Raspberry and red cherry on the nose. Medium acidity and body. Notes of cherry, currant, and clove. Potential for some good tertiary flavors as it matures. I'd give it a few more years. Too young and too fruity for now. Could pair well with charcuterie and aged cheese. Needs high salt/fat to balance the intense fruit.
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Decanted off a surprising amount of sediment, and aired for an hour.
Eye: Black red center to a medium ruby rim.
Nose: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco.
Palate: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco. Chinese five spice. Lightly meaty. Some red fruit. Light anise. Low to medium acidity. Well structured tannins.
Finish: Lightly minty. Lingering meat, spice, and tart red fruit.
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I agree with most even after 2 hour decant it seemed a little tight and opened up and became much better at the 4 hour mark. Typically 5 or 6 year mark is enough time but this might need 8 years
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Reviewed after 1 hr decant. Dusty gravel, cherry and cedar on nose. Still closed on first taste but opens to cherry and vanilla, even plum with aeration. Silky smooth. Bordeaux in nature and more medium than full bodied.
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Agree with other reviewers on this changing pretty dramatically with air. Upon open it was deep black fruits, slate, and some cedar. After half an hour, the fruit brightened some to red berries and sour cherry while the cedar was still prevelant on the pallette and the mineral hung around, but was less prevelant. Tannins started to creep in at this point. At 90 minutes it was in a bit of a lull and had a bit more of the stereotypical Napa cab jamminess with red/blue fruits, but more integrated tannins and less complexity. At 4 hours it seemed to settle into black cherry and plum with a bit of graphite. Medium-full bodied with a long, chewy finish. I've had a lot of Napa cabs that I wouldn't come back to, but this isn't one of them. I'll probably pick up some more to see how this does over the next decade. Lots of potential, but needs some time.
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Opened this to pair with a steak dinner. Not enough decanting time, and this certainly requires at least 45min+ to enhance the flavors.
On the nose, oak, tree bark and dark fruit. Initial sips had notes of oak, vanilla, plum and leather. This opens up and some of the intense oak notes fade to reveal further vanilla, dark fruit and smoke. Lengthy finish.
Med+/full bodied, dry, smooth and well balanced.
This one definitely needs time to open up and drastically changes the character of the wine.
A bit pricey.
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Dusty, gravely nose with dark berries, plum, fig, cinnamon candy, coconut macaroon, dark chocolate, and cedar. Full-bodied with medium-plus acidity. Ripe with chalky tannins that come in late. Should evolve but may never really shut down.
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Wine tasting at work, where the following three wines were included in the tasting: Casa Castilla Cuvee N 2017 Score: Cautious opening, but the wine grew during the evening was very good with the food, 93 p.
Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Score: Nice fruit with too obvious oak, but grew to the food, 91 p
Burzi Barolo 2016 Score: Fantastic Nebbiolo for being their base Barolo, my favorite with the food, 93p
During the evening, the following food was served: Grilled whole Entrecote, reduced red wine sauce and young baked almond potatoes. And where the following wines were drunk:
K Vintner's Cattle King 2018 Score: Best wine of the night, great fruit with wonderful acidity, perfect now, 94 p
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion 2016 Score: Good but simple Bordeaux, reliable, 91 p
Juan Gil Bruto 2014 Score: Powerful Monastrell but very well made, 93 p
K Vintner's The Creator 2018 Score: Lovely Cabernet (80%) and nice Syrah (20%), needs a bit more time in the cellar, 93p
Felipe Staiti Malbec Honor 2015 Score: Best wine of the night (with Cattle King), lovely Malbec, nice fruit with good acidity, very good with food, 94p
Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2020 Score: Vasse Felix from Margaret River, my favorite Chardonnay for about €25, 92p
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2020 Score: Very affordable Pinot Noir from Santa Barbera, classic PN fruit with a little more body, very appreciated, 91 p.
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Blackberry and vanilla on the aroma. Similar taste profile. Medium-plus acidity and medium-plus tannins. Medium- plus body. Overall, its not super complex, but it is well balanced with a good tannin structure.
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This is old school structured cab, that when opened smelled like a young Pauillac. It takes a minimum of five hours of air to show much of anything so not sure what some of the professional reviews are talking about. It builds in body over hours but never becomes opulent by any stretch like some prior vintages of Oakville Mondavi. I really like it and think it has a real chance for an upscoring, but this needs 5-7, or possibly even 10 years more of age and the quality certainly seems there. Pretty impressive stuff but definitely do not buy if you need to drink anything soon. Plenty of other Napa cabs are good for that such as Hess Collection. Will look forward to trying another bottle around 2030.
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Mondavi smakk á Konsúlat hóteli (Konsúlat hótel, Hafnarstræti 17-19): Svipaður litur og á cab. sauv. víninu á undan. Miklu þyngri ilmur. Sætara í ilmi. Líka mikill ferskleiki og mynta í ilmi. Á tungunni: Eikaðra en fyrra cab. sauv. vínið. Tannín eru áberandi. Sýran var hins vegar ekki eins áberandi. Og þarna eru hrúgur af dökkum ávexti. Mjög frambærilegt vín. Talsvert skref upp á við frá grunn kabbanum.
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93 Sep 2022 👃 perfumed red fruits 👅 light bodied for a cab, blackberry, cassis, high acidity, nice wood tannins that hang just an extra second. A fresh tasting cab. Zippy. Delicious. I think they used a lot of young To Kalon fruit in this one. Would be very, very difficult to pay the new $90 price tag for this though, in which case may as well spring for Beringer Reserve which has got to be better.... right?
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One of better Napa Cabs in resent time. Really nice fruit, fine acidity and a great finnish. This will come together as a beautiful wine if you wait 3 - 5 years!
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Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (Eagle Brook CC): Blind. Pulled the cork three hours before it was served as the bonus red. Plum, chocolate and dark berry fruit on the nose and palate. Well-balanced. Clearly young and should be quite nice given some time in the cellar. Check back in around 2028.
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A nose of some dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red, with black cherry, plum, some spice on a long finish. www.winelx.com
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4/22/2024 - jmoney11 wrote: 83 Points
Raspberry and red cherry on the nose.
Medium acidity and body.
Notes of cherry, currant, and clove.
Potential for some good tertiary flavors as it matures.
I'd give it a few more years.
Too young and too fruity for now.
Could pair well with charcuterie and aged cheese. Needs high salt/fat to balance the intense fruit.
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3/27/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted off a surprising amount of sediment, and aired for an hour.
Eye: Black red center to a medium ruby rim.
Nose: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco.
Palate: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco. Chinese five spice. Lightly meaty. Some red fruit. Light anise. Low to medium acidity. Well structured tannins.
Finish: Lightly minty. Lingering meat, spice, and tart red fruit.
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2/19/2024 - Flgator1965 wrote: 91 Points
I agree with most even after 2 hour decant it seemed a little tight and opened up and became much better at the 4 hour mark. Typically 5 or 6 year mark is enough time but this might need 8 years
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2/4/2024 - gstutz Likes this wine: 89 Points
Reviewed after 1 hr decant. Dusty gravel, cherry and cedar on nose. Still closed on first taste but opens to cherry and vanilla, even plum with aeration. Silky smooth. Bordeaux in nature and more medium than full bodied.
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1/29/2024 - rnjbond wrote: 90 Points
Very solid wine, but you can tell it needs time to open up. It got better in the glass as time went on. Plum notes.
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11/24/2023 - Steve Cub Likes this wine: 90 Points
Agree with other reviewers on this changing pretty dramatically with air. Upon open it was deep black fruits, slate, and some cedar. After half an hour, the fruit brightened some to red berries and sour cherry while the cedar was still prevelant on the pallette and the mineral hung around, but was less prevelant. Tannins started to creep in at this point. At 90 minutes it was in a bit of a lull and had a bit more of the stereotypical Napa cab jamminess with red/blue fruits, but more integrated tannins and less complexity. At 4 hours it seemed to settle into black cherry and plum with a bit of graphite. Medium-full bodied with a long, chewy finish. I've had a lot of Napa cabs that I wouldn't come back to, but this isn't one of them. I'll probably pick up some more to see how this does over the next decade. Lots of potential, but needs some time.
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8/25/2023 - Srabkin90 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened this to pair with a steak dinner. Not enough decanting time, and this certainly requires at least 45min+ to enhance the flavors.
On the nose, oak, tree bark and dark fruit. Initial sips had notes of oak, vanilla, plum and leather. This opens up and some of the intense oak notes fade to reveal further vanilla, dark fruit and smoke. Lengthy finish.
Med+/full bodied, dry, smooth and well balanced.
This one definitely needs time to open up and drastically changes the character of the wine.
A bit pricey.
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4/18/2023 - MarkLA wrote: 92 Points
Dusty, gravely nose with dark berries, plum, fig, cinnamon candy, coconut macaroon, dark chocolate, and cedar. Full-bodied with medium-plus acidity. Ripe with chalky tannins that come in late. Should evolve but may never really shut down.
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2/24/2023 - SirJ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wine tasting at work, where the following three wines were included in the tasting:
Casa Castilla Cuvee N 2017
Score: Cautious opening, but the wine grew during the evening was very good with the food, 93 p.
Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Score: Nice fruit with too obvious oak, but grew to the food, 91 p
Burzi Barolo 2016
Score: Fantastic Nebbiolo for being their base Barolo, my favorite with the food, 93p
During the evening, the following food was served: Grilled whole Entrecote, reduced red wine sauce and young baked almond potatoes. And where the following wines were drunk:
K Vintner's Cattle King 2018
Score: Best wine of the night, great fruit with wonderful acidity, perfect now, 94 p
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion 2016
Score: Good but simple Bordeaux, reliable, 91 p
Juan Gil Bruto 2014
Score: Powerful Monastrell but very well made, 93 p
K Vintner's The Creator 2018
Score: Lovely Cabernet (80%) and nice Syrah (20%), needs a bit more time in the cellar, 93p
Felipe Staiti Malbec Honor 2015
Score: Best wine of the night (with Cattle King), lovely Malbec, nice fruit with good acidity, very good with food, 94p
Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2020
Score: Vasse Felix from Margaret River, my favorite Chardonnay for about €25, 92p
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2020
Score: Very affordable Pinot Noir from Santa Barbera, classic PN fruit with a little more body, very appreciated, 91 p.
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12/26/2022 - sboyle Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blackberry and vanilla on the aroma. Similar taste profile. Medium-plus acidity and medium-plus tannins. Medium- plus body. Overall, its not super complex, but it is well balanced with a good tannin structure.
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11/21/2022 - tphilca Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is old school structured cab, that when opened smelled like a young Pauillac. It takes a minimum of five hours of air to show much of anything so not sure what some of the professional reviews are talking about. It builds in body over hours but never becomes opulent by any stretch like some prior vintages of Oakville Mondavi. I really like it and think it has a real chance for an upscoring, but this needs 5-7, or possibly even 10 years more of age and the quality certainly seems there. Pretty impressive stuff but definitely do not buy if you need to drink anything soon. Plenty of other Napa cabs are good for that such as Hess Collection. Will look forward to trying another bottle around 2030.
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11/17/2022 - bitdrerik wrote: 91 Points
Mondavi smakk á Konsúlat hóteli (Konsúlat hótel, Hafnarstræti 17-19): Svipaður litur og á cab. sauv. víninu á undan. Miklu þyngri ilmur. Sætara í ilmi. Líka mikill ferskleiki og mynta í ilmi. Á tungunni: Eikaðra en fyrra cab. sauv. vínið. Tannín eru áberandi. Sýran var hins vegar ekki eins áberandi. Og þarna eru hrúgur af dökkum ávexti. Mjög frambærilegt vín. Talsvert skref upp á við frá grunn kabbanum.
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9/30/2022 - alexlb06 wrote: 89 Points
Not bad, but nothing special. Some blueberry/blackberry flavors initially but a bit too young still
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9/29/2022 - YackAttack213 Likes this wine: 93 Points
93 Sep 2022 👃 perfumed red fruits 👅 light bodied for a cab, blackberry, cassis, high acidity, nice wood tannins that hang just an extra second. A fresh tasting cab. Zippy. Delicious. I think they used a lot of young To Kalon fruit in this one. Would be very, very difficult to pay the new $90 price tag for this though, in which case may as well spring for Beringer Reserve which has got to be better.... right?
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8/2/2022 - SirJ Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of better Napa Cabs in resent time. Really nice fruit, fine acidity and a great finnish. This will come together as a beautiful wine if you wait 3 - 5 years!
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7/15/2022 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (Eagle Brook CC): Blind. Pulled the cork three hours before it was served as the bonus red. Plum, chocolate and dark berry fruit on the nose and palate. Well-balanced. Clearly young and should be quite nice given some time in the cellar. Check back in around 2028.
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7/2/2022 - Anders T Likes this wine: 92 Points
92+
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4/16/2022 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Love this wine. Just nicely made. Tons of fruit, tannins, and acidity. Cheers
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4/4/2022 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nose of some dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red, with black cherry, plum, some spice on a long finish. www.winelx.com
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2/13/2022 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
A great cab from this vintage. Big fruit. After having the bottle open for a few hours, it really became nice. Cheers
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