Again, limited experience with this maker. I last had a '93 back in '15 that was a passable 91 pts at that time. Oddly, both Joel and I pulled one of these for tonight's event. He a '12 and me this '02.
This vintage was 90% Cab and 10% Cab Franc. Still mostly dark purple in the glass. One hour slow ox, then the stopper pulled at the table and we started drinking about 15 minutes in. Nose of graphite, and sweet dark red fruit with florals that grew over the first hour it was open. Powerfully elegant, comes to mind. Palate of sweet, powerful dark red/black fruit, excellent weight and mouthfeel, it's silky but not weighty like with glycerin. It's near fully integrated with great balance and precision. Beautiful acidity to balance against all the other elements. Amazing how strong this fruit still is at 21 years of age. 96 for the palate with a +1 for the nose so 97 for me tonight. This bottle very much shows what Joel's '12 we had alongside it can become with 10 more years of bottle age. Beautiful.
Dark crimson in color. 13.5% ABV. Prior to smelling the wine it is hard not to notice the fantastic aromas wafting from the decanter and filling the room. Sublime nose of dark fruits, Whitman Sampler box, leather and graphite. Full bodied and perfectly balanced. Power and concentration in spades. Black currants, cassis liqueur, tobacco and smoke on the palate. The finish is long and the tannins are silky. 2002 has always been a great vintage for Dalla Valle and this wine is showing beautifully at 20 years of age. I'll open my last bottle in 2027.
Ripe blueberry, cassis, and graphite aromatics. Very fragrant. Mature. Concentrated. Beautiful drinking now, with its fresh fruit flavors and grip, the tannins are resolved. Medium length. I don’t see how this could get better with additional age.
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This is still very young but too pruney and raisiny for me. It has a good backbone but not all right on midpalate. I love Dalla Valle ad had many vintages, and this was juts a bottle not on the top of its game. The 2001 I had a while ago was on point, this was not hitting on all cylinders but it was the bottle as 2002 Dalla Vale is pretty damn good.,
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Our last bottle. Decanted over 2 hours for dinner. Should have decanted 2 hours before dinner. Continued to open and reveal spice and dark fruit on the nose. Maybe some Chinese 5 spice, blueberries, vanilla. All carry over to the mouth feel and flavors on the palate. Some violets too. A hint of tannins in there somewhere. Awesome wine.
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Crimson in color. 13.5% ABV. Sublime nose of black and blue fruits, violets, cedar and leather. Full bodied and well balanced. Immense and concentrated. Blackberry, blueberry, cassis liqueur and licorice on the palate. The finish is breathtaking. It blows my mind how well this bottle is showing at 18 years of age. What an absolute stunner. Without question the best bottle of Dalla Valle I have ever opened. My last two bottles will be enjoyed over the next 6-8 years.
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Decanted and drank over 3 hrs+ .. started to open up about 2 hrs into the decant.
Lots of tiny sediment mixed in at the end of the decant as well as a good amount of large sediment in the bottle.
At the start, a bit astringent out of the bottle ...
Really started to open up about 2 hrs in, great nose of fresh herbs .. maybe sage? thyme ? Not a lot of fruit at this point, more so herbal notes .. a lot less astringent though.
About 3 hrs in nose getting back to dark fruits and berries, less herbs .. Drinking exceptionally well now! Very little tannin left.
Finished about 4 1/2 hrs after opening ... still drinking great!
A fantastic bottle of wine with several different layers over the 4 hr period. An amazing experience and a pleasure to drink!
Definitely many years left in this one !
Paired with roasted rack of lamb & mashed potatoes.
A easy 95+, but probably will probably score higher over the next few years!
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96. 3 hour decant. Fantastic,seductive floral fragrant nose followed by cumin, crushed raspberries and moss. Textured, layered, dense palate with a core of dark sweet fruit and a dusty killer finish. No signs of fading.
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More polished than my last experience a couple years ago. Somewhat muted fruits, showing mountain elements of evergreen, pine along with tobacco and cedar. Short finish after a couple hours of air.
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Spicy nose with mint, anise and graphite. Tannins still create a chewy wine that lingers in the mouth with tar, old tobacco and dark cocoa. This wine wants to go longer but consensus seems to say only a few more years. I'm torn based on the chewiness of this wine. Either way, it stood up great to a 2002 Bryant that we had alongside.
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Ruby red in color. 13.5% ABV. Soaring nose of red fruits, mint and graphite. Great concentration and power. Black currants, cassis, cherries and tobacco on the palate. Super silky tannins on an exceptionally long finish. Fantastic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a wonderful vintage. I'll drink my remaining bottles over the next 3-5 years. One of the best Napa Cabs I have had in recent memory.
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Still in great shape for a 2002. Fruit is still very forward with loads of blackberrys, raspberries, and even cherries. Finish was long and this wine has had the tannins soften. Drank with good Italian food. Still feel this vintage has a few more years left, but not sure how much life after five more years. Very enjoyable experience.
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Wonderful wine at this point. Not one you want to keep for much longer. On the nose we get dark jammy fruit and cocoa. In the mouth it is smooth and soft with well integrated tannins and and dark chocolate and ripe dark cherries.
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Bought 5 bottles recently at auction. Opened and decanted for 1.5 hours and enjoyed with a Delmonico roast. Outstanding and ready to go NOW! My other 4 bottles won't last a month.
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Excellent bottle. Cherry, cassis, cedar, a little oregano. Medium weight palate, nicely integrated, great balance. Probably at it's best now. Still very nice fruit, some nice complexity now.
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The nose is somewhat reserved giving up a lot of choco oak initially but a nice leafy Cab character comes out with some air. Dense, tight palate that is fairly grippy. Needs more rest. Best Cab of the flight but that strong chocolate oak was a bit worrisome.
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Augie's): From the last third of a bottle opened the previous evening. Inky crimson color. Aromas of plum and ripe dark fruit with Asian spice undertones. Full-bodied; currant, black fruit and spice tones on the palate. Tannins are integrating nicely.
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Licorice, earth, blackberry, earth and black currants open this full bodied, ripe, concentrated California Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine finishes with a big, juicy mouthful of spicy cassis.
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A huge massive beast of a napa cab. I was leaning towards '07 since the wine tastes so young. The D V is quite primary, displays a deep hue and some thrashing tannins(after a quick palate swish) good lord I had to look in the mirror to see if my gums were bleeding!! If you enjoy some fairly aggressive luxurious oak treatment and gobs of black currant then pop it now. Extremely good if your a napa cab fan with plenty of life left.
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I've been sitting of this beauty for a long time, so I figured I waited long enough. Dark red with no signs of aging. Aromas of black cherry, creme de cassis, black licorice, tobacco, and green pepper. Soft and lush mouth feel, with flavors coating the entire mouth. Soft acid, subtle alcohol, and great tannins being the standout feature. The refined tannins roll on for about 40 seconds. This is why cellaring wines purchased on release pays off. We really enjoyed this...still young.
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Foud this a bit closed and rather uninspiring compared to the great Dalla Valle's I've had from previous vintages. Maybe currently asleep as these wines need a ton of time but maybe also a result of the vineyard replanting in '01.
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Decanted for 1 hour and rebottled. Beautiful nose of blueberry and cassis with a little scorched earth. Elegant and restrained in the mouth and somewhat feminine in style. Ripe plum and blueberry fruit profile with good acidity providing nice balance. Secondary notes of tobacco and leather. This is clean and well focused wine. The finish was about 20 seconds or so with integrated tannins. Extremely good although thr price makes the QPR a little questionable. Should continue to drink well for several years.
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A couple days ago I found some pretty poblanos at a farmer's market and bought three of them. I roasted them as soon as I got home and made some rajas, the Mexican equivalent of my Italian mother-in-law's awesome red peppers. Tonight I grilled some steaks and draped them with rajas to add some punch. I needed something with some guts to tackle the beef and the peppery heat, so I figured a good California cab might work.
Poblanos are like the perfect woman-hot enough that they always turn you on but not so hot that they make you feel like you're out of your league. I reached for a 2002 Dalla Valle to respond to the challenge, and I wasn't disappointed.
The wine is still a dark magenta. The nose is a fierce winey blackberry with some leather and olive scents. Does this mean it's under-ripe? Maybe a smidge, but I'll take that vs. long hang time and over extraction any day. In fact, even on the first sip I found myself thinking, hmm, this isn't even remotely blowzy or alcoholic, what's the deal? The blackberry flavors continue in the mouth and re-emphasize the impressions from the nose. Makes a smooth, balanced passage, and finishes with lightly drying tannins. It's borderline delicious, and I had to grab the bottle to check the alcohol-want to take a guess? 13.5%. Put the whole package in perspective. A holdover from another era, and a reminder that you can't write all of California off as I'm so often wont to do.
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decanted one hour..dk red..no brown at the meniscus nose: dark stone fruit, sweet blk cherries..cigar box..tar..cedar.. an expansive smooth palate with plenty of fruit..and fine tannins..more cigar..cedar..blk cherry.. a 30 second smooth finish..a delicious bottle of wine !
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Dark ruby-purple color. The nose has blackberry, leather, and oak. Very disappointing. Maybe slightly corked? The fruit seems muted. The oak is very prominent, seems a little harsh without enough fruit. Drinkable, but not the wine I was expecting based on the last bottle.
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Great bottle - certainly seems to have much more going for it than the 99-01 vintages. More like the '97, and reminds me why I joined the mailing list in the first place. Great fruit, big, balanced, and a really nice finish.
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Dark fruit; currant, plum, cassis with vanilla, and wood. Ripe on the palate with the same fruits. Full bodied with a long finish. Quite a bit of tannin remaining. Showing surprisingly well for just being popped and poured.
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Dark purple in the glass. Aromas of cassis, plum, blackberry, leather. Very full on the palate, with tons of fruit, the oak is nicely integrated. The tannins are very smooth, and there's some nice lifting acidity. Long, delicious finish. Well balanced and very enjoyable.
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Even after a 3 hour decant, the rough edges and acidity were prevalant. This wine is out of balance and the concentration is not nearly as pure and pristine as other cabs in this price range. Another disappointment with a Dalla Valle.
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Uncorked USA/OZ Tasting (Uncorked, London): Deep garnet, sweet soft fruit on the nose, some vimto, perhaps too sweet. Dense oak with solid tannins. OTT at present, who knows though... (XX)
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An excellent Dalla that is rich and plush, but not sappy. It is very much consistent with the vintage. While I liked it (and J liked alot), it is a little on the plush side, so I prefer the more structured Dalla’s, like 1997.
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Soaring nose of black fruits and super-sweet vanillin. This seems to be a different level/flavor of oak than I have had from DV before. Different barrels? Nearly integrated components that likely need another 2 years to be perfectly melded. Persistent finish of 40 secs. Great classic DV dark/cocoa/minimally vegetal aromas and flavors. Interesting that the review of this in Food and Wine said the tannins were really supple and soft....I didn't find this here (nor would I want it).
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1/17/2024 - lesz Likes this wine: 93 Points
sorry its my last bottle. very delicious.
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1/13/2024 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted for an hour, deep ruby, black cherries with a touch of mocha, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding & ready to drink
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11/9/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 97 Points
Again, limited experience with this maker. I last had a '93 back in '15 that was a passable 91 pts at that time. Oddly, both Joel and I pulled one of these for tonight's event. He a '12 and me this '02.
This vintage was 90% Cab and 10% Cab Franc. Still mostly dark purple in the glass. One hour slow ox, then the stopper pulled at the table and we started drinking about 15 minutes in. Nose of graphite, and sweet dark red fruit with florals that grew over the first hour it was open. Powerfully elegant, comes to mind. Palate of sweet, powerful dark red/black fruit, excellent weight and mouthfeel, it's silky but not weighty like with glycerin. It's near fully integrated with great balance and precision. Beautiful acidity to balance against all the other elements. Amazing how strong this fruit still is at 21 years of age. 96 for the palate with a +1 for the nose so 97 for me tonight. This bottle very much shows what Joel's '12 we had alongside it can become with 10 more years of bottle age. Beautiful.
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10/27/2023 - warrenpeace wrote: 95 Points
Drinking beautifully. At peak but can stay there for 3+ years
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5/31/2022 - tomlee wrote: 97 Points
Dark crimson in color. 13.5% ABV. Prior to smelling the wine it is hard not to notice the fantastic aromas wafting from the decanter and filling the room. Sublime nose of dark fruits, Whitman Sampler box, leather and graphite. Full bodied and perfectly balanced. Power and concentration in spades. Black currants, cassis liqueur, tobacco and smoke on the palate. The finish is long and the tannins are silky. 2002 has always been a great vintage for Dalla Valle and this wine is showing beautifully at 20 years of age. I'll open my last bottle in 2027.
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9/11/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ripe blueberry, cassis, and graphite aromatics. Very fragrant. Mature. Concentrated. Beautiful drinking now, with its fresh fruit flavors and grip, the tannins are resolved. Medium length. I don’t see how this could get better with additional age.
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8/14/2021 - zimmy07 wrote: 90 Points
This is still very young but too pruney and raisiny for me. It has a good backbone but not all right on midpalate. I love Dalla Valle ad had many vintages, and this was juts a bottle not on the top of its game. The 2001 I had a while ago was on point, this was not hitting on all cylinders but it was the bottle as 2002 Dalla Vale is pretty damn good.,
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2/18/2021 - wa2ofd Likes this wine:
Great drinking window right now...
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1/24/2021 - Beatsmith8 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Special wine, love the cab franc in there
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9/27/2020 - MLR Likes this wine: 94 Points
Our last bottle. Decanted over 2 hours for dinner. Should have decanted 2 hours before dinner. Continued to open and reveal spice and dark fruit on the nose. Maybe some Chinese 5 spice, blueberries, vanilla. All carry over to the mouth feel and flavors on the palate. Some violets too. A hint of tannins in there somewhere. Awesome wine.
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8/25/2020 - shaferguy91 wrote: 97 Points
Best Cab I have had this year. Terrific !
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3/14/2020 - tomlee wrote: 100 Points
Crimson in color. 13.5% ABV. Sublime nose of black and blue fruits, violets, cedar and leather. Full bodied and well balanced. Immense and concentrated. Blackberry, blueberry, cassis liqueur and licorice on the palate. The finish is breathtaking. It blows my mind how well this bottle is showing at 18 years of age. What an absolute stunner. Without question the best bottle of Dalla Valle I have ever opened. My last two bottles will be enjoyed over the next 6-8 years.
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11/30/2019 - California Cape wrote:
Thanksgiving. Solid but not worth the wait.
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12/25/2018 - soneill104 wrote: 95 Points
Great ruby color and still drinking like a beautifully. Favorite wine of the night by far! Wish I had more.
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12/1/2018 - DMET wrote: 98 Points
outstanding! decanters 2.5 hours. floral and fruit bouquet. chewy and deep, nice legs. had with gnocchi and pork shank.
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12/10/2016 - stockshooter Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted and drank over 3 hrs+ .. started to open up about 2 hrs into the decant.
Lots of tiny sediment mixed in at the end of the decant as well as a good amount of large sediment in the bottle.
At the start, a bit astringent out of the bottle ...
Really started to open up about 2 hrs in, great nose of fresh herbs .. maybe sage? thyme ?
Not a lot of fruit at this point, more so herbal notes .. a lot less astringent though.
About 3 hrs in nose getting back to dark fruits and berries, less herbs ..
Drinking exceptionally well now! Very little tannin left.
Finished about 4 1/2 hrs after opening ... still drinking great!
A fantastic bottle of wine with several different layers over the 4 hr period.
An amazing experience and a pleasure to drink!
Definitely many years left in this one !
Paired with roasted rack of lamb & mashed potatoes.
A easy 95+, but probably will probably score higher over the next few years!
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12/3/2016 - Arcturus wrote: 96 Points
96. 3 hour decant. Fantastic,seductive floral fragrant nose followed by cumin, crushed raspberries and moss. Textured, layered, dense palate with a core of dark sweet fruit and a dusty killer finish. No signs of fading.
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2/18/2016 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
More polished than my last experience a couple years ago. Somewhat muted fruits, showing mountain elements of evergreen, pine along with tobacco and cedar. Short finish after a couple hours of air.
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12/25/2015 - MLR Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spicy nose with mint, anise and graphite. Tannins still create a chewy wine that lingers in the mouth with tar, old tobacco and dark cocoa. This wine wants to go longer but consensus seems to say only a few more years. I'm torn based on the chewiness of this wine. Either way, it stood up great to a 2002 Bryant that we had alongside.
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11/28/2015 - jswine15 Likes this wine: 94 Points
delicious...mature california cab with a great balance of fruit and tannins, drinking wonderfully, a slightly lighter bodied style
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8/23/2015 - tomlee wrote: 96 Points
Ruby red in color. 13.5% ABV. Soaring nose of red fruits, mint and graphite. Great concentration and power. Black currants, cassis, cherries and tobacco on the palate. Super silky tannins on an exceptionally long finish. Fantastic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a wonderful vintage. I'll drink my remaining bottles over the next 3-5 years. One of the best Napa Cabs I have had in recent memory.
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7/9/2015 - Bcw1989 wrote: 93 Points
Still in great shape for a 2002. Fruit is still very forward with loads of blackberrys, raspberries, and even cherries. Finish was long and this wine has had the tannins soften. Drank with good Italian food. Still feel this vintage has a few more years left, but not sure how much life after five more years. Very enjoyable experience.
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6/14/2015 - MLR Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful wine at this point. Not one you want to keep for much longer. On the nose we get dark jammy fruit and cocoa. In the mouth it is smooth and soft with well integrated tannins and and dark chocolate and ripe dark cherries.
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4/16/2015 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Very nice
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1/18/2015 - Knicksfan wrote: 95 Points
Another stellar bottle and keeps improving over now 13 years. Rich and decadent and plenty left in the tank,
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12/14/2014 - scottki Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bought 5 bottles recently at auction. Opened and decanted for 1.5 hours and enjoyed with a Delmonico roast. Outstanding and ready to go NOW! My other 4 bottles won't last a month.
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11/29/2014 - JavaMonkey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent bottle. Cherry, cassis, cedar, a little oregano. Medium weight palate, nicely integrated, great balance. Probably at it's best now. Still very nice fruit, some nice complexity now.
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8/31/2014 - johnbhamrick wrote: 95 Points
My same notes as the day before--03/30/2014. Such an enjoyable wine.
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8/30/2014 - johnbhamrick wrote: 95 Points
A great tasting wine that's fully developed and ready to go. Fully mature. Great aroma and taste. Nice long legs and just so so good.
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4/26/2014 - wine maestro wrote: 94 Points
50th Birthday Party Tasting
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9/2/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 95 Points
Hitting on all cylinders. Still big ripe fruit but now well integrated with softening tannin.
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7/6/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful. 1 hr decant. Fruit, tannin = balanced!
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6/13/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 96 Points
WINNER! This baby has turned into a fabulous balanced full bodied ripe and delicious CS.
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5/25/2013 - T.E.D. wrote: 87 Points
Very flat, heavy palate and little discernible structure. This bootle was past prime.
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12/16/2012 - WetRock wrote:
The nose is somewhat reserved giving up a lot of choco oak initially but a nice leafy Cab character comes out with some air. Dense, tight palate that is fairly grippy. Needs more rest. Best Cab of the flight but that strong chocolate oak was a bit worrisome.
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12/16/2012 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
10 year retrospective tasting at Conrad's (Conrad Green): Soft, velvety, tons of structure, soft leather, cigar and a light meatiness; excellent balance with a long finish.
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10/18/2012 - Knicksfan wrote: 92 Points
A big bruiser. Spicy notes but still fairly primary even after 3 hr decant. Complemented steak dinner nicely but overpowering on its own.
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9/9/2012 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Augie's): From the last third of a bottle opened the previous evening. Inky crimson color. Aromas of plum and ripe dark fruit with Asian spice undertones. Full-bodied; currant, black fruit and spice tones on the palate. Tannins are integrating nicely.
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5/2/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Licorice, earth, blackberry, earth and black currants open this full bodied, ripe, concentrated California Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine finishes with a big, juicy mouthful of spicy cassis.
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3/17/2012 - robertgoulet wrote:
A huge massive beast of a napa cab. I was leaning towards '07 since the wine tastes so young. The D V is quite primary, displays a deep hue and some thrashing tannins(after a quick palate swish) good lord I had to look in the mirror to see if my gums were bleeding!! If you enjoy some fairly aggressive luxurious oak treatment and gobs of black currant then pop it now. Extremely good if your a napa cab fan with plenty of life left.
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12/5/2011 - Beachrooster Likes this wine: 93 Points
I've been sitting of this beauty for a long time, so I figured I waited long enough. Dark red with no signs of aging. Aromas of black cherry, creme de cassis, black licorice, tobacco, and green pepper. Soft and lush mouth feel, with flavors coating the entire mouth. Soft acid, subtle alcohol, and great tannins being the standout feature. The refined tannins roll on for about 40 seconds. This is why cellaring wines purchased on release pays off. We really enjoyed this...still young.
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10/9/2011 - jswine15 wrote: 90 Points
great start but weak finish...very nice but a bit disappointing
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9/26/2011 - dream wrote: 87 Points
Foud this a bit closed and rather uninspiring compared to the great Dalla Valle's I've had from previous vintages. Maybe currently asleep as these wines need a ton of time but maybe also a result of the vineyard replanting in '01.
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9/25/2011 - Yamadori wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 1 hour and rebottled. Beautiful nose of blueberry and cassis with a little scorched earth. Elegant and restrained in the mouth and somewhat feminine in style. Ripe plum and blueberry fruit profile with good acidity providing nice balance. Secondary notes of tobacco and leather. This is clean and well focused wine. The finish was about 20 seconds or so with integrated tannins. Extremely good although thr price makes the QPR a little questionable. Should continue to drink well for several years.
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8/31/2011 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 90 Points
A couple days ago I found some pretty poblanos at a farmer's market and bought three of them. I roasted them as soon as I got home and made some rajas, the Mexican equivalent of my Italian mother-in-law's awesome red peppers. Tonight I grilled some steaks and draped them with rajas to add some punch. I needed something with some guts to tackle the beef and the peppery heat, so I figured a good California cab might work.
Poblanos are like the perfect woman-hot enough that they always turn you on but not so hot that they make you feel like you're out of your league. I reached for a 2002 Dalla Valle to respond to the challenge, and I wasn't disappointed.
The wine is still a dark magenta. The nose is a fierce winey blackberry with some leather and olive scents. Does this mean it's under-ripe? Maybe a smidge, but I'll take that vs. long hang time and over extraction any day. In fact, even on the first sip I found myself thinking, hmm, this isn't even remotely blowzy or alcoholic, what's the deal? The blackberry flavors continue in the mouth and re-emphasize the impressions from the nose. Makes a smooth, balanced passage, and finishes with lightly drying tannins. It's borderline delicious, and I had to grab the bottle to check the alcohol-want to take a guess? 13.5%. Put the whole package in perspective. A holdover from another era, and a reminder that you can't write all of California off as I'm so often wont to do.
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4/8/2011 - michaelgor wrote: 95 Points
decanted one hour..dk red..no brown at the meniscus nose: dark stone fruit, sweet blk cherries..cigar box..tar..cedar.. an expansive smooth palate with plenty of fruit..and fine tannins..more cigar..cedar..blk cherry..
a 30 second smooth finish..a delicious bottle of wine !
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11/30/2010 - JavaMonkey wrote: 86 Points
Dark ruby-purple color. The nose has blackberry, leather, and oak. Very disappointing. Maybe slightly corked? The fruit seems muted. The oak is very prominent, seems a little harsh without enough fruit. Drinkable, but not the wine I was expecting based on the last bottle.
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11/2/2010 - Darbyjwin wrote: 94 Points
Amazing. Favorite wine to date.
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4/26/2010 - BeavisCC wrote: 94 Points
Great bottle - certainly seems to have much more going for it than the 99-01 vintages. More like the '97, and reminds me why I joined the mailing list in the first place. Great fruit, big, balanced, and a really nice finish.
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2/20/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
Dark fruit; currant, plum, cassis with vanilla, and wood. Ripe on the palate with the same fruits. Full bodied with a long finish. Quite a bit of tannin remaining. Showing surprisingly well for just being popped and poured.
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2/20/2010 - psmith wrote:
Clean blue fruits. Flashy, modern styling. Firm structure and styling. Culty feel. Surprisingly nice.
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12/17/2009 - thepeng1 wrote: 94 Points
gooood
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11/29/2009 - GA wrote: 93 Points
11/09 Black fruit toasty oak - longlastig tannins - good balance - needs time. 93 pts.
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5/25/2009 - JavaMonkey wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple in the glass. Aromas of cassis, plum, blackberry, leather. Very full on the palate, with tons of fruit, the oak is nicely integrated. The tannins are very smooth, and there's some nice lifting acidity. Long, delicious finish. Well balanced and very enjoyable.
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11/23/2007 - napaJ6 wrote: 90 Points
Even after a 3 hour decant, the rough edges and acidity were prevalant. This wine is out of balance and the concentration is not nearly as pure and pristine as other cabs in this price range. Another disappointment with a Dalla Valle.
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6/3/2007 - BeavisCC wrote: 94 Points
A reliably excellent cabernet.
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10/5/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Uncorked USA/OZ Tasting (Uncorked, London): Deep garnet, sweet soft fruit on the nose, some vimto, perhaps too sweet. Dense oak with solid tannins. OTT at present, who knows though...
(XX)
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9/23/2006 - BeavisCC wrote: 92 Points
Another great bottle. Nearing peak
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8/11/2006 - goofy Yno wrote: 92 Points
oaky,dark fruits. would probably show better at the right temp- very warm
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5/21/2006 - bdenuyl wrote: 92 Points
An excellent Dalla that is rich and plush, but not sappy. It is very much consistent with the vintage. While I liked it (and J liked alot), it is a little on the plush side, so I prefer the more structured Dalla’s, like 1997.
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3/18/2006 - nomerlot wrote: 93 Points
Soaring nose of black fruits and super-sweet vanillin. This seems to be a different level/flavor of oak than I have had from DV before. Different barrels? Nearly integrated components that likely need another 2 years to be perfectly melded. Persistent finish of 40 secs. Great classic DV dark/cocoa/minimally vegetal aromas and flavors. Interesting that the review of this in Food and Wine said the tannins were really supple and soft....I didn't find this here (nor would I want it).
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10/20/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
WS New York Wine Experience Grand Tastings; 10/20/2005-10/21/2005 (Marriott Marquis NYC): Deep red/black color. Lovely light red fruit and licorice aroma. nice focused black current cab flavors. Long puckering finish. Will definitely improve with some time. 93-94 pts.
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