Decanted for an hour. Aromas of purple and black fruit, slightly stewed. Similar flavors, but brighter. Drying tannins on the end as well as a hit of acid.
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I bought a two-pack of this wine from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (the state-run wine store in the state), over a decade ago for the rather paltry sum of $60 for the two (I believe the suggested retail of this wine was north of $70 per bottle). The first bottle, consumed just under two years ago, was stellar--still great aromatics, wonderful fruit, and balance. Lovely. While this is still a wonderful wine, the fruit is slightly stewed, a bit musty, and frankly a wee bit tired. It can't be due to the cork as both bottles had a glass stopper. Still, this is a delightful quaff with great Cabernet features (dark fruit, mocha, tobacco), and plenty of charisma. It is just a step below where the other bottle was a scant 20 months ago or so. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Allowed to decant long enough, 3+ hours, and you have as fine a Cabernet as one can purchase under $100. The black cherry, plum, blackberry, and tannins come together superbly with sufficient decant.
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Frozen in the Polar Vortex (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Splash decanted for 30 minutes. Drank 2 glasses over the next 2 plus hours. This starts out fairly nice on the nose, vegetal notes, forest floor, compost and wet mushroom, but over the first 20 to 30 minutes the fruit emerges showing cassis and wild blueberries with the third incarnation of the nose adding wood and dried spices to the mix. The palate has a similar evolution, with the vegetal elements giving way to a bright blend of black and blue berries, lovely really, gravelly with grainy tannins, fulll bodied, wood and spice notes. The fruit actually builds over the 2+ hours and this shows no signs of decline after 3 hours. I've been a fan of WHL and this is a reminder; very enjoyable, well made.
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A beautiful wine that overdelivers in a big way. Lots of red fruit, so round and just incredibly silky. Tannins are refined and subtle, with a long and elegant finish. No change on day 2, should hold a few more years at this high level.
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2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Napa. Retail $75. This was another bottle for which I snuck out of a party and retreated to my cellar. Dark raspberry and earth dominate the nose with mint and clove playing secondary roles. On the palate the fruit rules but plenty of acidity to balance it out. The tannins are largely integrated but still kicking on the finish. Close to a Whoa. thedrunkencyclist.com
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Beautiful! Big, round red fruit on the approach lingers profoundly. Hint of cinnamon and baking spice mid-palate. Balance is superb. Tannins have dissipated to memory. This wine is drinking wonderfully. Plenty of life remaining, but it's at peak. Drink up and enjoy!
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This had massive concentration and depth of flavor. Dark, black fruit profile was beautiful, with a nice dryness on the finish. This wine, while beautiful, didn't reach the dizzying highs that I experienced with a previous bottle a few months earlier, so there may have been bottle variation or different storage, but the wine was still very nice.
This time around the wine felt like it was still very young and would benefit from another five years of bottle age, which surprised me a little. But having had the '92 just a few days ago, maybe not - the '92 Whitehall Lane Reserve was wine of the night against eight other '92 cabs in that tasting and wasn't faded a bit. This is a really nice producer in some vintages but can feel plain in other vintages. The price/quality ratio on some of these can be very good.
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This is one of the best Napa cabs I've had in a long while. I've been to the winery several times over the years and I remember a few years ago tasting a reserve vertical that included the '03, and the '03 stood out as the best by far.
I fell in love with the '94, and '95 Whitehall Lane Reserves years ago, though they have faded in recent years. This though is in its prime and it's simply stunning.
It's seamless, deep and penetrating, full of dark fruit with no edge in sight. The quality is arresting and a bit mind-bending, and it makes me realize how so many other Napa cabs I have had have flaws - it only becomes clear when I taste this virtually flawlwss wine. There is an ease and grace, along with energy and persistence.
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A great overall bottle. Dark, opaque, and delicious with just a hint of age on the edges. My lone bottle and highly recommended but if I had any left I would make plans to drink soon.
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My notes may be somewhat biased, but wifey and I really enjoyed this wine.
My bias is because I met the winemaker; Dean Sylvester, over dinner at Mustards Grill in May this year. We got into the discussion regarding the glass closure (as I recall, 2009 was the final vintage using this closure). The winemaker told me that the first vintage using this enclosure was 2003. I had to get some. We pulled the glass cork today on a bottle.
11 years on, the wine is still immense. The nose was big. Lots of barrel toast, cherry compote and hints of anise.
On the palette, the wine is broad shouldered with prominent tannins. Although integrated, the tannins are still evident. There is a little heat from the alcohol, even now. Finish is dominated with cherries and graphite, but persists well.
Considering that 2003 was a challenging vintage (due to a warm season), I think this is an excellent example. I have tried many 2003 cabs, and for the most part, I found them impenetrable!
This wine is not for everybody, but we really enjoyed it, along with sipping on a little piece of history.
:0)
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Dark Ruby Red colored, medium to full bodied, it exhibited aromas and full flavors of black berry and black currant with a layer of alcohol that almost gave it a sense of bourbon, accented by sweet tones of vanilla, hints of anise, sweet mocha and a bit of cherry on a lingering silky moderate tannin finish.
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Dark red and a little cloudy. Subtle nose of black fruit and definite vanilla notes, a little leather. This still needs air to open. Smooth in the mouth with light acidity short to medium finish. Glass stoppered bottle.
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Now I know what they mean when they say one dimensional. There were times I was drinking this saying yes yes yes, then all of a sudden it would flatten out and the experience waned. It just stopped. A good bottle but one dimensional.
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Perfect light tannins. Stone fruit. Leather, tobacco. Perfectly timed (for a change). Drank with grilled Rib steak, asparagus, grilled tomatoes. The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium.
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Aggressively in-your-face American winemaking -- big, a bit sweet, alcoholic. That's not usually my thing, but this is a good example of the type, and the others in my party loved it. Black fruit, integrated tannins, and a lot of chocolate and menthol notes.
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Decanted 1 hour and rebottled. 3 years since my last bottle and the wine has not changed too much. No sign of decline at this point although it does not seem to be developing any secondary characteristics as i had hoped. Lots of blackcurrant on the nose and the palate. Very refined and elegant mouthfeel. Some notes of mint, bell pepper and earth. Short to medium finish with integrated tannins. Very good wine which is probably at its' peak but should drink nicely for some time to come.
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Wanted like everyone else to see how long th eglass top would hold up. Pleasantly surprised. Pleasant wine too, definitely CA in nature, sunny with with the 2003 year restraint, a broader wine than I remember, developing slower than I would have thought of this vintage. Impact of the stopper?
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- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and black currant. It's balanced and has flavours of chocolate and honey with a full body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish - Great wine - this is the one with the glass stopper enclosure. Complex, fruity and good balance.
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Dark ruby color. Aromas of blackberry and cherry fruit. Tastes of blackberry, currant, earth, anise, mint, and tobacco. Fine grained tannins. Vanilla oak backbone. Good freshness. Full bodied with large fruit core. Grapey blackfruit finish with some depth. 14.1% alcohol.
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Full-bodied, well-integrated tannins. Nice red fruit (but not as big of a 'fruit bomb' as other reviewers have said), along with layers of oak. Drink now, or hold for another year or two. 89/90
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Dark red, almost black. Nose of blackberry and vanilla. Needs hours to open. Rich, medium body, but not much complexity. Medium length finish with noticable, but smooth tannins.
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Unapologetically Californian in style, loaded with blackcurrant, cherry, hints of ripe red fruit, with an almost jammy palate. Good dose of vanilla oak, with a bit of smoke, anise and eucalyptus. Soft, well integrated tannins. Strong over 3 days, probably best day 2. 90-92.
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Drank with Kim, Meurig, Kristie, Ben and Xocheet during one of the neighbor meals. Went quite well with the braised lamb shank. Very nice medium bodied wine with traditional Cali cab characteristics and sweet resolving and smooth tannins.
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Either this bottle didn't show as well as the last or the glass enclosure just isn't the way to go WITH NAPA CABERNET. Dark sappy cough syrup dark cherry, austere cigar box with some charred tobacco. Lots of heat on the nose - I don't like the direction this is going. Palate falls shorter showing a bitter quality that I don't love. Big tannic structure, mouth drying. Awkward finish. Pass.
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To my mind, a perfect exemplar of what I think is wrong with (some) California winemaking: this tasted like a confection, not a wine. Nose was intensely jammy, stewed berries, some cassis, a fair bit of oak. Palate had stewed blackberry, blueberry pie filling, vanilla, very smooth tannin. The fruit had that slightly-sour note one gets from grapes left hanging too long and then overextracted. Understandable, in a bad year, but I think they'd have been better off declassifying the fruit and making an honest, more straightforward non-reserve out of this. The regular cab I drank a few months ago could have used some more stuffing, anyway.
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A classic Cab nose of dark currants, dark amber in color. A medium to full bodied Cab, currants, cherry, blackberry, was very smooth, very enjoyable, time did the wine well, decanted for over an hour. My only complaint was that I did not read the bottle which stated that they made a special glass stopper instead of a cork….busted my good corkscrew…who would of guessed?
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Very odd at first, started to come around after an hour or so in the decanter. Definately a little disjoiinted and I'm not sure if it'll get much better. I found nice notes of ripe black fruit, smoke, new oak and saddle leather. There was a odd sour note on the finish that was a bit offputting, but overall this is a really nice wine. Fairly well structured with a nice full mouthfeel. I love the glass closure as opposed to cork or neocork.
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Tremendous nose of blackcurrent while decanting. Decanted 3 hours. Nose still dominated by blackcurrent with some oak and vanilla. Elegant wine with medium to full body, leaning more toward medium but with nice viscosity as shown by the great legs in the glass. Blackcurrent and dark cherry on the mid-palate with a long finish picking up some liquorice and earthy notes. Some tannin kicks in on the finish along with a touch of heat. Nice change of pace from the big, bold cabs which tend to dominate this price point. Have had this wine each year since 2006 and it is drinking very nicely right now but i feel this wine will be even better in 2-3 years time. Steep at $75 but my overall feeling is that i don't want to have none of this wine left in my cellar!
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Whitehall Lane has been one of my favorite producers dating to the the excellent 1997 and 1999 cab offerings. Even with the Laube review I was expecting a little more. Very pleasant wine, ready to drink now. Cassis and cooked red fruit on the nose at bottle open. Not so much evolution over the two hours in the decanter. Tannins are integrated nicely, very smooth. A hint of oak is evident. For complexity, drink the 1997, 1999, and 2001 product. At this price point, a disappointing effort.
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Bottle features the first glass-on-glass enclosure as a cork. So friggin' cool. Too bad it got tossed...boo. The wine showed excellent classic California Cab characteristics. Dark red berries with nicely integrated oak and cigar box aromas. The palate falls a little short of the nose. The alcohol is showing strong now and the finish is somewhat lacking. To be honest, this didn't stand up to the Varner Chard we tried with apps and salads. Looking forward to trying the other bottle in a couple years. Maybe the alcohol will be more subdued.
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the glass stopper freaked out the server. decanted and drunk over 1.5 hours. still tight,but approachable. very nice nose of dark cherry, smoke, pencil lead, tobacco. nice round balanced mouth, fine grained tannins, a little too much sharp acid on the mid palate but overall a nice wine.
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Still young but luscious! Full, velvety mouth feel that teasingly reveals the depth and richness of the flavors of the wine. The bouquet instantly imparts a vigorous vanilla perfume common to over oaked wines, yet this subtly sweet aroma melts into a spicy caramel that fills the nose.
I would strongly suggest decanting this wine for at least an hour before enjoying, at this stage in its life.
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Flock 2003 Cal Cab Tasting (Ken's - Northbrook, IL): Dark ruby with a layered nose of plummy fruit, cocoa and graphite. Concentrated and creamy palate of milk chocolate and dark currants coats the mooth. Great breadth and length to the finish. Unctuous defined! 4+13+18+8=93. My #3, Group #3.
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Tasted at a retail tasting. Brown sugar and cinnamon on the nose. Current and vanilla flavors. Initially quite delicious and balanced, but starts to turn green with time in the glass. 88-89.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tasting (Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA): Not as complete as last few vintages. Big fruit, nice tannin structure but lacks the depth and complexity of the other wines tasted this evening. Overall a good wine but overshadowed by the many great wines tasted.
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Fresh and vibrant. Reminded me of a barrel sample. This was the first bottle opened of an "informal test" of the new glass stopper closure. Nice packaging. Stopper came out very (too?) easily but no leakage was evident.
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11/30/2022 - tsdv wrote: 81 Points
Dark stewed fruit, muddled. Like most over the top cabs it hasn't aged well. Might have been good 15 years ago.
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11/29/2020 - Aztec94 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Aromas of purple and black fruit, slightly stewed. Similar flavors, but brighter. Drying tannins on the end as well as a hit of acid.
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8/13/2019 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 90 Points
I bought a two-pack of this wine from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (the state-run wine store in the state), over a decade ago for the rather paltry sum of $60 for the two (I believe the suggested retail of this wine was north of $70 per bottle). The first bottle, consumed just under two years ago, was stellar--still great aromatics, wonderful fruit, and balance. Lovely. While this is still a wonderful wine, the fruit is slightly stewed, a bit musty, and frankly a wee bit tired. It can't be due to the cork as both bottles had a glass stopper. Still, this is a delightful quaff with great Cabernet features (dark fruit, mocha, tobacco), and plenty of charisma. It is just a step below where the other bottle was a scant 20 months ago or so. thedrunkencyclist.com
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4/25/2019 - kend707 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and poured this time, not allowed time to decant. Still good but not like the bottle in March which had a full decant.
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3/3/2019 - kend707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Allowed to decant long enough, 3+ hours, and you have as fine a Cabernet as one can purchase under $100. The black cherry, plum, blackberry, and tannins come together superbly with sufficient decant.
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1/30/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Frozen in the Polar Vortex (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Splash decanted for 30 minutes. Drank 2 glasses over the next 2 plus hours. This starts out fairly nice on the nose, vegetal notes, forest floor, compost and wet mushroom, but over the first 20 to 30 minutes the fruit emerges showing cassis and wild blueberries with the third incarnation of the nose adding wood and dried spices to the mix. The palate has a similar evolution, with the vegetal elements giving way to a bright blend of black and blue berries, lovely really, gravelly with grainy tannins, fulll bodied, wood and spice notes. The fruit actually builds over the 2+ hours and this shows no signs of decline after 3 hours. I've been a fan of WHL and this is a reminder; very enjoyable, well made.
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6/17/2018 - Hamersly Likes this wine: 94 Points
A beautiful wine that overdelivers in a big way. Lots of red fruit, so round and just incredibly silky. Tannins are refined and subtle, with a long and elegant finish. No change on day 2, should hold a few more years at this high level.
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12/11/2017 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 92 Points
2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Napa. Retail $75. This was another bottle for which I snuck out of a party and retreated to my cellar. Dark raspberry and earth dominate the nose with mint and clove playing secondary roles. On the palate the fruit rules but plenty of acidity to balance it out. The tannins are largely integrated but still kicking on the finish. Close to a Whoa. thedrunkencyclist.com
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4/18/2017 - 79bulldog Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful! Big, round red fruit on the approach lingers profoundly. Hint of cinnamon and baking spice mid-palate. Balance is superb. Tannins have dissipated to memory. This wine is drinking wonderfully. Plenty of life remaining, but it's at peak. Drink up and enjoy!
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2/27/2017 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
This had massive concentration and depth of flavor. Dark, black fruit profile was beautiful, with a nice dryness on the finish. This wine, while beautiful, didn't reach the dizzying highs that I experienced with a previous bottle a few months earlier, so there may have been bottle variation or different storage, but the wine was still very nice.
This time around the wine felt like it was still very young and would benefit from another five years of bottle age, which surprised me a little. But having had the '92 just a few days ago, maybe not - the '92 Whitehall Lane Reserve was wine of the night against eight other '92 cabs in that tasting and wasn't faded a bit. This is a really nice producer in some vintages but can feel plain in other vintages. The price/quality ratio on some of these can be very good.
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1/15/2017 - TJK Likes this wine: 94 Points
Gorgeous. Still plenty of life. Great dark fruit flavors and soft tannins.
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11/10/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 97 Points
This is one of the best Napa cabs I've had in a long while. I've been to the winery several times over the years and I remember a few years ago tasting a reserve vertical that included the '03, and the '03 stood out as the best by far.
I fell in love with the '94, and '95 Whitehall Lane Reserves years ago, though they have faded in recent years. This though is in its prime and it's simply stunning.
It's seamless, deep and penetrating, full of dark fruit with no edge in sight. The quality is arresting and a bit mind-bending, and it makes me realize how so many other Napa cabs I have had have flaws - it only becomes clear when I taste this virtually flawlwss wine. There is an ease and grace, along with energy and persistence.
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9/4/2016 - Tarpon222 wrote: 91 Points
Aging gracefully. Good color, mouthfeel, finish, and the nose was elegant.
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9/3/2016 - jzebrack Likes this wine: 91 Points
Whitehall Lane Cab's age very well.
Very smooth
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8/17/2016 - winedrinker101 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fabulous wine, continued opening up all evening. Would easily cellar and age beautifully for at least another five years.
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7/29/2016 - ocfriday Likes this wine: 93 Points
Exceptional wine - holding up very well (1.5 bottle). Great fruit, maturity with a long after taste.
Cork fell apart when opening so be careful ...
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3/6/2016 - travelme Likes this wine: 91 Points
A great overall bottle. Dark, opaque, and delicious with just a hint of age on the edges. My lone bottle and highly recommended but if I had any left I would make plans to drink soon.
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8/17/2014 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple. Decanted over an hour. Rich black fruit that is refined, smooth, and seamless. Long finish. Very good
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8/3/2014 - ghobby wrote: 92 Points
Continues to be an excellent wine, fruity and long flavor - great aromas
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7/25/2014 - Swajln Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich & smooth. Excellent!
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7/21/2014 - TheDarkPrince Likes this wine: 92 Points
My notes may be somewhat biased, but wifey and I really enjoyed this wine.
My bias is because I met the winemaker; Dean Sylvester, over dinner at Mustards Grill in May this year. We got into the discussion regarding the glass closure (as I recall, 2009 was the final vintage using this closure). The winemaker told me that the first vintage using this enclosure was 2003. I had to get some. We pulled the glass cork today on a bottle.
11 years on, the wine is still immense. The nose was big. Lots of barrel toast, cherry compote and hints of anise.
On the palette, the wine is broad shouldered with prominent tannins. Although integrated, the tannins are still evident. There is a little heat from the alcohol, even now. Finish is dominated with cherries and graphite, but persists well.
Considering that 2003 was a challenging vintage (due to a warm season), I think this is an excellent example. I have tried many 2003 cabs, and for the most part, I found them impenetrable!
This wine is not for everybody, but we really enjoyed it, along with sipping on a little piece of history.
:0)
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2/22/2014 - Swajln Likes this wine: 90 Points
I'm thinking this should be consumed soon. Still good.
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1/5/2014 - ghobby wrote: 92 Points
Excellent wine, good aromas, enjoyable fruit
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12/31/2013 - Swajln Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened up nicely.
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12/29/2013 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark Ruby Red colored, medium to full bodied, it exhibited aromas and full flavors of black berry and black currant with a layer of alcohol that almost gave it a sense of bourbon, accented by sweet tones of vanilla, hints of anise, sweet mocha and a bit of cherry on a lingering silky moderate tannin finish.
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11/14/2013 - RR47 wrote: 90 Points
Dark red and a little cloudy. Subtle nose of black fruit and definite vanilla notes, a little leather. This still needs air to open. Smooth in the mouth with light acidity short to medium finish. Glass stoppered bottle.
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10/31/2013 - Rktekt3 wrote: 90 Points
Now I know what they mean when they say one dimensional. There were times I was drinking this saying yes yes yes, then all of a sudden it would flatten out and the experience waned. It just stopped. A good bottle but one dimensional.
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10/25/2013 - Swajln Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent!
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9/20/2013 - Swajln Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good, needs to breathe for about an hour.
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4/18/2013 - xsivjosh Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect light tannins. Stone fruit. Leather, tobacco. Perfectly timed (for a change). Drank with grilled Rib steak, asparagus, grilled tomatoes.
The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium.
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3/14/2013 - JackLynch00@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aggressively in-your-face American winemaking -- big, a bit sweet, alcoholic. That's not usually my thing, but this is a good example of the type, and the others in my party loved it. Black fruit, integrated tannins, and a lot of chocolate and menthol notes.
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12/9/2012 - Yamadori wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour and rebottled. 3 years since my last bottle and the wine has not changed too much. No sign of decline at this point although it does not seem to be developing any secondary characteristics as i had hoped. Lots of blackcurrant on the nose and the palate. Very refined and elegant mouthfeel. Some notes of mint, bell pepper and earth. Short to medium finish with integrated tannins. Very good wine which is probably at its' peak but should drink nicely for some time to come.
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11/10/2012 - RR47 wrote: 89 Points
Fading. Still a good but subtle nose of red fruit and earth. One dimensional, with a short finish.
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10/30/2012 - Jimy wrote: 91 Points
Cherry, cedar, and spice. Medium body. Aging gracefully.
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9/9/2012 - TheEngineer wrote: 88 Points
Wanted like everyone else to see how long th eglass top would hold up. Pleasantly surprised. Pleasant wine too, definitely CA in nature, sunny with with the 2003 year restraint, a broader wine than I remember, developing slower than I would have thought of this vintage. Impact of the stopper?
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8/26/2012 - ghobby wrote: 92 Points
- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and black currant. It's balanced and has flavours of chocolate and honey with a full body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish - Great wine - this is the one with the glass stopper enclosure. Complex, fruity and good balance.
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7/29/2012 - kstoddard wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby color. Aromas of blackberry and cherry fruit. Tastes of blackberry, currant, earth, anise, mint, and tobacco. Fine grained tannins. Vanilla oak backbone. Good freshness. Full bodied with large fruit core. Grapey blackfruit finish with some depth. 14.1% alcohol.
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7/21/2012 - behm0027 wrote: 89 Points
Full-bodied, well-integrated tannins. Nice red fruit (but not as big of a 'fruit bomb' as other reviewers have said), along with layers of oak. Drink now, or hold for another year or two. 89/90
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5/1/2012 - RR47 wrote: 90 Points
Dark red, almost black. Nose of blackberry and vanilla. Needs hours to open. Rich, medium body, but not much complexity. Medium length finish with noticable, but smooth tannins.
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1/27/2012 - drock25 wrote: 86 Points
ok. This wine had an odd finish, one dimensional and not terribly impressive.
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6/25/2011 - JDRFoster wrote: 91 Points
Unapologetically Californian in style, loaded with blackcurrant, cherry, hints of ripe red fruit, with an almost jammy palate. Good dose of vanilla oak, with a bit of smoke, anise and eucalyptus. Soft, well integrated tannins. Strong over 3 days, probably best day 2. 90-92.
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12/11/2010 - last chance wrote: 93 Points
Holiday Wine Tasting: My #7 of 9 wines. Group's #4 of 9 wines.
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11/14/2010 - BodegaDan wrote: 90 Points
Drank with Kim, Meurig, Kristie, Ben and Xocheet during one of the neighbor meals. Went quite well with the braised lamb shank. Very nice medium bodied wine with traditional Cali cab characteristics and sweet resolving and smooth tannins.
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10/28/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 86 Points
Either this bottle didn't show as well as the last or the glass enclosure just isn't the way to go WITH NAPA CABERNET.
Dark sappy cough syrup dark cherry, austere cigar box with some charred tobacco.
Lots of heat on the nose - I don't like the direction this is going. Palate falls shorter showing a bitter quality that I don't love.
Big tannic structure, mouth drying. Awkward finish. Pass.
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8/26/2010 - PMDias wrote: 87 Points
To my mind, a perfect exemplar of what I think is wrong with (some) California winemaking: this tasted like a confection, not a wine. Nose was intensely jammy, stewed berries, some cassis, a fair bit of oak. Palate had stewed blackberry, blueberry pie filling, vanilla, very smooth tannin. The fruit had that slightly-sour note one gets from grapes left hanging too long and then overextracted. Understandable, in a bad year, but I think they'd have been better off declassifying the fruit and making an honest, more straightforward non-reserve out of this. The regular cab I drank a few months ago could have used some more stuffing, anyway.
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6/14/2010 - ptelgenh wrote:
This is an elegant balanced offering from Whitehall. Soft oak and beautiful red currant. Drink now
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5/31/2010 - corkscrews wrote: 93 Points
A classic Cab nose of dark currants, dark amber in color. A medium to full bodied Cab, currants, cherry, blackberry, was very smooth, very enjoyable, time did the wine well, decanted for over an hour. My only complaint was that I did not read the bottle which stated that they made a special glass stopper instead of a cork….busted my good corkscrew…who would of guessed?
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5/15/2010 - longhorncab wrote: 95 Points
Drinking beautifully. Lots of fruit, with bright underlying acidity and very nice finish.
Dark fruits and plenty of anise.
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2/13/2010 - Nancy&Chris wrote: 90 Points
wierd nose and taste at first---needed to decant---smoothed out over a few hours
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10/21/2009 - Vinomarcus wrote: 89 Points
Very odd at first, started to come around after an hour or so in the decanter. Definately a little disjoiinted and I'm not sure if it'll get much better. I found nice notes of ripe black fruit, smoke, new oak and saddle leather. There was a odd sour note on the finish that was a bit offputting, but overall this is a really nice wine. Fairly well structured with a nice full mouthfeel. I love the glass closure as opposed to cork or neocork.
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8/17/2009 - ptelgenh wrote: 84 Points
admit I was disappointed by this bottle. Very one dimentional. A bit like Welch's grape juice. Would not buy again.
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6/20/2009 - Yamadori wrote: 91 Points
Tremendous nose of blackcurrent while decanting. Decanted 3 hours. Nose still dominated by blackcurrent with some oak and vanilla. Elegant wine with medium to full body, leaning more toward medium but with nice viscosity as shown by the great legs in the glass. Blackcurrent and dark cherry on the mid-palate with a long finish picking up some liquorice and earthy notes. Some tannin kicks in on the finish along with a touch of heat. Nice change of pace from the big, bold cabs which tend to dominate this price point. Have had this wine each year since 2006 and it is drinking very nicely right now but i feel this wine will be even better in 2-3 years time. Steep at $75 but my overall feeling is that i don't want to have none of this wine left in my cellar!
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4/15/2009 - stevei01 wrote: 89 Points
Whitehall Lane has been one of my favorite producers dating to the the excellent 1997 and 1999 cab offerings. Even with the Laube review I was expecting a little more. Very pleasant wine, ready to drink now. Cassis and cooked red fruit on the nose at bottle open. Not so much evolution over the two hours in the decanter. Tannins are integrated nicely, very smooth. A hint of oak is evident. For complexity, drink the 1997, 1999, and 2001 product. At this price point, a disappointing effort.
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6/30/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 90 Points
Bottle features the first glass-on-glass enclosure as a cork. So friggin' cool. Too bad it got tossed...boo.
The wine showed excellent classic California Cab characteristics. Dark red berries with nicely integrated oak and cigar box aromas.
The palate falls a little short of the nose. The alcohol is showing strong now and the finish is somewhat lacking.
To be honest, this didn't stand up to the Varner Chard we tried with apps and salads.
Looking forward to trying the other bottle in a couple years. Maybe the alcohol will be more subdued.
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3/22/2008 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. Vanilla, red fruit, Gym shoe smell which eventually blew off. Sweet approachable wine. Above average for vintage.
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2/16/2008 - g0wave wrote: 92 Points
exceedingly ready to consume - opened, poured, let it breath in the glasses for 10 minutes and drank with a dark chocolate desert... excellent wine.
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9/25/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 92 Points
the glass stopper freaked out the server. decanted and drunk over 1.5 hours. still tight,but approachable. very nice nose of dark cherry, smoke, pencil lead, tobacco. nice round balanced mouth, fine grained tannins, a little too much sharp acid on the mid palate but overall a nice wine.
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9/22/2007 - NW_HURLEY wrote: 95 Points
Still young but luscious! Full, velvety mouth feel that teasingly reveals the depth and richness of the flavors of the wine. The bouquet instantly imparts a vigorous vanilla perfume common to over oaked wines, yet this subtly sweet aroma melts into a spicy caramel that fills the nose.
I would strongly suggest decanting this wine for at least an hour before enjoying, at this stage in its life.
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3/13/2007 - babnik wrote: 87 Points
Tasty, but one dimensional: Big, sweet, and rich... in fact I found this wine to be a bit overbearing. 87 points.
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1/18/2007 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Flock 2003 Cal Cab Tasting (Ken's - Northbrook, IL): Dark ruby with a layered nose of plummy fruit, cocoa and graphite. Concentrated and creamy palate of milk chocolate and dark currants coats the mooth. Great breadth and length to the finish. Unctuous defined! 4+13+18+8=93. My #3, Group #3.
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11/13/2006 - Paul Lin wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at a retail tasting. Brown sugar and cinnamon on the nose. Current and vanilla flavors. Initially quite delicious and balanced, but starts to turn green with time in the glass. 88-89.
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10/19/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 90 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tasting (Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA): Not as complete as last few vintages. Big fruit, nice tannin structure but lacks the depth and complexity of the other wines tasted this evening. Overall a good wine but overshadowed by the many great wines tasted.
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6/11/2006 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Napa-Noma, June 2006: 100% Cabernet. Concentrated solid. Chewey. Solid black currant fruit. Firm. Som earth complexity in the background. Good.
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4/22/2006 - babnik wrote:
Fresh and vibrant. Reminded me of a barrel sample. This was the first bottle opened of an "informal test" of the new glass stopper closure. Nice packaging. Stopper came out very (too?) easily but no leakage was evident.
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