Dark ruby fruit - currants, dark cherry, and blackberry. Fruit forward and fairly rich but a little structure which was nice in comparison to the 2020 vintage which is a fruit bomb. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth/concentration - medium plus body. Nice vibrant flavors of cassis, some spice/licorice, and a little graphite component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Popped/poured but drank out of a decanter for a couple hours. Not much improvement with time but appears to be at a nice drinking point. A solid vintage of this wine but the 97 rating from Dunnuck is generous in my opinion. 100% cab.
This suffered a bit next to the 18 Jones The Sisters I drank next to it. Gave this two hours slow ox. Blue and black fruited, cassis, plums, blackberries. Hint of spice, cedar. Medium in weight and length. A bit lacking on the finish. Nice balance, structure. A bit hot on the finish which throws off the harmony. 100% Cabernet from a single vineyard in St Helena. 90% new oak.
Right out of the bottle the nose is reminiscent of walking through a field of lavender and flowers. Initial taste is sweet; while tight tannins lurk in the background, this is very much fruit forward at first glance.
After an hour in the decanter the nose is youthful Bordeaux, with leather, sweet tobacco and aged wood. Tannins have softened but still have a ways to go; also not as sweet as earlier; parallel taste from sommelier stems showed much sweeter than standard stems. Great pairing with our Father's Day prime strip steaks.
Three hours in the decanter: blueberries and flowers on the nose. Lighter still across the palate; well-balanced but an hour too-long in the decanter for the strength and complexity we prefer.
Curious in light of Dunnuck’s 97 rating. I wasn’t a big fan of the last couple vintages because I thought they were too fruit forward and quite rich/sweet but this vintage is a pleasant surprise - not as rich/sweet and more structure. Dark ruby fruit - dark cherry, currants, and blackberry. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity and solid depth/concentration. Nice vibrant flavors of dark berries, some spice/licorice, cassis, and a little mineral component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep - it needs more time to open-up with the finish. Decanted for two hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. Set some aside for day two and it was better - it opened-up some more. A nice vintage of this wine. I personally don’t see the 97 rating but hopefully more time proves me wrong. 95 appears to makes sense to me in another year or two. 93 on day one and 94 on day two. A miss from LPB of WA with her 91+ rating. 100% cab.
Great balance of fruit and structure, cassis and vanilla with a bright flip of pomegranate through the firm and lingering finish. Really enjoyed this wine.
4/29/2024 - Badmonkey wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby fruit - currants, dark cherry, and blackberry. Fruit forward and fairly rich but a little structure which was nice in comparison to the 2020 vintage which is a fruit bomb. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth/concentration - medium plus body. Nice vibrant flavors of cassis, some spice/licorice, and a little graphite component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Popped/poured but drank out of a decanter for a couple hours. Not much improvement with time but appears to be at a nice drinking point. A solid vintage of this wine but the 97 rating from Dunnuck is generous in my opinion. 100% cab.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
11/5/2023 - Franken Berry wrote: 92 Points
This suffered a bit next to the 18 Jones The Sisters I drank next to it. Gave this two hours slow ox. Blue and black fruited, cassis, plums, blackberries. Hint of spice, cedar. Medium in weight and length. A bit lacking on the finish. Nice balance, structure. A bit hot on the finish which throws off the harmony.
100% Cabernet from a single vineyard in St Helena. 90% new oak.
It’s well made, just not my jam, at the moment
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
9/9/2023 - FlyPig Likes this wine: 93 Points
Hold
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2023 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Right out of the bottle the nose is reminiscent of walking through a field of lavender and flowers. Initial taste is sweet; while tight tannins lurk in the background, this is very much fruit forward at first glance.
After an hour in the decanter the nose is youthful Bordeaux, with leather, sweet tobacco and aged wood. Tannins have softened but still have a ways to go; also not as sweet as earlier; parallel taste from sommelier stems showed much sweeter than standard stems. Great pairing with our Father's Day prime strip steaks.
Three hours in the decanter: blueberries and flowers on the nose. Lighter still across the palate; well-balanced but an hour too-long in the decanter for the strength and complexity we prefer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
10/22/2022 - NDrulz82 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Thin, Needs more time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2022 - Badmonkey wrote: 94 Points
Curious in light of Dunnuck’s 97 rating. I wasn’t a big fan of the last couple vintages because I thought they were too fruit forward and quite rich/sweet but this vintage is a pleasant surprise - not as rich/sweet and more structure. Dark ruby fruit - dark cherry, currants, and blackberry. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity and solid depth/concentration. Nice vibrant flavors of dark berries, some spice/licorice, cassis, and a little mineral component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep - it needs more time to open-up with the finish. Decanted for two hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. Set some aside for day two and it was better - it opened-up some more. A nice vintage of this wine. I personally don’t see the 97 rating but hopefully more time proves me wrong. 95 appears to makes sense to me in another year or two. 93 on day one and 94 on day two. A miss from LPB of WA with her 91+ rating. 100% cab.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (6)
1/12/2022 - poppacork Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great balance of fruit and structure, cassis and vanilla with a bright flip of pomegranate through the firm and lingering finish. Really enjoyed this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
11/12/2021 - pakabear Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tried one early, approachable now, but I’ll wait a year or two before trying the second bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2021 - FlyPig Likes this wine: 93 Points
3 hour decant
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment