Attractive bouquet of black cherries, cedar, earth, mint, and eucalyptus. Dry yet succulent, very tactile, with lovely weight, purity, bottle age complexity, and flavorsome persistence on the tasty finish.
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Though another bottle was a dud earlier this year, this bottle was delightful. Bright berry and tobacco flavors, and good concentration and relaxed tannins made for an elegant mouthfeel. One of the few California '11s I've had recently that didn't disappoint.
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Decanted an hour before dinner (lots of sediment) only to find plodding flavors drug down by heavy oak and low acid. We struggled thru a glass apiece and dumped the rest.
Due to the cold, wet vintage in 2011, most Napa reds became “tainted” through the wine press; and as such, many knowledgeable consumers avoided the vintage. Subsequently, there were a number of high quality, outstanding wines that sold at a huge discount...this is one of those wines.
Decanted and enjoyed with smoked beef short ribs. Wonderful aromatics displaying black coffee, wet earth, mint, purple violets, sweet cinnamon, graphite, blackberry, black cherry, and black plum. The primary flavors are more in a support role, which piques my interest. The balance is there with structure in equilibrium with fruit and oak. Long finish. Still in development; cellaring should easily support another 5-7 years of enjoyment.
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Wow has this improved! PnP which held this back a little. While the nose is a little muted, a had a big body with bold red and black berries. Integrated tannins and good acidity. Long finish. A great improvement since 3 years ago. Gives me great hope for aging my 12s and 13s for several more years.
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Nice enough with some lingering flavor but the linger seems to be limited to the mid-palate. I plan to drink the bottles I have left of this wine in the near term. Be sure to decant - lots of sediment.
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Lush berries and smooth from start to finish. The body is on the lighter side, but still carries enough flavour. A great red for a hot summer day, or while snacking on cheeses. A wonderful wine, but a little to simple for the price.
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Might need to drink more of this to get to know it better sometimes it takes a case to really know a wine. Seems disjointed with all the right taste elements but they were definitely not working together at this young age. I'm guessing time will cure that problem but I'm not convinced. I have had older vintages that led me to buy the 2011 and I have to say I did not get a strong sense the 2011 will age as well.
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4/5/2023 - Baron Slick wrote: 93 Points
Attractive bouquet of black cherries, cedar, earth, mint, and eucalyptus. Dry yet succulent, very tactile, with lovely weight, purity, bottle age complexity, and flavorsome persistence on the tasty finish.
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11/30/2020 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Though another bottle was a dud earlier this year, this bottle was delightful. Bright berry and tobacco flavors, and good concentration and relaxed tannins made for an elegant mouthfeel. One of the few California '11s I've had recently that didn't disappoint.
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2/29/2020 - Neecies Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Decanted an hour before dinner (lots of sediment) only to find plodding flavors drug down by heavy oak and low acid. We struggled thru a glass apiece and dumped the rest.
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9/2/2019 - wmccone54 wrote: 92 Points
Due to the cold, wet vintage in 2011, most Napa reds became “tainted” through the wine press; and as such, many knowledgeable consumers avoided the vintage. Subsequently, there were a number of high quality, outstanding wines that sold at a huge discount...this is one of those wines.
Decanted and enjoyed with smoked beef short ribs. Wonderful aromatics displaying black coffee, wet earth, mint, purple violets, sweet cinnamon, graphite, blackberry, black cherry, and black plum. The primary flavors are more in a support role, which piques my interest. The balance is there with structure in equilibrium with fruit and oak. Long finish. Still in development; cellaring should easily support another 5-7 years of enjoyment.
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8/19/2019 - bplant13 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow has this improved! PnP which held this back a little. While the nose is a little muted, a had a big body with bold red and black berries. Integrated tannins and good acidity. Long finish. A great improvement since 3 years ago. Gives me great hope for aging my 12s and 13s for several more years.
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10/17/2017 - jpmo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice enough with some lingering flavor but the linger seems to be limited to the mid-palate. I plan to drink the bottles I have left of this wine in the near term. Be sure to decant - lots of sediment.
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10/4/2015 - jimyeni wrote: 89 Points
Cold tea, black licorice with cherry, plum and blackberry. Yeni didn't like it, I thought it was pretty good but definitely on the dark side
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4/23/2015 - bplant13 wrote: 90 Points
Lush berries and smooth from start to finish. The body is on the lighter side, but still carries enough flavour. A great red for a hot summer day, or while snacking on cheeses. A wonderful wine, but a little to simple for the price.
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2/6/2015 - 10chefs wrote: 90 Points
Might need to drink more of this to get to know it better sometimes it takes a case to really know a wine. Seems disjointed with all the right taste elements but they were definitely not working together at this young age. I'm guessing time will cure that problem but I'm not convinced. I have had older vintages that led me to buy the 2011 and I have to say I did not get a strong sense the 2011 will age as well.
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4/14/2014 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Tenzing Portfolio Tasting (Untitled - Chicago, IL): Touch of earth I enjoyed that I didn't find in the '10. Nice mid palate. Good but still pricey.
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