13.9% alcohol; real cork, which broke in two during opening and made a crumbly mess; heavy-weight foil; opened, not vinturied, and kept in fridge for 24 hours without cork before tasting, at approximately 16 degrees C; a whiff of the cork promised a wine made from high-quality grapes; nose of yeast, veggies, minerals, cassis; the full-bodied wine showed a rush of tannins upfront, but the tannins were later balanced by fruitiness, sourness & minerality. Cassis, dark stone fruit and dark berries asserted themselves toward the back of the tongue and in the medium to long finish; pair with red meat -- we had Swedish meat balls with potato salad
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I didn’t decant this one thought it might stand up to pop the cork and drink wine but it had tobacco leaf nose up front fruit and then soft mid and little finish slightly disappointed as I would have thought she would hold on a bit Better for a 10 year old any way better drink the other one as this vintage wont last much more longer I fear.
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Olfato de compota de ameixa, tabaco e notas de vanila. Na boca apresenta leve álcool, taninos maduros e acidez em ótimo nível. Retrogosto de ameixa bem persistente. Interessante guarda-lo por 2 a 4 anos adicionais, mas melhora não deve ser significativa.
Really dark, dense, opaque appearance. Picking up blackcurrant, dark plums, black cherry, dried herbs, chocolate and earthy aromas. Tastes of blackberry, cassis, bitter dark chocolate, and a hint of pencil lead. Medium to high acidity and tannin give the back palate a firm astringent feel in the mouth. I enjoy this style of Cabernet, not being a blockbuster, big fruit bomb.Not overextracted, with balanced oak and alcohol. Needs time (5+ years) to be at its best.
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Crowdpleaser. Long pleasing tastes of berries and chocolate, some earthiness. Served at our quarterly wine group dinner alongside 3 other Napa Cabs. This was the winner of the evening!
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I find a nice dark fruit character in Stags' Leap Winery Cabs. True to form, this has black currants, fancy oak, conifer, and eucalyptus aromas over secondary nuances of truffles and black olives. Attractive blackberry flavors play off of grippy tannin, balanced acidity, and more truffles at the finish line. Youthful, structured, complex, and very salubrious.
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Had about a month ago so no detailed tasting notes. However I think those looking for a restrained, more bordeaux experience will be pleased with this one. Definitely not a mega fruit alcohol explosion. Tempered, smooth, Relatively easy drinking. For the price, I'm impressed.
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Fairly austere -- for a Napa cab, and certainly for one from this vintage. Dry tannins and acid are at the moment fully dominant over the fruit. I expect this will come into better balance over 3-4 years, but even on the second night it was a bit reedy and tight. Just not a totally pleasing package.
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I am largely in agreement with StHugo, but I'd recommend waiting a bit longer on this. Venturi and decant 1 hr. It remained tight, aromas almost non-existent. Tanins were still still very stiff, but with a deep loganberry core and sufficient acid to hold future promise. I found this much better the 2nd day.
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Deep purple in colour and decanted for 1 hour, aromas of sweet black cherry are evident upon opening. Medium to full bodied Napa cabernet which is well balanced with plenty of dark fruit. Easy to drink but nothing to complex. A bit of a show pony, plenty up front but the finish is a bit of a disappointment. However, overall not a bad effort. A crowd pleaser/BBQ wine ... but nothing extra special. The fruit will make sure it holds for a few years but cannot see this one getting any better.
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Nice deep ruby tending purple. Ripe nose of plum, black currant, and caramel. Virtually no tannin and quite soft. Enough fruit to make for easy drinking, but not a serious wine.
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Drank while watching "Bottle Shock". Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with very nice aroma of smoky oak and sweet blackcurrant jam. On the palate, high acidity, big tannins but not overbearing, full body, long finish. Flavours of rich, ripe, sweet blackcurrants with a minty edge. Fruit-forward, nothing complex here. Good mouth-feel, but a bit of the alcohol heat at the end. A well made Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap. Drinking well now already.
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Not bad. It really opened up after a few hours. I would let this get some air before drinking... Not as bold as I like Cab's, but still turned out ok after a few hours sitting..
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Clear, a translucent dark purple with pink rim, with beautifully distributed and dozens of thin tears. Clean, full intensity, aromas of cooked blueberries, perfumed cassis, hawthorn, dried beef, earthy flowers with a hint of cinnamon. Dry, med body, med + tannins, med acidity, med + alcohol, very well balanced and good flavour intensity. With a decent finish, this wine deceives with the slightly translucent colour, but is rich with flavours of dark cherries, cocoa, delicate pepper, overripe blackcurrants. Very nice indeed. Would go perfectly with rack of lamb.
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Let it breathe for about 30 min, and it drank with a nice, mellow, deep fruit flavor. Let half the bottle decant over night, and the following day had lost a bit of it's edge, but still very flavorful.
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Medium-dark purple in glass, with aromas of sweet black cherry. Palate shows black currant and black cherry, notes of cedar and tobacco leaf, smooth round tannins and a very pleasant finish. Classic Stags Leap fruit character, understated and in perfect balance. Don't understand Spectator's low ratings on this vintage, comes across as a classic Bordeaux-style blend, understated and delicious. Was a gift, and after drinking, it's now on the 'buy' list.
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Medium bodied with silky tannins. Good fruit character with prominent notes of dark purple fruits. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed this cab - nothing special but some decent juice. Not a big Parker-esque fruit bomb which was nice. I don't see this wine evolving anymore with age. Drink now. Good bottle but wouldn't buy again based on price. Much better QPR's out there. Hopefully the Antinori's can return this Winery to its former glory. This bottle is indication that we may see good things in the future for Stags' Leap Winery.
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Simple red fruit nose and a slightly oaky note. Opened up over 24 hours. There’s definitely a ripe strawberry component and even some mint. The more I drink this one the more I’m getting the little nuances.
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Very dark and licorice nose. Palate full of stone, mushroom, tar, lime, lemon, tobacco, dark jam. Was a bit disappointed with the average cellartracker rating, but the wine turned out to be better than the average rating. Classic cab.
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Global World Offline Online - purplish red; very nice intense sweet nose, hint of walnut; strong tannins, fairly balanced but one dimensional - I don't think this wine has reached its best time for drinking but don't expect it will ever be anything special
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Opened this for the CT global online offline :) Decanting wine at 7am made for an interesting Saturday!
I figured I'd make my note after it's been open a while. Decanted about 14 hours ago, put back in the bottle about 10 hours ago.
Straightfoward bottle of Cab...a pretty middle of the road, inoffensive wine, but nothing that really distinguishes it. As others have noted, not a very good buy at $40+. Doesn't have the 'Napa nose' as I call it, but shows a bit of earth, tobacco, oak, and hints of fruit at the edges.
Probably will last for some years, but not sure it will improve.
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Global World Offline Online (Allen, Tx, BtR's home, Google+, CT forum): 2hr decant - 750ml; Aromas of typical napa cabernet fruit, black cherry, rasberry, and alcohol. Taste was soft for a 2009 napa cab -expected much stiffer tannins. Not much going on besides a bit of fruit and a bit of leather. Pretty simple and good for about $20, not $42.
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Global World Offline Online (Online): Decanted for 2 hours. Very little nose. A really soft palate with little tannin. Surprised this is a 2009 vintage. Ready to drink now. A bit on the jammy side. Lots of blackberry and dark fruits. Easy to drink but not very complex. Would drink over the next 2-3 years.
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I have been surprised by this Stags, well balanced but very little oak on the nose for a California Cab. I would even say a little more old world. Should age well with a few more years in the cellar.
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2/21/2023 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very enjoyable Cabernet. Needed food to show at its best but with food, truly pleasant.
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7/31/2022 - Winokdub wrote: 91 Points
Really nice and in a great window if you like mature and mellowed wine.
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12/26/2021 - Glenn Gilbert Likes this wine: 90 Points
13.9% alcohol; real cork, which broke in two during opening and made a crumbly mess; heavy-weight foil; opened, not vinturied, and kept in fridge for 24 hours without cork before tasting, at approximately 16 degrees C; a whiff of the cork promised a wine made from high-quality grapes; nose of yeast, veggies, minerals, cassis; the full-bodied wine showed a rush of tannins upfront, but the tannins were later balanced by fruitiness, sourness & minerality. Cassis, dark stone fruit and dark berries asserted themselves toward the back of the tongue and in the medium to long finish; pair with red meat -- we had Swedish meat balls with potato salad
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1/17/2021 - Att23 Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Waited too long to drink. This wine is spent. Nose is still decent, but that’s about all. All the fruit is gone.
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11/21/2020 - rcasaw wrote: 87 Points
past prime
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12/30/2019 - WwwThommo Does not like this wine: 81 Points
I didn’t decant this one thought it might stand up to pop the cork and drink wine but it had tobacco leaf nose up front fruit and then soft mid and little finish slightly disappointed as I would have thought she would hold on a bit
Better for a 10 year old any way better drink the other one as this vintage wont last much more longer I fear.
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2/24/2018 - Jokofon wrote: 91 Points
Give it 5 more years.
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1/31/2018 - Craigbilodeau Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another great cab from Napa!
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12/23/2017 - Felipe Condado Likes this wine: 92 Points
Olfato de compota de ameixa, tabaco e notas de vanila. Na boca apresenta leve álcool, taninos maduros e acidez em ótimo nível. Retrogosto de ameixa bem persistente. Interessante guarda-lo por 2 a 4 anos adicionais, mas melhora não deve ser significativa.
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12/21/2017 - Robbie K wrote: 93 Points
Really dark, dense, opaque appearance.
Picking up blackcurrant, dark plums, black cherry, dried herbs, chocolate and earthy aromas.
Tastes of blackberry, cassis, bitter dark chocolate, and a hint of pencil lead.
Medium to high acidity and tannin give the back palate a firm astringent feel in the mouth.
I enjoy this style of Cabernet, not being a blockbuster, big fruit bomb.Not overextracted, with balanced oak and alcohol.
Needs time (5+ years) to be at its best.
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8/6/2017 - capnkirk Likes this wine: 93 Points
Crowdpleaser. Long pleasing tastes of berries and chocolate, some earthiness. Served at our quarterly wine group dinner alongside 3 other Napa Cabs. This was the winner of the evening!
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2/17/2017 - Baron Slick wrote: 92 Points
I find a nice dark fruit character in Stags' Leap Winery Cabs. True to form, this has black currants, fancy oak, conifer, and eucalyptus aromas over secondary nuances of truffles and black olives. Attractive blackberry flavors play off of grippy tannin, balanced acidity, and more truffles at the finish line. Youthful, structured, complex, and very salubrious.
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11/20/2016 - Craigbilodeau Likes this wine: 91 Points
This bottle was the party favorite! Full bodied, complex, and not overly tannic/tight. A pleasure to drink.
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7/21/2016 - Vanilla wrote: 90 Points
Great bottle, excellent right now. Don't see this getting better.
Pop your bottles if you have some of this delicious grape juice.
Perfect with some Grilled meat on the BBQ.
Santé!
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6/6/2016 - iwhawkes@yahoo.co.uk Likes this wine: 88 Points
Lovely wine. Still quite tannic, although mellowed after a couple of hours.
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1/25/2016 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Had about a month ago so no detailed tasting notes. However I think those looking for a restrained, more bordeaux experience will be pleased with this one. Definitely not a mega fruit alcohol explosion. Tempered, smooth, Relatively easy drinking. For the price, I'm impressed.
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6/8/2015 - Pulling Corks wrote: 89 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry.
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2/12/2015 - Shrages wrote: 89 Points
Fairly austere -- for a Napa cab, and certainly for one from this vintage. Dry tannins and acid are at the moment fully dominant over the fruit. I expect this will come into better balance over 3-4 years, but even on the second night it was a bit reedy and tight. Just not a totally pleasing package.
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1/30/2015 - 422dbowlsby wrote: 90 Points
I am largely in agreement with StHugo, but I'd recommend waiting a bit longer on this. Venturi and decant 1 hr. It remained tight, aromas almost non-existent. Tanins were still still very stiff, but with a deep loganberry core and sufficient acid to hold future promise. I found this much better the 2nd day.
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1/24/2015 - sthugo wrote: 88 Points
Deep purple in colour and decanted for 1 hour, aromas of sweet black cherry are evident upon opening. Medium to full bodied Napa cabernet which is well balanced with plenty of dark fruit. Easy to drink but nothing to complex. A bit of a show pony, plenty up front but the finish is a bit of a disappointment. However, overall not a bad effort. A crowd pleaser/BBQ wine ... but nothing extra special. The fruit will make sure it holds for a few years but cannot see this one getting any better.
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11/18/2014 - smphelps wrote: 85 Points
Nice deep ruby tending purple. Ripe nose of plum, black currant, and caramel. Virtually no tannin and quite soft. Enough fruit to make for easy drinking, but not a serious wine.
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6/15/2014 - IstidVin Likes this wine: 95 Points
On our Rushmore. First above average wine I purchased for the house. Taught us what good should taste like.
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4/3/2014 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Drank while watching "Bottle Shock".
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour.
Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with very nice aroma of smoky oak and sweet blackcurrant jam.
On the palate, high acidity, big tannins but not overbearing, full body, long finish. Flavours of rich, ripe, sweet blackcurrants with a minty edge. Fruit-forward, nothing complex here. Good mouth-feel, but a bit of the alcohol heat at the end.
A well made Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap. Drinking well now already.
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12/23/2013 - Sunocoblue Likes this wine: 89 Points
Same as before... Let it open up for an hour or so before trying. Mineral and Earthy flavor with strong tannins at the finish.
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11/26/2013 - Sunocoblue Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not bad. It really opened up after a few hours. I would let this get some air before drinking... Not as bold as I like Cab's, but still turned out ok after a few hours sitting..
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10/3/2013 - Smksmk wrote:
Excellent, well balanced, lite metallic, lite earth, cherry, right amount of tannin/acidity
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8/30/2013 - CultCabKing wrote: 90 Points
Consistently excellent! Holding up nicely to this 16oz bone in prime ribeye!
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8/7/2013 - Rowchan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clear, a translucent dark purple with pink rim, with beautifully distributed and dozens of thin tears.
Clean, full intensity, aromas of cooked blueberries, perfumed cassis, hawthorn, dried beef, earthy flowers with a hint of cinnamon.
Dry, med body, med + tannins, med acidity, med + alcohol, very well balanced and good flavour intensity. With a decent finish, this wine deceives with the slightly translucent colour, but is rich with flavours of dark cherries, cocoa, delicate pepper, overripe blackcurrants. Very nice indeed. Would go perfectly with rack of lamb.
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6/30/2013 - Acorn-Cellar wrote:
- Garnet color.
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6/14/2013 - buzzard06 wrote: 92 Points
Very good
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4/28/2013 - danstrings Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good inky, juicy, minerally, crowd pleasing cab
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4/28/2013 - JustOneMore Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit grapey and not very complex, but very a solid California Cab in the price point. Drank the next day with absolutely no change in flavors.
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3/30/2013 - Pjreddy wrote: 90 Points
Smooth finish. Mineral and smoke. Strong berry but doesn't linger.
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3/23/2013 - Pnate wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for three hours. Just not feeling this one, especially at the $40 mark. Maybe a little more time will help this one a bit.
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2/17/2013 - JeepTX Likes this wine: 90 Points
Let it breathe for about 30 min, and it drank with a nice, mellow, deep fruit flavor. Let half the bottle decant over night, and the following day had lost a bit of it's edge, but still very flavorful.
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1/26/2013 - Snoman wrote: 89 Points
Medium-dark purple in glass, with aromas of sweet black cherry. Palate shows black currant and black cherry, notes of cedar and tobacco leaf, smooth round tannins and a very pleasant finish. Classic Stags Leap fruit character, understated and in perfect balance. Don't understand Spectator's low ratings on this vintage, comes across as a classic Bordeaux-style blend, understated and delicious. Was a gift, and after drinking, it's now on the 'buy' list.
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1/14/2013 - jonanator wrote: 89 Points
Medium bodied with silky tannins. Good fruit character with prominent notes of dark purple fruits. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed this cab - nothing special but some decent juice. Not a big Parker-esque fruit bomb which was nice. I don't see this wine evolving anymore with age. Drink now. Good bottle but wouldn't buy again based on price. Much better QPR's out there. Hopefully the Antinori's can return this Winery to its former glory. This bottle is indication that we may see good things in the future for Stags' Leap Winery.
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1/5/2013 - Yountmillrd wrote: 90 Points
- Garnet color. It's somewhat balanced with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish.
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12/16/2012 - danp wrote: 89 Points
Simple red fruit nose and a slightly oaky note. Opened up over 24 hours. There’s definitely a ripe strawberry component and even some mint. The more I drink this one the more I’m getting the little nuances.
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12/16/2012 - winecoffee wrote: 90 Points
Very dark and licorice nose. Palate full of stone, mushroom, tar, lime, lemon, tobacco, dark jam. Was a bit disappointed with the average cellartracker rating, but the wine turned out to be better than the average rating. Classic cab.
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12/15/2012 - Carniolan Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Global World Offline Online - purplish red; very nice intense sweet nose, hint of walnut; strong tannins, fairly balanced but one dimensional - I don't think this wine has reached its best time for drinking but don't expect it will ever be anything special
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12/15/2012 - wineberg wrote: 86 Points
Opened this for the CT global online offline :) Decanting wine at 7am made for an interesting Saturday!
I figured I'd make my note after it's been open a while. Decanted about 14 hours ago, put back in the bottle about 10 hours ago.
Straightfoward bottle of Cab...a pretty middle of the road, inoffensive wine, but nothing that really distinguishes it. As others have noted, not a very good buy at $40+. Doesn't have the 'Napa nose' as I call it, but shows a bit of earth, tobacco, oak, and hints of fruit at the edges.
Probably will last for some years, but not sure it will improve.
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12/15/2012 - BornToRhone wrote: 88 Points
Global World Offline Online (Allen, Tx, BtR's home, Google+, CT forum): 2hr decant - 750ml; Aromas of typical napa cabernet fruit, black cherry, rasberry, and alcohol. Taste was soft for a 2009 napa cab -expected much stiffer tannins. Not much going on besides a bit of fruit and a bit of leather. Pretty simple and good for about $20, not $42.
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12/15/2012 - Oskiwawa wrote: 88 Points
Global World Offline Online (Online): Decanted for 2 hours. Very little nose. A really soft palate with little tannin. Surprised this is a 2009 vintage. Ready to drink now. A bit on the jammy side. Lots of blackberry and dark fruits. Easy to drink but not very complex. Would drink over the next 2-3 years.
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12/14/2012 - drbill Likes this wine:
nice cab. not outstanding.
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11/24/2012 - Robwild Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep ruby red rich color. Nice bouquet. Brawny with black currant Full body. Give it about 45 minutes to breathe and opens nicely. Great with steak
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10/26/2012 - DataSquid wrote:
I don't drink Cab, so rating is forfeit. But, damn, this was great with the steak and even better with the chocolate cake after. Wow.
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10/20/2012 - jfmontreal wrote: 89 Points
I have been surprised by this Stags, well balanced but very little oak on the nose for a California Cab. I would even say a little more old world. Should age well with a few more years in the cellar.
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9/24/2012 - Erik wine wrote: 94 Points
Love the wine very dry. Strong berries
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7/11/2012 - CultCabKing wrote: 92 Points
Excellent
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