This is in the latter stages of the “drinking window”. Mature: displaying a dull ruby color, with slight bricking at the edges; perfumed, floral aromatics; loamy blackberry, stewed black currant, cooked black cherry, black plum, dried tobacco, powdered chocolate, with dried briary undergrowth on the long finish. Structure is present, with tannin and acids holding this all together. Had no problem holding up to the grilled ribeye with grilled Brussels sprouts. Lots of sediment in both the decanter and bottle neck. Drink now, unlikely to improve, but this still has life; can be enjoyed through late 2023. Last of six bottles procured back around 2009; great purchase and a wine I’ll always look for.
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Strawberry jam and earth on the nose. On the palate, black cherry, cassis, and notes of plum and leather on the medium to long finish, with well-balanced acidity. Although the 2006 vintage took a long time to open up, it gets full marks for quality now that it's mature. This is about at its peak, though with at least a few good years left; it was an excellent value at under $50.
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Last bottle of a case we purchased at Cliff Lede in Autumn 2006. This wine was really good, right through the last bottle 10 years after the first. I really do believe that this wine may be the highest value wine I've ever purchased. When you consider how good it is now, and that it's a best a number 3 for the vineyard, pretty good, right?
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Drinking nicely now. Probably can’t sit much longer. Really opened up after about an hour or so. It’s big with great structure still. Nice tannins on the finish.
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What a treat. i was able to get my hands on a few bottles from the winery. Perfect time to drink. some tannins, and no decanting. probably can still hold for a year or 2. They stored it nicely as the cork was not damaged at all.
The wine it self was stellar. Nose on it was good. You can smell the roots from the vine. Almost has a cave like smell. Kinda dirty. It tastes like raspberry, oak, black pepper and clove.
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Decanted 1/2 hour. Nice legs. Well balance and silky, with dark berries, worn leather, and touches of dried tobacco. Extremely soft tannis, and medium-long finish.
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Classic Napa Valley floor profile, with prominent black currant flavors. Plenty of fruit left. Well balanced, but maybe a touch riper of a style than I currently prefer. Definitely a great value as Napa Cabs go.
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This is a beautiful, vibrant Cab that, like a genie, is eager to escape the bottle and make your wishes come true. Immediately upon removing the cork I was surprised by the powerful dark fruit aromas that I associate with younger wines/barrel tasting. This is a smooth, balanced full bodied Cab that doesn't require much air time. Medium long finish. Easily the best '06 Napa Cab in this price range.
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Very, very rich napa cab. I think it would have been better a couple of years earlier. The nose indicated a soy sauce type of nose when ripe wines start to age. However, at this point while noticeable the fruit was still vibrant enough to be enjoyable.
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Impeccably balanced and elegant at 16 years of age, with lovely cassis, menthol, baking spices and subtle earthiness. Beautiful texture and lingering finish. Could easily pass for a modern Bordeaux.
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Had with dinner of beef shish kebab, couscous and green salad. Still a very big and pleasant Cabernet, deep purple in color. The wine started strong from the open, and remained there for about 90 minutes until finished. Deep, dark fruit, cedar, mocha, and vanilla in a persistent smooth finish. Definitely a wine that punches above its price point.
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The wine is fully mature with a dark garnet color and a full bold body. It is full of flavors on the nose and plate with mostly integrated tannins, although still present. This has aged into an outstanding wine.
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This is drinking wonderfully. I was a little concerned when the cork all but completely crumbled but the wine was flawless. Still a bit tannic after a 30 minute decant, dark red fruit, and held up well to a dry aged ribeye and risotto.
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Cork failed, However, the wine fortunately held up well for for 11 years old. Weak nose but cherry and mild mocha flavor were nice and did not overwhelm the meal.
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Consistent with earlier tasting notes, (see below). The notes of mocha were replaced with tones of leather, tobacco leaf and hints of cedar as this passes its tenth year.
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Another "forgotten bottle", this one in a bin I had not checked in a while. Big fan of Cliff Lede wines - mostly have "Rock Blocks" and Poetry in my cellar and tasting history. Given this was non-designate fruit, thought it might be gone...cork split and crumbled on the way out. Decanted and drank over 90 minutes
Color still good, starting to separate at the edge. Nose is red fruits, spice and oak. Dark cherry, earth. tobacco and cocoa on the palate. Oak and dusty tannins on the mid palate Medium weight and finish. Lacked depth on the finish. Probably past its prime but still a decent Cab. Would drink over next 2 years
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December 2016 Wine Club shipment. Still lots of color, but just the beginning of age on the palate. Beautiful deep crimson, fruit and flowers on the nose. The palate was refined yet still lively.
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Dark red color with bluish hue, beautiful bouquet and full body. Still noticeable tannin and spices. Round fruit and long and pleasant finish. Would last anther 5 years easily. Beginning of the secondary flavors but till very young.
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A much maligned and unfairly criticized wine, soon after release, back in 2009 and into 2010. This is the fourth of five bottles I purchased from CinderellaWine.com and all have been fabulous. Pulled from a 55 degree cellar, dry cork which totally fell apart upon opening, with the wine strained into a large ships decanter.
I'm amazed, after ten years, this is hitting on all cylinders and still displays lots of youthful characteristics: dark, and full bodied, all black fruits, and lots of structure. Clearly held its own against a grilled ribeye steak. Aromatic, fully integrated and complex, underscored by silky tannins and accentuated by a very long dark chocolate finish. Excellent.
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What a pretty cool experience: this wine is not even one of Cliff Lede's top line wines, and it's almost 10 years out from vintage, but when we opened and sipped the wine, it sung. It demonstrated what you should get when you take a fundamentally well-built wine and give it 10 years to age in a perfect cellar environment. WOW! So nice. Deep burgundy in color. On opening, it presented rich wood, tobacco and red fruit jam aromas, with a spicey edge. When we tasted, it was mid- to long-lasting on the palette, with a mouth-filling smoothness. Not surprisingly, the tannins were in perfect check. Although some lesser wines at this age will fall off quickly after opening, this went for the 2-3 hours that we sipped and ate our prime beef filets with brazed brussel sprouts. I'm really happy that we have 3 more bottles in our cellar. On the other hand, not really sure when it might flatten (then again, I think it may have plateaued at a really good place, and could easily hold its own for a few more years).
I'd had this bottle buried in the cellar for several years, and, finding it, decided to bring it up for Valentine's Day dinner. I actually wasn't expecting that much due to the rather lukewarm recent reviews on this wine on CT. But I was very presently surprised! This cab had a wonderful balance between fruit, tannin, acid and oak. The structure complemented the complex blackberry fruit very well. It was a great match for our beef tenderloin dinner!
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First things first, this is wine of impeccable quality. I can see many loving it. I'm always a bit let down by it because I think the alcohol is too noticeable now that the oak and acidity have faded. I wish I had more if only to open up for guests because, all in all, it is a crowd pleaser.
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Certainly a good, solid wine, but I keep hoping to be wowed by Cliff Lede and it just hasn't happened yet. I'm a huge SLD fan and Cliff Lede has fantastic vineyards and a beautiful, pristine winery. I'm not sure what's missing.
Agree with most comments. Still maintains the earthy character with lots of mocha/chocolate tones. Gina got some deep blackberry while I found the fruit more muted (but very enjoyable). Same or a bit better the next day so it still has years left.
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Aromas of sandalwood and dark fruits on the nose. On the palette, earthy tannins, chocolate, blackberry and cassis. Complex with earth upfront, mid palette fruit and a finish of tannin and coffee.
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Dominated by earthy flavor and dusty tannins. Oak flavor is quite prevalent. Some spice, alcohol, black currant and tobacco flavor, too. Overall, a bit chunky.
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So stags leap. Wish I could have had this in a blind test. Would have impressed a person for once in my life. Anyway it is ripe and lots of mocha and chocolate and cassie and dark berry. This is probly at its peak right now. It is a worthwhile drink at $50 if you want napa but they definitely need to dial down the alcohol quite a bit.
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Aromas and flavors of dark and ripe black cherry, red cassis, and forest floor with some wild herbs mixed in. Explosive and intense on the palate. Well balanced acidity on the long finish keeps this very lively.
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Opened a bottle of this wine at a dinner party with friends. Dark plumb color, flavors of dark fruit, tobacco, graphite, cassis, some sediment - I will filter next time; a typical stags leap cab. My only regret is that the bottle was open for only about 1/2 hour before drinking; however, I had saved a few onces in a glass at room temp overnight, and in the morning it was delicious; still deep fruit, less alcohol, and an almost vanilla creme finish. Looking forward to my next bottle.
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My first bottle of this in three years and it has come along nicely. Black fruited, smooth, and with finely woven tannins on the finish. This might be at peak for my palate.
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Drinking this as it has been in the decanter for only about 5 minutes. The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), lead pencil, black pepper, vanilla and tobacco. It tastes like mineral, medium toast and oak. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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Six years after release, the 2006 Lede Estate Cabernet seems to be reaching its stride at the apex of its tasting curve. Medium full bodied, deep ruby color with full forward blackberry and black and red currant fruits with tones of mocha, clove spice and hints of tar and sweet oak on a smooth polished flavorful lingering finish.
Decanted for 1 hour. Soft, smooth texture. Plum, dark fruit, light touch of vanilla with some wood coming thru on the back end at times. I don't see this developing much more with age.
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Cola and plum on the nose. Opened up with a taste of vanilla and a hint of wood. Back end a little thin and flabby. Perhaps a year past drinking window
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Took a little bit to open. But after typical CA Cab bouquet with fruit, caramel and vanilla. Very dense body, smooth with slight tannins showing on the finish. Drink very well now, but could last a little bit more.
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A pleasantly matured Napa cab featuring aromas of all things red - currant, raspberry, licorice and cherry. The flavors show red currant, red raspberry, touches of earth, licorice, soy sauce and spice with medium+ tannins and medium acidity. A bit of oak though the alcohol is balanced despite its >15%. This is aging well and should last several more years though if you only have one bottle I'd open it now.
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Decanted for about an hour, which it needed after checking in at the half hour mark. Profile of fairly dark fruit with medium to full body and low plus acidity. Oak is there, but not overbearing. Did notice some alcohol which brought the score down a point.
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PnD let air for 1hr. Purple opaque with crimson rim. Cassis blackberry fig herbs and cedar on the nose. Medium(+) with abundant ripe tannins. Ripe black nd blue fruits with a touch of espresso. Fresh red fruit acidity keeps it all in balance on the lingering finish.
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Nice mix of dark and lighter fruit, with nice backbone and big enough to handle some grilled meat. No oak bomb here, a nice, well balanced Stags Leap cab.
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Drank very well, even with some stiff competition (2004 Calera Pinot, 2004 Harlan Cabernet). Great core of fruit and firm structure. Has a long life left, everyone loved it.
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Oak! All I get is oak! Why spend all that time and care in the vineyard raising nature's perfect product only to demolish it with the aroma and flavor of oak? And don't get me started on 15.2% alcohol. That's fine for a zin but where's the cabernet character? I'm frustrated and sad, and not just a little.
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Tried this with dinner. Big mistake as this needed more time to open. After setting aside for a couple of hours it was much, much better. Next bottle I'll decant and let breathe for much longer.
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Simple but has that Stags leap character - if you can't afford Shafer then this is a go to wine. From magnum - probably would benefit from a few more years of aging in this format.
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Deep ruby color leads to nose of dark fruit, cassis and dark chocolate. Medium full body coats mouth with ripe but not over the top berry while mixing in some dark chocolate, currant, and a hint of cedar. Sweet tannins last 30 seconds.
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Decanted five hours. Youthful deep garnet to almost purple color. Currant jam and slightly spirited aromas. Creamy entry. Dark palate evokes French roast coffee, Guiness, bitters, and dark chocolate. Solid and interesting core of material. Finishes with some metal filings and fine tannins. I was impressed with the balance. This seems to be at the beginning of its drinking window. I think this could round out with some time and has some slight upside.
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Helping a friend with a north-east Italian Wine List; 4/3/2013-4/4/2014 (TBD): This is in a very nice place right now. It is not a super ripe cab but there is plenty of fruit. Shows nice underlying layering. Held up just fine over two nights, so no worry on timing. Might get more complex, I am not sure about better. It is an outstanding wine that provides nice value on Napa terms.
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Dark fruit on the nose w/oak in the foreground. After being open 3 hours (not decanted), the oak had diminished and the fruit was very prominent. The palate feel was elegant and the finish was pretty long and enjoyable. I would have preferred it as part of a dinner instead of being sampled w/27 other reds. Great QPR at the approx $25 paid.
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Blackberry, smooth and creamy, with oak and vanilla showing, but perfectly balanced. Llacks a little "showiness" or presence that lowers my score, but excellent CS at the price. Drinking very well despite a short decant.
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This is really lovely right now, with blueberry, blackcurrant, Cedar, vanilla, and nutmeg on the nose. Silky smooth palate, well integrated and medium long.
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The best bottle of Cliff Lede I have had in along time, rich fruit flavor, smooth, I got some tannins. My guess is that it is certainly not over the hill, but maybe at it's peak.
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incredible depth and concentration with elegance . nose with nice green pepper ripe black currant , pleasant dusty notes, black tea, sexy mouth feel , soft with fine tannins that sneak up. super long finish. could have improved in bottle for at least a few more years
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It's been a year since I last enjoyed the Cliff Lede. One of my favorite Cabs and the Stag's Leap fruit is always decenible. Always classy, elegant, and enjoyable.
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Drinking much better than the last one I opened about 18 months ago. Decanted for 30 minutes and drank over a couple hours. Dark fruit and dusty tannins paired nicely with a pan seared filet. Well balanced. Enjoyed better with food vs. alone.
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I'm not rating as I think the bottle was off. There was a very steely, green streak to it that ruined the mid-palate and finish. No better on day 2. Poured it down the drain.
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See previous notes. Not sure this is going to improve much more. Tannins are more tame and profile centers around cassis, blackberry, and creamy oak. Medium finish.
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Decanted for about an hour, still very tight, but starting to open up. Aromas and flavors of dark cherry and a little red raspberry. Acidity is there. Gripping finish with dusty tannins. Shows potential, will wait another couple years for the next one.
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Not much improvement over two years. Really starting to turn into a syrupy mess. Nose of very ripe black fruit and vanilla. On the palate, jammy black currant, ripe plums. Finishes with lots of grip but acidity is lacking.
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This wine matured very well over the past 2 years. Dense ripe plums and dried spices comes through on the nose. In the mouth tobacco is in the forefront followed dark fruit and mushroom. Tannins are still a but tight so this wine could go another 2-4 years.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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Deep, opaque,purple color. Long legs. A bit of perfume, tobacco and spice on the nose. Big and fruit forward, this is a complex wine with layers of black raspberry, plum and blueberry, evolving to chocolate, clove and a hint of tobacco. Drinking very well now but certainly has 5 to 8 years left. Throwing a surprising amount of sediment it's age but this seems to be a Cliff Lede trait. Nicely accompanied by assorted flatbreads, Spanish cheeses and green apples. Drank with Beth, Rick, Linda and Peter with a terrific South Loop view of the Chicago skyline from Peter's apartment.
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Drank after dinner with dessert after the lunelles. Just a bit more one noted than the bordeaux we already had. Still very solid wine. Sad that it was my last bottle.
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N: sweet and fresh, blue and red fruits, perfume, spice box, dust. P: velvet mouthfeel, splash of fruit at the front but the oak is always right there, mouth coating tannins, soy, persistent milk chocolate on the 45 second finish. Drinking very well with an hour of air.
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I've had this in the past and thought it quite elegant for Napa. This time I tasted it alongside an '06 from Margaux (the AC, not the Chateau) and was surprised at how leaden and tannic it came across. Defintie astringency for the first half hour in the glass but it softened up after that.
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Inky ruby. Blueberries, violets, cassis, and a touch of oak on the nose. Medium to full bodied, blackberries, black cherries, fennel, pencil lead, good acid, drying tannins, a bit of heat, and a slightly sweet and woody medium+ finish. Good fruit and the oak didn't bother me. Every glass was better than the last.
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PnP, dark fruit (blackberries), generous oak, medium boided. Wine was pretty good, but did not stand out in any way. While enjoyable to drink and a well made wine a bit disappointing.
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This was a much better showing than my first bottle and I wasn't expecting much based on the current reviews. The nose was very pleasant with cherries and chocolate. The taste on this was much less oak than I remember from 18 months ago and the fruit is much more pronounced. Long finish with mild but firm sweet tannins. 50+5+12+17+8 = 92
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Decant 1+ hr. A little hot at 15% with oak present. Think the alc and oak get in the way of the fruit. Palate of black olives, blackberry and cedar with nice acid and strong tannins and a long finish.
Finished on day 2 and the fruit was more pronounced and the tannins mellowed, smoother wine and more to my tastes. Going to save my other bottle for a few years.
88 on day one but improved and more enjoyable on day 2
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This is everything I dislike in NApa... too much oak... what pissed me off was that although the fruit seemed high quality I couldnt taste it through all the oak.
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Popped and poured. This has improved quite bit since i tried it more than 2 years ago. Bordeaux style nose with blueberry, graphite and a little barnyard which blew off after an hour or so. Medium to medium plus body with nice acidity. Quite restrained and elegant with nice balance. Blackberry and blueberry fruit with notes of tobacco and pencil lead. 20+ second finish with moderate tannins. This is very different stylistically to the outstanding '05 bottling. Not as good as the '05 for me but this is still excellent and should continue to improve over the next few years. Having been disappointed with this a couple of years ago i am now looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
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This was refreshing compared to the 99 Cinq Cepages and 02 Dominus. Differnt wines I know, but this was the preferred bottle with the bright fruit and medium tannins. Opened up to smooth fruit, lightly oaked and not too much alcohol, though it lingered a bit on the back end. Good bottle o vino.
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On opening the nose was predominated by alcohol but this disappears after an hour of decanting. Even after an hour the nose came across tight giving me hints of a little cedar, however it was bursting with ripe dark fruit with a touch of oak and tobacco. Good body with a nice long finish.
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Drank w/out decant. Tasty, improving with a little time in the glass. Smooth, with mocha predominating, fruit showing little on the palate, in nice balance, actually with the mocha. Will wait a while for the next one.
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I nice cab that is not a huge fruit bomb. The nose has a lot of tobacco and dark berry. The middle is smooth and balanced with a cocoa dryness. The only real drawback is the alcohol shows itself on the end of the finish.
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Very dark ruby color with a creamy, muscular, full-throttle Cabernet with great structure and balance. Packed flavors of black currant, chocolate, tobacco, coffee, tar, bay leaf, and oak. Finishes long and supple. Drink from 2011 to 2020.
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Not sure if I get the tasting notes that reference "earthy" as this is far from it. Significant tobacco and mocha taste. Dark color. Smooth. Better than I expected.
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Opened for small sip and to let breath for tomorrow nights tasting. Cedar, raspberry vanilla hagan daz ice cream, alcohol dominant, some milk chocolate. Good finish. Much heat. Better than expected...90 impression. Will see how it holds up tomorrow. Vacuvinned.
Glad I opened it for a day. Strong alcohol taste gone. Better colors tonight. Taste of typical SLD cab, but deeper longer finish, with more fruits less earth than I expected. Well balanced tannin and finish, not complex but very enjoyable with afghan lamb chop steak. Delicious. Pairs well with fatty steak. 91
3rd night..barely a glass left, tasted at Italian byo and have to bring it up to 92 after tasting against altamura 07 and caymus 02 mag. It held up well. 2nd to the caymus. This bottle is underrated and misunderstood. Def have to let it breath for a day or two to air out the strong alcohol. Better yet let It age for 2 more years. Structure is there and fruit is deep and delicious, worth the $60 it's selling for. Yummy!
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Had this in a blind tasting of '06 Napa cabs. This was surprisingly tight, even after 3+ hours of air (and significantly more so than the other wines tasted). Hard to elicit much on the nose until late in the tasting, at which point a slight earthy funkiness (in a good way) and a savory/herbal note appeared. The latter continued on the palate, paired with deep blackberry notes, some tobacco, and a long, dry finish. This was much more open and approachable two years ago at the winery. I won't open another one of these for at least 3-4 more years.
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Heavy, bitter tannins that will makerhis bottle last a lot longer. Leather, cassis and dark chocolate open up with air. Deep concentrated flavors abound. Definitely give this a LOT of air time, or decant for 2+ hours. Really nice bottle, especially for the $25 price I scooped it up for.
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Much better than previous bottles. Tannins have integrated more. Flavor profile the same with dark fruit cigar and leather. Finish longer than previous bottles. Really pretty nice bottle of wine at this price point.
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15.2% alcohol. The first cab I've had in quite some time. This one had good tannic structure and was very well balanced. It was also somewhat closed and unyeilding. I'll see if it improves a bit on day two.
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Solid Napa cab, slightly above average for what I paid, really pleasing but lacking anything to set it apart. Opaque purple-red. Nose is a bit reserved given the extraction and body expressed on the palate...some dark fruit, spice, iron, rawhide. Slightly tacky mouthfeel, with big smooth fruit dominating the front and transitioning smoothly to the leather/iron combo at the end. Nice length (30+ seconds). Ought to pair this up with a ribeye next time.
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The experience of this wine was typical of my expectations of a mid-range California Cabernet with good provenance: A little on the big side, with deliciously balanced fruit and structure, a nice supple finish, and a mildly inflated list price. 91+
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Lots of black cherry, plum and tobacco on the nose. It was a bit tight at first. Poured after giving about 15 minutes of air. Flavor was black cherry earthiness, currants and some florals. I noted an earlier posters note about creaminess mid-palate and agree. Half a bottle left for tomorrow night. Poured almost 24 hours later the dark cherry hits a lot harder on the front end followed b y intensified floral notes with that prior creaminess and then some smoky leather at the end.
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Much better than the last bottle. Slightly earthy with died currants and spice. A touch creamy on the mid palate. Very long finish with well integrated tannins. Longer decant or more time in the cellar will help this wine.
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No formal notes, but this was consumed after, and was slightly better than, the Ridgeline cabernet. The two were surprisingly different. The Ridgeline had a razor-like focus, running right down the middle of the palate. This wine was very weak on the middle, but filled up the sides of your mouth. This was more complex, though, and therefore I enjoyed it more. At $20 it is an outstanding bargain.
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Good color. Some leather and earth on the nose. Nice attack of dark fruit with some dark cherry transitioning to a mocha and cedar, finishing with firm tannins.
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nose - dark berry, peppery mouth - full bodied, very chocolatey, spicey fruit that strikes me as being more syrah than cab. chocolate finish. very flavorful.
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This was popped and poured and it should not have been because it was outstanding after 45 minutes. Even better after 1.5 hours. Rich and full bodied, it would match beautifully with a big steak.
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Consistent w/ 3/28/2010 note, but no heat on the finish. NB, this was after an eight-hour bottle decant, followed by an additional hour in a wide bottom decanter, and a pass through a Vinturi. A really great showing, but still seems like it's finding itself. If I wasn't lacking cellar space, I'd wait to consume these for another two years. A beautiful wine.
Drink now or hold. 92+ -JRS
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after a quick 45 minute decant, the aromatics were WOWing me ... cassis ... dark plums ... vanilla ... the palate was smooth and what a mouthfeel! loaded with vibrant dark fruits and a slight cocoa appearance ... a little tannic ... great lingering finish that ends with a chocolate streak ...this bottle showed much better than the one we drank 6 months ago...an outstanding Stags Leap cabernet ... a steal at the various cindy prices paid ... 2 thumbs up!
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Was very happy with this wine and was a steal on last year's WL Cab deal packs! Very tasty Napa cab with good fruit, oak and mocha. Great steak wine and was enjoyed at La Cave.
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On Day 2 - Tannins nicely integrated now. Blackcurrant, vanilla, tar. Some oak and bitter dark chocolate on the finish. Nicely done but just jaded on cab right now. 89pts for me.
Day 3 - Wow! Really approachable and open now. Big difference from yesterday. Some floral aspects on the nose with pretty dark fruits moving fairly seamlessly to the vanilla midpalate. Still the bitter chocolate on the finish. Nice. 91 pts
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Got this as part of of multi-pack on cinderella wine, pro-rated price of ~$21. To me, it performed at about that price point, average ~$20 Napa cab... a bit heavy on the oak, a little bit hot, and slightly out of balance.. not a bad bottle of wine, but was expecting more I guess...
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Cassis, chocolate, spices, and vanilla. So we have here a Cali cab. The oak feels a little too raw for my liking and the alcohol a touch too high, but I expect I'm in the minority. It's actually not bad, though, and other people will probably like it more than I do. It's just that style. At the price I bought it for, I'm not unhappy, and that's all I can say.
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One of my favorite wines! Deep sweet currant on the nose. A creamy palate accentuated by flavors of mocha and berries. Well integrated and smooth tannins. A long persistent finish follows that lasts for what seems an eternity!!!
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Very good Cab. Nice red fruit on the palate and a lingering finish. Drank in the course of a 3 hour window after decanting for 1 hr. It got better and better with air.
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wish I waited another couple of years on this....so much time left to improve..decanted one hour, was finally coming around at last glass...soo tannic right now, but so good.
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The bottle wasn't flawed but there was definitely some bottle variation here. I typically love Cliff Lede wines but this one was boring and unintersting. There was no rich structure and lingering finish like most Cliff Lede wines.
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Opened 9/12, finished tonight. Dark, indigo and red. Notes of entrained oak and highly extracted dark fruit. Complex aroma, effusive even after 2 days. Finish has a great offering of acidity balanced with oak and tannin. The 15.2% ALC is evident, but reasonably balanced thru the finish. Complexity evident as it lingers. Nice, glad it was a Cinderella wine from WL.
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Decanted for two hours. Nose of red currant, sour cherry, mocha, vanailla. cedar. On the palate, red currant, vanilla, mocha, blackberry. Finishes very dry with astringent tannins. Excellent to outstanding. Hold. OK value.
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Red-purple, but with noticeable orange at the rim. Good, solid cherry aromas, but with a vanilla cream center. There are also some stewed prunes and a touch of gaminess. On the palate, good red fruit base, and the vanilla center remains. But this is not just a one-trick pony; there are subtle secondary flavors of earth and milk chocolate, with some cedary mulch and charcoal. Nice structure, this is tasty now, but has plenty of life left. This wine is very high on the delicious factor and is the stereotypical California cabernet. I like it. For $20 pro-rated, this was a great deal.
Edit: Nice to see my notes are relatively consistent.
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Tasted blind along side 3 inexpensive cabs($9-14). This just barely edged out an 07 Leyeth and 07 Bogle. All were decanted and tasted twice. Not nearly worth the money. The only real difference was the Lede was slightly fuller bodied and slightly more concentrated.
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Decanted 2 hours before serving. Inky, glass staining color. Nose has a great espresso bean meets dark chocolate, with a good core of black fruits. There's some toasty oak, but it's not overbearing. On the palate there's this gorgeous black cherry and blackberry fruit up front, with a good, full mid palate and silky tannins that developed nicely over the hour that I drank it. Hides the 15.2% abv very well.
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Pretty simple Cabernet and not worth the entry price. Notes of vanilla, milk chocolate and some dark cherries. Finishes a little hot. Improved on the second day but still very simple.
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I grabbed this wine to drink before a concert as I was hoping it would fit the 'profile' for easy-drinking and better than your average bottle. It hit the mark nicely. My 'decanting' into a plastic water bottle added to the experience and we drank this sitting in the warm late afternoon sun waiting in line. Classic cabernet and drinking well right now.
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Not quite as good as the '05, though whether this was from the year or additional age I'm not sure. Still a delicious and interesting Napa Cab. Firm tannins, a little pine, big fruit - overall very nice. Bought on CindyWine and easily worth twice as much as I paid.
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Decanted about 4 1/2 hours. The nose had black currant and mocha, spice and raspberry, and a little tobacco. The palate was rich and juicy, with black currant and spice, espresso, and a nice cigar box finish.
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very soft, fruit driven wine with extracts of dark cherry and vanilla. not much backbone or thinking involved with this one, just an easy drinking modern cali cab
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Soft ripe black fruit, sweet without being too fruity. Good acidity and balance for a Napa cab. May have enjoyed this more because of the company and occasion.
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Very good. The bottle went so quick I didn't take the time to properly taste. It had a good dose of red fruit on the nose, ie raspberry and cherry. It had a good backbone, some tannins and again a tasty red fruit finish. I liked this.
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Popped and poured. Dark purple color. Delicious nose that oozes deep juicy fruit, dark cherries and blackberries and plums, with just a tiny hint of oak in the background. Full bodied but not powerful, this has a good smooth weight to it of ripe black fruit on the palate, with a little chewy tannin on the medium finish. Carries its 15.2% alcohol well, and went nicely with a New York strip. Feels structured but not tannic, if that makes any sense. I wouldn't wait too much longer on this.
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Very good to excellent. Very dark in color. Sweet nose full of cassis and vanilla. A little tight on the palate, but this is certainly an in your face type of wine. The oak is really dominating things here. Got a little bit of pencil shavings on the medium finish. I have one more of these and will wait a few years to see if it comes together. For the price I paid, I can't do too much complaining.
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Finished 6/13. Effusive nose of dark fruit, some oak. Ripe, extracted, bold, solid body, great over a few hours as it opens up and offers a well balanced acidic, tannic, and fruit expression.
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Pop and pour with no decant. Deep violet red color with cassis, mocha and coffee notes on the nose. Fairly ripe fruits throughout with dark currants dominating framed by multi-layered tannins that eventually give your lips and teeth a nice purple hue. There's a nice overall smoothness to this wine and the moderate alcohol (15.2%) is fairly well concealed but does poke through just a touch on the finish. At full retail ($55) I wouldn't purchase this again but fortunately it was on sale for $35, which is a nice price for a well built Napa Cab.
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Damn good Napa cab. Not overly fruity on the nose, but enough to keep things interesting with hints of cherry and blackberry. Nice mouthfull with solild, but not overly long, finish. Compares well to Jordan.
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Agree with the mocha / espresso comments but this wine fell a bit flat for me given the price, not to mention the outstanding 2005. Jess and I agreed on 89-90...
Drink now.
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~3hr decant @68F. COLOR- dark, thick and concentrated plum red/purple (but not the darkest of cabs). NOSE- spicy cedar oak, bell pepper, cassis, and grapey plum or dark blueberry -- certainly not my favorite profile. Adding raspberry topped in whipped cream and an aspect of musky perfume (heated paprika as it sweetens the air) with additional swirling and hand-warmth; I still haven't taken a sip, and the aromas are slowly becoming more enjoyable. PALATE- medium bodied, and certainly with a taste-affecting oak-influence, but coming on in waves of delicious cabernet fruit in the way I recall the '05 expressing as well (incidentally, on first blush, the '05 seems the definite superior to this '06 bottling -- less obvious oak, better quality in the fruit, indeed better structure and balance.) This layers on tart creme de cassis with a sweet-vanilla plum tobacco element that isn't as cloying as it sounds. I find the alcohol quite manageable and contained here, though the 3+ hours in decanter might have helped some with that. There's a good full and creamy mid-palate that leads to a dry and tannic medium+ long finish. This one forces one to buff-out the teeth, as the tannins seem to build in layers there. To summarize, this is the lesser doppelganger to it's '05 sibling (more oak, less balance, less depth of fruit), but not by too much. I think this has the structure to improve in the cellar for 5-7 years and peak, then hold out for another 5-7 more. 90+ points.
Opened sooner than i would have liked. Heavier upon popping this time around. Showing loads of sweet cedar, cherry, and cassis. Heavy fruits across the dry and tannic palate. This is great, but needs either three or five years on it's side, or a good five hour decant.
Contrary to other reviews, I believe tannins are nowhere near integrated (10+ years for full resolution).
Drink now or hold. 92+ -JRS
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Thirty minute decant. Immediately, aromas of deep, dark fruit and mocha jumped out of the decanter...many commented on the amazing nose. On the palate, the oak is slightly overbearing, but nice cassis and vanilla come through. The finish is slightly shorter than I remember and the wine seems to lose concentration at the tail end. Tannins seem to be integrating nicely. I knocked off a point from the previous score due to shortish finish and too much oak this time around. Still great at the discounted price.
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Overall this is a pretty good and at about $40 it's on the lower range of most Stags Leaps Cab Sauv but you can get this flavor profile with nearly all $20-25 super market CA Cab Sauv. The nose broods with ripe plumb, vanilla, cedar, and earthy unfortunately the integration does not come together very well which is typical of most $20-25 wines. In the mouth it tastes a bit too oaky and hot from the alcohol though the fruit is very dense with plum and cherries. It also has an interesting soy sauce like saltiness that I somehow actually enjoy. Finishes moderately long and smooth though a bit hot from the alcohol.
This wine proves that not all Stags Leap wines are good enough to command their price tags.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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Open with aventuri.. had it with a prim rib eye steak boneless.. with just salt and pepper and olive oil on gas grill.. Nice match and the wine taste dry but with fruit flavor.. but it has a special taste to it.. i think it needs alittle more time in cellar or air time.. will see tommorrow..
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Let breathe for 2 hours plus aeration. Nose screams blue berry cream. Blue fruit of all kinds including plums and BLUE RASPBERRY! Aromas of vanilla, cola, some sweet spice and light French mocha. Palate shows more blue creamy fruit, sweet tannins and some nice underlying acidity and a touch of heat. Classically New World Cab in style, this should peak in another 5-7 years. A very nice wine. A superb buy under the $50 mark - unfortunately I paid $2...boo.
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An awesome bottle. Took about four or fives hours of air to fatten this one up. Deep concentrated cherry, blackberry, cassis with chocolately espresso tones, vanilla, and cedary oak. Heavy and dense in the mouth, with a long and somewhat hot finish. The 2005 was a tough act to follow for this cuvee, but they sure did a good job. I'd hold on to these for a while before opening another.
Hold. 92+ -JRS
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Good Napa cab, it opened up after about 1hr with some initial chewy tannins which later smoothed out nicely.This was my first Cliff Lede wine and I look forward to trying some of his other bottlings. I wish this were alittle cheaper just because I think it represents the Napa cab style well. It would be great to open for any occasion if not for price.
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Dinner at Haven (Houston, Texas): It's a shame Cliff Lede increased the price of this wine from $50 to $60 for the 2006 vintage. This is not a very good wine. It has distinct caramel nose, and the palate is fat, soft and unfocused. Nothing seems to fall in line with this wine. I've recently seen this wine heavily discounted, and now I see why. The professional critics got it wrong with this one.
tasted by glass at restaurant. deep red color. nose of cherry, leather, spices. spice continues onto the palate, with unforgiving tannins and a silky mouthfeel but little midpalate. great nose, but fairly simple. enjoyable.
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NC Cindy tasting. Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Good dark color. On the nose, very sweet, bright, and fruity. Maybe a little heat. Seemed a touch extracted. On the palate, this had good cherry fruit which crescendoed into a nice cedary mid-palate with some smokiness. Nice, silky mouthfeel. Unfortunately, the mid-palate faded quickly, and the wine had a short finish. Although just three plus years old, this did not seem like it had much development left, although it will probably be in good drinking form for two or three years. Overall, a decent, well-made wine, but not worth the initial $50-60 asking price. At the $20 pro-rated price in the Cinderella wine 3-pack, though, this is a solid value.
For me, this was fourth among the five California wines tasted at this event.
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Friday, March 12, 2010 - This is dark and brooding. Serious structure, didn't start to come alive until around the 3 hour mark (decant). Around 5 hours now. Somewhat astringent tannins. Blackcurrants, brush, blackberries, tar, vanilla, hints of pine. Really very nice, but I'd like to see it in a few years. It seems that there are more layers and complexities there that I just can't see past the tannins. Like figures in the fog.
Paired beautifully with seared rib-eye.
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very silky, but needs quite a bit of time to breathe. drank at restaurant and first impressions were lots of heat and american oak. both fade after an hour or two into nice flavors of currant and mocha. Still has a bit of heat on it, but not overpoweringly so. very good for the liquidation pricing it seems to be on right now.
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Rich, mouthwatering style, with rich concentrated currant, plum and black cherry fruit that's accented by exotic spices and pretty toasty oak scents that unfold, revealing extra layers of depth and complexity. On the finish the fruit stands out with rich, chewy tannins and hints of mocha. This definitely has the “Delicious Factor” – JD93
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Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. Black cherry, light oak, leather. Lacks complexity, tannins not yet integrated. Hopefully this will get better with more bottle time.
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Nose: wonderful dark fruit immediately coming through on the nose. strong backbone of leather and bandage. Incredibly rich and earthy on the nose as well. Pencil shavings, green pepper and a bit of dustiness all coming through as the wine opens up. Not an overly complex wine but interesting enough. Very nice mouthfeel, a little bit light for the style but it works . Lots of leather, cedar, green pepper, black currant and a bit of cranberry immediately covering my palate. Perfect tannins though finish is not overly long. Oak is present but not overpowering. A very drinkable wine and it is ready now as far as im concerned.
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Fruit was a bit muted, not as bright as expected. Smooth flavors up front, but then flattened out too early. Nice, but was glad I didn't pay the original retail price of $60 (got it for $27 instead).
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Elegant nose full of deep black currant, blackberry, and a hint of anise. Velvety moutfeel shows flavors of dark berries, toasty oak, baking spice and a hint of menthol. Nice complexity on the palate. Firm, dusty tannins evident on the back end with med-high acid. Nice mix of oak and cocoa on the structured finish. Solid.
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Minimal nose. Mouthfeel quite thin. Poor finish, almost a little vinegary. Overall, just a mediocre effort for a Napa cab. One can do much better in this price range. The bottle went unfinished.
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This is an excellent wine that gets better if allowed to breathe a bit. The cork was tight and air had clearly not infiltrated the bottle. There is an inky darkness to the color. The nose is alive. Leather hit me first followed by good earth and tight fruit. Given a short time the aromas of dark berries reveal themselves. You won't be disappointed with the flavors and subtle changes in the wine. Again, big fruit, berries, earth, and just a hint of good moss early (it went away with decanting). The wine is not overly complex but does change. It shows a good balance. Tannins are evident upon opening and drinking through the finish. The wine should age nicely. Very happy with the purchase.
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Nose is vanilla and dark fruits. Taste is blueberry and blackberry jam - some black olive. Flabby, very flabby... finishes dry, the mouthfeel is thick, but no sensation on the palate. OAK is everywhere. You can see why people would like with all the fruit, but no substance or depth and leaves you wanting something more after the early tingly bits... Pam Anderson comes to mind. Xmas gift, but the other two bottles are the stars (Altamura and Justin Isosceles) 87 JDM.
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Still young with a big tannic structure. It will soften over time. Needs some time in the decanter for now. Big fruit flavors of currant and blueberry. Mineral edge on the long finish. More at by blog http://encompasswine.wordpress.com/
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nice nose, green pepper on both nose and palette. Fruit on the front and strong flavor through the mid palette and a long finish. Earthy quality on the palette great with the pot roast that we served
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Drank after 99 Abreu so this wasnt really fair but it was still delicious. Somewhat primary with cherry cola flavors and some oak. Nice mouth feel with soft lush tannins and a nice finish.
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Real nice wine that I drank over two nights. lots of berries and smooth finish. Just got 6 more and am glad we did. Looking forward to the wine club deliveries.
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Initially showed no fruit at all, so I decanted for 2 hours. Nose showed red currant, raspberry, cedar and bittersweet chocolate. Palate showed raspberry, red currant, smoke and a bit of dark chocolate. Finish was a bit hot and tannic which prevented this from scoring higher, but that should come together in time, so this should improve.
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Very true as a typical Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon with deep dark purple color. Lots of complexity on the nose, fruit of course, but some cinnamon and asian spices with a leather background. The nose jumps out of the bottle and the glass. Plenty of dark fruit. The oak is almost not noticeable, fully and successfully integrated. Everything is balanced. Would score higher if there was a little more weight on the mouthfeel, which also affects the refined, but relatively short finish. Altogether a treat of a well made wine that is slightly lighter than expected
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K&L Charity Event. Nose of green bell pepper, dark fruit, and earth, typical Stags Leap cabernet flavors on the palate, medium amount of tannins, tasted yin and yang-disjointed somehow, medium body and medium finish. Not up to its peers today by far.
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Nose of vanilla, dark berries, mocha and smoke. Creamy mouthfeel but not overbearing. Good acidity and very nice ripeness level to the fruit - not too much, not too little. This is well priced (for Napa). Would consider buying a few more.
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Beautiful purple color. Initial nose of massive fruits and some doughy vanilla, taste of sour cherry and jam, milk chocolate. Focused and concentrated. About 15 minutes later, muted and dull, nose gone, midpalate flat. What the..?? Revisited after a few hours, nose came back a little bit but midpalate hadn't changed. This wine was showing its alcohol (15.2%) and was super dry. Overly tannic. At this price point I'd rather drink a Caymus.
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Muted nose with a very soft midpalate entry with sweet raspberry flavors. Not very complex at eh moment but very drinkable and tasty right now. Hopefully will develope more with age.
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A dry, tannic wine. It's a wine that will leave your mouth feel bone-dry, which creates the impression of a long finish, but there's no complexity, very little nose, and not much on the palate with this Cabernet. Overpriced.
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Nice fruit on the nose and palate, with some oak and pepper. It has a medium tanic structure. Drinkable now, but time will certainly make it even better. A very good wine at this price point. Very close to the similar rated 2005.
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Glunz Wines Winter Portfolio tasting (union league club, chicago IL): nose: extremely heavy on the oak treatment that is really in the forefront and is on the bothersome side. Some tones of Black Cherries and black currants add themselves in there, but this is a very run of the mill cabernet on the nose
taste: full bodied, but also heavily oaked to where it over powers the wine. Some black cherries behind it, but its an oak dominated wine and its hard to fully get past it
overall: hopefully the oak blows off, but its not like there are a lot of complexity behind it. The feel is really good as is the texture, but that's about it
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1/6/2024 - Chateaunole-du-Pape wrote: 93 Points
Just singing right now. Beautiful blend of Bordeaux and Napa styles. Sure wish I had more.
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4/30/2023 - Kim & John wrote:
Still drinking awesome. Ignore that drink by 2019 date.
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10/15/2022 - wmccone54 Likes this wine:
This is in the latter stages of the “drinking window”. Mature: displaying a dull ruby color, with slight bricking at the edges; perfumed, floral aromatics; loamy blackberry, stewed black currant, cooked black cherry, black plum, dried tobacco, powdered chocolate, with dried briary undergrowth on the long finish. Structure is present, with tannin and acids holding this all together. Had no problem holding up to the grilled ribeye with grilled Brussels sprouts. Lots of sediment in both the decanter and bottle neck. Drink now, unlikely to improve, but this still has life; can be enjoyed through late 2023. Last of six bottles procured back around 2009; great purchase and a wine I’ll always look for.
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4/9/2022 - NoWineWiz wrote: 87 Points
This seems to be on the downhill side with fading fruit, only a whisper of any tannins and medium finish.
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8/11/2021 - RichardP wrote: 93 Points
Strawberry jam and earth on the nose. On the palate, black cherry, cassis, and notes of plum and leather on the medium to long finish, with well-balanced acidity. Although the 2006 vintage took a long time to open up, it gets full marks for quality now that it's mature. This is about at its peak, though with at least a few good years left; it was an excellent value at under $50.
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4/10/2020 - kennyd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle of a case we purchased at Cliff Lede in Autumn 2006. This wine was really good, right through the last bottle 10 years after the first. I really do believe that this wine may be the highest value wine I've ever purchased. When you consider how good it is now, and that it's a best a number 3 for the vineyard, pretty good, right?
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3/20/2020 - SoFlaWineGuy18 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking nicely now. Probably can’t sit much longer. Really opened up after about an hour or so. It’s big with great structure still. Nice tannins on the finish.
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1/27/2020 - yasha Likes this wine: 92 Points
the cork broke in side the bottle. but after one hour the wine was very good.
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5/10/2019 - Kingster wrote:
On the verge of turning. I wouldn’t let one sit much longer
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2/18/2019 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Super cool to try a wine this old. Thank you Cliff Lede for releasing. It aged perfectly. Cheers
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2/13/2019 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
What a treat. i was able to get my hands on a few bottles from the winery. Perfect time to drink. some tannins, and no decanting. probably can still hold for a year or 2. They stored it nicely as the cork was not damaged at all.
The wine it self was stellar. Nose on it was good. You can smell the roots from the vine. Almost has a cave like smell. Kinda dirty.
It tastes like raspberry, oak, black pepper and clove.
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2/10/2019 - kennyd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still so good, but I'm thinking it's time to drink the last bottle from the case.
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1/12/2019 - NoWineWiz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1/2 hour. Nice legs. Well balance and silky, with dark berries, worn leather, and touches of dried tobacco. Extremely soft tannis, and medium-long finish.
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12/19/2018 - stevenjstein wrote: 92 Points
Classic Napa Valley floor profile, with prominent black currant flavors. Plenty of fruit left. Well balanced, but maybe a touch riper of a style than I currently prefer. Definitely a great value as Napa Cabs go.
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12/2/2018 - costacasa Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a beautiful, vibrant Cab that, like a genie, is eager to escape the bottle and make your wishes come true. Immediately upon removing the cork I was surprised by the powerful dark fruit aromas that I associate with younger wines/barrel tasting. This is a smooth, balanced full bodied Cab that doesn't require much air time. Medium long finish. Easily the best '06 Napa Cab in this price range.
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10/12/2018 - Dylan Tyler wrote: 90 Points
Very, very rich napa cab. I think it would have been better a couple of years earlier. The nose indicated a soy sauce type of nose when ripe wines start to age. However, at this point while noticeable the fruit was still vibrant enough to be enjoyable.
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9/6/2018 - IlonaN wrote: 92 Points
Impeccably balanced and elegant at 16 years of age, with lovely cassis, menthol, baking spices and subtle earthiness. Beautiful texture and lingering finish. Could easily pass for a modern Bordeaux.
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5/7/2018 - wine4lux Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had with dinner of beef shish kebab, couscous and green salad. Still a very big and pleasant Cabernet, deep purple in color. The wine started strong from the open, and remained there for about 90 minutes until finished. Deep, dark fruit, cedar, mocha, and vanilla in a persistent smooth finish. Definitely a wine that punches above its price point.
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3/14/2018 - Vin Mike wrote: 94 Points
The wine is fully mature with a dark garnet color and a full bold body. It is full of flavors on the nose and plate with mostly integrated tannins, although still present. This has aged into an outstanding wine.
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1/5/2018 - winepog wrote: 91 Points
Great nose and very youthful and fresh. Young red fruit. Drinking well now and will continue to drink well for a while.
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12/25/2017 - currand Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is drinking wonderfully. I was a little concerned when the cork all but completely crumbled but the wine was flawless. Still a bit tannic after a 30 minute decant, dark red fruit, and held up well to a dry aged ribeye and risotto.
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11/18/2017 - Recreation Chef Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cork failed, However, the wine fortunately held up well for for 11 years old. Weak nose but cherry and mild mocha flavor were nice and did not overwhelm the meal.
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8/14/2017 - Corrie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just starting to the downside, fruit beginning to fade. Many of my friends would love this flavor.
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6/22/2017 - Winiac wrote: 89 Points
Spicy. Too much oak, yet good wine. Don't disturb the bottle, too much silty sediment that would take away from the experience if floated.
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5/9/2017 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with earlier tasting notes, (see below). The notes of mocha were replaced with tones of leather, tobacco leaf and hints of cedar as this passes its tenth year.
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2/7/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 88 Points
Another "forgotten bottle", this one in a bin I had not checked in a while. Big fan of Cliff Lede wines - mostly have "Rock Blocks" and Poetry in my cellar and tasting history. Given this was non-designate fruit, thought it might be gone...cork split and crumbled on the way out. Decanted and drank over 90 minutes
Color still good, starting to separate at the edge. Nose is red fruits, spice and oak. Dark cherry, earth. tobacco and cocoa on the palate. Oak and dusty tannins on the mid palate Medium weight and finish. Lacked depth on the finish. Probably past its prime but still a decent Cab. Would drink over next 2 years
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1/8/2017 - cawineaux wrote:
December 2016 Wine Club shipment. Still lots of color, but just the beginning of age on the palate. Beautiful deep crimson, fruit and flowers on the nose. The palate was refined yet still lively.
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1/3/2017 - Winiac wrote: 92 Points
Dark red color with bluish hue, beautiful bouquet and full body. Still noticeable tannin and spices. Round fruit and long and pleasant finish. Would last anther 5 years easily. Beginning of the secondary flavors but till very young.
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11/11/2016 - Halfeel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still drinking very nicely - super smooth and velvety. I would recommend finishing these within the next year or so.
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10/29/2016 - wmccone54 wrote: 94 Points
A much maligned and unfairly criticized wine, soon after release, back in 2009 and into 2010. This is the fourth of five bottles I purchased from CinderellaWine.com and all have been fabulous. Pulled from a 55 degree cellar, dry cork which totally fell apart upon opening, with the wine strained into a large ships decanter.
I'm amazed, after ten years, this is hitting on all cylinders and still displays lots of youthful characteristics: dark, and full bodied, all black fruits, and lots of structure. Clearly held its own against a grilled ribeye steak. Aromatic, fully integrated and complex, underscored by silky tannins and accentuated by a very long dark chocolate finish. Excellent.
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7/5/2016 - brooklynJ&O wrote: 89 Points
very nice. tasty more than complex. 1 hour decant.
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5/7/2016 - kennyd Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a pretty cool experience: this wine is not even one of Cliff Lede's top line wines, and it's almost 10 years out from vintage, but when we opened and sipped the wine, it sung. It demonstrated what you should get when you take a fundamentally well-built wine and give it 10 years to age in a perfect cellar environment. WOW! So nice. Deep burgundy in color. On opening, it presented rich wood, tobacco and red fruit jam aromas, with a spicey edge. When we tasted, it was mid- to long-lasting on the palette, with a mouth-filling smoothness. Not surprisingly, the tannins were in perfect check. Although some lesser wines at this age will fall off quickly after opening, this went for the 2-3 hours that we sipped and ate our prime beef filets with brazed brussel sprouts. I'm really happy that we have 3 more bottles in our cellar. On the other hand, not really sure when it might flatten (then again, I think it may have plateaued at a really good place, and could easily hold its own for a few more years).
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4/16/2016 - Myownscale wrote: 90 Points
Nose:
Palate:
Had at dinner with heritage kids, nice CA Cab.
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2/14/2016 - wineracquet Likes this wine: 92 Points
I'd had this bottle buried in the cellar for several years, and, finding it, decided to bring it up for Valentine's Day dinner. I actually wasn't expecting that much due to the rather lukewarm recent reviews on this wine on CT. But I was very presently surprised! This cab had a wonderful balance between fruit, tannin, acid and oak. The structure complemented the complex blackberry fruit very well. It was a great match for our beef tenderloin dinner!
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12/2/2015 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 90 Points
First things first, this is wine of impeccable quality. I can see many loving it. I'm always a bit let down by it because I think the alcohol is too noticeable now that the oak and acidity have faded. I wish I had more if only to open up for guests because, all in all, it is a crowd pleaser.
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11/25/2015 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with my note from 2/23/14, but only needed 20-30 mins in the decanter and the alcohol was not as noticeable.
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11/21/2015 - EMTAME wrote: 89 Points
Certainly a good, solid wine, but I keep hoping to be wowed by Cliff Lede and it just hasn't happened yet. I'm a huge SLD fan and Cliff Lede has fantastic vineyards and a beautiful, pristine winery. I'm not sure what's missing.
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10/31/2015 - isdblm@lsu.edu Likes this wine: 90 Points
In its prime.
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8/28/2015 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black current and blueberry, medium body, satin tannins, and medium sweet tannin finish.
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5/17/2015 - awinejourney Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big fruit. Quite concentrated and lots of alcohol but without the burn. This is a big boy!
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5/13/2015 - ksde wrote: 91 Points
Consistent notes with previous. Watch out for a disintegrating cork. Although the wine has aged well, the cork has not.
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4/11/2015 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Agree with most comments. Still maintains the earthy character with lots of mocha/chocolate tones. Gina got some deep blackberry while I found the fruit more muted (but very enjoyable). Same or a bit better the next day so it still has years left.
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4/8/2015 - dbay Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aromas of sandalwood and dark fruits on the nose. On the palette, earthy tannins, chocolate, blackberry and cassis. Complex with earth upfront, mid palette fruit and a finish of tannin and coffee.
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3/28/2015 - bin905 wrote: 88 Points
Dominated by earthy flavor and dusty tannins. Oak flavor is quite prevalent. Some spice, alcohol, black currant and tobacco flavor, too. Overall, a bit chunky.
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3/15/2015 - winejnky wrote: 90 Points
Nice CS, structured more than fruity, leans toward Bordeaux but has typical CA heft.
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2/1/2015 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
So stags leap. Wish I could have had this in a blind test. Would have impressed a person for once in my life. Anyway it is ripe and lots of mocha and chocolate and cassie and dark berry. This is probly at its peak right now. It is a worthwhile drink at $50 if you want napa but they definitely need to dial down the alcohol quite a bit.
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1/2/2015 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Really nice CS, drinking very well at this point in time. See note from 11/2012 for more dets.
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12/31/2014 - ecola wrote: 93 Points
Aromas and flavors of dark and ripe black cherry, red cassis, and forest floor with some wild herbs mixed in. Explosive and intense on the palate. Well balanced acidity on the long finish keeps this very lively.
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12/20/2014 - acintheoc Likes this wine: 91 Points
A bit of bell pepper on the nose with dark fruit and a smooth Finish
Drink now
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12/9/2014 - fecaputo wrote: 92 Points
This is drinking beautifully now. Smooth with great red fruit. If you have it, it is time to open it.
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12/1/2014 - winegr wrote: 90 Points
Nice wine, but not my favorite style. A bit warm.
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11/22/2014 - JimmyVine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened a bottle of this wine at a dinner party with friends. Dark plumb color, flavors of dark fruit, tobacco, graphite, cassis, some sediment - I will filter next time; a typical stags leap cab. My only regret is that the bottle was open for only about 1/2 hour before drinking; however, I had saved a few onces in a glass at room temp overnight, and in the morning it was delicious; still deep fruit, less alcohol, and an almost vanilla creme finish. Looking forward to my next bottle.
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8/17/2014 - EMTAME wrote: 90 Points
My first bottle of this in three years and it has come along nicely. Black fruited, smooth, and with finely woven tannins on the finish. This might be at peak for my palate.
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8/14/2014 - avarsamis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking this as it has been in the decanter for only about 5 minutes.
The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), lead pencil, black pepper, vanilla and tobacco. It tastes like mineral, medium toast and oak. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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7/26/2014 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 91 Points
Six years after release, the 2006 Lede Estate Cabernet seems to be reaching its stride at the apex of its tasting curve. Medium full bodied, deep ruby color with full forward blackberry and black and red currant fruits with tones of mocha, clove spice and hints of tar and sweet oak on a smooth polished flavorful lingering finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/07/napa-cabernet-and-white-pairing-flights.html
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6/22/2014 - WinePT wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Soft, smooth texture. Plum, dark fruit, light touch of vanilla with some wood coming thru on the back end at times. I don't see this developing much more with age.
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6/22/2014 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruits, satin mouth feel, good body, medium long finish. Great compliment to a great steak.
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6/20/2014 - BURGHen Boy wrote: 86 Points
Cola and plum on the nose. Opened up with a taste of vanilla and a hint of wood. Back end a little thin and flabby.
Perhaps a year past drinking window
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6/19/2014 - mydi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice, rich, intense cab. Have not had before.. Happy I did. Will do again. Received this as part of a trade for a piano .
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6/18/2014 - Quarked wrote: 89 Points
Nice CA cab, but not as complex and interesting as I expected. Medium bodied, with cab nose, but not much depth.
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5/18/2014 - jfpwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Took a little bit to open. But after typical CA Cab bouquet with fruit, caramel and vanilla. Very dense body, smooth with slight tannins showing on the finish. Drink very well now, but could last a little bit more.
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5/17/2014 - shaffej wrote: 92 Points
Very smooth and well balanced. Nice deep color, black berry and licorice
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3/6/2014 - David_T Likes this wine: 91 Points
A pleasantly matured Napa cab featuring aromas of all things red - currant, raspberry, licorice and cherry. The flavors show red currant, red raspberry, touches of earth, licorice, soy sauce and spice with medium+ tannins and medium acidity. A bit of oak though the alcohol is balanced despite its >15%. This is aging well and should last several more years though if you only have one bottle I'd open it now.
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2/23/2014 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for about an hour, which it needed after checking in at the half hour mark. Profile of fairly dark fruit with medium to full body and low plus acidity. Oak is there, but not overbearing. Did notice some alcohol which brought the score down a point.
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1/4/2014 - df1962 Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnD let air for 1hr. Purple opaque with crimson rim. Cassis blackberry fig herbs and cedar on the nose. Medium(+) with abundant ripe tannins. Ripe black nd blue fruits with a touch of espresso. Fresh red fruit acidity keeps it all in balance on the lingering finish.
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12/25/2013 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 92 Points
Very good...nice fruit and not over powering.
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11/3/2013 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice mix of dark and lighter fruit, with nice backbone and big enough to handle some grilled meat. No oak bomb here, a nice, well balanced Stags Leap cab.
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10/23/2013 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Great vintage.
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10/14/2013 - Sakas Likes this wine:
Drank very well, even with some stiff competition (2004 Calera Pinot, 2004 Harlan Cabernet). Great core of fruit and firm structure. Has a long life left, everyone loved it.
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9/10/2013 - magic2coop Likes this wine: 93 Points
Herbal, loamy, then chocolate and earth. Tannins still have grip. Nice long finish.
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9/9/2013 - Jack O'Brien wrote:
Not very good. Chocolate, grape jam booming with alcohol. No acid, complexity or revealing anything interesting about the wine. Rubbish for my palate.
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8/25/2013 - kanjimoti wrote:
Oak! All I get is oak! Why spend all that time and care in the vineyard raising nature's perfect product only to demolish it with the aroma and flavor of oak? And don't get me started on 15.2% alcohol. That's fine for a zin but where's the cabernet character? I'm frustrated and sad, and not just a little.
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8/6/2013 - Lotusracer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Big Wine needed a good hour to decant and then mellowed out beautifully.
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8/4/2013 - BuffaloLou Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tried this with dinner. Big mistake as this needed more time to open. After setting aside for a couple of hours it was much, much better. Next bottle I'll decant and let breathe for much longer.
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7/21/2013 - redman77 wrote: 90 Points
Needed a longer decant...very concentrated
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5/21/2013 - EyeDoc Likes this wine:
Simple but has that Stags leap character - if you can't afford Shafer then this is a go to wine. From magnum - probably would benefit from a few more years of aging in this format.
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5/9/2013 - flashvictor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep ruby color leads to nose of dark fruit, cassis and dark chocolate. Medium full body coats mouth with ripe but not over the top berry while mixing in some dark chocolate, currant, and a hint of cedar. Sweet tannins last 30 seconds.
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4/7/2013 - swade wrote: 90 Points
Decanted five hours. Youthful deep garnet to almost purple color. Currant jam and slightly spirited aromas. Creamy entry. Dark palate evokes French roast coffee, Guiness, bitters, and dark chocolate. Solid and interesting core of material. Finishes with some metal filings and fine tannins. I was impressed with the balance. This seems to be at the beginning of its drinking window. I think this could round out with some time and has some slight upside.
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4/6/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 91 Points
Helping a friend with a north-east Italian Wine List; 4/3/2013-4/4/2014 (TBD): This is in a very nice place right now. It is not a super ripe cab but there is plenty of fruit. Shows nice underlying layering. Held up just fine over two nights, so no worry on timing. Might get more complex, I am not sure about better. It is an outstanding wine that provides nice value on Napa terms.
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3/30/2013 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose but there was something truncated at the back end - not sure if it was a flaw, somewhat metallic
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3/23/2013 - gcarl wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit on the nose w/oak in the foreground. After being open 3 hours (not decanted), the oak had diminished and the fruit was very prominent. The palate feel was elegant and the finish was pretty long and enjoyable. I would have preferred it as part of a dinner instead of being sampled w/27 other reds. Great QPR at the approx $25 paid.
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3/16/2013 - Petek26 wrote: 88 Points
Undistinguished from other cabs, drank with F-1 blend and Elderton cab, Elderton blew this away, and F-1 is much better at its price point
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3/16/2013 - km5 wrote:
Good but did not stand out. Less dry.
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3/7/2013 - ersmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent. Peaking.
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3/3/2013 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Blackberry, smooth and creamy, with oak and vanilla showing, but perfectly balanced. Llacks a little "showiness" or presence that lowers my score, but excellent CS at the price. Drinking very well despite a short decant.
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2/18/2013 - meatbomb013 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is in a pretty good place right now. Fairly typical Stag's Leap cabernet. Will likely improve for another few years.
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2/15/2013 - Bumbanian wrote: 92 Points
This is really lovely right now, with blueberry, blackcurrant, Cedar, vanilla, and nutmeg on the nose. Silky smooth palate, well integrated and medium long.
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1/29/2013 - IlonaN wrote: 90 Points
Very nice wine, structured and elegant, restrained on the palate. Somewhat typical Stag's Leap cab profile, but that's all to the good. Nicely done.
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1/12/2013 - winejnky wrote: 90 Points
Blackberry and cocoa, smooth CS with moderate oak on the finish, a very inviting style drinking well even without decanting.
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12/10/2012 - Trolson wrote: 95 Points
Such a treat! Cliff Lede is consistently a great wine: nose, body and finish.
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11/28/2012 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 92 Points
The best bottle of Cliff Lede I have had in along time, rich fruit flavor, smooth, I got some tannins. My guess is that it is certainly not over the hill, but maybe at it's peak.
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11/17/2012 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Tea, blackberry and cocoa; this is a rich and "creamy" CS; polished and seductive, this is drinking very well right now. Lovely!
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10/20/2012 - discotrog wrote: 92 Points
incredible depth and concentration with elegance . nose with nice green pepper ripe black currant , pleasant dusty notes, black tea, sexy mouth feel , soft with fine tannins that sneak up. super long finish. could have improved in bottle for at least a few more years
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10/13/2012 - hende14 wrote: 91 Points
Love the depth and balance.
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10/7/2012 - wmccone54 wrote: 93 Points
It's been a year since I last enjoyed the Cliff Lede. One of my favorite Cabs and the Stag's Leap fruit is always decenible. Always classy, elegant, and enjoyable.
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10/7/2012 - dfarley wrote: 92 Points
Drinking much better than the last one I opened about 18 months ago. Decanted for 30 minutes and drank over a couple hours. Dark fruit and dusty tannins paired nicely with a pan seared filet. Well balanced. Enjoyed better with food vs. alone.
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8/26/2012 - xuaeinw wrote: 91 Points
Mature Napa Valley cab with lots of life left.
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7/14/2012 - iamandyc wrote: flawed
I'm not rating as I think the bottle was off. There was a very steely, green streak to it that ruined the mid-palate and finish. No better on day 2. Poured it down the drain.
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6/26/2012 - pete s. wrote: 90 Points
See previous notes. Not sure this is going to improve much more. Tannins are more tame and profile centers around cassis, blackberry, and creamy oak. Medium finish.
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6/22/2012 - shellylowen wrote: 92 Points
Delish
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6/11/2012 - ecola Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for about an hour, still very tight, but starting to open up. Aromas and flavors of dark cherry and a little red raspberry. Acidity is there. Gripping finish with dusty tannins. Shows potential, will wait another couple years for the next one.
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6/8/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 89 Points
Not much improvement over two years. Really starting to turn into a syrupy mess. Nose of very ripe black fruit and vanilla. On the palate, jammy black currant, ripe plums. Finishes with lots of grip but acidity is lacking.
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5/29/2012 - ejca wrote:
Enjoyed thoroughly, I think it continues to improve.
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5/24/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 91 Points
Started to open up after 30 minutes. Very rich, deep purple color, bid/classic Calif cab nose - floral and aromatic.
Dark fruits, blackberry, tobacco. 20-30 second finish.
Still very big and a little hot, this bottle needed to soften tannins about. Drinking well, suspect it will improve with a few more years of age.
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5/23/2012 - kgh wrote: 93 Points
This has matured and age has softened the edges. Remains very fruit forward with nice balance of dark berry flavors, spices, and tannins.
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5/1/2012 - kietkopelli wrote: 90 Points
This wine matured very well over the past 2 years. Dense ripe plums and dried spices comes through on the nose. In the mouth tobacco is in the forefront followed dark fruit and mushroom. Tannins are still a but tight so this wine could go another 2-4 years.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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4/28/2012 - meatbomb013 wrote: 91 Points
Evolving but still needs more cellar time
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4/21/2012 - wconnolly wrote: 90 Points
Deep, opaque,purple color. Long legs. A bit of perfume, tobacco and spice on the nose. Big and fruit forward, this is a complex wine with layers of black raspberry, plum and blueberry, evolving to chocolate, clove and a hint of tobacco. Drinking very well now but certainly has 5 to 8 years left. Throwing a surprising amount of sediment it's age but this seems to be a Cliff Lede trait. Nicely accompanied by assorted flatbreads, Spanish cheeses and green apples. Drank with Beth, Rick, Linda and Peter with a terrific South Loop view of the Chicago skyline from Peter's apartment.
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4/14/2012 - HBvino wrote: 92 Points
Dark berry and tobacco lingers into generous tannins. Big quality for the price point.
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3/11/2012 - awise45 wrote: 92 Points
Much better than the first -- maybe first was drunk too soon because this was full and forward but with a complex mix of dark fruits and nice tannins.
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3/10/2012 - The Tourist wrote: 82 Points
Hate this style
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3/3/2012 - HBvino wrote: 91 Points
Excellent aromas of dark berry and chocolate. Light on acidity with crafty luscious tannins
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2/4/2012 - KeithSurg wrote: 91 Points
Opaque garnet color. Nose of floral perfume. Oak and mixed fruit on the palate with coating tannins that dry out the finish. Drink now.
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1/26/2012 - Blue Shorts wrote: 91 Points
As someone else here mentioned, it's drinking great now with about an hour's air. Still has lots of life left drink or hold.
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1/20/2012 - prof b Likes this wine: 92 Points
chewy tannins, long finish, plenty of fruit but not fruit driven. well balanced.
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1/18/2012 - awilliamson4 wrote: 90 Points
Drank after dinner with dessert after the lunelles. Just a bit more one noted than the bordeaux we already had. Still very solid wine. Sad that it was my last bottle.
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12/27/2011 - shellylowen wrote: 92 Points
Deep, Dark, delicious.
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12/25/2011 - Bumbanian wrote: 91 Points
N: sweet and fresh, blue and red fruits, perfume, spice box, dust. P: velvet mouthfeel, splash of fruit at the front but the oak is always right there, mouth coating tannins, soy, persistent milk chocolate on the 45 second finish. Drinking very well with an hour of air.
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12/3/2011 - Magnum Jim wrote: 88 Points
I've had this in the past and thought it quite elegant for Napa. This time I tasted it alongside an '06 from Margaux (the AC, not the Chateau) and was surprised at how leaden and tannic it came across. Defintie astringency for the first half hour in the glass but it softened up after that.
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12/3/2011 - km5 wrote:
tasted at la sirene...didn't go as well with french food...it was ok.
2nd night update: i think it needed time. finished remainder and was much better....
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12/2/2011 - merryberry wrote: 90 Points
Inky ruby. Blueberries, violets, cassis, and a touch of oak on the nose. Medium to full bodied, blackberries, black cherries, fennel, pencil lead, good acid, drying tannins, a bit of heat, and a slightly sweet and woody medium+ finish. Good fruit and the oak didn't bother me. Every glass was better than the last.
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11/25/2011 - Coupe 60 wrote: 89 Points
PnP, dark fruit (blackberries), generous oak, medium boided. Wine was pretty good, but did not stand out in any way. While enjoyable to drink and a well made wine a bit disappointing.
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11/22/2011 - bccdavid wrote:
Too oaky for my taste.
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11/3/2011 - bablues wrote: 92 Points
This was a much better showing than my first bottle and I wasn't expecting much based on the current reviews. The nose was very pleasant with cherries and chocolate. The taste on this was much less oak than I remember from 18 months ago and the fruit is much more pronounced. Long finish with mild but firm sweet tannins. 50+5+12+17+8 = 92
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11/3/2011 - njAndrew wrote: 88 Points
Decant 1+ hr. A little hot at 15% with oak present. Think the alc and oak get in the way of the fruit. Palate of black olives, blackberry and cedar with nice acid and strong tannins and a long finish.
Finished on day 2 and the fruit was more pronounced and the tannins mellowed, smoother wine and more to my tastes. Going to save my other bottle for a few years.
88 on day one but improved and more enjoyable on day 2
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10/22/2011 - wmccone54 wrote: 92 Points
Always great showing plenty of dark berries and balanced tannins. Finishes strong
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10/22/2011 - The Tourist wrote: 83 Points
This is everything I dislike in NApa... too much oak... what pissed me off was that although the fruit seemed high quality I couldnt taste it through all the oak.
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10/15/2011 - Yamadori wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. This has improved quite bit since i tried it more than 2 years ago. Bordeaux style nose with blueberry, graphite and a little barnyard which blew off after an hour or so. Medium to medium plus body with nice acidity. Quite restrained and elegant with nice balance. Blackberry and blueberry fruit with notes of tobacco and pencil lead. 20+ second finish with moderate tannins. This is very different stylistically to the outstanding '05 bottling. Not as good as the '05 for me but this is still excellent and should continue to improve over the next few years. Having been disappointed with this a couple of years ago i am now looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
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10/12/2011 - slipdc wrote: 84 Points
Lots of graphite, which became overwhelming as the wine opened up
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10/4/2011 - bobpsi wrote: 91 Points
1 hr decant. Nice nose of sweet blackberries, licorice and spice. Sweet dark fruits, cedar, and mocha palate. Medium plus finish. Smooth tannins
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9/25/2011 - drj27 wrote: 90 Points
Very good with steak last night. Held its own.
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9/12/2011 - Crr wrote:
Nice stags leap cab. Drinking very nice now
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8/10/2011 - winopops3 wrote: 90 Points
Quality stags leap cab drinking nicely now. See previous note.
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7/14/2011 - BinVA wrote: 91 Points
This was refreshing compared to the 99 Cinq Cepages and 02 Dominus. Differnt wines I know, but this was the preferred bottle with the bright fruit and medium tannins. Opened up to smooth fruit, lightly oaked and not too much alcohol, though it lingered a bit on the back end. Good bottle o vino.
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7/6/2011 - winejnky wrote: 89 Points
See note from msherwin, which is spot on.
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7/3/2011 - gajalaa wrote: 90 Points
Very nice but I should have held it a year or two longer
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7/3/2011 - TheSohs wrote: 87 Points
On opening the nose was predominated by alcohol but this disappears after an hour of decanting. Even after an hour the nose came across tight giving me hints of a little cedar, however it was bursting with ripe dark fruit with a touch of oak and tobacco. Good body with a nice long finish.
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6/19/2011 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 91 Points
Drank w/out decant. Tasty, improving with a little time in the glass. Smooth, with mocha predominating, fruit showing little on the palate, in nice balance, actually with the mocha. Will wait a while for the next one.
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5/27/2011 - ksteiner wrote: 92 Points
Yummy as always.
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5/15/2011 - pkatz wrote: 92 Points
Prototypical Napa Cab. Tart, full bodied and delicious. While a little breathing helps, drink now. Who knows where it will go.
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5/12/2011 - mjsherwin68 Likes this wine: 90 Points
I nice cab that is not a huge fruit bomb. The nose has a lot of tobacco and dark berry. The middle is smooth and balanced with a cocoa dryness. The only real drawback is the alcohol shows itself on the end of the finish.
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4/17/2011 - meatbomb013 wrote: 89 Points
Decant, decant, decant or leave it in the cellar for Agee years.
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4/2/2011 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very dark ruby color with a creamy, muscular, full-throttle Cabernet with great structure and balance. Packed flavors of black currant, chocolate, tobacco, coffee, tar, bay leaf, and oak. Finishes long and supple. Drink from 2011 to 2020.
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3/30/2011 - bigdomer wrote: 90 Points
Not sure if I get the tasting notes that reference "earthy" as this is far from it. Significant tobacco and mocha taste. Dark color. Smooth. Better than I expected.
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3/21/2011 - km5 wrote: 92 Points
Opened for small sip and to let breath for tomorrow nights tasting. Cedar, raspberry vanilla hagan daz ice cream, alcohol dominant, some milk chocolate. Good finish. Much heat. Better than expected...90 impression. Will see how it holds up tomorrow. Vacuvinned.
Glad I opened it for a day. Strong alcohol taste gone. Better colors tonight. Taste of typical SLD cab, but deeper longer finish, with more fruits less earth than I expected. Well balanced tannin and finish, not complex but very enjoyable with afghan lamb chop steak. Delicious. Pairs well with fatty steak. 91
3rd night..barely a glass left, tasted at Italian byo and have to bring it up to 92 after tasting against altamura 07 and caymus 02 mag. It held up well. 2nd to the caymus. This bottle is underrated and misunderstood. Def have to let it breath for a day or two to air out the strong alcohol. Better yet let It age for 2 more years. Structure is there and fruit is deep and delicious, worth the $60 it's selling for. Yummy!
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3/14/2011 - JS199 wrote: 90 Points
A solid rich, earthy cabernet. Erika's party.
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3/6/2011 - EMTAME wrote: 89 Points
Had this in a blind tasting of '06 Napa cabs. This was surprisingly tight, even after 3+ hours of air (and significantly more so than the other wines tasted). Hard to elicit much on the nose until late in the tasting, at which point a slight earthy funkiness (in a good way) and a savory/herbal note appeared. The latter continued on the palate, paired with deep blackberry notes, some tobacco, and a long, dry finish. This was much more open and approachable two years ago at the winery. I won't open another one of these for at least 3-4 more years.
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2/25/2011 - TheWinedown wrote: 92 Points
Heavy, bitter tannins that will makerhis bottle last a lot longer. Leather, cassis and dark chocolate open up with air. Deep concentrated flavors abound. Definitely give this a LOT of air time, or decant for 2+ hours. Really nice bottle, especially for the $25 price I scooped it up for.
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2/24/2011 - VanVino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious and well structured with flavors of black cherries, chocolate, and tobacco.
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2/13/2011 - winopops3 wrote: 91 Points
Much better than previous bottles. Tannins have integrated more. Flavor profile the same with dark fruit cigar and leather. Finish longer than previous bottles. Really pretty nice bottle of wine at this price point.
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1/29/2011 - Mike Dildine wrote: 88 Points
15.2% alcohol. The first cab I've had in quite some time. This one had good tannic structure and was very well balanced. It was also somewhat closed and unyeilding. I'll see if it improves a bit on day two.
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1/23/2011 - paulrc56 wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding
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1/22/2011 - Bumbanian wrote: 90 Points
Solid Napa cab, slightly above average for what I paid, really pleasing but lacking anything to set it apart. Opaque purple-red. Nose is a bit reserved given the extraction and body expressed on the palate...some dark fruit, spice, iron, rawhide. Slightly tacky mouthfeel, with big smooth fruit dominating the front and transitioning smoothly to the leather/iron combo at the end. Nice length (30+ seconds). Ought to pair this up with a ribeye next time.
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1/21/2011 - neurovino wrote: 91 Points
The experience of this wine was typical of my expectations of a mid-range California Cabernet with good provenance: A little on the big side, with deliciously balanced fruit and structure, a nice supple finish, and a mildly inflated list price. 91+
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1/10/2011 - awilliamson4 wrote: 91 Points
Lots of black cherry, plum and tobacco on the nose. It was a bit tight at first. Poured after giving about 15 minutes of air. Flavor was black cherry earthiness, currants and some florals. I noted an earlier posters note about creaminess mid-palate and agree. Half a bottle left for tomorrow night. Poured almost 24 hours later the dark cherry hits a lot harder on the front end followed b y intensified floral notes with that prior creaminess and then some smoky leather at the end.
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1/8/2011 - Bricks wrote: 90 Points
quite good. better than the last bottle i had about 6 mo. ago shouldn't disappoint
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1/7/2011 - meatbomb013 wrote: 92 Points
Much better than the last bottle. Slightly earthy with died currants and spice. A touch creamy on the mid palate. Very long finish with well integrated tannins. Longer decant or more time in the cellar will help this wine.
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1/3/2011 - jtinto wrote: 90 Points
Wine showed much better on day 2. Score based on the second showing only. Not sure it's worth its price point.
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1/1/2011 - Phredd wrote: 91 Points
No formal notes, but this was consumed after, and was slightly better than, the Ridgeline cabernet. The two were surprisingly different. The Ridgeline had a razor-like focus, running right down the middle of the palate. This wine was very weak on the middle, but filled up the sides of your mouth. This was more complex, though, and therefore I enjoyed it more. At $20 it is an outstanding bargain.
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12/26/2010 - JohnBlueLabel wrote: 90 Points
Good color. Some leather and earth on the nose. Nice attack of dark fruit with some dark cherry transitioning to a mocha and cedar, finishing with firm tannins.
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12/21/2010 - drj27 wrote: 90 Points
Very good steak wine. Pleasant nose and some good depth.
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12/20/2010 - winosis3 wrote: 89 Points
cork was dry, broke in half when opened. Decanted. deep dark off the chart, spicy. smooths after sitting. Raisin more like a syrah,
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12/17/2010 - wineward Likes this wine: 88 Points
A musky, leathery nose. Palate of dark cherries, chalk. Still fairly dense and could use some time. Very, very good.
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12/7/2010 - soyhead wrote: 89 Points
nose - dark berry, peppery
mouth - full bodied, very chocolatey, spicey fruit that strikes me as being more syrah than cab. chocolate finish. very flavorful.
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12/3/2010 - East of Napa wrote: 90 Points
drank with steve and cheryl Brian at Glenmoor, Very nice wine.
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11/27/2010 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 91 Points
This was popped and poured and it should not have been because it was outstanding after 45 minutes. Even better after 1.5 hours. Rich and full bodied, it would match beautifully with a big steak.
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11/17/2010 - CdP in NYC wrote: 92 Points
Consistent w/ 3/28/2010 note, but no heat on the finish. NB, this was after an eight-hour bottle decant, followed by an additional hour in a wide bottom decanter, and a pass through a Vinturi. A really great showing, but still seems like it's finding itself. If I wasn't lacking cellar space, I'd wait to consume these for another two years. A beautiful wine.
Drink now or hold. 92+ -JRS
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11/15/2010 - ny pete wrote:
after a quick 45 minute decant, the aromatics were WOWing me ... cassis ... dark plums ... vanilla ... the palate was smooth and what a mouthfeel! loaded with vibrant dark fruits and a slight cocoa appearance ... a little tannic ... great lingering finish that ends with a chocolate streak ...this bottle showed much better than the one we drank 6 months ago...an outstanding Stags Leap cabernet ... a steal at the various cindy prices paid ... 2 thumbs up!
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11/12/2010 - VinoPKM wrote: 91 Points
Was very happy with this wine and was a steal on last year's WL Cab deal packs! Very tasty Napa cab with good fruit, oak and mocha. Great steak wine and was enjoyed at La Cave.
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11/9/2010 - Sakas Likes this wine: 91 Points
On Day 2 - Tannins nicely integrated now. Blackcurrant, vanilla, tar. Some oak and bitter dark chocolate on the finish. Nicely done but just jaded on cab right now. 89pts for me.
Day 3 - Wow! Really approachable and open now. Big difference from yesterday. Some floral aspects on the nose with pretty dark fruits moving fairly seamlessly to the vanilla midpalate. Still the bitter chocolate on the finish. Nice. 91 pts
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10/30/2010 - East of Napa wrote: 90 Points
Wine club for the fall . Very nice, probably the third favorite nexst to caymus and Nickel and nickel
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10/25/2010 - Grape_ape wrote: 88 Points
Got this as part of of multi-pack on cinderella wine, pro-rated price of ~$21. To me, it performed at about that price point, average ~$20 Napa cab... a bit heavy on the oak, a little bit hot, and slightly out of balance.. not a bad bottle of wine, but was expecting more I guess...
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10/24/2010 - heythatslife wrote: 88 Points
Cassis, chocolate, spices, and vanilla. So we have here a Cali cab. The oak feels a little too raw for my liking and the alcohol a touch too high, but I expect I'm in the minority. It's actually not bad, though, and other people will probably like it more than I do. It's just that style. At the price I bought it for, I'm not unhappy, and that's all I can say.
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10/16/2010 - wmccone54 wrote: 94 Points
One of my favorite wines! Deep sweet currant on the nose. A creamy palate accentuated by flavors of mocha and berries. Well integrated and smooth tannins. A long persistent finish follows that lasts for what seems an eternity!!!
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10/14/2010 - vinniemontoni wrote: 91 Points
Very good Cab. Nice red fruit on the palate and a lingering finish. Drank in the course of a 3 hour window after decanting for 1 hr. It got better and better with air.
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10/3/2010 - mikev101 wrote: 91 Points
wish I waited another couple of years on this....so much time left to improve..decanted one hour, was finally coming around at last glass...soo tannic right now, but so good.
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9/28/2010 - Durants wrote:
Cooper
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9/19/2010 - vkcellars wrote: 86 Points
The bottle wasn't flawed but there was definitely some bottle variation here. I typically love Cliff Lede wines but this one was boring and unintersting. There was no rich structure and lingering finish like most Cliff Lede wines.
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9/13/2010 - winetennis wrote: 91 Points
Opened 9/12, finished tonight. Dark, indigo and red. Notes of entrained oak and highly extracted dark fruit. Complex aroma, effusive even after 2 days. Finish has a great offering of acidity balanced with oak and tannin. The 15.2% ALC is evident, but reasonably balanced thru the finish. Complexity evident as it lingers. Nice, glad it was a Cinderella wine from WL.
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9/13/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for two hours. Nose of red currant, sour cherry, mocha, vanailla. cedar. On the palate, red currant, vanilla, mocha, blackberry. Finishes very dry with astringent tannins. Excellent to outstanding. Hold. OK value.
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9/6/2010 - viking60 wrote: 90 Points
Smell of currant, taste of cherry, clean blend
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9/5/2010 - rath44 wrote:
Still needs decanting for 45 minutes
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8/29/2010 - Phredd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Red-purple, but with noticeable orange at the rim. Good, solid cherry aromas, but with a vanilla cream center. There are also some stewed prunes and a touch of gaminess. On the palate, good red fruit base, and the vanilla center remains. But this is not just a one-trick pony; there are subtle secondary flavors of earth and milk chocolate, with some cedary mulch and charcoal. Nice structure, this is tasty now, but has plenty of life left. This wine is very high on the delicious factor and is the stereotypical California cabernet. I like it. For $20 pro-rated, this was a great deal.
Edit: Nice to see my notes are relatively consistent.
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8/16/2010 - Tuffdawg wrote: 88 Points
Tasted blind along side 3 inexpensive cabs($9-14). This just barely edged out an 07 Leyeth and 07 Bogle. All were decanted and tasted twice. Not nearly worth the money. The only real difference was the Lede was slightly fuller bodied and slightly more concentrated.
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8/9/2010 - troutmonster wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours before serving. Inky, glass staining color. Nose has a great espresso bean meets dark chocolate, with a good core of black fruits. There's some toasty oak, but it's not overbearing. On the palate there's this gorgeous black cherry and blackberry fruit up front, with a good, full mid palate and silky tannins that developed nicely over the hour that I drank it. Hides the 15.2% abv very well.
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8/8/2010 - MCUBEB wrote: 85 Points
Pretty simple Cabernet and not worth the entry price. Notes of vanilla, milk chocolate and some dark cherries. Finishes a little hot. Improved on the second day but still very simple.
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8/8/2010 - shakedown wrote: 90 Points
I grabbed this wine to drink before a concert as I was hoping it would fit the 'profile' for easy-drinking and better than your average bottle. It hit the mark nicely. My 'decanting' into a plastic water bottle added to the experience and we drank this sitting in the warm late afternoon sun waiting in line. Classic cabernet and drinking well right now.
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7/27/2010 - ksigerman wrote: 90 Points
Not quite as good as the '05, though whether this was from the year or additional age I'm not sure. Still a delicious and interesting Napa Cab. Firm tannins, a little pine, big fruit - overall very nice. Bought on CindyWine and easily worth twice as much as I paid.
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7/26/2010 - mmurry Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted about 4 1/2 hours. The nose had black currant and mocha, spice and raspberry, and a little tobacco. The palate was rich and juicy, with black currant and spice, espresso, and a nice cigar box finish.
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7/24/2010 - muredskin14 wrote: 89 Points
very soft, fruit driven wine with extracts of dark cherry and vanilla. not much backbone or thinking involved with this one, just an easy drinking modern cali cab
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7/20/2010 - Hazeo wrote: 91 Points
Soft ripe black fruit, sweet without being too fruity. Good acidity and balance for a Napa cab. May have enjoyed this more because of the company and occasion.
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7/18/2010 - rjrausch Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good. The bottle went so quick I didn't take the time to properly taste. It had a good dose of red fruit on the nose, ie raspberry and cherry. It had a good backbone, some tannins and again a tasty red fruit finish. I liked this.
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7/12/2010 - coremill Likes this wine: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Dark purple color. Delicious nose that oozes deep juicy fruit, dark cherries and blackberries and plums, with just a tiny hint of oak in the background. Full bodied but not powerful, this has a good smooth weight to it of ripe black fruit on the palate, with a little chewy tannin on the medium finish. Carries its 15.2% alcohol well, and went nicely with a New York strip. Feels structured but not tannic, if that makes any sense. I wouldn't wait too much longer on this.
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6/26/2010 - scotty_b wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. This got devoured instantly. Super smooth, balanced, great fruit. Very nice.
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6/25/2010 - skisdeeppow wrote:
Very good to excellent. Very dark in color. Sweet nose full of cassis and vanilla. A little tight on the palate, but this is certainly an in your face type of wine. The oak is really dominating things here. Got a little bit of pencil shavings on the medium finish. I have one more of these and will wait a few years to see if it comes together. For the price I paid, I can't do too much complaining.
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6/20/2010 - passionatepursuit wrote: 89 Points
Drank for fathers day
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6/19/2010 - Blue Shorts wrote: 91 Points
Very nice, but waaaay too young. A bit acidic and tannic, it still has that Stag's Leap mega-fruit. This should be very nice in about 3-5 years.
50+5+12+15+9
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6/16/2010 - wishiwereking wrote: 92 Points
fruit forward, very good, has more time
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6/11/2010 - winetennis wrote:
Finished 6/13. Effusive nose of dark fruit, some oak. Ripe, extracted, bold, solid body, great over a few hours as it opens up and offers a well balanced acidic, tannic, and fruit expression.
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6/11/2010 - TEDL wrote: 89 Points
Full bodied wine with great color. Agree with RoundersRob would not pay top dollar but on sale....
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6/5/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour with no decant. Deep violet red color with cassis, mocha and coffee notes on the nose. Fairly ripe fruits throughout with dark currants dominating framed by multi-layered tannins that eventually give your lips and teeth a nice purple hue. There's a nice overall smoothness to this wine and the moderate alcohol (15.2%) is fairly well concealed but does poke through just a touch on the finish. At full retail ($55) I wouldn't purchase this again but fortunately it was on sale for $35, which is a nice price for a well built Napa Cab.
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6/4/2010 - Mophair wrote: 90 Points
Very good Cab, like the taste, very little tannins, would highly recommend
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5/25/2010 - greatwineshark wrote: 91 Points
Damn good Napa cab. Not overly fruity on the nose, but enough to keep things interesting with hints of cherry and blackberry. Nice mouthfull with solild, but not overly long, finish. Compares well to Jordan.
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5/23/2010 - mccartykj wrote: 91 Points
Better than expected after having Sherwin for last 2 nights. Impressed given price point I got this at!
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5/22/2010 - jcbrand wrote: 90 Points
Agree with the mocha / espresso comments but this wine fell a bit flat for me given the price, not to mention the outstanding 2005. Jess and I agreed on 89-90...
Drink now.
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5/21/2010 - z_willus_d wrote: 90 Points
~3hr decant @68F. COLOR- dark, thick and concentrated plum red/purple (but not the darkest of cabs). NOSE- spicy cedar oak, bell pepper, cassis, and grapey plum or dark blueberry -- certainly not my favorite profile. Adding raspberry topped in whipped cream and an aspect of musky perfume (heated paprika as it sweetens the air) with additional swirling and hand-warmth; I still haven't taken a sip, and the aromas are slowly becoming more enjoyable. PALATE- medium bodied, and certainly with a taste-affecting oak-influence, but coming on in waves of delicious cabernet fruit in the way I recall the '05 expressing as well (incidentally, on first blush, the '05 seems the definite superior to this '06 bottling -- less obvious oak, better quality in the fruit, indeed better structure and balance.) This layers on tart creme de cassis with a sweet-vanilla plum tobacco element that isn't as cloying as it sounds. I find the alcohol quite manageable and contained here, though the 3+ hours in decanter might have helped some with that. There's a good full and creamy mid-palate that leads to a dry and tannic medium+ long finish. This one forces one to buff-out the teeth, as the tannins seem to build in layers there. To summarize, this is the lesser doppelganger to it's '05 sibling (more oak, less balance, less depth of fruit), but not by too much. I think this has the structure to improve in the cellar for 5-7 years and peak, then hold out for another 5-7 more. 90+ points.
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5/21/2010 - CdP in NYC wrote: 92 Points
Opened sooner than i would have liked. Heavier upon popping this time around. Showing loads of sweet cedar, cherry, and cassis. Heavy fruits across the dry and tannic palate. This is great, but needs either three or five years on it's side, or a good five hour decant.
Contrary to other reviews, I believe tannins are nowhere near integrated (10+ years for full resolution).
Drink now or hold. 92+ -JRS
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5/15/2010 - pete s. wrote: 90 Points
Thirty minute decant. Immediately, aromas of deep, dark fruit and mocha jumped out of the decanter...many commented on the amazing nose. On the palate, the oak is slightly overbearing, but nice cassis and vanilla come through. The finish is slightly shorter than I remember and the wine seems to lose concentration at the tail end. Tannins seem to be integrating nicely. I knocked off a point from the previous score due to shortish finish and too much oak this time around. Still great at the discounted price.
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5/15/2010 - mpchs1988 wrote: 90 Points
Very good. Strong blueberry on nose. Finish is a little weak. Decanted for 2 hours. I would do this again.
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5/14/2010 - knlowery wrote: 92 Points
great bottle nice fruit with a long multilayered finish. Big mid palette
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4/27/2010 - kietkopelli wrote: 86 Points
Overall this is a pretty good and at about $40 it's on the lower range of most Stags Leaps Cab Sauv but you can get this flavor profile with nearly all $20-25 super market CA Cab Sauv. The nose broods with ripe plumb, vanilla, cedar, and earthy unfortunately the integration does not come together very well which is typical of most $20-25 wines. In the mouth it tastes a bit too oaky and hot from the alcohol though the fruit is very dense with plum and cherries. It also has an interesting soy sauce like saltiness that I somehow actually enjoy. Finishes moderately long and smooth though a bit hot from the alcohol.
This wine proves that not all Stags Leap wines are good enough to command their price tags.
Remember you don't drink the label.
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4/17/2010 - aquaman wrote:
Open with aventuri.. had it with a prim rib eye steak boneless.. with just salt and pepper and olive oil on gas grill.. Nice match and the wine taste dry but with fruit flavor.. but it has a special taste to it.. i think it needs alittle more time in cellar or air time.. will see tommorrow..
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4/10/2010 - pkbackman wrote: 91 Points
Solid Napa Cab. Would buy again
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4/9/2010 - awise45 wrote: 88 Points
A bit disappointing. Very light and almost diluted on the first taste, lacks the depth of other Ledes.
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4/9/2010 - pete s. wrote: 91 Points
See prior note - Lovely cassis and mocha flavors. Nice structure. Not sure I'd pay full price but good quality Stag's Leap Cab.
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3/29/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Let breathe for 2 hours plus aeration.
Nose screams blue berry cream. Blue fruit of all kinds including plums and BLUE RASPBERRY!
Aromas of vanilla, cola, some sweet spice and light French mocha.
Palate shows more blue creamy fruit, sweet tannins and some nice underlying acidity and a touch of heat. Classically New World Cab in style, this should peak in another 5-7 years.
A very nice wine. A superb buy under the $50 mark - unfortunately I paid $2...boo.
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3/28/2010 - CdP in NYC wrote: 92 Points
An awesome bottle. Took about four or fives hours of air to fatten this one up. Deep concentrated cherry, blackberry, cassis with chocolately espresso tones, vanilla, and cedary oak. Heavy and dense in the mouth, with a long and somewhat hot finish. The 2005 was a tough act to follow for this cuvee, but they sure did a good job. I'd hold on to these for a while before opening another.
Hold. 92+ -JRS
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3/23/2010 - PANYC wrote: 90 Points
Good Napa cab, it opened up after about 1hr with some initial chewy tannins which later smoothed out nicely.This was my first Cliff Lede wine and I look forward to trying some of his other bottlings. I wish this were alittle cheaper just because I think it represents the Napa cab style well. It would be great to open for any occasion if not for price.
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3/21/2010 - bablues wrote: 89 Points
Very nice Napa Cab
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3/21/2010 - THA wrote: 84 Points
Dinner at Haven (Houston, Texas): It's a shame Cliff Lede increased the price of this wine from $50 to $60 for the 2006 vintage. This is not a very good wine. It has distinct caramel nose, and the palate is fat, soft and unfocused. Nothing seems to fall in line with this wine. I've recently seen this wine heavily discounted, and now I see why. The professional critics got it wrong with this one.
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3/19/2010 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 86 Points
tasted by glass at restaurant. deep red color. nose of cherry, leather, spices. spice continues onto the palate, with unforgiving tannins and a silky mouthfeel but little midpalate. great nose, but fairly simple. enjoyable.
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3/12/2010 - Phredd wrote: 91 Points
NC Cindy tasting. Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Good dark color. On the nose, very sweet, bright, and fruity. Maybe a little heat. Seemed a touch extracted. On the palate, this had good cherry fruit which crescendoed into a nice cedary mid-palate with some smokiness. Nice, silky mouthfeel. Unfortunately, the mid-palate faded quickly, and the wine had a short finish. Although just three plus years old, this did not seem like it had much development left, although it will probably be in good drinking form for two or three years. Overall, a decent, well-made wine, but not worth the initial $50-60 asking price. At the $20 pro-rated price in the Cinderella wine 3-pack, though, this is a solid value.
For me, this was fourth among the five California wines tasted at this event.
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3/12/2010 - Sakas Likes this wine: 91 Points
Friday, March 12, 2010 - This is dark and brooding. Serious structure, didn't start to come alive until around the 3 hour mark (decant). Around 5 hours now. Somewhat astringent tannins. Blackcurrants, brush, blackberries, tar, vanilla, hints of pine. Really very nice, but I'd like to see it in a few years. It seems that there are more layers and complexities there that I just can't see past the tannins. Like figures in the fog.
Paired beautifully with seared rib-eye.
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3/12/2010 - viking60 wrote: 92 Points
Great balance, wine had a great mid palate, but lacked a strong finish was second behind Schaffer 1.5, but might out last anything in Napa.
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3/10/2010 - Brian Love wrote: 90 Points
very silky, but needs quite a bit of time to breathe. drank at restaurant and first impressions were lots of heat and american oak. both fade after an hour or two into nice flavors of currant and mocha. Still has a bit of heat on it, but not overpoweringly so. very good for the liquidation pricing it seems to be on right now.
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3/8/2010 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 93 Points
Rich, mouthwatering style, with rich concentrated currant, plum and black cherry fruit that's accented by exotic spices and pretty toasty oak scents that unfold, revealing extra layers of depth and complexity. On the finish the fruit stands out with rich, chewy tannins and hints of mocha. This definitely has the “Delicious Factor” – JD93
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2/24/2010 - rrr-rrr-rrrr wrote: 91 Points
two hrs decanted: more nose but a bit less complex than 05', still very good and enjoyable!!
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2/16/2010 - winopops3 wrote: 89 Points
Similar to last note. This is quite enjoyable, but for me lacks some complexity. The finish could be more interesting and longer.
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2/6/2010 - winopops3 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. Black cherry, light oak, leather. Lacks complexity, tannins not yet integrated. Hopefully this will get better with more bottle time.
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2/4/2010 - rharlow wrote: 92 Points
wonderful nose - a textbook Cali Cab Sav. the pallet was a little bit lighter than expected, but still delicious. dark fruit, rich flavors. delicious!
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2/2/2010 - JOliver wrote: 92 Points
Nose: wonderful dark fruit immediately coming through on the nose. strong backbone of leather and bandage. Incredibly rich and earthy on the nose as well. Pencil shavings, green pepper and a bit of dustiness all coming through as the wine opens up. Not an overly complex wine but interesting enough. Very nice mouthfeel, a little bit light for the style but it works . Lots of leather, cedar, green pepper, black currant and a bit of cranberry immediately covering my palate. Perfect tannins though finish is not overly long. Oak is present but not overpowering. A very drinkable wine and it is ready now as far as im concerned.
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1/25/2010 - vino vidi vici wrote: 89 Points
Fruit was a bit muted, not as bright as expected. Smooth flavors up front, but then flattened out too early. Nice, but was glad I didn't pay the original retail price of $60 (got it for $27 instead).
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1/22/2010 - pete s. wrote: 91 Points
Elegant nose full of deep black currant, blackberry, and a hint of anise. Velvety moutfeel shows flavors of dark berries, toasty oak, baking spice and a hint of menthol. Nice complexity on the palate. Firm, dusty tannins evident on the back end with med-high acid. Nice mix of oak and cocoa on the structured finish. Solid.
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1/7/2010 - mbenz wrote: 86 Points
Minimal nose. Mouthfeel quite thin. Poor finish, almost a little vinegary. Overall, just a mediocre effort for a Napa cab. One can do much better in this price range. The bottle went unfinished.
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1/3/2010 - winosis3 wrote: 91 Points
Opened and drank. Very enjoyable. Deep garnet color, rich texture. Subtle spicy aromas. Nice legs. Almost velvety on the tongue. Yum scale 4.
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1/1/2010 - gee0001 wrote: 93 Points
This is an excellent wine that gets better if allowed to breathe a bit. The cork was tight and air had clearly not infiltrated the bottle. There is an inky darkness to the color. The nose is alive. Leather hit me first followed by good earth and tight fruit. Given a short time the aromas of dark berries reveal themselves. You won't be disappointed with the flavors and subtle changes in the wine. Again, big fruit, berries, earth, and just a hint of good moss early (it went away with decanting). The wine is not overly complex but does change. It shows a good balance. Tannins are evident upon opening and drinking through the finish. The wine should age nicely. Very happy with the purchase.
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12/27/2009 - Claretjugornot wrote: 87 Points
Nose is vanilla and dark fruits. Taste is blueberry and blackberry jam - some black olive. Flabby, very flabby... finishes dry, the mouthfeel is thick, but no sensation on the palate. OAK is everywhere. You can see why people would like with all the fruit, but no substance or depth and leaves you wanting something more after the early tingly bits... Pam Anderson comes to mind. Xmas gift, but the other two bottles are the stars (Altamura and Justin Isosceles) 87 JDM.
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12/2/2009 - kgh wrote: 92 Points
Nice bouquet, with dark fruit, spice, and wood notes. Opened up one hour after pulling the cork, and definitely got better.
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11/29/2009 - whynblog wrote: 91 Points
Still young with a big tannic structure. It will soften over time. Needs some time in the decanter for now. Big fruit flavors of currant and blueberry. Mineral edge on the long finish. More at by blog http://encompasswine.wordpress.com/
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11/20/2009 - rherman wrote: 91 Points
Second bottle. Youthful - may improve. Showing well - primary and a little tight. Nice.
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11/14/2009 - knlowery wrote: 92 Points
nice nose, green pepper on both nose and palette. Fruit on the front and strong flavor through the mid palette and a long finish. Earthy quality on the palette great with the pot roast that we served
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11/12/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 91 Points
Drank after 99 Abreu so this wasnt really fair but it was still delicious. Somewhat primary with cherry cola flavors and some oak. Nice mouth feel with soft lush tannins and a nice finish.
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11/12/2009 - East of Napa wrote: 90 Points
Real nice wine that I drank over two nights. lots of berries and smooth finish. Just got 6 more and am glad we did. Looking forward to the wine club deliveries.
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11/7/2009 - CSM wrote: 90 Points
Initially showed no fruit at all, so I decanted for 2 hours. Nose showed red currant, raspberry, cedar and bittersweet chocolate. Palate showed raspberry, red currant, smoke and a bit of dark chocolate. Finish was a bit hot and tannic which prevented this from scoring higher, but that should come together in time, so this should improve.
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10/29/2009 - Weston3220 wrote: 92 Points
Taste Napa Valley [Vancouver, Canada] (Fairmont Hotel, Waterfront): A: Rich and Dark
T: Red Fruit Balanced, Really Nice, Big Masculine but also Feminine a really interesting balance. Big Chewy Tannins tho
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10/11/2009 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 91 Points
Very true as a typical Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon with deep dark purple color. Lots of complexity on the nose, fruit of course, but some cinnamon and asian spices with a leather background. The nose jumps out of the bottle and the glass. Plenty of dark fruit. The oak is almost not noticeable, fully and successfully integrated. Everything is balanced. Would score higher if there was a little more weight on the mouthfeel, which also affects the refined, but relatively short finish. Altogether a treat of a well made wine that is slightly lighter than expected
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10/7/2009 - peeks13 wrote: 91 Points
A Night of Classic Cabernet (9/23/2009) (Wine Discount Center Barrington): Great cocoa accents. If you can get on sale when they clear out for the new vintages then do it.
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8/10/2009 - pvd420 wrote: 91 Points
sleek and smooth, nice density without being too heavy
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6/28/2009 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 87 Points
K&L Charity Event. Nose of green bell pepper, dark fruit, and earth, typical Stags Leap cabernet flavors on the palate, medium amount of tannins, tasted yin and yang-disjointed somehow, medium body and medium finish. Not up to its peers today by far.
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6/21/2009 - Zinny wrote:
Nose of vanilla, dark berries, mocha and smoke. Creamy mouthfeel but not overbearing. Good acidity and very nice ripeness level to the fruit - not too much, not too little. This is well priced (for Napa). Would consider buying a few more.
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6/5/2009 - THA wrote:
Full bodied. Heavy. Smooth.
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5/5/2009 - Grinder wrote: 91 Points
2 hour decant. Smooth and rich, if just slightly lacking in heft. Smokey berries, smooth tannins, medium length finish. Crazy good value for SLD.
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4/29/2009 - LPskeleton wrote: 89 Points
consumed at trade tasting, no note taken
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4/19/2009 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well after 2 hrs aeration--vanilla and blackfruits.
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4/15/2009 - guile wrote:
Beautiful purple color. Initial nose of massive fruits and some doughy vanilla, taste of sour cherry and jam, milk chocolate. Focused and concentrated. About 15 minutes later, muted and dull, nose gone, midpalate flat. What the..?? Revisited after a few hours, nose came back a little bit but midpalate hadn't changed. This wine was showing its alcohol (15.2%) and was super dry. Overly tannic. At this price point I'd rather drink a Caymus.
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3/30/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 90 Points
Muted nose with a very soft midpalate entry with sweet raspberry flavors. Not very complex at eh moment but very drinkable and tasty right now. Hopefully will develope more with age.
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3/5/2009 - joraesque wrote: 86 Points
A dry, tannic wine. It's a wine that will leave your mouth feel bone-dry, which creates the impression of a long finish, but there's no complexity, very little nose, and not much on the palate with this Cabernet. Overpriced.
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2/27/2009 - dpohlman wrote: 92 Points
Nice fruit on the nose and palate, with some oak and pepper. It has a medium tanic structure. Drinkable now, but time will certainly make it even better. A very good wine at this price point. Very close to the similar rated 2005.
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1/26/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 86 Points
Glunz Wines Winter Portfolio tasting (union league club, chicago IL): nose: extremely heavy on the oak treatment that is really in the forefront and is on the bothersome side. Some tones of Black Cherries and black currants add themselves in there, but this is a very run of the mill cabernet on the nose
taste: full bodied, but also heavily oaked to where it over powers the wine. Some black cherries behind it, but its an oak dominated wine and its hard to fully get past it
overall: hopefully the oak blows off, but its not like there are a lot of complexity behind it. The feel is really good as is the texture, but that's about it
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