My first of six. Ripe and modern, a bit one dimensional but nonetheless delivers, with delicious blue and black fruit, some bramble and pepper. A touch of heat. Fully mature but should hold for a decade.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
45 minutes double decanted and consumed about 2 hours later with friends at Flemings. This is a big Napa Cabernet, one of those that can cut through a big and fatty Tomahawk!
Everyone at the table loved it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
3 hour S/O, drank over 3 hours. Saved half for next day. Big bold, low acid, soft tannins, black currant, earth tones. Although enjoyable, I decided a few years ago to stop buying this as it lacked complexity and didn’t merit the $175 tariff. It might be worth it today considering the 25% inflation in NV pricing that’s occurred in the past 1-2 years. Still it was an enjoyable bottle and didn’t change on day 2.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From my bedroom to the fridge (opened) for about 2 hours, then decanted for 1 full hour and placed back in the fridge for about 10 minutes while we finished getting ready to leave to the restaurant...
This wine is a beast, big and bold classic Napa with high tannins and restrained in the fruit department (which contradict my previous statement that is a "classic Napa", but I'm referring to the Napa Cults).
At this stage in its life the wine is a bit tannic still, like most of the 2010’s from Napa, while the long exposure to oxygen helped the wine and don’t think it’s shining at this moment. We took a quarter of the bottle back home and finished by 10pm (around 8 hours after it was opened) and the wine went downhill…
94+ HOLD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Failing to heed my own advice, I barely waited a few months to open another bottle, not the few years I had recommended. My impatience was rewarded by a wonderful Cabernet with complexity and a long finish. The wine was somewhat cloudy and an extra bubble of tannin showed up regularly in the finish or it would have merited another point or two.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I feel like this wine went through a few awkward years and is now finding its legs. Pretty fruit and seems balanced throughout. What seems unusual with this wine is its acidity. It is all over the board. Depending how you swirl it in your mouth, you can find yourself amazed or offended. I believe its still needs a few years to completely resolve and then my money is this wine is a real winner. Fruit is still fresh and tannins are really refining themselves. Drink now and you'll enjoy, wait (IMO, 2 years) and you will be happy.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Almost a year ago, this wine was “slightly one dimensional” and then opened up nicely after 3 hours. This bottle never really opened up. I have several more bottles and will try to wait a couple of years to see how this wine evolves.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My selection for the CWG-D based on the assumption that my friends never had the wine and possibly never even heard of it.
Everyone like it but it didn’t fooled anyone, they all said Napa Cabernet. One at the table confused it with Verite Le Desir, possibly for the 5% Cab Franc.
The wine is ruby in color, bold body, dark fruits, strong persisten tannins, long finish and still unidimensional. 94++ HOLD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great nose of rich red fruits and graphite. Medium weight, with flavors of red fruits, spice and a hint of vanilla. A well made wine, but I should have let it air for a few more hours as it really started to come together after 90 minutes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
After a 60 minute decant, this wine was a deep, rich, fruit-filled but slightly one-dimensional. Medium-long finish and perfectly integrated tannins. Three hours after opening, it had become more expressive with a strong beam of raspberry-orange followed by herbal flavors. Really interesting. This is a youthful wine and I look forward to seeing how it evolves. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and for any service members who happen to read this let me say that I’m very grateful for the service of so many who have made it possible for me, my wife and friends to enjoy petty pleasures like fine wine and great food. And great pleasures like freedom of speech and the right to vote. THANK YOU.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stood up for an hour and then gentle decant for about 90 minutes. Drank over 2 hours.
Herbal tones dominate the nose and the palate. Fruit has given way to thyme, mint and black pepper. Medium weight and finish. Did not really evolve over the 2 hours we enjoyed it. Very food friendly with roast/carrots/potatoes.
Imagine I would have guessed this for Bordeaux if tasting blind. More recent vintages (all tasted within a year of release) seem to be more Napa in profile, so will be interesting to see how they age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hrs, drank over 2 hrs. Beautiful nose on open, but zero on the palate. Hit its stride at 5 hrs. More Bordeaux than Napa at first with faint fruit but herbal notes dominating. Red fruit started to take over at 5 hrs and really improved the overall experience. This would be a great food wine in another 5 years. 10-15 years of life left. 86 at open, 91 after 4 hrs, 93 at 5 hrs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted for 4 hours. This is a well made wine that didn't show as well as it has in the past. Dark fruit, tobacco, and spice run throughout but the wine is showing extremely linear with little depth. Tannins and fruit are balanced, but leaves me wanting more. This wine had unusually high amount of sediment in the bottle. Plenty of fruit left but I'm hoping this will develop tertiary flavors otherwise I missed its best days.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hmm, what to say? This is a prodigious wine, pretty in its way. The creaminess/low-acid style, while not my preference at all, worked if for no other reason than it was a great study in contrast to the other wines that were open: 2001 Rafanelli Terrace Select, and a 2000 Amarone. Certainly has its own identity in tonight's company, but I can see this one-note style (that note is 'delicious'), growing somewhat tiresome (i.e. boring) by the second glass - for me, anyway. Monolithic, with blueberries and lavender; all too subtle notes of soil, of place. The back label says "non-interventionist winemaking" (deep pause) that has me scratching my head as there really is no 'grown' component to be found, just a 'designed/styled' one. 15,0% abv.
Double-decanted for sediment, served non-blind 4 hours later.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Knightsbridge Bordeaux and US Cabernet Tasting (Northbrook, IL): Tasting, brief note. Impossible to mistake for anything other than Cali Cab. Fun, forward and ultra lush, I just found it slightly monolithic. But I understand why others really enjoy this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit early but just a fabulous cabernet at this point in what I believe will be a long lifetime. Nose contains tobacco, blackberry, and boysenberry with a hint of cocoa. Palate is highly structured with intense dark fruits and cocoa dust. Finish sails on for over a minute. A classy and distinct style of wine. I'll wait a couple years for this to integrate even further.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Licorice, truffle, smoke, fresh brewed espresso and blackberry aromas pair perfectly with the polished, silky textures and rich, fresh, sweet, black cherry and ripe boysenberries found in the finish. This wine will definitely improve with a few years of bottle age. This is a really nice style of California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/25/2023 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first of six. Ripe and modern, a bit one dimensional but nonetheless delivers, with delicious blue and black fruit, some bramble and pepper. A touch of heat. Fully mature but should hold for a decade.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2023 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
45 minutes double decanted and consumed about 2 hours later with friends at Flemings. This is a big Napa Cabernet, one of those that can cut through a big and fatty Tomahawk!
Everyone at the table loved it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2023 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 95 Points
3 hour S/O, drank over 3 hours. Saved half for next day.
Big bold, low acid, soft tannins, black currant, earth tones. Although enjoyable, I decided a few years ago to stop buying this as it lacked complexity and didn’t merit the $175 tariff. It might be worth it today considering the 25% inflation in NV pricing that’s occurred in the past 1-2 years. Still it was an enjoyable bottle and didn’t change on day 2.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2022 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From my bedroom to the fridge (opened) for about 2 hours, then decanted for 1 full hour and placed back in the fridge for about 10 minutes while we finished getting ready to leave to the restaurant...
This wine is a beast, big and bold classic Napa with high tannins and restrained in the fruit department (which contradict my previous statement that is a "classic Napa", but I'm referring to the Napa Cults).
At this stage in its life the wine is a bit tannic still, like most of the 2010’s from Napa, while the long exposure to oxygen helped the wine and don’t think it’s shining at this moment. We took a quarter of the bottle back home and finished by 10pm (around 8 hours after it was opened) and the wine went downhill…
94+ HOLD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2021 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Failing to heed my own advice, I barely waited a few months to open another bottle, not the few years I had recommended. My impatience was rewarded by a wonderful Cabernet with complexity and a long finish. The wine was somewhat cloudy and an extra bubble of tannin showed up regularly in the finish or it would have merited another point or two.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2021 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I feel like this wine went through a few awkward years and is now finding its legs. Pretty fruit and seems balanced throughout. What seems unusual with this wine is its acidity. It is all over the board. Depending how you swirl it in your mouth, you can find yourself amazed or offended. I believe its still needs a few years to completely resolve and then my money is this wine is a real winner. Fruit is still fresh and tannins are really refining themselves. Drink now and you'll enjoy, wait (IMO, 2 years) and you will be happy.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2021 - Red Sox Fan wrote:
Almost a year ago, this wine was “slightly one dimensional” and then opened up nicely after 3 hours. This bottle never really opened up. I have several more bottles and will try to wait a couple of years to see how this wine evolves.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2021 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
My selection for the CWG-D based on the assumption that my friends never had the wine and possibly never even heard of it.
Everyone like it but it didn’t fooled anyone, they all said Napa Cabernet. One at the table confused it with Verite Le Desir, possibly for the 5% Cab Franc.
The wine is ruby in color, bold body, dark fruits, strong persisten tannins, long finish and still unidimensional. 94++ HOLD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2021 - rwstorer wrote: 92 Points
Great nose of rich red fruits and graphite. Medium weight, with flavors of red fruits, spice and a hint of vanilla. A well made wine, but I should have let it air for a few more hours as it really started to come together after 90 minutes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2020 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine: 95 Points
After a 60 minute decant, this wine was a deep, rich, fruit-filled but slightly one-dimensional. Medium-long finish and perfectly integrated tannins. Three hours after opening, it had become more expressive with a strong beam of raspberry-orange followed by herbal flavors. Really interesting. This is a youthful wine and I look forward to seeing how it evolves. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and for any service members who happen to read this let me say that I’m very grateful for the service of so many who have made it possible for me, my wife and friends to enjoy petty pleasures like fine wine and great food. And great pleasures like freedom of speech and the right to vote. THANK YOU.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2018 - rwstorer wrote:
Drinking well after a 4+ hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Stood up for an hour and then gentle decant for about 90 minutes. Drank over 2 hours.
Herbal tones dominate the nose and the palate. Fruit has given way to thyme, mint and black pepper. Medium weight and finish. Did not really evolve over the 2 hours we enjoyed it. Very food friendly with roast/carrots/potatoes.
Imagine I would have guessed this for Bordeaux if tasting blind. More recent vintages (all tasted within a year of release) seem to be more Napa in profile, so will be interesting to see how they age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2018 - Geaux Tigers wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 4 hrs, drank over 2 hrs. Beautiful nose on open, but zero on the palate. Hit its stride at 5 hrs. More Bordeaux than Napa at first with faint fruit but herbal notes dominating. Red fruit started to take over at 5 hrs and really improved the overall experience. This would be a great food wine in another 5 years. 10-15 years of life left. 86 at open, 91 after 4 hrs, 93 at 5 hrs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2018 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double decanted for 4 hours. This is a well made wine that didn't show as well as it has in the past. Dark fruit, tobacco, and spice run throughout but the wine is showing extremely linear with little depth. Tannins and fruit are balanced, but leaves me wanting more. This wine had unusually high amount of sediment in the bottle. Plenty of fruit left but I'm hoping this will develop tertiary flavors otherwise I missed its best days.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2015 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Hmm, what to say? This is a prodigious wine, pretty in its way. The creaminess/low-acid style, while not my preference at all, worked if for no other reason than it was a great study in contrast to the other wines that were open: 2001 Rafanelli Terrace Select, and a 2000 Amarone. Certainly has its own identity in tonight's company, but I can see this one-note style (that note is 'delicious'), growing somewhat tiresome (i.e. boring) by the second glass - for me, anyway. Monolithic, with blueberries and lavender; all too subtle notes of soil, of place. The back label says "non-interventionist winemaking" (deep pause) that has me scratching my head as there really is no 'grown' component to be found, just a 'designed/styled' one. 15,0% abv.
Double-decanted for sediment, served non-blind 4 hours later.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2014 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
US Cabernet/Blends and Bordeaux Tasting (Knightsbridge): Red & black fruit with a woody overtone. Palate follows the bouquet; plum on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Knightsbridge Bordeaux and US Cabernet Tasting (Northbrook, IL): Tasting, brief note. Impossible to mistake for anything other than Cali Cab. Fun, forward and ultra lush, I just found it slightly monolithic. But I understand why others really enjoy this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2014 - T.O.Wineaux Likes this wine: 96 Points
A bit early but just a fabulous cabernet at this point in what I believe will be a long lifetime. Nose contains tobacco, blackberry, and boysenberry with a hint of cocoa. Palate is highly structured with intense dark fruits and cocoa dust. Finish sails on for over a minute. A classy and distinct style of wine. I'll wait a couple years for this to integrate even further.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Licorice, truffle, smoke, fresh brewed espresso and blackberry aromas pair perfectly with the polished, silky textures and rich, fresh, sweet, black cherry and ripe boysenberries found in the finish. This wine will definitely improve with a few years of bottle age. This is a really nice style of California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment