Excellent wine! Decanted it for 4 hours and paired it with an applewood smoked New York Steak, roasted peppers, and veggies. This wine was very well balanced. Deep flavors of blackberries, blueberries, dark chocolate (about 72% Cacao), coffee, black currants, and a little caramel among other flavors within the multiple layers. The finish is long, smooth, and continues to evolve on the palate.
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Decanted for almost 3 hours. Aromas of blackberry, currant, cherry, iron and lead pencil. Flavors of blackberry, currant, black cherry, iron and dash of mocha. Ends with a long finish of 55-60 seconds with blackberry and chocolate notes. This hasn’t moved at all in 7 years and still drinking fantastic. Showing no signs of age.
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probably one of the best CA cabs i've had in a while and perhaps the best Schrader I've had? tons of layers of blueberry fruit, dark chocolate; acidity was there to keep it fresh but this was very new world, fruit driven with a long long smooth finish. terrific wine.
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Amazing wine. This has another level even when compared with classic, world class Cabernet. Deeper, more complex. Amazing mouthfeel and finish. This has an extra layer that is difficult to describe but you know it as soon as you smell and taste the wine. I might be wrong in not giving 100 points.
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The kind of wine that, if you had Bobby Axelrod money, I'd make your house wine. The ultimate crowd pleaser, everyone loved this wine's lovely bouquet of flowers and mineral backbone balancing out the purity of blueberry compote, nutmeg, cedar, savory spices, and dark chocolate. So good, can't wait to have another bottle.
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Decanted for 1/2 hour and then drank over 2 hours. Initial taste pre decant had a alcoholic edge. After decant, it was intense currant, blueberry with some savory notes. Full bodied with a long finish.
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Very disappointing. Expected much more. Rich black cherry fruit. Round, smooth, and slightly sweet plum flavors but lacked depth and complexity. Short finish
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Great nose, deep purple color, dark berries, taste of learher, smooth and delightful finish. Decanted for over an hour to let it open uo. Drank almost within 2 hours. Only had one bottle/ wish i had more
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Wine of the summer for me. Christmas cakes, menthol, blueberry, violets and damp earth on the nose for me, this jumped out of the glass after a 2 hour decant. This is purple to the core, with a thin ruby red rim, and as concentrated a wine as I have had in a while. There was nothing shy about this wine; absolutely bursting with blue and red berries, balanced by some warm spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) and light pepper notes. My first Schrader; I can't wait for my next!
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In a great place, lively full of cassis, dark berries and plum. Great concentration and mouthfeel; dark, inky color and almost thick consistency; good penetration and long finish - drank over two hours with large Bordeaux drinking glasses; no decant
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Opened poured a glass and recorked for 7 hours. This bottle was great. Cassis and plum with a uniaue almost cloudiness taste. (The wine wasnt cloudy). Tannins resolved. This bottle woulb be at peak in 1-2 years imo.
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Wow, PnP, ready to go. Dark red and blue fruits, massive wine, tobacco leaf, cinnamon, clove, anise, vanilla, tree bark, top soil, amazing purity and balance. His is just about perfect and is pure Napa, so no old world lovers here...
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Just incredible. Rich, full nose of blue and black fruit, toast, chocolate. Initially a bit tight, but opened nicely after only about an hour in decanter, with beautiful silky tannins, classic perfect primary fruit, integrated oak character, and long finish. Wine of the night and then some.
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One of my most memorable bottles of 2017. After eight hours of air, this was a gorgeous, opulent treat. I drank about seven or eight different Schraders in 2017 and this bottle easily ranks among my top three, which includes 2013 Old Sparky.
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Served blind. An extremely lush wine quite extracted and showy. Red raspberry, rubarb, and jammy strawberry. Comes across nearly port like in terms of density with an intense ripe quality. Almost like a dessert.
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PnP, still need a few years, but can be drunk now with some air time... Dark blue and black fruits, super extracted, licorice, tar, squid ink, cassis liquor and red currants, some background oak that's well integrated. Really nice balance for such a big wine, this is insanely good.
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Wow! Park yourself down in a comfortable chair with a really good friend (and/or family) and...Relax!...Let it all fall away and then open your mind and your senses! Prepare yourself (I say this because we don't get a wine like this with ease in these parts of Canada!) and smile as you drink this remarkable accomplishment from the people from Shafer. There is a lot to enjoy as the layers of flavour open up and as they journey to their long and remarkable finish. I enjoyed it over a few hours on a beautiful evening overlooking Lake of the Woods.... As they say... It's not the number of breaths you take that make the best memories but instead, the moments that take your breath away. A really nice wine! I am glad I waited a few years to open this wine and I believe another few years would possibly make this gem even better! Canadian Dave
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An absolutely amazing wine. Dark in color with immediate interlaced dark fruit, cassis, current, and pepper with a bit of mineral thrown in. The palate was tremendously complex, soft and caressing if you can say that about wine. Soft but present tannins and a stunning finish. This wine will last another 10 years but what's the point. Drink with good friends.
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Took about an hour to show its stuff. Strong showing as usual from Schrader. Dusty rip power with intense mid palate spread. Black fruit, sage. Beautiful
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Poker night - Mostly double blind - Rayas, Masseto, Schrader, QC and etc. (Reston, Va): Double blind. Intense dark fruits, crème de cassis, liquid smoke, vanilla and mineral. Incredible concentration. Definitely a high end cult cab from a great year. The fact that the bottle is heavy and Assaf brought it, Assaf asks the vintage, my guess is 2010. Lucky guess and a bit of cheating. Quintessential expression of Schrader.
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Needs time or a lot of air. Some nice dark fruit but hidden behind some pretty fierce tannins. Good but I don't think we gave the bottle it's proper due with a pop and pour.
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Various Cabs (Old Greenwich, CT): An impressive wine with incredible muscle and girth, yet for all that concentration, this still avoids being ponderous. Beautifully layered with plums, licorice, blackberry and spice. Lengthy on the back end, with beautifully integrated tannins. Very young, but very promising.
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Decanted 2 hours and consumed over the next 2. Beautiful nose of blackberry, current, leather, vanilla and spice. Not an overly sweet nose. Flavors mirror the nose with blackberry, red fruits, a hint of earth, leather, currant and spice. Long smooth finish. Tannins are present but very soft. Very good now, may improve, but should easily hold another 10 years at least.
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Beautiful nose of cassis, blackberries, vanilla and hints of spice. Great complexity, balance and long finish on the tongue. This is truly a pleasure to drink now and for a decade or so.
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A good wine, but maybe I was expecting too much. Thomas Rivers Brown has a very distinct style of winemaking which was very evident. This wine is very smooth with a finish of cherry licorice, raisins and prunes. For me this tasted like a cross between 2012 Maybach Amoenus, 2012 Caymus Special Select and 2008 Hundred Acre Ark. That's not bad company. Maybe I was just too excited for it and was left wanting a little more.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of blackberry, current, touch of leather, vanilla and spice. Lot going on in this nose. This is a skyscraper on the palate with Flavors of blackberry, cherry, iron, earth, leather and currant. Finish is amazingly long, lasting well over a minute. A truly phenomenal wine.
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BYO US Extravaganza (Kong Hans): Packed with very intense dark plum flavors with a herbal/spicy touch. Loads of young structure but also an impressive balance. Long and spicy aftertaste. Clearly a touch of sweetness but still in a wonderful balance with an impressive lightness. Insanely good wine!!
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Buddy generously brought this over. Popped and took a small pour. Very little on the nose and tight and tannic. This screamed for a decant, so did a splash decant. An hour in, started to come around, but was still a bit reticent. 2 hours in, finally showing it's stuff. Obviously young, but great concentration of of dark fruit. Nicely balanced, great complexity...just a really fantastic bottle of wine. If you open this, open it early and give it hours of air.
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Really hard to wrap my head around this wine. I am a huge fan of full throttle but this takes it to the next dimension. The Darnajou profile is super intense and seems to mask some of the purity of the fruit. No doubt a well made wine but shockingly a bit over the top for me.
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The nose is awesome with smoke, beef, a little black pepper, abd chocolate. The palate is full with loads of chocolate, dark berries, grill notes, and a pleasant herbaceous note. Tannic but delicious
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Welcoming Chicago winos - Part Deux (BLT Steak - Washington D.C. - High Octane Wines): As usual incredible concentration and intense fruit without being too much. Intense nose of cassis, crushed blackberries, dark chocolate, liquid smoke, lead pencil and blue flowers. Incredible concentration, unctuous, intense yet cool blue fruit driven palate impression, intense fruit masks the tannins and lovely long finish. This will need to settle a bit but really hedonistic with the intense youthful fruits.
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Holy moly! Chris brought this special treat into Bistro Dre with Looty and Johnny. It's been a little while since I've sampled a Schrader. How could I possibly forget how fantastic and just plain old delicious their Cabs are - all of them. Whenever I taste a Schrader the first thing I think of is gorgeous elegant fresh leather. Loads of fruit bombard your senses. Cassis, plums, dark cherries and raspberries. The smoke, earth and leather is killer. So royal and elegant. This is the absolute pinnacle of Napa Cabernet. I mean, it is completely worth the price tag of now $175. Yes, I've seen it climb over the years from $125 but it's still a steal considering the price of other "blue chip" wines that are rarely this good. The palate is exceptional. Grabs your attention at every sip. Such a long well endowed finish. Big and burly without being over the top. Still great acidity. These wines all tip toe on the brink of perfection. Stunning. Highly recommended. Best wine of 2013 so far! Thanks Chris!
Bday Wine Night; 5/24/2013-5/25/2013: Decanted for 12+ hours, leftovers rebottled and recorked overnight. TN is mix of notes from last night and this morning. 14.4% ABV
Glass staining purple, big, concentrated wine. Definitely very young, but the long decant definitely brought out nuances that weren't there at the start.
Big, youthful nose of ripe blackberries and plums mingle with Napa dirt, chocolate, florals, graphite, fresh cut grass, hint of pepper.
Tannins are very smooth, with grip. Not sure it's a 20 year wine. Doesn't strike me as very acidic. Nice finish that goes on for a minute plus.
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Decanted and drank over two days. As expected from a cult CA cabernet: Huge blackberry fruit, coffee, brown sugar and pepper emerge from the nose. Very ripe and sweet on the palate. Not as long as other vintages and actually pretty tannic on the finish. But still lingers for a long time. The alcohol is present and I am concerned this may fall apart in time but this is certainly a hedonistic wine that can be consumed now or in the next few years.
2/4/2024 - mdvillaverde Likes this wine: 96 Points
14.4% abv. Right up my alley. Dense chewy fruit. Sour cherry notes. Perfect acidity.
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12/25/2023 - Harbthewineguy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent wine! Decanted it for 4 hours and paired it with an applewood smoked New York Steak, roasted peppers, and veggies. This wine was very well balanced. Deep flavors of blackberries, blueberries, dark chocolate (about 72% Cacao), coffee, black currants, and a little caramel among other flavors within the multiple layers. The finish is long, smooth, and continues to evolve on the palate.
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12/25/2023 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Decanted for almost 3 hours. Aromas of blackberry, currant, cherry, iron and lead pencil. Flavors of blackberry, currant, black cherry, iron and dash of mocha. Ends with a long finish of 55-60 seconds with blackberry and chocolate notes. This hasn’t moved at all in 7 years and still drinking fantastic. Showing no signs of age.
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7/16/2023 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 98 Points
probably one of the best CA cabs i've had in a while and perhaps the best Schrader I've had? tons of layers of blueberry fruit, dark chocolate; acidity was there to keep it fresh but this was very new world, fruit driven with a long long smooth finish. terrific wine.
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5/23/2023 - sdezutti Likes this wine: 99 Points
Amazing wine. This has another level even when compared with classic, world class Cabernet. Deeper, more complex. Amazing mouthfeel and finish. This has an extra layer that is difficult to describe but you know it as soon as you smell and taste the wine. I might be wrong in not giving 100 points.
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10/16/2022 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Blueberry, still underlying cherry. Nice acid. Good To Kalon iron fist velvet glove smoothness.
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10/16/2022 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drank for birthday dinner at Rhubarb. Marvelous!
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8/9/2022 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Kiawah 2022; 8/6/2022-8/13/2022: Dark blueberry bomb. Less dried fruit. My favorite and better than the Shafer HSS. Now-2030?+
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8/9/2022 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 99 Points
Beach tasting. Dark purple. My favorite of the three. Huge. Concentrated, red and black fruits, still very tannicsnd multidimensional
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1/22/2022 - mbenz Likes this wine: 99 Points
Nearly flawless. Drinking exceptionally well.
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10/15/2021 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 97 Points
The kind of wine that, if you had Bobby Axelrod money, I'd make your house wine. The ultimate crowd pleaser, everyone loved this wine's lovely bouquet of flowers and mineral backbone balancing out the purity of blueberry compote, nutmeg, cedar, savory spices, and dark chocolate. So good, can't wait to have another bottle.
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7/18/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wonderful black cherry and cassis aromas and flavors with layers of mocha, spice, and oak on the long finish.
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7/18/2021 - HOS wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 1/2 hour and then drank over 2 hours. Initial taste pre decant had a alcoholic edge. After decant, it was intense currant, blueberry with some savory notes. Full bodied with a long finish.
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12/31/2020 - Amerique wrote: 92 Points
Very disappointing. Expected much more. Rich black cherry fruit. Round, smooth, and slightly sweet plum flavors but lacked depth and complexity. Short finish
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10/30/2020 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 97 Points
Showing extremely well. Dark fruit, blackberry, leather, tobacco, earth. Lucius and silky!
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9/12/2020 - Jerry 3 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Great nose, deep purple color, dark berries, taste of learher, smooth and delightful finish. Decanted for over an hour to let it open uo. Drank almost within 2 hours. Only had one bottle/ wish i had more
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8/16/2020 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 97 Points
Wine of the summer for me. Christmas cakes, menthol, blueberry, violets and damp earth on the nose for me, this jumped out of the glass after a 2 hour decant. This is purple to the core, with a thin ruby red rim, and as concentrated a wine as I have had in a while. There was nothing shy about this wine; absolutely bursting with blue and red berries, balanced by some warm spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) and light pepper notes. My first Schrader; I can't wait for my next!
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3/22/2020 - royalscam Likes this wine: 96 Points
In a great place, lively full of cassis, dark berries and plum. Great concentration and mouthfeel; dark, inky color and almost thick consistency; good penetration and long finish - drank over two hours with large Bordeaux drinking glasses; no decant
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3/21/2020 - beau11 wrote: 97 Points
Opened poured a glass and recorked for 7 hours. This bottle was great. Cassis and plum with a uniaue almost cloudiness taste. (The wine wasnt cloudy). Tannins resolved. This bottle woulb be at peak in 1-2 years imo.
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3/8/2020 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
At a beautiful place right now!
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12/3/2019 - Roentgen Ray Likes this wine: 97 Points
Rich and balanced.
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4/13/2019 - brianngibson wrote: 99 Points
I haven’t decided what perfection tastes like. But this has to be close.
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3/23/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wow, PnP, ready to go. Dark red and blue fruits, massive wine, tobacco leaf, cinnamon, clove, anise, vanilla, tree bark, top soil, amazing purity and balance. His is just about perfect and is pure Napa, so no old world lovers here...
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8/25/2018 - Mike V wrote: 91 Points
This is a bit too confectionary for me. Everything is there bus the sweetness overwhelms the fruit.
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5/14/2018 - Onegooddan wrote: 99 Points
Just incredible. Rich, full nose of blue and black fruit, toast, chocolate. Initially a bit tight, but opened nicely after only about an hour in decanter, with beautiful silky tannins, classic perfect primary fruit, integrated oak character, and long finish. Wine of the night and then some.
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5/12/2018 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Chocolate and leather and smoke and red and black fruit. Has many lovely years ahead of it, but oh my, it was tasty tonight too.
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4/1/2018 - jmoon wrote: 93 Points
ridiculously rich, ripe, and hedonistic. a bit too sweet this time for my liking.
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1/13/2018 - napajournal Likes this wine: 99 Points
One of my most memorable bottles of 2017. After eight hours of air, this was a gorgeous, opulent treat. I drank about seven or eight different Schraders in 2017 and this bottle easily ranks among my top three, which includes 2013 Old Sparky.
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12/27/2017 - moben Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spent a lot of moola on it. Wanted to like it. But tasted blind it paled behind wines 1/3 of the price.
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12/12/2017 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Served blind. An extremely lush wine quite extracted and showy. Red raspberry, rubarb, and jammy strawberry. Comes across nearly port like in terms of density with an intense ripe quality. Almost like a dessert.
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9/30/2017 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine: 98 Points
Top notch wine-one of the best wines I have tasted this year!
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8/10/2017 - royalscam Likes this wine: 97 Points
Absolute royalty!
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3/17/2017 - B Paul wrote: 94 Points
Needed half an hour to fully open up but great once it did. For my tastes, I'd say drink now or over the next few years.
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1/28/2017 - pakabear Likes this wine: 97 Points
PnP, still need a few years, but can be drunk now with some air time... Dark blue and black fruits, super extracted, licorice, tar, squid ink, cassis liquor and red currants, some background oak that's well integrated. Really nice balance for such a big wine, this is insanely good.
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1/14/2017 - CanadianDave wrote: 97 Points
Wow!
Park yourself down in a comfortable chair with a really good friend (and/or family) and...Relax!...Let it all fall away and then open your mind and your senses! Prepare yourself (I say this because we don't get a wine like this with ease in these parts of Canada!) and smile as you drink this remarkable accomplishment from the people from Shafer. There is a lot to enjoy as the layers of flavour open up and as they journey to their long and remarkable finish. I enjoyed it over a few hours on a beautiful evening overlooking Lake of the Woods.... As they say... It's not the number of breaths you take that make the best memories but instead, the moments that take your breath away. A really nice wine!
I am glad I waited a few years to open this wine and I believe another few years would possibly make this gem even better!
Canadian Dave
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12/14/2016 - J-Sho Likes this wine: 99 Points
An absolutely amazing wine. Dark in color with immediate interlaced dark fruit, cassis, current, and pepper with a bit of mineral thrown in. The palate was tremendously complex, soft and caressing if you can say that about wine. Soft but present tannins and a stunning finish. This wine will last another 10 years but what's the point. Drink with good friends.
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11/26/2016 - kgh wrote: 94 Points
Powerful and concentrated, this shows great structure but seemed closed down despite decanting. I believe it needs a few more years in the cellar.
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10/29/2016 - ptelgenh wrote: 96 Points
Took about an hour to show its stuff. Strong showing as usual from Schrader. Dusty rip power with intense mid palate spread. Black fruit, sage. Beautiful
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7/22/2016 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
Poker night - Mostly double blind - Rayas, Masseto, Schrader, QC and etc. (Reston, Va): Double blind. Intense dark fruits, crème de cassis, liquid smoke, vanilla and mineral. Incredible concentration. Definitely a high end cult cab from a great year. The fact that the bottle is heavy and Assaf brought it, Assaf asks the vintage, my guess is 2010. Lucky guess and a bit of cheating. Quintessential expression of Schrader.
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7/14/2016 - B Paul wrote: 95 Points
Really great. Needs a bit of air, but otherwise ready to go.
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6/7/2016 - brianngibson wrote: 98 Points
Blueberries, blackberries, cassis, leather, licorice on the finish. Incredible concentration and complexity. Bold yet elegant. A "wow" wine.
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3/27/2016 - bigdogflow Likes this wine: 98 Points
Pop and pour. Big, muscular wine, but not over the top. Lots of cassis, blackberry, hint of tobacco with a long finish. Fabulous wine!!
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1/31/2016 - domco wrote:
Needs time or a lot of air. Some nice dark fruit but hidden behind some pretty fierce tannins. Good but I don't think we gave the bottle it's proper due with a pop and pour.
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1/9/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 96 Points
Various Cabs (Old Greenwich, CT): An impressive wine with incredible muscle and girth, yet for all that concentration, this still avoids being ponderous. Beautifully layered with plums, licorice, blackberry and spice. Lengthy on the back end, with beautifully integrated tannins. Very young, but very promising.
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1/5/2016 - corkcork wrote: 97 Points
Day 1=95
Day 2=97
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12/31/2015 - gharter Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 2 hours and consumed over the next 2. Beautiful nose of blackberry, current, leather, vanilla and spice. Not an overly sweet nose. Flavors mirror the nose with blackberry, red fruits, a hint of earth, leather, currant and spice. Long smooth finish. Tannins are present but very soft. Very good now, may improve, but should easily hold another 10 years at least.
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12/12/2015 - CabIsKing wrote: 99 Points
Beautiful nose of cassis, blackberries, vanilla and hints of spice. Great complexity, balance and long finish on the tongue. This is truly a pleasure to drink now and for a decade or so.
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11/15/2015 - MattLA Likes this wine: 95 Points
A good wine, but maybe I was expecting too much. Thomas Rivers Brown has a very distinct style of winemaking which was very evident. This wine is very smooth with a finish of cherry licorice, raisins and prunes. For me this tasted like a cross between 2012 Maybach Amoenus, 2012 Caymus Special Select and 2008 Hundred Acre Ark. That's not bad company. Maybe I was just too excited for it and was left wanting a little more.
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11/7/2015 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of blackberry, current, touch of leather, vanilla and spice. Lot going on in this nose. This is a skyscraper on the palate with Flavors of blackberry, cherry, iron, earth, leather and currant. Finish is amazingly long, lasting well over a minute. A truly phenomenal wine.
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10/17/2015 - canan wrote: 99 Points
BYO US Extravaganza (Kong Hans): Packed with very intense dark plum flavors with a herbal/spicy touch. Loads of young structure but also an impressive balance.
Long and spicy aftertaste. Clearly a touch of sweetness but still in a wonderful balance with an impressive lightness.
Insanely good wine!!
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10/10/2015 - cobbpa Likes this wine: 96 Points
Massive, round, layered but all held together so well. All types of berries and dark fruit, milk chocolate & cacao nib. So much going on.
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4/12/2015 - jmoon Likes this wine: 98 Points
mindblowing experience consistent w other tasting notes. Tasted the caramel next day. A thrilling wild sensory experience - but not a food wine
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11/29/2014 - OCgasman wrote:
Buddy generously brought this over. Popped and took a small pour. Very little on the nose and tight and tannic. This screamed for a decant, so did a splash decant. An hour in, started to come around, but was still a bit reticent. 2 hours in, finally showing it's stuff. Obviously young, but great concentration of of dark fruit. Nicely balanced, great complexity...just a really fantastic bottle of wine. If you open this, open it early and give it hours of air.
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11/14/2014 - fdub wrote:
Really hard to wrap my head around this wine. I am a huge fan of full throttle but this takes it to the next dimension. The Darnajou profile is super intense and seems to mask some of the purity of the fruit. No doubt a well made wine but shockingly a bit over the top for me.
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10/12/2014 - Uglypinga wrote:
The nose is awesome with smoke, beef, a little black pepper, abd chocolate. The palate is full with loads of chocolate, dark berries, grill notes, and a pleasant herbaceous note. Tannic but delicious
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8/9/2014 - pakabear Likes this wine: 97 Points
Great concentration and overall balance. I love Schraders and when opened with enough air they are hard to beat by anything in my book.
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8/9/2014 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
Welcoming Chicago winos - Part Deux (BLT Steak - Washington D.C. - High Octane Wines): As usual incredible concentration and intense fruit without being too much. Intense nose of cassis, crushed blackberries, dark chocolate, liquid smoke, lead pencil and blue flowers. Incredible concentration, unctuous, intense yet cool blue fruit driven palate impression, intense fruit masks the tannins and lovely long finish. This will need to settle a bit but really hedonistic with the intense youthful fruits.
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7/23/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 97 Points
Holy moly! Chris brought this special treat into Bistro Dre with Looty and Johnny.
It's been a little while since I've sampled a Schrader. How could I possibly forget how fantastic and just plain old delicious their Cabs are - all of them.
Whenever I taste a Schrader the first thing I think of is gorgeous elegant fresh leather. Loads of fruit bombard your senses. Cassis, plums, dark cherries and raspberries. The smoke, earth and leather is killer.
So royal and elegant. This is the absolute pinnacle of Napa Cabernet. I mean, it is completely worth the price tag of now $175. Yes, I've seen it climb over the years from $125 but it's still a steal considering the price of other "blue chip" wines that are rarely this good. The palate is exceptional. Grabs your attention at every sip. Such a long well endowed finish. Big and burly without being over the top. Still great acidity. These wines all tip toe on the brink of perfection. Stunning. Highly recommended. Best wine of 2013 so far! Thanks Chris!
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5/25/2013 - wineberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bday Wine Night; 5/24/2013-5/25/2013: Decanted for 12+ hours, leftovers rebottled and recorked overnight. TN is mix of notes from last night and this morning. 14.4% ABV
Glass staining purple, big, concentrated wine. Definitely very young, but the long decant definitely brought out nuances that weren't there at the start.
Big, youthful nose of ripe blackberries and plums mingle with Napa dirt, chocolate, florals, graphite, fresh cut grass, hint of pepper.
Tannins are very smooth, with grip. Not sure it's a 20 year wine. Doesn't strike me as very acidic. Nice finish that goes on for a minute plus.
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11/26/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and drank over two days. As expected from a cult CA cabernet: Huge blackberry fruit, coffee, brown sugar and pepper emerge from the nose. Very ripe and sweet on the palate. Not as long as other vintages and actually pretty tannic on the finish. But still lingers for a long time. The alcohol is present and I am concerned this may fall apart in time but this is certainly a hedonistic wine that can be consumed now or in the next few years.
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