Sometimes a home run can be a grand slam. Upon first pour aromas leapt from the glass, I knew instantly this would be good. Intoxicating cassis, flowers, perfume, tobacco. On the palate the texture is full, round and caressing, liquid velvet. Really polished wine but exploding with deep, dark fruit, raspberries, blackberries with a great long finish. Sometimes I find Wm Harrison wines to have a bit too much oak, but it was not the case with this bottle - just enough to provide some vanilla and smoke hints and great texture. Classic Rutherford (one of my favorite appelations).
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like bark, sandalwood and tobacco. It tastes like medium toast, clove and black olive. The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity. Old.
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Drink soon. The dust is gone as the sour cherry dominates. I remember loving the complexity of this wine a few years so. It's losing a bit from its fastball. White pepper, dark fruits and cranberry.
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Wow!..this wine's at a perfect stage right now. A deep garnet-purple; thick to the edges. Great Rutherford aromatics, full of dusty blue & black fruits, which carry into the flavor profile and continue through to the chalky but well tamed tannins. A hint of sage-infused licorice with an almost savory characteristic that makes you want to chew it. The acidity is subtle; being fully integrated at this stage. Smooth, full and round - from start to finish. As good as my most memorable bottle of this wine. Truly a fine representation of the AVA and a fair value at that.
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Deep red center, red rim with a little signs of age. Creamy cassis, rosemary, a little shoe polish, blackberries, toasty oak. Sweet, cassis and plums, ripe red fruits, a little iron and stone, moderate acid and tannin in the middle, great length. Drinking very well now. Mature and no need to keep longer.
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Spice notes on the nose that are bold with hints of pepper and anise. Cherry flavors with a black licorice. This bottle finished with a heavy licorice although this was not at all unpleasant. Like the wine. Drinking at peak.
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A bit musty smelling at first so I was very skeptical but after 15 minutes opened up into a fabulous wine, so good I had to open a second bottle. Had with a spicy dish and the wine held up nicely.
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Silky smooth. The Rutherford dust burns off to leave a bright cherry fruit that lingers a while. It's soft and viscous with dark ink colors in the glass. As you taste it, you get vanilla and spice after the fruit. Complex and delicious.
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Consumed over two nights, opaque dark purple, medium-full body, nose of dark fruit, licorice, smoke and cedar, taste of dark fruits, moderately tannic balanced acidity, velvety mouth feel and 30 second finish. Should probably evolve for a few years, at least.
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Still a bit on the young side, showing a lot of cedar and tobacco notes on the nose. Fruit is a little more prevalent on the palate but the tannins are a little stiff on the back end. Lots of potential here but needs some time to come together. Revisit this one in a couple years.
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05 William Harrison "Rutherford Napa Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon-94% Cabernet, 3% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petite Verdot=42.00 per bottle WCC Tasting Notes 10/22/08 "An inky/purple color leads to complex aromas of black cherry, crème de cassis, vanilla and dark chocolate. Flavors of ultra-ripe blackberry and black current with black cherry notes mid-palate and framed with dark plum flavors on the prolonged finish. Exceptionally rich, layered and balanced it is a magnificent expression of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. This is wine that wine lovers who cherish concentrated Cabernets that also exhibit lush, silky and polished tannins will find extremely pleasurable!"
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One of my favorite Napa cabs that consistently delivers for a relatively modest price by Napa standards. Medium-dark ruby color, nose of dusty red and dark fruits, and palate-caressing silky flavors. The sweet red fruits dominate and lead to a fairly long finish that screams Rutherford. Good complexity. Tasted blind, one would be shocked to find out that this Rutherford cab can be found for in the mid-$30s. Great value.
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I really, really like this wine! Surprisingly full & seductive fruit for an '05 with oodles of the tell-tale Rutherford Dust. This wine was rich & full (decadently so), well-integrated and thoroughly enjoyable from the first sip to the last. (I was similarly impressed with the '04 but this one was so much more "complete" and ironically, had full & forward fruit; in fact, if you blind tasted the two side-by-side, you'd likely flip-flop the vintages.)
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9/9/2019 - MKHarris1 wrote: 93 Points
Very smooth
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6/30/2015 - JOEABR wrote: 95 Points
Sometimes a home run can be a grand slam. Upon first pour aromas leapt from the glass, I knew instantly this would be good. Intoxicating cassis, flowers, perfume, tobacco. On the palate the texture is full, round and caressing, liquid velvet. Really polished wine but exploding with deep, dark fruit, raspberries, blackberries with a great long finish. Sometimes I find Wm Harrison wines to have a bit too much oak, but it was not the case with this bottle - just enough to provide some vanilla and smoke hints and great texture. Classic Rutherford (one of my favorite appelations).
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6/22/2015 - norcalvinolover Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like bark, sandalwood and tobacco. It tastes like medium toast, clove and black olive. The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity. Old.
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10/22/2013 - Jenzen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very dark color and taste to match. still drinking very well.
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3/8/2013 - jmoskow wrote: 88 Points
Drink soon. The dust is gone as the sour cherry dominates. I remember loving the complexity of this wine a few years so. It's losing a bit from its fastball. White pepper, dark fruits and cranberry.
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10/7/2012 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
limited notes, nice smooth, elegant fruit developing some complexity. I think its starting to enter its drinking window.
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9/15/2012 - golfwine wrote: 92 Points
Wow!..this wine's at a perfect stage right now. A deep garnet-purple; thick to the edges. Great Rutherford aromatics, full of dusty blue & black fruits, which carry into the flavor profile and continue through to the chalky but well tamed tannins. A hint of sage-infused licorice with an almost savory characteristic that makes you want to chew it. The acidity is subtle; being fully integrated at this stage. Smooth, full and round - from start to finish. As good as my most memorable bottle of this wine. Truly a fine representation of the AVA and a fair value at that.
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7/13/2012 - pdadams66 wrote: 90 Points
Deep red center, red rim with a little signs of age.
Creamy cassis, rosemary, a little shoe polish, blackberries, toasty oak.
Sweet, cassis and plums, ripe red fruits, a little iron and stone, moderate acid and tannin in the middle, great length.
Drinking very well now. Mature and no need to keep longer.
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4/13/2012 - Bgrahamdc wrote: 90 Points
Spice notes on the nose that are bold with hints of pepper and anise. Cherry flavors with a black licorice. This bottle finished with a heavy licorice although this was not at all unpleasant. Like the wine. Drinking at peak.
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3/17/2012 - pdadams66 wrote: 90 Points
A joy to drink. Cassis up front. Ripe and ready to drink. Good balance.
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11/10/2011 - g289519 wrote:
A bit musty smelling at first so I was very skeptical but after 15 minutes opened up into a fabulous wine, so good I had to open a second bottle. Had with a spicy dish and the wine held up nicely.
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11/5/2011 - jmoskow wrote: 92 Points
Silky smooth. The Rutherford dust burns off to leave a bright cherry fruit that lingers a while. It's soft and viscous with dark ink colors in the glass. As you taste it, you get vanilla and spice after the fruit. Complex and delicious.
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9/7/2010 - Gravity wrote: 92 Points
nice old world funk
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7/10/2010 - STGivens wrote: 93 Points
Great fruit, nice spice, really opened. Cherry, vanilla, hint of cedar. Enjoyed with good friends!
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4/1/2010 - golfwine wrote: 90 Points
Rutherford Dust at its most typical/anticipated! Just a very solid bottle of vino!
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9/13/2009 - Robertito wrote: 90 Points
Consumed over two nights, opaque dark purple, medium-full body, nose of dark fruit, licorice, smoke and cedar, taste of dark fruits, moderately tannic balanced acidity, velvety mouth feel and 30 second finish. Should probably evolve for a few years, at least.
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6/16/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
Still a bit on the young side, showing a lot of cedar and tobacco notes on the nose. Fruit is a little more prevalent on the palate but the tannins are a little stiff on the back end. Lots of potential here but needs some time to come together. Revisit this one in a couple years.
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3/29/2009 - soyhead wrote: 88 Points
Young
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2/15/2009 - clamb487 wrote:
05 William Harrison "Rutherford Napa Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon-94% Cabernet, 3% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petite Verdot=42.00 per bottle
WCC Tasting Notes 10/22/08
"An inky/purple color leads to complex aromas of black cherry, crème de cassis, vanilla and dark chocolate. Flavors of ultra-ripe blackberry and black current with black cherry notes mid-palate and framed with dark plum flavors on the prolonged finish. Exceptionally rich, layered and balanced it is a magnificent expression of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. This is wine that wine lovers who cherish concentrated Cabernets that also exhibit lush, silky and polished tannins will find extremely pleasurable!"
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2/13/2009 - Tory Griffin wrote: 91 Points
One of my favorite Napa cabs that consistently delivers for a relatively modest price by Napa standards. Medium-dark ruby color, nose of dusty red and dark fruits, and palate-caressing silky flavors. The sweet red fruits dominate and lead to a fairly long finish that screams Rutherford. Good complexity. Tasted blind, one would be shocked to find out that this Rutherford cab can be found for in the mid-$30s. Great value.
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2/13/2009 - golfwine wrote: 91 Points
I really, really like this wine! Surprisingly full & seductive fruit for an '05 with oodles of the tell-tale Rutherford Dust. This wine was rich & full (decadently so), well-integrated and thoroughly enjoyable from the first sip to the last. (I was similarly impressed with the '04 but this one was so much more "complete" and ironically, had full & forward fruit; in fact, if you blind tasted the two side-by-side, you'd likely flip-flop the vintages.)
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