Drinking nicely now. Ripe black fruit in the aroma and palette. Med complexity, med finish. Modest tannins remain. A solid wine. Maybe 1-3 years of bottle life remaining.
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Had another one of these after four years — not holding up well. Feels like the structure never came to focus, dark fruit, subtle pyrazine, big dried berries — and a kind of cooked fruit quality. Feels on the downhill.
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I thought I got a great price at $26 on release, but I'm afraid this is only drinking like a $26 bottle. Still a little tight, basic cab flavors. Will retest later.
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What a difference another bottle makes! My first bottle was pedestrian but good. This bottle was killer. Could easily be a 94 or 95, but I rarely score anything that high.
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Very dark garnet red color. PNP, drank two glasses over 2 hours. Dusty, creme de cassis, fresh cut cedar, mineral, gravel and scorched earth with really nice spice box on the back end. 91+pts.
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Servicable Napa Cab. nothing outstanding, nothing flawed. I agree with prior comments on this wine---drink up. Drinking well now, but not likely needing any aging nor will it benefit from such!
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Double decanted back into bottle. Poured into glass, color dark- with little bricking around rim. Taste, good dark berries and chocolate fill your mouth. Tannins/acidity provide adequate balance. Not a knock out wine, but delivers good value for the Costco price I paid for it. Will not improve much, drink up.
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One coravin pour and a later 1.5+ hr decanting, classic Napa Cab notes, plenty of currant berries and balanced toasty-mocha and sweet tobacco-leather flavors with an elegant smooth texture - it may be 'old school' RM but it's hard to argue when the goods in the package are delivered so well.
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PnP, consumed over 3 hours. Appearance: Clear, medium ruby with slight bricking. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with developing aromas of blackberry, bell pepper, blackcurrant leaf, spice box, and violets. Palate: Dry, medium acid, medium+ somewhat grippy tannin, medium intensity, medium+ body, 14.5% abv with developing flavors of spicy dark fruit - blackberry, green pepper, and leather with a long finish. Outstanding wine with excellent balance, complexity, and length - drinking well now with an hour or two decant with plenty of life ahead, 5+ years.
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4th Saturday Brown Bagger (EBCC): Double blind. Buttered popcorn and vanilla overtones with black fruit underneath. Full-bodied. Black fruit and vanilla on the palate. Somewhat straightforward and simple, and I find that buttery element distracting. (R&D)
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Deep color, youthful. Cherry and vanilla nose. Plum, cherry, blueberry palate with tobacco, cedar, and loam starting to develop. Tannins and acidity will support additional aging. Developing nicely. Hold or drink.
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Pop and pour, consumed over 2 hours. Appearance: Clear, dark ruby. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity, aromas of blackcurrant leaf, black berries, plum, lavender, and cedar - still developing. Palate: Dry, medium- acid, high alcohol (14.5%), medium+ tannins, body, and intensity, flavors of plum, blackberry, and tobacco with a medium+ finish (45-60 seconds). Just starting to develop tertiary characteristics, this is a outstanding wine (and Napa QPR) just entering a lengthy 5-10 year drinking window.
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This wine is rounding into form. I think it is a well balanced wine. Not a fruit bomb at all. Medium bodied; notes of black and blue fruit; a hint of oak; just right. This is not an expensive wine; it was just as good the second day, maybe a little better. Held together nicely. QPR is very good to me.
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Same notes as before without the mild tartness. The wine seems more rounded with dark fruit flavors and a bit smoother than the earlier bottle. Some dark chocolate and mocha on the finish.
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Opened up after 30 minutes. Medium bodied. I get sweet vanilla oak on the front palate, blackberry and boysenberry fruit mid palate and drying fine grained tannins on the finish. Nothing here to rave about, but this a very nice, solid wine.
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Bursting with floral aromas and very faint eucalyptus along with some heat (14.5% ABV). Red and blue fruits. Tart cherry. Dark blackberry. Medium tannins with a medium+ finish.
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Nose: [59°] Red cherries, faint earth and ripe blackberries. [64°] Forest floor becomes more lush and vivid with time with things like wet grass, moss and brush.
Palate: [60°] Dark red fruits with great integration deep of earth. [64°] Soft bitter underbrush, firm lingering oak, steeped tea, and bitter river rocks. Noticeable heat on the finish but definitely softens up a bit with more air time.
Attributes: Really dark ruby. Dry with light-plus to medium-minus amounts of smooth tannin. Medium body with medium-minus acidity. Good finish of at least 16-18 seconds.
Thoughts: This is pretty intense on the bitter tannins and earthiness which is quite nice. The fruits and minerals compliment those flavors quite nicely. This will need some decanting though. Oak is nice in varying levels but with heat, it becomes so harsh. Really enjoyable for the price but will require some air time.
Other notes: Bordeaux glass. Slow-ox'ed in bottle for the duration of consumption over 2.5 hours, recommend decanting for at least 1 hour if it's not showing well initially.
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Drank in Bayfield. Probably too young. Good initial impact, but tannins overwhelmed after a while. Also kind of simple for a mid-price wine, but seemed to have upside with patience. Wait a couple years for another.
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Nose: [66°-67°] Red and black cherries, blueberries, lush forest floor, soft bare oak, a little bit of bitter dried tobacco leaves, mushrooms (gah I miss this) and a creamy/milky chocolate.
Palate: [67°-68°] Dark, juicy red fruits with deep earth, bitter tannin (oak/branches/tree bark), dark bitter minerals and a bite from heat with a firm spice. [70°-71°] Not much change but there is a bit of savoriness on the finish and heavily steeped tea.
Attributes: Clear, dark medium ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grippy, chewy tannin. Medium to medium-minus body with light-plus to medium-minus acidity. Decent finish of about 13-15 seconds.
Thoughts: Ok this might be a food wine.. no matter how I tried serving this, whether it be a bit chilled or warmer than room temperature, I cannot get it to taste like the first time I've ever had this at a restaurant which was amazing (and it was quite warm in there). I had this wine with some seafood pasta dish (shellfish like clams/mussels) with some red sauce with a good kick of spice, so I suggest pairing it with similar types of dishes. If you plan on drinking this on its own, try airing this out for 2 hours (or however long) for the heat to calm down. Good earthy berries and savory bitter tannin.
Other notes: Bordeaux glass. Slow-ox'ed in bottle for the duration of consumption of an hour.
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Nice California style cab, lots of oak presenting as vanilla on the nose and finish. Red and blue fruit throughout with some floral notes on the nose. Medium finish. Good quality.
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Best of the four bottles we had. Dark garnet bordering on purple in the glass. Gorgeous nose with black fruits/cassis, menthol, mint and hint of oak. Palate was velvety and full with a purity of fruit and spice notes leading to a wonderful lingering finish. Should have bought more.
Paired great with TJ's slow cooked cabernet marintated pot roast.
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W Jenny & Rudy steak at their house - talking politics. Decanted 2 hours. Solid wine but maybe needs more time toi integrate. Good nose (smoke and vanilla sweetness). Great color. On palate tight sna maybe a bit disjointed. QPR is OK. Good with fatty steak as others have noted.
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Way overpriced on the restaurant menu but the only decent alternative that wasn’t a ‘17 vintage. Very muted flavors on opening, much too cold and we almost thought it was corked. Came around in about 45 min and turned out to be very smooth and fruity, a bit of tannic grip but went well with the streak. Acid and alcohol were well integrated and the finish was nice and long.
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Dark fruit, pyrazine, a touch of smoke and meat. The same notes on the palate but with a bit of minerality that comes across towards the finish. It feels a bit lacking in depth and focus on the palate, but there's still enough going on for it to be an enjoyable wine. You'll like it more for $40ish than $50+.
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very deeply colored, red rim. on the nose moderate intensity with lactic prunish red and dark fruits, new barrque spice, hint of earthy brett. on the palate high acids, broad midpalate, high amount of firm tannins, moderate to high alcohol. balanced wine with very good length, great intensity, ok complexity. i can see why this wine doesn't score higher on CT... aromatically it feels a bit aged and a bit muddled... however it has great palate presence and length. i decanted this a couple of hours and it seemed adequate... drink now or hold a few years. don't pay full price for this.
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For a California cabernet, this was a good price - $30. It's a decent wine with no unpleasant characteristics. Sweet oak, soft tannin. A little flat mid-palate. Still, a nice wine for sipping or with something like roast beef or beef stew. As California goes, this is a QPR champ but that's not saying much.
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Another solid bottle. Enjoyed on its own over the course of a few hours. Dark crimson, almost purple in the glass. Nose of dark fruits, vanilla and baking spices. Silky but substantial on the palate with the fruit and spice dominating. Tannins show up and add to a grippy medium finish.
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Very nice cab for the money. I found it to be lighter/more elegant than the cabs I typically drink, but I think that says more about my preferred style than it does this wine. Dark purple in the glass, heavy vanilla and baking spices on the nose, ripe blackberry and plum flavors on the palate. Very well integrated tannins give it a silky texture and luxurious mouthfeel, and is a long finish with lingering fruit and cinnamon.
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Woo-Hoo! I found a bottle of 2014 buried underneath a couple cases of 2016! Bought it along with another 2016 (which I have yet to even try). Like all the previous 2014 bottles, with the exception of one, this was very nice. Big and rich in dark fruit and oak. Excellent in fact!
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Nose: Slightly dark red fruits, deep earth notes and some sour oak.
Palate: Similar fruits and earth, juicier on the palate, sour and dry oak with slight minerality on the finish. Slight heat in this even after at least an hour in a decanter.
Medium Ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grippy tannins. Medium minus body with medium to medium-plus acidity. Good finish of about 10-12 seconds, finishing with a lingering oak and minerality. Like in previous notes, try to warm this up to room temperature (using the palm of your hands on the bowl of the glass). This one was really juicy, oaky and mineraly.. I'm going to say it was the temperature of the wine this time.. I really didn't enjoy it as much as before and I strongly feel temperature has a big role in this.
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Euphoria Wine Club BYOB Dinner (Bakalaki Greek Taverna): Big nose of candied cherries and cassis. The intense cherry fruits carries through to the palate, and towards the finish. Great power and finesse, and the overall feel is actually heartwarming and comfortable
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Dark red color. PNP, drank a glass on consecutive nights. I struggled with this the first night. Not getting much of anything off the nose, but while my sinus/palate was not cooperating either. The following night this was far more expressive with red fruit, dark cherry, tart cherry, white pepper and graphite on a medium boddy with fine tannins. Very good, may improve a point or so. 90+ to 91pts.
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Ok, I’m beginning to think that one bottle a couple of weeks ago was an outlier. The last two have been back to their regular stuff and terrific! Had this bottle on a Trans Am SpeedFest weekend up at Laguna Seca (where I camped the last 2 night). Now I’m in a hotel (sort of), I think this place is costing me about what the wine did and YES, the wine is far better and due to that fact, it will help me forget where I’m staying! At least I certainly hope so! Fingers Crossed!
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Another fine and consistent Cabernet from this winery and their Oakville To Kalon Vineyard. Like the previous bottles, lots of black & blue fruit. Nice balance with a medium finish. And I just wrote a bit of a negative review, probably just a bit of vintage variety.
OK had another bottle tonight and, again, while a fine, big, rich and deep Napa Cab, there’s better stuff out there for the same price. This is $60 at the winery, but only $36 at Costco... I guess with the insane prices that Napa Cab is going for these days, I should be easier on this, but... well, I’m not going to. There’s just better stuff out there for the same (if not less) money. LOL
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Another nice 89-90 Pointer. Not sure if the wine isn’t aging as I expected, or my taste buds are a changing, but it’s no longer one of my favorites. Still, for the price at Costco, this is a Very Good QPR.
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Dark crimson in the glass. Nose showed dark fruits with hints of chocolate, eucalyptus, mint and vanilla. Full bodied on the palate with the dark fruit notes, spice and oak coming through to a semi quick finish with nice grippy tannin. Paired nicely with grilled flank steak and roasted vegetables.
A fine bottle. Consistent. Thinking my taste buds have changed a bit though, so this isn’t as good in my minds as in the past. Still fine, just not tickling me as much as it has in the past.
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Very nice. Nice and clear with a nice aroma. Taste is powerful and big with oak. Seems a bit out of sync and unbalanced though. I may be starting to fight a cold, so I think this may be on me and not the bottle.
Won’t score or give a QPR on this bottle as I don’t want to unfairly color this vintage.
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Nose: Vanilla, soft oak mixed with deep forest floor, dark red and purple fruit. A really pleasant smell of something else but I can't quite put my finger on what (never was able to discern what it was actually)..
Palate: Dark red fruits, moderate juiciness.. same soft oak integrated with some wet forest floor.
Deep, dark ruby. Dry but has sweet, fine and supple tannins. Medium body with moderate acidity. Decent finish of about 4-5 seconds. This is a great quality to price ratio. I had this at a dinner once (unfortuantely was not able to take notes) and really enjoyed it.. all I can remember when I was at the dinner it was very enjoyable with some milk chocolate and/or vanilla notes accompanied by some deep earth on the palate. I enjoyed it so much I had to get a bottle myself to try at home. One thing I do notice though, you will need to bring this to room temperature to fully enjoy all the nuances. It's pretty cold right now.. ~50° and the acidity is coming forward a little too much. I don't recall this being the same when I had this at dinner and the only notable difference between now and then was the temperature of the wine. The temperature at the restaurant was pretty close to room temperature ~65°-67°. Very enjoyable now but again try to serve it at room temperature. Not quite sure how many years this can age as it seems to lack a little structure but still has acidity to help.. maybe 4-5 years. Again, great quality to price ratio.
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Drinking well. Black fruit, a hint of pepper. Really smooth. A hint of cocoa. Long finish. I’m really pleased with this at this price range for a Napa Cab.
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88% C.S., 5% C.F., 3% Malbec, 3% P.V., & 1% Merlot [possibly 95% from To-Kalon & 5% from MBar Ranch?]"...hand-harvested into small bins & carefully sorted in our gravity-flow cellar. The clusters were gently destemmed directly into traditional FR oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation, & extended maceration – a total of 31 days of wine to skin contact. The new wine was drained & gently pressed into 29% new FR oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over the 18 mos of barrel aging, then bottled in August of 2016." 15% ABV, 0.55 g/L R.S., 6.4 g/L T.A., & 3.64 pH; 19,637 cases made
P: LM body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by astringent pucker which QUITE resolves by the LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the minimal, very, VERY fine tannins. For now & the next 4 yrs? LOVELY stuff! My EXC/EXC+. 92 pts Suckling, 91+ WA, 91 Vinous (Galloni), 90 ea Decanter & WE @ $63, & 88 WS.
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Another very nice bottle. Like my previous tasting, I had this in a social environment thus I couldn’t take detailed notes. Very similar to the last bottle back in March. Nice, big with lots of dark fruit. Nicely balanced with depth and texture.
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Wine poured to a dark almost purple ruby red color on the rim of the glass. Dark fruit aromas with lots of complex dark fruit flavors. Med-full body with lots of yummy tannins. Decantered for 1 hour could have let it sit for another hour. Wine is probably a bit young, but good overall value for the price to quality ratio.
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The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis) and forest floor. It tastes like toast, sandalwood and plum. The body is medium/full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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Rating this on future potential as good opportunity for aging. Dark berry nose with heavy oak and cassis. Blackberry, fig, toast and plum on the palate. Long leathery to silky finish. Seems like other flavors want to break thru. Time will tell.
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Rich purple color. Gorgeous waves of currants and blackberries, along with eucalyptus, cocoa powder, mint, gravelly earth and vanilla. Full but suave, rich texture with chewy tannins but it stays lively. Juicy black currants, tangy blackberries, this is fruit and dark but also sports cocoa, earth, eucalyptus, mint and graphite. Lots going on here but it goes down quite easily. Ready to drink or hold for a few years. Includes 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot, aged 18 months in about 30% new French oak.
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The nose showed a mix of red and black currant, backed by sweet herbal tones, hints of spice and minerals. It was silky on the palate with red and blue fruits, lifting acidity with fresh sweet inner florals and hints of grippy tannin. It finished medium-long with inner floral tones, herbal lift, and a coating of fine tannin.
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Still young, blackberries, black currants, leather, licorice, and a hint of chocolate. Medium to full bodied and medium length finish. Try again in 3-4 years.
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Very nice, popped and drank with friends over 2.5 hours. No decant. Like all the previous Mondavi Oakville’s, this was great. Excellent QPR for just $36!!!
Didn’t do a big, major detailed tasting (would have been rude to be taking notes in the social environment), but this had nice dark fruit, nicely balanced with medium acidity and nice tannins.
Definitely get more!!!
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82% Tokalon and not straight Cabernet but I guess I missed that part. Black fruit with some gumption on the palate. Kinda simple but just opened. Maybe that will flesh out?
4/4/2024 - gfb1 wrote: 86 Points
Very dense
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3/16/2024 - bluepeter2020@outlook.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking nicely now. Ripe black fruit in the aroma and palette. Med complexity, med finish. Modest tannins remain. A solid wine. Maybe 1-3 years of bottle life remaining.
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6/4/2023 - OaktownRush wrote:
Had another one of these after four years — not holding up well. Feels like the structure never came to focus, dark fruit, subtle pyrazine, big dried berries — and a kind of cooked fruit quality. Feels on the downhill.
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2/26/2023 - redz wrote: 90 Points
I thought I got a great price at $26 on release, but I'm afraid this is only drinking like a $26 bottle. Still a little tight, basic cab flavors. Will retest later.
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11/26/2022 - AllRed wrote:
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (J&L's): Black fruit, fine tannins. Spice, chocolate and black cherry undertones. (R&D)
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9/14/2022 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful, dark red/purple color. Classic Napa cab. Would buy again at the $40 I paid, but not much more.
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8/29/2022 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a difference another bottle makes! My first bottle was pedestrian but good. This bottle was killer. Could easily be a 94 or 95, but I rarely score anything that high.
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8/26/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Very dark garnet red color. PNP, drank two glasses over 2 hours. Dusty, creme de cassis, fresh cut cedar, mineral, gravel and scorched earth with really nice spice box on the back end. 91+pts.
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8/24/2022 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 91 Points
Servicable Napa Cab. nothing outstanding, nothing flawed. I agree with prior comments on this wine---drink up. Drinking well now, but not likely needing any aging nor will it benefit from such!
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3/17/2022 - SCM Fan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Double decanted back into bottle. Poured into glass, color dark- with little bricking around rim. Taste, good dark berries and chocolate fill your mouth. Tannins/acidity provide adequate balance. Not a knock out wine, but delivers good value for the Costco price I paid for it. Will not improve much, drink up.
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3/9/2022 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
One coravin pour and a later 1.5+ hr decanting, classic Napa Cab notes, plenty of currant berries and balanced toasty-mocha and sweet tobacco-leather flavors with an elegant smooth texture - it may be 'old school' RM but it's hard to argue when the goods in the package are delivered so well.
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2/4/2022 - prasm Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP, consumed over 3 hours. Appearance: Clear, medium ruby with slight bricking. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with developing aromas of blackberry, bell pepper, blackcurrant leaf, spice box, and violets. Palate: Dry, medium acid, medium+ somewhat grippy tannin, medium intensity, medium+ body, 14.5% abv with developing flavors of spicy dark fruit - blackberry, green pepper, and leather with a long finish. Outstanding wine with excellent balance, complexity, and length - drinking well now with an hour or two decant with plenty of life ahead, 5+ years.
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9/25/2021 - Thebigbaby Likes this wine: 85 Points
Absolutely loved the nose on the PNP. Earth and a hint of manure. After 30 minutes it was gone. Wine was good but just flattened out over time.
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8/28/2021 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (EBCC): Double blind. Buttered popcorn and vanilla overtones with black fruit underneath. Full-bodied. Black fruit and vanilla on the palate. Somewhat straightforward and simple, and I find that buttery element distracting. (R&D)
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5/23/2021 - Grenik Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep color, youthful. Cherry and vanilla nose. Plum, cherry, blueberry palate with tobacco, cedar, and loam starting to develop. Tannins and acidity will support additional aging. Developing nicely. Hold or drink.
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4/17/2021 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Expresses the terroir so well. Drinking very well. Black fruits, leather, tobacco, herbs, complex. Great wine from a clearance sale for $25.
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3/12/2021 - pas.vino Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent bottle!
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1/30/2021 - gquigs Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright cherry and red fruit. This is singing right now. Crisp acidity provides nice balance. Wish I had more
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1/29/2021 - cwiebe Likes this wine: 92 Points
These bottles seemed to evolve pretty quickly, this was a very nice Cal Cab.
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1/12/2021 - prasm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop and pour, consumed over 2 hours. Appearance: Clear, dark ruby. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity, aromas of blackcurrant leaf, black berries, plum, lavender, and cedar - still developing. Palate: Dry, medium- acid, high alcohol (14.5%), medium+ tannins, body, and intensity, flavors of plum, blackberry, and tobacco with a medium+ finish (45-60 seconds). Just starting to develop tertiary characteristics, this is a outstanding wine (and Napa QPR) just entering a lengthy 5-10 year drinking window.
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9/28/2020 - mactheknife Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine is rounding into form. I think it is a well balanced wine. Not a fruit bomb at all. Medium bodied; notes of black and blue fruit; a hint of oak; just right. This is not an expensive wine; it was just as good the second day, maybe a little better. Held together nicely. QPR is very good to me.
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9/19/2020 - Tym4wine wrote: 90 Points
Same notes as before without the mild tartness. The wine seems more rounded with dark fruit flavors and a bit smoother than the earlier bottle. Some dark chocolate and mocha on the finish.
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8/31/2020 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened up after 30 minutes. Medium bodied. I get sweet vanilla oak on the front palate, blackberry and boysenberry fruit mid palate and drying fine grained tannins on the finish. Nothing here to rave about, but this a very nice, solid wine.
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8/28/2020 - Tym4wine Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bursting with floral aromas and very faint eucalyptus along with some heat (14.5% ABV). Red and blue fruits. Tart cherry. Dark blackberry. Medium tannins with a medium+ finish.
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7/17/2020 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nose: [59°] Red cherries, faint earth and ripe blackberries. [64°] Forest floor becomes more lush and vivid with time with things like wet grass, moss and brush.
Palate: [60°] Dark red fruits with great integration deep of earth. [64°] Soft bitter underbrush, firm lingering oak, steeped tea, and bitter river rocks. Noticeable heat on the finish but definitely softens up a bit with more air time.
Attributes: Really dark ruby. Dry with light-plus to medium-minus amounts of smooth tannin. Medium body with medium-minus acidity. Good finish of at least 16-18 seconds.
Thoughts: This is pretty intense on the bitter tannins and earthiness which is quite nice. The fruits and minerals compliment those flavors quite nicely. This will need some decanting though. Oak is nice in varying levels but with heat, it becomes so harsh. Really enjoyable for the price but will require some air time.
Other notes: Bordeaux glass. Slow-ox'ed in bottle for the duration of consumption over 2.5 hours, recommend decanting for at least 1 hour if it's not showing well initially.
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6/15/2020 - SL_Wine Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank over 2 nights. I liked it better on the second night. Not much fruit on the nose. Dark fruit influences. Still had strong tannins.
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6/3/2020 - levinml wrote: 89 Points
Drank in Bayfield. Probably too young. Good initial impact, but tannins overwhelmed after a while. Also kind of simple for a mid-price wine, but seemed to have upside with patience. Wait a couple years for another.
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5/30/2020 - gquigs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good with the porterhouse we had.
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5/25/2020 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nose: [66°-67°] Red and black cherries, blueberries, lush forest floor, soft bare oak, a little bit of bitter dried tobacco leaves, mushrooms (gah I miss this) and a creamy/milky chocolate.
Palate: [67°-68°] Dark, juicy red fruits with deep earth, bitter tannin (oak/branches/tree bark), dark bitter minerals and a bite from heat with a firm spice. [70°-71°] Not much change but there is a bit of savoriness on the finish and heavily steeped tea.
Attributes: Clear, dark medium ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grippy, chewy tannin. Medium to medium-minus body with light-plus to medium-minus acidity. Decent finish of about 13-15 seconds.
Thoughts: Ok this might be a food wine.. no matter how I tried serving this, whether it be a bit chilled or warmer than room temperature, I cannot get it to taste like the first time I've ever had this at a restaurant which was amazing (and it was quite warm in there). I had this wine with some seafood pasta dish (shellfish like clams/mussels) with some red sauce with a good kick of spice, so I suggest pairing it with similar types of dishes. If you plan on drinking this on its own, try airing this out for 2 hours (or however long) for the heat to calm down. Good earthy berries and savory bitter tannin.
Other notes: Bordeaux glass. Slow-ox'ed in bottle for the duration of consumption of an hour.
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5/2/2020 - ChipP68 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Ruby color med body light aroma of blue fruit and aged oak. Finish is med acidity smooth tannin and large dry oak
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2/23/2020 - Grenik Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice California style cab, lots of oak presenting as vanilla on the nose and finish. Red and blue fruit throughout with some floral notes on the nose. Medium finish. Good quality.
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2/20/2020 - slulkin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Best of the four bottles we had. Dark garnet bordering on purple in the glass. Gorgeous nose with black fruits/cassis, menthol, mint and hint of oak. Palate was velvety and full with a purity of fruit and spice notes leading to a wonderful lingering finish. Should have bought more.
Paired great with TJ's slow cooked cabernet marintated pot roast.
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2/9/2020 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
W Jenny & Rudy steak at their house - talking politics. Decanted 2 hours. Solid wine but maybe needs more time toi integrate. Good nose (smoke and vanilla sweetness). Great color. On palate tight sna maybe a bit disjointed. QPR is OK. Good with fatty steak as others have noted.
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1/14/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Way overpriced on the restaurant menu but the only decent alternative that wasn’t a ‘17 vintage. Very muted flavors on opening, much too cold and we almost thought it was corked. Came around in about 45 min and turned out to be very smooth and fruity, a bit of tannic grip but went well with the streak. Acid and alcohol were well integrated and the finish was nice and long.
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12/15/2019 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 90 Points
More tannic than the 2015 Hall so it went better with the steaks at Gibsons. Pretty good value at $40 but in my opinion, not worth a higher price.
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12/9/2019 - OaktownRush Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark fruit, pyrazine, a touch of smoke and meat. The same notes on the palate but with a bit of minerality that comes across towards the finish. It feels a bit lacking in depth and focus on the palate, but there's still enough going on for it to be an enjoyable wine. You'll like it more for $40ish than $50+.
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12/2/2019 - markjanes wrote: 88 Points
very deeply colored, red rim. on the nose moderate intensity with lactic prunish red and dark fruits, new barrque spice, hint of earthy brett. on the palate high acids, broad midpalate, high amount of firm tannins, moderate to high alcohol. balanced wine with very good length, great intensity, ok complexity. i can see why this wine doesn't score higher on CT... aromatically it feels a bit aged and a bit muddled... however it has great palate presence and length. i decanted this a couple of hours and it seemed adequate... drink now or hold a few years. don't pay full price for this.
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11/26/2019 - randyjc wrote: 88 Points
For a California cabernet, this was a good price - $30. It's a decent wine with no unpleasant characteristics. Sweet oak, soft tannin. A little flat mid-palate. Still, a nice wine for sipping or with something like roast beef or beef stew. As California goes, this is a QPR champ but that's not saying much.
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11/25/2019 - NMWineLovers wrote:
Great with short ribs.
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11/11/2019 - jadricha wrote:
Drank w Brittany and nick. Age the other bottles a little more
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9/27/2019 - slulkin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Another solid bottle. Enjoyed on its own over the course of a few hours. Dark crimson, almost purple in the glass. Nose of dark fruits, vanilla and baking spices. Silky but substantial on the palate with the fruit and spice dominating. Tannins show up and add to a grippy medium finish.
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9/9/2019 - ReBillOne wrote: 87 Points
It’s ok. Well made but austere, not in the way I’d prefer.
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9/1/2019 - wendyinwlv wrote: 86 Points
Again, for the price, a very decent cab
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8/19/2019 - chrischap01 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice cab for the money. I found it to be lighter/more elegant than the cabs I typically drink, but I think that says more about my preferred style than it does this wine. Dark purple in the glass, heavy vanilla and baking spices on the nose, ripe blackberry and plum flavors on the palate. Very well integrated tannins give it a silky texture and luxurious mouthfeel, and is a long finish with lingering fruit and cinnamon.
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8/4/2019 - wendyinwlv wrote: 88 Points
pretty decent wine for the price point.
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7/25/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Woo-Hoo! I found a bottle of 2014 buried underneath a couple cases of 2016! Bought it along with another 2016 (which I have yet to even try). Like all the previous 2014 bottles, with the exception of one, this was very nice. Big and rich in dark fruit and oak. Excellent in fact!
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7/13/2019 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nose: Slightly dark red fruits, deep earth notes and some sour oak.
Palate: Similar fruits and earth, juicier on the palate, sour and dry oak with slight minerality on the finish. Slight heat in this even after at least an hour in a decanter.
Medium Ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grippy tannins. Medium minus body with medium to medium-plus acidity. Good finish of about 10-12 seconds, finishing with a lingering oak and minerality. Like in previous notes, try to warm this up to room temperature (using the palm of your hands on the bowl of the glass). This one was really juicy, oaky and mineraly.. I'm going to say it was the temperature of the wine this time.. I really didn't enjoy it as much as before and I strongly feel temperature has a big role in this.
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7/5/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 94 Points
Euphoria Wine Club BYOB Dinner (Bakalaki Greek Taverna): Big nose of candied cherries and cassis. The intense cherry fruits carries through to the palate, and towards the finish. Great power and finesse, and the overall feel is actually heartwarming and comfortable
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5/12/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Dark red color. PNP, drank a glass on consecutive nights. I struggled with this the first night. Not getting much of anything off the nose, but while my sinus/palate was not cooperating either. The following night this was far more expressive with red fruit, dark cherry, tart cherry, white pepper and graphite on a medium boddy with fine tannins. Very good, may improve a point or so. 90+ to 91pts.
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5/5/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ok, I’m beginning to think that one bottle a couple of weeks ago was an outlier. The last two have been back to their regular stuff and terrific! Had this bottle on a Trans Am SpeedFest weekend up at Laguna Seca (where I camped the last 2 night). Now I’m in a hotel (sort of), I think this place is costing me about what the wine did and YES, the wine is far better and due to that fact, it will help me forget where I’m staying! At least I certainly hope so! Fingers Crossed!
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5/3/2019 - Wine in the Woods with Beth Likes this wine:
A decent cab
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5/2/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another fine and consistent Cabernet from this winery and their Oakville To Kalon Vineyard. Like the previous bottles, lots of black & blue fruit. Nice balance with a medium finish. And I just wrote a bit of a negative review, probably just a bit of vintage variety.
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4/29/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 89 Points
OK had another bottle tonight and, again, while a fine, big, rich and deep Napa Cab, there’s better stuff out there for the same price. This is $60 at the winery, but only $36 at Costco... I guess with the insane prices that Napa Cab is going for these days, I should be easier on this, but... well, I’m not going to. There’s just better stuff out there for the same (if not less) money. LOL
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4/28/2019 - kevrob822 wrote: 90 Points
Another nice 89-90 Pointer. Not sure if the wine isn’t aging as I expected, or my taste buds are a changing, but it’s no longer one of my favorites. Still, for the price at Costco, this is a Very Good QPR.
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4/14/2019 - chanote44 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely Napa Cab that is in a good place now. Easy drinker.
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3/15/2019 - slulkin wrote: 91 Points
Dark crimson in the glass. Nose showed dark fruits with hints of chocolate, eucalyptus, mint and vanilla. Full bodied on the palate with the dark fruit notes, spice and oak coming through to a semi quick finish with nice grippy tannin. Paired nicely with grilled flank steak and roasted vegetables.
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1/20/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A fine bottle. Consistent. Thinking my taste buds have changed a bit though, so this isn’t as good in my minds as in the past. Still fine, just not tickling me as much as it has in the past.
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1/16/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another solid and consistent bottle, though this seemed to be more acidic then previous bottles. Solid 90+ Pointer.
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1/15/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very consistent, another fine bottle.
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1/14/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:
Very nice. Nice and clear with a nice aroma. Taste is powerful and big with oak. Seems a bit out of sync and unbalanced though. I may be starting to fight a cold, so I think this may be on me and not the bottle.
Won’t score or give a QPR on this bottle as I don’t want to unfairly color this vintage.
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1/11/2019 - JOsgood wrote:
An offensive oak bomb. Yuck!
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1/6/2019 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose: Vanilla, soft oak mixed with deep forest floor, dark red and purple fruit. A really pleasant smell of something else but I can't quite put my finger on what (never was able to discern what it was actually)..
Palate: Dark red fruits, moderate juiciness.. same soft oak integrated with some wet forest floor.
Deep, dark ruby. Dry but has sweet, fine and supple tannins. Medium body with moderate acidity. Decent finish of about 4-5 seconds. This is a great quality to price ratio. I had this at a dinner once (unfortuantely was not able to take notes) and really enjoyed it.. all I can remember when I was at the dinner it was very enjoyable with some milk chocolate and/or vanilla notes accompanied by some deep earth on the palate. I enjoyed it so much I had to get a bottle myself to try at home. One thing I do notice though, you will need to bring this to room temperature to fully enjoy all the nuances. It's pretty cold right now.. ~50° and the acidity is coming forward a little too much. I don't recall this being the same when I had this at dinner and the only notable difference between now and then was the temperature of the wine. The temperature at the restaurant was pretty close to room temperature ~65°-67°. Very enjoyable now but again try to serve it at room temperature. Not quite sure how many years this can age as it seems to lack a little structure but still has acidity to help.. maybe 4-5 years. Again, great quality to price ratio.
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1/1/2019 - Saintock Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark purple. Fullbody. Medium acidity/dry. Oak/ leather on the nose. Smooth finish. Resembles old world....
Overall very enjoyable. I will get another bottle and age it to try again.
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12/25/2018 - Klawman wrote: 90 Points
Drinking well. Black fruit, a hint of pepper. Really smooth. A hint of cocoa. Long finish. I’m really pleased with this at this price range for a Napa Cab.
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12/22/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [8 HIGH end Reds & 10 Shared Bottles] from 12/21/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): THANK you for sharing this, Dan! :)
88% C.S., 5% C.F., 3% Malbec, 3% P.V., & 1% Merlot [possibly 95% from To-Kalon & 5% from MBar Ranch?]"...hand-harvested into small bins & carefully sorted in our gravity-flow cellar. The clusters were gently destemmed directly into traditional FR oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation, & extended maceration – a total of 31 days of wine to skin contact. The new wine was drained & gently pressed into 29% new FR oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over the 18 mos of barrel aging, then bottled in August of 2016." 15% ABV, 0.55 g/L R.S., 6.4 g/L T.A., & 3.64 pH; 19,637 cases made
N: Ripe cherries, poss pyrazines; Intensity lurking?
P: LM body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by astringent pucker which QUITE resolves by the LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the minimal, very, VERY fine tannins. For now & the next 4 yrs? LOVELY stuff! My EXC/EXC+. 92 pts Suckling, 91+ WA, 91 Vinous (Galloni), 90 ea Decanter & WE @ $63, & 88 WS.
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12/16/2018 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent. All of these bottles have been very consistent. A Very Nice Thing!
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12/15/2018 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another very nice bottle. Like my previous tasting, I had this in a social environment thus I couldn’t take detailed notes. Very similar to the last bottle back in March. Nice, big with lots of dark fruit. Nicely balanced with depth and texture.
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11/9/2018 - slulkin wrote: 91 Points
If people vote with their glasses, this was the run away winner at Friday night dinner. Agree with and believe isaacjamesbaker's note sums it up well.
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11/4/2018 - Echodog Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wine poured to a dark almost purple ruby red color on the rim of the glass. Dark fruit aromas with lots of complex dark fruit flavors. Med-full body with lots of yummy tannins. Decantered for 1 hour could have let it sit for another hour. Wine is probably a bit young, but good overall value for the price to quality ratio.
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10/28/2018 - kueglerwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis) and forest floor. It tastes like toast, sandalwood and plum. The body is medium/full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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10/14/2018 - BrianCwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Was a little young but nice
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8/21/2018 - Twopawsup Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rating this on future potential as good opportunity for aging. Dark berry nose with heavy oak and cassis. Blackberry, fig, toast and plum on the palate. Long leathery to silky finish. Seems like other flavors want to break thru. Time will tell.
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6/24/2018 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 90 Points
Rich purple color. Gorgeous waves of currants and blackberries, along with eucalyptus, cocoa powder, mint, gravelly earth and vanilla. Full but suave, rich texture with chewy tannins but it stays lively. Juicy black currants, tangy blackberries, this is fruit and dark but also sports cocoa, earth, eucalyptus, mint and graphite. Lots going on here but it goes down quite easily. Ready to drink or hold for a few years. Includes 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot, aged 18 months in about 30% new French oak.
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6/8/2018 - Randito wrote: 88 Points
Not a good value.
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5/11/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose showed a mix of red and black currant, backed by sweet herbal tones, hints of spice and minerals. It was silky on the palate with red and blue fruits, lifting acidity with fresh sweet inner florals and hints of grippy tannin. It finished medium-long with inner floral tones, herbal lift, and a coating of fine tannin.
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4/11/2018 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still young, blackberries, black currants, leather, licorice, and a hint of chocolate. Medium to full bodied and medium length finish. Try again in 3-4 years.
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3/24/2018 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice, popped and drank with friends over 2.5 hours. No decant. Like all the previous Mondavi Oakville’s, this was great. Excellent QPR for just $36!!!
Didn’t do a big, major detailed tasting (would have been rude to be taking notes in the social environment), but this had nice dark fruit, nicely balanced with medium acidity and nice tannins.
Definitely get more!!!
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3/15/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Medium bodied, with ample, fresh, red fruits, soft tannins and earthy complexities. you can drink this on release, should you wish.
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2/15/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Again, grippier with more gumption that I expected. Needs some time to integrate in. Kinda old school with present day sunshine applied.
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2/14/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
82% Tokalon and not straight Cabernet but I guess I missed that part. Black fruit with some gumption on the palate. Kinda simple but just opened. Maybe that will flesh out?
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