Great bottle enjoyed on New Year’s Eve that had nice balance, tannin structure, and hints of vanilla, oak, and black fruit on the palate. Definitely worthy of more time but could certainly age longer. A wonderful experience!
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This bottle just keeps seeming to get better each time I pop one!!
This is up there with the '19 Salvestrin for the best Napa Cab QPR ive had recently! The two wines are totally different profiles, the Switchback is much more straight forward just smooth juice with great tannin structure and a great finish, compared to the Salvestrin which is much more terrior driven, more bordeaux like.
There is absolutely no rush on these, opened with a PnP, and took an hour or two to start opening up, had the bottle opened for 3 days, and think it might have been better on day 3.. but definitely did not loose anything over the few days!!
Cheers
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Opened two hours before dinner. The nose was all fruit. The palate was dark berries, plums, fig, tobacco and a touch of sage. The finish was moderate to long and smooth. Served with steaks which I had to stand in the rain and grill.
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Just a fabulous bottle, bought a bunch but don’t think I got enough cuz this is just so damn consistent. Previous notes still apply, and think had this been decanted or had some additional slow ox time .. might have popped a point higher!
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Can't believe I hadn't yet popped a bottle of this; this weeks release email and recent notes from AG and FB provided inspiration...Thanks! Fine grained tannins had accumulated along the bottom of the bottle but none in the neck/ cork.
Three hour decant, the nose sings blue and black fruit along w the floral meadows that bloomed earlier this month in TX.
Lots of dry, dusty tannins still show the wines youth, and balance nicely with the blue and black fruit, but this comes across as lighter in weight than expected.
Sampling from Somm stems aged the wine a few years; at the 2 hr mark the nose was more muted and the tannins more refined but with some grit. Another hour later it's a bit more full-bodied than from std cab stems, and the alcohol - while not disturbing - is notably less-pronounced than from std stems.
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Drank over a few nights. This was the best bottle of the 2016 that I have had. The nose was all dark fruit. The palate was dark berries, dark cherry, some fig, tobacco and hints of chocolate. The finish was long. Last night we drank alongside a 2015 Ulysses and this was my preferred wine.
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One hour decant. Very deep dark, yet vibrant, magenta color. Raspberry danish, wild strawberry, meringue, plum, and subtle cola. Smooth, dry palate, with vibrant, pillowy (wife’s term) acidity. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.
This is a very easy drinker, but it has enough structure to warrant a 1-2 hour decant. It’s a bit too red fruited and confectionery, without any balancing notes, to warrant a higher score.
Gave this a 90 minute decant. Blue and black fruits wrapped around alcohol and tannins. Cassis on the nose and palate, gravel, spring flowers. Was better with more air. This has plenty of life and I would give this 3 hours in a decanter over the next six months still wrapped a bit tight
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Well, it is Turkey Day. We are a large group for the most part all adults and since my wife and I do not have to do the cooking or cleaning up I bring all the wine. So, a magnum of Mayacamas, a magnum of Saxum and this magnum as well as a few bottles of Turtle Creek just in case we ran out. This bottle it was opened 5 hours in advance. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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One of my younger associates was coming over for dinner and I opened this bottle 2 hours in advance. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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Amazing QPR on this classic Napa cab, shows the character of the breed, emphasizing black currant, structure and complexity, with a lengthy, compelling balance and finish.
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One of my younger associates stopped by the house and I opened this bottle. Had a glass on a pnp then allowed it to slow ox until dinner. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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Some of my team came to lunch and I opened this bottle. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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I little young still...hold till at least 2023 to open. I decanted it for 2 hours and much better in 2nd hour than the first two. Still quick legs. Beautiful nose, hits of berries and oak/cedar. Nice finish, definitely could use a little more time but I wanted to open it.
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Young and probably can improve to a 94 or 95 in a year or so. Typically wonderful 2016 with really nice mouthfeel. Dry yet flavorful and deep. nice secondary flavors of coffee and mocha. Some spice. Improved with about an hour or so of air. Wish I had more.
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Shared with friends at the Hollywood Bowl, pre Van Morrison concert, wow this SB Cab has a Long way to go.
Think it still needs sorting out time, so maybe another year or two in bottle to have it start coming into is own, but all the components were there. No formal notes, but mostly black fruit with a nice grip of tannins on the mid palate and had a nice viscus mouthcoating feel to it.
Think these might be up a point or two if all comes together, but either would benefit from addition cellar time, or a long decant.
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Decided to give it a shot in light of the 96+ rating from Dunnuck. Decanted for three hours and drank over another hour - apparently that wasn’t enough. Overall, it came across somewhat closed/not overly expressive. I would have bet an immature 2018 cab if tasting blind. I’ll see how it improves over the next couple days. I loved the 2012 vintage - probably my favorite wine for the money with that vintage when fairly young. However, I haven’t been that impressed for the price point since the 2012 vintage. In consideration of what Mike Smith did with the 2018 Myriad Peterson cab, I expect some improvement with the 2019 and 2020 Switchback Peterson cabs since he took over as the winemaker for those vintages. I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because I don’t believe it’s at the best drinking point right now and needs some time but low 90s if rating. 100% cab.
This '16 is going to be great, refraining from rating as it was a last minute PnP, and really don't think it fair to rate, as I found the bottle to have all the components needed, just in a bit of disarray.
Mostly Black with some Red fruits and a grip of tannin structure, drank over 2 hours and as i would have assumed the last sip was starting to come around, but still got mostly black fruit and tannins, seemingly almost linear.
Had i given the bottle its deserved decant, would have been fair to rate, and from that I would say these bottles need a good at least 4-6 hours (or more) decant, and think with another year or two in bottle they will be fabulous! Love Switchback.
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Bought from winery a year ago, cellared at home. Drank over two hours with steak. Tasty, black and blue fruits, medium in body and richness, herbs, hint of earth. Satisfying, but not a 96 point wine at this point.
Bob Foley is winemaker, Calistoga fruit. Typical Foley cab
Big bold slightly dry California cab with fruit nuances. I love this wine and it only got better in the glass after pnp. Decant for hour or two if you can wait to drink.
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24 hours later. Beautiful fruit and totally balanced. Young and likely worth to improve. Today the fruit is forward and just so sweet filled with brighter versions of the fruits. Just like yesterday they include cranberry, plum and today even some blueberry.
Really nice Cabernet. Quite acidic and built to age. Flavors of unripened blackberry some cranberry, plum, and noticeably lacking wood. Finish seems like it would be better 12 hours decanted. Letting this sit overnight.
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I've been drinking SBR cabs since 2000 and this is hands down one of the best young ones I've ever had. Reminds me of the 2002. Bravo to Kelly, Bob & the rest of the team!
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12/31/2023 - travelme Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great bottle enjoyed on New Year’s Eve that had nice balance, tannin structure, and hints of vanilla, oak, and black fruit on the palate. Definitely worthy of more time but could certainly age longer. A wonderful experience!
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9/13/2023 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle just keeps seeming to get better each time I pop one!!
This is up there with the '19 Salvestrin for the best Napa Cab QPR ive had recently! The two wines are totally different profiles, the Switchback is much more straight forward just smooth juice with great tannin structure and a great finish, compared to the Salvestrin which is much more terrior driven, more bordeaux like.
There is absolutely no rush on these, opened with a PnP, and took an hour or two to start opening up, had the bottle opened for 3 days, and think it might have been better on day 3.. but definitely did not loose anything over the few days!!
Cheers
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8/24/2023 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened two hours before dinner. The nose was all fruit. The palate was dark berries, plums, fig, tobacco and a touch of sage. The finish was moderate to long and smooth. Served with steaks which I had to stand in the rain and grill.
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6/26/2023 - Cabernet4me2 wrote: 93 Points
Just a fabulous bottle, bought a bunch but don’t think I got enough cuz this is just so damn consistent. Previous notes still apply, and think had this been decanted or had some additional slow ox time .. might have popped a point higher!
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4/30/2023 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Can't believe I hadn't yet popped a bottle of this; this weeks release email and recent notes from AG and FB provided inspiration...Thanks! Fine grained tannins had accumulated along the bottom of the bottle but none in the neck/ cork.
Three hour decant, the nose sings blue and black fruit along w the floral meadows that bloomed earlier this month in TX.
Lots of dry, dusty tannins still show the wines youth, and balance nicely with the blue and black fruit, but this comes across as lighter in weight than expected.
Sampling from Somm stems aged the wine a few years; at the 2 hr mark the nose was more muted and the tannins more refined but with some grit. Another hour later it's a bit more full-bodied than from std cab stems, and the alcohol - while not disturbing - is notably less-pronounced than from std stems.
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4/14/2023 - markcic Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank over a few nights. This was the best bottle of the 2016 that I have had. The nose was all dark fruit. The palate was dark berries, dark cherry, some fig, tobacco and hints of chocolate. The finish was long. Last night we drank alongside a 2015 Ulysses and this was my preferred wine.
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4/10/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
One hour decant. Very deep dark, yet vibrant, magenta color. Raspberry danish, wild strawberry, meringue, plum, and subtle cola. Smooth, dry palate, with vibrant, pillowy (wife’s term) acidity. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.
This is a very easy drinker, but it has enough structure to warrant a 1-2 hour decant. It’s a bit too red fruited and confectionery, without any balancing notes, to warrant a higher score.
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2/19/2023 - Franken Berry wrote: 93 Points
Gave this a 90 minute decant. Blue and black fruits wrapped around alcohol and tannins. Cassis on the nose and palate, gravel, spring flowers. Was better with more air. This has plenty of life and I would give this 3 hours in a decanter over the next six months still wrapped a bit tight
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11/26/2022 - gsiokis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant! Minimum of 45-60 minutes. Dark fruit, hint of tobacco and mocha. Med to long finish.
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11/24/2022 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well, it is Turkey Day. We are a large group for the most part all adults and since my wife and I do not have to do the cooking or cleaning up I bring all the wine. So, a magnum of Mayacamas, a magnum of Saxum and this magnum as well as a few bottles of Turtle Creek just in case we ran out. This bottle it was opened 5 hours in advance. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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5/5/2022 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of my younger associates was coming over for dinner and I opened this bottle 2 hours in advance. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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4/9/2022 - Snoman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing QPR on this classic Napa cab, shows the character of the breed, emphasizing black currant, structure and complexity, with a lengthy, compelling balance and finish.
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12/7/2021 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of my younger associates stopped by the house and I opened this bottle. Had a glass on a pnp then allowed it to slow ox until dinner. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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11/5/2021 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Some of my team came to lunch and I opened this bottle. Dark fruit on the nose leading to a palate of dark berries, plums, tobacco and a hint of mocha. The finish was moderate to long.
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10/24/2021 - jpwines Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine needs time--decanted for 2 hrs.; needed more time. still a delicious wine with lots of promise for future yrs.
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10/20/2021 - au96alum Likes this wine: 92 Points
I little young still...hold till at least 2023 to open. I decanted it for 2 hours and much better in 2nd hour than the first two. Still quick legs. Beautiful nose, hits of berries and oak/cedar. Nice finish, definitely could use a little more time but I wanted to open it.
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10/6/2021 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Young and probably can improve to a 94 or 95 in a year or so. Typically wonderful 2016 with really nice mouthfeel. Dry yet flavorful and deep. nice secondary flavors of coffee and mocha. Some spice. Improved with about an hour or so of air. Wish I had more.
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10/4/2021 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Shared with friends at the Hollywood Bowl, pre Van Morrison concert, wow this SB Cab has a Long way to go.
Think it still needs sorting out time, so maybe another year or two in bottle to have it start coming into is own, but all the components were there. No formal notes, but mostly black fruit with a nice grip of tannins on the mid palate and had a nice viscus mouthcoating feel to it.
Think these might be up a point or two if all comes together, but either would benefit from addition cellar time, or a long decant.
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9/24/2021 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened and pnp'd. The nose was dark fruit, the palate was dark berries, fig, tobacco and a hint of chocolate. The finish was moderate to long.
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9/22/2021 - Badmonkey wrote:
Decided to give it a shot in light of the 96+ rating from Dunnuck. Decanted for three hours and drank over another hour - apparently that wasn’t enough. Overall, it came across somewhat closed/not overly expressive. I would have bet an immature 2018 cab if tasting blind. I’ll see how it improves over the next couple days. I loved the 2012 vintage - probably my favorite wine for the money with that vintage when fairly young. However, I haven’t been that impressed for the price point since the 2012 vintage. In consideration of what Mike Smith did with the 2018 Myriad Peterson cab, I expect some improvement with the 2019 and 2020 Switchback Peterson cabs since he took over as the winemaker for those vintages. I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because I don’t believe it’s at the best drinking point right now and needs some time but low 90s if rating. 100% cab.
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9/10/2021 - 559Cheers wrote: 94 Points
Interesting bottle, long drawn out beauty on the palette, saline hints and well done. Will improve.
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8/13/2021 - Cabernet4me2 wrote:
This '16 is going to be great, refraining from rating as it was a last minute PnP, and really don't think it fair to rate, as I found the bottle to have all the components needed, just in a bit of disarray.
Mostly Black with some Red fruits and a grip of tannin structure, drank over 2 hours and as i would have assumed the last sip was starting to come around, but still got mostly black fruit and tannins, seemingly almost linear.
Had i given the bottle its deserved decant, would have been fair to rate, and from that I would say these bottles need a good at least 4-6 hours (or more) decant, and think with another year or two in bottle they will be fabulous! Love Switchback.
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3/22/2021 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bought from winery a year ago, cellared at home. Drank over two hours with steak. Tasty, black and blue fruits, medium in body and richness, herbs, hint of earth. Satisfying, but not a 96 point wine at this point.
Bob Foley is winemaker, Calistoga fruit. Typical Foley cab
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1/1/2021 - tjb12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blackberry and plum. Bit of cedar maybe? Nice structure and acid. high alcohol but stayed balanced.
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8/9/2020 - tomoem Likes this wine: 93 Points
I reiterate my notes from last month. Blackberry, some cranberry and plum. Wonderful wine and worth the price.
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7/14/2020 - chuckos77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big bold slightly dry California cab with fruit nuances. I love this wine and it only got better in the glass after pnp. Decant for hour or two if you can wait to drink.
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7/5/2020 - tomoem wrote: 93 Points
24 hours later. Beautiful fruit and totally balanced. Young and likely worth to improve. Today the fruit is forward and just so sweet filled with brighter versions of the fruits. Just like yesterday they include cranberry, plum and today even some blueberry.
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7/4/2020 - tomoem wrote: 92 Points
Really nice Cabernet. Quite acidic and built to age. Flavors of unripened blackberry some cranberry, plum, and noticeably lacking wood. Finish seems like it would be better 12 hours decanted. Letting this sit overnight.
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10/18/2019 - chuckos77 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent with pop and pour. Nice wine
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8/30/2019 - anthonyiez wrote: 95 Points
I've been drinking SBR cabs since 2000 and this is hands down one of the best young ones I've ever had. Reminds me of the 2002. Bravo to Kelly, Bob & the rest of the team!
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