deep garnet hue; ripe black fruit, forest floor in the nose; excellent lush blackberries, black cherry and black raspberries on the palate. Very strong Napa cab with perfectly balanced tannins. Well done!
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Poured from a Coravin I got as a Christmas present. Brick color tinged with orange (close to brown but not quite); nose of pepper, forest leaves and stewed black fruit; herbs, well-integrated tannins, black fruit; a bit past prime, but still drinking well.
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garnet brick hue; cassis stew with bramble and tar oil in the nose; black fruit, figs, sour apple, cedar box on the tongue; well-integrated soft tannins, long lingering aftertaste of roasted blackberry and tobacco.
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Another great old cab. Lots of tobacco, humidor, and graphite on the nose. Red fruit is starting to fade. Still plenty of acid and integrated, smooth tannins. Saved one glass for the next day and the fruit has gone but the acid and tannins are still holding. I'll probably drink my last bottle soon.
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This is singing right now, with plenty of life left. So smooth, a good amount of acidity, fully integrated oak and some very light tannins on the finish. Juicy cherry flavors with pencil shavings mixed in. Very fresh. Yum.
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My last bottle, so the July 4 streak of Ardente '96 Cab + grilled steak (porterhouse this year) ends at two. This was still going strong - no particular hurry if you've still got some. Very nice.
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Nicely balanced wine, leather and pencil lead early, then nice fruit on the mid palate, (can't remember the fruit since I drank it several days ago) and a very smooth finish. Sorry for the brief description, but I was just drinking it late at night over two days, not in a super analyzing mood, but I just remember that it was smoothhhhhh!!!!
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Perfect with monster charcoal-grilled rib steaks, on the Fourth of July, camping. I've said this wine will be just fine for some years to come, and I believe it will, but I'm zooming through my stash because it's drinking damn well and because I have few other bottles so well-aged.
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Yeah, like my earlier note, this showed very nicely again, considerably fresher than any of my bottles of the 1997 did. Robust acidity, 13% alcohol per the label: this is very nicely balanced for the table (and enjoyable on its own), emphatically not evocative of fruit syrup+vodka.
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Initially very fruity which blew off after an hour. After that a lot of leather and cassis. Went well with with dinner but was opened to early and I didn't get to enjoy the full range of flavors as it opened up quickly. Would buy again. But not hold on too long as it is primed.
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Dark red, almost purple in the glass with a brickish hue. Cherry and cedar on the nose with some candied bottle bouquet, very nice! Cherry, cassis, tobacco and leather with allspice and medium tannins on the medium+ finish. Day 2: the wine has picked up a slightly acetic characteristic. Not a good sign for further aging so I agree with those who have suggested to drink up soon. Less fruit than day 1 with more spice and more pronounced tannins. Still quite good but noticeably diminished from day 1. Note that I opened the bottle which seemed to have the cork protruding a little more than my other 5 bottles and that the cork was wet about 1/3 of the way up so it's possible that bottles with better cork integrity may have some extra life in them. EDIT to add that there was some sediment in the bottle but not a lot.
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Wow, this was awfully nice, and just ridiculous for even the price Woot intended to sell it at, let alone the 50% off they unintentionally gave a few of us! Fresher than the '97, which I had enjoyed quite a lot. If other bottles show similarly, I'll be in not big rush to finish my little stash. Fantastic with flank steak.
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A fantastically wine made and great QPR on wine.woot. Can't really speak more than others here. For a 1996 Napa cab that has been stored very well, this is fantastic.
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Wine tasting (Franklin, TN): Silver Medal, The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Ardente Estate Winery Founded: 1996 Owner: Carlo and Marie Francoise Di Ruocco Location: Atlas Peak Napa Valley, CA
Color: Rust, rust-brown, real brown, brick color, clear – without sediment, reddish/brownish, Nose: Sweet, leather, earthy, sweet like a dessert or port Palate: Tart, cherry, smooth, medium to full bodied, luscious, sweet and fruity
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This is still a wonderfully aged Cabernet Sauvignon by Winemaker Philippe Melka. This was the first estate wine for owner Carlo Di Ruocco which yielded 550 cases. I'm glad I have 5 more bottles of 1996 in my cellar. I decanted the bottle at noon and enjoyed it with a grass fed rib eye, locally grown organic corn and roasted organic broccoli.
Color: Deep brick red with sediment on the neck of the bottle and there was some sediment when my wife and I went back for seconds. Nose: Cherry Palate: cherry/plum
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The cork was flooded two thirds of the way up but not all the way through. Cork felt otherwise in good condition and gave one of the more satisfying pops I have had in a while.
Color – medium depth brick red with great clarity
Nose – moderate to aromatic cherry and sandalwood with a hint of mint
Palate – dry, medium bodied, fresh acidity, low dry tannins. Moderate to flavorful levels of cherry, Cedar, and soy
Overall – drinking right at its price point of $20 right now
2 to 3 hours later
Nose – Cherry, alcohol, and some baking spices but those are mostly thwarted by the heat
Palate – less cherry, more cedar, and a bit more tannin
Overall – Frankly not as good as earlier. I think this one is on its way downhill. By no means a disappointing by but I would drink soon.
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Alas, no detailed tasting notes when I drank it. It was an outstanding classic Napa cab, just like I like them: deep brick red, subtle floral notes on the nose, robust taste with cedar, raisin, cassis and soft tannins. Drinking well!
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Most excellent aged Napa Valley Cab from the Atlas area! brick/purple in color with cherry on the nose. I really enjoyed it on day 1 and day 2, perhaps even better on day 2.
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Very elegant and complex on day one; Cherry, leather, rose pedal, menthol, cedar, tar, earth, fennel. Moderate acidity, smooth tannin and a lingering finish. It was definitely downhill on day two. Therefore, I would suggest drinking this sooner than later.
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1/2/2023 - nfurlong Likes this wine: 91 Points
deep garnet hue; ripe black fruit, forest floor in the nose; excellent lush blackberries, black cherry and black raspberries on the palate. Very strong Napa cab with perfectly balanced tannins. Well done!
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7/6/2021 - nfurlong Likes this wine: 90 Points
Poured from a Coravin I got as a Christmas present. Brick color tinged with orange (close to brown but not quite); nose of pepper, forest leaves and stewed black fruit; herbs, well-integrated tannins, black fruit; a bit past prime, but still drinking well.
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11/17/2019 - nfurlong Likes this wine: 90 Points
garnet brick hue; cassis stew with bramble and tar oil in the nose; black fruit, figs, sour apple, cedar box on the tongue; well-integrated soft tannins, long lingering aftertaste of roasted blackberry and tobacco.
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3/20/2018 - mercurius wrote:
My last bottle. Barley hanging on but still delicious. Fruit is quickly fading completely away.
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2/19/2018 - mercurius wrote: 92 Points
Another great old cab. Lots of tobacco, humidor, and graphite on the nose. Red fruit is starting to fade. Still plenty of acid and integrated, smooth tannins. Saved one glass for the next day and the fruit has gone but the acid and tannins are still holding. I'll probably drink my last bottle soon.
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2/17/2018 - rjquillin Likes this wine:
Pretty typical of other Ardente I've had. At 22 years it's showing it's age, but perhaps too much so. Drink up.
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7/22/2017 - rjquillin Likes this wine:
Still doing well, tasting like a CS with some age on it.
I'll stick by my drink by 2020+ date.
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4/15/2017 - rjquillin Likes this wine:
Drinking well first and second night with no Ar.
Good now, life left.
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12/25/2015 - td1836 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is singing right now, with plenty of life left. So smooth, a good amount of acidity, fully integrated oak and some very light tannins on the finish. Juicy cherry flavors with pencil shavings mixed in. Very fresh. Yum.
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8/9/2015 - Wicked Panda wrote: 93 Points
I want more. It was way young. Needed a decant for almost an hour. In a 96!
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7/4/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:
My last bottle, so the July 4 streak of Ardente '96 Cab + grilled steak (porterhouse this year) ends at two. This was still going strong - no particular hurry if you've still got some. Very nice.
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11/25/2014 - boatman72 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nicely balanced wine, leather and pencil lead early, then nice fruit on the mid palate, (can't remember the fruit since I drank it several days ago) and a very smooth finish. Sorry for the brief description, but I was just drinking it late at night over two days, not in a super analyzing mood, but I just remember that it was smoothhhhhh!!!!
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7/4/2014 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:
Perfect with monster charcoal-grilled rib steaks, on the Fourth of July, camping. I've said this wine will be just fine for some years to come, and I believe it will, but I'm zooming through my stash because it's drinking damn well and because I have few other bottles so well-aged.
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6/16/2014 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:
Yeah, like my earlier note, this showed very nicely again, considerably fresher than any of my bottles of the 1997 did. Robust acidity, 13% alcohol per the label: this is very nicely balanced for the table (and enjoyable on its own), emphatically not evocative of fruit syrup+vodka.
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4/5/2014 - TottenCellars wrote:
Initially very fruity which blew off after an hour. After that a lot of leather and cassis. Went well with with dinner but was opened to early and I didn't get to enjoy the full range of flavors as it opened up quickly. Would buy again. But not hold on too long as it is primed.
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3/13/2014 - nathanbsmith wrote: 93 Points
Last bottle of this 1996 Cab was polished off tonight. Fantastic wine!!!
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2/1/2014 - nathanbsmith wrote: 93 Points
This is drinking very well right now.
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1/30/2014 - ChipGreen wrote: 90 Points
Dark red, almost purple in the glass with a brickish hue. Cherry and cedar on the nose with some candied bottle bouquet, very nice! Cherry, cassis, tobacco and leather with allspice and medium tannins on the medium+ finish. Day 2: the wine has picked up a slightly acetic characteristic. Not a good sign for further aging so I agree with those who have suggested to drink up soon. Less fruit than day 1 with more spice and more pronounced tannins. Still quite good but noticeably diminished from day 1. Note that I opened the bottle which seemed to have the cork protruding a little more than my other 5 bottles and that the cork was wet about 1/3 of the way up so it's possible that bottles with better cork integrity may have some extra life in them. EDIT to add that there was some sediment in the bottle but not a lot.
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1/18/2014 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:
Wow, this was awfully nice, and just ridiculous for even the price Woot intended to sell it at, let alone the 50% off they unintentionally gave a few of us! Fresher than the '97, which I had enjoyed quite a lot. If other bottles show similarly, I'll be in not big rush to finish my little stash. Fantastic with flank steak.
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12/31/2013 - nathanbsmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still drinking very well but I will need finish off my last two bottles in 2014.
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12/2/2013 - BlackIce wrote: 91 Points
A fantastically wine made and great QPR on wine.woot. Can't really speak more than others here. For a 1996 Napa cab that has been stored very well, this is fantastic.
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11/9/2013 - nathanbsmith Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wine tasting (Franklin, TN): Silver Medal, The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Ardente Estate Winery
Founded: 1996
Owner: Carlo and Marie Francoise Di Ruocco
Location: Atlas Peak Napa Valley, CA
Color: Rust, rust-brown, real brown, brick color, clear – without sediment, reddish/brownish,
Nose: Sweet, leather, earthy, sweet like a dessert or port
Palate: Tart, cherry, smooth, medium to full bodied, luscious, sweet and fruity
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8/8/2013 - nathanbsmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is still a wonderfully aged Cabernet Sauvignon by Winemaker Philippe Melka. This was the first estate wine for owner Carlo Di Ruocco which yielded 550 cases. I'm glad I have 5 more bottles of 1996 in my cellar. I decanted the bottle at noon and enjoyed it with a grass fed rib eye, locally grown organic corn and roasted organic broccoli.
Color: Deep brick red with sediment on the neck of the bottle and there was some sediment when my wife and I went back for seconds.
Nose: Cherry
Palate: cherry/plum
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7/27/2013 - CTmark wrote:
R.I.P.
Sadly this bottled probably died 5 years ago.
Nose of tar and prunes and strong alcohol.
Sour, burnt prunes. Short finish.
Too bad.... Maybe it was a flawed bottle....
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5/20/2013 - cmaldoon wrote: 87 Points
1996 Ardente Cabernet Sauvignon
Pop and poor – approximately 55°
The cork was flooded two thirds of the way up but not all the way through. Cork felt otherwise in good condition and gave one of the more satisfying pops I have had in a while.
Color – medium depth brick red with great clarity
Nose – moderate to aromatic cherry and sandalwood with a hint of mint
Palate – dry, medium bodied, fresh acidity, low dry tannins. Moderate to flavorful levels of cherry, Cedar, and soy
Overall – drinking right at its price point of $20 right now
2 to 3 hours later
Nose – Cherry, alcohol, and some baking spices but those are mostly thwarted by the heat
Palate – less cherry, more cedar, and a bit more tannin
Overall – Frankly not as good as earlier. I think this one is on its way downhill. By no means a disappointing by but I would drink soon.
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5/19/2013 - nfurlong Likes this wine: 92 Points
Alas, no detailed tasting notes when I drank it. It was an outstanding classic Napa cab, just like I like them: deep brick red, subtle floral notes on the nose, robust taste with cedar, raisin, cassis and soft tannins. Drinking well!
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5/9/2013 - nathanbsmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
Most excellent aged Napa Valley Cab from the Atlas area! brick/purple in color with cherry on the nose. I really enjoyed it on day 1 and day 2, perhaps even better on day 2.
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5/8/2013 - Ajrod27 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very elegant and complex on day one; Cherry, leather, rose pedal, menthol, cedar, tar, earth, fennel. Moderate acidity, smooth tannin and a lingering finish. It was definitely downhill on day two. Therefore, I would suggest drinking this sooner than later.
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