusty black-cherry, cassis and hints of cardamom. Palate reveals some fresh kirsch infused blackberries, black cherry and cardamom. I get a creamy midpalate that has some exotic tea leaf and lead pencil shavings. Tannins are somewhat edgy but overall balance is admirable. I get a long finish that keeps true. More fragrance than I remember. A 'very' cab lovers cab. This really hits on all the sense today. Glad I have more, although I may wait about a year for my next. If you must, best to decant for an hour.
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Better to me than the 08. Black fruits, cassis with great dusty tannins. Decanted and drank over 4 hours. Was really showing well by the end of the bottle.
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Drank this and the 08 at a WineBerserkers dinner in NYC. This was smoother and riper than the 08. I thought both were delicious wines. A pleasure to drink. I understand it's mailing list only.
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Tasted at the release party on 11/19/2011. Double decanted 3-4 hours in advance. I must say I have always been a fan of Steve's wines since inception and this one does not disappoint. Its super fragrant with a heady dose of Petite Verdot coming through nicely. (Amazing how only 5% can do that). This is the most structured and backward of the three vintages. Black fruits of black cherry, small dense blackberries and cassis with an interesting brambly quality. Long and focused with a complicated array of tannins. Be kind and give this a year at least. It will pay dividends.
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8/20/2023 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
I don't know how, but this is better than ever. Loads of dark fruit, cedar and mixed berry. Full bodied and balanced tannin. Medium+ finish. Really sad I only have one left.
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9/10/2022 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
These are still drinking wonderfully, with the slightest hint of age. Plenty of dark fruit, cedar and red berry. Integrated tannin and full body. Medium+ finish. This is fantastic and held up well over the course of an hour. 92-93
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5/16/2021 - BURGHen Boy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smooth drinker. Bright blue fruit mixed with some darker black fruit elements.
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10/4/2020 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
Just delicious.
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1/5/2020 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
It's gonna be a sad day when this is gone. Drinking so well, with loads of fruit, but perfectly aged.
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11/30/2019 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
Juicy and excellent. Drinking young, but gained depth and complexity with a decant.
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11/3/2019 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect spot.
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8/29/2019 - David_T wrote:
Drinking well now, fully mature but no rush with impressions unchanged from my 2015 note.
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6/4/2019 - klezman wrote:
Herbaceous, stemmy, earthy Cabernet with a nice underlying core of plummy fruit. Good on day 1 and day 2.
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4/30/2019 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
Man, what a great bottle. PNP, with informal notes, this was drinking young out of the gate, with plenty of fruit. It was damn near gulped by the wine enthusiasts in our group and all commented on its quality. It will be a sad day when this is gone. 92+
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4/20/2019 - dhammer53 wrote: 92 Points
We drank this at our Seder last night. Slo ox'd for 60 minutes. A really dark grape color set the mood. This was an Oh Boy wine for 10 years old. At the $35 I paid, it was just as good as wines twice it's price. Good QPR. This is the last of my 09's (and '08's). Thanks for the ride Steve. No notes taken. If you have one of these in your cellar, drink and enjoy or hold.
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3/17/2019 - RDHudak wrote: 93 Points
Damn, this is drinking so well at this point on the pnp. Loads of dark fruit and berry cobbler, this hs plenty of firming tannin to make this drinkable and food friendly. Continued to get better over 3 hours. 93+
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12/16/2018 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Spectacular place right now.
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10/28/2018 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same as the last bottle. Deep, complex wine.
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10/22/2018 - dhp. Likes this wine:
Bizarrely primary this time. Last 4 bottles felt prime.
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10/21/2018 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 93 Points
More perfumed and spicier than the ‘08 version. Really interesting wine.
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9/9/2018 - RDHudak wrote: 93 Points
As be fore. I may be rating this a bit low. Pleasant and good with food or by itself. Do yourself a favor and grab some of this.
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7/2/2018 - Vietty Likes this wine:
Ruby red with a tinge of magenta and some sediment. Pleasant nose of dark fruit and spices, no overt alcohol fumes. Tastes of blue and purple fruit with evolves into very subtle notes of tobacco. Light handed oak. The tannin is fine, good quality. Texture is silky without being mouth coating/syrupy. Fair acidity. Good density and finish. Very good balance. Good example of elegant Napa cab that has classic cabernet sauvignon flavors. I noted that my wife went through her glass fairly quickly (as did I) and she exclaimed "it's very easy to drink!" We both agreed the wine tasted good before and during the dinner, which is not often the case for many of the Napa cabs we've encountered. Pop and pour, drinking well right now.
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6/26/2018 - RDHudak wrote: 93 Points
Totally singing on night 1. I saved a couple of glasses for night 2, but the wife used it for cooking before I could catch her. @#$%^^& This bottle showed as before, which is excellent. I absolutely adore this winery! 93-94
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4/11/2018 - Seo wrote: 91 Points
Wow. Still so fresh. No formal notes. Great red and white cherry flavosr. Fantastic balance. Integrated tannins. Pretty flawless. Shame it’s my last
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4/8/2018 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
As before. The nose was a bit more subdued, but this was a solid bottle of wine.
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2/15/2018 - jhemming wrote: 92 Points
Really nice napa cab that fall right in the middle with typical flavor profile. Equally expressive on the nose and the oak is quite restrained. Has plenty of life yet.
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2/15/2018 - RDHudak wrote: 92 Points
This is becoming my comfort wine. It's simply delicious and perfectly balanced. Lasted 3 days with no decline. 92+
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1/21/2018 - RDHudak wrote: 93 Points
Similar to my first experience. Fantastic nose of dark fruit and dusty earth. Quite Bordeaux like. Layered, rich palate with excellent structure. Medium-long finish. 93+++
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1/2/2018 - scott w Likes this wine:
Another solid bottle
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12/24/2017 - RDHudak wrote: 90 Points
Hmmm, much more subdued and simple than my last two bottles, which were outstanding. Red and blue fruit, and showing young. Still, this was delicious!
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12/24/2017 - dhp. Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautifully ripe (not overripe) sweet Napa fruit on the nose, not overbearing, but rather with elegant lift. Really expressive with some secondary cabernet aromas as well. This is a really nice napa cabernet, the fruit balanced with judicious oak and acidity. This is very open right now, so I think it's right in its prime drinking window, compared to the 08 which I felt was holding back.
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12/1/2017 - RDHudak wrote: 94 Points
C: Very dark,showing no signs of age. N: Loads of dark fruit, oak, dusty cellar and a hint of earth and spice. Very complex. P: Wow. More dark fruit, some red, oak, spice and superbly balanced. Medium-full body with mouth coating fruit and tannin, but perfect acidity to keep it from being too heavy. F: Long with loads of complexity. This was good right out of the bottle, but it certainly improved over the course of 2 hours and drank well over 3 days. Absolutely great Cabernet with a long life ahead and I wouldn't be surprised if this rated higher with time. 94+
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11/12/2017 - scott w Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tons of complexity on the nose and palate. Dark fruit and some red, earth, herbs and enough acidity to cut through the fat of a prime steak. Throwing some sediment. Just a delicious wine at a steal of a price.
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11/7/2017 - RDHudak wrote: 93 Points
Loads of flavor, with excellent structure. Got better with air and was a hit with all that tasted it. Still drinking young, IMO. Great qpr
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11/1/2017 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid showing over 2 nights
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10/18/2017 - CranBurgundy Likes this wine: 92 Points
A tiny bit of dough on the nose that blows off in seconds after pulling the cork, then red & purple fruits with a bit of white pepper and the tiniest whiff of herbs. The palate matches the nose almost exactly, with only the herbs being a more noticeable than the nose alludes to. As it sits in the glass, the fruit blossoms and a hint of leather develops. It's fun to inhale deeply before each sip. Swirl, smell, sip, repeat. While there's a little less than average acidity, it's definitely enough to extend the finish well over 40 seconds, during which the sweetish fruit takes a slightly pungent turn (an excellent development if you ask me). The oak has fully integrated, and the tannins are blending in without interfering - both are only noticeable at all at the end of the finish where a smidge of vanilla and a teeny drying sensation shows up as the herbal element subsides. 20 minutes in the glass and this was singing. It's possible this could get better with a year or two of rack time, but why wait?
This evolved a little on Day 2 to have a tiny bit more spice & herbs. The spice became slightly more prevalent on the finish on Day 3 while the herbs toned down. Neither was a huge change, and it doesn't make this better or worse, just a pinch different. I've also noticed the wine is at its best when served somewhere between room temperature and the mid 60's. Let it warm above cellar temp.
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9/22/2017 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wife and I both loved. Great secondary notes on the nose and Bordeaux style. Nice fruits, earth and smooth mouthfeel - drinking well now. Maybe a touch sweet if a knock, but its subtle.
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2/9/2017 - Geaux Tigers wrote: 87 Points
A good third or fourth bottle of the night wine. Singular simplistic, not bad but not good either. White pepper, pencil shavings, some faint red fruits, but not enough...
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2/6/2017 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:
this was drinking very well, some nice secondary flavors coming through with leather and tobacco, a bit of Bordeaux/old world character mixed in. Sadly my only bottle.
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12/8/2015 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 92 Points
My last bottle. What a shame. Cherry, blackberries, cassis, nice balance.
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11/7/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
A warm November eve in Cleveland (Our backyard): Excellent Cabernet. This continues to evolve but I do not think it is at peak yet. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is very nice with cassis, slight spice and some dark cherry fruit. Nice texture. Starting to show some tight layering. Juicy acidity. Lots of dark cherry fruit, some cassis and a bit of dry leathery tannins make for a really interesting and outstanding Cab. Nice finish. This is not a monster in style but drank very well with and without food (roasted sweet potato "sushi").
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11/6/2015 - David_T Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Napa cab with cassis, cherry, earth and a bit of meat on both the nose and palate. This opened up with an hour or two of air then maintained its freshness over four days. Medium, mostly integrated acid/tannins and a medium finish. Open a bottle now if you have more than one; this should easily last past its 10th birthday.
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9/20/2015 - Outplaying wrote:
Soft and smooth with dark fruits and a little oak and mocha. Solid.
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6/2/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
Really nice showing for this. It is still young with potential to improve a bit. Pretty much classic Cal Cab. Middle of the road in style. Nice cassis, a bit of oak and some cherry on the nose. Medium tannins. There is a nice depth here. Tight layering. Delicious wine. Nice finish. Food friendly. Glad to own some more in the cellar.
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4/22/2015 - Chris D Likes this wine: 91 Points
2 hr decant in cellar. Dark and opaque. Aromatics of dark fruit, blackberries, cassis, hints of cedar and something unique I can't put my finger on (meaty brown sugar? the best I can come up with). Powerful palate dominated by black currant, other black fruits with nice structure and the classic Napa Cab herbaceousness leading to long finish. Medium weight mouthfeel with tannins resolving, plenty of acidity to make food friendly. Solid QPR.
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3/28/2015 - theRealPepe wrote:
30 minute decant. Decent aromatics, somewhat tight on the palate with cedar, dark fruit, herb, and ash. Paired with a vegetarian goulash one night, then with pork added to the stew on another, it seems enjoyable at a Very Good level, but should there be more? Will there be more with age?
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3/6/2015 - MC2 Wines wrote:
This started off as a hot Napa cab but with a decant and some time it started to unwind a bit. Good heavier red fruit flavors - more red current, maybe some heavier red berries. With a bit more time started to get just a hint of spice. Have a bit left. Will be interesting to see what another day does.
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2/22/2015 - scott w Likes this wine: 91 Points
Plum and cassis mocha and dusty cellar floor on the palate, nice length on the finish and balanced! Great #Berserker day buy.
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2/1/2015 - WineTime10 wrote: 92 Points
Nose dominated by dark cherry, cassis and mocha, which is exactly what I look for in a classic Napa Cab. Smooth mouthfeel leads to an excellent mid-palate, with a long finish. A very balanced wine, and one that will most likely improve in the future.
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1/17/2015 - King Cab wrote: 92 Points
Dark and opaque. Nose of sweet black-red fruits with cassis and sassafras. Palate shows some nice dense black currant, black plums and black cherries. This has some nice textural elements to it. Tannins seem behaved and overall balance deft and has maintained the dustiness I found previously. This has morphed into a pretty and accessible wine with lots of lift and elegance. I also maintain the hour decant if possible. A great effort.
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3/16/2014 - cjsavino wrote: 92 Points
Classic Cabernet, rich texture and silky,
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11/6/2013 - EMichels wrote: 91 Points
Brown sugar on nose; Softer, plusher nose; Nice balance
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10/23/2013 - wineberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Congruence Wine Dinner with Steve Eisenhauer (Bourbon Steak, DC): Showed the most tannins of the lineup, and we all thought it might be in a bit of a closed phase.
The fruit is a bit in the background at the moment, and the other blending grapes seem to come more to the fore in this wine. But of course the similarities are there with the other years; Black cherry and raspberry, graphite, and I get a hint of linen in all of these wines.
Steve noted the '09 had 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, and was done in 40% new oak.
Maybe leave this alone for a year, or give it a multi-hour decant.
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8/3/2012 - King Cab wrote: 92 Points
Opened about an hour beforehand. Fragrant black and red fruits on the nose; dusty black-cherry, cassis and hints of cardamom. Palate reveals some fresh kirsch infused blackberries, black cherry and cardamom. I get a creamy midpalate that has some exotic tea leaf and lead pencil shavings. Tannins are somewhat edgy but overall balance is admirable. I get a long finish that keeps true. More fragrance than I remember. A 'very' cab lovers cab. This really hits on all the sense today. Glad I have more, although I may wait about a year for my next. If you must, best to decant for an hour.
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7/27/2012 - TastesGoodToMe wrote: 90 Points
Better to me than the 08. Black fruits, cassis with great dusty tannins. Decanted and drank over 4 hours. Was really showing well by the end of the bottle.
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3/22/2012 - dhammer53 wrote:
Drank this and the 08 at a WineBerserkers dinner in NYC. This was smoother and riper than the 08. I thought both were delicious wines. A pleasure to drink. I understand it's mailing list only.
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11/20/2011 - King Cab wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at the release party on 11/19/2011.
Double decanted 3-4 hours in advance.
I must say I have always been a fan of Steve's wines since inception and this one does not disappoint. Its super fragrant with a heady dose of Petite Verdot coming through nicely. (Amazing how only 5% can do that). This is the most structured and backward of the three vintages. Black fruits of black cherry, small dense blackberries and cassis with an interesting brambly quality. Long and focused with a complicated array of tannins. Be kind and give this a year at least. It will pay dividends.
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