Typical California Cab notes of dark fruit, slightly dry, near perfect balance. Wish I had more of these in the cellar. Just a wonderfully executed wine.
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Currant and leather aromas. Medium heavy weight on palate. Great acidity, smooth texture. Fruit forward (blackberry jam) but a strong tobacco note as well. Cedar, leather, vanilla. Pleasant, if short, finish with more vanilla.
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Pnp. Dark purple. Violet nose. Rich blackcurrants, mocha. Full bodied, smooth with good balance, slightly sweet. Nice structure, integrated tannins and a long finish.
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Decanted this bottle for around 2+ hrs, which certainly seemed appropriate. Had great floral notes on notes, but IMO only showed ok for other price comparisons at blind tasting we performed. I still prefer it’s other family member CADE for a slightly lower price.
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Silky smooth wine. Lots of fruit no oak and a little tannic on the finish. Newsome should stick to wine. He’s doing a much better job with this than he is governing the state of California.
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Yep, I'm am idiot. Went thru the hassle of decanting and my God this is delicious. Not overpowering. Very balanced. This bottle will be empty in no time...need something to wash down this ribeye!!!
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Delicious! Had some currants, blackberries, raspberries, ash, sulfur, tobacco, hint of rabbit urine, maybe some chorizzo. Definitely at least two of these...but no more than four. I have a cold so my nose may be a bit off. Anyway, it's delicious....sorry if that's repetitive. Just buy it and drink it! If reading my note influences you then you really need to reconsider your level of wine expertise...and may God have mercy on your soul.
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First. Ready to drink today. Decant for an hour. drink this slow as it will continue to open, and get that O2 in the wine. Creates the settle movement, and shows the friendliness of the wine.
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Had a 2012 at Alexander's in 2015 and it was amazing. It was the most velvety wine I ever had. Smooth, good flavor, and an experience I'll never forget.
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Second bottle of this we've finished this week. Couldn't stay away from it, so accessible right now but has some aging potential. Note similar to my last with perhaps even sweeter tannins in this bottle. Going to have to hunt up some more of this. One of the better Cali cabs at this price, IMO.
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Terroir-istes International - USA - California, Napa, Oakville (Cape Town Law offices): (Tasted Blind): A deep black-red colour. Youthful with an intense ripe and spicy-led nose and abundant fruit with blackcurrant, dried orange peel, blueberry and a touch of liquorice and tilled soil. A pleasant, juicy entry with blue fruits presenting a clean and focused profile. There are solid chunks of fleshy blackcurrant, bilberry and dried orange zest. Firm tannins with a lively acidity balance and relatively generous alcohol content (The 15.6% surprisingly didn't bother me!). Harmoniously integrated, the wine has girth, linearity and well-managed tannins. With great concentration, it closes with tar elements and a long winding finish. It should age very nicely; currently, it has that vibrancy to spring off the palate. Some in the group found it too sweet, one-dimensional, oaky and alcoholic. It has all those elements, but it is nicely balanced and seems to work to me. To be fair, it is a steak kind of wine! A Blend of 95 CS and 5 PV. Alc: 15.6%
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Enjoyed a glass via the Coravin.....sllight briar nose, dark black ruby in the glass. On initial pour it tastes and feels candied and overly extracted. One hour in the glass and it turns into a voluptuous red/black fruit drinker with moderate tannins with surprisingly smooth edges. This is a very nice wine but give it an hour to settle in. Another few years in bottle or another few hours in my glass and it might be a 96.
Opened in the bottle for 3 hours but was ready immediately. The best way to think of this is like a more structured and slightly earthy Caymus Cabernet. Upfront its massively candied with a wall of molten chocolate, blueberry pie filling, cherry syrup, black licorice, and cassis liqueur. Mid palate and finish are surprisingly balanced with earthy and peppery tones coming through. Alcoholic but never obtrusive. Still crazy big and likely best suited to drink in the next few years.
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Ok Guys....I get it ....$105 a bottle, but you pop & pour this puppy and like RP says...95 solid.. and then a little time and she opens up Gorgeously with some phenomenal fruit...whoa*! Shes got it goin' on ...yes i too wish It was $50 or 60 a pop.. ..I wonder if some a you other cats had bogus bottles...Lol*!!..cause this Shit Rocks*!! 95
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Taste from decanter after SEO at MJ's OB. Moderately aromatic. Mid bright berries, some heat on the nose. Touches of sweet baking spice, oak and a bit of red flowers - hard to get beyond that heat unfortunately. Palate is medium full bodied with moderate dark red cherries, cola, some sweet spice. Not quite as mouth coating and textured as I would expect - definitely lots of fruit and spice though. Overall this is a slightly over-hyped wine I guess - at over $100/bottle retail. It's good and I'm sure lots will enjoy this but you can get much more elegant and nuanced wines for a little more than half of this Plumpjack.
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by a very, VERY slightly tannic pucker which slowly, fairly seamlessly transtions into a LONG, somewhat spicy, tangy/swt finish with occasional notes of tannins in the form of a very, VERY slight bitterness. Needs/DESERVES into Spring '19, then drinking BEAUTIFULLY for at least 3 yrs more. An EXQUISITE effort, & not at all overdone! 95 pts WA, 94 Vinous, & 92 WS. [Though likely no longer available, this vendor's $99.95 *crushed* wine-searcher's still large early 04/2018 "class" by at LEAST $15!]
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Opaque purple/black in glass, viscous. Beautiful spice, oak, blackberry, anise, pencil lead. Full mouthfeel, rich and silky as you swirl it around. Tannins throughout mouth that linger for a minute. Tightly wound core of black fruit, dark chocolate, creamy vanilla. Could use air/decant. Well done.
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P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by firming structure which SLOWLY, fairly seamlessly morphs into quite a LONG finish with a bitterSWTNESS. For now & through '20. QUITE well made in its style! 95 pts WA, 94 Vinous, & 92 WS. [Though likely no longer available, this vendor's $99.99 was @ the HEAD of wine-searcher's large "class".]
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PNP. Dark purple, opaque. Rich dark fruit. Tight on opening. Opens up after two hours. Nicely made naoa cab. Rich fruit but not over done. Plenty of tanninc structure to balance the fruit. Needs a few years or a long decant.
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Deep, dark, purple/garnet in color, almost opaque. Forward, attractive & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & blueberries with toasty oak & vanilla overtones, some spices, dark cocoa, a hint of mint & herbs. Full bodied with a dense concentration of smooth textured & balanced, lush, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & cassis with toasted oak & vanilla, some spices, dark cocoa & herbs. Lingering finish. Presently accessible with decanting and extended airing and may develop further with additional aging.
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A neighbor brought this over. Purple fruit - blackberry, dark cherry, and currants. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth. Nice flavors of dark berries with a little spice. Fairly rich. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Popped and poured but drank out of a decanter for a couple hours. Improved with time but I believe it probably would have shown a little better with a decent decant before drinking. However, drank next to a 2013 B Cellars Ehrlich cab which was quite a bit better in every aspect in my opinion - although I believe the Ehrlich cab is also at a better drinking point. Approachable now but I believe another year or two will do this vintage good. 96% cab and 4% petit verdot.
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A really nice wine which I thoroughly enjoyed. Rich purple with a nose of blackberry, cherry, and coffee. The palate is similar with some chocolate and spices thrown in.
This is a full bodied, dense, opulent wine.
Decanted this just over an hour and it could have used three. In a year or two I can see this garnering the 95 pts Parker gave it.
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Wednesday Wine - Special Edition (The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes.): A young wine, with great potential. Red and blue fruits, with some spice and a hint of sweetness. Smooth for its age with some chocolate on the finish. Probably not fair to rate this as it was number six of six big Napa Cabs consumed. Never-the-less, if scoring, 90-92.
Tasting at the winery. Was suppose to drink the 2011 which is not a vintage I care to drink and was able to talk them in to serving the 2014. This was drinking pretty well for a young wine. Good body, fruit, and structure. Will drink this again.
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Plumpjack Dinner (1700 Degrees): Lovely nose of spice and dark fruit. This is a big wine but completely balanced. At 15.6% there isn't a hint of alcohol. The tannins are already tamed although present. There is almost a sweetness to this wine, so balanced are all the different elements of fruit. Cherry and plum mix with spice. The finish was long with currants and fruit and even a little chocolate. This wine is wise beyond its years but without a doubt has the stuffing to last and improve for decades.
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3/31/2024 - Nighthawk244 wrote: 94 Points
Typical California Cab notes of dark fruit, slightly dry, near perfect balance. Wish I had more of these in the cellar. Just a wonderfully executed wine.
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2/19/2024 - pdbender Likes this wine:
perfectly aged and showing tremendous balance and concentration!
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6/18/2023 - longhornboy wrote:
Drank Father’s Day 2023 - lorra loved it and I liked a lot - very smooth
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2/27/2022 - Logan Casey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Currant and leather aromas. Medium heavy weight on palate. Great acidity, smooth texture. Fruit forward (blackberry jam) but a strong tobacco note as well. Cedar, leather, vanilla. Pleasant, if short, finish with more vanilla.
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1/15/2022 - dstraub wrote: 85 Points
Definitely has mega purple in it, similar to anything from Caymus. Add the syrup to chase the ratings but the wine tastes closer to a port.
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1/3/2022 - mvande21 wrote: 94 Points
Pnp. Dark purple. Violet nose. Rich blackcurrants, mocha. Full bodied, smooth with good balance, slightly sweet. Nice structure, integrated tannins and a long finish.
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10/24/2021 - Dinovino9 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted this bottle for around 2+ hrs, which certainly seemed appropriate. Had great floral notes on notes, but IMO only showed ok for other price comparisons at blind tasting we performed. I still prefer it’s other family member CADE for a slightly lower price.
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5/30/2021 - NapaBias Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine never disappoints, benchmark for a fruit forward Napa cab
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2/26/2021 - herbers wrote: 96 Points
Superb and that means excellent.
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2/14/2021 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 94 Points
Silky smooth wine. Lots of fruit no oak and a little tannic on the finish. Newsome should stick to wine. He’s doing a much better job with this than he is governing the state of California.
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2/7/2021 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich dark fruit, soft tannins. Drinking really well right now.
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6/27/2020 - franinnyc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft and elegant. Aging nicely!
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4/18/2020 - Kenny_Powers Likes this wine: 94 Points
Yep, I'm am idiot. Went thru the hassle of decanting and my God this is delicious. Not overpowering. Very balanced. This bottle will be empty in no time...need something to wash down this ribeye!!!
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3/27/2020 - Kenny_Powers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious! Had some currants, blackberries, raspberries, ash, sulfur, tobacco, hint of rabbit urine, maybe some chorizzo. Definitely at least two of these...but no more than four. I have a cold so my nose may be a bit off. Anyway, it's delicious....sorry if that's repetitive. Just buy it and drink it! If reading my note influences you then you really need to reconsider your level of wine expertise...and may God have mercy on your soul.
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1/28/2020 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
First. Ready to drink today. Decant for an hour. drink this slow as it will continue to open, and get that O2 in the wine. Creates the settle movement, and shows the friendliness of the wine.
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11/30/2019 - Kdad wrote: 93 Points
What a difference a year makes. The 2013 was a total fruit bomb. This '14 was dry, balanced with flavor and mild tannins. Very good.
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11/8/2019 - knlowery Likes this wine: 92 Points
A beautiful new world PNP. We enjoyed over 2 nights.
Classic new world fruit forward Cab and very enjoyable.
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5/7/2019 - webbaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Plumpjack fruit bomb, perhaps too fruity for most. I love it.
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4/12/2019 - hollywoodarcadia Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had a 2012 at Alexander's in 2015 and it was amazing. It was the most velvety wine I ever had. Smooth, good flavor, and an experience I'll never forget.
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12/26/2018 - franinnyc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this with our filet roast Christmas Day. A wonderful California cab.
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10/6/2018 - knlowery Likes this wine: 94 Points
Always love this new world ride Napa Cab
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6/10/2018 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Second bottle of this we've finished this week. Couldn't stay away from it, so accessible right now but has some aging potential. Note similar to my last with perhaps even sweeter tannins in this bottle. Going to have to hunt up some more of this. One of the better Cali cabs at this price, IMO.
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6/4/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 94 Points
Terroir-istes International - USA - California, Napa, Oakville (Cape Town Law offices): (Tasted Blind): A deep black-red colour. Youthful with an intense ripe and spicy-led nose and abundant fruit with blackcurrant, dried orange peel, blueberry and a touch of liquorice and tilled soil. A pleasant, juicy entry with blue fruits presenting a clean and focused profile. There are solid chunks of fleshy blackcurrant, bilberry and dried orange zest. Firm tannins with a lively acidity balance and relatively generous alcohol content (The 15.6% surprisingly didn't bother me!). Harmoniously integrated, the wine has girth, linearity and well-managed tannins. With great concentration, it closes with tar elements and a long winding finish. It should age very nicely; currently, it has that vibrancy to spring off the palate. Some in the group found it too sweet, one-dimensional, oaky and alcoholic. It has all those elements, but it is nicely balanced and seems to work to me. To be fair, it is a steak kind of wine!
A Blend of 95 CS and 5 PV. Alc: 15.6%
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5/30/2018 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed a glass via the Coravin.....sllight briar nose, dark black ruby in the glass. On initial pour it tastes and feels candied and overly extracted. One hour in the glass and it turns into a voluptuous red/black fruit drinker with moderate tannins with surprisingly smooth edges. This is a very nice wine but give it an hour to settle in. Another few years in bottle or another few hours in my glass and it might be a 96.
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4/13/2018 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 94 Points
Opened in the bottle for 3 hours but was ready immediately. The best way to think of this is like a more structured and slightly earthy Caymus Cabernet. Upfront its massively candied with a wall of molten chocolate, blueberry pie filling, cherry syrup, black licorice, and cassis liqueur. Mid palate and finish are surprisingly balanced with earthy and peppery tones coming through. Alcoholic but never obtrusive. Still crazy big and likely best suited to drink in the next few years.
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2/6/2018 - rockit vino wrote: 95 Points
Ok Guys....I get it ....$105 a bottle, but you pop & pour this puppy and like RP says...95 solid.. and then a little time and she opens up Gorgeously with some phenomenal fruit...whoa*! Shes got it goin' on ...yes i too wish It was $50 or 60 a pop.. ..I wonder if some a you other cats had bogus bottles...Lol*!!..cause this Shit Rocks*!! 95
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1/9/2018 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Taste from decanter after SEO at MJ's OB.
Moderately aromatic. Mid bright berries, some heat on the nose. Touches of sweet baking spice, oak and a bit of red flowers - hard to get beyond that heat unfortunately.
Palate is medium full bodied with moderate dark red cherries, cola, some sweet spice. Not quite as mouth coating and textured as I would expect - definitely lots of fruit and spice though.
Overall this is a slightly over-hyped wine I guess - at over $100/bottle retail. It's good and I'm sure lots will enjoy this but you can get much more elegant and nuanced wines for a little more than half of this Plumpjack.
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12/30/2017 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whts & 8 Reds] from 12/29/17 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): N: Slightly closed; Smoke, berries, earth, poss choc; Intensity luking!
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by a very, VERY slightly tannic pucker which slowly, fairly seamlessly transtions into a LONG, somewhat spicy, tangy/swt finish with occasional notes of tannins in the form of a very, VERY slight bitterness. Needs/DESERVES into Spring '19, then drinking BEAUTIFULLY for at least 3 yrs more. An EXQUISITE effort, & not at all overdone! 95 pts WA, 94 Vinous, & 92 WS. [Though likely no longer available, this vendor's $99.95 *crushed* wine-searcher's still large early 04/2018 "class" by at LEAST $15!]
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12/13/2017 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opaque purple/black in glass, viscous. Beautiful spice, oak, blackberry, anise, pencil lead. Full mouthfeel, rich and silky as you swirl it around. Tannins throughout mouth that linger for a minute. Tightly wound core of black fruit, dark chocolate, creamy vanilla. Could use air/decant. Well done.
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12/2/2017 - srh Likes this wine:
Big Gun (Napa) Cabernet Sauvignon/Bordeaux Blends Tasting (San Diego Wine Co.): N: RIPE berries slightly atop pyrazines; Intensity lurking?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by firming structure which SLOWLY, fairly seamlessly morphs into quite a LONG finish with a bitterSWTNESS. For now & through '20. QUITE well made in its style! 95 pts WA, 94 Vinous, & 92 WS. [Though likely no longer available, this vendor's $99.99 was @ the HEAD of wine-searcher's large "class".]
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11/19/2017 - hawkeye54 wrote: 93 Points
PNP. Dark purple, opaque. Rich dark fruit. Tight on opening. Opens up after two hours. Nicely made naoa cab. Rich fruit but not over done. Plenty of tanninc structure to balance the fruit. Needs a few years or a long decant.
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8/23/2017 - Vinnut wrote: 91 Points
Deep, dark, purple/garnet in color, almost opaque. Forward, attractive & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & blueberries with toasty oak & vanilla overtones, some spices, dark cocoa, a hint of mint & herbs. Full bodied with a dense concentration of smooth textured & balanced, lush, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & cassis with toasted oak & vanilla, some spices, dark cocoa & herbs. Lingering finish. Presently accessible with decanting and extended airing and may develop further with additional aging.
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8/12/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 92 Points
A neighbor brought this over. Purple fruit - blackberry, dark cherry, and currants. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth. Nice flavors of dark berries with a little spice. Fairly rich. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Popped and poured but drank out of a decanter for a couple hours. Improved with time but I believe it probably would have shown a little better with a decent decant before drinking. However, drank next to a 2013 B Cellars Ehrlich cab which was quite a bit better in every aspect in my opinion - although I believe the Ehrlich cab is also at a better drinking point. Approachable now but I believe another year or two will do this vintage good. 96% cab and 4% petit verdot.
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7/22/2017 - RayT Likes this wine: 93 Points
A really nice wine which I thoroughly enjoyed. Rich purple with a nose of blackberry, cherry, and coffee. The palate is similar with some chocolate and spices thrown in.
This is a full bodied, dense, opulent wine.
Decanted this just over an hour and it could have used three. In a year or two I can see this garnering the 95 pts Parker gave it.
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7/12/2017 - dontime wrote:
Wednesday Wine - Special Edition (The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes.): A young wine, with great potential. Red and blue fruits, with some spice and a hint of sweetness. Smooth for its age with some chocolate on the finish. Probably not fair to rate this as it was number six of six big Napa Cabs consumed. Never-the-less, if scoring, 90-92.
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4/6/2017 - RayT Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasting at the winery. Was suppose to drink the 2011 which is not a vintage I care to drink and was able to talk them in to serving the 2014. This was drinking pretty well for a young wine. Good body, fruit, and structure. Will drink this again.
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3/30/2017 - JS1056 wrote: 94 Points
Plumpjack Dinner (1700 Degrees): Lovely nose of spice and dark fruit.
This is a big wine but completely balanced. At 15.6% there isn't a hint of alcohol. The tannins are already tamed although present. There is almost a sweetness to this wine, so balanced are all the different elements of fruit.
Cherry and plum mix with spice. The finish was long with currants and fruit and even a little chocolate.
This wine is wise beyond its years but without a doubt has the stuffing to last and improve for decades.
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3/25/2016 - cultdrinker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Enjoyed with a nice juicy 8 ounce filet. Pronounced and well balanced long lasting tastes of dark cherry, mocha, chocolate, and granite.
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