Big dark rich with dark fruit, big body, and an odd oily, shoe-polish note. 48% Ciel du Cheval Cab Franc; 48% Tapteil Merlot; 4% Ciel du Cheval Petit Verdot - at this point the blend is still tannic and the fruits have hit a secondary tone. Maybe it's the way the barrel toast and the juice have melded but it took a good 1.5-2 hours for it to feel like this was losing its aggressive edge and started to hit its stride. Plenty to like in the finish which was medium long once the tannins had abated. I'd like to wait another few years to drink my last bottle.
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A little VA when opened, much better after 2 hr decanting. A little tight at first but great presence in the mid-palette and decent finish.
Interesting thing was comparing it to the 06 Bel Canto... Basically the same percentages of CF and Merlot, but the Cara Mia vineyard's fruit was more complex and had a much longer finish despite it's youth.
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2 hour decant. Big fruit on the nose with some oak as well. Very smooth on the palate, with big black fruits, oak, and nice dusty tannins on the finish.
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Decanted 1 hour. Nose of spicy blueberry, oak, vanilla and pencil lead, following to the palate. This wine needed more decant time to fully integrate the oak monster, so I left it alone for awhile. The fruit really started to sing after about 3 hours, when I was headed for bed. Vacuum sealed and will taste again on day 2. Day 2: Much more integrated, but still lots of oak. Tasty, but definitely needs a couple more years.
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A Cadence tasting (Seattle, WA): The ripest wine yet. Big, burly, black fruit, VA. This lacks the nuance and polish of the 2001 but offers such ripe, porty intensity.
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Big, and carrying quite a bit of oak, but this wine has a ton of stuffing and concentration. Great balance, with a long, expansive finish. Needs some time, but this is a great wine in the making.
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A day of Washington releases: Cadence, DeLille and Ross Andrew (Seattle, WA, USA): 48% Cabernet Franc (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard), 48% Merlot (Tapteil Vineyard), and 4% Petit Verdot (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard). This is a reserve blend of Franc and Merlot. The nose assaults you with ripe plums and floral notes. On this palate this is dusty and powerful, remaining floral yet also quite spicy. This is much softer than the Tapteil yet still has plenty of tooth-coating tannin.
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4/24/2020 - norsktorsk wrote: 89 Points
past prime
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4/15/2020 - norsktorsk Likes this wine: 92 Points
I really like this. holding up quite well.
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11/20/2015 - PDXinSEA wrote: 89 Points
Big dark rich with dark fruit, big body, and an odd oily, shoe-polish note. 48% Ciel du Cheval Cab Franc; 48% Tapteil Merlot; 4% Ciel du Cheval Petit Verdot - at this point the blend is still tannic and the fruits have hit a secondary tone. Maybe it's the way the barrel toast and the juice have melded but it took a good 1.5-2 hours for it to feel like this was losing its aggressive edge and started to hit its stride. Plenty to like in the finish which was medium long once the tannins had abated. I'd like to wait another few years to drink my last bottle.
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6/6/2010 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Oh so smooth and lush, lots of blueberry and spice, nice long finish.
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12/31/2009 - futurist wrote: 90 Points
A little VA when opened, much better after 2 hr decanting. A little tight at first but great presence in the mid-palette and decent finish.
Interesting thing was comparing it to the 06 Bel Canto... Basically the same percentages of CF and Merlot, but the Cara Mia vineyard's fruit was more complex and had a much longer finish despite it's youth.
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7/7/2009 - RPerro wrote: 90 Points
2 hour decant. Big fruit on the nose with some oak as well. Very smooth on the palate, with big black fruits, oak, and nice dusty tannins on the finish.
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10/6/2008 - mellison wrote: 90 Points
Probably should have decanted. Tastes of blueberry predominated a little thick and jammy for my tastes. Nothing sophisticated about it.
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9/17/2008 - RPerro wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Nose of spicy blueberry, oak, vanilla and pencil lead, following to the palate. This wine needed more decant time to fully integrate the oak monster, so I left it alone for awhile. The fruit really started to sing after about 3 hours, when I was headed for bed. Vacuum sealed and will taste again on day 2.
Day 2: Much more integrated, but still lots of oak. Tasty, but definitely needs a couple more years.
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1/28/2007 - Eric wrote:
A Cadence tasting (Seattle, WA): The ripest wine yet. Big, burly, black fruit, VA. This lacks the nuance and polish of the 2001 but offers such ripe, porty intensity.
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2/9/2006 - Spencer wrote: 92 Points
Big, and carrying quite a bit of oak, but this wine has a ton of stuffing and concentration. Great balance, with a long, expansive finish. Needs some time, but this is a great wine in the making.
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11/6/2004 - Eric wrote: 91 Points
A day of Washington releases: Cadence, DeLille and Ross Andrew (Seattle, WA, USA): 48% Cabernet Franc (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard), 48% Merlot (Tapteil Vineyard), and 4% Petit Verdot (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard). This is a reserve blend of Franc and Merlot. The nose assaults you with ripe plums and floral notes. On this palate this is dusty and powerful, remaining floral yet also quite spicy. This is much softer than the Tapteil yet still has plenty of tooth-coating tannin.
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