Excellent wine drinking very well. Nose has plum, sweet spices, and an earthy floral note. Palate has black licorice, plum, toffee, dark chocolate, ripe black raspberry, and an incense note. Tannins are just barely rustic and the perception is towards a bit of sweetness. Acidity is well balanced. Long, pleasant finish. This wine could go another five years easily.
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Spectacular, rustic, and deep. At eight years, the velvety texture contrasted with a slightly rustic tannic quality is nothing short of hedonistic. The wine is deep with spices, plum, sweet ripe bramble, aged tobacco, white pepper, anise seed, perfectly poised acidity, and an impressively never ending finish.
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Beautiful with black fruit, spice, cigar box, black licorice, white pepper, and a tannic structure that’s powerful with sweet fine tannins that almost get to rustic. Long, earthy finish. Gorgeous.
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This wine is starting to come together nicely. Plenty of aromatic uplift on the nose of plum, baking spice, and black licorice. Color is deep and dark. Texture is starting to show that silky graphite texture that makes Napa's cabs so fantastic. Palate brings out more of that black licorice as well as americano coffee, plum, black fruit, white pepper, and a savory note. Acidity and finish are both medium [+].
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Drinking nicely now. This wine has a fantastic QPR for what is effectively a Napa cab. Nice red and black fruits and spices on the nose. Mouthcoating with graphite texture and a lingering, earthy finish.
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Nice wine, drinking well now. Nose has sweet black fruit, plum, black tea, white pepper, forest floor, and just a bit of leafiness. Palate is mouthcoating and showing the graphite texture that comes from its high percentage of Napa cab sauv. Palate has a deep earthiness, licorice, black coffee, and semi-sweet chocolate. Nicely balanced and has a long finish.
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Beautiful dark, berry, wet earth, nutmeg, vanilla, and black pepper nose. Palate brings out the brooding side of this wine with balanced acidity and a long, lingering finish. Silky texture, but not up to the usual Napa standard. Still a nice, pleasant, and enjoyable wine. Think if bleu cheese, mushrooms, and earthy spices.
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much better tonight than a few months ago. Just needed the right food. The jamminess offsets a spicy dish nicely. Still too much fruit for me overall but now a good pairing wine.
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Plummy spicy sweet nose. Palate showing quite a dark fruit profile, mostly currants, with plenty of teeth coating tannins. Moderate coffee finish really showing the structure. Doesn't have the polish of more expensive Napa cabs, but great structure and fruit at this price level. Really solid.
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This is a fruit bomb, but in a good sense. Plum and camphor on the nose. On the palate, plum, strawberry jam, and a touch of mint, with light tannins, moderate acidity, and a medium finish. Although this isn't particularly complex or powerful, it has enough balance and sophistication that most people will probably find something to like in it, especially at the <$30 price. Excellent value for the money.
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A little jammy out of the gate, mellowed nicely. Kind of a Paso Robles cab feel to it, silky. A little more bite would not hurt. Nice QPR. Would be a hot wine at a party and not bad for CA cab drinkers either. Definitely a well-made wine. Recommended. Solid 92.
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Not very complex at this point. Fruit bomb out of the bottle. Was hoping it would mellow over the night but stayed too jammy. Strong alcohol content. Will try in a year to see if it has mellowed.
Better on day two. Now getting some spice and black fruits. Still too hot at this point. Enough here in day 2 to wait and see how it develops over 2 to 3 yrs.
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Fantastic wine, esp in light of the QPR. Dark and opaque with garnet edges, this wine shows sweet black fruit, graphite, and spice on the nose. Palate is mouthcoating with black cherry and fine, sweet tannins and a long finish. Acidity is noticeable and balanced against a nice port-like concentration of dark, brambly fruit. QPR on this wine is amazing.
Second day report: the last 187 ml was sealed anaerobically and put in the fridge. Today, this wine has amazing smokiness and a rich-almost-aussie-shiraz-like creaminess. Lots of fruit still. Next time, this will get a lot more breathing time. Wonderful wine!
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9/7/2020 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent wine drinking very well. Nose has plum, sweet spices, and an earthy floral note. Palate has black licorice, plum, toffee, dark chocolate, ripe black raspberry, and an incense note. Tannins are just barely rustic and the perception is towards a bit of sweetness. Acidity is well balanced. Long, pleasant finish. This wine could go another five years easily.
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6/13/2020 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Spectacular, rustic, and deep. At eight years, the velvety texture contrasted with a slightly rustic tannic quality is nothing short of hedonistic. The wine is deep with spices, plum, sweet ripe bramble, aged tobacco, white pepper, anise seed, perfectly poised acidity, and an impressively never ending finish.
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4/24/2019 - GlenviewGSW Does not like this wine:
Corked....
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2/10/2018 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 89 Points
Beautiful with black fruit, spice, cigar box, black licorice, white pepper, and a tannic structure that’s powerful with sweet fine tannins that almost get to rustic. Long, earthy finish. Gorgeous.
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1/1/2018 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really nice. This age suits this wine well.
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11/15/2016 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine is starting to come together nicely. Plenty of aromatic uplift on the nose of plum, baking spice, and black licorice. Color is deep and dark. Texture is starting to show that silky graphite texture that makes Napa's cabs so fantastic. Palate brings out more of that black licorice as well as americano coffee, plum, black fruit, white pepper, and a savory note. Acidity and finish are both medium [+].
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8/24/2016 - Travelindan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice wine. Smooth and well balanced. Tannins present, but not overpowering. Pairs very well with lamb.
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3/3/2016 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking nicely now. This wine has a fantastic QPR for what is effectively a Napa cab. Nice red and black fruits and spices on the nose. Mouthcoating with graphite texture and a lingering, earthy finish.
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2/19/2016 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine, drinking well now. Nose has sweet black fruit, plum, black tea, white pepper, forest floor, and just a bit of leafiness. Palate is mouthcoating and showing the graphite texture that comes from its high percentage of Napa cab sauv. Palate has a deep earthiness, licorice, black coffee, and semi-sweet chocolate. Nicely balanced and has a long finish.
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10/14/2015 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 88 Points
Beautiful dark, berry, wet earth, nutmeg, vanilla, and black pepper nose. Palate brings out the brooding side of this wine with balanced acidity and a long, lingering finish. Silky texture, but not up to the usual Napa standard. Still a nice, pleasant, and enjoyable wine. Think if bleu cheese, mushrooms, and earthy spices.
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6/10/2015 - 82Latour wrote: 86 Points
Plum, cherry fruit bomb. Wine fades fast into a soft yet spicy finish.
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4/25/2015 - sdrucker1000 wrote: 89 Points
much better tonight than a few months ago. Just needed the right food. The jamminess offsets a spicy dish nicely. Still too much fruit for me overall but now a good pairing wine.
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4/6/2015 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Plummy spicy sweet nose. Palate showing quite a dark fruit profile, mostly currants, with plenty of teeth coating tannins. Moderate coffee finish really showing the structure. Doesn't have the polish of more expensive Napa cabs, but great structure and fruit at this price level. Really solid.
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2/9/2015 - RichardP wrote: 91 Points
This is a fruit bomb, but in a good sense. Plum and camphor on the nose. On the palate, plum, strawberry jam, and a touch of mint, with light tannins, moderate acidity, and a medium finish. Although this isn't particularly complex or powerful, it has enough balance and sophistication that most people will probably find something to like in it, especially at the <$30 price. Excellent value for the money.
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1/28/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little jammy out of the gate, mellowed nicely. Kind of a Paso Robles cab feel to it, silky. A little more bite would not hurt. Nice QPR. Would be a hot wine at a party and not bad for CA cab drinkers either. Definitely a well-made wine. Recommended. Solid 92.
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11/17/2014 - sdrucker1000 wrote: 87 Points
Not very complex at this point. Fruit bomb out of the bottle. Was hoping it would mellow over the night but stayed too jammy. Strong alcohol content. Will try in a year to see if it has mellowed.
Better on day two. Now getting some spice and black fruits. Still too hot at this point. Enough here in day 2 to wait and see how it develops over 2 to 3 yrs.
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8/7/2014 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fantastic wine, esp in light of the QPR. Dark and opaque with garnet edges, this wine shows sweet black fruit, graphite, and spice on the nose. Palate is mouthcoating with black cherry and fine, sweet tannins and a long finish. Acidity is noticeable and balanced against a nice port-like concentration of dark, brambly fruit. QPR on this wine is amazing.
Second day report: the last 187 ml was sealed anaerobically and put in the fridge. Today, this wine has amazing smokiness and a rich-almost-aussie-shiraz-like creaminess. Lots of fruit still. Next time, this will get a lot more breathing time. Wonderful wine!
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