Delicious, with a silky intensity of brambly blackberries, dark cherry, and expresso, withsoft tannins and medium-long finish. Improved throughout the night & worth the wait.
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Like the previous tasting, the 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated but smooth and polished flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish.
Decanted for thirty minutes and allowed to breath in the glass. Wonderful aromatics of dark red fruit. At room temperature this wine exhibited bright red cherry and tobacco flavors. Fine tannin was still present with a touch of acid on the tip. Excellent example with ageing potential. EG
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Like earlier previous tastings, the 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated but smooth and polished flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish. It is showing incredibly well after thirteen years.
I was pleasantly surprised in how well this wine is showing after thirteen years as it was as good as I remember, It is showing signs of aging but is developing character, complexity and depth as some of the fruits give way to a tone of earthiness and leather, but taking on a full floral layer on the finish. It was a perfect accompaniment to grilled steak. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/02/robert-mondavi-oakville-napa-valley.html
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Really tight the first night but blossoming beautifully the second night. Really characteristic Oakville notes and still fairly prevalent tannins. Will hang on to the next one for a few more years.
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Perfectly stored since release. perfect cork, slight sediment. not decanted. consumed pre and during dinner over 2 hours. Deep dark reddish purple with a dark red rim without bricking. initial nose of olives and artichokes that blows off showing plum and fig with cigar-box spices and a touch of red earth. on the palate initial "wow" with delicious red and blue fruits with a touch of brown sugar/vanilla. almost a touch of tokalon. excellent mouth coating tannins and a reasonable finish. overall a very nice california cabernet. my only complaint is maybe its a bit thin but overall a good value and with proper cellaring will easily be good for another 5+ years maybe 10,
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This is still open for business. Full Napa Cabernet with nice fruit, balance, and excellent texture. I also opened an '04 Mondavi Stags Leap District and the group was about evenly split on their preference. I gave the nod to the Stags Leap wine.
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Decanted for 90 minutes; minimal sediment. Deep cherry red color. Blackberry, coffee and vanilla on the nose. Delightful, mouth-filling medium-to-full bodied dark berries with bright acids and soft tannins and a medium-to-long finish. Not much complexity, but quite enjoyable, and should drink well for another couple of years. At under $40, a reasonably good QPR.
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Tasted alongside a 2004 Turnbull. Unlike when I did the same tasting in 2014, the Turnbull was now the more elegant of the two, with better structure and longer finish. The Mondavi was still good, but much more fruit-forward and simple.
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Wow, still big nose of red, ripe fruit. Palate similar and very smooth with subtle acidity to balance the fruit. Thought it would be past its prime but drinking very well with a year or two left.
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Pop and pour and consumed over 2 hours with rib eye steaks. Drinking like a mature Oakville cab, with hints of black and blue fruit, red fruits on the mid-palate, cinnamon and spices, and oak toasted/milky and silky tannins with a medium-long finish. Well balanced, and certainly ready to go. I would not age this wine much longer. Delicious.
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Rich and chewy - a mouthful of flavors. The scent is spice, oak, vanilla and some kirsch. The taste is dark berry (blackberry), currant, coffee, mint and a bit of rhubarb to keep things interesting. It has earthy fine tannins and a long flavorful finish.
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Magnum - Holding up well, but has moved into a new phase, characterized by maturity.
Lots of barrel toast on the nose, with a somewhat raisiny fruit overtone. While there is no visible bricking, the wine has evolved quickly. Raisins dominate the palate, with a hint of mint and cinnamon. The wine is still well textured and layered, while the flavors persist.
I drank this close to when the vintage was released, and enjoyed it much more. I have one magnum left and I will make sure that I drink it over the next 3 months.
:0)
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As expected and consistent with last bottle. Nice rich fruit with ample acid and tannin. Smooth and decent finish. Notes of chocolate, blackberry and blood orange. Nice nose and finish.
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It's not that this is an old wine, but it is not aging well. The fruit from what should have been a fairly fruity year has diminished a LOT, still some medium to fine tannins and a whole lot of oak to the point of being off-putting. If the oak was less this would actually be pretty good, but alas, I'm glad it's my last bottle.
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Drinking well at the moment although it may be starting to shorten up - so not sure how long this will last. Full, lush mouthfeel with dark sweet cherry and blackberry on the finish
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Decanted half hour; drank beautifully over an hour. Subtle but still fresh fruit, moderate tannin. Silky with medium finish. Bottle from home cellar; held up to slow cooked short ribs and ribeye at Spago.
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Drinking very well right now. Fruit subdued, but delicious undertones of blackberry and currant. Finishes with spice, cinnamon? Very smooth right now, but complex finish that stands up to steak.
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This bottle never really opened up, it was austere, overly tanic with low fruit. The better side of average. My last tasting was several years ago and the fruit profile made it a much more compelling wine.
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SPlash decant and drank over an hour, Definately improved over time in the glass and probably would have scored closer to 94 if given enough time. Plum and cassis in a viscous wine. Oak is still there but complimentary. Tannins were a bit sharp and edgy for me but were getting smoother over time and acidity developed towards the end. Very nice nose.
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Decanted for about 90 minutes (and opened up considerably in that time). This was a very nice Cab with good varietal character. This one has a very dark fruit profile with good intensity. Also has some vanilla and some hints of leather and cedar, although the secondary characteristics are not pronounced. The tannins are well behaved but still noticeable, and the overall structure is very nice. Paired wonderfully with a prime rib roast with a shallot/cognac/beef-broth gravy. Unfortunately, this was my only bottle. If I had more, I would not be in a hurry to drink it as I think it will be good for 4-5 more years easily (assuming cellared properly and not at room temp). Very enjoyable.
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The 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish.
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Really drinking smooth, all about fruit, mainly plum. Also still showing some vanilla. I didn't find a lot of structure here and given the hot vintage, the fruit is shining now and I would say it is ready to go. Overall, a very good drink at this stage and I enjoyed the wine a lot.
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Purple red color. Blackberries, currants, cocoa and oaky scents with smoke and vanilla on the nose. Sweet black berries, dark chocolate, vanilla and cedary accents follow through on an elegant mid-bodied palate.
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The past two weekends our travel youth hockey team played in 6 games in two cities. The parents consummed many wines partially from my cellar. A quick rundown: Phelps Napa 05 - Nice wine with aa touch of vanilla, color, body intact. The 06 was slightly better. The 06 Merlot similar wine with less complexity. The Mondavi Napa 08 Cab is drinking really well - Soft, complex flavors perfect color and body. The Mondavi Oakville's (04 and 06) were VERY dry, more oak and less fruit. Still a good wine, color and body were in good shape. The 689 was very nice, different in flavor profile then the others - color was perfect the body was slightly lighter.
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Christmas Day with the Pittengers! We had the Mandavi Oakville 2004 and 2006, the Silver Oak Napa 2002 and the 6-8-9 2009. The 6-8-9 was our starter wine in the afternoon, for dinner the Silver Oak was first and the Mondavi's followed. All came out great, the 6-8-9 a little light and very fruit forward. The Silver Oak was on the decline but had nice fruit and color, the oak component was suttle, very soft and went down EASY!. The Mondavi's were harder to taste but they still had oak and life in them for aging. Not as nice to drink but still enjoyable.
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Very good at our Christmas party. But, the 04 Ridge Lytton Springs gets the nod for being better now. In a couple of more years, this could mellow a bit and really stand out.
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Pop & pour. Big wine, lots of black currant and blackberry fruit, showing some serious structure. I think this is just coming into its prime drinking window. Oak noticed in a previous bottle 2 years ago has fully integrated into a touch of mocha on the finish. This is a tasty Cab!
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1 Hr decant. Big nose of plums, currants, spicy oak. Black fruits, vanilla, baking spices and tobacco on the palate. Long chocolate covered blackberry finish.
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Has evolved into a really nice wine. Decanted for 2 hours prior to tasting. Very dark in the glass with nose of plum, dark fruit, oak and vanilla. Great balance on the palate with good tannins and well integrated oak to go along with the dark fruit and cocoa. Longer than average finish. I would say this is in the prime drinking window.
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Lush and very settled from the aging. All signs of aging are here from the nose and taste, in a good way. Smokderig bitter chocolate, fruits with vanilla. Silky and long. Perfect to drink now.
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Dark ink color - full body and big full forward fruit - blackberry, black currant and cassis give way to a subtle but lingering slightly sweet caramel-vanilla with hint of subtle mocha, with a layer of alcohol almost bourbon-like taste on a moderate tannin oak finish.
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In it's youth, this probably would have been undrinkable to me because of heavy handed new oak treatment. Now, years later the oak has softened and integrated and this wine is very nice. Still all about oak with vanilla, spice and drying tannins competing hard with the ripe fruit, but it's now elegant and food friendly.
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I haven't opened a bottle of this since December '08. Drank with Easter ham. Dark, opaque purple with ruby rim. Nose of blackberry, plum, graphite, and vanilla Medium to full palate of ripe blackberry, blueberry, currant, espresso, and sweet toasty oak. Excellent length. Focused acidity. Supple tannins. Beautiful balance. Better than I remember.
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Light to Medium to light body, rich dark red raspberry color, elegant and not over powering, oak on the nose. Not as enjoyable as in the past, but plesant.
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Previous bottle was off. This is back with the first 3 - lovely cassis, very nice medium body with fine tannins and a great structure. Drinks just wonderfully.
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Brought to a party so limited notes, but I think it is really hitting its stride right now. A point above from two years ago. Rich, with depth, and very pure dark fruit. A great value in Napa Cabernet.
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enjoyed w/ ribeye and shrimp - dense, and powerful, yet elegant and not over powering. Fruit presence but not much (not in a bad way), more balanced w/ mineral and cedar. Long caressing finish. Very good. Good right now, but should be good for another a year or so.
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No detailed notes but second time with this bottle and once again I'm very impressed. Once of the best values in cali cabernet. Very classy, black currants and floral perfume. The palate was elegant and smooth with a long finish. I wish I had more or at least the time to have really sat with this to get a better tasting note.
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Decanted for 45 min. Juicy currant fruit with some still firm, but smooth tannins and medium acidity that form a nice backbone to the wine. More oak on the nose than on the palate with a judicious use that is nicely balanced. I liked this quite a bit as it had a nice structure, though the fruit was not as intense as in many other Napa cabs (leans towards Old Napa style). A little dustiness on the finish too. A very nice QPR for the <$30 price I paid. I'm guessing this will peak in 2011 or 2012.
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Outstanding, unpretentious QPR Napa Cabernet. Inviting nose with generous flavor profile showing varietal characteristics in best light. Blows the socks off the 2005 RM Oakville. Drinking beautifully now.
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Surprisingly nice. Classic cabernet. A bit of heat at first, but improved with some air time. Nice, deep black currant notes. Good structure, but very approachable now. Drink over the next few years.
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A classy wine that's rich and intense, with a concentrated mix of mineral, currant, blackberry, dusty herb and cedary oak flavors. Though deep and well-structured, this maintains a sense of elegance and grace. Had with Kobe Beef. Estupendo!
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Really a nice melange of flavors, similar to my other notes. This bottle did pick up some weight while open several hours, so I'm hopeful that my last bottle will be perfect around the middle of this year.
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Color: Beautiful deep red. Nose: This was a pop and pour, but had a decent yet subdued nose of spice, herbs, oak and various dark friuts. Taste: Full body wine bursting with dark and red fruits, oak, integrated tannins and herbs. Finish: This was its strong point. The finish was wonderful. It had complex fruits with a hint of oak and tannins that easily lasted 45 seconds and got better with time. This is outstanding and better than when I had it last year. This wine still has the guts to age several more years and if I find more, I am in! I am very impressed.
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Clasisic "in your face" cali cab. Way too heavy, too inky, too oaky...basically a bit too much of everything. Would not buy again at this price...maybe if it was half as much.
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2 hour decant. Nose of plum skin, dried fruit, and blackberry. Palate of blackberry, currant, wild strawberry with a medium bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannins and a mid palate of subtle vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, sage and with a sweet tannin finish accented by red fruit jam and a subtle spiciness with a hint of the oak regimen. Well balanced and well rounded. Outstanding finish. Great bottle. (tannins, although sweet, suggest this still has a few years ahead of it)
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Dark ink color - full body and full forward fruit - blackberry, black currant and cassis give way to a subtle but lingering slightly sweet caramel, vanilla with hint of mocha on a moderate tannin oak finish.
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Popped and poured. Showing its balance wonderfully right now. With a piece of steak, this would have been in the 95 point range. This has many years ahead of it.
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We had this as part of a Cabernet Sauvignon tasting on 10/3/09. It had a very nice bouquet of sweet cassis, chocolate, cherry and mineral aromas. The palate was very smooth but lacked enough verve. It followed the nose exactly and was quite tasty. 91+
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1st night this wine was the same disappointment that it has been in the past. Off balance with tons of oak, and over extracted dark fruits. Plums and figs explode, without any balance. Would be in the 86-87 range.
2nd night after light suction in the fridge. This wine improved a lot. Still noticeable oak, but slightly better, and the fruit is still over extracted but, the balance has improved. Tasty, but still not my style. 89-90 pts but this may bode well for the next 10 years????
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This bottle a nice balance between herbs and cassis fruit. Nice olive (black and green) overtones to this wine, with crisp acidity and tannins. Drink or hold.
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Opened, poured and drank. I would recommend 30 min to 1 hr decant time as the bottle definitely got better. Nice dark fruit, firm tannins, medium to long finish. Nice balance, structure, should age well.
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First glass: Nose of big blackberry liqueur and cassis. A touch of oak in there too. Lots of oak on the palate, but swamped with big blackberry and cassis flavors. Tannins are well-integrated and don't dry the mouth too badly. Could definitely last another 5 years.
Decanted 30 min: Nose is still showing lots of blackberry, cassis and oak. Palate is oaked up a bit more than before, tannins starting to show now also. Fruit is still holding strong, with the finish stretching out to 30+ seconds of blackberries with a touch of sweet tannins. Much better than the 2003 vintage of this wine. By leaps and bounds...
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Really a very tasty wine, with cassis, oak, herbs, touch of liquorice (just a bare hint) and nice crisp tannins. Seems in balance and middleweight. If it puts on more weight and complexity, score will go up. Drink or hold. Nice value.
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Mmmm. Bright red fruits on the nose. Nice balance of fruit, tannin, and acidity on the mid palate. If anything a bit on the jammy side, literally lip smacking, although not to exces. Extended finish. Very nice.
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We opened and decanted this wine but first poured ourselves a glass straight from the bottle. We drank this bottle with dinner. The nose was full of dark fruits. On the palate there were firm tannins and some tar with a moderate to long finish. Time in the decanter softened the tannins just a bit, brought out some fruit and the nose became more subtle with fruit, smoke, pepper and vanilla.
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Very smooth. The oak was a little too pronounced with vanilla flavors dominating the nose and much of the palate, but the flavors are deep, sweet, and very approachable. Delicious.
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The 2004 Oakville is a great year for Mondavi Cabernet, 2005 is quite young and this is a young tasting, 2 more years may be required before this wine is ready. The nose is rather closed but that will changew ith decanting when this wine is ripe. The pour is very full bodied, dark and inviting. The taste is black fruit with a nice structure and very firm dry tannin. I will need some time to breath and more tasting to come up with a good rating, but a 93 is fair. 93, could be good, needs time
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Way too woody! Wish the winemaker would have excercised some restraint when it came to the amount of oak. The fruit appears to be good but not sure it will ever get through the wood on this guy. Will hold for another six months to see if it improves. I am not hopeful. Don't really understand the reviews. At least the cost is low.
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Consistent with previous notes. Popped and poured. Big dark fruit nose with a wonderful taste of blackberry, with some small oak touches. Wonderful balance from start to finish.
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My last tasting was over a year ago, and this is still a consistently good bottle of wine, more evolved but still just as youthful and fresh as a year ago. Let's give it another year to see what happens. Very good value.
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Just opening and pouring this wine and you knew you were around a pretty special wine. The nose is open with the fruit pervading as well as citrus, black fruit, earth. I couldn't wait to taste this little treasure, so here goes: The fruit strikes your palette with a overwhelming sweetness that make your taste buds jump, the middle is firm and structured, acidic leading into a very fine tannic finish. It is as fine a Cabernet from 2004 as any I've had, a well rounded intense flavored wine. I also have 2 bottles of the reserve of this vintage. I'll be putting more of this in the cellar to drink now
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Had with Christmas dinner. Didn't take notes. Everyone loved it. Subtle and elegant, not big and brash. Lovely nose of blackberry and vanilla. Medium to full palate of currant, blackberry and unobtrusive toasty oak. Long finish. Integrated tannins. Lively acidity. Excellent wine.
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This wine is just not impressing me. Sweet nose of figs and plums that is pretty nice. Initial flavors are the same slightly sweet figs, plums and currants. No mid-palate or finish that was noticeable or enjoyable. I'm left hoping for balance, depth or complexity, but I'm not seeing it. I don't understand most reviews...AMM
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Rarely disapointed with Mondavi Cabernets. This was no exception. Muted tannins always make a Cab friendly to the palate. Great with just about anything.
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Keeps improving. Terrific nose of ripe and jammy berry fruit. Taste is full bodied and smooth. Lots of fruit, buttery jammy blackberry flavor. Really smooth. Finish was long, and delightful.
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(1) Hard to score - drank from a plastic cup - but this was a 2+/1 nonetheless and probably a firm 1 in a better glass. Tasty and fruity with a nice finish.
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Has really come together since I tasted in December. Fine grained-tannis concentrate a dark fruit profile of plum/cherry with additional notes of cocoa, oak and spice. Tasted even better on day two.
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This is pretty special stuff, especially considering the price. Nice nose of ripe berries and sweet spices. Big wine, with loads of blackberries and blueberries upfront along with a little rosemary and earth as well. Firm tannins on the long finish with plently of fresh acidity which leads me to believe this should age nicely for at least another 5 years. Highly recommend.
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good structure, smooth tannins still need a little development. blueberry, vanilla, and chocolate come through the most for me, could use a little more acid
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Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Started talking to pourer about To Kalon vineyard so was obligated to try. Not usually a Mondavi fan and was not crazy about this bottle before but it seems like the spice notes have settled nicely into the rest of the wine. Still strong acidity but the To kalon fruit shines through on the long finish
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This wine is excellent. I have had it many times and I am so glad I stocked up. You cannot , REPEAT CANNOT FIND A BETTER WINE UNDER $50 then this bottle of wine. Smooth, silky, nice finish. Will most definitely get better with age. Nice fruity taste and it hasn't even had enough bottle time. Mark my words in five or seven years, this will be a $75-$100 bottle. But it now while you still can (if you still can).
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This bottle was showing a lot more oak then the one we had back in December. It was still pretty good, but it came pretty close to the edge of being not that great due to the large oak influence.
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I am not sure if its the meal that made this wine taste a notch better than my previous tastings, but this wine shined at dinner at Mortons Steakhouse. We had a birthday celebration and we poured this wine all night and everyone loved it. I loved the price even better! This is a definite winner today and even more so in a few years. I have a nice stockpile, but I am going hunting for more. Don't miss this wine, nothing under $50 a bottle compares.
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Popped and poured. Dark garnet. Initially, the nose was intense with prominent aromas of cedar, tobacco, and black fruits. Medium bodied, with less concentration than expected...flavors of plum, creme de cassis, and umami. Finishined with chewy tannins. After about 2 hours the aromas of cedar dissipated and what was left mirrored the palate plus black licorice and hints of vanilla bean. This wine actually seemed to put on weight after it sat and seemed more rustic. Decided to cork for day 2. Day 2: Poured the remainder of the bottle...except for aromas of spice, soy, and muted fruit, the nose seemed like it closed down. Palate was still full of the cassis and currant flavors but didn't improve and the rustic tannins were still very apparent. I question whether the tannins will melt away. A nice cab, not too complex...but definitely from Napa and true to the varietal. We'll see where this is sometime next year. Not as good as the 2003.
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Well balanced with nice long finish. Nose of fruit with notes of band-aid, a little earthiness. Sour cherries, dark berries, dark chocolate, with a smooth silky mouthfeel. Quite good, but a little expensive for what it is.
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I have enjoyed this wine on many occasions and always get a sense that there is a lot of (enjoyable) flavors going on here. It has a lot of oak, cedar and tannins - that make it especially good with grilled meats. The fruits are dark (blackberry, currant) with a hint of vanilla and spice. I find it slightly over-oaked, but still very delicious.
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consistant with past tasting notes. If you let this breath for a few hours it will reward you greatly. Nice nose, fruit forward, nice long finish. This will be a 94 point wine in five years or more.
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Not consistent with the first bottle I had in December. Just didn't come together - little tannic, fruit was a little muted. Not sure what the problem was, but no rating.
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Typical Napa nose of cassis, toasted oak, and vanilla. The palate shows no restraint on the use of oak. New American I would imagine, with cedar, vanilla, and creme de cassis. Approachable with mild tannins on the finish and rather soft acidity. Thinking back to the Mondavi wines tried previously, I remember liking this one consistently more than the Reserve?
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Wonderful nose of ripe figs and plums. Flavor profile of very sweet licorice. Wine was too sweet and fruit juicy. This wine continued to get worse over throughout the meal. Very suprised. Maybe it just needs more time to integrate the flavors???, will try again in a year or longer...AMM
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Beautiful yet somewhat restrained nose of current, black fruit, and a hint of oak. Structured and elegant on the palate with nice complexity and supple tannins. Moderate finish. Drink now or hold for 3-4 years.
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consistent tasting as compared to last bottle. We let it open a couple of hours and it was an excellent wine once again. This will age very nicely. What a deal for the price.
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This was my first M.O. and I must say I am pleased. This needs a fair amount of decant time to get going good (3-5 hours). After about an hour it starts to open up good. Nice berry flavors, gripping finish. Awesome QPR for the sometimes ridiculously priced napa cab market. I'll hold off another 2-3 years before I open the next one up. On night 2 it was also humming right along.
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(1) Drank at Dr. Wagner’s 2007 Christmas party. Fruity with a very long finish. A fair amount of oak. Very good but might be even better with a little age.
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Our first Mondavi Oakville. Decanted for 1 hour. Nice dark purple color, gorgeous nose of dark fruits(blackberry) and a little mint, deep sweet fruit on the palate, balanced with good acidity, slightly drying (but not unpleasant) tannins, and a medium/long finish. This wine carried its alcohol well and wasn't hot at all. Excellent drinking wine and paired well with veal ragu. A very nice bottle to share with our friends. Will try to wait a year before opening the next one.
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Very nice wine. Inky dark violet red color. Ripe and highly extracted with a big nose of currant and oak. Quite tannic at first but not too overwhelming as the tannins are soft and nicely integrated with the ripe fruit flavors. Definitely a good value here compared to many other Napa Cabs.
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Took about 3 hours to open up and mellow out. Lots of fine grained tannins, good fruit and spiciness to it. Needs another year to show its better side. I like the 2004 Chappellet Signature better but this was nice. 91-92pts
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Surprisingly good for the price. Very nice nose of sweet black fruit. Toasty oak and plum on the palate with other dark fruits. The only thing it's missing is a long powerful finish.
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While everyone is congratulating themselves and Mondavi on this wine, I will say it is so so stuff and not a blockbuster wine. In fact, try a little experiment with it. Drink half the bottle on night 1 and the other half on night 2. I think you will find this wine to be dreck on night 2. If a wine can't hold up overnight, is it age worthy? I agree that the wine has some niceness to it, but there is a touch of "wine beverage" flavor a la Mollydooker that I find boring. I won't be buying more.
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An unbelievable value. For 34 bucks, this is a steal. Rich black cherry fruit with moderate but not over powering oak. Tannins are light to moderate and well integrated with good balance. I don't think this is a wine to hold for more than 3-5 years.
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Wonderful nose of dark fruits and oak. Sweet and supple midpalate with dusty berry flavors and a lot more oak. Finish was strong and a bit austere. Score will probably go up in a couple of years.
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OMG folks! This is a must have for and wine collector I am ofcouse speaking of the 2004 Oakville Cab by none other than Robert Mondavi. Great big mouth feel, but wait I'm skiping ahead. It's as if every taste bud stands at attention from the nose till the piont of impact with tthe tounge! Then BAM! can you say tannin I only wished I had waited 5-10 even 20 years. This bottle will age well I'm gonna grab a case as an investment and you should do the same but not till I get mine!
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Dark wine, unlike what I had seen from Mondavi in the recent (and not so recent) past. Great nose of blackberry, oak, and a touch herbal, not terribly complex, good weight in the mouth with similar black berry and oak flavors. A bit of heat, a bit of bitterness in the flavors after 3 hours, but it could have been the cheese I was having at the time. Will this turn into the delectable cassis? I don't know, will try again in a year.
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nose: big time nose. Oak, Blackcurrant, and dark raspberry. Real forward nose but not overpowering. The Oak is certainly there, but, it's not at the obnoxious levels.
taste: huge mouth and great. Getting a fair amount of heat though and it's bothering me. Getting some Oak(well, some is a bit of an understatement), lots of dark fruit with blackberry as the main focus. This is a really good mouth feel though, heat non-withstanding.
overall: real big and good wine. Lots of good backbone and structure to this. The mouth and finish are really good, but the heat is bothering me(and it was bothering my boss too). Right now, this is pretty good stuff, if the alcohol blows over, this will be really good. This is the kind of wine that's better on the second day right now, and should be put down for at least 6months to a year, and would probably be really good in 3-5 years
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This was rather good, if you appreciate the style. I thought a lot of decanting would benefit, but it seemed to stay relatively constant between cork pull to about 5 hours, with very little fading of the fruit. Huge dark fruit, blackberry, spice, oak and leather profile. Overall very good balance, certainly a fun wine now, I hope it ages evenly – I’m not sure what will happen.
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Initially, I thought this wine was quite good, even though it had moderate to heavy tannins. We were thinking about purchasing a few bottles of this and laying them down for a few years. We changed our minds by the end of the night. We decant most of our wines, especially if they have a tannin bite to them. By after a few hours of dechanting (2 maybe 3 hours), this wine completely broke down to the point of being practically undrinkable. This was first time I had ever experienced this (w/o an overnight stay in the fridge or counter). It seems that if you crack one of these open, you better plan on drinking it quick! I'll pass on buying those extra bottles. - BE
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Cabernet: New Releases (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA): Very dark red. Tight nose doesn't give up much other than some toasty oak. Big-boned structure here builds quickly; if this fills out with time it will be clearly outstanding.
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91 points - Tight, subdued on the nose. Excellent balance on the palate, with a structure that seems well poised for aging. Nice balance between cherry fruit, acidity and wood (light cedar) that hints at very good things to come, though tightly wound at present. I don't get the same overly dry / tannic impression as some others. This is elegant, in a seemingly traditional Mondavi style, and exhibits little similarity to the more heavily extracted Cults. While not "Old World", this is "Old California". This is the best young Mondavi I've had in a long time, and reminds me of some of the reserves from the 80's and 90's in their youth. I would expect my scoring of this to improve as this wine reaches a more appropriate drinking age. An excellent QPR @$33-$35.
Update - 2nd day, 92 pts. Tthis is even better, having smoothed out a bit and adding some weight. Remains one of the better balanced cabernets I've had in quite awhile.
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First Oakville bottling since 2001 & a very nice surprise. Aromas of currant, graphite, oak & dark berry follow on the palate. Alive & present yet subtle. There is a lot going on here w/o being manipulated/extracted. Drinking well now but certainly has even better days ahead. Won't be surprised to see ratings edge up a notch or even two in the future. Not even sure why I'm not giving this a 93. Perhaps just so pleasantly surprised.
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Opened it up and poured, intially very impressed, thinking 90+ rating with rich dark fruit on the nose and palate, very fruit forward but with a short-medium finish, so I decided to decant looking to get a long finish and smooth out the fruit tempo. Big Mistake. After 30 minutes of air, wine went from soft tannins to harsh drying tannins which obscured the fruit on the finish. Had this problem with some 02 and 03 Mondavi's where air brings out sharp tannins and severe dryness. Much drier than Turnbull's 04 Cab. Need some aged Gouda to tame these tannins. Some Mondavi's have a lot of oak, but this one seemed not to have much oak in it. The flavors were really good, but the drying tannins kill the finish if given a few minutes of air. Blackberry, currant, plums, tobacco, spice and smoke. Might mello out on day 2, will just see.
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Tasted at a retail tasting. This kind of surprised me. Floral nose with blue and black fruits. Blackberry, mocha, and vanilla flavors. Creamy mouthfeel.
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3/1/2021 - NoWineWiz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious, with a silky intensity of brambly blackberries, dark cherry, and expresso, withsoft tannins and medium-long finish. Improved throughout the night & worth the wait.
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4/25/2020 - edckim wrote: 93 Points
Dark fruit intensity, silky smooth leading to dusky, tobacco notes with a balanced textured full finish
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7/2/2019 - rmcnees wrote: 90 Points
Like the previous tasting, the 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated but smooth and polished flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/mondavi-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon.html
@RobertMondavi @unwindwine
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6/15/2018 - mjerome Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for thirty minutes and allowed to breath in the glass. Wonderful aromatics of dark red fruit. At room temperature this wine exhibited bright red cherry and tobacco flavors. Fine tannin was still present with a touch of acid on the tip. Excellent example with ageing potential. EG
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1/31/2018 - smcg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pleasant but fading.
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7/4/2017 - jb@jbisme.com Likes this wine: 88 Points
Lost a little zip the past few years but still good with grilled steak and potatoes. TASTE: plum, currants, fig and cinnamon.
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2/4/2017 - rmcnees wrote: 91 Points
Like earlier previous tastings, the 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated but smooth and polished flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish. It is showing incredibly well after thirteen years.
I was pleasantly surprised in how well this wine is showing after thirteen years as it was as good as I remember, It is showing signs of aging but is developing character, complexity and depth as some of the fruits give way to a tone of earthiness and leather, but taking on a full floral layer on the finish. It was a perfect accompaniment to grilled steak.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/02/robert-mondavi-oakville-napa-valley.html
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1/22/2017 - Castle Peak wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful Oakville Cab after 2 hour decant. Elegantly aging and melding of classic tastes and textures.
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12/17/2016 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really tight the first night but blossoming beautifully the second night. Really characteristic Oakville notes and still fairly prevalent tannins. Will hang on to the next one for a few more years.
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11/12/2016 - Ralphie1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice Cab. At it's peak. Drink up
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11/7/2016 - 55degrees Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfectly stored since release. perfect cork, slight sediment. not decanted. consumed pre and during dinner over 2 hours.
Deep dark reddish purple with a dark red rim without bricking.
initial nose of olives and artichokes that blows off showing plum and fig with cigar-box spices and a touch of red earth.
on the palate initial "wow" with delicious red and blue fruits with a touch of brown sugar/vanilla. almost a touch of tokalon. excellent mouth coating tannins and a reasonable finish. overall a very nice california cabernet. my only complaint is maybe its a bit thin but overall a good value and with proper cellaring will easily be good for another 5+ years maybe 10,
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10/1/2016 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is still open for business. Full Napa Cabernet with nice fruit, balance, and excellent texture. I also opened an '04 Mondavi Stags Leap District and the group was about evenly split on their preference. I gave the nod to the Stags Leap wine.
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6/14/2016 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes; minimal sediment. Deep cherry red color. Blackberry, coffee and vanilla on the nose. Delightful, mouth-filling medium-to-full bodied dark berries with bright acids and soft tannins and a medium-to-long finish. Not much complexity, but quite enjoyable, and should drink well for another couple of years. At under $40, a reasonably good QPR.
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5/30/2016 - jimmieL wrote:
A bit thinner than one would expect. Nice fruit with notes of fennel and licorice. The mouth feel was less than expected given the age.
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5/25/2016 - bin905 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mouth-filling, chewy, ripe cherry, ash, mocha and tobacco flavors with ample earthy tannins.
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4/24/2016 - smcg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted alongside a 2004 Turnbull. Unlike when I did the same tasting in 2014, the Turnbull was now the more elegant of the two, with better structure and longer finish. The Mondavi was still good, but much more fruit-forward and simple.
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11/5/2015 - kcp Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think fully matured at this stage. A good Oakville bottle, very Mondavi.
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8/22/2015 - jgkost wrote: 93 Points
Wow, still big nose of red, ripe fruit. Palate similar and very smooth with subtle acidity to balance the fruit. Thought it would be past its prime but drinking very well with a year or two left.
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12/10/2014 - WilliamF17 wrote: 84 Points
Seems restrained still, medium tannins and faded fruit.
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10/11/2014 - cmac Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking very well. Sill has entry of legs.
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4/27/2014 - Grape Stuff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour and consumed over 2 hours with rib eye steaks. Drinking like a mature Oakville cab, with hints of black and blue fruit, red fruits on the mid-palate, cinnamon and spices, and oak toasted/milky and silky tannins with a medium-long finish. Well balanced, and certainly ready to go. I would not age this wine much longer. Delicious.
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4/17/2014 - bin905 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich and chewy - a mouthful of flavors. The scent is spice, oak, vanilla and some kirsch. The taste is dark berry (blackberry), currant, coffee, mint and a bit of rhubarb to keep things interesting. It has earthy fine tannins and a long flavorful finish.
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3/29/2014 - TheDarkPrince Likes this wine: 91 Points
Magnum - Holding up well, but has moved into a new phase, characterized by maturity.
Lots of barrel toast on the nose, with a somewhat raisiny fruit overtone. While there is no visible bricking, the wine has evolved quickly. Raisins dominate the palate, with a hint of mint and cinnamon. The wine is still well textured and layered, while the flavors persist.
I drank this close to when the vintage was released, and enjoyed it much more. I have one magnum left and I will make sure that I drink it over the next 3 months.
:0)
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3/4/2014 - iamandyc wrote: 91 Points
As expected and consistent with last bottle. Nice rich fruit with ample acid and tannin. Smooth and decent finish. Notes of chocolate, blackberry and blood orange. Nice nose and finish.
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2/27/2014 - smcg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really drinking well right now; everything in balance.
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12/13/2013 - pakabear wrote: 82 Points
It's not that this is an old wine, but it is not aging well. The fruit from what should have been a fairly fruity year has diminished a LOT, still some medium to fine tannins and a whole lot of oak to the point of being off-putting. If the oak was less this would actually be pretty good, but alas, I'm glad it's my last bottle.
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11/19/2013 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last bottle. Holding up great. Nice black currant with some mint and cedar, very smooth tannins and a long pleasant aftertaste.
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11/5/2013 - Rcalaway wrote: 95 Points
This wine was so good! I am under rating at 95 points.
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10/31/2013 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking well at the moment although it may be starting to shorten up - so not sure how long this will last. Full, lush mouthfeel with dark sweet cherry and blackberry on the finish
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9/30/2013 - srositano Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted half hour; drank beautifully over an hour. Subtle but still fresh fruit, moderate tannin. Silky with medium finish. Bottle from home cellar; held up to slow cooked short ribs and ribeye at Spago.
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9/5/2013 - aaronwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking nicely. Well integrated tannins. Fresh sweet dark cherry fruit tones. Lengthy finish.
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9/4/2013 - TPB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very well right now. Fruit subdued, but delicious undertones of blackberry and currant. Finishes with spice, cinnamon? Very smooth right now, but complex finish that stands up to steak.
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9/2/2013 - gtm wrote: 92 Points
very nice balance, good depth, subtle, intricate layers. lingering finish.
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8/4/2013 - Mark wrote: 88 Points
This bottle never really opened up, it was austere, overly tanic with low fruit. The better side of average. My last tasting was several years ago and the fruit profile made it a much more compelling wine.
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7/8/2013 - iamandyc wrote: 91 Points
SPlash decant and drank over an hour, Definately improved over time in the glass and probably would have scored closer to 94 if given enough time. Plum and cassis in a viscous wine. Oak is still there but complimentary. Tannins were a bit sharp and edgy for me but were getting smoother over time and acidity developed towards the end. Very nice nose.
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5/30/2013 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking really well right now with some age still left on its finish. Smooth and well integrated tannins with a polished finish that sails on for me
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4/13/2013 - davesdream Likes this wine:
Plenty of life left. Very dark and brooding, nearly Syrah-like but without the pepper. Stretched this out over several nights, maintained cohesion.
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12/26/2012 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for about 90 minutes (and opened up considerably in that time). This was a very nice Cab with good varietal character. This one has a very dark fruit profile with good intensity. Also has some vanilla and some hints of leather and cedar, although the secondary characteristics are not pronounced. The tannins are well behaved but still noticeable, and the overall structure is very nice. Paired wonderfully with a prime rib roast with a shallot/cognac/beef-broth gravy. Unfortunately, this was my only bottle. If I had more, I would not be in a hurry to drink it as I think it will be good for 4-5 more years easily (assuming cellared properly and not at room temp). Very enjoyable.
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10/10/2012 - rmcnees wrote: 92 Points
The 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish.
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8/19/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Really drinking smooth, all about fruit, mainly plum. Also still showing some vanilla. I didn't find a lot of structure here and given the hot vintage, the fruit is shining now and I would say it is ready to go. Overall, a very good drink at this stage and I enjoyed the wine a lot.
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4/27/2012 - EMTAME wrote: 92 Points
So good. This is in a really great place and is ready to go with just a bit of air. Fantastic cab for ~$35.
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3/20/2012 - devraj wrote: 89 Points
Purple red color. Blackberries, currants, cocoa and oaky scents with smoke and vanilla on the nose. Sweet black berries, dark chocolate, vanilla and cedary accents follow through on an elegant mid-bodied palate.
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3/18/2012 - friezu wrote: 93 Points
Drinking great!
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3/18/2012 - AMM3RD wrote:
This wine has improved over the years, but still not my style. Was enjoyable with grilled strip steaks. Pairing was an "A", wine alone prob a "B"...AM
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3/11/2012 - CTwine wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well nice Cali cab fruit.
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2/24/2012 - bryon m wrote: 90 Points
The past two weekends our travel youth hockey team played in 6 games in two cities. The parents consummed many wines partially from my cellar. A quick rundown: Phelps Napa 05 - Nice wine with aa touch of vanilla, color, body intact. The 06 was slightly better. The 06 Merlot similar wine with less complexity. The Mondavi Napa 08 Cab is drinking really well - Soft, complex flavors perfect color and body. The Mondavi Oakville's (04 and 06) were VERY dry, more oak and less fruit. Still a good wine, color and body were in good shape. The 689 was very nice, different in flavor profile then the others - color was perfect the body was slightly lighter.
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2/6/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 92 Points
Similar to previous note. Drinking great right now
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1/1/2012 - bryon m wrote: 90 Points
Christmas Day with the Pittengers! We had the Mandavi Oakville 2004 and 2006, the Silver Oak Napa 2002 and the 6-8-9 2009. The 6-8-9 was our starter wine in the afternoon, for dinner the Silver Oak was first and the Mondavi's followed. All came out great, the 6-8-9 a little light and very fruit forward. The Silver Oak was on the decline but had nice fruit and color, the oak component was suttle, very soft and went down EASY!. The Mondavi's were harder to taste but they still had oak and life in them for aging. Not as nice to drink but still enjoyable.
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12/24/2011 - John O' wrote: 93 Points
beautifuly integrated.
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12/17/2011 - dougie wrote: 91 Points
Very good at our Christmas party. But, the 04 Ridge Lytton Springs gets the nod for being better now. In a couple of more years, this could mellow a bit and really stand out.
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12/12/2011 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 92 Points
Still showing great...not a drop off at all since last year.
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11/29/2011 - maderay wrote: 87 Points
G+
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11/19/2011 - nogohawk wrote: 93 Points
Popped & poured after '97 CSJ Cinq Cepages - Loads of currant & dark fruit - nice oaky finish
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11/10/2011 - RPerro wrote: 92 Points
Pop & pour. Big wine, lots of black currant and blackberry fruit, showing some serious structure. I think this is just coming into its prime drinking window. Oak noticed in a previous bottle 2 years ago has fully integrated into a touch of mocha on the finish. This is a tasty Cab!
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10/26/2011 - bobpsi wrote: 92 Points
1 Hr decant. Big nose of plums, currants, spicy oak. Black fruits, vanilla, baking spices and tobacco on the palate. Long chocolate covered blackberry finish.
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10/1/2011 - mattyboy76 wrote: 92 Points
Has evolved into a really nice wine. Decanted for 2 hours prior to tasting. Very dark in the glass with nose of plum, dark fruit, oak and vanilla. Great balance on the palate with good tannins and well integrated oak to go along with the dark fruit and cocoa. Longer than average finish. I would say this is in the prime drinking window.
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9/26/2011 - ms808 wrote: 92 Points
Lush and very settled from the aging. All signs of aging are here from the nose and taste, in a good way. Smokderig bitter chocolate, fruits with vanilla. Silky and long. Perfect to drink now.
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9/12/2011 - rmcnees wrote: 91 Points
Dark ink color - full body and big full forward fruit - blackberry, black currant and cassis give way to a subtle but lingering slightly sweet caramel-vanilla with hint of subtle mocha, with a layer of alcohol almost bourbon-like taste on a moderate tannin oak finish.
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8/12/2011 - krmcgrath wrote: 91 Points
In it's youth, this probably would have been undrinkable to me because of heavy handed new oak treatment. Now, years later the oak has softened and integrated and this wine is very nice. Still all about oak with vanilla, spice and drying tannins competing hard with the ripe fruit, but it's now elegant and food friendly.
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6/11/2011 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
still remarkably tight and tannic. dark fruit with surprising structure. some oak but not overwhelming. Still needs time.
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6/2/2011 - km5 wrote: 90 Points
Very dry.
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4/24/2011 - Wink wrote: 93 Points
I haven't opened a bottle of this since December '08. Drank with Easter ham. Dark, opaque purple with ruby rim. Nose of blackberry, plum, graphite, and vanilla Medium to full palate of ripe blackberry, blueberry, currant, espresso, and sweet toasty oak. Excellent length. Focused acidity. Supple tannins. Beautiful balance. Better than I remember.
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4/17/2011 - dirtyharry wrote: 94 Points
Great cab, getting better with age
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3/12/2011 - Yack Man wrote: 88 Points
Light to Medium to light body, rich dark red raspberry color, elegant and not over powering, oak on the nose. Not as enjoyable as in the past, but plesant.
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1/28/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 88 Points
An off bottle. Normal structure was lacking. Sad.
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1/16/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 92 Points
Previous bottle was off. This is back with the first 3 - lovely cassis, very nice medium body with fine tannins and a great structure. Drinks just wonderfully.
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1/1/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 89 Points
The fruit has faded, leaving nice structure and tannins that have a little bit of a dry edge to them.
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12/2/2010 - nschmidt wrote: 89 Points
Drank with strip steak, potatoes and spinach. Complemented the meal well. Nice smooth cab with no hard edges but not overly interesting.
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11/24/2010 - PourSomeRed wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose of young jammy fruit. Oak over powers the fruit. nice finish. Wine would be better if fruit integrates with the oak.
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11/13/2010 - junglejuice wrote: 91 Points
Slight improvement since the last time I had it. Solid, delicious Cali cab, nothing more nothing less. At $35, a questionable value but delicious.
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11/12/2010 - sane4u wrote:
Love this wine should have bought more!
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11/11/2010 - brian przyzycki wrote: 92 Points
Last of 3 bottles...all were great. Should have bought a case.
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10/3/2010 - sjk7 wrote: 92 Points
wonderful wine. Wish I had parked a case of it away.
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7/28/2010 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 93 Points
Still awesome. Should last at least a few more years.
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6/2/2010 - BSpdx wrote: 93 Points
Brought to a party so limited notes, but I think it is really hitting its stride right now. A point above from two years ago. Rich, with depth, and very pure dark fruit. A great value in Napa Cabernet.
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5/31/2010 - 2Travel wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous notes. Very fine wine. Lost a bit the second day (vacuum sealed and refrigerated overnight).
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5/21/2010 - ms808 wrote: 92 Points
enjoyed w/ ribeye and shrimp - dense, and powerful, yet elegant and not over powering. Fruit presence but not much (not in a bad way), more balanced w/ mineral and cedar. Long caressing finish. Very good. Good right now, but should be good for another a year or so.
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5/8/2010 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
No detailed notes but second time with this bottle and once again I'm very impressed. Once of the best values in cali cabernet. Very classy, black currants and floral perfume. The palate was elegant and smooth with a long finish. I wish I had more or at least the time to have really sat with this to get a better tasting note.
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4/17/2010 - sossher Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes. Dark in color, with a good nose of dark fruit, and a good structure. Was pleasantly suprised.
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4/15/2010 - vinole Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 45 min. Juicy currant fruit with some still firm, but smooth tannins and medium acidity that form a nice backbone to the wine. More oak on the nose than on the palate with a judicious use that is nicely balanced. I liked this quite a bit as it had a nice structure, though the fruit was not as intense as in many other Napa cabs (leans towards Old Napa style). A little dustiness on the finish too. A very nice QPR for the <$30 price I paid. I'm guessing this will peak in 2011 or 2012.
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4/11/2010 - elbosco wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding, unpretentious QPR Napa Cabernet. Inviting nose with generous flavor profile showing varietal characteristics in best light. Blows the socks off the 2005 RM Oakville. Drinking beautifully now.
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4/10/2010 - nogohawk wrote: 92 Points
With delmonicos on grill - excellent cab; has aged nicely - very smooth; dark purple color, currant, berry and oaky flavors - nice finish
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4/2/2010 - royalscam wrote: 89 Points
Lots of better more interesting Oakville cab choices; just doesn't have the balance I was hoping for - it's missing something.
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3/17/2010 - elamasters wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly nice. Classic cabernet. A bit of heat at first, but improved with some air time. Nice, deep black currant notes. Good structure, but very approachable now. Drink over the next few years.
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3/1/2010 - Bobo N wrote: 92 Points
Waves of black fruits, red and black currant, cedar more than oak, mineral on the mid palate. Good QPR. Really like this wine.
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2/20/2010 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous right out of the bottle...great nose, balanced fruit, incredible structure...will continue to drink great for years to come IMO.
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2/15/2010 - tcwilson wrote: 94 Points
2nd bottle as good as the first.
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2/15/2010 - tcwilson wrote: 94 Points
In it's prime. Decanted a couple of hours. Excellent on it's own, but even better with the steaks we served with it.
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2/14/2010 - Martin Redmond wrote: 91 Points
A classy wine that's rich and intense, with a concentrated mix of mineral, currant, blackberry, dusty herb and cedary oak flavors. Though deep and well-structured, this maintains a sense of elegance and grace. Had with Kobe Beef. Estupendo!
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2/6/2010 - bigdogflow wrote: 92 Points
Awesome wine! Tons of fruit with an incredible finish.
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1/19/2010 - ginfizz wrote: 92 Points
Really a nice melange of flavors, similar to my other notes. This bottle did pick up some weight while open several hours, so I'm hopeful that my last bottle will be perfect around the middle of this year.
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12/30/2009 - PangurBan wrote: 91 Points
Very dark red. Cedar, spices, and dark berries combined with a nice touch of oak. Well balanced with smooth tannins.
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12/24/2009 - RDHudak wrote: 94 Points
Color: Beautiful deep red. Nose: This was a pop and pour, but had a decent yet subdued nose of spice, herbs, oak and various dark friuts. Taste: Full body wine bursting with dark and red fruits, oak, integrated tannins and herbs. Finish: This was its strong point. The finish was wonderful. It had complex fruits with a hint of oak and tannins that easily lasted 45 seconds and got better with time. This is outstanding and better than when I had it last year. This wine still has the guts to age several more years and if I find more, I am in! I am very impressed.
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12/10/2009 - cummingstom1 wrote: 91 Points
smooth, full body with mineral and oak
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11/28/2009 - rossnross wrote: 89 Points
Clasisic "in your face" cali cab. Way too heavy, too inky, too oaky...basically a bit too much of everything. Would not buy again at this price...maybe if it was half as much.
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11/25/2009 - Grape Stuff wrote: 93 Points
2 hour decant. Nose of plum skin, dried fruit, and blackberry. Palate of blackberry, currant, wild strawberry with a medium bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannins and a mid palate of subtle vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, sage and with a sweet tannin finish accented by red fruit jam and a subtle spiciness with a hint of the oak regimen. Well balanced and well rounded. Outstanding finish. Great bottle. (tannins, although sweet, suggest this still has a few years ahead of it)
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11/8/2009 - rmcnees wrote: 92 Points
Dark ink color - full body and full forward fruit - blackberry, black currant and cassis give way to a subtle but lingering slightly sweet caramel, vanilla with hint of mocha on a moderate tannin oak finish.
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11/6/2009 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 93 Points
Getting better by the month...terrific.
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10/30/2009 - 2Travel wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Showing its balance wonderfully right now. With a piece of steak, this would have been in the 95 point range. This has many years ahead of it.
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10/3/2009 - garambler wrote: 91 Points
We had this as part of a Cabernet Sauvignon tasting on 10/3/09. It had a very nice bouquet of sweet cassis, chocolate, cherry and mineral aromas. The palate was very smooth but lacked enough verve. It followed the nose exactly and was quite tasty. 91+
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9/24/2009 - AMM3RD wrote: 89 Points
90 (?) points. A tail of two wines.
1st night this wine was the same disappointment that it has been in the past. Off balance with tons of oak, and over extracted dark fruits. Plums and figs explode, without any balance. Would be in the 86-87 range.
2nd night after light suction in the fridge. This wine improved a lot. Still noticeable oak, but slightly better, and the fruit is still over extracted but, the balance has improved. Tasty, but still not my style. 89-90 pts but this may bode well for the next 10 years????
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9/19/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
This bottle a nice balance between herbs and cassis fruit. Nice olive (black and green) overtones to this wine, with crisp acidity and tannins. Drink or hold.
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9/6/2009 - tim m wrote: 92 Points
Opened, poured and drank. I would recommend 30 min to 1 hr decant time as the bottle definitely got better. Nice dark fruit, firm tannins, medium to long finish. Nice balance, structure, should age well.
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8/25/2009 - gbauer wrote:
Good Napa fruit still showing some oak and a little heat. Very nice at the price and should continue to get better as the oak integrates.
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7/4/2009 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 94 Points
Drinking like a champ...huge fruit with only 30 min decant...great balance, mid palate and finish...a great wine.
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6/25/2009 - RPerro wrote: 91 Points
First glass: Nose of big blackberry liqueur and cassis. A touch of oak in there too. Lots of oak on the palate, but swamped with big blackberry and cassis flavors. Tannins are well-integrated and don't dry the mouth too badly. Could definitely last another 5 years.
Decanted 30 min: Nose is still showing lots of blackberry, cassis and oak. Palate is oaked up a bit more than before, tannins starting to show now also. Fruit is still holding strong, with the finish stretching out to 30+ seconds of blackberries with a touch of sweet tannins. Much better than the 2003 vintage of this wine. By leaps and bounds...
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6/24/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 92 Points
Really a very tasty wine, with cassis, oak, herbs, touch of liquorice (just a bare hint) and nice crisp tannins. Seems in balance and middleweight. If it puts on more weight and complexity, score will go up. Drink or hold. Nice value.
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6/5/2009 - 97edwardc wrote: 93 Points
Mmmm. Bright red fruits on the nose. Nice balance of fruit, tannin, and acidity on the mid palate. If anything a bit on the jammy side, literally lip smacking, although not to exces. Extended finish. Very nice.
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5/29/2009 - spaciello wrote: 94 Points
Great as usual. R.M. never disapponts me.
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5/16/2009 - jvalanti wrote: 90 Points
Seemed a bit too oaky for me, but no rush to drink - will let my remaining bottles sit for a year.
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5/13/2009 - tjib13 wrote: 91 Points
We opened and decanted this wine but first poured ourselves a glass straight from the bottle. We drank this bottle with dinner.
The nose was full of dark fruits. On the palate there were firm tannins and some tar with a moderate to long finish. Time in the decanter softened the tannins just a bit, brought out some fruit and the nose became more subtle with fruit, smoke, pepper and vanilla.
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5/10/2009 - nogohawk wrote: 92 Points
Drank for Mothers Day w/ Tom & Delmonicos on the grill - did not have time to decant; heavy on the oak, a bit of smoke & good berry finish.
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5/7/2009 - rmcnees wrote: 89 Points
Rather closed and subdued blackberry fruit with hints of mineral, currant, herb, cedar and oak.
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5/2/2009 - nogohawk wrote: 92 Points
Decanted approx. 1 hour; Drank with Skirt steaks on the grill - did not disappoint; VG oak and fruit - opened up nicely; very approachable now.
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4/19/2009 - wallstreet wrote: 91 Points
A bargain for the price! Nice mid tier Napa Cab. This and the 2005 is my daily wine.
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2/28/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
Great example of mid level CA Cab. Oaky, cassis fruit with a touch of herbs, good balance, nice finish. A fair value.
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2/15/2009 - 2Travel wrote: 92 Points
Bottle 2/14/09 - very nice cassis on the nose, full bodied, berries in the mouth. Yummy.
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2/8/2009 - nogohawk wrote: 93 Points
With delmonicos on the grill - did not disappoint; Lots of oak & berry - good from the first taste out of the bottle
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2/6/2009 - AdamWallstein wrote: 91 Points
Very smooth. The oak was a little too pronounced with vanilla flavors dominating the nose and much of the palate, but the flavors are deep, sweet, and very approachable. Delicious.
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2/4/2009 - AZ Cat wrote:
(3) A lot of oak and not much fruit. Short finish. I give up on this wine.
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2/3/2009 - OregonWineGeeks wrote: 93 Points
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
8:36 PM
The 2004 Oakville is a great year for Mondavi Cabernet, 2005 is quite young and this is a young tasting, 2 more years may be required before this wine is ready. The nose is rather closed but that will changew ith decanting when this wine is ripe. The pour is very full bodied, dark and inviting. The taste is black fruit with a nice structure and very firm dry tannin. I will need some time to breath and more tasting to come up with a good rating, but a 93 is fair. 93, could be good, needs time
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1/9/2009 - JoshuaG wrote: 88 Points
Way too woody! Wish the winemaker would have excercised some restraint when it came to the amount of oak. The fruit appears to be good but not sure it will ever get through the wood on this guy. Will hold for another six months to see if it improves. I am not hopeful. Don't really understand the reviews. At least the cost is low.
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1/9/2009 - bigdogflow wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous notes. Popped and poured. Big dark fruit nose with a wonderful taste of blackberry, with some small oak touches. Wonderful balance from start to finish.
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1/4/2009 - Mark wrote: 90 Points
My last tasting was over a year ago, and this is still a consistently good bottle of wine, more evolved but still just as youthful and fresh as a year ago. Let's give it another year to see what happens. Very good value.
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12/26/2008 - OregonWineGeeks wrote: 95 Points
Just opening and pouring this wine and you knew you were around a pretty special wine. The nose is open with the fruit pervading as well as citrus, black fruit, earth. I couldn't wait to taste this little treasure, so here goes:
The fruit strikes your palette with a overwhelming sweetness that make your taste buds jump, the middle is firm and structured, acidic leading into a very fine tannic finish. It is as fine a Cabernet from 2004 as any I've had, a well rounded intense flavored wine. I also have 2 bottles of the reserve of this vintage. I'll be putting more of this in the cellar to drink now
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12/26/2008 - green-steve wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with previous tasting note, only mistake was not decanting this, it was still great immediately after pulling the cork.
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12/25/2008 - Cobbster wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with last tasting.
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12/25/2008 - Wink wrote: 91 Points
Had with Christmas dinner. Didn't take notes. Everyone loved it. Subtle and elegant, not big and brash. Lovely nose of blackberry and vanilla. Medium to full palate of currant, blackberry and unobtrusive toasty oak. Long finish. Integrated tannins. Lively acidity. Excellent wine.
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12/20/2008 - AMM3RD wrote: 88 Points
This wine is just not impressing me. Sweet nose of figs and plums that is pretty nice. Initial flavors are the same slightly sweet figs, plums and currants. No mid-palate or finish that was noticeable or enjoyable. I'm left hoping for balance, depth or complexity, but I'm not seeing it. I don't understand most reviews...AMM
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12/13/2008 - CTwine wrote: 93 Points
Excellent cab. Nice cherry fruit smooth tannins long finish. Great QPR
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12/1/2008 - yui wrote: 91 Points
Classic Napa Cab, w/Oak and dark berries. Nice balance
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11/26/2008 - NJWINELOVERS wrote: 90 Points
Rarely disapointed with Mondavi Cabernets. This was no exception. Muted tannins always make a Cab friendly to the palate. Great with just about anything.
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11/15/2008 - dougie wrote: 92 Points
Was surprised how good it was to drink now. Drank to celebrate with Wendy for our trip to paris.
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11/8/2008 - Cobbster wrote: 92 Points
Flavors a little less pronounced than last tasting, berries are more integrated and less smokiness. The finish is bigger, softer, and longer.
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10/13/2008 - mmyette wrote: 92 Points
Keeps improving. Terrific nose of ripe and jammy berry fruit. Taste is full bodied and smooth. Lots of fruit, buttery jammy blackberry flavor. Really smooth. Finish was long, and delightful.
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10/11/2008 - MRASHTIANMD wrote: 93 Points
just a beauty. perfect cab
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9/24/2008 - apes wrote: 90 Points
Good solid Cab, Tannins need to mellow a little, didn't decant.
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9/21/2008 - jctaylor wrote: 92 Points
Great fruit, tannins smooth and nicely integrated.
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9/17/2008 - AZ Cat wrote:
No tasting note. Perhaps a flawed bottle? Would have been a 2.
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9/14/2008 - mmyette wrote: 90 Points
See previous notes.
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9/1/2008 - AZ Cat wrote:
(1) Hard to score - drank from a plastic cup - but this was a 2+/1 nonetheless and probably a firm 1 in a better glass. Tasty and fruity with a nice finish.
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8/30/2008 - shiraz guy wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with previous note. Still needs a decent decant time.
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8/16/2008 - jwolf99 wrote:
concentrated mineral, currant, blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak flavors; rich, intense, deep, well-structured; maintains elegance and grace
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8/2/2008 - WinePT wrote: 92 Points
Velvety satin texture of plum, dark berries, mint. Touch of spice. Oak. Decanted & tasted over 3 hours.
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7/19/2008 - CRAUBER4242 wrote: 91 Points
Nice cab with black cherry and plum on the nose. Nice finish with a good mouth feel.
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6/26/2008 - bundydavis wrote: 92 Points
Big fruit!
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6/25/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 92 Points
Nothing new
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6/13/2008 - bajayngo wrote: 90 Points
popped on golf trip 2008. Really nice cab, had it 2-3 times before. Love that Cali mint on the nose. didn't take notes but it was great as usual
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6/11/2008 - MJTed wrote: 92 Points
Has really come together since I tasted in December. Fine grained-tannis concentrate a dark fruit profile of plum/cherry with additional notes of cocoa, oak and spice. Tasted even better on day two.
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6/2/2008 - wino_tim wrote: 92 Points
Exquisitely balanced with a fine texture to its blackcurrant, leather and earth flavors.
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6/2/2008 - chicagobagley wrote: 93 Points
Really, really good, nice mellow mix of flavors, with a bit of a cab bite on the end. Hopefully the Reserve ends up being this good.
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5/25/2008 - AZ Cat wrote:
Had at cabin with Monica, Roxie and Dan. No tasting note but it was good.
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5/22/2008 - junglejuice wrote: 90 Points
A young delicious Cali cab with silky tannins and spicy undertones. Will definitely improve. 90+
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5/21/2008 - BSpdx wrote: 92 Points
This is pretty special stuff, especially considering the price. Nice nose of ripe berries and sweet spices. Big wine, with loads of blackberries and blueberries upfront along with a little rosemary and earth as well. Firm tannins on the long finish with plently of fresh acidity which leads me to believe this should age nicely for at least another 5 years. Highly recommend.
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5/16/2008 - ews3 wrote: 91 Points
good structure, smooth tannins still need a little development. blueberry, vanilla, and chocolate come through the most for me, could use a little more acid
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5/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 92 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Started talking to pourer about To Kalon vineyard so was obligated to try. Not usually a Mondavi fan and was not crazy about this bottle before but it seems like the spice notes have settled nicely into the rest of the wine. Still strong acidity but the To kalon fruit shines through on the long finish
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4/21/2008 - dirtyharry wrote: 93 Points
Great balance, smooth tannins, a superbly crafted wine.
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4/20/2008 - cmr wrote: 90 Points
Good value. My last 3 bottles though have just not matched my first which was outstanding and worthy of another 3-4 points.
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4/16/2008 - Taylor56 wrote: 90 Points
good value. decanted.
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4/12/2008 - AZ Cat wrote:
Off night - no tasting note.
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4/9/2008 - wallstreet wrote: 92 Points
This wine is excellent. I have had it many times and I am so glad I stocked up. You cannot , REPEAT CANNOT FIND A BETTER WINE UNDER $50 then this bottle of wine. Smooth, silky, nice finish. Will most definitely get better with age. Nice fruity taste and it hasn't even had enough bottle time. Mark my words in five or seven years, this will be a $75-$100 bottle. But it now while you still can (if you still can).
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3/15/2008 - souzafs wrote: 91 Points
Great wine. Core fruit, oak and tanins integrated in a very nice way. Great value for a Napa cab.
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3/15/2008 - Cobbster wrote: 92 Points
Noticed more blueberry than the last tasting. This is turning into a very nice wice.
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3/6/2008 - tomsch wrote: 89 Points
Smooth with integrated tannins but lacks a little structure on the finish.
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2/28/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was showing a lot more oak then the one we had back in December. It was still pretty good, but it came pretty close to the edge of being not that great due to the large oak influence.
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2/24/2008 - wallstreet wrote: 92 Points
I am not sure if its the meal that made this wine taste a notch better than my previous tastings, but this wine shined at dinner at Mortons Steakhouse. We had a birthday celebration and we poured this wine all night and everyone loved it. I loved the price even better! This is a definite winner today and even more so in a few years. I have a nice stockpile, but I am going hunting for more. Don't miss this wine, nothing under $50 a bottle compares.
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2/23/2008 - *Vine* wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Dark garnet. Initially, the nose was intense with prominent aromas of cedar, tobacco, and black fruits. Medium bodied, with less concentration than expected...flavors of plum, creme de cassis, and umami. Finishined with chewy tannins. After about 2 hours the aromas of cedar dissipated and what was left mirrored the palate plus black licorice and hints of vanilla bean. This wine actually seemed to put on weight after it sat and seemed more rustic. Decided to cork for day 2.
Day 2: Poured the remainder of the bottle...except for aromas of spice, soy, and muted fruit, the nose seemed like it closed down. Palate was still full of the cassis and currant flavors but didn't improve and the rustic tannins were still very apparent. I question whether the tannins will melt away.
A nice cab, not too complex...but definitely from Napa and true to the varietal. We'll see where this is sometime next year.
Not as good as the 2003.
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2/19/2008 - GuruofAV wrote: 91 Points
Well balanced with nice long finish. Nose of fruit with notes of band-aid, a little earthiness. Sour cherries, dark berries, dark chocolate, with a smooth silky mouthfeel. Quite good, but a little expensive for what it is.
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2/17/2008 - tomsch wrote: 90 Points
Nicely integrated fruit. Good balance of tannins with a good finish.
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2/12/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
I have enjoyed this wine on many occasions and always get a sense that there is a lot of (enjoyable) flavors going on here. It has a lot of oak, cedar and tannins - that make it especially good with grilled meats. The fruits are dark (blackberry, currant) with a hint of vanilla and spice. I find it slightly over-oaked, but still very delicious.
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2/9/2008 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
consistant with past tasting notes. If you let this breath for a few hours it will reward you greatly. Nice nose, fruit forward, nice long finish. This will be a 94 point wine in five years or more.
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2/7/2008 - DukeDrew wrote:
Not consistent with the first bottle I had in December. Just didn't come together - little tannic, fruit was a little muted. Not sure what the problem was, but no rating.
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2/6/2008 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
Very nice, this is going to age VERY well. I preferred this to the 97 BV Tapestry we had that same evening.
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2/6/2008 - jjclips2 wrote: 89 Points
Typical Napa nose of cassis, toasted oak, and vanilla. The palate shows no restraint on the use of oak. New American I would imagine, with cedar, vanilla, and creme de cassis. Approachable with mild tannins on the finish and rather soft acidity. Thinking back to the Mondavi wines tried previously, I remember liking this one consistently more than the Reserve?
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1/3/2008 - hamiltonc wrote: 90 Points
Very good for what it is, but a bit boring. Nice balance - Yes. Fine tannins - Yes. Oomph - No.
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1/1/2008 - AMM3RD wrote: 86 Points
Wonderful nose of ripe figs and plums. Flavor profile of very sweet licorice. Wine was too sweet and fruit juicy. This wine continued to get worse over throughout the meal. Very suprised. Maybe it just needs more time to integrate the flavors???, will try again in a year or longer...AMM
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12/27/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 91 Points
A bit closed but a great wine. Should be 94+ with a few years.
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12/27/2007 - J-Sho wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful yet somewhat restrained nose of current, black fruit, and a hint of oak. Structured and elegant on the palate with nice complexity and supple tannins. Moderate finish. Drink now or hold for 3-4 years.
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12/24/2007 - Cobbster wrote: 92 Points
Smokey taste with tar, oak, and berries and a long finish. Needs time to open up and would benefit from another 6 months in the cellar.
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12/24/2007 - wallstreet wrote:
consistent tasting as compared to last bottle. We let it open a couple of hours and it was an excellent wine once again. This will age very nicely. What a deal for the price.
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12/22/2007 - krlee1029 wrote: 92 Points
This is a fabulous wine. Right now needs decanting time.
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12/19/2007 - TwoDogs wrote: 93 Points
Wine Spectator summed this one up very well.
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12/16/2007 - Grape Stuff wrote: 93 Points
No formal notes, but really needed the 4-5 hours of decant time to really start showing. Once it opened up, REALLY hummed along. Great bottle.
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12/14/2007 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
consistent, opened this one into a decanter for about 1 hour.
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12/14/2007 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
excellent wine, definitely age worthy. highly recommended $40 and under wine.
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12/10/2007 - shiraz guy wrote: 93 Points
This was my first M.O. and I must say I am pleased. This needs a fair amount of decant time to get going good (3-5 hours). After about an hour it starts to open up good. Nice berry flavors, gripping finish. Awesome QPR for the sometimes ridiculously priced napa cab market. I'll hold off another 2-3 years before I open the next one up. On night 2 it was also humming right along.
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12/8/2007 - AZ Cat wrote:
(1) Drank at Dr. Wagner’s 2007 Christmas party. Fruity with a very long finish. A fair amount of oak. Very good but might be even better with a little age.
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12/8/2007 - SethR wrote: 94 Points
Extraordinary for the price and age.
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12/8/2007 - green-steve wrote: 92 Points
Our first Mondavi Oakville. Decanted for 1 hour. Nice dark purple color, gorgeous nose of dark fruits(blackberry) and a little mint, deep sweet fruit on the palate, balanced with good acidity, slightly drying (but not unpleasant) tannins, and a medium/long finish. This wine carried its alcohol well and wasn't hot at all. Excellent drinking wine and paired well with veal ragu. A very nice bottle to share with our friends. Will try to wait a year before opening the next one.
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12/5/2007 - MJTed wrote: 89 Points
Very ripe and fruit forward with fine tannic structure. Nice for the price ($40 being the new $20) but not something really punching above its weight.
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12/4/2007 - turbochad wrote: 93 Points
This is a great wine for the price and for a daily drinker. I plan on getting more.
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12/3/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 91 Points
Very nice wine. Inky dark violet red color. Ripe and highly extracted with a big nose of currant and oak. Quite tannic at first but not too overwhelming as the tannins are soft and nicely integrated with the ripe fruit flavors. Definitely a good value here compared to many other Napa Cabs.
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11/27/2007 - beachnic wrote: 91 Points
Took about 3 hours to open up and mellow out. Lots of fine grained tannins, good fruit and spiciness to it. Needs another year to show its better side. I like the 2004 Chappellet Signature better but this was nice. 91-92pts
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11/25/2007 - mreinitz wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly good for the price. Very nice nose of sweet black fruit. Toasty oak and plum on the palate with other dark fruits. The only thing it's missing is a long powerful finish.
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11/24/2007 - mmyette wrote: 91 Points
Had a cold, this was nice and balanced, I think the nose was full but restrained, and the finish was moderate. Will try again when I am healthier.
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11/23/2007 - sjk7 wrote: 92 Points
Had the neighbors over for a 4-bottle, blind wine tasting - this was the clear winner - beating out the 2004 Caymus among others.
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11/10/2007 - ChinonRouge wrote: 89 Points
While everyone is congratulating themselves and Mondavi on this wine, I will say it is so so stuff and not a blockbuster wine. In fact, try a little experiment with it. Drink half the bottle on night 1 and the other half on night 2. I think you will find this wine to be dreck on night 2. If a wine can't hold up overnight, is it age worthy? I agree that the wine has some niceness to it, but there is a touch of "wine beverage" flavor a la Mollydooker that I find boring. I won't be buying more.
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11/5/2007 - ptelgenh wrote: 92 Points
An unbelievable value. For 34 bucks, this is a steal. Rich black cherry fruit with moderate but not over powering oak. Tannins are light to moderate and well integrated with good balance. I don't think this is a wine to hold for more than 3-5 years.
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11/5/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful nose of dark fruits and oak. Sweet and supple midpalate with dusty berry flavors and a lot more oak. Finish was strong and a bit austere. Score will probably go up in a couple of years.
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11/3/2007 - JRBowie wrote: 92 Points
OMG folks! This is a must have for and wine collector I am ofcouse speaking of the 2004 Oakville Cab by none other than Robert Mondavi.
Great big mouth feel, but wait I'm skiping ahead. It's as if every taste bud stands at attention from the nose till the piont of impact with tthe tounge! Then BAM! can you say tannin
I only wished I had waited 5-10 even 20 years. This bottle will age well I'm gonna grab a case as an investment and you should do the same but not till I get mine!
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10/29/2007 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
Dark wine, unlike what I had seen from Mondavi in the recent (and not so recent) past. Great nose of blackberry, oak, and a touch herbal, not terribly complex, good weight in the mouth with similar black berry and oak flavors. A bit of heat, a bit of bitterness in the flavors after 3 hours, but it could have been the cheese I was having at the time. Will this turn into the delectable cassis? I don't know, will try again in a year.
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10/26/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
nose: big time nose. Oak, Blackcurrant, and dark raspberry. Real forward nose but not overpowering. The Oak is certainly there, but, it's not at the obnoxious levels.
taste: huge mouth and great. Getting a fair amount of heat though and it's bothering me. Getting some Oak(well, some is a bit of an understatement), lots of dark fruit with blackberry as the main focus. This is a really good mouth feel though, heat non-withstanding.
overall: real big and good wine. Lots of good backbone and structure to this. The mouth and finish are really good, but the heat is bothering me(and it was bothering my boss too). Right now, this is pretty good stuff, if the alcohol blows over, this will be really good. This is the kind of wine that's better on the second day right now, and should be put down for at least 6months to a year, and would probably be really good in 3-5 years
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10/25/2007 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
This was rather good, if you appreciate the style. I thought a lot of decanting would benefit, but it seemed to stay relatively constant between cork pull to about 5 hours, with very little fading of the fruit. Huge dark fruit, blackberry, spice, oak and leather profile. Overall very good balance, certainly a fun wine now, I hope it ages evenly – I’m not sure what will happen.
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10/18/2007 - hutch wrote: 89 Points
AD Trade Show: Great fruit, with moderate tannins. Ready to go right now. Very seductive. 88-91
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10/7/2007 - belmore wrote: 82 Points
Initially, I thought this wine was quite good, even though it had moderate to heavy tannins. We were thinking about purchasing a few bottles of this and laying them down for a few years. We changed our minds by the end of the night. We decant most of our wines, especially if they have a tannin bite to them. By after a few hours of dechanting (2 maybe 3 hours), this wine completely broke down to the point of being practically undrinkable. This was first time I had ever experienced this (w/o an overnight stay in the fridge or counter). It seems that if you crack one of these open, you better plan on drinking it quick! I'll pass on buying those extra bottles. - BE
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9/25/2007 - ctheworld wrote: 91 Points
Excellent, would drink again. Taste of plum, blackberry, chocolate, spice with dry tannins to finish.
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9/22/2007 - tcfishler wrote: 90 Points
Cabernet: New Releases (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA): Very dark red. Tight nose doesn't give up much other than some toasty oak. Big-boned structure here builds quickly; if this fills out with time it will be clearly outstanding.
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9/19/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
91 points - Tight, subdued on the nose. Excellent balance on the palate, with a structure that seems well poised for aging. Nice balance between cherry fruit, acidity and wood (light cedar) that hints at very good things to come, though tightly wound at present. I don't get the same overly dry / tannic impression as some others. This is elegant, in a seemingly traditional Mondavi style, and exhibits little similarity to the more heavily extracted Cults. While not "Old World", this is "Old California". This is the best young Mondavi I've had in a long time, and reminds me of some of the reserves from the 80's and 90's in their youth. I would expect my scoring of this to improve as this wine reaches a more appropriate drinking age. An excellent QPR @$33-$35.
Update - 2nd day, 92 pts. Tthis is even better, having smoothed out a bit and adding some weight. Remains one of the better balanced cabernets I've had in quite awhile.
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9/11/2007 - PerfectVintage wrote: 92 Points
First Oakville bottling since 2001 & a very nice surprise. Aromas of currant, graphite, oak & dark berry follow on the palate. Alive & present yet subtle. There is a lot going on here w/o being manipulated/extracted. Drinking well now but certainly has even better days ahead. Won't be surprised to see ratings edge up a notch or even two in the future. Not even sure why I'm not giving this a 93. Perhaps just so pleasantly surprised.
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8/30/2007 - LACERS wrote: 84 Points
Opened it up and poured, intially very impressed, thinking 90+ rating with rich dark fruit on the nose and palate, very fruit forward but with a short-medium finish, so I decided to decant looking to get a long finish and smooth out the fruit tempo. Big Mistake. After 30 minutes of air, wine went from soft tannins to harsh drying tannins which obscured the fruit on the finish. Had this problem with some 02 and 03 Mondavi's where air brings out sharp tannins and severe dryness. Much drier than Turnbull's 04 Cab. Need some aged Gouda to tame these tannins. Some Mondavi's have a lot of oak, but this one seemed not to have much oak in it. The flavors were really good, but the drying tannins kill the finish if given a few minutes of air. Blackberry, currant, plums, tobacco, spice and smoke. Might mello out on day 2, will just see.
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8/25/2007 - cmr wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding.
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6/3/2007 - hifiwine wrote: 91 Points
lots of potential
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11/13/2006 - Paul Lin wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at a retail tasting. This kind of surprised me. Floral nose with blue and black fruits. Blackberry, mocha, and vanilla flavors. Creamy mouthfeel.
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