14.5% abv. Dark garnet/plum color, opaque core. Viscous, glass staining red tears. Dry tannins on pnp that fade after 60 min and offer hint of sweetness, however, a monolithic profile persists. Bold black and red fruit, plum, licorice all jumble together to show flashes of great fruit overshadowed by oak and blending. Throws modest sediment; not sure this has more than 2-3 good years left.
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Deep opaque garnet color. Lush combination of dark cherry, plum, forest floor and a slight hint of baking spice. Needs to be open for about an hour to reveal its fruit. Well integrated tannins and a long brooding finish.
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Deep impenetrable red colors. Nose of ripe red fruits, plums, earth and barnyard.The flavors were well integrated and a pleasure. Tannins still pronounced and puckered our cheeks. Decanted 45 mins before serving with a summer grilled flank steak, mature and ready but still years to go.
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Cellared at 55 degrees since release. Perfect cork. Good legs. Nose of black and blue fruits, cigar box, soy sauce, leather Flavors of dense dense black cherry, and other dark fruits Super fine tannins and a long long finish. The tannins are key. Super fine and tasty. This is still a baby....10 years or more for sure based on these two bottles And will hold its own with all wines at this price point second growths and grand crus included 95+
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This rich and layered wine is drinking at its peak right now, with plush and nuanced fruit balanced by a backbone of lively acidity and integrated tannins. I know this is not a "value" wine (read: sub-$100), but it's one of the best "second" wines in Napa (and competes easily with plenty of wines in the $150 zone). All comparisons aside, this particular wine is just incredible - and delicious - at the 10-year mark.
Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers enveloping aromas of black cherry, graphite, bay leaf, and leather. Tastes of blueberry tart, espresso bean, tobacco leaf, and eucalyptus, with a mouth-coating finish that lingers pleasantly in the mouth. 14.5% alcohol. This has plenty of life ahead of it, but I would drink in the next year or so if you (like me) want the fruit flavors to have an edge, however slight, on the savory and earthy ones. 95+ at the moment.
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9 years post vintage and I would say that this one is really rocking. I have had some of these a little older and I really think there's nothing like having these at 5-10 years of age. Black cherry, mint, cola, herb on the front. Kind of gets a little hint of mature tobacco in the middle but very fruit-centric. Finishes tannic. This wine still has a way to go, but I think this is right where it is for my personal tastes. One of the first tasted, but definitely in running for WOTN. And after thinking about it, I still think this one was for me... but oh man what a spread!
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Great nose and really follows through on the palate and the finish. It was quite tannic out of the gate but softened up after about an hour of air...plenty of life left in this in my view...will wait 3-4 years to try the last bottle in the cellar.
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Decanted 1 hour, and it tasted great at that point but faded rather quickly, so maybe just 10-20 minutes to mellow out would do the trick. Blueberry and vanilla, nice minerality.
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Tasted blind in a Cabernet flight. Clear, medium (+) ruby with just a hint of garnet on the rim. The nose is clean, medium (+) in intensity, with black fruit, a pleasant, unobtrusive overlay of French (?) oak spice and some earthiness. The palate is dry, tight, with medium acidity and medium (+) to pronounced tannins, seemingly from the oak. The alcohol appeared to be only medium (+) (but is in fact a whopping 14.6%). The tasters were all over the board regarding the provenance of this wine, most likely due to its balance and its deceiving youthfulness. In fact, I thought it might be a youthful Left Bank Bordeaux. This a very impressive wine which is still very youthful and tight. It will benefit from more aging or from extensive decanting and aeration.
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D60; G15; 4.5+8.5+4*+8*+8.5+4*+4.5=92+; Decanting needed to bring this into a pleasant drinking state in a reasonable length of time. Dark maroon, nearly black color; great aromatics of dark berries; smoothness finally came around after an hour+ in the decanter and time/swirling in the glass; major blackberry throughout with a fine licorice note and rich Sangria-like character; long finish with no bad endnotes; balance is still resolving and tending toward gritty tannin that might resolve. Not the best vintage. Always nice to have these Harlan/Bond "second labels" that are typically nice to drink without the several hundred dollar outlay for the first tier juice.
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nice vibrant fruit filled nose upon opening. more rounded and smoother than the '08. nice medium/dark fruits on the palate, decent weight and finish was a decent length. drink alongside the '08, the '09 was the winner
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Decanted 30 mins Nice purple color Watermelon, blackberry, sweet carrot, Asian spice, light hint of oak, hint of chocolate. Very nice flavors. Kind of a bubble gum type flavor, raspberry and strawberry jam a bit of leather flavors. great mix of acid and bitterness. Weight medium. Acid medium. Good mouth feel. Nice finish, but a bit short. Tannins are a bit strong. Still a bit young. Very smooth wine. Should be great in 5 years.
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Decanted 3 hours Very big nose. Big Coffee, black berry and spicy a bit toffee on the nose. Tannins are very strong. Red bruised apple flavors, nice spiciness, a bit woody. Heavy body. High acid needs about 5-6 years to smooth out as I see it. Nice big wine.
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Decanted 2hours 93+. Nice big round nose. Good heat on nose. Tobacco, blue berry pie flavors. Vanilla a little bitterness, but nice. Big nose, very open. Hints of tobacco and blueberries. Red currant and black berry flavors short finish. Strong tannins. Hints of Sea salt on the nose.
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Dark purple, nearly black. Gentle and aromatic nose is dominated by black cherries, thyme, mint, toffee. Sweetly ripe fruit is supported by velvety, plush tannins giving a very soft mouthfeel. The acidity is just high enough to maintain balance... Long finish: this wine really coats the mouth and lingers endlessly. Lovely to drink now, but not an intellectual wine. More of a crowd pleaser...
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One of the best wines I have had in a while... and I do drink a lot.
This wine took about 3 hours to open up. One of the more dry-er wines that I have tasted. Nice oak, spice and berries on the palette with a medium to heavy body.
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Very young and tannic. I think there is a great bottle of wine in here, but I think it is a few years away. Typical big on the nose, that announces the presence of a strong California cab driven bomb. Spicy on the front with vanilla and cedar on the very long finish. I think this one will mellow out with time, and find its way. will lay the rest of my inventory down for a bit, and try again in 3-5 years. I ran through a venturri, and then decanted for a few hours before tasting, and I think it still needed some time. IF you are planning to try this one now, allow ample time. It's big and green at the moment.
Initially bombarded with quite a bit of oak on the nose with gobs of vanilla and cedar. Put in the decanter and let sit for 45 minutes and then consumed over the next two hours. As it opened up, the vanilla began to subside and tart red fruits, plum, and spices appeared on the nose. The palate was more balanced than the smell, and had nice but not over-the-top red and blue fruit flavors with some spice and cinnamon towards the finish. Nice texture and mouth feel. Enjoyed the wine, but I think it will be better in a few years.
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Really like this wine. Not the plush nose and mouth feel of some Napa cabs, but great flavor and balance. A little bit tannic still, but a really nice wine.
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Richly colored: plummy red/black. Very aromatic with red currents and cassis, stone dust, leather, tobacco, vanilla. The new oak is evident on the nose right now. Tannic but in a soft, chewy way; balanced acidity, long finish. Quite impressive for a second wine.
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We ordered 3 bottles and just couldn't wait a year or more to try one. It is quite possibly one of the best wines we've ever tasted. It is so hard to believe that this is made from the "lesser" quality Bond grapes. As good as it was, in 2-3 years, it will be incredible.
2/25/2024 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 91 Points
14.5% abv. Dark garnet/plum color, opaque core. Viscous, glass staining red tears. Dry tannins on pnp that fade after 60 min and offer hint of sweetness, however, a monolithic profile persists. Bold black and red fruit, plum, licorice all jumble together to show flashes of great fruit overshadowed by oak and blending. Throws modest sediment; not sure this has more than 2-3 good years left.
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12/25/2023 - doug374 wrote: 94 Points
Dark and deep ruby color. Smooth but full of fruit, graphite and minerals. Paired very well with roast lamb.
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8/16/2021 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep opaque garnet color. Lush combination of dark cherry, plum, forest floor and a slight hint of baking spice. Needs to be open for about an hour to reveal its fruit. Well integrated tannins and a long brooding finish.
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1/30/2021 - Vcoccoli@gmail.com wrote: 96 Points
Special occasion wine
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7/20/2020 - doug374 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep impenetrable red colors. Nose of ripe red fruits, plums, earth and barnyard.The flavors were well integrated and a pleasure. Tannins still pronounced and puckered our cheeks. Decanted 45 mins before serving with a summer grilled flank steak, mature and ready but still years to go.
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3/1/2020 - 55degrees Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cellared at 55 degrees since release. Perfect cork. Good legs. Nose of black and blue fruits, cigar box, soy sauce, leather
Flavors of dense dense black cherry, and other dark fruits
Super fine tannins and a long long finish. The tannins are key. Super fine and tasty.
This is still a baby....10 years or more for sure based on these two bottles
And will hold its own with all wines at this price point second growths and grand crus included
95+
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12/29/2019 - msuwine wrote: 95 Points
This rich and layered wine is drinking at its peak right now, with plush and nuanced fruit balanced by a backbone of lively acidity and integrated tannins. I know this is not a "value" wine (read: sub-$100), but it's one of the best "second" wines in Napa (and competes easily with plenty of wines in the $150 zone). All comparisons aside, this particular wine is just incredible - and delicious - at the 10-year mark.
Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers enveloping aromas of black cherry, graphite, bay leaf, and leather. Tastes of blueberry tart, espresso bean, tobacco leaf, and eucalyptus, with a mouth-coating finish that lingers pleasantly in the mouth. 14.5% alcohol. This has plenty of life ahead of it, but I would drink in the next year or so if you (like me) want the fruit flavors to have an edge, however slight, on the savory and earthy ones. 95+ at the moment.
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10/26/2018 - mflesh wrote: 96 Points
9 years post vintage and I would say that this one is really rocking. I have had some of these a little older and I really think there's nothing like having these at 5-10 years of age. Black cherry, mint, cola, herb on the front. Kind of gets a little hint of mature tobacco in the middle but very fruit-centric. Finishes tannic. This wine still has a way to go, but I think this is right where it is for my personal tastes. One of the first tasted, but definitely in running for WOTN. And after thinking about it, I still think this one was for me... but oh man what a spread!
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8/10/2017 - Jbird73 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great nose and really follows through on the palate and the finish. It was quite tannic out of the gate but softened up after about an hour of air...plenty of life left in this in my view...will wait 3-4 years to try the last bottle in the cellar.
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7/28/2017 - ravbik wrote: 94 Points
Rich complex full bodied red. Cassis, violets, cocoa,blackberries, moderate tannins, moderate toast, pepper. Nice finish
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11/11/2016 - matthewearl Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour, and it tasted great at that point but faded rather quickly, so maybe just 10-20 minutes to mellow out would do the trick. Blueberry and vanilla, nice minerality.
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11/9/2016 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind in a Cabernet flight. Clear, medium (+) ruby with just a hint of garnet on the rim. The nose is clean, medium (+) in intensity, with black fruit, a pleasant, unobtrusive overlay of French (?) oak spice and some earthiness. The palate is dry, tight, with medium acidity and medium (+) to pronounced tannins, seemingly from the oak. The alcohol appeared to be only medium (+) (but is in fact a whopping 14.6%). The tasters were all over the board regarding the provenance of this wine, most likely due to its balance and its deceiving youthfulness. In fact, I thought it might be a youthful Left Bank Bordeaux. This a very impressive wine which is still very youthful and tight. It will benefit from more aging or from extensive decanting and aeration.
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10/10/2016 - JDani Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tannin bomb, good quality of fruit, but not very complex. I'm not sure there is too much upside to this wine.
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9/4/2016 - learningandenjoying Likes this wine: 93 Points
D60; G15; 4.5+8.5+4*+8*+8.5+4*+4.5=92+; Decanting needed to bring this into a pleasant drinking state in a reasonable length of time. Dark maroon, nearly black color; great aromatics of dark berries; smoothness finally came around after an hour+ in the decanter and time/swirling in the glass; major blackberry throughout with a fine licorice note and rich Sangria-like character; long finish with no bad endnotes; balance is still resolving and tending toward gritty tannin that might resolve. Not the best vintage. Always nice to have these Harlan/Bond "second labels" that are typically nice to drink without the several hundred dollar outlay for the first tier juice.
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11/5/2015 - jeffm_fla wrote: 90 Points
A bit green initially, but opened up quickly and showed more fruit. Mouth drying tannins make this a bit harsh on the finish.
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9/20/2015 - clarktoews Likes this wine: 92 Points
nice vibrant fruit filled nose upon opening. more rounded and smoother than the '08. nice medium/dark fruits on the palate, decent weight and finish was a decent length. drink alongside the '08, the '09 was the winner
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7/7/2015 - Wineson Likes this wine: 92 Points
There were mixed opinion on this wine. I liked it. My son did not.
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3/15/2015 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 30 mins
Nice purple color
Watermelon, blackberry, sweet carrot, Asian spice, light hint of oak, hint of chocolate. Very nice flavors. Kind of a bubble gum type flavor, raspberry and strawberry jam a bit of leather flavors. great mix of acid and bitterness. Weight medium. Acid medium. Good mouth feel. Nice finish, but a bit short. Tannins are a bit strong. Still a bit young. Very smooth wine. Should be great in 5 years.
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10/25/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 3 hours
Very big nose. Big Coffee, black berry and spicy a bit toffee on the nose. Tannins are very strong. Red bruised apple flavors, nice spiciness, a bit woody. Heavy body. High acid needs about 5-6 years to smooth out as I see it. Nice big wine.
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9/26/2014 - toddgriggs@outlook.com Does not like this wine: 85 Points
young, green, and not in a good way.
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6/20/2014 - ablazinob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Huge wine love it. This is going to be great in a few years.
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4/29/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2hours
93+. Nice big round nose. Good heat on nose. Tobacco, blue berry pie flavors. Vanilla a little bitterness, but nice. Big nose, very open. Hints of tobacco and blueberries. Red currant and black berry flavors short finish. Strong tannins. Hints of Sea salt on the nose.
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3/19/2014 - KPB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark purple, nearly black. Gentle and aromatic nose is dominated by black cherries, thyme, mint, toffee. Sweetly ripe fruit is supported by velvety, plush tannins giving a very soft mouthfeel. The acidity is just high enough to maintain balance... Long finish: this wine really coats the mouth and lingers endlessly. Lovely to drink now, but not an intellectual wine. More of a crowd pleaser...
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3/2/2014 - raoanil Likes this wine: 95 Points
One of the best wines I have had in a while... and I do drink a lot.
This wine took about 3 hours to open up. One of the more dry-er wines that I have tasted. Nice oak, spice and berries on the palette with a medium to heavy body.
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2/21/2014 - jmorgand Likes this wine: 99 Points
We love this wine. We have 6 bottles of the 2010 on the way. Hoping that vintage is just as good if not better.
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1/10/2014 - Robwild wrote: 94 Points
Deep rich purple color. Nice tanninis Well balanced. Needs some time to breathe but once it opens up with food it is excellent
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12/14/2013 - toddgriggs@outlook.com wrote: 88 Points
Very young and tannic. I think there is a great bottle of wine in here, but I think it is a few years away. Typical big on the nose, that announces the presence of a strong California cab driven bomb. Spicy on the front with vanilla and cedar on the very long finish. I think this one will mellow out with time, and find its way. will lay the rest of my inventory down for a bit, and try again in 3-5 years. I ran through a venturri, and then decanted for a few hours before tasting, and I think it still needed some time. IF you are planning to try this one now, allow ample time. It's big and green at the moment.
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10/5/2013 - njustl wrote: 91 Points
Initially bombarded with quite a bit of oak on the nose with gobs of vanilla and cedar. Put in the decanter and let sit for 45 minutes and then consumed over the next two hours. As it opened up, the vanilla began to subside and tart red fruits, plum, and spices appeared on the nose. The palate was more balanced than the smell, and had nice but not over-the-top red and blue fruit flavors with some spice and cinnamon towards the finish. Nice texture and mouth feel. Enjoyed the wine, but I think it will be better in a few years.
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9/2/2013 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really like this wine. Not the plush nose and mouth feel of some Napa cabs, but great flavor and balance. A little bit tannic still, but a really nice wine.
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7/15/2013 - jeffm_fla wrote: 90 Points
good, but had a slight green note. Will try again in a few months.
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5/10/2013 - KPB wrote: 92 Points
Richly colored: plummy red/black. Very aromatic with red currents and cassis, stone dust, leather, tobacco, vanilla. The new oak is evident on the nose right now. Tannic but in a soft, chewy way; balanced acidity, long finish. Quite impressive for a second wine.
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3/14/2013 - Jeffnc1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
We ordered 3 bottles and just couldn't wait a year or more to try one. It is quite possibly one of the best wines we've ever tasted. It is so hard to believe that this is made from the "lesser" quality Bond grapes. As good as it was, in 2-3 years, it will be incredible.
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