Decanted 2 hours. Delicious. Full on the palate ... agree with another tasting note that described it as velvety. Robust dark fruit. Oak was a little too evident to score higher, but tannins are well integrated & the wine has plenty of good years ahead. A crowd pleaser.
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Decanted and poured, tasted over about 2 hours. Opaque dark garnet all the way to the edge where it is a dark crimson. Heavy oak treatment still comes through with lots of ripe black fruit on the nose along with vanilla, baking spice and a little cedar. Still very young looking and tasting. Intense, ripe, dark fruit mostly black plum and blackberry, medium acidity and a good bit of the tannin is integrated. Seems higher in alcohol than the 14.2% labeled ABV. Finish was surprisingly short with a mostly chocolate profile. This was the popular style in the time it was made. I found this uninteresting and tiring by itself. Ok with some broccoli rabe and sausage pizza.
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Dark garnet red in color. The nose presents smell of dark red fruits, chocolate and hint of coffee. The mouth feel is rich and lasting with medium tannins. Decanted and tasted at opening, 3hr and 24 hours. Tasted the majority at the 24 hour mark and it was fantastic! Intense flavors of black cherry jam, huckleberry, milk chocolate, bitter chocolate and slight hint of lavender. A fantastic wine that could age another 10 years. score 93
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A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark brick garnet in color. A full bodied aged but still vibrant Cab, with blackberry, black currants, tar and spices on still very long finish. A delicious bottle of wine. www.winelx.com
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Tasted next to a 2012 of the same. Subtle improvement of an excellent wine with age. Still a vibrant Altamura. Incredibly rich and velvety mouthfeel. Wow!
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rich style. Chocolate covered cherries on the nose. Cherries, mocha and chocolate on the palate. Good tannins to keep from being flabby and adds length to the finish.
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Beautiful wine; integrated, smooth, but good mouth feel. formaldehyde, herbaceous but not green. Benefits from some decant. Fruit forward; acquiring Bordeaux quality.
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Very consistent with previous review not much to add. It did get better over the evening and had more vanilla overtones at the end of the evening. Lots of dark cherry and chocolate.
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Wish I had more. Deep and dark with great legs. Blackberry and dark cherry on the nose. Fruit forward and close to the ideal time in the bottle. Decanted for 1/2 hour.
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Decanted at 5pm and drunk from 6-10pm. Dark garnet, very young appearance. Nose of oak, vanilla, sour cherry and cedar. Moderate tannin and acidity on the palate. Moderately long aftertaste with the sour cherry dominant especially later in the evening. Very pleasant and lively with easily 5-7 years left of good drinking.
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A very nice cab. Cool tall slender bottle was well recognized as I approached our group. Ripe dark fruit notes with nicely integrated oak. Big mouthfeel yet well balanced tannins. This bottle had plenty of life left in it... Could probably easily go another decade. Too bad it was my one & only bottle. A bit pricey but would consider buying more if the current vintages are on par with this 04'
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PnP. A bit sweet and carmelized early - like a dessert wine. Got more refined over time but definately a new world bomb. Not much acid or tannins apparent. Thick on the palate with plum ala mode flavor. Reasonable finish. Maybe decanting would have helped
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Drinking beautifully now. Bright nose of red fruits, smoke, earth. Tannins well integrated and a great foundation to the sweet dark fruits, spices and earth. The touch of sweetness brings this wine up a notch. Day #2: sweetness, cassis is evident. Tannins are smooth yet mouth filling and palate-coating. Huge flavors of dark berries. Very slight oak. Excellent
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Love this wine, still going strong, very polished CS, with gobs of fruit and totally balanced. Not cheap, but rivals top Napa cabs that sell for 2X the price.
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Just a great wine, showing no sign getting old. Great fruit and balance on the front end and mid palate with sweet tannin developing through the finish. Wish I had more!
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A little hot - licorice, dark cholate and pepper on the nose. chocolate covered cherries on the palate - sweet, yes. A big Napa Cab - tasty, satisfying and a little hedonistic
decanted about an hour- probably could have benefited from another year in the bottle.
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The Altamura cabs really age well. This vintage was good and just keeps getting better. Excellent, but not pushy fruit, well integrated and very smooth.
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For me this wine was sweet with a very strong chocolate note on the finish. Not my style. I had to labor through it thinking it would be a nice dessert wine. Day two the chocolatey sweet notes are even more pronounced. Note- my wife who loves some sweetness in wine liked this a lot.
Same notes as before. There is nothing wrong with the wine, but there is something about it that I don't like. I don't know what it is, but I just don't care for it.
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Decanted two hours before grilled rib-eyes. Too young - needs at least two more years. Good color with red berries on the nose. Nice body - tannins are still a little rough. There is a slight hotness on the medium-length finish.
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Brought to a blind tasting of heavy-hitter Napa Cabs in honor of #Cabernet day on 9/2/10. I was debating among the '02, '04 or '06. The winery made my decision for me with some sage advice. This bottle showed beautifully, with cassis, ripe raspberries and the signature folds of complexities that Altamura succeeds so well with. The palate lacked a little "oomph," but was delicious nonetheless. The finish was nice, but not as long as earlier or even later vintages. That said, this was still close to WOTN for me, although it finished outside the top 3. I love these wines!
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Full body more purple than dark red in the glass, with very little light passing. Full of Black Cherry and hints of dusted cocoa on the nose. Again, French Oak was noticable, but not heavy handed at all. Gosh this juice smells wonderfull! This cascade of Red Berry and Cherry covered chocolate past right to the frontal attack on the palate. More juciy than dry, and the balance seemed much more enjoyable than the other Cabernet bottlings we tasted this evening. The quality of the grapes and the wine making seemed much higher. Tannins were dusty and velvetly smooth. Nice legs, but the alcohol content seemed very restrained. Well worth the price of entry on this bottle as we all really enjoyed. Seemed to drink well right now. Wish it had note disappeared in one hour! Gave 93+ pts, and may push higher with different food pairing and a little more time. WOTN for me!
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Ripe, full-bodied, blackberry, smooth finish. This is excellent juice. A nice easy drinking CS and much better than the 2004 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst we had with it.
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Dark fruit and extremely smooth on the tongue. Hints of chocolate cassis... Medium bodied and was expecting a little more from this cali cab...finish was muted and maybe a little dull... Overall a hit with the crowd but mostly because of it's silkiness!
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Rich cassis, dark berries and milk chocolate on the nose with similar fruit-forward flavors. Med-full body with soft tannins. Well executed, prototypical Napa Valley cab.
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Dark Color. Black fruit on the nose, hint of leather. Wondeful blueberry, casis and oak. Very smooth and well structured. Tannins are there but not overpowering. Really delicious.
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Very good wine. The nose is amazing - lush and powerful. Taste is bold but not overripe with nice firmness. Not quite as good at the '99, but a great drink at a fair price
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Yummy - Opened and let sit for a couple hours. Has a good nose of cassis, smoke and leather with a dark ruby color. The fruit is full, but not overpowering, and the tannins are tight, but in a good way. My wife got some pepper on the finish that I didn't, but this should be bought and cellared for a couple years to really be a great wine. I will buy a couple more.
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Initial aroma of malbec and deep dark fruit. Since I'm not a big malbec fan, I was initially put off by this. Still, the outstanding dark fruit, balance, and silky palate won me over. Over time, the malbec essence burned off (it was totally gone on day 2 for the 2nd half of the bottle).
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Niche Restaurant Staff Tasting (Niche Restaurant, Geneva, Illinois): Inky garnet color. Aromas of cassis, blackberry, dusty currant and spice. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and flavors of red currant, dusty black cherry and blackberry. Long finish, with a spicy undertone.
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Pure class. Dark fruits and chocolatey oak nose. Supple mouth feel with black cherry and plum flavors coming out. Smooth finish was long and juicy. Delicious
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A Wow wine! Bold, rich and velvety smmothe. The wine represents Cali Cab at its best ... densely flavored and perfectly balanced. This Cab out-drank a stellar roster of superstar Napa Cabs. At $70, it is a relatively steal compared to the cult crew.
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I'm a big Frank Altamura fan so I couldn't resist bringing one up from the cellar .. admittedly early. This is clearly a young Altamura as it has earthy and herbaceous notes and thick dark fruit hanging in the balance. It still has great depth. The body is not as thick as most vintages and the classic cocoa is just barely present. I've had Altamuras back to 1998 and this one is actually a little backward, but brimming with potential. Slightly out of balance and relatively one dimensional I expect this to come into balace over the next 3-5 years. It has the potential to be one best aging Altamuras in quite some time.
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Wow. This wine is fantastic. Great aromatics--ripe fruit,herbs and loamy earth notes. Rich complex flavors of ripe black currant, cassis, cigar, herbs, vanilla and cream. Well structured with a long life ahead. Great finish with big tannins. Delicious!
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Stellar Cab! The nose of this wine is outstanding. Room filling aromas of black currant, licorice, tobacco and cigar box. The palate is silky and incredibly pleasing. Mouth filling and balanced. Though still a bit young, this wine is enjoyable now and I am so happy I have at least one more bottle to enjoy in the future. Way to go Altamura! Tastes like a $100 plus California Cab.
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11/25/2022 - PVJC Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Delicious. Full on the palate ... agree with another tasting note that described it as velvety. Robust dark fruit. Oak was a little too evident to score higher, but tannins are well integrated & the wine has plenty of good years ahead. A crowd pleaser.
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1/28/2020 - oldwines wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and poured, tasted over about 2 hours. Opaque dark garnet all the way to the edge where it is a dark crimson. Heavy oak treatment still comes through with lots of ripe black fruit on the nose along with vanilla, baking spice and a little cedar. Still very young looking and tasting. Intense, ripe, dark fruit mostly black plum and blackberry, medium acidity and a good bit of the tannin is integrated. Seems higher in alcohol than the 14.2% labeled ABV. Finish was surprisingly short with a mostly chocolate profile. This was the popular style in the time it was made. I found this uninteresting and tiring by itself. Ok with some broccoli rabe and sausage pizza.
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5/11/2019 - wineman73 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet red in color. The nose presents smell of dark red fruits, chocolate and hint of coffee. The mouth feel is rich and lasting with medium tannins. Decanted and tasted at opening, 3hr and 24 hours. Tasted the majority at the 24 hour mark and it was fantastic! Intense flavors of black cherry jam, huckleberry, milk chocolate, bitter chocolate and slight hint of lavender. A fantastic wine that could age another 10 years. score 93
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10/22/2018 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 95 Points
A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark brick garnet in color. A full bodied aged but still vibrant Cab, with blackberry, black currants, tar and spices on still very long finish. A delicious bottle of wine. www.winelx.com
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1/20/2018 - VinoViking Likes this wine: 98 Points
Tasted next to a 2012 of the same. Subtle improvement of an excellent wine with age. Still a vibrant Altamura. Incredibly rich and velvety mouthfeel. Wow!
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1/6/2018 - AEROSMITH Likes this wine: 91 Points
Amazing altamura again.They just dont do bad wine.
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6/4/2017 - Backdoctor wrote: 94 Points
Layers of flavor! Smooth and balanced
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9/22/2016 - Frank L wrote:
awesome
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8/6/2016 - NTR wrote: 92 Points
Not a very expressive nose. Subtle tobacco, menthol. Very smooth, low tannins. Light oak, mint/menthol, drinking very well.
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8/17/2015 - iamandyc wrote: 92 Points
rich style. Chocolate covered cherries on the nose. Cherries, mocha and chocolate on the palate. Good tannins to keep from being flabby and adds length to the finish.
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6/12/2015 - peternelson wrote: 86 Points
Over-extracted, cassis and raisins; glycerin and gooey on the palate, extremely hot, unbalanced. Weakest of the 16 Napa Cabs.
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2/15/2015 - ljl203 wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful fruit forward cab. Berries, mint, white pepper, chocolate in a medium-long finish. Perfectly harmony.
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8/25/2014 - daniel.jay wrote: 94 Points
Decant at the table. Dark and rich w/ loads of blue fruit. Sweet, but not cloying. Plenty of structure left. Continued improving for 2 hrs.
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6/13/2014 - dlcass Likes this wine: 93 Points
93-94. At ballet- very poor stemware. Slightly dense texture with notes of dried flowers, dark fruit, anise.
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4/17/2014 - Urodude wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding with rib eye, mushrooms. Better than the '88 left bank Bordeaux my buddy brought. Great fruit, nose, finish
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2/19/2014 - Bill Johnson Likes this wine: 96 Points
A beautiful wine in its sweet spot classic altamura elegance and flavor profile. Only needs a very short decant. Drink now and enjoy.
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12/13/2013 - capacious Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still too young. Drinking ok but will be much better in a few years
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11/30/2013 - dlcass Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful wine; integrated, smooth, but good mouth feel. formaldehyde, herbaceous but not green. Benefits from some decant. Fruit forward; acquiring Bordeaux quality.
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10/19/2013 - ljl203 wrote:
Deep dark bittersweet chocolate, core of red berries, slight mint and thyme. Seamless smooth tannins, a great drink.
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8/4/2013 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very consistent with previous review not much to add. It did get better over the evening and had more vanilla overtones at the end of the evening. Lots of dark cherry and chocolate.
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6/1/2013 - kevinws wrote: 93 Points
With Steak. Typical high end Napa Cab with well balanced fruit, oak and terrior. Nice big body and long finish.
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5/27/2013 - Jwd12 wrote: 91 Points
Wish I had more. Deep and dark with great legs. Blackberry and dark cherry on the nose. Fruit forward and close to the ideal time in the bottle. Decanted for 1/2 hour.
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5/11/2013 - oldwines wrote: 92 Points
Decanted at 5pm and drunk from 6-10pm. Dark garnet, very young appearance. Nose of oak, vanilla, sour cherry and cedar. Moderate tannin and acidity on the palate. Moderately long aftertaste with the sour cherry dominant especially later in the evening. Very pleasant and lively with easily 5-7 years left of good drinking.
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2/23/2013 - wcacern wrote: 90 Points
A very nice cab. Cool tall slender bottle was well recognized as I approached our group. Ripe dark fruit notes with nicely integrated oak. Big mouthfeel yet well balanced tannins. This bottle had plenty of life left in it... Could probably easily go another decade. Too bad it was my one & only bottle. A bit pricey but would consider buying more if the current vintages are on par with this 04'
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1/17/2013 - iamandyc wrote: 90 Points
PnP. A bit sweet and carmelized early - like a dessert wine. Got more refined over time but definately a new world bomb. Not much acid or tannins apparent. Thick on the palate with plum ala mode flavor. Reasonable finish. Maybe decanting would have helped
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12/5/2012 - JohnJP Likes this wine: 95 Points
One of the best wines I have had in a long time.
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11/4/2012 - cowtownguy wrote: 90 Points
Very balanced but I think we may have waited just a bit too long. Frustrating in that it may have even been better a year ago.
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8/6/2012 - cliffkol wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully now. Bright nose of red fruits, smoke, earth. Tannins well integrated and a great foundation to the sweet dark fruits, spices and earth. The touch of sweetness brings this wine up a notch. Day #2: sweetness, cassis is evident. Tannins are smooth yet mouth filling and palate-coating. Huge flavors of dark berries. Very slight oak. Excellent
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6/8/2012 - RobbieC wrote: 95 Points
Wow. Really drinking well now. Tons of dark berry fruit, mild tannins, balanced, and color still strong. Complex flavor profile.
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4/2/2012 - cliffkol wrote: 93 Points
Delicious. In its prime. Decant 30-60 mins. Would have higher rating but for excess heat on the finish. (Doris 91 - superb, but heat on finish)
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3/15/2012 - brucemll wrote: 94 Points
Excellent fruit, mouth feel, and tannins. Wine is at its prime. A real pleasure.
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2/25/2012 - winejnky wrote: 94 Points
Love this wine, still going strong, very polished CS, with gobs of fruit and totally balanced. Not cheap, but rivals top Napa cabs that sell for 2X the price.
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12/25/2011 - atwkite wrote: 94 Points
Just a great wine, showing no sign getting old. Great fruit and balance on the front end and mid palate with sweet tannin developing through the finish. Wish I had more!
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11/1/2011 - paulst wrote: 91 Points
Rich opulent blackberry; deep and textured; a bit of heat in the back; could use some balance.
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10/29/2011 - atwkite wrote: 94 Points
Always excellent performer
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10/2/2011 - ardria wrote: 93 Points
A little hot - licorice, dark cholate and pepper on the nose. chocolate covered cherries on the palate - sweet, yes. A big Napa Cab - tasty, satisfying and a little hedonistic
decanted about an hour- probably could have benefited from another year in the bottle.
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8/27/2011 - jeffm_fla wrote: 94 Points
The Altamura cabs really age well. This vintage was good and just keeps getting better
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8/27/2011 - jeffm_fla wrote: 94 Points
The Altamura cabs really age well. This vintage was good and just keeps getting better. Excellent, but not pushy fruit, well integrated and very smooth.
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7/16/2011 - VCvino wrote: 92 Points
Better upon opening than after an hour in the air. I would not decant this wine.
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5/6/2011 - Uglypinga wrote:
Big Ass American Cabs blind with shocking results! (Montana's Rib and Chop House): Wine #3
Cracked black pepper on the nose. Ripe raspberries, cinnamon and a bit of soy on the palate with a bitter edge. Very intense but balanced. Very good wine. The bitter edge makes it short of great.
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4/30/2011 - dontime wrote: 94 Points
PA Wine Talk Number 17 - Big Ass Napa Cabs/Blends (Montana's Rib & Chop House - Meadville, PA): Reddish purple in color. Rich dark fruit on the nose. Sweet in the mouth with black fruit and a distinct chocolate flavor. Very smooth with a satisfying finish.
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2/20/2011 - paulst wrote: 92 Points
Rich blackberry; full fruit; sweet tannins; lingering finish.
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1/1/2011 - Backdoctor wrote: 92 Points
very good wine, decanted over an hour. Good fruit on the palate. Can cellar a bit longer.
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12/23/2010 - jtinto Does not like this wine: 88 Points
For me this wine was sweet with a very strong chocolate note on the finish. Not my style. I had to labor through it thinking it would be a nice dessert wine. Day two the chocolatey sweet notes are even more pronounced. Note- my wife who loves some sweetness in wine liked this a lot.
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11/15/2010 - iamandyc wrote: 93 Points
Deep, dark, velvety and well structured wine. A bit sweet but layered on the palate. Went wonderfully with short ribs.
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11/13/2010 - joefel Does not like this wine: 91 Points
Same notes as before. There is nothing wrong with the wine, but there is something about it that I don't like. I don't know what it is, but I just don't care for it.
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10/24/2010 - ljl203 wrote: 92 Points
Velveteen fruit. Very well balanced with black stone fruit dominating good mix of acid and tannin. Chocolate notes overwhelming.
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10/24/2010 - Robbi wrote: 92 Points
Very nice full bodied tons of fruit. Will keep cellaring the remainder of my stash
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9/19/2010 - joefel Does not like this wine: 91 Points
Decanted two hours before grilled rib-eyes. Too young - needs at least two more years. Good color with red berries on the nose. Nice body - tannins are still a little rough. There is a slight hotness on the medium-length finish.
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9/2/2010 - caeleric Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brought to a blind tasting of heavy-hitter Napa Cabs in honor of #Cabernet day on 9/2/10. I was debating among the '02, '04 or '06. The winery made my decision for me with some sage advice. This bottle showed beautifully, with cassis, ripe raspberries and the signature folds of complexities that Altamura succeeds so well with. The palate lacked a little "oomph," but was delicious nonetheless. The finish was nice, but not as long as earlier or even later vintages. That said, this was still close to WOTN for me, although it finished outside the top 3. I love these wines!
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8/1/2010 - JohnBlueLabel wrote: 93 Points
Similar flavor profile. Smoother. Keeps getting better.
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6/27/2010 - mpricher wrote: 93 Points
Full body more purple than dark red in the glass, with very little light passing. Full of Black Cherry and hints of dusted cocoa on the nose. Again, French Oak was noticable, but not heavy handed at all. Gosh this juice smells wonderfull! This cascade of Red Berry and Cherry covered chocolate past right to the frontal attack on the palate. More juciy than dry, and the balance seemed much more enjoyable than the other Cabernet bottlings we tasted this evening. The quality of the grapes and the wine making seemed much higher. Tannins were dusty and velvetly smooth. Nice legs, but the alcohol content seemed very restrained. Well worth the price of entry on this bottle as we all really enjoyed. Seemed to drink well right now. Wish it had note disappeared in one hour! Gave 93+ pts, and may push higher with different food pairing and a little more time. WOTN for me!
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5/16/2010 - winejnky wrote: 93 Points
Ripe, full-bodied, blackberry, smooth finish. This is excellent juice. A nice easy drinking CS and much better than the 2004 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst we had with it.
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5/16/2010 - jtw1969 wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit and extremely smooth on the tongue. Hints of chocolate cassis... Medium bodied and was expecting a little more from this cali cab...finish was muted and maybe a little dull... Overall a hit with the crowd but mostly because of it's silkiness!
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3/20/2010 - Surfdoc wrote: 93 Points
Rich cassis, dark berries and milk chocolate on the nose with similar fruit-forward flavors. Med-full body with soft tannins. Well executed, prototypical Napa Valley cab.
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2/19/2010 - MJTed wrote: 93 Points
Opened nicely on Day 2. Rich, deep core of blue fruit, cassis and cedar. Finishes strong and smooth with licorice and chewy tannins.
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12/2/2009 - JohnBlueLabel wrote: 92 Points
Dark Color. Black fruit on the nose, hint of leather. Wondeful blueberry, casis and oak. Very smooth and well structured. Tannins are there but not overpowering. Really delicious.
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7/6/2009 - brewking wrote: 91 Points
nice bottle, the 1.5l was still a bit closed but it did take a while to get through it, so it opened nicely. nice mocha espresso
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6/4/2009 - WineBulldog wrote: 89 Points
It had a great nose when opened but the finish really dwindeled as it began to open. A good wine but i was expecting more.
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5/29/2009 - itsallgone wrote: 90 Points
Opened and drank without decanting. A dark, fruity cab, which was tasting almost sweet.
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2/28/2009 - drgrape wrote: 94 Points
Dark cherries, deep color, some post oak, very nice cab.
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1/31/2009 - jeffm_fla wrote: 93 Points
Very good wine. The nose is amazing - lush and powerful. Taste is bold but not overripe with nice firmness. Not quite as good at the '99, but a great drink at a fair price
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12/28/2008 - mjsherwin68 wrote: 92 Points
Yummy - Opened and let sit for a couple hours. Has a good nose of cassis, smoke and leather with a dark ruby color. The fruit is full, but not overpowering, and the tannins are tight, but in a good way. My wife got some pepper on the finish that I didn't, but this should be bought and cellared for a couple years to really be a great wine. I will buy a couple more.
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12/10/2008 - omao wrote: 91 Points
Initial aroma of malbec and deep dark fruit. Since I'm not a big malbec fan, I was initially put off by this. Still, the outstanding dark fruit, balance, and silky palate won me over. Over time, the malbec essence burned off (it was totally gone on day 2 for the 2nd half of the bottle).
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8/18/2008 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Niche Restaurant Staff Tasting (Niche Restaurant, Geneva, Illinois): Inky garnet color. Aromas of cassis, blackberry, dusty currant and spice. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and flavors of red currant, dusty black cherry and blackberry. Long finish, with a spicy undertone.
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8/14/2008 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Not bad.
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8/3/2008 - winejnky wrote:
Very good, still quite young, restrained, but huge flavors lurking as this evolves.
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7/30/2008 - beachnic wrote: 93 Points
Very concentrated fruit but extremely balanced and elegant. Reminds me of the 2004 O'Shaughnessy. Very nice Cabernet.
Overnight Decant: The acidity really picks up which is a plus. cherries and plums, tannins pick up a bit but are very fine grained. 93Pts
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7/11/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 94 Points
Pure class. Dark fruits and chocolatey oak nose. Supple mouth feel with black cherry and plum flavors coming out. Smooth finish was long and juicy. Delicious
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6/16/2008 - ChrisWilen wrote: 93 Points
Very bold with quite a bit of dark fruit. Definitely needs more time in the bottle though. It'll be a few years before I open another.
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5/23/2008 - Phin wrote: 93 Points
Medium body. Smoke, leather on red/blue fruits. Solid throughout. Slightly dry finish in a good way.
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3/29/2008 - EMichels wrote: 89 Points
Red Carpet Wine Tasting: Too big; Too extracted; Yet still tart?
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3/21/2008 - BigTarheel wrote: 92 Points
A Wow wine! Bold, rich and velvety smmothe. The wine represents Cali Cab at its best ... densely flavored and perfectly balanced. This Cab out-drank a stellar roster of superstar Napa Cabs. At $70, it is a relatively steal compared to the cult crew.
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2/10/2008 - 8trigram wrote: 92 Points
I'm a big Frank Altamura fan so I couldn't resist bringing one up from the cellar .. admittedly early. This is clearly a young Altamura as it has earthy and herbaceous notes and thick dark fruit hanging in the balance. It still has great depth. The body is not as thick as most vintages and the classic cocoa is just barely present. I've had Altamuras back to 1998 and this one is actually a little backward, but brimming with potential. Slightly out of balance and relatively one dimensional I expect this to come into balace over the next 3-5 years. It has the potential to be one best aging Altamuras in quite some time.
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2/5/2008 - TFAH wrote: 95 Points
Wow. This wine is fantastic. Great aromatics--ripe fruit,herbs and loamy earth notes. Rich complex flavors of ripe black currant, cassis, cigar, herbs, vanilla and cream. Well structured with a long life ahead. Great finish with big tannins. Delicious!
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1/31/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Stellar Cab!
The nose of this wine is outstanding. Room filling aromas of black currant, licorice, tobacco and cigar box.
The palate is silky and incredibly pleasing. Mouth filling and balanced.
Though still a bit young, this wine is enjoyable now and I am so happy I have at least one more bottle to enjoy in the future.
Way to go Altamura! Tastes like a $100 plus California Cab.
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