Surprise of the night! Holding up beautifully from an excellent Napa vintage. Ripe fruit, earth, and fig pronounced and still singing! Terra Valentine tasting alongside a 2006 and 2007 Yverdon Vineyard Cab as well as the 2008 Premier Napa Valley “fleur de lys” Cab Franc! Possibly one of the most underrated producers in Napa Valley! Excellent wine.
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Opague purple. Primary fruits throughout are black currant and black cherry, with secondary black berry. Well structured by acid and tannin, and smoothly textured. While enjoyable and a good example of a Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, this bottle is not as good as the previous one I drank - less lively and complete.
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A superb example of how good Spring Mountain Cabs are. This 15 year old Cabernet Sauvignon was drunk beside two significantly younger Cabs, yet was the darkest wine, black to the edge and with purple bubbles from the pour. Also, the most aromatic wine, with black cherry, black current, and black plum. The sip comes in smooth and deep, with well integrated acidity and tannin, and the swallow generates a spike of fruit flavors. Overall, drinking at its peak and will hold for another 5 years.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry and cherry with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish.
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- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and black currant with a medium body. Coarse texture with a medium finish - Past it's peak. Drink now. Not bad for an everyday Cab. Still has some tannins.
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- Brick color with fast forming legs. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry and black currant with a medium body. Smooth texture with a short finish - This wine is past it's peak. No tannins are left. Nice nose of dark fruit. Not bad for an everyday drinking Cab from Napa.
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On the nose, rich, jammy berries, along with chocolate, tobacco, leather, and floral notes. Chocolate and dark fruit on the palate. Nice acidity. Medium-bodied. Popped & poured, drinking nicely out of the bottle.
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Fragrant aromas of cherries, leather, strawberries, oak. Initially sweet on the front end but fades quickly. Flavors of prunes and cocoa in a somewhat short finish.
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Mocha, soft and supple berry, cedar and vanilla like oak. Decently balanced with some tannins still hanging around. Enjoyable now with a bit of air but maybe it will get better in a year or two.
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Decanted in the bottle for 3 hours prior to this note. Nice rich nose of black cherries, raspberries, red licorice all rolled with some super fragrant toasty oak. Underneath the first layer is creme de casis, cedar box, touch of tobacco and some soft sweet creamy oak. Medium body on the palate, fruit profile seems a bit darker on the palate, nice richness with out being fat or too cloying. Good acid with some oak that is still up front and present. Baking spices, tobacco, perfume like red fruits and some fine grained tannins that are still present. It seems that there is still enough fruit that would warrant further ageing to let the tanins soften a bit more.
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Mature well rounded cab. Enjoy this now as the medium structure isn't going to let it improve much over the future. The price has come down some so this is a great deal if you can find it.
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The components are there but there may be something wrong with this wine. Decanted for about three hours, nice creamy texture, sweet vanilla oak, black and red fruits. Nose is lush and rich with tons of toasty oak and sweet red fruits. Palate is a bit disjointed with some astringency on the back end. The fruit and richness seems a bit masked. I think this may be a bad bottle compared to others from the same source.
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After about two hours of air in between the bottle and glass this started to open up nicely. Fresh aromas of raspberry liqueur, puree of red fruits, strawberry seed, creme de casis and some cool blue fruits. There wasnt much going on for secondary aromatics, maybe a hint of road tar, tobacco and cedar box. Nice medium body and balance on the palate. definitely some sweet tannins, obvious toasted oak and more red fruits. Nice wine but a bit of astringency on the back end really takes away from this wine. Maybe it will come together a bit but time will tell.
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Very similar to a bottle I had just six weeks ago, but somehow more enjoyable. Unlike the last one, this one was poured for a small group of people, and their unanimous praise for it probably influenced me, as did the opportunity to compare it with other comparably-priced wines. Still not terribly complex, but just flat-out delicious. Nose and taste about the same as the last bottle, but my IMPRESSION was that this one had a longer, brighter finish.
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Opened shortly before drinking. Mostly cherries on the nose and on the palate. In fact, the lack of complexity was disappointing - no coffee, no vanilla, no licorice, no tobacco, no nothing except cherries. Nice, rich mouthfeel, but not enough tannins or acids to balance the sweetness of the fruit. Fairly abrupt finish. Not bad, and certainly not over the hill, but not very interesting.
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Nose gives off scents of clean red berries, purple fruits, cedar box, cigar shavings and hints of a medicinal aspect. Medium body with chalky dry tannins, clean correct and nice acidity and mouthfeel. Might be slightly off but still rather clean and correct.
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Very tasty but could go another year or two.. I wouldn't hold it more than a few years though. Decent wine with nice Calif character, but I'd drink it young and move on.
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Beautiful and intense on the nose with blackberry, oak and black licorice. The fruit tastes the part of Spring Mountain. The tannins show up on the finish which is still pretty tight. This has some years left.
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Deep red. Nose of obvious Napa dust; a bit earthy. good but not great fruit in the nose. Big mouth feel, chewy and meaty. fairly well balanced except for the alcohol - somewhat hot, but it is over 14%... Popped and poured, but used the Vinturi on the tasting. This is a tasty wine that will hold a few more years. Enjoyable. A bit of cedar or leather on the finish - I'm not sure which... rather faint. Now it's time for some herb rubbed pork chops to see if it gets better over dinner.
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The Terra Valentine was slow to open as I remember it was a year ago when I tried it last. When the aromas finally did emerge it was volatile acidity and not much else. This wine seems very disjointed to me at this stage and very disappointing. I'll give the next bottle two more years. See you guys then.
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Nose is really nice and supple with black fruits, sweet cream, sour raspberries and forest floor. Medium body wine with a decent tannin structure still present. Little bit out astringency on the finish which really puts me off. Not as nice as the other bottles but still enjoyable. Nose is spot on but palate is a touch off. Maybe the oak is not integrated fully or this bottle is going through a funny stage.
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The wine was nice but not as good as it was in July 2006. Some of the secondary notes were now gone. Still very good with grilled steak, showing cherry, dark fruit and just a touch of chocolate. Most of the tannins were gone, too. Maybe an off bottle??? ... o/w drink up, now.
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Good. Readt to drink but could use a little more time to fully integrate the oak. Full-bodied, viscous with notes of dark cherry, blueberry, black soil, cigar tobacco, pepper and cedar. This wine is muthcoating with low acid and med-high alcohol. A very nice mountain cab.
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This wine showed much better from a mag than from a standard 750. The color was better, the wine was denser and had a longer finish. There were some great secondary flavors and scents of evergreen, bell pepper, and forest floor. Very rich with a little alchohol burn. I love the mountain Cabernet.
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Nice dark inky purple color all the way to the brim. Huge nose of dark cocoa, baking spices, dark currant flavors and toasty oak. Palate was very refined. Interesting minerals and earth which threw me off at first but integrated over the course of the glass. Huge dark mountain fruit including blackberries, currants and boysenberries. Good dose of spice including touches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Decent amount of oak in this wine which took time to integrate with the spice and fruit. Medium body with seemingly good structure. Touch of tobacco on the finish as well. This is in a nice spot right now and has at least 5 years ahead of it.
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Dark purple in color. It seems very thick for a 6 year old wine. It has a lot of cedar to the nose and slightly alcoholic. Heavy but not overly complex. Nice mouthfeel. I don't know what I paid for it so qpr is open.
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Still drinking great. Lots of value in this wine. Big wine with rich ripe fruits and plenty of depth and complexity. Lovely fruit, well structured tannins and long, lingering finish. Seems to be getting a bit better with bottle age.
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Clear, deep ruby. Clean, medium intensity aromas of red and black fruits, spice (oak), vanilla, herbs. Medium acidity, medium tannin, medium body. Flavors of cassis, blackberry, vanilla, spice, cedar, herbs. Medium length finish. Drinking very well now.
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Some initial bottle funk. Blew off very quickly then nose closed up. Nose begin to really open up after an hour. Needs around an hour of breathing to let nose develop and tannins soften and integrate. Nose of Ludens wild cherry cough drops (but in a pleasant way) and bitter chocolate with some cigar box and white pepper. Very nice mouth feel. Medium bodied. Restrained fruit and tannins in nice balance. Taste of bitter chocolate, Ludens wild cherry cough drops, and pepper. Very lingering finish on the mid palate, not much in the way of finish on the back palate. Nice wine, wish I had a few more bottles. Seems like it can age several more years.
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Really enjoyed this bottle. Somewhat reticent on the nose. But lush berry fruit and tobacco smoke on the palate. Silky tannins and nice, firm backbone. Well done.
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For the $ you will not find a better napa cap. While it is still a tad young, you definately get that Spring Mountain influence of strong berries and mocha. The tannins finished quite nicely.
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Pour this out and it almost looks like huckleberry syrup. Viscous, deep purple color. There's a lot pf ripe fruit here, blackberies in a thick creme. The tannins have retreated making the wine fully drinkable. Medium finish. I'd say this wine is ready. Go for it.
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Drinking very well now. Big, rich, nice oak spice. Lots of deep red fruit on the nose. Medium to medium plus intensity, medium acidity. Full body, with a medium long finish. Tannins are really starting to resolve.
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Gobs of fruit -- blackberry, cherry, plum --and hint of spice tea on the aftertaste. This is still coming together and might strike some as too sweet, but hard to find cab this good at this price.
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This wine was purchased on the day of my engagement. Special bottle but my fiancee always thought the name of the wine was better than its contents. Gave her a taste blind and she goes, "Is this two buck chuck? Smells like it" Ouch! I didn't get much on the nose. Faint smells of some dark fruits but almost muted smells. The palate did have some dark cherries infused with some bitter cocoa. The finish is actually pleasant with some sweet notes. Overall, this wine was nothing special and not worth the money. But since it's almost wedding time, I had to finish the engagement wine! :)
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It was an 86 on the first day. No decanting, just glass aerating. Left uncorked in the bottle for 24 hours. Initially this wine was very tight, giving up mostly fruit and some chocolate and vanilla. Eventually the nose opened to reveal mint, forest floor, faint bell pepper, quince, soy and roses with the fruit harmonizing nicely with the more green and earth aromas. The wine was also very tight in the mouth, eventually revealing bright cherry, pomegranate leading to a thick plum and oak giving way to a dark chocolate finish that lasted along with the cherry. This was a big, thick, muscular wine, showing a little finesse, but mostly powerful tannins and fruit. Very good mountain cab. Had the structure of other mountain cabs I have tried (Ladera, Mt. Veeder) with the big muscular tannins giving way to massive fruit.
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Still hoping for an improvement from the last bottle, No. I do not believe this will improve with time. If you have them drink them or give as holiday gifts...
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Allowed to get about 2 hours of air. Really strong green streak...almost a metallic element on the nose. We've enjoyed a number of bottles from this producer, but this bottle was very disappointing. Only got worse and more pronounced on day 2.
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Napa Valley Vintner's Big Nightlife Napa Valley Magnum Tasting Party (San Francisco, CA): Still impressed by the value of this big Mountain Cab ($35). With 6 months more of bottle age, picked up a bit more complexity and depth. Still getting a touch of earth, chocolate and tons of deep red fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins provide a nice balance to the intense and concentrated black and red-fruit flavors in the mouth. Terrific mouthfeel. Can't wait to taste this again in a year, then two.
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This is not their Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Cab. This is only available from the winery and is actually from Stagecoach vineyard and was intended on just making a blend, but it came out so good they decided to do a couple hundred cases of this straight Cab. Good nose of wild berry, cassis, blackberry with some smokey oak. The palate was Bursting with black cherry, cassis, currant fruit with some hints of vanilla, smoke, and chocolate. Soft/Supple tannins, very smooth, medium to full-bodied, long finish. For only $30, its a steal.
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I have seen notes off and on about this producer and was hoping for a better experience. Dark garnet color. Light body for a Cab. Raspy, rattling nose with a little bit of raspberry. Has a high acid feel in the mouth. Some definite green note, but no real concentration. Some noted tannins on the chalky side. Disjointed and jumpy in the mouth....really gets unpleasant. Not Recommended.
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@ Jackie Bryks' place in Gardiner, w/ steak dinner. Initially quite closed, with some blackberry and currant showing through, but quite tight. After 60 minutes of air, this showed lovely spice notes, with some clove and nutmeg. It was Gina's favorite wine of the night. (and my #2 WOTN). Definitely needs an hour of air, or a year of bottle age.
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I hate to agree with the pros (aka parker and laube), but this is a bit green... whether this will change with age or not remains to be seen. Regardless, this is an excellent wine for the price. I love Mountain Cab and this is a great example of it. As these vines age, I can't wait to see what comes of it!!!
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Drank at Hyde Park. Very nice mountain cab. Lots of fruit, but did turn a little harsh on the mid-late palate. Maybe this will smooth out with time, but this was still a very nice bottle for a reasonable price.
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Decent 02 cab, not much on the nose but loads of ripe and rich blackberry fruit on the palare. Tannins were stiff at first and mellowed with more time open. I agree with another reviewer that this wine might not be ready to drink. I also experienced a slight harshness mid-palate, possibly alcohol.
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April Wine Tasting (Cardinal Liquors, Crystal Lake, IL (NW Suburbs-Chicago)): Had at Wine Tasting. Big, bold good value mountain cab ($35). Picked up a touch of earth, chocolate and tons of deep red fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins provide a nice balance to the black and red-fruit flavors in a very mouth-filling cab. This will probably get better with a couple of years of bottle aging.
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Beautiful clean and dark ripe fruit on the nose with notes of graphite. Expansive in the mouth with a large but soft body and wonderfully ripe tannins. This wine is not ready to drink! While the tannins are developed and rich, they are not integrated with the fruit or oak. Give it a few years and this will be awesome. At this price, buy a case and start drinking in about 3 to 4 years. My only complaint: with aeration, some alcohol on the nose. It's underneath so it doesn't really detract from the richness of the fruit, but it's there. It's not bad enough to keep me from getting more.
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Mark H. brought this to an offline last week. He considers it to be the best value Cab out of California. Surprisingly smooth with good depth of fruit. Notes of chocolatey dark fruit, plum and berry. Good depth. 89-90 points.
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12/27/2020 - norsktorsk Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is drinking very nicely. totally holding up.
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11/1/2018 - Winegeek83 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Surprise of the night! Holding up beautifully from an excellent Napa vintage. Ripe fruit, earth, and fig pronounced and still singing! Terra Valentine tasting alongside a 2006 and 2007 Yverdon Vineyard Cab as well as the 2008 Premier Napa Valley “fleur de lys” Cab Franc! Possibly one of the most underrated producers in Napa Valley! Excellent wine.
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8/7/2018 - Mossrose wrote: 92 Points
Opague purple. Primary fruits throughout are black currant and black cherry, with secondary black berry. Well structured by acid and tannin, and smoothly textured. While enjoyable and a good example of a Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, this bottle is not as good as the previous one I drank - less lively and complete.
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4/6/2017 - Mossrose wrote: 94 Points
A superb example of how good Spring Mountain Cabs are. This 15 year old Cabernet Sauvignon was drunk beside two significantly younger Cabs, yet was the darkest wine, black to the edge and with purple bubbles from the pour. Also, the most aromatic wine, with black cherry, black current, and black plum. The sip comes in smooth and deep, with well integrated acidity and tannin, and the swallow generates a spike of fruit flavors. Overall, drinking at its peak and will hold for another 5 years.
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3/1/2015 - Marc S wrote: 88 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry and cherry with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish.
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5/3/2014 - Marc S wrote: 89 Points
- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and black currant with a medium body. Coarse texture with a medium finish - Past it's peak. Drink now. Not bad for an everyday Cab. Still has some tannins.
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2/27/2014 - Marc S wrote: 88 Points
- Brick color with fast forming legs. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry and black currant with a medium body. Smooth texture with a short finish - This wine is past it's peak. No tannins are left. Nice nose of dark fruit. Not bad for an everyday drinking Cab from Napa.
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11/8/2013 - behm0027 Likes this wine: 90 Points
On the nose, rich, jammy berries, along with chocolate, tobacco, leather, and floral notes. Chocolate and dark fruit on the palate. Nice acidity. Medium-bodied. Popped & poured, drinking nicely out of the bottle.
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3/22/2013 - Rojo wrote: 87 Points
Fragrant aromas of cherries, leather, strawberries, oak. Initially sweet on the front end but fades quickly. Flavors of prunes and cocoa in a somewhat short finish.
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12/4/2011 - tyvoodoo wrote:
Mocha, soft and supple berry, cedar and vanilla like oak. Decently balanced with some tannins still hanging around. Enjoyable now with a bit of air but maybe it will get better in a year or two.
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8/25/2011 - GlassHalfFull wrote: 86 Points
I wouldn't hold onto this any longer.
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8/14/2011 - GolferChris wrote: 90 Points
Well balanced cab which has aged nicely and is drinking well now. Good fruit and nice tannins with solid finish.
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4/12/2011 - tyvoodoo wrote: 90 Points
Decanted in the bottle for 3 hours prior to this note. Nice rich nose of black cherries, raspberries, red licorice all rolled with some super fragrant toasty oak. Underneath the first layer is creme de casis, cedar box, touch of tobacco and some soft sweet creamy oak. Medium body on the palate, fruit profile seems a bit darker on the palate, nice richness with out being fat or too cloying. Good acid with some oak that is still up front and present. Baking spices, tobacco, perfume like red fruits and some fine grained tannins that are still present. It seems that there is still enough fruit that would warrant further ageing to let the tanins soften a bit more.
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3/27/2011 - Unwined Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took to dinner party - fabulous on the nose, a lot of berry, nice finish
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2/5/2011 - marka wrote: flawed
Corked
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1/24/2011 - BigGer wrote: 87 Points
Mature well rounded cab. Enjoy this now as the medium structure isn't going to let it improve much over the future. The price has come down some so this is a great deal if you can find it.
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1/9/2011 - tyvoodoo wrote: 87 Points
The components are there but there may be something wrong with this wine. Decanted for about three hours, nice creamy texture, sweet vanilla oak, black and red fruits. Nose is lush and rich with tons of toasty oak and sweet red fruits. Palate is a bit disjointed with some astringency on the back end. The fruit and richness seems a bit masked. I think this may be a bad bottle compared to others from the same source.
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9/19/2010 - tyvoodoo wrote: 91 Points
After about two hours of air in between the bottle and glass this started to open up nicely. Fresh aromas of raspberry liqueur, puree of red fruits, strawberry seed, creme de casis and some cool blue fruits. There wasnt much going on for secondary aromatics, maybe a hint of road tar, tobacco and cedar box. Nice medium body and balance on the palate. definitely some sweet tannins, obvious toasted oak and more red fruits. Nice wine but a bit of astringency on the back end really takes away from this wine. Maybe it will come together a bit but time will tell.
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8/20/2010 - Night Train wrote: 88 Points
Very similar to a bottle I had just six weeks ago, but somehow more enjoyable. Unlike the last one, this one was poured for a small group of people, and their unanimous praise for it probably influenced me, as did the opportunity to compare it with other comparably-priced wines. Still not terribly complex, but just flat-out delicious. Nose and taste about the same as the last bottle, but my IMPRESSION was that this one had a longer, brighter finish.
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7/4/2010 - Night Train wrote: 86 Points
Opened shortly before drinking. Mostly cherries on the nose and on the palate. In fact, the lack of complexity was disappointing - no coffee, no vanilla, no licorice, no tobacco, no nothing except cherries. Nice, rich mouthfeel, but not enough tannins or acids to balance the sweetness of the fruit. Fairly abrupt finish. Not bad, and certainly not over the hill, but not very interesting.
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4/11/2010 - tyvoodoo wrote: 90 Points
Nose gives off scents of clean red berries, purple fruits, cedar box, cigar shavings and hints of a medicinal aspect. Medium body with chalky dry tannins, clean correct and nice acidity and mouthfeel. Might be slightly off but still rather clean and correct.
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3/7/2010 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Very tasty but could go another year or two.. I wouldn't hold it more than a few years though. Decent wine with nice Calif character, but I'd drink it young and move on.
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2/10/2010 - grapemaven wrote: 92 Points
Excellent black fruits - a l ittle molasses? Have no idea how it got in my cellar but caused me to pay attention.
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12/26/2009 - smokie wrote: 92 Points
Too bad this is my last bottle. Many years of evolution ahead. Softening into a classic cab with cassis, nice fruit, sweet tannins. Great value.
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11/30/2009 - nate's cellar wrote: 89 Points
very nice spring mtn cab.
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10/4/2009 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful and intense on the nose with blackberry, oak and black licorice. The fruit tastes the part of Spring Mountain. The tannins show up on the finish which is still pretty tight. This has some years left.
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9/13/2009 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Deep red. Nose of obvious Napa dust; a bit earthy. good but not great fruit in the nose. Big mouth feel, chewy and meaty. fairly well balanced except for the alcohol - somewhat hot, but it is over 14%...
Popped and poured, but used the Vinturi on the tasting. This is a tasty wine that will hold a few more years. Enjoyable.
A bit of cedar or leather on the finish - I'm not sure which... rather faint.
Now it's time for some herb rubbed pork chops to see if it gets better over dinner.
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5/27/2009 - Marc S wrote: 86 Points
Wonderful bottle of cab that you should enjoy.
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5/24/2009 - kanjimoti wrote: 84 Points
The Terra Valentine was slow to open as I remember it was a year ago when I tried it last. When the aromas finally did emerge it was volatile acidity and not much else. This wine seems very disjointed to me at this stage and very disappointing. I'll give the next bottle two more years. See you guys then.
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5/23/2009 - ChrisSummer wrote: 89 Points
Silky in texture, medium to long finish. Cherry & blackberry
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5/2/2009 - tyvoodoo wrote: 88 Points
Nose is really nice and supple with black fruits, sweet cream, sour raspberries and forest floor. Medium body wine with a decent tannin structure still present. Little bit out astringency on the finish which really puts me off. Not as nice as the other bottles but still enjoyable. Nose is spot on but palate is a touch off. Maybe the oak is not integrated fully or this bottle is going through a funny stage.
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3/5/2009 - Garfield wrote: 92 Points
Deep, dark and brooding. Excellent mountain fruit.
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1/14/2009 - TashNYC wrote: 89 Points
The wine was nice but not as good as it was in July 2006. Some of the secondary notes were now gone. Still very good with grilled steak, showing cherry, dark fruit and just a touch of chocolate. Most of the tannins were gone, too. Maybe an off bottle??? ... o/w drink up, now.
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11/22/2008 - tyvoodoo wrote: flawed
Extremely corked, dumped.
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11/16/2008 - BigTarheel wrote: 89 Points
Good. Readt to drink but could use a little more time to fully integrate the oak. Full-bodied, viscous with notes of dark cherry, blueberry, black soil, cigar tobacco, pepper and cedar. This wine is muthcoating with low acid and med-high alcohol. A very nice mountain cab.
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11/10/2008 - Garfield wrote: 92 Points
This wine showed much better from a mag than from a standard 750. The color was better, the wine was denser and had a longer finish. There were some great secondary flavors and scents of evergreen, bell pepper, and forest floor. Very rich with a little alchohol burn. I love the mountain Cabernet.
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10/15/2008 - tyvoodoo wrote: 91 Points
Nice dark inky purple color all the way to the brim. Huge nose of dark cocoa, baking spices, dark currant flavors and toasty oak. Palate was very refined. Interesting minerals and earth which threw me off at first but integrated over the course of the glass. Huge dark mountain fruit including blackberries, currants and boysenberries. Good dose of spice including touches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Decent amount of oak in this wine which took time to integrate with the spice and fruit. Medium body with seemingly good structure. Touch of tobacco on the finish as well. This is in a nice spot right now and has at least 5 years ahead of it.
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9/13/2008 - cobystilp wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple in color. It seems very thick for a 6 year old wine. It has a lot of cedar to the nose and slightly alcoholic. Heavy but not overly complex. Nice mouthfeel. I don't know what I paid for it so qpr is open.
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6/26/2008 - GolferChris wrote: 92 Points
Still drinking great. Lots of value in this wine. Big wine with rich ripe fruits and plenty of depth and complexity. Lovely fruit, well structured tannins and long, lingering finish. Seems to be getting a bit better with bottle age.
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5/1/2008 - incident wrote: 91 Points
Clear, deep ruby. Clean, medium intensity aromas of red and black fruits, spice (oak), vanilla, herbs. Medium acidity, medium tannin, medium body. Flavors of cassis, blackberry, vanilla, spice, cedar, herbs. Medium length finish. Drinking very well now.
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4/25/2008 - NPWolfe wrote: 88 Points
Some initial bottle funk. Blew off very quickly then nose closed up. Nose begin to really open up after an hour. Needs around an hour of breathing to let nose develop and tannins soften and integrate. Nose of Ludens wild cherry cough drops (but in a pleasant way) and bitter chocolate with some cigar box and white pepper. Very nice mouth feel. Medium bodied. Restrained fruit and tannins in nice balance. Taste of bitter chocolate, Ludens wild cherry cough drops, and pepper. Very lingering finish on the mid palate, not much in the way of finish on the back palate. Nice wine, wish I had a few more bottles. Seems like it can age several more years.
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4/15/2008 - signotim wrote: 91 Points
Really enjoyed this bottle. Somewhat reticent on the nose. But lush berry fruit and tobacco smoke on the palate. Silky tannins and nice, firm backbone. Well done.
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11/19/2007 - mjsherwin68 wrote: 90 Points
Drank from a friends inventory who is a TV club member. Great all around cab. with traditional Napa Cabernet style
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10/25/2007 - dharri1 wrote: 91 Points
Deep color. Not a lot of nose.
But very smooth. lots of fruit cherry.
Typical napa cab. Thought pretty good deal for the money.
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10/14/2007 - dburton wrote:
drank with grilled fillets. Soft tannins. Nice fruit.
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9/26/2007 - mjayer wrote: 89 Points
Nice dark cherry flavours with plenty of cocoa powder and some hints of forest. Drinking well and really a nice complement to food at this stage.
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9/16/2007 - jawswine wrote: 90 Points
For the $ you will not find a better napa cap. While it is still a tad young, you definately get that Spring Mountain influence of strong berries and mocha. The tannins finished quite nicely.
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7/7/2007 - BigGer wrote: 90 Points
Pour this out and it almost looks like huckleberry syrup. Viscous, deep purple color. There's a lot pf ripe fruit here, blackberies in a thick creme. The tannins have retreated making the wine fully drinkable. Medium finish. I'd say this wine is ready. Go for it.
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7/1/2007 - smokie wrote: 90 Points
Really quite nice, with hints of Spring Mountain flavors. Still tightly wound and could use a year or two more.
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6/20/2007 - incident wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well now. Big, rich, nice oak spice. Lots of deep red fruit on the nose. Medium to medium plus intensity, medium acidity. Full body, with a medium long finish. Tannins are really starting to resolve.
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5/21/2007 - crickdog25 wrote: 93 Points
Gobs of fruit -- blackberry, cherry, plum --and hint of spice tea on the aftertaste. This is still coming together and might strike some as too sweet, but hard to find cab this good at this price.
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5/20/2007 - hudamang wrote: 85 Points
This wine was purchased on the day of my engagement. Special bottle but my fiancee always thought the name of the wine was better than its contents. Gave her a taste blind and she goes, "Is this two buck chuck? Smells like it" Ouch! I didn't get much on the nose. Faint smells of some dark fruits but almost muted smells. The palate did have some dark cherries infused with some bitter cocoa. The finish is actually pleasant with some sweet notes. Overall, this wine was nothing special and not worth the money. But since it's almost wedding time, I had to finish the engagement wine! :)
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5/14/2007 - silvercup wrote: 92 Points
It was an 86 on the first day. No decanting, just glass aerating. Left uncorked in the bottle for 24 hours. Initially this wine was very tight, giving up mostly fruit and some chocolate and vanilla. Eventually the nose opened to reveal mint, forest floor, faint bell pepper, quince, soy and roses with the fruit harmonizing nicely with the more green and earth aromas. The wine was also very tight in the mouth, eventually revealing bright cherry, pomegranate leading to a thick plum and oak giving way to a dark chocolate finish that lasted along with the cherry. This was a big, thick, muscular wine, showing a little finesse, but mostly powerful tannins and fruit. Very good mountain cab. Had the structure of other mountain cabs I have tried (Ladera, Mt. Veeder) with the big muscular tannins giving way to massive fruit.
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4/30/2007 - incident wrote: 91 Points
Drinking great right now. No green side to this bottle at all. Nice deep red and black fruits, great length with a long finish.
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3/29/2007 - incident wrote: 89 Points
Still a great value in Ca. Cab.
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2/11/2007 - callmeacab22 wrote: 81 Points
Seemed closed when first opened, but more air brought on a nasty green veg. taste - also noticed by others.
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1/21/2007 - mdodd wrote: 88 Points
tight nose. some red fruit. harsh tannins. a bit vegetal. probably needs 3-5 more years.
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11/30/2006 - RWilkinson wrote: 88 Points
Still hoping for an improvement from the last bottle, No. I do not believe this will improve with time. If you have them drink them or give as holiday gifts...
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11/23/2006 - pkwoods wrote:
Allowed to get about 2 hours of air. Really strong green streak...almost a metallic element on the nose. We've enjoyed a number of bottles from this producer, but this bottle was very disappointing. Only got worse and more pronounced on day 2.
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10/27/2006 - RWilkinson wrote: 88 Points
definite green note,disjointed in the mouth.
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10/18/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 92 Points
Napa Valley Vintner's Big Nightlife Napa Valley Magnum Tasting Party (San Francisco, CA): Still impressed by the value of this big Mountain Cab ($35). With 6 months more of bottle age, picked up a bit more complexity and depth. Still getting a touch of earth, chocolate and tons of deep red fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins provide a nice balance to the intense and concentrated black and red-fruit flavors in the mouth. Terrific mouthfeel. Can't wait to taste this again in a year, then two.
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9/23/2006 - pakabear wrote: 85 Points
Very simple casis liqour. Not my cup of tea, but it's not bad every once and a while.
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7/21/2006 - LACERS wrote: 93 Points
This is not their Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Cab. This is only available from the winery and is actually from Stagecoach vineyard and was intended on just making a blend, but it came out so good they decided to do a couple hundred cases of this straight Cab. Good nose of wild berry, cassis, blackberry with some smokey oak. The palate was Bursting with black cherry, cassis, currant fruit with some hints of vanilla, smoke, and chocolate. Soft/Supple tannins, very smooth, medium to full-bodied, long finish. For only $30, its a steal.
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7/15/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Blind tasting. Very New World, with massive, lush black fruit. Lots of sweet new oak spice. Would like more nuance.
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7/15/2006 - Hillbilly wrote:
I have seen notes off and on about this producer and was hoping for a better experience. Dark garnet color. Light body for a Cab. Raspy, rattling nose with a little bit of raspberry. Has a high acid feel in the mouth. Some definite green note, but no real concentration. Some noted tannins on the chalky side. Disjointed and jumpy in the mouth....really gets unpleasant. Not Recommended.
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7/1/2006 - TashNYC wrote: 91 Points
@ Jackie Bryks' place in Gardiner, w/ steak dinner. Initially quite closed, with some blackberry and currant showing through, but quite tight. After 60 minutes of air, this showed lovely spice notes, with some clove and nutmeg. It was Gina's favorite wine of the night. (and my #2 WOTN). Definitely needs an hour of air, or a year of bottle age.
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6/26/2006 - andycak wrote: 88 Points
I hate to agree with the pros (aka parker and laube), but this is a bit green... whether this will change with age or not remains to be seen. Regardless, this is an excellent wine for the price. I love Mountain Cab and this is a great example of it. As these vines age, I can't wait to see what comes of it!!!
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6/24/2006 - bajayngo wrote: 89 Points
this had waht I've come to describe as cali fruit, deep, dark, ripe and very complex. nice earth and fruit, very dark in the glass. good balance
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6/24/2006 - dharri1 wrote: 91 Points
Really good. Great deep color, lots of legs. Very smooth rich color.
Would have liked to get more.
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6/18/2006 - Coleman wrote: 91 Points
Drank at Hyde Park. Very nice mountain cab. Lots of fruit, but did turn a little harsh on the mid-late palate. Maybe this will smooth out with time, but this was still a very nice bottle for a reasonable price.
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5/25/2006 - slippytoad wrote: 91 Points
Decent 02 cab, not much on the nose but loads of ripe and rich blackberry fruit on the palare. Tannins were stiff at first and mellowed with more time open. I agree with another reviewer that this wine might not be ready to drink. I also experienced a slight harshness mid-palate, possibly alcohol.
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5/21/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 90 Points
Terra Valentine Winery Visit and Tasting (Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, CA): Deep purple color. Very approachable now. Blackberry, currant, cherry and pepper. Firm tannins balance the big fruit and provide the structure leading to the long, lingering finish.
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5/3/2006 - Arcturus wrote: 88 Points
Rich cab with hints of blackberry and chocolate but I expereinced a green or sour midpalate. 88
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4/8/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 92 Points
April Wine Tasting (Cardinal Liquors, Crystal Lake, IL (NW Suburbs-Chicago)): Had at Wine Tasting. Big, bold good value mountain cab ($35). Picked up a touch of earth, chocolate and tons of deep red fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins provide a nice balance to the black and red-fruit flavors in a very mouth-filling cab. This will probably get better with a couple of years of bottle aging.
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2/25/2006 - wmbar wrote: 83 Points
Harsh!
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12/22/2005 - Bin242 wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful clean and dark ripe fruit on the nose with notes of graphite. Expansive in the mouth with a large but soft body and wonderfully ripe tannins. This wine is not ready to drink! While the tannins are developed and rich, they are not integrated with the fruit or oak. Give it a few years and this will be awesome. At this price, buy a case and start drinking in about 3 to 4 years. My only complaint: with aeration, some alcohol on the nose. It's underneath so it doesn't really detract from the richness of the fruit, but it's there. It's not bad enough to keep me from getting more.
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11/30/2005 - Vino Me wrote: 89 Points
Mark H. brought this to an offline last week. He considers it to be the best value Cab out of California. Surprisingly smooth with good depth of fruit. Notes of chocolatey dark fruit, plum and berry. Good depth. 89-90 points.
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