Very deep ruby/crimson color. Not a ton of acidity left and most of the fruit is gone but lots of tertiary flavors present. Little dark fruit left but mostly leather, fresh pipe tobacco, hint of cassis and menthol. Also some eucalyptus. Tannins are there but mostly all faded.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark crimson in color. 14.8% ABV. Fantastic nose of black fruits, eucalyptus, leather and cigar box. Exceptional balance of fruit, tannins and acid. Big, concentrated and plush. Currants, cassis, plums and bittersweet chocolate on the palate. The finish is tremendous with the silkiest of tannins. Stunning Cabernet Sauvignon that seriously could not be showing much better. The will cruise to 25 years of age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fairly muted on the nose and palate on initial open, mostly giving some oak. With air, it opened up a bit to give off some hints of fruit and showed subtle tertiary development of touches of leather and tobacco. Tannins are fully resolved. Overall, I’d say this bottle was well past its peak and should have been opened 5 years ago for it to have been in its prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and decanted for dinner with grilled ribeye steak. A bit tight at first, but opened up nicely to a fine example of Napa's best cab. Rich lush tannins integrated under lovely currant and blackberry fruit. Long finish. Still have one bottle left; no hurry to drink it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a very weird experience. When we opened the bottle it was damn near undrinkable. Very acidic. It didn't seem like it was corked and we had a really good seal in the bottle. It wasn't tight. It had been stored very well. We asked the restaurant's sommelier to give it a taste and he agreed that it wasn't corked. He couldn't quite say what t was but he said that he thought the winemaker would be disappointed and that the wine wasn't showing well so he suggested decanting, which we did and it improved slightly but we still ordered a new bottle. The somm poured the wine back in the bottle and we left it alone for a few days.
I came back to it and it seemed that most of the really strong acid had blown off. There was dried cherries and plums and a really nice note of black tea. It wasn't great, as I had been hoping, but it got better. I ran it through an aerator and it was even better still, although, again, far from great. I love Plumpjack but I don't know if this bottle was some weird outlier, if it didn't age well or if it was defective in some other way. My advice: Drink it right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Was looking forward to this bottle but I think it may be past its prime. Have stored it in Eurocave since purchase so has been perfect temp and humidity. No signs of leakage or cork rot however the taste was a bit flat. Nose was very nice with cherry, blackberry and dirt smells. Paired with filet and mushroom/onions with blue cheese. Typically a winning combination. Have 2 left will drink soon...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I had high hopes for this 14 year old Napa Cab, but in the end I felt let down. The nose was the best part, but this wine failed to display any complexities on the palate. Perhaps I waited a few years too long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle was stored well and displays youthful signs. Lots of cassis, plum, earth, tobacco notes. Tannins are still very evident and could use more time to resolve. Once more integrated, the tannins should provide a better, more rounded, texture - the only thing lacking at this point. Classic Plumpjack and Oakville fruit. I have one bottle left and will give it 10 years before drinking. 94
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
No notes since 2011! We are really enjoying this. Bought on release at the winery. It has integrated beautifully and is at its apex. Brooding black and deep red fruits, dark wet earth, mouth coating texture and a the remnants of a tannic wine playing nicely with the acidity. Long tongue coating finish, the only thing that holds this wine back from a couple more points is its lack of more nuanced complex notes. Highly recommended mature Cal Cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially thought it was slightly corked....opened up harsh, but then mellowed out quite a bit after about 10 minutes. Round in the mouth. Still some nice berry tones. Probably should have been drunk sooner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Strong color, but that is this win's best attribute. Nose hints at Cabernet but unfortunately also displays a peculiar, grapey, sweaty smell that detracts from the appeal of the fruit. In the mouth it is smooth and sleek texture-wise, but despite some distinctive Cabernet notes, there is definitely an off-putting element that renders the impression of disjointedness and a somewhat sour fruit profile. Not what I expected from a $55 Oakville, Napa cab 13 years out. Truly disappointing. 4-9-10-4: 77/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was my 11th bottle of a case of this wine and the first one where the tannins finally mellowed out. It is drinking very well right now and I wish I had more than one bottle left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pleasantly surprised. Dinner for 8 and drank 6 bottles of this. All were showing well. Small to no decant for some. Earthy, good fruit, good color and pleasant finsih - for sure showing some age but that's what its supposed to do 12 years out. Was not expecting this to drink like a 4 year old Cali cab. Overall a good showing. 90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I agree with past reviews that this is past its prime. The fruits have totally dissipated and the Earth, tobacco, and minerals have taken over. There isn't any balance left in the wine, the acids have taken over and are breaking down the wine. Still a decent wine just a few years past its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really nice well aged cab that is drinking very well. Nice fruits of berry's and cherry combined with a balance of acid and well refined tannins. Medium long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Amazing still, the last bottle was not in as good condition. Easily another 5 years with this vintage.
Color: Deep and dark core with vibrant red edges.
Nose& Palate: Flowers, violets, black cherries, cedar and crushed fall leaves, secondary vanil aromas from the oak and blackberry. Perfectly supple tannins have evolved from the age and nice acidity works in balance with the wine. Great finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
89-90 Tannins seemed totally resolved. Very ripe. Too ripe and not a lot of structure. Not my favorite style, this seemed to not have a lot of interest to go with the sweet fruit. Still good, but not that interesting overall.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last bottle. Too bad, because it just keeps getting better. Big nose, great texture. Black raspberries, a ton of vanilla, and a little chocolate. Long, yummy finish. WOTN, for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tight nose. Aromas of bell pepper, black cherry with notes of oak. (The nose did seem to open up a bit after a few minutes with some heavy swirling.) Silky mouthfeel on the palate with more notes of cassis, black cherry and bell pepper.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
cedar, smoke and graphite. This had great tannin structure and although was still fruit dominated, really balanced. Drank like a mid 90's cali cab. Cmpletely different animal than the V29
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I purchased a case of this wine and have been waiting for it to mature. I'm down to my last 3 bottles but it has never gotten there for me. Still to much tannin and alcohol. Overpowers most foods. Lamb is best match.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple to the rim. Well-integrated tannins. Nose of leather, anise and mint. Intense flavors of cassis and black licorice. Medium finish. Still plenty of life, but drinking nicely now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The second bottle was better than the first -- this wine was great!! IT had a wonderful nose and the palate taste and feel were exceptional. It was silky with a nose of fresh nut over the top berries and tasted just the same.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby red color. Spicy, toasty oak and berries on the nose. Full bodied, jammy, round, rich flavor with a ripe tannins and a satisfying finish. Quite a bit going on. Wonderfully complemented a Christmas Eve dinner main course of tenderloin, potatoes, mushrooms, and creamed spinach.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is finally coming around > Plenty of Leather and Tannins here , but softer than the last two times. fruit is showing through nicely without the dryness. The future is brighter now than the last 2 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It seems this wine was better when young. I tasted this wine when it was released and it seemed softer with. The bottle we had last night seem to have gained tannins. What a goofy world we live in.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Backstreet Wine Salon - Phx An ok cab for 20 bucks, unfortunately $60 is too much. Basic cab some smoke, basic dark fruits and still allot of tannin (green).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over two days. Super ripe nose. Great bg fruit of bing cherries. Underlying tannins were smooth and silky but the rough tannins still prevailed. I'm sure the reserve cab is all soft supple tannins. 2nd day was great still. Dunno what happened with my frist bottle?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I would agree with Parker on this wine except for the tannins. The tannin level he experienced did not exist in this wine. The fruit is definitely becoming more complex as the wine matures and becomes more drinkable. This is definitely a concentrated, intense but complex wine.
We had this wine again on My 29th, 2006. It is just fantastic stuff. The color is a deep purplish, garnet. The nose exudes scents of roses and gardenias with black and red cherries and casis. The taste is fairly balanced and filled with complex flavors of casis, black cherry, wild cherry and blueberry with wild mushrooms.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful wine with lots of time left in the bottle. After a while we started to get a lot of black liqorice. Had with a '00 Insignia, and it held up well. Very good middle taste and long long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark color., nose showed black fruit, valnilla, licorice. Full bodied, good structure and complexity, fruit held your attention, but notes of coffee, licorice and spice balanced it all out. Great long finish of soft tannins, fruit especially plum. Many years to go for the last one i have left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On March 1st of this year I had this wine while dining out at a local steak house. Here are the notes I jotted down later that evening upon returning home. Served without decanting in average restaurant stems. They did not have any Spigelau or Riedel stemware because “our customers keep breaking them all”. The wine really needs some decanting of about 1-½ hours as it really started to show best around the end of the meal. Very nice dark garnet color. Good long legs. Compared to most Napa Cabernets I drink this is much softer. Picked up a little tobacco and berries on the nose. Flavors of black cherries and some plum for the most part. Fairly well balanced but the bottle still seemed a bit off to me. Could have been poor storage conditions. Gave it a 90 overall. Drink 2003 through 2008.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
($60) Deep color with caramel and inky brown sugar nose (where did I get this brown sugar thing on these two wines?) Toasty French oak. Tannic. Dark fruits. Needs some time - hard and not all that great now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
5/8/2023 - azogas wrote:
Very deep ruby/crimson color. Not a ton of acidity left and most of the fruit is gone but lots of tertiary flavors present. Little dark fruit left but mostly leather, fresh pipe tobacco, hint of cassis and menthol. Also some eucalyptus. Tannins are there but mostly all faded.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2021 - tomlee wrote: 95 Points
Dark crimson in color. 14.8% ABV. Fantastic nose of black fruits, eucalyptus, leather and cigar box. Exceptional balance of fruit, tannins and acid. Big, concentrated and plush. Currants, cassis, plums and bittersweet chocolate on the palate. The finish is tremendous with the silkiest of tannins. Stunning Cabernet Sauvignon that seriously could not be showing much better. The will cruise to 25 years of age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2020 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Fairly muted on the nose and palate on initial open, mostly giving some oak. With air, it opened up a bit to give off some hints of fruit and showed subtle tertiary development of touches of leather and tobacco. Tannins are fully resolved. Overall, I’d say this bottle was well past its peak and should have been opened 5 years ago for it to have been in its prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2020 - 52winelover wrote: 92 Points
Still wonderful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2019 - peeyush Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well aged cab, short to medium finish, well resolved tannins, lot of fruit, good balance, low acidity
The wine looks inky colored. It smells like oak, bark, black pepper and blackberry. The body is medium.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2018 - OCWino wrote: 93 Points
Opened and decanted for dinner with grilled ribeye steak. A bit tight at first, but opened up nicely to a fine example of Napa's best cab. Rich lush tannins integrated under lovely currant and blackberry fruit. Long finish. Still have one bottle left; no hurry to drink it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2016 - gavinesq wrote: 85 Points
This was a very weird experience. When we opened the bottle it was damn near undrinkable. Very acidic. It didn't seem like it was corked and we had a really good seal in the bottle. It wasn't tight. It had been stored very well. We asked the restaurant's sommelier to give it a taste and he agreed that it wasn't corked. He couldn't quite say what t was but he said that he thought the winemaker would be disappointed and that the wine wasn't showing well so he suggested decanting, which we did and it improved slightly but we still ordered a new bottle. The somm poured the wine back in the bottle and we left it alone for a few days.
I came back to it and it seemed that most of the really strong acid had blown off. There was dried cherries and plums and a really nice note of black tea. It wasn't great, as I had been hoping, but it got better. I ran it through an aerator and it was even better still, although, again, far from great. I love Plumpjack but I don't know if this bottle was some weird outlier, if it didn't age well or if it was defective in some other way. My advice: Drink it right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2015 - bellabo wrote: 89 Points
Was looking forward to this bottle but I think it may be past its prime. Have stored it in Eurocave since purchase so has been perfect temp and humidity. No signs of leakage or cork rot however the taste was a bit flat. Nose was very nice with cherry, blackberry and dirt smells. Paired with filet and mushroom/onions with blue cheese. Typically a winning combination. Have 2 left will drink soon...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2014 - Monaco wrote: 86 Points
I had high hopes for this 14 year old Napa Cab, but in the end I felt let down. The nose was the best part, but this wine failed to display any complexities on the palate. Perhaps I waited a few years too long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2013 - DesMarteau wrote: 94 Points
Core of plum, mint, cherries, pencil lead, leather...aging nicely and could go for a few more years (10+)...great now though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2013 - JOEABR wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was stored well and displays youthful signs. Lots of cassis, plum, earth, tobacco notes. Tannins are still very evident and could use more time to resolve. Once more integrated, the tannins should provide a better, more rounded, texture - the only thing lacking at this point. Classic Plumpjack and Oakville fruit. I have one bottle left and will give it 10 years before drinking. 94
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2013 - stealthman_1 wrote: 92 Points
No notes since 2011! We are really enjoying this. Bought on release at the winery. It has integrated beautifully and is at its apex. Brooding black and deep red fruits, dark wet earth, mouth coating texture and a the remnants of a tannic wine playing nicely with the acidity. Long tongue coating finish, the only thing that holds this wine back from a couple more points is its lack of more nuanced complex notes. Highly recommended mature Cal Cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - cabinbor wrote: 89 Points
Initially thought it was slightly corked....opened up harsh, but then mellowed out quite a bit after about 10 minutes. Round in the mouth. Still some nice berry tones. Probably should have been drunk sooner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2012 - MicklethePickle wrote: 77 Points
Strong color, but that is this win's best attribute. Nose hints at Cabernet but unfortunately also displays a peculiar, grapey, sweaty smell that detracts from the appeal of the fruit. In the mouth it is smooth and sleek texture-wise, but despite some distinctive Cabernet notes, there is definitely an off-putting element that renders the impression of disjointedness and a somewhat sour fruit profile. Not what I expected from a $55 Oakville, Napa cab 13 years out. Truly disappointing. 4-9-10-4: 77/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2012 - bellabo wrote: 91 Points
Still solid, just not a big as a few years ago. Fruit forward, plums, tobacco, earth. Great with filet...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 89 Points
Still very nice wine, not as big as it was a few years ago, has a few years left. Dark fruits, cedar, some tannins coming through. Has Aged nicely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2012 - goldscalpel wrote:
Drank two for dinner party. Decanted 2 hours. Cork was immaculate. Still with some fruit left in both of my samples.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2011 - jsebiri wrote:
nice wine , not over top , not great , but nice wine no wow factor here , would say its prob a drink up type of wine , but who knows.....enjoyable
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2011 - Maz wrote: 91 Points
This was my 11th bottle of a case of this wine and the first one where the tannins finally mellowed out. It is drinking very well right now and I wish I had more than one bottle left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2011 - Kemo Sabe wrote: 90 Points
Pleasantly surprised. Dinner for 8 and drank 6 bottles of this. All were showing well. Small to no decant for some. Earthy, good fruit, good color and pleasant finsih - for sure showing some age but that's what its supposed to do 12 years out. Was not expecting this to drink like a 4 year old Cali cab. Overall a good showing. 90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 90 Points
I agree with past reviews that this is past its prime. The fruits have totally dissipated and the Earth, tobacco, and minerals have taken over. There isn't any balance left in the wine, the acids have taken over and are breaking down the wine. Still a decent wine just a few years past its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2011 - jsander wrote: 92 Points
Really nice well aged cab that is drinking very well. Nice fruits of berry's and cherry combined with a balance of acid and well refined tannins. Medium long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2011 - RussK wrote: 92 Points
RUSSK WWiz at Sage. Phil's CA/BX tasting. top tier. Big phenolic nose. drawing tannins but pleasant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2010 - goldscalpel wrote: 90 Points
Tried it before Todd Anderson opened a Ghost Horse Fantome. Smooth wine with still good fruit balance. Minimal tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2010 - gellie wrote: 94 Points
Wow
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2010 - bigdomer wrote: 88 Points
Drink up now. This vintage is past prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2010 - tkoby11 wrote: 93 Points
Amazing still, the last bottle was not in as good condition. Easily another 5 years with this vintage.
Color: Deep and dark core with vibrant red edges.
Nose& Palate: Flowers, violets, black cherries, cedar and crushed fall leaves, secondary vanil aromas from the oak and blackberry. Perfectly supple tannins have evolved from the age and nice acidity works in balance with the wine. Great finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2010 - Weston3220 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Canada vs Russia! (Downtown): A: Roasted Red Pepper
T: Red Pepper Dark Fruit
this was like the 7th bottle of wine, so notes may not be that accurate
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2009 - bin905 wrote: flawed
So sad. I waited too long to open this bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2009 - tkoby11 wrote: 91 Points
Great wine. Defintely down in the intensity level from the last bottle, but hey, its 10 years old!
Color: Dark ruby to light red
Nose & Palate: Spicy cedar and oak, cherries and blackberries, with some herbal notes. Tannins meld better after 30 minutes. Long supple finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2009 - winegr wrote: 90 Points
89-90 Tannins seemed totally resolved. Very ripe. Too ripe and not a lot of structure. Not my favorite style, this seemed to not have a lot of interest to go with the sweet fruit. Still good, but not that interesting overall.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2009 - windover99 wrote: 93 Points
Took of to enjoy with friends at dinner a great restaurant. It was my last bottle of 1999 and it was smooth as silk and tasted amazing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2009 - Night Train wrote: 93 Points
My last bottle. Too bad, because it just keeps getting better. Big nose, great texture. Black raspberries, a ton of vanilla, and a little chocolate. Long, yummy finish. WOTN, for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2009 - amgryger wrote:
Tight nose. Aromas of bell pepper, black cherry with notes of oak. (The nose did seem to open up a bit after a few minutes with some heavy swirling.) Silky mouthfeel on the palate with more notes of cassis, black cherry and bell pepper.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2009 - Night Train wrote: 89 Points
Starting to fade. Drink up! Still reasonably rich.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2009 - zimmy07 wrote: 91 Points
cedar, smoke and graphite. This had great tannin structure and although was still fruit dominated, really balanced. Drank like a mid 90's cali cab. Cmpletely different animal than the V29
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2009 - nogohawk wrote: 90 Points
Drank w/ Delmonicos on the grill - opened up nicely after 30 mins; Currant & black cherry
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2009 - Maz wrote: 86 Points
I purchased a case of this wine and have been waiting for it to mature. I'm down to my last 3 bottles but it has never gotten there for me. Still to much tannin and alcohol. Overpowers most foods. Lamb is best match.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2009 - zinfidel wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple to the rim. Well-integrated tannins. Nose of leather, anise and mint. Intense flavors of cassis and black licorice. Medium finish. Still plenty of life, but drinking nicely now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2009 - nogohawk wrote: 90 Points
Classic cab - dark ink color; Opened this bottle after finishing Paraduxx; Loads of berry - much heavier than the duxx
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2008 - bin905 wrote: 92 Points
It has it all. The star of a tasting which included, Dunn Howell Mtn. cab, Caymus cab, and Artadi Vinas de Gain Rioja.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2008 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 86 Points
No fruit and a lot of green pepper
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2008 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 94 Points
The second bottle was better than the first -- this wine was great!! IT had a wonderful nose and the palate taste and feel were exceptional. It was silky with a nose of fresh nut over the top berries and tasted just the same.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2008 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 91 Points
Good cab. -- I am not sure it is worth $70 but it is a very high quality cal cab with good fruit on the nose, balanced finish. Not overoaked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2008 - Taylor56 wrote: flawed
Flawed
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2007 - bin905 wrote: 91 Points
Deep ruby red color. Spicy, toasty oak and berries on the nose. Full bodied, jammy, round, rich flavor with a ripe tannins and a satisfying finish. Quite a bit going on. Wonderfully complemented a Christmas Eve dinner main course of tenderloin, potatoes, mushrooms, and creamed spinach.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2007 - zimmy07 wrote: 92 Points
big currant and spice. A bit green in the nose, but drank great. Rich fruit and spicy tannin
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2007 - Phin wrote: 92 Points
Nice integration of tannins into full body. Black cherry and plum. Decanted 2 hours but still a little acid shortening the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2007 - jsebiri wrote: 90 Points
This wine is finally coming around > Plenty of Leather and Tannins here , but softer than the last two times. fruit is showing through nicely without the dryness. The future is brighter now than the last 2 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2007 - JB&KB wrote: 88 Points
It seems this wine was better when young. I tasted this wine when it was released and it seemed softer with. The bottle we had last night seem to have gained tannins. What a goofy world we live in.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2007 - jivey wrote: 86 Points
Backstreet Wine Salon - Phx
An ok cab for 20 bucks, unfortunately $60 is too much. Basic cab some smoke, basic dark fruits and still allot of tannin (green).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2006 - jhngo wrote: 92 Points
Drank over two days. Super ripe nose. Great bg fruit of bing cherries. Underlying tannins were smooth and silky but the rough tannins still prevailed. I'm sure the reserve cab is all soft supple tannins. 2nd day was great still. Dunno what happened with my frist bottle?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2006 - jhngo wrote: 86 Points
Great right as I opened it. Second night was really bad.. acidic, tannic, lost all that nice round fruit. Went better with some greasy fajuitas.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2005 - johnwine wrote: 92 Points
I would agree with Parker on this wine except for the tannins. The tannin level he experienced did not exist in this wine. The fruit is definitely becoming more complex as the wine matures and becomes more drinkable. This is definitely a concentrated, intense but complex wine.
We had this wine again on My 29th, 2006. It is just fantastic stuff. The color is a deep purplish, garnet. The nose exudes scents of roses and gardenias with black and red cherries and casis. The taste is fairly balanced and filled with complex flavors of casis, black cherry, wild cherry and blueberry with wild mushrooms.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2005 - jarvisdrinker wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful wine with lots of time left in the bottle. After a while we started to get a lot of black liqorice. Had with a '00 Insignia, and it held up well. Very good middle taste and long long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2004 - enosnob wrote: 94 Points
Dark color., nose showed black fruit, valnilla, licorice. Full bodied, good structure and complexity, fruit held your attention, but notes of coffee, licorice and spice balanced it all out. Great long finish of soft tannins, fruit especially plum. Many years to go for the last one i have left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2003 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
On March 1st of this year I had this wine while dining out at a local steak house. Here are the notes I jotted down later that evening upon returning home. Served without decanting in average restaurant stems. They did not have any Spigelau or Riedel stemware because “our customers keep breaking them all”. The wine really needs some decanting of about 1-½ hours as it really started to show best around the end of the meal. Very nice dark garnet color. Good long legs. Compared to most Napa Cabernets I drink this is much softer. Picked up a little tobacco and berries on the nose. Flavors of black cherries and some plum for the most part. Fairly well balanced but the bottle still seemed a bit off to me. Could have been poor storage conditions. Gave it a 90 overall. Drink 2003 through 2008.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2002 - brianofthevine wrote: 92 Points
Dark fruit, big wine, thick and chewy tannins, nice finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2002 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($60) Deep color with caramel and inky brown sugar nose (where did I get this brown sugar thing on these two wines?) Toasty French oak. Tannic. Dark fruits. Needs some time - hard and not all that great now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment