Deep ruby color. Prominent aromas of black cherry, blackberry, plum, green bell pepper and leather. Dry, full-body, medium acidity, high alcohol, but not burning, great balance and long finish. A very good wine, drinking well now and will probably not improve significantly with more time in the bottle.
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Popped and poured, and drank over 2 hours. Did not need a decant. Fully resolved tannins and within its drinking window, but will hold. Light oak profile, which is my preference. Surprisingly velvety on the palate. Wish I had more!
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Prototype Cali cab in the sense of being fully fruit forward but more well balanced acidity than most. Tannins also in a good place now, with fully resolved oak, although I suspect this had a relatively light new oak treatment.
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Decanted 1 hour drank over 2 hours. Looked tired going into the decanter, but it was surprisingly fresh on the palate. Good dark fruit, a little rustic, but recognizable as a Napa cab.
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Very nice cabernet for the price. Should decant for a few hours. I did not decant but it evolved nicely in the glass. Just enough fruit and nice finish
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Star of the evening. Paired with medium rare beef tenderloin. Rich, pure cabernet fruit aroma and flavors, layers of complexity with excellent structure.
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Fruit forward cassis and berry fruit. Well balanced and soft tannins, but still well-structured. Ling after. Not the best vintage in recent years but still quite drinkable. Pop and pour.
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Solid Napa cab. Fruit forward, with plum on the nose, followed by blackberry jam, blueberry, chocolate notes. Quite powerful. But with good acidity and firm structure to back it up. Probably one to drink over the next 3-5 years, and best with food. 90-91pts
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This bottle musty, though not fully corked like the old one, a little cabbagey but this blew off with some air. Nose is reticent, but fruity. No "fragrance" as such. Rather large-scale wine. Big quality fruit and tannins. Lacking a certain glossiness and polish. Clunky and square. The fruit is full and powerful, but generic and lacking cabernet style and fragrance. A little tarry/incensey. But the acid/sugar equation is quite beautifully balanced. Obviously very good, and put a few other bottles to shame. Just on balance lacking depth, life and sheen.
Massively overpriced (!) too.
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A beautiful ruby color and showing just a little lightness around the edge. Blue fruits, cola, anise with the slightest hint of petroleum or menthol after just opening. Well balanced with acidity, rounds tannins and some spice on the finish. I love Oakville cabs, and particularly 2010. This did not disappoint, and despite the fruit forward style, I think it still feels balanced.
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This opaque crimson Cabernet was tasted in single-blind fashion, with the bottle kindly provided to our tasting group by D.B. It is very "primary" at this point, with ripe bramble fruits and generous oak. Big, rich and chewy on the palate, it has substantial mouth-coating tannins and noticeable alcohol (despite being listed as only 14.3%). The wine concludes with a significant tannic bite, as well as a whiff of heat. There is no doubt that this wine will require time in the bottle to achieve better integration. Right now it is a bit disjointed and flirts with being "over-the-top." It may merit a higher score in the future. Drink 2018-2028.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Wine seemed to open up with air but still didn't offer anything that blew me away. Nice bottle but there are a lot of other Oakville Cabs I find more interesting.
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Pleasant dark fruit aromas with cassis and anise notes; ripe cassis fruit up front with hints of new leather & licorice; full bodied with ample tannins and structure to evolve for a number of years in the bottle.
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Had at the Palm in South Park Los Angeles with a mediocre 14oz filet mignon and fries. Incredibly young and barely approachable. Palate is dominated by green vegetables, light blackberry, oak, and cassis. The finish is dusty, tannic, and short. I guess I enjoyed it since I ordered another bottle for the table.
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Gobs of dark fruit but way too early for my taste. I wouldn't touch this wine for 7-10 years. Might be reasonable every day wine in 5-7 years, but way overpriced for what it is.
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Served at a business dinner in a restaurant. Obviously way too young for pop n pour. Plenty of fruit. No overt alcohol or oak. Overall nice but did not impress me as special.
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Nice red currant with hints of black currant and possessing great structure to lay it down a while. Great oak and vanilla notes over red berry with hints of black fruit. Dry. Really good balance and nice flavor. 5/10/13 at NWC room
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2/14/2024 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last one. Still a baby!
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2/28/2023 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with prior notes, and this has not aged one bit in two years. Drinking well!
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11/24/2022 - t0pshelf Likes this wine:
lively dark cherry, very aromatic nose. tannins pretty well integrated; drink now, it's great.
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2/9/2022 - Kayentacellars wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby color. Prominent aromas of black cherry, blackberry, plum, green bell pepper and leather. Dry, full-body, medium acidity, high alcohol, but not burning, great balance and long finish. A very good wine, drinking well now and will probably not improve significantly with more time in the bottle.
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4/24/2021 - bemeyer wrote:
Drivinking nicely
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2/13/2021 - MDRwinos wrote: 93 Points
1:00 open (no decant). Fruit forward, more red than black. no much tannins. Drinking extremely well now but no reason to hold longer.
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2/12/2021 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured, and drank over 2 hours. Did not need a decant. Fully resolved tannins and within its drinking window, but will hold. Light oak profile, which is my preference. Surprisingly velvety on the palate. Wish I had more!
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10/1/2020 - Dako Likes this wine: 91 Points
Prototype Cali cab in the sense of being fully fruit forward but more well balanced acidity than most. Tannins also in a good place now, with fully resolved oak, although I suspect this had a relatively light new oak treatment.
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5/23/2020 - bemeyer wrote:
Nice medium body Cali can. Decant 1 hour next bottle
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12/6/2019 - Tonythefish wrote: 90 Points
Good fruit for a 10 year old bottle. Light spices, dark red color, medium to softened tannins. 60-75 minute decant
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6/17/2018 - cawineaux wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour drank over 2 hours.
Looked tired going into the decanter, but it was surprisingly fresh on the palate. Good dark fruit, a little rustic, but recognizable as a Napa cab.
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5/29/2017 - uncle al Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice cabernet for the price. Should decant for a few hours. I did not decant but it evolved nicely in the glass. Just enough fruit and nice finish
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11/27/2016 - sbfern wrote: 89 Points
Drink a magnum still developing. Bottle can easily set for another five years.
Typical California cab well structured not heavy on the oak
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11/4/2016 - winepaw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Star of the evening. Paired with medium rare beef tenderloin. Rich, pure cabernet fruit aroma and flavors, layers of complexity with excellent structure.
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10/3/2016 - RSTAR4 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fruit forward cassis and berry fruit. Well balanced and soft tannins, but still well-structured. Ling after. Not the best vintage in recent years but still quite drinkable. Pop and pour.
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8/27/2016 - wythes wrote: 91 Points
Good stuff. Give it 5 more years max before drinking.
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8/5/2016 - SonnyChiba wrote: 90 Points
Solid Napa cab. Fruit forward, with plum on the nose, followed by blackberry jam, blueberry, chocolate notes. Quite powerful. But with good acidity and firm structure to back it up. Probably one to drink over the next 3-5 years, and best with food. 90-91pts
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5/16/2015 - yeti575rider wrote: 91 Points
Vintage Wines cab tasting. Nice cab and not too crazy a price point. Probably my favorite.
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2/14/2015 - smphelps wrote: 90 Points
Still in its infancy. A dark maroon royal purple color. Weighty and full, with a blackberry brambly nose. Dark fruits with coffee and caramel.
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12/15/2014 - Rob-Rah wrote: 90 Points
This bottle musty, though not fully corked like the old one, a little cabbagey but this blew off with some air. Nose is reticent, but fruity. No "fragrance" as such. Rather large-scale wine. Big quality fruit and tannins. Lacking a certain glossiness and polish. Clunky and square. The fruit is full and powerful, but generic and lacking cabernet style and fragrance. A little tarry/incensey. But the acid/sugar equation is quite beautifully balanced. Obviously very good, and put a few other bottles to shame. Just on balance lacking depth, life and sheen.
Massively overpriced (!) too.
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11/2/2014 - Rob-Rah wrote: flawed
Corked. And at only a couple of years in bottle. Annoyed.
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9/23/2014 - Paradigm Media Likes this wine: 91 Points
A beautiful ruby color and showing just a little lightness around the edge. Blue fruits, cola, anise with the slightest hint of petroleum or menthol after just opening. Well balanced with acidity, rounds tannins and some spice on the finish. I love Oakville cabs, and particularly 2010. This did not disappoint, and despite the fruit forward style, I think it still feels balanced.
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4/25/2014 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 87 Points
This opaque crimson Cabernet was tasted in single-blind fashion, with the bottle kindly provided to our tasting group by D.B. It is very "primary" at this point, with ripe bramble fruits and generous oak. Big, rich and chewy on the palate, it has substantial mouth-coating tannins and noticeable alcohol (despite being listed as only 14.3%). The wine concludes with a significant tannic bite, as well as a whiff of heat. There is no doubt that this wine will require time in the bottle to achieve better integration. Right now it is a bit disjointed and flirts with being "over-the-top." It may merit a higher score in the future. Drink 2018-2028.
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4/23/2014 - Barolo Raymond wrote: 90 Points
Rich, complex and intriguing Cab Sauv, a cross- over between Old World austerity and New World extraction.
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3/9/2014 - yofog wrote: 91 Points
Cassis and blueberry. Loamy earth, rich dark fruit but not jammy. In fact, with aeration there's some bright, cranberry minerality. Pretty nice.
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2/11/2014 - roybivens Likes this wine: 90 Points
Significant black currant and blackberries. Less complexity than I imagined. Masculine wine with a short finish. Score [50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 7] = 90.
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1/10/2014 - Barbaro wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Wine seemed to open up with air but still didn't offer anything that blew me away. Nice bottle but there are a lot of other Oakville Cabs I find more interesting.
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12/22/2013 - winepaw wrote: 93 Points
Pleasant dark fruit aromas with cassis and anise notes; ripe cassis fruit up front with hints of new leather & licorice; full bodied with ample tannins and structure to evolve for a number of years in the bottle.
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12/17/2013 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 92 Points
Had at the Palm in South Park Los Angeles with a mediocre 14oz filet mignon and fries. Incredibly young and barely approachable. Palate is dominated by green vegetables, light blackberry, oak, and cassis. The finish is dusty, tannic, and short. I guess I enjoyed it since I ordered another bottle for the table.
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11/3/2013 - shutto1992@gmail.com wrote: 85 Points
Gobs of dark fruit but way too early for my taste. I wouldn't touch this wine for 7-10 years. Might be reasonable every day wine in 5-7 years, but way overpriced for what it is.
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9/4/2013 - grayfont wrote: 90 Points
Served at a business dinner in a restaurant. Obviously way too young for pop n pour. Plenty of fruit. No overt alcohol or oak. Overall nice but did not impress me as special.
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6/21/2013 - redrules Likes this wine: 91 Points
$60- not worthy. $40 at best. Solid cab. Nice upfront. Mid- palate some heft. Dark fruit
Finish leaves you wishing it was longer.
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5/10/2013 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice red currant with hints of black currant and possessing great structure to lay it down a while. Great oak and vanilla notes over red berry with hints of black fruit. Dry. Really good balance and nice flavor.
5/10/13 at NWC room
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4/26/2013 - Whinojb Likes this wine: 91 Points
fruit forward - dark berries. Nice mouth feel. Will be better in about a year but not long for the cellar. Well structured with medium finish.
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