Pulled this bottle from the cellar as a follow up to the Bryant Estate a friend brought to dinner.
The contrast of these to wines was interesting. The Blankiet was more polished and complete upon delivery were as the Bryant felt a raw and terroir driven.
If you're looking for a wine that has a good amount of fruit left the 09 might be in a sweet spot to be pulled. There is a lot to like about this wine and there is no rush as this should continue to age well.
2009 is a beautiful vintage for Blankiet wines. Some of the first wines I ever justified spending over the hundred dollar mark. Now that threshold is a lot higher!
One hour slow ox. Nearly opaque garnet color. Burnt hazelnut, raspberry syrup, tomato leaf, wild strawberry, and subtle creamsicle. Smooth, dry palate, with tongue coating acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish. 82% CS, 17% Merlot, and 1% CF
This has tremendous structure, but it is too savory for my palate at this stage. It did improve over an hour of drinking. I simply cannot appreciate this level of tertiary notes. Very fun bottle supplied by Mark1NPT.
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I brought this bottle to our event, primarily for Mrs. Agelvis, knowing her palate a little, and also full well that it was probably a little too aged for Ag, himself....and that's exactly how it played out! One of the few times I've guessed, right. Given I think a one hour slow ox cork out in the fridge and tasted over 3 hours from bottle during our event. It remained remarkably consistent throughout the entire time. Medium to deep translucent ruby in the glass. On the nose a raspberry syrup, walnut/hazelnut, and maybe a hint of tomato leaf? This wine is 'savory' but the kind of savory I adore. Meaning that it has no sage or green pepper and is not overloaded with black olive tapenade. It more of a balsamic glaze, coffee and tobacco profile, which I love. Some umami, too, but not old or aged in any way. Feels alive and vibrant given the structure and balance of all the components in this bottle. Even those scoring it less, not liking the taste profile as much, rated its structure the best quality. Very, very long finish. This wine is really well put together and floating my boat where it is right now. For my palate, I don't know that it gets any better, so it was my WOTN. Mrs. Agelvis had 3 tastings of it too, as did I. You never know how a bottle you pick up at auction is gonna do, especially when opening for friends, but so happy this one delivered.
Utterly old world in style, especially on the nose, with subtle new world hints of Napa fruit. This is darn near close to a perfect style of wine for me.
Decanted for 1+ hours and consumed over another 1-2. A little tight at first, but was perfect with dinner and did loosen its grip as the evening progressed.
81.8% cabernet sauvignon, 16.7% Merlot, 1% cabernet franc and 0.5% petit verdot.
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PNP, into Albertsons best steamless glassware. A needed upgrade to what was included at the Palm Springs rental. What a disservice to the 07 Rive Droite from the night before! Maybe Santa will bring me a wine glass travel carrier. Thanks for the tip Lite!
At twelve years of age this bottle for my palate is just starting to enter a drinking window that I personally enjoy. Some primary fruit still showing along with the layers of secondary and tertiary flavors. Just like the sister wine rive droite there is a good bit of oak on these wines. With that, I think they still benefit from an extended decant or slow 24 ox in the bottle at cellar temp. Next bottle in a year or two. Bottles purchased from Benchmark in what seems to be perfect condition.
95
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Same notes as earlier...minimally less pleasing. Slow ox 1 hour. Very integrated rich dark fruit, earth notes, leather, trace spice. Full bodied and showing well. Going forward I'll drink these a few years earlier. Definitely prime time for this baby.
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Slow ox 1 hour. Very integrated rich dark fruit, earth notes, leather, trace spice. Full bodied and showing well. Going forward I'll drink these a few years earlier. Definitely prime time for this baby. One 09 remains in cellar.
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, dark fruit with some leather, med. tannins, long finish; the extra year since my last one has helped & now entering peak drinking, outstanding, drink or hold
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, dark fruit, again like an 09 left bank with some leather, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding, drink or hold (no rush)
After opening a Merus ‘12 and Astralis ‘06 and both been flawed this one came to the rescue...
Couldn’t decant properly, just opened, poured into the decanter and started to drink it immediately. This wine has a French bouquet, floral, with dark chocolate and lots of personality. The finish is long and beautiful...
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Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding & on day 2 was beginning to develop a touch of a Bordeaux profile (like an 09 left bank) with some leather, drink or hold (no rush)
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Splendid Napa bordeaux blend, drinking very fine at 11 years. Opulent, resolved palette of dark plums and cassis. Cedar, slate, a touch of earth and char, with nice acidity and evolving, grippy tannins. Smooth structure with an elegant, medium finish. A beautiful Napa red in peak form. Benefits from air. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
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Got off my ass and decanted for 45 minutes. Very good wine. Price point is questionable but it was a gift so I will say thank you very much...but next time just buy me two $80 bottles.
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An excellent bottle that took a good 3 hours for it to come around. Dark garnet color with slight browning at the edges. On PnP this was thin and boring, but progressively put on weight and complexity as it sat in the decanter. The nose never fully revealed itself, but the palate is where the wine shined. Enters with lovely mature roasted plum, and raspberry, and finishes with savory tomato, Asian spices, and hint of charcoal that provide a solid grip and a long finish. Wonderful concentration without getting jammy or cloyingly sweet. Definitely can drink now (with 3 decant) but can hold for many years. Would love to see how this develops in a few years. Paired wonderfully with a New York strip steak!
This is a beauty, decanted for about 30 minutes an noon, put back into the bottle and consumed at dinner with Rineye medium rare. This wine has a very bold body, perfect acidity, lots of tannins, notes of chocolate, smoke and berries! The finish goes and goes....
SO'd for a few hrs then double decanted, deep ruby, black cherry with a touch of vanilla, med. tannins, long finish; delicious, drink or preferably hold. Had with dear friends Sara & Greg at Goose & Gander in St. Helena. It was slightly inferior to the 04 Shafer HSS. Regardless, it was a fitting wine to enjoy after a fantastic tasting at Blankiet a few hrs before; love that place!
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Delicious... in prime drinking window. Great fruit concentration, but not overly new world in style. Somewhat in the middle of the new world/old world spectrum in terms of flavor profile.
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This rich and integrated wine is drinking at its peak right now (and what a glorious, delicious peak it is!). Cherry red, almost inky black, in color; full in body; nose of plum, mocha, and gravel road. Lucious tastes of black cherry, blueberry pie, milk chocolate, and cedar, with a lingering, silky finish whose dusty tannins have fully integrated. Blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and the remaining 1% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 14.9% alcohol. Drink in next year or so, since this dances at the edge of over-ripeness. Give this an hour of air, since it tastes a bit messy at first - but opens into something far more impressive with air.
Sometimes a modern CA wine falls apart with age; sometimes it holds serve - older, but the same; and sometimes it becomes more than the sum of its parts. This is the last kind of wine. I agree with csimm1161 that this isn't a dense, concentrated wine - but I also think this has plenty of ripeness, complexity, and plushness; it is a wine that has unfolded over time. No one would confuse this as a wine from anywhere other than Napa, but it's also hard to deny that it has aged beautifully.
Bottom line, this wine has polish and class that are remarkable. I think this has more integration and polish than the 2010 or 2012, while still providing fresh, almost joyous fruit. The key characteristic that makes me love this wine is this: it integrates ripe fruit and subtle structure (treble and base, if you will) in order to make a harmonious and delicious wine. 96-97.
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Gorgeous. I'd wondered if it would be a powerhouse or subtle and the answer is "Yes." So many changes over the course of four hours it's useless to catalogue. Consumed upon notice of loved ones' house in Santa Rosa being safe.
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A great wine. However, give it a few years or at least a two hour decant. Restrained nose but beautiful flavors of dark fruit and coffee. If you can wait on this bottle, do.
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A beautiful example of a Napa blend. This shows awesome purity of fruit, just enough restraint delivered by excellent craftsmanship, and wonderful tiered flavors. The best Blankiet I've had to date. In a perfect drinking window right now with a short splash decant. Somewhat classically styled, but with a core intensity that coats the palate.
Flavors of dark ripe plum, red and black currant, black raspberry, charcuterie, Asian spice, railroad tie, and a subtle hint of charred oak on the back end. Textually this is a dream of a wine, with a silkiness that is indeed admirable.
The dark plum and current notes became a little more prominent after about 2 to 3 hours of air. Nothing to be too concerned about however, as the energy and core intensity still pushed through.
95-96 points from me. My other half pegged it at 98 points; stylistically this is more in her wheelhouse, as Blankiet veers a little more toward a classical Napa Cabernet, as opposed to the super intense New World styles.
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My second of three bottles and WOW. No formal notes but in no way was my opinion of it being “hot” from the last review – but that being 6/29/13. For my palate (Big fruit plus offsetting tannins with long finish) this is almost a 96. The aromatics are slightly restrained but when you taste it - who cares as its sooo good on the palate. Don’t be afraid to drink now with a 1 or 2 hour decant for air.
My first impressions were that it was not a powerful wine in terms of taste and smell, rather subdued and soft (almost whimpy) for a CA Cabernet. There was some nice oak wafting out of the glass and taste of black berries, black plums with hints of spice. Not precise in taste or aromas as there was not not much acid around , but surprisingly it was balanced in taste between the fruit, tannin and acid. The tannin was just registering, I cannot see this lasting 20 years. It is a nice wine that one can drink on its own but don't combine this with an over powering meal as it will drown the wine experience.
Bought 2 bottle to try and I think for the price I will move on.
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Had two bottles over the last two weeks. Both showing extremely rich, complex, full bodied. Nose is extremely intense with blueberry, mocha and forest soil. Finish lasts forever? So much fun to drink this!!
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While clearly very young, this big, muscular and initially brooding wine softened after several hours in a large decanter. Heavy black licorice and tar notes gave way to a far more nuanced blend of structured dark fruits, plums, cassis and chocolate. Absolutely wonderful wine which should mature over time into something quite special. Better acidity and balance than most California winemakers are coaxing out of their grapes. Loved the wine.
Caramel, molasses, smoke and jammy black and blue fruits create the earthy aromas. On the palate, the wine is polished, spicy and lush, but throws some heat in the finish in the otherwise, stylish finish.
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What an amazing wine! Dark ruby red with nose of mocha, blueberries and creme de cassis. Extremely well balanced with dark berry flavors, some minerals too and forest soil. Very long finish! We decanted the wine for one hour, potential to last forever.
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Rating on potential. Probably didn't give this one enough of a decant (about an hour). Palate is spectacular. Cassis, tobacco, dark, dark, dark. Very long finish. A tiny tinge of heat prevents the score from going up. I'd say decant 3-4 hours now or wait a bit.
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12/10/2023 - Mdagator wrote: 98 Points
So amazing. Congratulations Danny, you did great! Graham has taken the lead and done fantastic as well. Different approach but still epic!
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6/3/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pulled this bottle from the cellar as a follow up to the Bryant Estate a friend brought to dinner.
The contrast of these to wines was interesting. The Blankiet was more polished and complete upon delivery were as the Bryant felt a raw and terroir driven.
If you're looking for a wine that has a good amount of fruit left the 09 might be in a sweet spot to be pulled. There is a lot to like about this wine and there is no rush as this should continue to age well.
2009 is a beautiful vintage for Blankiet wines. Some of the first wines I ever justified spending over the hundred dollar mark. Now that threshold is a lot higher!
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5/10/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 93 Points
One hour slow ox. Nearly opaque garnet color. Burnt hazelnut, raspberry syrup, tomato leaf, wild strawberry, and subtle creamsicle. Smooth, dry palate, with tongue coating acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish. 82% CS, 17% Merlot, and 1% CF
This has tremendous structure, but it is too savory for my palate at this stage. It did improve over an hour of drinking. I simply cannot appreciate this level of tertiary notes. Very fun bottle supplied by Mark1NPT.
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5/10/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 98 Points
I brought this bottle to our event, primarily for Mrs. Agelvis, knowing her palate a little, and also full well that it was probably a little too aged for Ag, himself....and that's exactly how it played out! One of the few times I've guessed, right. Given I think a one hour slow ox cork out in the fridge and tasted over 3 hours from bottle during our event. It remained remarkably consistent throughout the entire time. Medium to deep translucent ruby in the glass. On the nose a raspberry syrup, walnut/hazelnut, and maybe a hint of tomato leaf? This wine is 'savory' but the kind of savory I adore. Meaning that it has no sage or green pepper and is not overloaded with black olive tapenade. It more of a balsamic glaze, coffee and tobacco profile, which I love. Some umami, too, but not old or aged in any way. Feels alive and vibrant given the structure and balance of all the components in this bottle. Even those scoring it less, not liking the taste profile as much, rated its structure the best quality. Very, very long finish. This wine is really well put together and floating my boat where it is right now. For my palate, I don't know that it gets any better, so it was my WOTN. Mrs. Agelvis had 3 tastings of it too, as did I. You never know how a bottle you pick up at auction is gonna do, especially when opening for friends, but so happy this one delivered.
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11/1/2022 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow ox 1 hour. Full bodied and showing well. Very integrated rich dark fruit, earth notes, leather, trace spice. Definitely worth the time cellared.
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5/21/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar to prior note after double decanting for 2 hrs; outstanding, drink or hold
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1/29/2022 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 96 Points
Utterly old world in style, especially on the nose, with subtle new world hints of Napa fruit. This is darn near close to a perfect style of wine for me.
Decanted for 1+ hours and consumed over another 1-2. A little tight at first, but was perfect with dinner and did loosen its grip as the evening progressed.
81.8% cabernet sauvignon, 16.7% Merlot, 1% cabernet franc and 0.5% petit verdot.
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12/18/2021 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 95 Points
PNP, into Albertsons best steamless glassware. A needed upgrade to what was included at the Palm Springs rental. What a disservice to the 07 Rive Droite from the night before! Maybe Santa will bring me a wine glass travel carrier. Thanks for the tip Lite!
At twelve years of age this bottle for my palate is just starting to enter a drinking window that I personally enjoy. Some primary fruit still showing along with the layers of secondary and tertiary flavors. Just like the sister wine rive droite there is a good bit of oak on these wines. With that, I think they still benefit from an extended decant or slow 24 ox in the bottle at cellar temp. Next bottle in a year or two. Bottles purchased from Benchmark in what seems to be perfect condition.
95
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10/19/2021 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 95 Points
Same notes as earlier...minimally less pleasing.
Slow ox 1 hour. Very integrated rich dark fruit, earth notes, leather, trace spice. Full bodied and showing well. Going forward I'll drink these a few years earlier. Definitely prime time for this baby.
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4/1/2021 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 96 Points
Slow ox 1 hour. Very integrated rich dark fruit, earth notes, leather, trace spice. Full bodied and showing well. Going forward I'll drink these a few years earlier. Definitely prime time for this baby. One 09 remains in cellar.
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2/20/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, dark fruit with some leather, med. tannins, long finish; the extra year since my last one has helped & now entering peak drinking, outstanding, drink or hold
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7/22/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, dark fruit, again like an 09 left bank with some leather, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding, drink or hold (no rush)
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7/10/2020 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
After opening a Merus ‘12 and Astralis ‘06 and both been flawed this one came to the rescue...
Couldn’t decant properly, just opened, poured into the decanter and started to drink it immediately. This wine has a French bouquet, floral, with dark chocolate and lots of personality. The finish is long and beautiful...
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5/4/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding & on day 2 was beginning to develop a touch of a Bordeaux profile (like an 09 left bank) with some leather, drink or hold (no rush)
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4/18/2020 - Wine2372 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Splendid Napa bordeaux blend, drinking very fine at 11 years. Opulent, resolved palette of dark plums and cassis. Cedar, slate, a touch of earth and char, with nice acidity and evolving, grippy tannins. Smooth structure with an elegant, medium finish. A beautiful Napa red in peak form. Benefits from air. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
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3/21/2020 - Kenny_Powers Likes this wine: 92 Points
Got off my ass and decanted for 45 minutes. Very good wine. Price point is questionable but it was a gift so I will say thank you very much...but next time just buy me two $80 bottles.
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12/31/2019 - Eye Drink Reds Likes this wine: 95 Points
An excellent bottle that took a good 3 hours for it to come around. Dark garnet color with slight browning at the edges. On PnP this was thin and boring, but progressively put on weight and complexity as it sat in the decanter. The nose never fully revealed itself, but the palate is where the wine shined. Enters with lovely mature roasted plum, and raspberry, and finishes with savory tomato, Asian spices, and hint of charcoal that provide a solid grip and a long finish. Wonderful concentration without getting jammy or cloyingly sweet. Definitely can drink now (with 3 decant) but can hold for many years. Would love to see how this develops in a few years. Paired wonderfully with a New York strip steak!
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9/28/2019 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a beauty, decanted for about 30 minutes an noon, put back into the bottle and consumed at dinner with Rineye medium rare. This wine has a very bold body, perfect acidity, lots of tannins, notes of chocolate, smoke and berries! The finish goes and goes....
Drink or hold. I which I had more.
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6/14/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
SO'd for a few hrs then double decanted, deep ruby, black cherry with a touch of vanilla, med. tannins, long finish; delicious, drink or preferably hold. Had with dear friends Sara & Greg at Goose & Gander in St. Helena. It was slightly inferior to the 04 Shafer HSS. Regardless, it was a fitting wine to enjoy after a fantastic tasting at Blankiet a few hrs before; love that place!
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4/6/2019 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious... in prime drinking window. Great fruit concentration, but not overly new world in style. Somewhat in the middle of the new world/old world spectrum in terms of flavor profile.
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3/3/2019 - twither Likes this wine: 95 Points
Somewhat muted nose, but very very good. Rich, smooth and balanced.
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5/22/2018 - msuwine wrote: 97 Points
This rich and integrated wine is drinking at its peak right now (and what a glorious, delicious peak it is!). Cherry red, almost inky black, in color; full in body; nose of plum, mocha, and gravel road. Lucious tastes of black cherry, blueberry pie, milk chocolate, and cedar, with a lingering, silky finish whose dusty tannins have fully integrated. Blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and the remaining 1% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 14.9% alcohol. Drink in next year or so, since this dances at the edge of over-ripeness. Give this an hour of air, since it tastes a bit messy at first - but opens into something far more impressive with air.
Sometimes a modern CA wine falls apart with age; sometimes it holds serve - older, but the same; and sometimes it becomes more than the sum of its parts. This is the last kind of wine. I agree with csimm1161 that this isn't a dense, concentrated wine - but I also think this has plenty of ripeness, complexity, and plushness; it is a wine that has unfolded over time. No one would confuse this as a wine from anywhere other than Napa, but it's also hard to deny that it has aged beautifully.
Bottom line, this wine has polish and class that are remarkable. I think this has more integration and polish than the 2010 or 2012, while still providing fresh, almost joyous fruit. The key characteristic that makes me love this wine is this: it integrates ripe fruit and subtle structure (treble and base, if you will) in order to make a harmonious and delicious wine. 96-97.
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10/15/2017 - ledocq Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous. I'd wondered if it would be a powerhouse or subtle and the answer is "Yes." So many changes over the course of four hours it's useless to catalogue. Consumed upon notice of loved ones' house in Santa Rosa being safe.
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9/27/2017 - Bill Johnson wrote: 96 Points
A great wine. However, give it a few years or at least a two hour decant. Restrained nose but beautiful flavors of dark fruit and coffee. If you can wait on this bottle, do.
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11/27/2016 - AdamGoldston Likes this wine: 96 Points
Amazing Thanksgiving wine.
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10/9/2016 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
A beautiful example of a Napa blend. This shows awesome purity of fruit, just enough restraint delivered by excellent craftsmanship, and wonderful tiered flavors. The best Blankiet I've had to date. In a perfect drinking window right now with a short splash decant. Somewhat classically styled, but with a core intensity that coats the palate.
Flavors of dark ripe plum, red and black currant, black raspberry, charcuterie, Asian spice, railroad tie, and a subtle hint of charred oak on the back end. Textually this is a dream of a wine, with a silkiness that is indeed admirable.
The dark plum and current notes became a little more prominent after about 2 to 3 hours of air. Nothing to be too concerned about however, as the energy and core intensity still pushed through.
95-96 points from me. My other half pegged it at 98 points; stylistically this is more in her wheelhouse, as Blankiet veers a little more toward a classical Napa Cabernet, as opposed to the super intense New World styles.
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12/12/2015 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very nice Napa version of a bordeaux wine. Very smooth, not a typical Napa Cab fruit bomb. Nice fruit, with a little oak, chocolate, and spice.
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8/22/2015 - enjoywine Likes this wine: 95 Points
My second of three bottles and WOW. No formal notes but in no way was my opinion of it being “hot” from the last review – but that being 6/29/13. For my palate (Big fruit plus offsetting tannins with long finish) this is almost a 96. The aromatics are slightly restrained but when you taste it - who cares as its sooo good on the palate. Don’t be afraid to drink now with a 1 or 2 hour decant for air.
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10/12/2014 - El Tej wrote: 96 Points
Aromas and notes of menthol, bacon-wrapped fig, Asian spice and dark fruits. Opens nicely after a short decant.
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11/23/2013 - JustDrinkIt wrote: 93 Points
Aerated in a Decanter for 2 hrs
My first impressions were that it was not a powerful wine in terms of taste and smell, rather subdued and soft (almost whimpy) for a CA Cabernet. There was some nice oak wafting out of the glass and taste of black berries, black plums with hints of spice. Not precise in taste or aromas as there was not not much acid around , but surprisingly it was balanced in taste between the fruit, tannin and acid. The tannin was just registering, I cannot see this lasting 20 years.
It is a nice wine that one can drink on its own but don't combine this with an over powering meal as it will drown the wine experience.
Bought 2 bottle to try and I think for the price I will move on.
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6/29/2013 - Niagara wrote: 92 Points
Refined, balanced, but a little hot on the finish.
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5/30/2013 - burgcamel wrote: 98 Points
A really great CA cab in the making. Beautifully balanced with enormous potential.
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1/24/2013 - Lutz wrote: 98 Points
Had two bottles over the last two weeks. Both showing extremely rich, complex, full bodied. Nose is extremely intense with blueberry, mocha and forest soil. Finish lasts forever? So much fun to drink this!!
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12/31/2012 - Ajnate wrote:
While clearly very young, this big, muscular and initially brooding wine softened after several hours in a large decanter. Heavy black licorice and tar notes gave way to a far more nuanced blend of structured dark fruits, plums, cassis and chocolate. Absolutely wonderful wine which should mature over time into something quite special. Better acidity and balance than most California winemakers are coaxing out of their grapes. Loved the wine.
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12/25/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Caramel, molasses, smoke and jammy black and blue fruits create the earthy aromas. On the palate, the wine is polished, spicy and lush, but throws some heat in the finish in the otherwise, stylish finish.
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7/24/2012 - Lutz wrote: 96 Points
What an amazing wine! Dark ruby red with nose of mocha, blueberries and creme de cassis.
Extremely well balanced with dark berry flavors, some minerals too and forest soil. Very long finish! We decanted the wine for one hour, potential to last forever.
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6/20/2012 - jaylew1 wrote: 95 Points
Rating on potential. Probably didn't give this one enough of a decant (about an hour). Palate is spectacular. Cassis, tobacco, dark, dark, dark. Very long finish. A tiny tinge of heat prevents the score from going up. I'd say decant 3-4 hours now or wait a bit.
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