Took about 2.5 hours to come around but when it did this was a classic Napa Cab. While I enjoy and drink a lot more old world wines this came through. Enjoyed with a ribeye and potatoes lyonnaise.
For me, the alcohol was a bit high and pervasive and I would rate this a 92 as a result, but given what it is supposed to be, I'll give it a 94. Delivered what it intended to deliver.
I had half of the bottle; from my cellar; had at local steakhouse.
Vvv
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The years have softened this, rounded it out and added some character and balance, however with the years should have come a much more interesting wine, especially at this price point.
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Been holding this for what seems like forever with really no history of Herold wines so was curious what I'd think. Had after the dinner and after the Carters but held up pretty well. My memory is a bit rusty on the profile but enjoyed. Probably in the 92 range for me. Seemed to be in a good place of softening fruit and some additional notes. I got this in the aftermarket for a reasonable price.
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Put it upright in the bedroom 5 days prior, opened for 30 min and decanted for one hour, then inside the fridge for 30 min and leave to the restaurant...
The wine is big, bold, complex and masculine. Strong tannins and long finish. I wish I had more.
95+
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Beautifully balanced wine that's showing plenty of black cherry and blueberry notes as well as a touch of graphite and chocolate. We decanted this beauty for two hours and wish we had more.
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Decanted and poured. Rich purple color. Strong black fruit and tar nose. Intense black cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, a touch of spice, and a tarry element, (sort of bitter and thick, not like graphite). Not particularly tannic. Mouth feel is quite full bodied and sort of echoes the tar pit theme. Things softened significantly and balanced out with time in air. Feels like a very well-made, high-quality wine that didn't quite come together as "outstanding" for me.
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Herold wines have consistently been some of my favorites going back to the days at Merus, and this one is no exception. If you appreciate complex wines loaded with dark fruit and dark chocolate, then you will truly enjoy this wine. Flavorful minerality. Among the flavors are light spice, cedar and blueberry. 20-second finish.
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The 2012 Herold White Label might be winemaker Mark Herold’s best juice since his Merus days. Strong floral and bold ripe black cherry and black fruit aromatics followed by a silky mouthfeel of blackberry, plum and black cherry fruit. Also discovered some oak and licorice as the wine opened up. Decanted for a minimum of 2 hours!
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Dark and deep purplish ruby. Rich and fruity nose with blackberries, baking spices, roasted blueberries and savory nuances. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Well integrated with a silky mouthfeel. Layers of cedar, blueberries, jammy blackberries, pencil shavings and a touch of spices. Long finish. Drink till 2026.
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Mark Herold Cabernets (Mark Herold Tasting Room - Napa): Similar to my notes from 4/15/2016. A cool feel about it (more so than the 2013), with dark berries, black licorice, cold river rock, and obsidian. Came off a little more cerebral than the 2013, which was a touch more flamboyant and intense. I preferred the 2013 a little more simply because I have a personal affinity to powerful Cabernets with darker profiles. 94+ points at the moment.
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Similar to my previous notes on this wine. I bumped it up a point to 95, as it was drinking really well today. This was served side-by-side with the 2013 Herold White Label. Both were very well put together, with the 2013 a little tighter at the moment; however, the 2013 will likely have a higher ceiling than the 2012 mainly because of its elevated layered complexity (as mentioned before, this is splitting hairs a bit - they are both great bottles of wine).
Drink now with a decant, or hold until 2017 for additional bottle integration.
Same as my previous CT notes on this wine. Solid wine with complex and tiered flavors. A dark profile, especially flaunting its blackberry and black licorice notes. Has a cool, striking minerality that frames the fruit nicely.
Appropriately comes off as an mid-upper tier Napa Cabernet. QPR is a hair high possibly.
2017+ to allow this to really get some needed integration time in bottle. Air helps now, but at least a year or two of sleep time is more recommended for this wine. 94+.
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Drank alongside the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Brown Labels, 2010 and 2011 White Labels, the 2013 Stagecoach, and 2012 Maze Cabernets.
Identical notes on this 2012 White Label as my previous CT notes from 10/16/15. Stylistically a very sophisticated-tasting, cerebral wine. Nuanced flavors emerged after about 45 minutes in the glass. Dark berries, black licorice, and asphalt were most prominent this time around. Drank like a cooler version of Cabernet at this stage.
The 2013 Stagecoach by comparison still delivered a touch more of a powerful core of interesting fruit and spices over the 2012 White Label.
This was a clear #2 out of the nine Herold-made Cabernets tasted. Drink now with an hour or two decant, or ideally hold for a couple of years.
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The 2012 White Label kicks off with notes of dark red and black berry fruits, licorice, cassis, chocolate, and hints of coffee, vanilla, and baking spice. The upper echelon cooperage (Taransaud) shows in this wine, elevating it close to other higher-end Napa Cabernets. Definitely a marked improvement over the 2012 Brown Label. 94+ at the moment, but showing signs that some time in bottle will bring this wine even more complexity over the coming years.
Still, the QPR at $195 is fairly high given the delivery of some other competitors in that bracket. Ultimately I would hold this wine until 2017+ to give it time to develop.
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First Trip to Napa Valley and San Francisco: Cabernet Sauvignon Addition; 10/1/2015-10/10/2015 (Napa Valley and San Francisco): Tasted at Wines by Mark Herold in Napa with India. Hosts Eric and Kristin, very friendly and helpful. Appearance: Dark purple and opaque. Nose: Lots of dark fruit like cassis. Additionally has warm spices within it. Taste/Palate: Very extracted. Beautiful tannins and body, balanced and strong. Voluptuous, lovely, silky, and plus. All great aspects in a great vintage from an amazing winemaker. Finish is strong, full and lingers for a while. Opinion: Honestly not much to say except it is an amazing wine, absolutely delicious.
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12/11/2023 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 94 Points
Took about 2.5 hours to come around but when it did this was a classic Napa Cab. While I enjoy and drink a lot more old world wines this came through. Enjoyed with a ribeye and potatoes lyonnaise.
For me, the alcohol was a bit high and pervasive and I would rate this a 92 as a result, but given what it is supposed to be, I'll give it a 94. Delivered what it intended to deliver.
I had half of the bottle; from my cellar; had at local steakhouse.
Vvv
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9/23/2023 - PDavisMarble wrote: 89 Points
The years have softened this, rounded it out and added some character and balance, however with the years should have come a much more interesting wine, especially at this price point.
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6/29/2022 - yeti575rider wrote: 92 Points
Been holding this for what seems like forever with really no history of Herold wines so was curious what I'd think. Had after the dinner and after the Carters but held up pretty well. My memory is a bit rusty on the profile but enjoyed. Probably in the 92 range for me. Seemed to be in a good place of softening fruit and some additional notes. I got this in the aftermarket for a reasonable price.
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1/7/2022 - jcampano Likes this wine: 95 Points
Love Herold wines. Bold blackberry, black cherry and plum. Some spice and licorice with a long mineral-laced finish..
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10/17/2021 - 1964vintage wrote: 97 Points
Phenomenal wine!
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3/5/2021 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Put it upright in the bedroom 5 days prior, opened for 30 min and decanted for one hour, then inside the fridge for 30 min and leave to the restaurant...
The wine is big, bold, complex and masculine. Strong tannins and long finish. I wish I had more.
95+
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12/25/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautifully balanced wine that's showing plenty of black cherry and blueberry notes as well as a touch of graphite and chocolate. We decanted this beauty for two hours and wish we had more.
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11/27/2020 - FoinZap Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and poured. Rich purple color. Strong black fruit and tar nose. Intense black cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, a touch of spice, and a tarry element, (sort of bitter and thick, not like graphite). Not particularly tannic. Mouth feel is quite full bodied and sort of echoes the tar pit theme. Things softened significantly and balanced out with time in air. Feels like a very well-made, high-quality wine that didn't quite come together as "outstanding" for me.
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6/26/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 96 Points
Herold wines have consistently been some of my favorites going back to the days at Merus, and this one is no exception. If you appreciate complex wines loaded with dark fruit and dark chocolate, then you will truly enjoy this wine. Flavorful minerality. Among the flavors are light spice, cedar and blueberry. 20-second finish.
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2/29/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 96 Points
The 2012 Herold White Label might be winemaker Mark Herold’s best juice since his Merus days. Strong floral and bold ripe black cherry and black fruit aromatics followed by a silky mouthfeel of blackberry, plum and black cherry fruit. Also discovered some oak and licorice as the wine opened up. Decanted for a minimum of 2 hours!
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2/16/2020 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 94 Points
Dark and deep purplish ruby. Rich and fruity nose with blackberries, baking spices, roasted blueberries and savory nuances. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Well integrated with a silky mouthfeel. Layers of cedar, blueberries, jammy blackberries, pencil shavings and a touch of spices. Long finish. Drink till 2026.
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6/27/2017 - The Wine Sherpa Likes this wine: 96 Points
Outstanding wine. Still needs 3-5 years before drinking.
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6/4/2016 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Mark Herold Cabernets (Mark Herold Tasting Room - Napa): Similar to my notes from 4/15/2016. A cool feel about it (more so than the 2013), with dark berries, black licorice, cold river rock, and obsidian. Came off a little more cerebral than the 2013, which was a touch more flamboyant and intense. I preferred the 2013 a little more simply because I have a personal affinity to powerful Cabernets with darker profiles. 94+ points at the moment.
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4/15/2016 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
Similar to my previous notes on this wine. I bumped it up a point to 95, as it was drinking really well today. This was served side-by-side with the 2013 Herold White Label. Both were very well put together, with the 2013 a little tighter at the moment; however, the 2013 will likely have a higher ceiling than the 2012 mainly because of its elevated layered complexity (as mentioned before, this is splitting hairs a bit - they are both great bottles of wine).
Drink now with a decant, or hold until 2017 for additional bottle integration.
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12/2/2015 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Same as my previous CT notes on this wine. Solid wine with complex and tiered flavors. A dark profile, especially flaunting its blackberry and black licorice notes. Has a cool, striking minerality that frames the fruit nicely.
Appropriately comes off as an mid-upper tier Napa Cabernet. QPR is a hair high possibly.
2017+ to allow this to really get some needed integration time in bottle. Air helps now, but at least a year or two of sleep time is more recommended for this wine. 94+.
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10/30/2015 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Drank alongside the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Brown Labels, 2010 and 2011 White Labels, the 2013 Stagecoach, and 2012 Maze Cabernets.
Identical notes on this 2012 White Label as my previous CT notes from 10/16/15. Stylistically a very sophisticated-tasting, cerebral wine. Nuanced flavors emerged after about 45 minutes in the glass. Dark berries, black licorice, and asphalt were most prominent this time around. Drank like a cooler version of Cabernet at this stage.
The 2013 Stagecoach by comparison still delivered a touch more of a powerful core of interesting fruit and spices over the 2012 White Label.
This was a clear #2 out of the nine Herold-made Cabernets tasted. Drink now with an hour or two decant, or ideally hold for a couple of years.
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10/16/2015 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
The 2012 White Label kicks off with notes of dark red and black berry fruits, licorice, cassis, chocolate, and hints of coffee, vanilla, and baking spice. The upper echelon cooperage (Taransaud) shows in this wine, elevating it close to other higher-end Napa Cabernets. Definitely a marked improvement over the 2012 Brown Label. 94+ at the moment, but showing signs that some time in bottle will bring this wine even more complexity over the coming years.
Still, the QPR at $195 is fairly high given the delivery of some other competitors in that bracket. Ultimately I would hold this wine until 2017+ to give it time to develop.
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10/1/2015 - Millennial Drinkers Likes this wine: 95 Points
First Trip to Napa Valley and San Francisco: Cabernet Sauvignon Addition; 10/1/2015-10/10/2015 (Napa Valley and San Francisco): Tasted at Wines by Mark Herold in Napa with India. Hosts Eric and Kristin, very friendly and helpful.
Appearance: Dark purple and opaque.
Nose: Lots of dark fruit like cassis. Additionally has warm spices within it.
Taste/Palate: Very extracted. Beautiful tannins and body, balanced and strong. Voluptuous, lovely, silky, and plus. All great aspects in a great vintage from an amazing winemaker. Finish is strong, full and lingers for a while.
Opinion: Honestly not much to say except it is an amazing wine, absolutely delicious.
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4/28/2015 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big, smooth and powerful, this is the essence of 2012. "Sweet," black fruit, with a long firm finish. Found soft tannins go on and on.
PDQ94+
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