Textbook Cabernet profile. Still very youthful, fruity. Lacks some structure, a little weak in the middle. May improve but I would drink now on the lovely fruit.
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Probably should have let this rest but thanksgiving called for a bottle of US Cabernet. This is all Cabernet in style - very primary, cassis, mountain herbs. Palate is tight and youthful. Needs time. Maybe lacking a bit of depth. (92+?)
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Superb, if a bit more ripe than I would prefer. Classic pyrazines manifest in beautiful leafy and veggie notes... cigar, thyme, bay leaf, mint, eucalyptus, roasted red pepper, grilled asparagus, graphite, mocha, walnut oil, prune, creme de cassis, cherry... Full and rich, strong acids, dense tannins, a little chunky and tart. Very ripe fruit notes are sometimes jammy and cooked but it turns fresh on the finish, with loads of tangy dark fruit integrating beautifully with grilled and minty herb notes. This is probably a few years away from its plateau, but I'm not sure it has the balance to improve beyond another decade, as the tannins are a little rough and the juxtaposition of overripe fruit and intense green herbaceous notes does indicate optimal balance for long term cellaring. You never know... this has stuffing and it is delicious today.
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Decanted for four hours. Black cherry, blackberries, hope chest, li-hing, cassis, mulch and mineral tones. Such a wonderful concentration, with layers of suave fruit. Finishes long and the cottony tannins are starting to soften, and yet this will age for many more years. Full-bodied after enough time in the decanter, and on day two this has a lovely voice. Drink 2023 - 2038.
Cassis nose, stony minerality on the nose, a touch of cinnamon.
Blackberry & cassis palate. Texturally rich with supple tannins, not fully integrated at this point but not quite grippy either. Great acidity and minerality on the finish leading you to want another sip.
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Pretty terrific. Obviously young but loaded with blackberry fruit, earth and crushed rock. Nice structure and acidity makes me think this will age well. Not heavy, yet impactful. Great balance. Old worldish. Promising. (93+)
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Same btl as R&Rler and I can't deviate much from his note except to score it a point higher. As Kevin notes it really comes down to this drinking pretty youthfully as expected but the class and structure are there promising a lot of upside. Again had the '03 Chateau Kirwan not showed up this would likely have impressed me even more tonight. 4/22 Had about a shot glass left over from 6 nights prior that still drank super fresh and perhaps even better than on the 17th?!?! That tiny sip has now added some the 2015 ME Estate Cab to my list to grab soon.
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A New Beginning (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red/purple color. Drank a glass over an hour. Drinking pretty darn well for its age. This has a nice core of sweet cassis fruit, blackberry liqueur, hints of black licource, dense and tangy and full bodied, softly textured. Good upside. 91+(+)pts.
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Drank this as part of ‘Mountain Bordeaux’ tasting of Santa Cruz mountain wines. Decanted for 2 hrs. On the nose I got herbal and bell pepper flavors (the winemaker later commented on ‘forest’ traits in the nose). Classy wine, definitely not ‘over the top’ New World cab. I will hold my other bottle for a while (say 5+yrs) to see if it opens up a bit more.
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Popped and poured a short time before the tasting started. Dark garnet color. This style of cabernet is right in my wheelhouse. Starts with notes of currant, cedar adn green tobacco. Full-bodied and firm, with terrific black cabernet fruit. Develops an interesting wild strawberry note with air and just exapnds on the palate. Less obvious oak than the '14 version we tasted alongside.
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Drank as part of a “Mountain Collection” virtual tasting. I know you’re supposed to say cassis, but lots of cassis — and dark fruit, graphite, acid and an incredible round mouthfeel. Also plush tannins. Love, love, love. Wish I had more.
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(Blind tasting BYO) Medium-fullish nose of some depth. Some development. Dark fruit, cassis and mint. Some nice minerally, gravelly notes. Spicy, but balanced oak. Cloves. Just a hint of bell pepper. Medium-fullish, fullish palate that is balanced between dark fruit and spicy oak. Perfumed violets-cassis. Cloves and orangepeel. Good grip, but also slightly four-square. Tails off. For a California cab this comes across as cool. Compared to a Bdx the warm fruit impression was revealing. Probably nice to cellar this until 2025.
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Have had several bottles of this while dining at a local restaurant. It’s generally a go to for us at this particular establishment. Consistently good and showing very well with a 1 hr decant. Recommend buying as much as you can and laying down for a few years (if you can find it). Bright red fruit. Medium finish. Excellent with food.
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Elegant refreshing, medium bodied, highish acidity and fine medium tannins. Classic cassis on the palate, good fruit but does not dominate. Lacks weight and intensity, simple at this age with a medium finish, still young. Would love to try an older bottle to compare to a Monte Bello (both from Santa Cruz). Although the Monte Bello style is not big it is bigger and more generous than the Mount Eden. A bit like comparing a first growth to a top Cru Bourgeois.
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After a few recent unhappy run-ins with fruit bombs, this is closer to my kind of cabernet. It has a somewhat nebbiolo-like expression with nice dark, cool-toned cherry fruit and savory sage notes. There's not too much complexity today, but I like the personality, freshness, and lack of sucrosity to the fruit. It's extremely young and required a few hours of air to become approachable, but the structure isn't too forbidding here. I will pick up a few of these to try again around the 10 year mark and then further down the road.
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Very, very pleasantly surprised at this- I was told it was basically a baby Ridge Monte Bello, and it delivered on that.
Coravin sample from a fresh bottle. Bright ruby in the glass, enticing aromas with lots of cassis, dark blue fruit, and savory green herbs (sage? rosemary?). On the palate, lifted dark fruits with fresh acidity and well-integrated tannin- maybe the mid-palate is a tad sweet, but it's long and structured and finishes dry enough to go with food. This will drink now and probably for another ten years, but it does lack the insane build of a true Monte Bello that can last for 25+ years. Still, a bargain at the price, though, and easily one of my new favorite American wines.
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4/28/2024 - DavilaDC Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Very savory with no mid-palate. Not a fan of where this is right now.
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3/9/2024 - KimHartman wrote: 93 Points
Textbook Cabernet profile. Still very youthful, fruity. Lacks some structure, a little weak in the middle. May improve but I would drink now on the lovely fruit.
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2/15/2024 - ivar@ordo.as Likes this wine: 90 Points
Smooth as silk, love this!
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11/24/2022 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
Probably should have let this rest but thanksgiving called for a bottle of US Cabernet. This is all Cabernet in style - very primary, cassis, mountain herbs. Palate is tight and youthful. Needs time. Maybe lacking a bit of depth. (92+?)
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7/3/2021 - viniferatu Likes this wine:
Superb, if a bit more ripe than I would prefer. Classic pyrazines manifest in beautiful leafy and veggie notes... cigar, thyme, bay leaf, mint, eucalyptus, roasted red pepper, grilled asparagus, graphite, mocha, walnut oil, prune, creme de cassis, cherry... Full and rich, strong acids, dense tannins, a little chunky and tart. Very ripe fruit notes are sometimes jammy and cooked but it turns fresh on the finish, with loads of tangy dark fruit integrating beautifully with grilled and minty herb notes. This is probably a few years away from its plateau, but I'm not sure it has the balance to improve beyond another decade, as the tannins are a little rough and the juxtaposition of overripe fruit and intense green herbaceous notes does indicate optimal balance for long term cellaring. You never know... this has stuffing and it is delicious today.
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7/3/2021 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for four hours. Black cherry, blackberries, hope chest, li-hing, cassis, mulch and mineral tones. Such a wonderful concentration, with layers of suave fruit. Finishes long and the cottony tannins are starting to soften, and yet this will age for many more years. Full-bodied after enough time in the decanter, and on day two this has a lovely voice. Drink 2023 - 2038.
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6/17/2021 - bottles.and.bites wrote: 94 Points
Cassis nose, stony minerality on the nose, a touch of cinnamon.
Blackberry & cassis palate. Texturally rich with supple tannins, not fully integrated at this point but not quite grippy either. Great acidity and minerality on the finish leading you to want another sip.
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5/30/2021 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Pretty terrific. Obviously young but loaded with blackberry fruit, earth and crushed rock. Nice structure and acidity makes me think this will age well. Not heavy, yet impactful. Great balance. Old worldish. Promising. (93+)
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5/26/2021 - ivar@ordo.as wrote: 89 Points
Myk som fløyel, passer til kjøtt
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4/18/2021 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
Same btl as R&Rler and I can't deviate much from his note except to score it a point higher. As Kevin notes it really comes down to this drinking pretty youthfully as expected but the class and structure are there promising a lot of upside. Again had the '03 Chateau Kirwan not showed up this would likely have impressed me even more tonight. 4/22 Had about a shot glass left over from 6 nights prior that still drank super fresh and perhaps even better than on the 17th?!?! That tiny sip has now added some the 2015 ME Estate Cab to my list to grab soon.
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4/18/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
A New Beginning (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red/purple color. Drank a glass over an hour. Drinking pretty darn well for its age. This has a nice core of sweet cassis fruit, blackberry liqueur, hints of black licource, dense and tangy and full bodied, softly textured. Good upside. 91+(+)pts.
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11/13/2020 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank this as part of ‘Mountain Bordeaux’ tasting of Santa Cruz mountain wines. Decanted for 2 hrs. On the nose I got herbal and bell pepper flavors (the winemaker later commented on ‘forest’ traits in the nose). Classy wine, definitely not ‘over the top’ New World cab. I will hold my other bottle for a while (say 5+yrs) to see if it opens up a bit more.
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11/12/2020 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured a short time before the tasting started. Dark garnet color. This style of cabernet is right in my wheelhouse. Starts with notes of currant, cedar adn green tobacco. Full-bodied and firm, with terrific black cabernet fruit. Develops an interesting wild strawberry note with air and just exapnds on the palate. Less obvious oak than the '14 version we tasted alongside.
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11/12/2020 - brasstab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank as part of a “Mountain Collection” virtual tasting. I know you’re supposed to say cassis, but lots of cassis — and dark fruit, graphite, acid and an incredible round mouthfeel. Also plush tannins. Love, love, love. Wish I had more.
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10/16/2020 - Argrath wrote: 91 Points
(Blind tasting BYO)
Medium-fullish nose of some depth. Some development. Dark fruit, cassis and mint. Some nice minerally, gravelly notes. Spicy, but balanced oak. Cloves. Just a hint of bell pepper.
Medium-fullish, fullish palate that is balanced between dark fruit and spicy oak. Perfumed violets-cassis. Cloves and orangepeel. Good grip, but also slightly four-square. Tails off.
For a California cab this comes across as cool. Compared to a Bdx the warm fruit impression was revealing.
Probably nice to cellar this until 2025.
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10/11/2020 - ABECellar wrote: 92 Points
Have had several bottles of this while dining at a local restaurant. It’s generally a go to for us at this particular establishment. Consistently good and showing very well with a 1 hr decant. Recommend buying as much as you can and laying down for a few years (if you can find it). Bright red fruit. Medium finish. Excellent with food.
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9/23/2020 - Philip67 wrote: 91 Points
Elegant refreshing, medium bodied, highish acidity and fine medium tannins. Classic cassis on the palate, good fruit but does not dominate. Lacks weight and intensity, simple at this age with a medium finish, still young. Would love to try an older bottle to compare to a Monte Bello (both from Santa Cruz). Although the Monte Bello style is not big it is bigger and more generous than the Mount Eden. A bit like comparing a first growth to a top Cru Bourgeois.
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9/20/2020 - BergerKing Likes this wine: 92 Points
The winemakers note on this one is spot on.
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7/18/2020 - 5laton wrote:
After a few recent unhappy run-ins with fruit bombs, this is closer to my kind of cabernet. It has a somewhat nebbiolo-like expression with nice dark, cool-toned cherry fruit and savory sage notes. There's not too much complexity today, but I like the personality, freshness, and lack of sucrosity to the fruit. It's extremely young and required a few hours of air to become approachable, but the structure isn't too forbidding here. I will pick up a few of these to try again around the 10 year mark and then further down the road.
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3/6/2020 - bubnos Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very, very pleasantly surprised at this- I was told it was basically a baby Ridge Monte Bello, and it delivered on that.
Coravin sample from a fresh bottle. Bright ruby in the glass, enticing aromas with lots of cassis, dark blue fruit, and savory green herbs (sage? rosemary?). On the palate, lifted dark fruits with fresh acidity and well-integrated tannin- maybe the mid-palate is a tad sweet, but it's long and structured and finishes dry enough to go with food. This will drink now and probably for another ten years, but it does lack the insane build of a true Monte Bello that can last for 25+ years. Still, a bargain at the price, though, and easily one of my new favorite American wines.
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2/2/2020 - wgmccallum wrote: 93 Points
Nose of spicy oak, black fruit, a hint of roses. Lovely sour and salty fruit on the palate with a delicious acid finish.
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