Opened for a Christmas dinner of prime rib, potatoes, carrots, and popovers. Decanted for a little over 2 hours. Aromas of cherry, tobacco, leather, and just the right amount of earthiness. Flavors of blackberry, herbs, a little spice. Tannins are present but have tamed down, medium to long finish, with an almost plush mouthfeel. Just such a beautifully elegant wine. Still has enough structure to last for another decade at least. Regretfully, I only have 1 bottle left of this vintage.
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Nose smells amazing like normal Smith-Madrone. The finish on this one is a little light for normal bottle. Maybe time to drink. Thankfully have more to test
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Opened and decanted a few hours ahead of Christmas Eve fillet. Drank out of magnum so probably more primary than 750 ml notes. Dark crimson-purple color. Nose brings eucalyptus, fresh mint, red roses, cherry blossoms, and sweet tobacco. The palate is medium-full, square, hard, and juicy, bringing a compact core of blackberries, plums, and blackcurrant. Red cherries and raspberries bring a tart freshness and drinkability. The palate finishes with dark chocolate, espresso bean, dried leather, and savory herb notes. The finish is still very tannic and gets tiring after a few glasses. Always distinctive, this is a great vintage but best years definitely still ahead. Drink 2024-2034. Technical score: 93. Enjoyment score: 91.
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Retail $60. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot. If you are into Napa Cabs but not yet familiar with Smith-Madrone, I hate to say it, but you are failing at wine. A Spring Mountain stalwart since the 1970s, their Cabernet is always among my faves, and I honestly do not know how this 2013 lasted this long in my cellar, but I am oh-so-thankful that it did. Dark and a bit brooding in the glass with cassis and blackberry a go-go, there is also a slew of spice with clove, bay leaf, and sage. Whoa. The palate, in line with all that is Smith-Madrone focuses on the fruit, but there is so much more: great tartness, fantastic depth, and considerable length. But above all? The Smith brothers believe (at least this is what Stu told me) in balance--that a wine should integrate seamlessly with a meal, not dominate it. Bravo. Bravo.
For whatever reason, a bit of bottle variation...Not quite as good as 12/25/21, but it opened up over time and was extremely good, but maybe a 91 instead of a 93. Probably could have let breathe a little longer. On to the 2014's!
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Like a rib of beef or great balsamic vinegar, this just keeps getting better with age. Dark sweet mountain fruit, tannins that are present but sofening and ripe and unlike so many Napa cabs these days, this has a real sense of time and place. A little rustic even but all the better for it. I don't know much about winemaking but this strikes me as a product of good ripe fruit and not too much intervention and letting nature do it's thing. Great value as well.
Along with Corison, my go-to choice for Napa cab.
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Recent notes hit all the highs for this wine. Drinking well. If you’ve never had Smith Madrone, give it a little decant and it will reward multiple times over. Simply beautiful wines that are more elegant than many Napa cabs. Beautiful balance and structure. Age well for years and years. Dark fruits and spice, leather and slight bit of pepper.
The 2013s should hold up for at least 5 years up to a decade or longer.
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Decanted. Ruby-purple color, deep overall and clearing at the edges, bright tones. Fragrant nose - red currant & fresh blackberry, paprika & allspice, violets, hints of pipe tobacco and pink peppercorn. Bright and vivid on the palate, black & red fruit with depth of savory spices, leather, cedar and dark florals. Medium weight through the middle and good intensity to the flavors, with elegant density, succulent acidity, and pliable fleshy-firm tannins. Very nice zesty length on the finish. Late primary with excellent integration. Showing very well.
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Given three hours of breathing and then pouring, this seemed to be in a perfect drinking window. All the normal attributes of a Napa Cab with no flaws. Everything balanced (acidity, tannins) and well-integrated. Probably the best wine of the year for us, although we have another week. Eight years for S-M seems to be a sweet spot, although it continues to evolve positively and be great for years after. Drink or hold.
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We put this up against the Hall entry-level 2014 Napa Cab and while the Hall was very good and still a tad young, this was the better wine. More balanced, more elegant, more depth. Both were good examples of Napa Valley Cab at a slightly more affordable price, but this won out. We let this breathe all afternoon and it performed beautifully. Would suggest letting it breathe for best results, as it still has some youth and a long life ahead of it.
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Dark purple in the glass with clear ruby at the edges. Warm and generous on the nose, with aromas of black cherry & cassis, green peppercorn, anise, tobacco, coffee bean, clove and cedar. Expressive and primary flavors of fresh black fruit and ripe red currant, with round giving secondary notes of baking spices, shoebox leather and cedar. Medium-to-full body, well-framed acid giving lift, nicely polished structure with just a little flesh, and broad-grained round tannins. Full finish, with lingering fruit and savory depth. Drinking very well, late primary stage, long life ahead.
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Unique nose for Napa - a touch of menthol? - that hints at Bordeaux and is certainly not valley floor. Tasting gives the same - medium body (for Napa), dark intensity in a medium body. I could quibble that the mid palate is a bit hollow and the finish just a touch short - but instead I prefer to focus on how much I enjoy this wine. If this was $35/bottle, I would drink cases of this. At $50 lots of interesting competition, including Super Tuscan, but regardless I really enjoy this wine! Ready to drink after a 2 hour decant, but will hold for many years.
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The Prime Rib Roast didn't turn out too well, but this wine was surely excellent. Grippy, with strong fruit and earth notes, everything is balanced and integrated. Believe it or not-even after 5 hours of breathing-it is a tad on the young side. Tannins still highly present but not off-putting. Definitely a stronger wine than some vintages, but as a result, the best years for this vintage are yet to come. Needs lots of air. Tremendous Napa Cab for the price.
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Typical SM cab. Give it a little air and it will sing. Dark fruits, mineral, wonderful mouthfeel. Overall excellent cab and for the price, nearly impossible to beat.
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Drank side by side with the Smith Madrone 2014. Had with rack of lamb that was marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme.
I drank these blind, in the sense that I did not look at the vintage on the label of both bottles when pouring. Overall I preferred the 2013, which had a bit more complexity and better, longer finish than the 2014. Make no mistake about it, they both had similarities and you could tell they had the same Spring Mountain terroir and winemaking hand at play. Both really nice values at ~$50. Still have half a bottle from both wines for tonight and will update my TN as needed.
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A pretty classic Napa cab from the old school. Dry and long, tannic and structured. Although flavorful and delicious, what draws you in are the earthy/mineral elements of pine, clove, and black pepper.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas and flavors of black currant, plum, spice, forest floor, umami, smoke, and pencil lead. Medium to full bodied with chalky tannins on the long, juicy finish.
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A deep ruby/red blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, this wine serves up aromas of black currants, black cherries, lavender, anise and truffles. Full-bodied, freshly acidic and without alcoholic heat (14.2%), it delivers flavors in line with the nose. While the wood component is fairly well-integrated, there is still an abundance of grippy tannins. Layered on the middle palate and finishing long, this is an impressively structured Cabernet that will require more cellar time than previously predicted. It should easily reach its 25th birthday and will likely merit a higher score when the tannins have better assimilated. Drink 2024-2038.
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Medium ruby red in appearance. Definitely seems like a cooler vintage with notes of forest floor, leaves, cherries, red plums and truffles. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus bodied. Quite a bit earthy with spices and cherries. Long finish. Drink till 2030.
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A much better bottle than in October. A warm complex nose that reminds me of walking in the forest on a hot summer day - that heady mix of resin, underbrush, pine needles and bark. The wine is ripe but not jammy and remains savoury and balanced throughout with fresh acid and healthy dose of tannin. Drink now +10 yrs.
Delicious traditional Napa Cab. Napa has changed but the Beard Bros have been doing it the same way since 1971.
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Just entering it's drinking window and coming along nicely, but needs another year to really open up I think. This time we enjoyed this side by side with the 2012 by chance and they are very consistent and similar - but the '12 is a bit more refined and less tannic......but both were excellent!!!
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Bordeaux-like... savoury, with food friendly acidity. medium bodied, black fruit, cedar, tobacco, rosemary/thyme or maybe green pepper. Drinking well now. Finishes dry.
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The savoury side of cabernet. Stones, minerals and slightly under ripe fruit that could easily be Graves in a so so year. Not why I travel to Napa - it seems to lack that bit of California sunshine I crave. Tasted blind I would have said a decent cru bourgeois. Maybe (hopefully) it just needs some more time. At this stage, the 2014 is a much better bet.
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Dark purplish ruby red. Dark raspberries on the nose with spices. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Dry palate with black cherries, twigs and dried chocolate. Long finish with solid acidity. Drink till 2026.
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Celebrated a long family work day on the ranch with a great dinner and this nice bottle of wine. Always intrigued by Spring Mountain AVA cabernets as they have tended to be very pleasant and appealing, even at a relatively young age. This beauty was no exception. Slow oxed for half an hour. Not decanted. Served at 58 degrees. Deep, dark purple in the glass. Hints of dark fruits, cedar, fig, dark chocolate and tobacco. Flavors of cherry, raspberry, mocha, toasted caramel and nutmeg. Medium, supple mouthfeel. Balanced, silky and refined. The bottle disappeared very fast. Delicious. Agree with WE, 93 points.
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Decanted a bit and second bottle a year later....staying with 92 and this time I think a bit spicy - but still very nice and great nose. I'm thinking it needs another year to evolve - but definitely worth it! Can't wait to try the '14 and see what that has in store for us!
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Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2017; 11/7/2017-11/11/2017 (Napa Valley, California): This opaque ruby wine is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot. Offering aromas of black currants, black cherries, savory herbs, lavender and truffles, it is a full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (14.2%) wine with impressive structure. The flavors mirror the nose and are supported by nicely integrated oak and substantial grippy tannins. Layered on the middle palate and finishing long (albeit dry), this is an impressively structured Cabernet. Had I tasted this wine in blinded fashion, I would have pegged it as a '14 left bank Bordeaux. Drink 2021-2033.
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MNB: Oak % (Home (Noe st)): (non-blind - my wine) 82% cab, 12% cab franc, 6% merlot 18 months in 75% new French oak, 25% 1-year-old 3.56 pH 6.2 g/L TA 14.2%
Medium plus ruby color. Aromatic nose - intense blackcurrant with some chocolate-covered plum and some stewed bell pepper and olive (pyrazines). On the palate, dry, full-bodied, high alcohol (feels 14.5% - actually 14.2%), elevated acid, elevated tannins. There's a powdered cinnamon and refined nutmeg spice that hints at new French oak, but it seems like it's around 50% (actually 75% new).
Beautifully structured and aromatic CA Cab.
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6 hour decant. Black and red currant, tobacco, some green pepper. Well made in the Smith Madrone style, restrained fruit, medium weight and acidity. Ironically, of the past 3 vintages (2011-2013), this is my least favorite and the 2011 was my favorite.
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Here is my Friday Night Wine Review: My local wine retailer happened to have just three bottles of this wine. I heard about Smith-Madrone from a fellow wine lover and decided to get two bottles since the price was right: $49.95. The price is pretty remarkable considering that this is 100% estate grown in the Spring Mountain AVA. The wine itself is clear, medium intensity ruby color. The nose is clean, with medium intensity aromas of dark fruit, typical for Napa Cabs. On the palate the wine is dry, with medium acidity and mild, well integrated tannins. This is not a very heavy body wine but it is definitely a wine of substance, with flavors of black cherry and black pepper are well pronounced, I can also definitely taste the flavors of rosemary and evergreen forest. The finish is medium with pleasant sensation of fruit and alcohol on the back of the palate. I think this is a remarkable wine at this price point. This wine should be enjoyed now and for the next five to seven years, I think it will reach it's peak by 2020. A solid effort from Smith-Madrone!!! This wine has good Body, good Length on the palate, the acidity and tannins are well Integrated; I do feel it somewhat lacks Complexity to be an outstanding wine. Well earned 90 points!!!
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Smith-Madrone tasting visit 7/1/17: Aromas of currant, cracked pepper, cedar, violet, tobacco. Broad and expansive on the palate- with medium weight and elegantly rich density. Medium acid, and firm dusty tannins, finishing with full depth and length. Excellent vintage in classic Smith-Madrone style. Awesome wine.
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The nose is funky, dark and smoky. Hickory smoke, olive brine, dark cherries, blood, dusty cocoa and tangerine peel. With more air the raspberry pops. It's medium bodied with mouth-coating dusty tannins. The palate is also quite savory and very refined. There are multiple layers to this that years in the cellar will expose. Right now it's underripe cherries, maraschino sauce, dark plums, loam, tarragon, black pepper, mocha, a bit of iodine, and saline. Quite dry at the moment with a quick finish, I do expect it to fill out a bit with age as the tannins smooth and release. If this happens, the score will improve.
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Deep ruby color. Intense nose of tense blackcurrant, dusting of spice and sawdust (partial new oak), and a hint of fresh-turned earth. Dry, full-bodied, high alcohol - feels 14.5% (actually 14.2%), medium plus acid, high tannins. Pyrazines on the midpalate are taking on a kind of burnt cigarette ash thing, which is cool. Structured and tight - needs time, but the fruit is there, especially on the nose.
Key features: new oak, blackcurrant, pyrazines, elevated alcohol.
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Bachelor party (Napa Valley, CA): Medium-deep ruby; nose is medium aromatic, black fruit, medium-plus tannins, needs time, medium-plus acidity; medium finish. Nice. 90-91
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Beautiful nose. A well-knit flourish of black cassis fruit, pyrazines (coffee, cigarette ash, ripe bell peppers) blending with possible slight Brett(fresh earth, slight dog fur / spice), which also blends with a hint of oak (vanilla spice, used-wood notes). It's doing the thing that great Bordeaux does - where the coffee and tobacco of the pyrazines bridge with the Maillard notes and the spice of the oak, which in turn bridges with with spice and the earth from the Brett. But compared with Bordeaux, this has that Napa intensity of blackcurrant fruit.
On the palate, it's seamless, structured, and vibrant. Dry, medium plus body, medium plus alcohol (feels only 14%), high acid, high tannins (chewy and ripe). There's a beautiful mid-palate integration with brown olive and cassis, as well as a long, evolving finish.
Stylistically it reminds me a lot of Corison, though to my taste it achieves a greater flavor integration and complexity because the pyrazines are a bit more present, and they bridge the fruit with savory notes.
In terms of fruit intensity, structure, and energy, it reminds me of the Spottswoode Lyndenhurst, but of course with more savory notes, less overt new oak.
And it's at a much lower price point than both of these!
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Smith-Madrone: Deep purple color. Gorgeous aromatics of black cherries, dark plums, saucy but fresh, with complex elements of tobacco, graphite, charcoal dust and vanilla. Full-bodied but smooth, structured tannins but fresh acidity, and the texture is wonderful. Black cherries, black currants, juicy plums, the fruit mixes with loamy earth, wet leaves, gravel, charcoal. A significant amount of coffee, wood and vanilla, but there are enough other elements that these flavors don’t overwhelm. Long life ahead but not inaccessible now. All estate fruit from 1,800-foot elevation slope, includes 12% Cab Franc and 6% Merlot, aged 18 months in 75% new French oak. I feel like you can spend twice this price and not get nearly as much Napa Cab awesomeness.
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The is was wonderful. Great nose, not a heavy weight, but wonderful flavors and very nice finish. Smooth and round tannins - this was silky! I loved the 2012 and I was thinking the 2013 would need to lay down a bit more - but it's very drinkable right now and exactly what I like in the price range! I'm a fan of Smith-Madrone and I'll definitely be adding a half case and maybe a whole case to my inventory once I find a good price!
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Wow, that is big and ripe and power packed for smith madrone. Kinda darn amazing stuff. Hugely long finish. '10 and '11 Bill notes blasted oak but this blasts fruit (again, in the Smith Madrone spectrum of things).
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12/25/2023 - jonmartin1520 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened for a Christmas dinner of prime rib, potatoes, carrots, and popovers. Decanted for a little over 2 hours. Aromas of cherry, tobacco, leather, and just the right amount of earthiness. Flavors of blackberry, herbs, a little spice. Tannins are present but have tamed down, medium to long finish, with an almost plush mouthfeel. Just such a beautifully elegant wine. Still has enough structure to last for another decade at least. Regretfully, I only have 1 bottle left of this vintage.
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4/20/2023 - Rasmussenbrent wrote: 91 Points
Nose smells amazing like normal Smith-Madrone. The finish on this one is a little light for normal bottle. Maybe time to drink. Thankfully have more to test
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3/3/2023 - Vforti Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazing as always!
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12/24/2022 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened and decanted a few hours ahead of Christmas Eve fillet. Drank out of magnum so probably more primary than 750 ml notes. Dark crimson-purple color. Nose brings eucalyptus, fresh mint, red roses, cherry blossoms, and sweet tobacco. The palate is medium-full, square, hard, and juicy, bringing a compact core of blackberries, plums, and blackcurrant. Red cherries and raspberries bring a tart freshness and drinkability. The palate finishes with dark chocolate, espresso bean, dried leather, and savory herb notes. The finish is still very tannic and gets tiring after a few glasses. Always distinctive, this is a great vintage but best years definitely still ahead. Drink 2024-2034. Technical score: 93. Enjoyment score: 91.
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5/25/2022 - jonmartin1520 Likes this wine: 94 Points
See all my prior notes. Just beautiful wine probably has 10 plus more years
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5/16/2022 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 95 Points
Retail $60. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot. If you are into Napa Cabs but not yet familiar with Smith-Madrone, I hate to say it, but you are failing at wine. A Spring Mountain stalwart since the 1970s, their Cabernet is always among my faves, and I honestly do not know how this 2013 lasted this long in my cellar, but I am oh-so-thankful that it did. Dark and a bit brooding in the glass with cassis and blackberry a go-go, there is also a slew of spice with clove, bay leaf, and sage. Whoa. The palate, in line with all that is Smith-Madrone focuses on the fruit, but there is so much more: great tartness, fantastic depth, and considerable length. But above all? The Smith brothers believe (at least this is what Stu told me) in balance--that a wine should integrate seamlessly with a meal, not dominate it. Bravo. Bravo.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com
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4/6/2022 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 91 Points
For whatever reason, a bit of bottle variation...Not quite as good as 12/25/21, but it opened up over time and was extremely good, but maybe a 91 instead of a 93. Probably could have let breathe a little longer.
On to the 2014's!
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2/26/2022 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Like a rib of beef or great balsamic vinegar, this just keeps getting better with age. Dark sweet mountain fruit, tannins that are present but sofening and ripe and unlike so many Napa cabs these days, this has a real sense of time and place. A little rustic even but all the better for it. I don't know much about winemaking but this strikes me as a product of good ripe fruit and not too much intervention and letting nature do it's thing. Great value as well.
Along with Corison, my go-to choice for Napa cab.
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1/31/2022 - jonmartin1520 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Recent notes hit all the highs for this wine. Drinking well. If you’ve never had Smith Madrone, give it a little decant and it will reward multiple times over. Simply beautiful wines that are more elegant than many Napa cabs. Beautiful balance and structure. Age well for years and years. Dark fruits and spice, leather and slight bit of pepper.
The 2013s should hold up for at least 5 years up to a decade or longer.
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1/21/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted. Ruby-purple color, deep overall and clearing at the edges, bright tones. Fragrant nose - red currant & fresh blackberry, paprika & allspice, violets, hints of pipe tobacco and pink peppercorn. Bright and vivid on the palate, black & red fruit with depth of savory spices, leather, cedar and dark florals. Medium weight through the middle and good intensity to the flavors, with elegant density, succulent acidity, and pliable fleshy-firm tannins. Very nice zesty length on the finish. Late primary with excellent integration. Showing very well.
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12/25/2021 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 93 Points
Given three hours of breathing and then pouring, this seemed to be in a perfect drinking window. All the normal attributes of a Napa Cab with no flaws. Everything balanced (acidity, tannins) and well-integrated.
Probably the best wine of the year for us, although we have another week.
Eight years for S-M seems to be a sweet spot, although it continues to evolve positively and be great for years after. Drink or hold.
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7/25/2021 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 92 Points
We put this up against the Hall entry-level 2014 Napa Cab and while the Hall was very good and still a tad young, this was the better wine.
More balanced, more elegant, more depth. Both were good examples of Napa Valley Cab at a slightly more affordable price, but this won out.
We let this breathe all afternoon and it performed beautifully.
Would suggest letting it breathe for best results, as it still has some youth and a long life ahead of it.
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7/16/2021 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple in the glass with clear ruby at the edges. Warm and generous on the nose, with aromas of black cherry & cassis, green peppercorn, anise, tobacco, coffee bean, clove and cedar. Expressive and primary flavors of fresh black fruit and ripe red currant, with round giving secondary notes of baking spices, shoebox leather and cedar. Medium-to-full body, well-framed acid giving lift, nicely polished structure with just a little flesh, and broad-grained round tannins. Full finish, with lingering fruit and savory depth. Drinking very well, late primary stage, long life ahead.
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6/14/2021 - pdbender Likes this wine: 90 Points
Black currants, smoke, black cherry nuances, total beauty -subtle
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5/24/2021 - Levinsb Likes this wine:
Delicious classic flavors ready to go now after a short decant.
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5/20/2021 - 1961Vintage wrote: 88 Points
Still a tinge of green that hopefully will fade away over the next few years.
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3/28/2021 - Rasmussenbrent wrote: 92 Points
Still needs time. Love the taste, but young yet for this bottle
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3/21/2021 - VinoPKM wrote: 89 Points
More forest floor and minerals... hints of pepper mid-palate... and a dash of cherries on finish. This one was a 7 vs. the 2012 being a 9.
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2/20/2021 - jeffjohnsonjj@hotmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Unique nose for Napa - a touch of menthol? - that hints at Bordeaux and is certainly not valley floor. Tasting gives the same - medium body (for Napa), dark intensity in a medium body. I could quibble that the mid palate is a bit hollow and the finish just a touch short - but instead I prefer to focus on how much I enjoy this wine. If this was $35/bottle, I would drink cases of this. At $50 lots of interesting competition, including Super Tuscan, but regardless I really enjoy this wine! Ready to drink after a 2 hour decant, but will hold for many years.
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12/25/2020 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 92 Points
The Prime Rib Roast didn't turn out too well, but this wine was surely excellent. Grippy, with strong fruit and earth notes, everything is balanced and integrated. Believe it or not-even after 5 hours of breathing-it is a tad on the young side. Tannins still highly present but not off-putting.
Definitely a stronger wine than some vintages, but as a result, the best years for this vintage are yet to come. Needs lots of air.
Tremendous Napa Cab for the price.
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12/25/2020 - jonmartin1520 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Typical SM cab. Give it a little air and it will sing. Dark fruits, mineral, wonderful mouthfeel. Overall excellent cab and for the price, nearly impossible to beat.
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10/31/2020 - F_&_M Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice but needed a decant to blow off some of the acidity.
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10/24/2020 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank side by side with the Smith Madrone 2014. Had with rack of lamb that was marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme.
I drank these blind, in the sense that I did not look at the vintage on the label of both bottles when pouring. Overall I preferred the 2013, which had a bit more complexity and better, longer finish than the 2014. Make no mistake about it, they both had similarities and you could tell they had the same Spring Mountain terroir and winemaking hand at play. Both really nice values at ~$50. Still have half a bottle from both wines for tonight and will update my TN as needed.
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7/23/2020 - pgb67 wrote: 91 Points
A pretty classic Napa cab from the old school. Dry and long, tannic and structured. Although flavorful and delicious, what draws you in are the earthy/mineral elements of pine, clove, and black pepper.
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4/27/2020 - boredo Likes this wine:
Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas and flavors of black currant, plum, spice, forest floor, umami, smoke, and pencil lead. Medium to full bodied with chalky tannins on the long, juicy finish.
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3/27/2020 - td1836 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Restrained profile, complex red and black fruits, gravel, tobacco, minerals.
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2/19/2020 - Pluecht Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking nicely now. Continue to age.
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11/16/2019 - F_&_M Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good. Gravely.
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10/21/2019 - Pluecht Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tight. Hold.
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8/19/2019 - Pluecht Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid. Took an hour to open. Hold.
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7/19/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
A deep ruby/red blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, this wine serves up aromas of black currants, black cherries, lavender, anise and truffles. Full-bodied, freshly acidic and without alcoholic heat (14.2%), it delivers flavors in line with the nose. While the wood component is fairly well-integrated, there is still an abundance of grippy tannins. Layered on the middle palate and finishing long, this is an impressively structured Cabernet that will require more cellar time than previously predicted. It should easily reach its 25th birthday and will likely merit a higher score when the tannins have better assimilated. Drink 2024-2038.
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3/13/2019 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 91 Points
Medium ruby red in appearance. Definitely seems like a cooler vintage with notes of forest floor, leaves, cherries, red plums and truffles. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus bodied. Quite a bit earthy with spices and cherries. Long finish. Drink till 2030.
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2/18/2019 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A much better bottle than in October. A warm complex nose that reminds me of walking in the forest on a hot summer day - that heady mix of resin, underbrush, pine needles and bark. The wine is ripe but not jammy and remains savoury and balanced throughout with fresh acid and healthy dose of tannin. Drink now +10 yrs.
Delicious traditional Napa Cab. Napa has changed but the Beard Bros have been doing it the same way since 1971.
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2/16/2019 - Colorado3G Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just entering it's drinking window and coming along nicely, but needs another year to really open up I think. This time we enjoyed this side by side with the 2012 by chance and they are very consistent and similar - but the '12 is a bit more refined and less tannic......but both were excellent!!!
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1/1/2019 - Colorado3G Likes this wine: 91 Points
Coming along nicely - still needs a little time to breath, but this is starting to evolve nicely and drinking well.
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11/12/2018 - vancouvermatt wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux-like... savoury, with food friendly acidity. medium bodied, black fruit, cedar, tobacco, rosemary/thyme or maybe green pepper. Drinking well now. Finishes dry.
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10/6/2018 - gouldcampbell77 wrote: 88 Points
The savoury side of cabernet. Stones, minerals and slightly under ripe fruit that could easily be Graves in a so so year. Not why I travel to Napa - it seems to lack that bit of California sunshine I crave. Tasted blind I would have said a decent cru bourgeois. Maybe (hopefully) it just needs some more time. At this stage, the 2014 is a much better bet.
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6/18/2018 - Mr. M.W.Martin, esq. Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tastes good to me...
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3/18/2018 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Quieter side of Cabernet with quite a bit of open time needed.
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3/5/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Dark purplish ruby red. Dark raspberries on the nose with spices. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Dry palate with black cherries, twigs and dried chocolate. Long finish with solid acidity. Drink till 2026.
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3/5/2018 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Celebrated a long family work day on the ranch with a great dinner and this nice bottle of wine. Always intrigued by Spring Mountain AVA cabernets as they have tended to be very pleasant and appealing, even at a relatively young age. This beauty was no exception. Slow oxed for half an hour. Not decanted. Served at 58 degrees. Deep, dark purple in the glass. Hints of dark fruits, cedar, fig, dark chocolate and tobacco. Flavors of cherry, raspberry, mocha, toasted caramel and nutmeg. Medium, supple mouthfeel. Balanced, silky and refined. The bottle disappeared very fast. Delicious. Agree with WE, 93 points.
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1/29/2018 - rg2177 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needs some decanting time, but really solid. Good job beard bros. Complex flavors for days!
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1/12/2018 - Colorado3G Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted a bit and second bottle a year later....staying with 92 and this time I think a bit spicy - but still very nice and great nose. I'm thinking it needs another year to evolve - but definitely worth it! Can't wait to try the '14 and see what that has in store for us!
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11/8/2017 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2017; 11/7/2017-11/11/2017 (Napa Valley, California): This opaque ruby wine is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot. Offering aromas of black currants, black cherries, savory herbs, lavender and truffles, it is a full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (14.2%) wine with impressive structure. The flavors mirror the nose and are supported by nicely integrated oak and substantial grippy tannins. Layered on the middle palate and finishing long (albeit dry), this is an impressively structured Cabernet. Had I tasted this wine in blinded fashion, I would have pegged it as a '14 left bank Bordeaux. Drink 2021-2033.
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9/4/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 91 Points
MNB: Oak % (Home (Noe st)): (non-blind - my wine)
82% cab, 12% cab franc, 6% merlot
18 months in 75% new French oak, 25% 1-year-old
3.56 pH
6.2 g/L TA
14.2%
Medium plus ruby color.
Aromatic nose - intense blackcurrant with some chocolate-covered plum and some stewed bell pepper and olive (pyrazines).
On the palate, dry, full-bodied, high alcohol (feels 14.5% - actually 14.2%), elevated acid, elevated tannins. There's a powdered cinnamon and refined nutmeg spice that hints at new French oak, but it seems like it's around 50% (actually 75% new).
Beautifully structured and aromatic CA Cab.
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9/2/2017 - td1836 Likes this wine: 91 Points
6 hour decant. Black and red currant, tobacco, some green pepper. Well made in the Smith Madrone style, restrained fruit, medium weight and acidity. Ironically, of the past 3 vintages (2011-2013), this is my least favorite and the 2011 was my favorite.
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8/20/2017 - jimyeni wrote: 89 Points
Meh. Menthol, green pepper, yet still on the hotter side. It's well made, but not the flavor profile we enjoy.
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7/28/2017 - vpoms wrote: 90 Points
Here is my Friday Night Wine Review: My local wine retailer happened to have just three bottles of this wine. I heard about Smith-Madrone from a fellow wine lover and decided to get two bottles since the price was right: $49.95. The price is pretty remarkable considering that this is 100% estate grown in the Spring Mountain AVA. The wine itself is clear, medium intensity ruby color. The nose is clean, with medium intensity aromas of dark fruit, typical for Napa Cabs. On the palate the wine is dry, with medium acidity and mild, well integrated tannins. This is not a very heavy body wine but it is definitely a wine of substance, with flavors of black cherry and black pepper are well pronounced, I can also definitely taste the flavors of rosemary and evergreen forest. The finish is medium with pleasant sensation of fruit and alcohol on the back of the palate. I think this is a remarkable wine at this price point. This wine should be enjoyed now and for the next five to seven years, I think it will reach it's peak by 2020. A solid effort from Smith-Madrone!!! This wine has good Body, good Length on the palate, the acidity and tannins are well Integrated; I do feel it somewhat lacks Complexity to be an outstanding wine. Well earned 90 points!!!
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7/3/2017 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:
Smith-Madrone tasting visit 7/1/17: Aromas of currant, cracked pepper, cedar, violet, tobacco. Broad and expansive on the palate- with medium weight and elegantly rich density. Medium acid, and firm dusty tannins, finishing with full depth and length. Excellent vintage in classic Smith-Madrone style. Awesome wine.
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4/16/2017 - goodvitis.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
The nose is funky, dark and smoky. Hickory smoke, olive brine, dark cherries, blood, dusty cocoa and tangerine peel. With more air the raspberry pops. It's medium bodied with mouth-coating dusty tannins. The palate is also quite savory and very refined. There are multiple layers to this that years in the cellar will expose. Right now it's underripe cherries, maraschino sauce, dark plums, loam, tarragon, black pepper, mocha, a bit of iodine, and saline. Quite dry at the moment with a quick finish, I do expect it to fill out a bit with age as the tannins smooth and release. If this happens, the score will improve.
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4/10/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 90 Points
MNB: Full-bodied Reds (Home (Noe st)): (non-blind - my wine)
Deep ruby color.
Intense nose of tense blackcurrant, dusting of spice and sawdust (partial new oak), and a hint of fresh-turned earth.
Dry, full-bodied, high alcohol - feels 14.5% (actually 14.2%), medium plus acid, high tannins.
Pyrazines on the midpalate are taking on a kind of burnt cigarette ash thing, which is cool. Structured and tight - needs time, but the fruit is there, especially on the nose.
Key features: new oak, blackcurrant, pyrazines, elevated alcohol.
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4/8/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Bachelor party (Napa Valley, CA): Medium-deep ruby; nose is medium aromatic, black fruit, medium-plus tannins, needs time, medium-plus acidity; medium finish. Nice. 90-91
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4/8/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 91 Points
Bachelor Party trip to Napa/Sonoma (Sonoma, Napa, SF): 82% Cab, 12% Cab Franc, 6% Merlot.
Beautiful nose. A well-knit flourish of black cassis fruit, pyrazines (coffee, cigarette ash, ripe bell peppers) blending with possible slight Brett(fresh earth, slight dog fur / spice), which also blends with a hint of oak (vanilla spice, used-wood notes). It's doing the thing that great Bordeaux does - where the coffee and tobacco of the pyrazines bridge with the Maillard notes and the spice of the oak, which in turn bridges with with spice and the earth from the Brett. But compared with Bordeaux, this has that Napa intensity of blackcurrant fruit.
On the palate, it's seamless, structured, and vibrant. Dry, medium plus body, medium plus alcohol (feels only 14%), high acid, high tannins (chewy and ripe). There's a beautiful mid-palate integration with brown olive and cassis, as well as a long, evolving finish.
Stylistically it reminds me a lot of Corison, though to my taste it achieves a greater flavor integration and complexity because the pyrazines are a bit more present, and they bridge the fruit with savory notes.
In terms of fruit intensity, structure, and energy, it reminds me of the Spottswoode Lyndenhurst, but of course with more savory notes, less overt new oak.
And it's at a much lower price point than both of these!
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3/3/2017 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Smith-Madrone: Deep purple color. Gorgeous aromatics of black cherries, dark plums, saucy but fresh, with complex elements of tobacco, graphite, charcoal dust and vanilla. Full-bodied but smooth, structured tannins but fresh acidity, and the texture is wonderful. Black cherries, black currants, juicy plums, the fruit mixes with loamy earth, wet leaves, gravel, charcoal. A significant amount of coffee, wood and vanilla, but there are enough other elements that these flavors don’t overwhelm. Long life ahead but not inaccessible now. All estate fruit from 1,800-foot elevation slope, includes 12% Cab Franc and 6% Merlot, aged 18 months in 75% new French oak. I feel like you can spend twice this price and not get nearly as much Napa Cab awesomeness.
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1/20/2017 - Colorado3G Likes this wine: 92 Points
The is was wonderful. Great nose, not a heavy weight, but wonderful flavors and very nice finish. Smooth and round tannins - this was silky! I loved the 2012 and I was thinking the 2013 would need to lay down a bit more - but it's very drinkable right now and exactly what I like in the price range! I'm a fan of Smith-Madrone and I'll definitely be adding a half case and maybe a whole case to my inventory once I find a good price!
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12/21/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Root day today, everything is tight and hard.
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11/23/2016 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
Retailer tasting. No formal notes. 91 points.
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10/3/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Wow, that is big and ripe and power packed for smith madrone. Kinda darn amazing stuff. Hugely long finish. '10 and '11 Bill notes blasted oak but this blasts fruit (again, in the Smith Madrone spectrum of things).
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