Collectable Wine Night (Tuscany Steakhouse NYC): Almost 4 years since my last bottle and time has been very good to it! It was opened for an hour, but not decanted. We then poured it into glasses for 30 minutes before drinking. The overwhelming WOTN for my group. We all loved it! Full bodied, long finish and a nice mix of spice and fruit.
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Still fruit forward but with nice balance. No heat detected. Overall a pleasant wine that is nearing its prime and should drink well for over a decade. This would benefit from a two hour decant.
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Very integrated tannin and delicate expression of Napa. Ripe black fruit, with fairly pronounced pencil shaving and minearlity on both nose and palate. The wine is a little lean on the palate. The wine is in between adolescence and full maturity from the tannin and fruit however the fruit is slightly over the peak. With the pronounced minearlity and lean body, it is hard for me to tell how it will involve.
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Very smooth and elegant wine at the moment. Tannins have resolved and moved to the background. Acidity is noticeable right after opening, but with a little air the tanginess becomes integrated and harmonious with the wine. Finish is medium length and perhaps a little menthol note on the finish.
The Lail wines have never been full-throttle California cab-hammers, and now with 11 years of age, this wine can hold its own with some spendy Bordeaux wines.
I have a feeling that this wine is in an in-between place right now. The primary fruit notes typical of this wine when young are subdued and the tertiary notes have not yet presented themselves other than suggestive notes of graphite and perhaps a little iodine in the background.
I think this is already a refined and elegant wine, and with another 4 or 5 years of age, it will be sublime.
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Opaque purple turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe plums, dark fruits, raspberry and smoked earth. The palate is full-bodied with a velvety texture on medium plus acidity. Flavors of blackberry, black olives, dark chocolate, baking spices and vanilla form the core that leads to a long, supple finish with ultra refined tannins. Drink now until 2030.
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Pruny, disappointing - maybe past prime, but I stored well since buying at retail in 2014, so perhaps had a challenging childhood, but to me I’m disappointed on this one.
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2010 Cabernet Vintage Night (Aretsky's Patroon - NYC): Opened, but not decanted for over an hour with my wine group. Out of the five of us, four had it as their second favorite. While it evolved and improved in the glass over a 2 hour dinner, I couldn't get past the slightly cooked and raisiney nose. Still it has a long finish, and was full bodied.
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Improved after a few more years in the cellar and still has plenty of life in it. The tannins are still there too. A more restrained style; this tastes more like a Left Bank Bordeaux than most Napa cabs do.
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Perfect cork, no bricking. Decanted about 90 minutes. Great juice. Complex, smooth, integrated, long finish. Probably at its peak but at least 5-7 years left.
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Deep flavors, drinking beautifully right now. This is very smooth, mid weight, balanced wine with dark berry flavors and cedar, tobacco, menthol overtones. After 5 hours this wine hit a wonderful sweet spot. Enjoy this very special bottle. I wish I had more.
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I would categorize this as a very well-made, midweight Napa Cabernet, with excellent balance, still firm tannins which are welcome. Drank well with steaks over a few hours, no decant. Drink now or over 10 years.
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A nose of pepper and tobacco. Very smooth and elegant on the pallet. The history of fine wine making comes through. Paired well with flat iron steak and roasted potatoes. This vintage is ready to drink. Enjoy!
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Dinner with 6 wine friends, where we drank (in order): 2010 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvée , 2012 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon Monsieur Ètain (M. Etain), 2012 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard, and the 2011 Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée. All the wines were opened at the restaurant, with the first one being open for about 15 minutes before pouring. We all had two glasses at a time, and the next wine was always poured into the glass were it could breathe and open a bit more than just staying in the open bottle.
This was the group's 2nd favorite wine of the night. We drank this one first, and I think it would have benefited by sitting a little longer before we drank it. It started off slightly muted, but opened up really well once the 30 minute mark passed.
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Really tasty stuff with a great nose that screams, "Blackberry!". This wine is still a little bit restrained, so I would give it another 2-3 years in the cellar, after which it will probably be worth another 1-2 points in my book.
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What a wonderful bottle of wine! Never tried this before and I was blown away. Great tannins out of the bottle and improved over the next 2 hours. I see the wine got a 100 pt rating from Parker in 2012 so I wanted to try on e of the 3 bottles I had. I'll wait a couple years to try another one but I expect it could even improve over the next 5-10 years.
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Very dark ruby color. Very prominent green beans and plum aromas. Full bodied dark fruit and lush on the palate with sweet tannins. I don't know how the lower level of acidity will work over time. We will see!
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During PNV week at the Melka tasting. Sentimental favorite of mine, have the wines back to 97.
Dark red/purple color. Floral and dark berries on the nose. Blackberries, spice, oak. Some sweetness mid palate. Full bodied, long finish. Big wine, still a baby, would let it lay for 5 years. My experience with these wines is they start drinking at 7 years, hit stride past 10
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dark red, inky, in color. floral, dark berry, spice, earth, on the nose. blackberry, spice, oak, sweet, on the palate. high acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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From 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this lush, sensuous, display of ripe dark fruits, licorice, espresso and smoke delivers a fresh, round, full bodied, polished finish. This should age quite well.
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2/17/2024 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 96 Points
Collectable Wine Night (Tuscany Steakhouse NYC): Almost 4 years since my last bottle and time has been very good to it! It was opened for an hour, but not decanted. We then poured it into glasses for 30 minutes before drinking. The overwhelming WOTN for my group. We all loved it! Full bodied, long finish and a nice mix of spice and fruit.
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12/11/2022 - bonedoc wrote: flawed
Corked
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9/19/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
Still fruit forward but with nice balance. No heat detected. Overall a pleasant wine that is nearing its prime and should drink well for over a decade. This would benefit from a two hour decant.
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8/31/2022 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still drinking very well. Not much to add to my last note.
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6/27/2022 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
Drank over two nights. Inky purple, dark sweet fruits but no coffee. Tannins resolved.
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4/6/2022 - bonedoc wrote:
Decanted and drank over 2hours. Dark berries, stewed fruit, a little heat.
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11/28/2021 - overkloud wrote: 92 Points
Very integrated tannin and delicate expression of Napa. Ripe black fruit, with fairly pronounced pencil shaving and minearlity on both nose and palate. The wine is a little lean on the palate. The wine is in between adolescence and full maturity from the tannin and fruit however the fruit is slightly over the peak. With the pronounced minearlity and lean body, it is hard for me to tell how it will involve.
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11/13/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very smooth and elegant wine at the moment. Tannins have resolved and moved to the background. Acidity is noticeable right after opening, but with a little air the tanginess becomes integrated and harmonious with the wine. Finish is medium length and perhaps a little menthol note on the finish.
The Lail wines have never been full-throttle California cab-hammers, and now with 11 years of age, this wine can hold its own with some spendy Bordeaux wines.
I have a feeling that this wine is in an in-between place right now. The primary fruit notes typical of this wine when young are subdued and the tertiary notes have not yet presented themselves other than suggestive notes of graphite and perhaps a little iodine in the background.
I think this is already a refined and elegant wine, and with another 4 or 5 years of age, it will be sublime.
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10/5/2020 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium body, earthy, with blackberry, tobacco, and spice. Enjoyable, but fruit flavors seem to be fading.
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10/3/2020 - PAWS wrote:
Drinking beautiful right now.
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7/4/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 95 Points
Opaque purple turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe plums, dark fruits, raspberry and smoked earth. The palate is full-bodied with a velvety texture on medium plus acidity. Flavors of blackberry, black olives, dark chocolate, baking spices and vanilla form the core that leads to a long, supple finish with ultra refined tannins. Drink now until 2030.
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3/28/2020 - rharl wrote: 89 Points
Pruny, disappointing - maybe past prime, but I stored well since buying at retail in 2014, so perhaps had a challenging childhood, but to me I’m disappointed on this one.
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3/6/2020 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 93 Points
2010 Cabernet Vintage Night (Aretsky's Patroon - NYC): Opened, but not decanted for over an hour with my wine group. Out of the five of us, four had it as their second favorite. While it evolved and improved in the glass over a 2 hour dinner, I couldn't get past the slightly cooked and raisiney nose. Still it has a long finish, and was full bodied.
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9/24/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine: 95 Points
Improved after a few more years in the cellar and still has plenty of life in it. The tannins are still there too. A more restrained style; this tastes more like a Left Bank Bordeaux than most Napa cabs do.
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7/20/2019 - bonedoc wrote: 92 Points
Ditto last note.
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5/9/2019 - Magnolian Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfect cork, no bricking. Decanted about 90 minutes. Great juice. Complex, smooth, integrated, long finish. Probably at its peak but at least 5-7 years left.
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9/23/2018 - PapaGreenz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep flavors, drinking beautifully right now. This is very smooth, mid weight, balanced wine with dark berry flavors and cedar, tobacco, menthol overtones. After 5 hours this wine hit a wonderful sweet spot. Enjoy this very special bottle. I wish I had more.
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9/14/2018 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
Ditto last note - nice mid weight Napa cab in good balance.
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5/31/2018 - DGR Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking fabulously now
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5/5/2018 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
Ditto last note, lovely mid weight Napa cab with all components in perfect balance.
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5/25/2017 - Cali Fan Likes this wine: 93 Points
May need more time. Fruity but medium-bodied, bordering on lightweight.
Classy but missing something, which prevents a higher rating.
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4/22/2017 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
I would categorize this as a very well-made, midweight Napa Cabernet, with excellent balance, still firm tannins which are welcome. Drank well with steaks over a few hours, no decant. Drink now or over 10 years.
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7/13/2016 - Realdoc1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
A nose of pepper and tobacco. Very smooth and elegant on the pallet. The history of fine wine making comes through. Paired well with flat iron steak and roasted potatoes. This vintage is ready to drink. Enjoy!
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2/10/2016 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner with 6 wine friends, where we drank (in order): 2010 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvée , 2012 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon Monsieur Ètain (M. Etain), 2012 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard, and the 2011 Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée. All the wines were opened at the restaurant, with the first one being open for about 15 minutes before pouring. We all had two glasses at a time, and the next wine was always poured into the glass were it could breathe and open a bit more than just staying in the open bottle.
This was the group's 2nd favorite wine of the night. We drank this one first, and I think it would have benefited by sitting a little longer before we drank it. It started off slightly muted, but opened up really well once the 30 minute mark passed.
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7/5/2015 - George Lopez Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really tasty stuff with a great nose that screams, "Blackberry!". This wine is still a little bit restrained, so I would give it another 2-3 years in the cellar, after which it will probably be worth another 1-2 points in my book.
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6/28/2015 - premiercruclasse wrote: 94 Points
Consumed at SY house with HJ. Very smooth and very well integrated wine, but the nose was closed the whole night. I would buy again though.
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11/20/2014 - Cycle Man Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a wonderful bottle of wine! Never tried this before and I was blown away. Great tannins out of the bottle and improved over the next 2 hours. I see the wine got a 100 pt rating from Parker in 2012 so I wanted to try on e of the 3 bottles I had. I'll wait a couple years to try another one but I expect it could even improve over the next 5-10 years.
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3/10/2014 - Winiac wrote: 93 Points
Very dark ruby color. Very prominent green beans and plum aromas. Full bodied dark fruit and lush on the palate with sweet tannins. I don't know how the lower level of acidity will work over time. We will see!
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2/21/2014 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
During PNV week at the Melka tasting. Sentimental favorite of mine, have the wines back to 97.
Dark red/purple color. Floral and dark berries on the nose. Blackberries, spice, oak. Some sweetness mid palate. Full bodied, long finish. Big wine, still a baby, would let it lay for 5 years. My experience with these wines is they start drinking at 7 years, hit stride past 10
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12/5/2013 - ReedC wrote: 93 Points
Velvety texture. Still young and backward. Let it lay.
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11/23/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 88 Points
dark red, inky, in color. floral, dark berry, spice, earth, on the nose. blackberry, spice, oak, sweet, on the palate. high acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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11/16/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
From 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this lush, sensuous, display of ripe dark fruits, licorice, espresso and smoke delivers a fresh, round, full bodied, polished finish. This should age quite well.
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