Nice brilliant color, not quite purple. Considerable fruit left (black and blueberries) with minimal tertiary -- maybe tobacco and cedar. Excellent bottle of CA CS-dominated blend. However, never felt this wine would threaten triple digits at any point in its life (but I am not qualified to make that prediction)
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Popped and poured over 10 hours, cork had an area where wine had soaked and indeed there was evidence of a leak under the cap. Thankfully the wine was in fine condition as far as I could tell. Initially had a very dense nose that became slightly less intense by the end. Aromas of red cherry, black cherry and cassis dominate, but over time there were other aromas that faded in and out including plum, blackberry, vanilla and a certain herbal/apple peel characteristic. Overall is very fruit forward excepting the vanilla which while noticeable at times was not overpowering. Flavors were the same as the aromas for the most part. This has a very dense and luxurious mouthfeel typical of a Napa cab, upon first opening was not tannic, but tannins did come out and even lent some bitterness at times, towards the end the tannins had faded. This has a very long finish and is surprisingly acidic (though still mild to mildly moderate), considering how fruit forward it is. Overall, it was an excellent wine and is drinking fine now, though I don't think it's going anywhere soon. It was at its best during the first and last hours but was extremely fun to follow as it changed quite a bit while still retaining the cherry core which I associate with Vineyard 29. This is a big and bold wine that also has more complexity than I'm able to describe.
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Decanted over King Charles' favorite martini. Long live the king!
This needed a little time and swirling, maybe 30-45 minutes, to bring out the incredible St. Helena earth that saturates the palate in this gorgeous, seamless wine. It's balanced by pure purple fruit and both linger on the long finish. We wondered over dinner what this wine would be like with another two decades, whether tertiary notes would improve it enough to make up for the loss of fruit. This is a perennial question for me for these cult wines that drink so well early. I say drink them now! You never know which bottle will be your last. RIP ERII.
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Fragrant cassis bouquet with notes of smoke. Rich supple fruit entry and mid-palate. Very good finish that displays a tiny bit of heat. A great Napa Cab. Cork popped 1hour before drinking.
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Decanted over cocktails. Wow! Silky, dense, focused Cabernet with stunningly deep blackcurrant, espresso, and that gorgeous charred St. Helena earth I love so much. It was great from the beginning but opened fully at 90 minutes or so, completely filling the palate and offering a long, lingering finish. What a brilliant effort and showing so well now.
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Beautiful Napa-Cab but no X-factor. Disappointed, as expectations were higher to this 100p’er, but I guess it is not the wines fault. “Perfect” and perfectly boring
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In this style, utterly magnificent. Very lush. Alcohol not intrusive and that will likely will contribute to greater staying power. Perfectly integrated here. Suspect the drinking window is considerably shorter than the RP estimate but it's marvelous right now and there isn't even a hint of things falling apart any time soon. Has another 10 years easily.
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A wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon. Floral and black fruit aromatics followed by bold blackberry, red cherry and blueberry flavors with a level of complexity found in only the best Napa cabs. Hints of chocolate and graphite are integrated nicely with earthy tannins that take the finish to new levels.
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I'm going to be the contrarian here and say that while this is still very tasty, I'm betting against it getting much better given the very soft tannins and my day 2 taste vs. day 1, where I would have expected an improvement.
Black cherry and violet flowers, subtle alcohol and good acid balance, med+ body and a moderate finish. Hint of cocoa, but less so than other vintages. I honestly expected more given how other 2013s have evolved, but I'll have two more tries to see if I was right or wrong.
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Notes of blueberry and black cherry, followed by a silky smooth mouthful of blackberry, black cherry and plum. Complex and layered with dark chocolate and licorice. Long, smooth finish that kept me looking for more!
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Floral aromatics and black fruit dominated the decanter with this exquisite wine. Layer upon layer of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruit with milk chocolate and some earthiness as the wine opened up. Smooth but solid tannins coat the mouth with “silk”, while the finish lasted a good 20 - 30 seconds.
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Delicious napa cab, lots of fruit, fine tannins, drinking well from the bottle but clearly room for improvement. I think there are many other napa wines for half this price (currently ~$300/bottle online) that bring the same enjoyment, but this is still very good. RP's 100 points seems like a lot to me, but perhaps in a few years it will get there.
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This is a spectacular Napa cab that is only going to get better. Fruit, alcohol, and tannins all there. Right now all are powerful and distinctive. Over time, they should come together into a truly incredible wine. Even young, though, just delicious.
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An impressive, sublime wine. No hard edges, no over-the-top oak; this isn't a Parkerized cab. Balanced dark fruits highlight this wine. Soft tannins, full bodied without being fruit forward, this wine is a delight to drink by itself or pair with foods that aren't too spicy. It's elegant and delicious. I prefer the 2012 at this point, but that's like choosing between filet mignon and prime rib.
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Could be 100 pointer in a few years! Quintessential Melka, almost exactly like Moone Tsai Cor Leonis. Decant for 4 or 5 hours. Drinking well now with a good decant, tight the first few hours, but will be an amazing gem in 2-5 years, will age well for another 25 years!
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3/21/2024 - rjf@rjfinlay.com wrote:
Drink now
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10/23/2023 - RAB007 wrote: 97 Points
Nice brilliant color, not quite purple. Considerable fruit left (black and blueberries) with minimal tertiary -- maybe tobacco and cedar. Excellent bottle of CA CS-dominated blend. However, never felt this wine would threaten triple digits at any point in its life (but I am not qualified to make that prediction)
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7/8/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slowly emerged after a half hour decant. Very good expression of an old school Cali Cab. Really good finish, lingering on the palate. Buy/hold.
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12/26/2022 - Teaky Likes this wine:
Popped and poured over 10 hours, cork had an area where wine had soaked and indeed there was evidence of a leak under the cap. Thankfully the wine was in fine condition as far as I could tell. Initially had a very dense nose that became slightly less intense by the end. Aromas of red cherry, black cherry and cassis dominate, but over time there were other aromas that faded in and out including plum, blackberry, vanilla and a certain herbal/apple peel characteristic. Overall is very fruit forward excepting the vanilla which while noticeable at times was not overpowering. Flavors were the same as the aromas for the most part. This has a very dense and luxurious mouthfeel typical of a Napa cab, upon first opening was not tannic, but tannins did come out and even lent some bitterness at times, towards the end the tannins had faded. This has a very long finish and is surprisingly acidic (though still mild to mildly moderate), considering how fruit forward it is. Overall, it was an excellent wine and is drinking fine now, though I don't think it's going anywhere soon. It was at its best during the first and last hours but was extremely fun to follow as it changed quite a bit while still retaining the cherry core which I associate with Vineyard 29. This is a big and bold wine that also has more complexity than I'm able to describe.
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9/8/2022 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 99 Points
Decanted over King Charles' favorite martini. Long live the king!
This needed a little time and swirling, maybe 30-45 minutes, to bring out the incredible St. Helena earth that saturates the palate in this gorgeous, seamless wine. It's balanced by pure purple fruit and both linger on the long finish. We wondered over dinner what this wine would be like with another two decades, whether tertiary notes would improve it enough to make up for the loss of fruit. This is a perennial question for me for these cult wines that drink so well early. I say drink them now! You never know which bottle will be your last. RIP ERII.
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1/15/2022 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fragrant cassis bouquet with notes of smoke. Rich supple fruit entry and mid-palate. Very good finish that displays a tiny bit of heat. A great Napa Cab.
Cork popped 1hour before drinking.
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12/9/2021 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 99 Points
Decanted over cocktails. Wow! Silky, dense, focused Cabernet with stunningly deep blackcurrant, espresso, and that gorgeous charred St. Helena earth I love so much. It was great from the beginning but opened fully at 90 minutes or so, completely filling the palate and offering a long, lingering finish. What a brilliant effort and showing so well now.
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10/16/2021 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 100 Points
This wine is showing very nice. Tasted at lunch at V29
Black fruit, spice, herbal notes, cassis, hints of chocolate, big fruit, silky smooth. Very smooth, probably the best wine I've tasted.
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4/16/2021 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful Napa-Cab but no X-factor. Disappointed, as expectations were higher to this 100p’er, but I guess it is not the wines fault. “Perfect” and perfectly boring
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8/14/2020 - daved Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking nicely but overshadowed by Roundpond the Vow
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6/22/2020 - nvandyk wrote: 100 Points
In this style, utterly magnificent. Very lush. Alcohol not intrusive and that will likely will contribute to greater staying power. Perfectly integrated here. Suspect the drinking window is considerably shorter than the RP estimate but it's marvelous right now and there isn't even a hint of things falling apart any time soon. Has another 10 years easily.
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5/25/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 98 Points
A wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon. Floral and black fruit aromatics followed by bold blackberry, red cherry and blueberry flavors with a level of complexity found in only the best Napa cabs. Hints of chocolate and graphite are integrated nicely with earthy tannins that take the finish to new levels.
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3/22/2020 - OG-Wino wrote: 92 Points
I'm going to be the contrarian here and say that while this is still very tasty, I'm betting against it getting much better given the very soft tannins and my day 2 taste vs. day 1, where I would have expected an improvement.
Black cherry and violet flowers, subtle alcohol and good acid balance, med+ body and a moderate finish. Hint of cocoa, but less so than other vintages. I honestly expected more given how other 2013s have evolved, but I'll have two more tries to see if I was right or wrong.
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2/6/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 97 Points
Notes of blueberry and black cherry, followed by a silky smooth mouthful of blackberry, black cherry and plum. Complex and layered with dark chocolate and licorice. Long, smooth finish that kept me looking for more!
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1/31/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 97 Points
Floral aromatics and black fruit dominated the decanter with this exquisite wine. Layer upon layer of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruit with milk chocolate and some earthiness as the wine opened up. Smooth but solid tannins coat the mouth with “silk”, while the finish lasted a good 20 - 30 seconds.
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12/7/2019 - franinnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolute delicious but wondering if still too young?
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9/17/2019 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 96 Points
Delicious napa cab, lots of fruit, fine tannins, drinking well from the bottle but clearly room for improvement. I think there are many other napa wines for half this price (currently ~$300/bottle online) that bring the same enjoyment, but this is still very good. RP's 100 points seems like a lot to me, but perhaps in a few years it will get there.
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5/4/2018 - MLwine Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a spectacular Napa cab that is only going to get better. Fruit, alcohol, and tannins all there. Right now all are powerful and distinctive. Over time, they should come together into a truly incredible wine. Even young, though, just delicious.
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8/5/2017 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 99 Points
Awesome wine! Very smooth, blackberry and blueberry, soft smooth tannins, long finish. Very easy drinking.
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6/5/2017 - Crunge Likes this wine: 94 Points
An impressive, sublime wine. No hard edges, no over-the-top oak; this isn't a Parkerized cab. Balanced dark fruits highlight this wine. Soft tannins, full bodied without being fruit forward, this wine is a delight to drink by itself or pair with foods that aren't too spicy. It's elegant and delicious. I prefer the 2012 at this point, but that's like choosing between filet mignon and prime rib.
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3/23/2017 - Vineyard Boy Likes this wine: 97 Points
Could be 100 pointer in a few years! Quintessential Melka, almost exactly like Moone Tsai Cor Leonis. Decant for 4 or 5 hours. Drinking well now with a good decant, tight the first few hours, but will be an amazing gem in 2-5 years, will age well for another 25 years!
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