Bought a few of these on line and some were badly corked. Poor storage I assume. The bottles that were good were very good. Great nose after 20 years. Still packing a punch with a nice not to over the top astringent finish. Drink up now. They are on a downward slope.
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V into decant, which was not needed, a simple decant would have been better.. That said for a 20 yr old Napa cab, in a good window, no bricking, no sign of age except the usual oak integration at this point. Drink now-22
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Tasted blind: still very deep in color. Nose of ripe red fruit and hints of vanilla bean and coffee. Initially the wine has lots of sweetness and is very smooth. A bit on the downside is the lack of complexity and it almost feels a bit one dimensional/simple. After around 30min in the glass it started evolving and showed flavors of chocolate and red berries. This specific bottle was still youthful and felt like a 2002/2003 Cab. Maybe a 1 hour decant could help the wine to open up. No hurry to drink.
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4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Joe's): Inky garnet color. Dusty red currant, chocolate, blackberry and herbs- rosemary and thyme. Nicely balanced with chocolate and black fruit flavors.
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Dinner with friends (Courtright's Restaurant, Willow Springs, IL): Another of Sue's bottles, decanted off its sediment and served immediately. Crimson color, just a little light at the meniscus. Initially rather tight but opened nicely in the glass. Cedar, lavender and red fruit aromas; perfumed and elegant. Medium-bodied, with nice red fruit, cedar, rose water and plum flavors. Lengthy finish. 92-93 pts.
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Still drinking perfectly. No bricking, a hint of tanins left. Last of 3 bottles originally purchased at vineyard in 2000; held up a long longer than I thought it would.
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Drank before and during beef stir fry dinner. Nose of pure Rutherford cab right out of the gate; according to the bottle, these are 60 year old cab vines from the Gustave Niebaum estate planted by grandson John Daniel on the former Inglenook Cask vineyard. Medium bodied, bright cab flavors; tannins have integrated nicely to the point where the decanted wine left a smooth medium length finish. Pleasing and balanced on the palate. Although not a big fruit bomb knockout, considerably more polished than the regular 1997 Niebaum-Coppola Estate Cab. No bricking noticed, but probably the perfect year to finish these off.
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I may have let this one sit a bit too long. Hints of dusty fruit and cassis. Muted fruit and graphite on the palate. But the wine was dulled a bit and the finish was short. There was surprisingly very little sediment in the bottle.
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Decanted for an hour before drinking. Nice, average cab. Nothing to knock your socks off, though... Full aromas of spice, leather, and black fruit, tinged with some alcohol. Taste was roughly the same, with notes of black pepper and blackberry. Tannins were still firm, but were complementary. Finished somewhat hot. 90 pts.
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1/16/2023 - drinknick31 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bought a few of these on line and some were badly corked. Poor storage I assume. The bottles that were good were very good. Great nose after 20 years. Still packing a punch with a nice not to over the top astringent finish. Drink up now. They are on a downward slope.
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8/16/2020 - ACR16719 wrote:
gone by
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1/2/2019 - wino121 wrote: 91 Points
V into decant, which was not needed, a simple decant would have been better..
That said for a 20 yr old Napa cab, in a good window, no bricking, no sign of age except
the usual oak integration at this point.
Drink now-22
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1/1/2017 - wino121 wrote: 89 Points
Clearly on the down slope, but still drinking ok, med bodied, just lacking the fruit, but that's normal for this stage.
Drink it up.
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2/28/2015 - ACR16719 Likes this wine: 86 Points
way past prime
lots of sediment
lost all fruit
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4/10/2014 - Wine_lvr wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind: still very deep in color. Nose of ripe red fruit and hints of vanilla bean and coffee. Initially the wine has lots of sweetness and is very smooth. A bit on the downside is the lack of complexity and it almost feels a bit one dimensional/simple. After around 30min in the glass it started evolving and showed flavors of chocolate and red berries. This specific bottle was still youthful and felt like a 2002/2003 Cab. Maybe a 1 hour decant could help the wine to open up. No hurry to drink.
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8/31/2013 - AllRed wrote:
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Joe's): Inky garnet color. Dusty red currant, chocolate, blackberry and herbs- rosemary and thyme. Nicely balanced with chocolate and black fruit flavors.
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3/30/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with friends (Courtright's Restaurant, Willow Springs, IL): Another of Sue's bottles, decanted off its sediment and served immediately. Crimson color, just a little light at the meniscus. Initially rather tight but opened nicely in the glass. Cedar, lavender and red fruit aromas; perfumed and elegant. Medium-bodied, with nice red fruit, cedar, rose water and plum flavors. Lengthy finish. 92-93 pts.
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1/23/2011 - fredmartens wrote: 91 Points
Still drinking perfectly. No bricking, a hint of tanins left. Last of 3 bottles originally purchased at vineyard in 2000; held up a long longer than I thought it would.
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1/19/2011 - Ugotguinness wrote: 94 Points
Every bit as delicious as I had hoped it would be.
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6/19/2009 - mccarthyizm wrote:
Subtle fruit, definitive graphite, metallic notes. Very long finish. Excellent, well- balanced cab.
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3/3/2009 - fredmartens wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous notes, dark cherry cab flavors. Very, very tasty. More tanins present this time around. Enjoyed this a lot.
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3/29/2008 - fredmartens wrote: 91 Points
Drank before and during beef stir fry dinner. Nose of pure Rutherford cab right out of the gate; according to the bottle, these are 60 year old cab vines from the Gustave Niebaum estate planted by grandson John Daniel on the former Inglenook Cask vineyard. Medium bodied, bright cab flavors; tannins have integrated nicely to the point where the decanted wine left a smooth medium length finish. Pleasing and balanced on the palate. Although not a big fruit bomb knockout, considerably more polished than the regular 1997 Niebaum-Coppola Estate Cab. No bricking noticed, but probably the perfect year to finish these off.
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11/9/2007 - wineguysf wrote: 94 Points
OK, this wine blew me away and far exceeded my expectations. It was perfect so full and juicy with a long finish.
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5/16/2007 - cvvhrn wrote: 85 Points
I may have let this one sit a bit too long. Hints of dusty fruit and cassis. Muted fruit and graphite on the palate. But the wine was dulled a bit and the finish was short. There was surprisingly very little sediment in the bottle.
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2/14/2007 - beaunehead wrote: 90 Points
Still tight - has a few years yet, but shows classic rutherford character of dusty, metallic dark fruit. Held up very well with beef stew.
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1/12/2006 - tmay wrote: 91 Points
Nice spicy nose. Cassis, pepper with a medium long finish. A nice body.
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6/24/2005 - festiva wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for an hour before drinking. Nice, average cab. Nothing to knock your socks off, though... Full aromas of spice, leather, and black fruit, tinged with some alcohol. Taste was roughly the same, with notes of black pepper and blackberry. Tannins were still firm, but were complementary. Finished somewhat hot. 90 pts.
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