Wow, this showed incredibly young with fresh, ripe, restrained fruit that featured classic bell pepper and tobacco Cabernet notes. Impressive balanced and integration, while super youthful.
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Celebrating K (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. The pyrazines and light red fruit had me thinking some sort of Loire cabernet franc (but good) at first, but successive guesses just never got anywhere close. If this were Bordeaux I figured it'd be a 1989; there's just not that much fruit in a wine back in the 1980s. Very bright, red fruit on the palate, so I actually was guessing that this was like a 2000! Wonderful showing of a wine that I'm not familiar with at all.
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Cognitive dissonance. You see the label and the brain registers one way, then you have this and you are like, “wow, this tastes quite a bit like a great left bank Bordeaux”, then the rational mind reminds you it’s Cabernet. Still, hard to get rid of emotive feelings. This is a great cab, leather, tons of dried tobacco, no vegetal notes, tannins resolved but still there a little bit (which I kind of enjoy, just a hint), rich Cabernet fruit. You wouldn’t be made fun of for saying great leoville las cases from the 80’s. Some bottle have had less fruit but this was exceptional.
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Achim's Magnum Tasting 2017 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Der Darmagi hatte es extrem schwer gegen diesen übermächtigen Gegner. Er wirkt hölzern und unrund gegenüber dem perfekten Sassi. Es fehlt die präzise Frucht. Wenn er für sich allein gestanden hätte, wäre der Spaßfaktor sicherlich höher gewesen. Für einen Cabernet sauvignon aus dem Piemont mehr als beachtlich. 93
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Fruit forward blackcurrant jam. Blackcurrant leaf. Ripe, powerful, focused. High acidity. Peak maturity. Velvet tannins. Vegetal notes.
Iconic wine! 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Inspired by Napa wines, Angelo Gaja planted CS vines in Nebbiolo area. Everyone, including his father thought he was crazy. Damn, how visionary he was!
He created one of the top CS on this planet.
Must try before you die!
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Wow. Very dense and opaque garnet color. Complex nose of black cherry, oak, leather, bell pepper and overall an earthy quality. Full body, balanced and opulent, with a very long finish. Absolutely delicious.
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drank blindly, Black currant in the nose, but from cold climate, guessed tuscany, still fine fruit in the palate, in spite of the age the vibrant acidity gives a fresh finish, long and precise, no Bordeaux graphite in the nose, 94-95, the guy who brought the bottle says this in one of the best vintages of Darmagi
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While this comes from soil noted for nebbiolo grapes, this cab was made for marketing purposes to inform Americans about the Gaja winery. Likes its Barbaresco counterparts, it is an intensively dark red and in 1985, it was high in alcohol with strong tannins and fruit. It has softened over the years but the acids benefited from 3 hours of decanting. The fruit had softened a bit too much for my tastes. Overall, very pleasant but without the complexity of a 1991 LImestone ridge that is was matched against.
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Gaja tasting and a bonus Beaucastel (Seattle, WA, USA): Someone had brought a bottle of their own to the tasting, bless them! The nose was a little off-putting with a strong green streak, but the palate was earthy with intense minerality and very soft, resolved mouthfeel.
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11/21/2023 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Wow, this showed incredibly young with fresh, ripe, restrained fruit that featured classic bell pepper and tobacco Cabernet notes. Impressive balanced and integration, while super youthful.
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11/21/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Celebrating K (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. The pyrazines and light red fruit had me thinking some sort of Loire cabernet franc (but good) at first, but successive guesses just never got anywhere close. If this were Bordeaux I figured it'd be a 1989; there's just not that much fruit in a wine back in the 1980s. Very bright, red fruit on the palate, so I actually was guessing that this was like a 2000! Wonderful showing of a wine that I'm not familiar with at all.
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1/16/2021 - Trent Walker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cognitive dissonance. You see the label and the brain registers one way, then you have this and you are like, “wow, this tastes quite a bit like a great left bank Bordeaux”, then the rational mind reminds you it’s Cabernet. Still, hard to get rid of emotive feelings. This is a great cab, leather, tons of dried tobacco, no vegetal notes, tannins resolved but still there a little bit (which I kind of enjoy, just a hint), rich Cabernet fruit. You wouldn’t be made fun of for saying great leoville las cases from the 80’s. Some bottle have had less fruit but this was exceptional.
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3/6/2019 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 93 Points
Achim's Magnum Tasting 2017 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Der Darmagi hatte es extrem schwer gegen diesen übermächtigen Gegner. Er wirkt hölzern und unrund gegenüber dem perfekten Sassi. Es fehlt die präzise Frucht. Wenn er für sich allein gestanden hätte, wäre der Spaßfaktor sicherlich höher gewesen. Für einen Cabernet sauvignon aus dem Piemont mehr als beachtlich. 93
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9/22/2018 - StasMedvedev.lv Likes this wine: 96 Points
🏅 96/100 (4,6🌟)
Gaja wines night 22.09.18
Fruit forward blackcurrant jam. Blackcurrant leaf. Ripe, powerful, focused. High acidity. Peak maturity. Velvet tannins. Vegetal notes.
Iconic wine! 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Inspired by Napa wines, Angelo Gaja planted CS vines in Nebbiolo area. Everyone, including his father thought he was crazy. Damn, how visionary he was!
He created one of the top CS on this planet.
Must try before you die!
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6/14/2018 - jfpwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow. Very dense and opaque garnet color. Complex nose of black cherry, oak, leather, bell pepper and overall an earthy quality. Full body, balanced and opulent, with a very long finish. Absolutely delicious.
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3/15/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
drank blindly, Black currant in the nose, but from cold climate, guessed tuscany, still fine fruit in the palate, in spite of the age the vibrant acidity gives a fresh finish, long and precise, no Bordeaux graphite in the nose, 94-95, the guy who brought the bottle says this in one of the best vintages of Darmagi
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3/12/2015 - Camacho Likes this wine:
Slight orange tinge on the rim,. some leather, cassis, a hint of eucalyptus, a perfume of rose petals, spice, some earth notes come out with air.
Palate is silky. Sweet tannins. Dry herbs, nice acidity with a slight minirality and a woodsy cedar finish
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5/30/2011 - pernst wrote: 90 Points
While this comes from soil noted for nebbiolo grapes, this cab was made for marketing purposes to inform Americans about the Gaja winery. Likes its Barbaresco counterparts, it is an intensively dark red and in 1985, it was high in alcohol with strong tannins and fruit. It has softened over the years but the acids benefited from 3 hours of decanting. The fruit had softened a bit too much for my tastes. Overall, very pleasant but without the complexity of a 1991 LImestone ridge that is was matched against.
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10/7/2004 - Eric wrote:
Gaja tasting and a bonus Beaucastel (Seattle, WA, USA): Someone had brought a bottle of their own to the tasting, bless them! The nose was a little off-putting with a strong green streak, but the palate was earthy with intense minerality and very soft, resolved mouthfeel.
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