Unbelievable how good this wine is. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon / 47% Cabernet Franc.
Color is dark ruby, with signs of aging at the rim
Nose is very powerful, with floral (violet?) & herbal notes competing with blackberry and plum, and a bit of worn leather as well
Taste is outstanding. Very Howell-Mountain like with Smokey blackberry, leather, matured herbs, finished with a great earthy undertone amongst a powerful tannic backbone.
Overall this wine blew me away - a real gem of a blend from world class Howell Mountain terroir. I very much appreciate the high percentage of Cab Franc to balance out the Cab Sauv in a perfect way.
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, raisin, cherry, high toast, smokey bacon and oak. It tastes like blackberry, raisin, prune, high toast, smokey bacon and rose. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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The first of our 13's. 2+ hour double decant and still quite big and monolithic. An amazing wine after a few more hours with plenty of graphite, cedar, leather and a touch of anise. Paired amazingly with French dip sandwiches made with left over Christmas prime rib.
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First taste strong austere tannins with deep plums and black currants. With air, rich structure and mineral notes. More raspberries mixed with dark fruits.
When fully open, rich tart dark notes including coffee, blackberry, tobacco and dark chocolate, on top of strong minerals, tannins and a few strident notes. A satisfying, but food hungry, big Napa cab. Drinking well now if you love cab franc and lots of minerals. Will need to check in a few years to see the peak.
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Notes of black and dark red core fruit, black currant, dark soil, and cedar. Offers up some decent flavor on the initial attack, but fairly pedestrian overall. Medium and somewhat flat mid-palate. Medium to light on the back end. Not much complexity to speak of. Drink now.
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11/25/2023 - Rasmussenbrent Likes this wine: 94 Points
brown hue on the edges, so ready to drink
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3/27/2023 - AboveAvgBro wrote: 96 Points
Unbelievable how good this wine is. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon / 47% Cabernet Franc.
Color is dark ruby, with signs of aging at the rim
Nose is very powerful, with floral (violet?) & herbal notes competing with blackberry and plum, and a bit of worn leather as well
Taste is outstanding. Very Howell-Mountain like with Smokey blackberry, leather, matured herbs, finished with a great earthy undertone amongst a powerful tannic backbone.
Overall this wine blew me away - a real gem of a blend from world class Howell Mountain terroir. I very much appreciate the high percentage of Cab Franc to balance out the Cab Sauv in a perfect way.
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10/26/2022 - wetlandwino wrote: 95 Points
Expressive dark fruit nose with multilayered and balanced palate. Long finish with a blend of acidity and fine tannins. Drinking great now.
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8/7/2022 - Jag76 wrote: 99 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, raisin, cherry, high toast, smokey bacon and oak. It tastes like blackberry, raisin, prune, high toast, smokey bacon and rose. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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1/26/2021 - SwtJDel Likes this wine:
Chewy plum.
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9/18/2020 - Lawino7 wrote: 95 Points
Dark, rich bottle of deliciousness.
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2/11/2020 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots of potential, but still very young. Should have done a long decant, needs lots of air to fully open up.
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12/26/2019 - qtsam11 wrote: 93 Points
The first of our 13's. 2+ hour double decant and still quite big and monolithic. An amazing wine after a few more hours with plenty of graphite, cedar, leather and a touch of anise. Paired amazingly with French dip sandwiches made with left over Christmas prime rib.
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12/24/2019 - Lawino7 wrote: 94 Points
From Prime Rib to Pumpkin Pie. Amazing. Thank
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11/24/2019 - Weiner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mild tannin, fruit, balance, richness, nice with meat.
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8/9/2019 - mk42 Likes this wine: 89 Points
First taste strong austere tannins with deep plums and black currants. With air, rich structure and mineral notes. More raspberries mixed with dark fruits.
When fully open, rich tart dark notes including coffee, blackberry, tobacco and dark chocolate, on top of strong minerals, tannins and a few strident notes. A satisfying, but food hungry, big Napa cab. Drinking well now if you love cab franc and lots of minerals. Will need to check in a few years to see the peak.
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3/10/2018 - csimm wrote: 88 Points
Notes of black and dark red core fruit, black currant, dark soil, and cedar. Offers up some decent flavor on the initial attack, but fairly pedestrian overall. Medium and somewhat flat mid-palate. Medium to light on the back end. Not much complexity to speak of. Drink now.
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1/10/2018 - ZinRandy wrote: 95 Points
Off the charts good
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7/9/2017 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Sunday Group: Mini-Horizontals- Mondavi, Dominus & Chappellet (Mike's): Dark color. Plum, blackberry and more dark fruit on both the nose and palate. Vanilla and sweet but firm tannin.
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3/25/2017 - theoshu1 wrote:
This needs way more time.
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