Gorgeous medium-grained tannins give this a great mouthfeel. Starting to show some notes of secondary development. A bit of heat but not distracting. Black stewed fruit, black olives and a bit of mint.
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Slow ox 30 min. Fairly red fruit with raspberry, black currant, mocha, tobacco weed, lead pencil. Very well integrated, silky, deep with a long finish. This is still youthful and very impressive harkening back to an older style of cali cab in my view.
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Concentrated black fruit, sumptuous mouthfeel without being overly oaked and sweet tannins. Certainly more about power than elegance. Exactly what I want with a great steak.
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Can handle and improves with several hours of air prior to consumption. Complex palette of creamy black fruit and a heavy iron minerality, followed by a burst of tangy acidity. Fine grained tannins dominate the finish.
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Lots of black fruits in the nose and flavor, black cherry, blackberries, black currant, with some licorice. Well balanced, full bodied, and a long finish.
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From Magnum -the last of the 07 Foley Clarets. Bought & stored since release. My last review was 2 + years ago and rated it 97. 1 hour slow ox. Dark purple, teeth staining, full bodied 100% Cabernet, well balanced, smooth, and has sweet boysenberry, blackberry, a little oak, and pepper, hints of menthol. The finish is dry and soft tannins. This is a solid 96 pts tonight. I see this going for at least another 2-3 years at this level of purity. Of course, unless your a BIG Calicab lover who likes an in your face almost port-like experience, you may not like this style. I've been going through my 07s and older Calicabs and finding them to be enjoyable, but on a slight decline as far as overall enjoyability.
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I just don't get Foley's wines. They're big, but not even necessarily flavorful, and certainly not interesting and complex. I tried 'em; they're not for me. This one was more of the same.
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Not as good as the last bottle. Didn't have that sharpness of flavor or layers. Seemed one dimensional and somewhat flabby. Bad bottle or over the hill? No idea.
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Still going strong, the fruit is perhaps a little more restrained, but lovely overall and at a great spot, well balanced and perfect for a nice grilled steak.
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Pnp. impressive from pnp. Fully resolved but no rush. Delicious red and black fruits with a soft mouthfeel with soft tannins. This 07 has been amazing every time and sadly this is my last bottle
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3rd bottle (750) in 6 years, this one was the best so far. 1 hour slow ox. Very fragrant nose, Anise, dark fruits,cassis, concentrated, full bodied 100% Cab. I'd say this bottle ranks as best vintage year - more accessible than the 2001 and more concentrated than the 2002. This is a solid 97 pts tonight. I see this going for at least another 5 years at this level of purity.
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One of 3 nice reds enjoyed with Bob and Ron at Bob’s house. Really big in your face monolithic for first 6-7 hours. Decanted 2 hours prior and rebottled. Ended up setting it aside for 5 hours - it was just too much alcohol - fruit forward and then..poof, magically, it was excellent with the semi sweet chocolate cake served by the host. Surprised everyone. I’ve had this many time over the last 6-7 years and it is one that requires a lot of patience. One magnum left. Will decant for 8 next time and serve with main meal of steak/lamb. Lovely wine.
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This bottle was perfectly ready with a quick decant. Incredibly smooth, cherry and blackberry fruit, oak and tannin totally integrated; a beautiful CS!
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Dominated by oak and tannin, giant and not in a good way, rating (88) is for night so when it had settled down a bit, on nite one I would call it ‘spoiled’
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Fragrant nose with layers of blackberry and cassis fruit with spice and chocolate notes finishing with juicy tannins and lovely concentration on the long finish.
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This was big, rich, high etoh, pruney, borderline port-like. Paired well w grilled Korean bbq. Drink now or over 2-3 yrs, I don’t think this style of wine will age for the long haul.
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This bottle was reticent initially, but after about 30 minutes in the decanter it opened up nicely and broadened out over the next hour. Shows rich red and black berry fruit, plenty of grip yet finishes smooth without too much oak or alcohol on the finish. Evolving nicely, but still lots of time to go.
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"A cherry bomb." That was what we said immediately after first sips. I'd had the '04 previously and while rich in fruits, it wasn't like this.
Over the course of two hours, the fruits subsided slightly, but were robustly evident throughout the entire bottle. The wine had a bit more heat than I was expecting, but not excessively so. There was reasonable structure to the wine, but was partially masked by the fruit.
Way. Too. Much. Oak. Why? Good nose of lead pencil and blueberry pie. But the palate was just dominated by oak and a short bitter drying finish. In fairness, I do like the silky texture. But as hedonistic as some of the '07's seem to be, at the same time in my opinion don't have have the structure for long term aging. Not sure where this wine is heading but at the moment I need to repair my mouth that's been decimated by splinters.
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Stupid good. I had high expectations for this, and somehow it surpassed those expectations. From beginning to end this wine drank perfectly. Big, beautiful nose only became bigger and more lively with air. It wasn't just big though, it was big with lots of depth. The palate was balanced and expressed the same depth as the nose with tannins integrated throughout. Everything was in sync and it was singing perfectly. Drink now, and with people you love.
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Very perfumed when first poured, jammy and velvety at the same time with a little too much oak on the finish. Tasty but not as well-balanced as the other 2007 wines (Spottswoode and Quilceda Creek).
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took two bottles to a wine tasting event at the office, thought this bigger style would play well with the crowd, decanted two hours in the AM and rebottles, had at 7pm and was liked by many, I found it bold but really well made, definitely a blend cuz the palate had cab fruit but also cedar and the tell tale signed of other bordeaux varietals, very smooth and unctuous, I liked it notwithstanding that this bigger / more extracted style isn't my thing, no signs of heat either which is critical
A little reticent upon opening. After 2 hours in a decanter this drank really beautifully. Black fruits, subtle oak. Very well balanced wine. There is still a lot of substance here. My impression is that this will take on more complexity with more bottle age.
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Wow. Pop and poured, where it was great, but with some air it really opens up into something outstanding. Absolute "best of Napa" nose, with a great mid-to-late tannin that shows some distinct long term aging potential. This is a wine that can win the a lot of crowds, but has a depth that's pretty amazing.
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I really enjoyed this bottle but had to open it early because of a small amount of cork leakage... that shit you only find hands on while moving bottles on the racks.
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All the other notes have been right on, more Fredrick's of Hollywood than Victoria's Secret. Dark black cherries and very fruit driven but not over ripe in any way. The tannins are soft and low acid. A crowd pleaser but not award winner. It actually paired well with Ahi tuna but I agree this would not be my first choice for a large steak.
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Garnet. Nose was surprisingly not fully in your face. The elements are molding together well. Black fruits, red fruits, licorice. Also in the mouth, like the nose, mellow.
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Xmas dinner 2014 with garlic prime rib. Love this. Vanilla extract, milk chocolate, and blackberry jam on the nose. Cult California richness and style. Luscious thick velvet in the mouth with just enough grip to let you know that it's wine and not a dessert liquor. Great depth and length. Yum.
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Dark purple/black, thick, rich, and silky on the palate. Very ripe, concentrated delicious fruit (dark berries, mocha, milk chocolate), not a lot of complexity. Low acid/structure. This was better as a quaffer, rather than with the grilled steak - just drink this wine for its ripe Napa fruit. I would not expect this to be a long ager, and suspect it will decline beyond 5 yrs given its fruit/acid/structure profile. 96 for fruit, 90 for style...drink now and by 2018.
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Big, bold & tasty wine, no doubt. Lots of highly extracted fruit, but dare I say one dimensional? Remarkably silky for such a powerhouse too, but there were no nuances on the nose. No hidden notes to be discovered. Perhaps 5+ years in bottle will change that.
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Wow, huge wine! I opened this up on a Sunday afternoon for dinner, but it was over the top tight, tannic and needed time to mellow out. Recorked and tried again the next day. Bold cherry, intense and penetrating profile, but a little monolithic too. Needs more time in my view.
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Ripe fruit with delicious jammy blackberry, black cherry, and currant the create complex flavors of spice and licorice. Balanced beautifully with richness and a lingering luscious finish.
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Either the 07s are in a bad phase or they are on the decline. Similar to other 07s I have had recently this has developed a port like quality that drives the wine.
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Decanted for 4 hours. This wine is still very big. Lots of bright cherry and raspberry flavors show on the front palate with good tannin on the finish. Has a medium to heavy feel on the palate. Should benefit from some more time in bottle.
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This wine is ruby with some purple-violet hints to the rim, is opaque and densely colored. The aromas are cherry, currant, raspberry, and sweet spices and earth. The tastes are sweet cherry, raspberry, soy, red licorice, and earthy notes. The tannins are nicely integrating and are like a fine powdery dust.
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Is there an 'I love it' button? I need to start and to end this with one word of advice: Decant. Seriously. I'm not quite at Parker's 98 points. The group of 3 - all of us quite experienced wine drinkers - gave this a 96+ with the expectation of getting to a 97 without a problem. This rating is based on a 10 hour decant, which showed a surprisingly fragrant bouquet bursting with violet and a combo of delicious berries. Really compelling palate and nose here and not what we expected from a Foley. The over 15% alcohol level didn't overwhelm this wine after decanting, although candidly it was big and alcoholic when I first opened it and my rating then would have been nothing like a 96/97. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it could be the L'Esprit version of Peter Michael's benchmark Les Pavots Bordeaux-style blend, as PM wines are characterized by a pronounced violet on the nose. Appealing notes of tar, licorice, and graphite ground the this admittedly fruit driven wine and some chocolate and a big dollop of tactile sweetness (especially after hour 10...it was relatively hedonistic) add to the succulent mix. This wine have, overall, a super lush profile with surprising finesse and a big time finish, provided that one decants properly. In short, to me anyway, this tastes more like Sonoma than Napa and I would have thought it was simply not 100% cabernet. Clearly the cab grapes in this wine are of truly exceptional quality to be able to achieve this level of complexity without some extra varietal assistance. We all thought that it merited many more years of careful cellaring and expect it to age effortlessly another 10-15 years. This goes against the advice of one early professional reviewer who advised drinking by 2017. It's my opinion that anyone who didn't find this to be a mid-90s or higher wine has not afforded it sufficient time in a decanter or simply has a bad bottle. I am tempted to say that this wine may end up better than the blockbuster 2002 Verite La Joie. For $129, this wine actually turns out to be a pretty good deal. If you can't hold off drinking it, be sure to do a decant of at least 8 hours and preferably 10+. Your patience will be greatly rewarded. I have to admit to thinking going in that I would find it good but not great, but I am going to eat my words. That's ok. I can deal with that as long as I get to drink another.
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Accompanied bacon fat pan seared filet mignon and did not pair well. The inky coloring and extremely extracted texture revealed a flat/hallow palate. Decanted 4 hours and did eventually showed some creamy anise, light black berry and a soft tannic backbone. Perhaps an off bottle as this one is not 98 points for me.
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- Brick color with fast forming legs and aromas of black currant, blackberry and raisin and has flavours of raisin, blackberry, black currant, black pepper and alcohol with a medium/full body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish.
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Decanted 3 hours. Anise, blackberry, and thick. The dinner could have just been this wine. Tannins subdued but still noticeable as expected with such a well-built wine. My guess is this will continue to get better but it is great stuff now with a 3-5 hour decant.
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3 hour decant, consumed over 3 hours. big, extracted fruit, some vanilla, and lots of savory characteristics. this was not the jammy prototypical napa cab i expected; it had more secondary characteristics that gave a lot of depth and interest to the fruit. tannic, full of sediment, very plush, and very enjoyable. 93-95 points, with a long life ahead of it.
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Fruit was mostly gone replaced with a "hot" alcohol taste that was less than good even after 2+ hours decanting. Overall a nice wine but not a mid 90's as I was expecting from ratings.
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Simply superb Foley. Huge fruit, lots of complexity, great mouthfeel, long, long finish, this is drinking great now but will last another 20 years. Inky colored. Notes of Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, and Molasses. The body is Full, with a Silky texture.
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Dark color. It's balanced with a full body. Decanted for 2-3 hours - opens beautifully or great out of the shoot. Silky texture with a very long finish. Had this wine 2 years ago and it was great... even better now...promises to get better with age! Waiting another year or two before opening my next.
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- Crimsom color. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish - A delicious pop and pour, then improved over a rainy afternoon. Very smooth with classic Napa Cab profile. I am sure this will last into the short term but I am not sure I see it getting better for my tastes
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Deep ruby color, long wide fingers, rich nose, and a pleasure to drink after decanting for 15-20 minutes. Well developed tanins and rich fruit aftertaste. Although expensive ($100), well worth the money.
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Blueberry and blackberry jam. Tremendous fruit on a wine that is now 5 years old. Still very ripe and highly extracted. Opened this bottle to celebrate Mother's Day following my daughter's 5th birthday. Loved every sip of it.
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Popped and poured. Wished I would have decanted for 3 or 4 hours. Got so much better as the night went on. After four hours my last few swallows were the best. Dark color, wonderful nose and long finish.
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poured in to decanter @ 5:00pm w/ a quick sip, very promising. Bottle rinse and poured back in for dinner @ State Rd Restaurant later. I will update later.
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Some alcohol on the nose that eventually blew off but was somewhat a tough starter. Rich, viscous blackberry and blueberry fruit. Heavy weight. Fruit and decadent. Something missing though, can't get my arms around it.
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The finest California Cab I have ever tasted. Tremendous dark fruit with a mere hint of camphor on the front end, followed by luscious, mouth-coating tannins in the mid palate. The finish was simply unreal. I will not soon forget this wine.
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I am confused by this wine, don't know if it is bottle variation or my palate. This is the third bottle I have had in the last 6 months and they all were excellent but different. Full bodied, dirty/unfiltered, dark fruit with hints of tanned leather, chocolate, and spice. Finished off with oak and medium tannins.
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It took @ an hour to open up. Initially tones fo lead pencil, earth and giant puckering tannins dominated the wine. Once the wine opened the fruit arrived and tannins seemed to settle into a more velvety structure. This is a classic claret and falls in line with the reputation of the 07 vintage.
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A massive, hedonistic wine! Enormous nose of flowers and springtime. Beyond purple to a nearly ebony color. Tartrates have already started to form hinting at what's to come. Not just full bodied but voluptuous and amazingly round and balanced for how young it is right now, but at the same time there's no doubt room for even more improvement with some cellar time as the fruits are huge and the acidity is there to round them even further. Sweet, rich tannins and smooth, almost velvety on the palate with notes of both chocolate and vanilla coming through. For my taste, if there's a weakness it's that the oak may be just a tad too subdued, but many will like that. I won't touch another until at least 2014 not because it's necessary but because the expectation of what will come starting 3 to 5 years from now is too good to pass up by drinking more any earlier, and it will almost certainly hold up for another 5 to 10 years beyond that.
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On the nose, slightly lush fruit that comes off as a shade figgy. Not as sweet-fruited as the Insignia tasted before it. Some herbal elements and piney spice come out on the nose too, but on the palate, the oak here doesn't quite integrate. The resultant combination of sweetish vanilla notes from the oak and the some slightly green character here give off a slight picklish note that gives me concern at this point. Otherwise, has decent structural elements so this may well come together in time. 91-92
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The nose on this is big but still undifferentiated. Lots of brambly dark fruit. The palate is thick and structured, with a lot of tight, red fruit, some smoke, cassis, dark cherries, a lot of promise but the flavors wont release, staying tight through the finish. No heat whatsoever, and the velvety, viscous texture is the highlight right now. I think tomorrow this will be a lot better but these need to go to sleep.
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Decanted for about three hours. Graphite, cassis and fruit on the nose. Very rich wine, and pure. Slightly bested by the '07 Scarecrow, though this is more suited to near term drinking (that said, I think it will improve with a couple of years of age). 94+ pts.
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Superb. A dark, big but elegant cabernet with a wonderful long finish, I enjoyed savoring it on its own as much as I did with my steak. Decanted during a retaurant meal, I was surprised how well balanced this wine was despite its youth. It is only going to get better over the next few years.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): WOTD - and on a fantastic day of many ultra fine wines! This is my style of wine. Big and viscous but extremely balanced and full of finesse and elegance all in the same juice. Big ripe red berries - cherries, strawberries, darker cassis and some lighter red plum action as well. Aromas continue showcasing balsamic vinegar, figs, nuts and heady vanilla mocha. Lots of weight - a massive hedonistic blockbuster. An enormous "yummy-deliciousness" factor. So young and super sweet but balanced tannins. Nice acid that will help this bottle stay lively for at least two decades. The back end shows flavors of molasses and red flowers. Very feminine in style. Awesome.
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Very ripe, with dark Cabernet fruits and graphite notes. Plush in a Merlot sort of way. Some wood evident. Structure in the background at this point. Nice wine.
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This magnum saw a bit too much heat thanks to UPS, the cork showed wine to within 3/8" of the top. The wine showed no signs of heat damage , and was spectacular. Rich, very smooth, fine tannins, no alcohol showing. One of the finest Napa cabs I've ever tried. I have no idea where this wine is going but it's wonderful now. Perfect with Flannery Rib Caps served that eve. Drank at HHI on Julie's B-Day trip.
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WOTN. Even though really young, this wine was very complex. Blueberry, cherry, blackberry and bitter sweet chocolate. A fruit bomb, cocoa, baking spice, needs time to open up. Could have guessed QC blind. A few years and this will be rocking.
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Dark ruby red with a muted, closed down nose; dense and chewy with gobs of dark plum fruit; big, bold and full, but with great balance and soft, flowing mouthfeel. A stunner but still quite young.
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very well balanced and drinking well early with gobs of dark fruits melded perfectly with sweet tannins. Phenomenal nose which had me smelling it for hours. Decanted over 3 hours and it was still improving. Night and day versus the 05 which was hot and the 06 which was uneventful
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I have to agree with RP on this one though I think you may want to cellar this one for a year or two for optimum enjoyment. Sweet tannins but still a bit sharp. Dark and concentrated without being overly jammy. Alcohol is already in balance and the acidity adds a perfect freshness. Lots of black fruit and a nicely restrained amount of oak. Best Foley Claret that I've ever had going back almost a decade.
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In the Foley style with lots of fruit and oak, though less mocha than I normally get from his wines. Definitely back on form compared to the 06 & 05 vintages. If you like the style it's worth picking up. Became more structured and tight on day two, arguing for respectable aging.
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3/29/2024 - curtoro Does not like this wine:
On opening, tasted pretty great, but after an hour or so, turned to pruny, porty mess. Let her go too long...
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3/14/2024 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous medium-grained tannins give this a great mouthfeel. Starting to show some notes of secondary development. A bit of heat but not distracting. Black stewed fruit, black olives and a bit of mint.
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11/25/2023 - KingFriday77 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Good fruits and texture. Singing from a mag!
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4/29/2023 - ptunderwood wrote:
Sadly, my bottle was a bit over the hill. The fruit is nearly gone.
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12/29/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
Slow ox 30 min. Fairly red fruit with raspberry, black currant, mocha, tobacco weed, lead pencil. Very well integrated, silky, deep with a long finish. This is still youthful and very impressive harkening back to an older style of cali cab in my view.
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9/25/2022 - Hamersly wrote: 96 Points
Concentrated black fruit, sumptuous mouthfeel without being overly oaked and sweet tannins. Certainly more about power than elegance. Exactly what I want with a great steak.
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2/5/2022 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
What a crazy intense nose of honey and palloni di ficchi. Deep intense and rich mouthfeel. Wow!
Not sure how this one will age though...
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12/25/2021 - overhill wrote: 93 Points
Can handle and improves with several hours of air prior to consumption. Complex palette of creamy black fruit and a heavy iron minerality, followed by a burst of tangy acidity. Fine grained tannins dominate the finish.
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10/1/2021 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lots of black fruits in the nose and flavor, black cherry, blackberries, black currant, with some licorice. Well balanced, full bodied, and a long finish.
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3/22/2021 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 96 Points
From Magnum -the last of the 07 Foley Clarets. Bought & stored since release. My last review was 2 + years ago and rated it 97.
1 hour slow ox. Dark purple, teeth staining, full bodied 100% Cabernet, well balanced, smooth, and has sweet boysenberry, blackberry, a little oak, and pepper, hints of menthol. The finish is dry and soft tannins. This is a solid 96 pts tonight. I see this going for at least another 2-3 years at this level of purity. Of course, unless your a BIG Calicab lover who likes an in your face almost port-like experience, you may not like this style. I've been going through my 07s and older Calicabs and finding them to be enjoyable, but on a slight decline as far as overall enjoyability.
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3/5/2021 - MLwine Does not like this wine: 87 Points
I just don't get Foley's wines. They're big, but not even necessarily flavorful, and certainly not interesting and complex. I tried 'em; they're not for me. This one was more of the same.
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12/30/2020 - TMacpherson wrote: 92 Points
Not as good as the last bottle. Didn't have that sharpness of flavor or layers. Seemed one dimensional and somewhat flabby. Bad bottle or over the hill? No idea.
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8/15/2020 - TomOfCT Likes this wine: 93 Points
An enjoyable wine, but lacking the structure I'd hope for.
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7/19/2020 - winejnky Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still going strong, the fruit is perhaps a little more restrained, but lovely overall and at a great spot, well balanced and perfect for a nice grilled steak.
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5/8/2020 - gsquireh wrote:
To Alex
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2/26/2020 - TMacpherson Likes this wine: 98 Points
Outstanding balance and pure fruit. Tannins were perfectly balanced. Decant a couple of hours before drinking.
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1/3/2020 - beau11 wrote: 95 Points
Pnp. impressive from pnp. Fully resolved but no rush. Delicious red and black fruits with a soft mouthfeel with soft tannins. This 07 has been amazing every time and sadly this is my last bottle
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11/9/2019 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 97 Points
3rd bottle (750) in 6 years, this one was the best so far. 1 hour slow ox.
Very fragrant nose, Anise, dark fruits,cassis, concentrated, full bodied 100% Cab. I'd say this bottle ranks as best vintage year - more accessible than the 2001 and more concentrated than the 2002. This is a solid 97 pts tonight. I see this going for at least another 5 years at this level of purity.
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9/7/2019 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of 3 nice reds enjoyed with Bob and Ron at Bob’s house. Really big in your face monolithic for first 6-7 hours. Decanted 2 hours prior and rebottled. Ended up setting it aside for 5 hours - it was just too much alcohol - fruit forward and then..poof, magically, it was excellent with the semi sweet chocolate cake served by the host. Surprised everyone. I’ve had this many time over the last 6-7 years and it is one that requires a lot of patience. One magnum left. Will decant for 8 next time and serve with main meal of steak/lamb. Lovely wine.
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8/9/2019 - winejnky wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was perfectly ready with a quick decant. Incredibly smooth, cherry and blackberry fruit, oak and tannin totally integrated; a beautiful CS!
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6/1/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious but not up to the last bottle with a bit more oak.
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5/28/2019 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 88 Points
Dominated by oak and tannin, giant and not in a good way, rating (88) is for night so when it had settled down a bit, on nite one I would call it ‘spoiled’
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2/17/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fragrant nose with layers of blackberry and cassis fruit with spice and chocolate notes finishing with juicy tannins and lovely concentration on the long finish.
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11/12/2018 - edge wrote: 85 Points
Vanilla and Oak overpowers everything. Not my style of wine.
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11/10/2018 - budman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yum!!!
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10/26/2018 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank from magnum. Big rich wine still with firm tannic structure and long finish. A bit of a bite at the end.
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6/4/2018 - bonedoc wrote:
This was big, rich, high etoh, pruney, borderline port-like. Paired well w grilled Korean bbq. Drink now or over 2-3 yrs, I don’t think this style of wine will age for the long haul.
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1/23/2018 - TomOfCT Likes this wine: 95 Points
Probably at its peak. Lots of fruits. Structure still in tact. No brown yet, but becoming heavy on sediment.
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9/3/2017 - winejnky wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was reticent initially, but after about 30 minutes in the decanter it opened up nicely and broadened out over the next hour. Shows rich red and black berry fruit, plenty of grip yet finishes smooth without too much oak or alcohol on the finish. Evolving nicely, but still lots of time to go.
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1/20/2017 - TomOfCT Likes this wine: 92 Points
"A cherry bomb." That was what we said immediately after first sips. I'd had the '04 previously and while rich in fruits, it wasn't like this.
Over the course of two hours, the fruits subsided slightly, but were robustly evident throughout the entire bottle. The wine had a bit more heat than I was expecting, but not excessively so. There was reasonable structure to the wine, but was partially masked by the fruit.
I wonder if my bottle was a bit of an outlier.
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1/2/2017 - j@$0n p€++y wrote: 89 Points
Way. Too. Much. Oak. Why? Good nose of lead pencil and blueberry pie. But the palate was just dominated by oak and a short bitter drying finish. In fairness, I do like the silky texture. But as hedonistic as some of the '07's seem to be, at the same time in my opinion don't have have the structure for long term aging. Not sure where this wine is heading but at the moment I need to repair my mouth that's been decimated by splinters.
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12/31/2016 - DrinkEverything702 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Stupid good. I had high expectations for this, and somehow it surpassed those expectations. From beginning to end this wine drank perfectly. Big, beautiful nose only became bigger and more lively with air. It wasn't just big though, it was big with lots of depth. The palate was balanced and expressed the same depth as the nose with tannins integrated throughout. Everything was in sync and it was singing perfectly. Drink now, and with people you love.
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11/13/2016 - bonedoc wrote:
2007 buccella: a very nice wine, ripe sweet fruit, good acid. Drink now or over next 5 yrs. 94
2007 foley claret: dark, chocolate, licorice, viscous, elixir. A hedonistic style, heavy on the oak, a bit over the top, drink over next 3-5 yrs. 93
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8/11/2016 - michael47 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very perfumed when first poured, jammy and velvety at the same time with a little too much oak on the finish. Tasty but not as well-balanced as the other 2007 wines (Spottswoode and Quilceda Creek).
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6/5/2016 - dabovino Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes just had to point out how delicious this wine is at this stage. The caramel note really stood out. Well balanced.
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5/20/2016 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
took two bottles to a wine tasting event at the office, thought this bigger style would play well with the crowd, decanted two hours in the AM and rebottles, had at 7pm and was liked by many, I found it bold but really well made, definitely a blend cuz the palate had cab fruit but also cedar and the tell tale signed of other bordeaux varietals, very smooth and unctuous, I liked it notwithstanding that this bigger / more extracted style isn't my thing, no signs of heat either which is critical
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5/11/2016 - jaxpaj wrote: 90 Points
Past its prime
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1/1/2016 - sdezutti wrote: 95 Points
A little reticent upon opening. After 2 hours in a decanter this drank really beautifully. Black fruits, subtle oak. Very well balanced wine. There is still a lot of substance here. My impression is that this will take on more complexity with more bottle age.
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3/28/2015 - mrmedoes Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. Pop and poured, where it was great, but with some air it really opens up into something outstanding. Absolute "best of Napa" nose, with a great mid-to-late tannin that shows some distinct long term aging potential. This is a wine that can win the a lot of crowds, but has a depth that's pretty amazing.
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3/24/2015 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 92 Points
I really enjoyed this bottle but had to open it early because of a small
amount of cork leakage... that shit you only find hands on while moving bottles on the racks.
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1/13/2015 - bambam Likes this wine: 93 Points
All the other notes have been right on, more Fredrick's of Hollywood than Victoria's Secret. Dark black cherries and very fruit driven but not over ripe in any way. The tannins are soft and low acid. A crowd pleaser but not award winner. It actually paired well with Ahi tuna but I agree this would not be my first choice for a large steak.
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1/11/2015 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet. Nose was surprisingly not fully in your face. The elements are molding together well. Black fruits, red fruits, licorice. Also in the mouth, like the nose, mellow.
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12/25/2014 - overhill wrote: 94 Points
Xmas dinner 2014 with garlic prime rib. Love this. Vanilla extract, milk chocolate, and blackberry jam on the nose. Cult California richness and style. Luscious thick velvet in the mouth with just enough grip to let you know that it's wine and not a dessert liquor. Great depth and length. Yum.
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12/11/2014 - Mr T wrote:
OK...but just not my style
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12/6/2014 - bonedoc wrote:
Dark purple/black, thick, rich, and silky on the palate. Very ripe, concentrated delicious fruit (dark berries, mocha, milk chocolate), not a lot of complexity. Low acid/structure. This was better as a quaffer, rather than with the grilled steak - just drink this wine for its ripe Napa fruit. I would not expect this to be a long ager, and suspect it will decline beyond 5 yrs given its fruit/acid/structure profile. 96 for fruit, 90 for style...drink now and by 2018.
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11/30/2014 - millerarner wrote: 92 Points
Big, bold & tasty wine, no doubt. Lots of highly extracted fruit, but dare I say one dimensional? Remarkably silky for such a powerhouse too, but there were no nuances on the nose. No hidden notes to be discovered. Perhaps 5+ years in bottle will change that.
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9/29/2014 - winejnky wrote: 92 Points
Wow, huge wine! I opened this up on a Sunday afternoon for dinner, but it was over the top tight, tannic and needed time to mellow out. Recorked and tried again the next day. Bold cherry, intense and penetrating profile, but a little monolithic too. Needs more time in my view.
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8/9/2014 - johnbhamrick wrote: 94 Points
This is a fabulous wine. Smooth and silky, so pleasant to drink. Deep ruby color and long legs.
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8/8/2014 - Dasher wrote: 96 Points
This was my last bottle. What a great wine.
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7/24/2014 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ripe fruit with delicious jammy blackberry, black cherry, and currant the create complex flavors of spice and licorice. Balanced beautifully with richness and a lingering luscious finish.
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5/6/2014 - jaxpaj wrote: 92 Points
Either the 07s are in a bad phase or they are on the decline. Similar to other 07s I have had recently this has developed a port like quality that drives the wine.
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3/22/2014 - Barbaro wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. This wine is still very big. Lots of bright cherry and raspberry flavors show on the front palate with good tannin on the finish. Has a medium to heavy feel on the palate. Should benefit from some more time in bottle.
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2/23/2014 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is ruby with some purple-violet hints to the rim, is opaque and densely colored. The aromas are cherry, currant, raspberry, and sweet spices and earth. The tastes are sweet cherry, raspberry, soy, red licorice, and earthy notes. The tannins are nicely integrating and are like a fine powdery dust.
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2/16/2014 - edwilley3 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Is there an 'I love it' button? I need to start and to end this with one word of advice: Decant. Seriously. I'm not quite at Parker's 98 points. The group of 3 - all of us quite experienced wine drinkers - gave this a 96+ with the expectation of getting to a 97 without a problem. This rating is based on a 10 hour decant, which showed a surprisingly fragrant bouquet bursting with violet and a combo of delicious berries. Really compelling palate and nose here and not what we expected from a Foley. The over 15% alcohol level didn't overwhelm this wine after decanting, although candidly it was big and alcoholic when I first opened it and my rating then would have been nothing like a 96/97. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it could be the L'Esprit version of Peter Michael's benchmark Les Pavots Bordeaux-style blend, as PM wines are characterized by a pronounced violet on the nose. Appealing notes of tar, licorice, and graphite ground the this admittedly fruit driven wine and some chocolate and a big dollop of tactile sweetness (especially after hour 10...it was relatively hedonistic) add to the succulent mix. This wine have, overall, a super lush profile with surprising finesse and a big time finish, provided that one decants properly. In short, to me anyway, this tastes more like Sonoma than Napa and I would have thought it was simply not 100% cabernet. Clearly the cab grapes in this wine are of truly exceptional quality to be able to achieve this level of complexity without some extra varietal assistance. We all thought that it merited many more years of careful cellaring and expect it to age effortlessly another 10-15 years. This goes against the advice of one early professional reviewer who advised drinking by 2017. It's my opinion that anyone who didn't find this to be a mid-90s or higher wine has not afforded it sufficient time in a decanter or simply has a bad bottle. I am tempted to say that this wine may end up better than the blockbuster 2002 Verite La Joie. For $129, this wine actually turns out to be a pretty good deal. If you can't hold off drinking it, be sure to do a decant of at least 8 hours and preferably 10+. Your patience will be greatly rewarded. I have to admit to thinking going in that I would find it good but not great, but I am going to eat my words. That's ok. I can deal with that as long as I get to drink another.
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12/13/2013 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 92 Points
Accompanied bacon fat pan seared filet mignon and did not pair well. The inky coloring and extremely extracted texture revealed a flat/hallow palate. Decanted 4 hours and did eventually showed some creamy anise, light black berry and a soft tannic backbone. Perhaps an off bottle as this one is not 98 points for me.
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12/5/2013 - CK6865 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 1 hour , should have decanted longer nice wine ,not great for the price point, medium body with a nice finish
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10/21/2013 - Steve's Cellar wrote:
- Brick color with fast forming legs and aromas of black currant, blackberry and raisin and has flavours of raisin, blackberry, black currant, black pepper and alcohol with a medium/full body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish.
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10/16/2013 - EMichels wrote: 93 Points
Nice camphor nose; Big attack; Great depth; A little dirt; Opens up beautifully; Palate softens but maintains great interest
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9/21/2013 - Elkcims wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Anise, blackberry, and thick. The dinner could have just been this wine. Tannins subdued but still noticeable as expected with such a well-built wine. My guess is this will continue to get better but it is great stuff now with a 3-5 hour decant.
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9/20/2013 - caeleric Likes this wine:
3 hour decant, consumed over 3 hours. big, extracted fruit, some vanilla, and lots of savory characteristics. this was not the jammy prototypical napa cab i expected; it had more secondary characteristics that gave a lot of depth and interest to the fruit. tannic, full of sediment, very plush, and very enjoyable. 93-95 points, with a long life ahead of it.
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8/14/2013 - johnbhamrick wrote: 94 Points
Deep ruby color, strong and pleasing nose, well developed tannins with no aftertaste. Absolutely a pleasure to drink and well worth the money!!!
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5/17/2013 - jgkost wrote: 91 Points
Fruit was mostly gone replaced with a "hot" alcohol taste that was less than good even after 2+ hours decanting. Overall a nice wine but not a mid 90's as I was expecting from ratings.
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5/7/2013 - wino31 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Simply superb Foley. Huge fruit, lots of complexity, great mouthfeel, long, long finish, this is drinking great now but will last another 20 years. Inky colored. Notes of Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, and Molasses. The body is Full, with a Silky texture.
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4/28/2013 - Rcorrao Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark color. It's balanced with a full body. Decanted for 2-3 hours - opens beautifully or great out of the shoot. Silky texture with a very long finish. Had this wine 2 years ago and it was great... even better now...promises to get better with age! Waiting another year or two before opening my next.
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3/11/2013 - suttonri wrote:
I
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12/9/2012 - JDB wrote: 96 Points
- Crimsom color. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish - A delicious pop and pour, then improved over a rainy afternoon. Very smooth with classic Napa Cab profile. I am sure this will last into the short term but I am not sure I see it getting better for my tastes
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9/16/2012 - suttonri wrote:
Surprisingly more pleasing than a 2009 Quilceda Creek drank in the same week. The QC was fairly oak dominated at this time.
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9/16/2012 - johnbhamrick wrote: 93 Points
Deep ruby color, long wide fingers, rich nose, and a pleasure to drink after decanting for 15-20 minutes. Well developed tanins and rich fruit aftertaste. Although expensive ($100), well worth the money.
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5/13/2012 - brianngibson wrote: 96 Points
Blueberry and blackberry jam. Tremendous fruit on a wine that is now 5 years old. Still very ripe and highly extracted. Opened this bottle to celebrate Mother's Day following my daughter's 5th birthday. Loved every sip of it.
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4/27/2012 - JSSDental wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured. Wished I would have decanted for 3 or 4 hours. Got so much better as the night went on. After four hours my last few swallows were the best. Dark color, wonderful nose and long finish.
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3/4/2012 - CK6865 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 3 hours deep deep ruby pour , dark fruit ,nice nose, had with pizza ,good wine but not great for this price point .
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1/26/2012 - JDB wrote:
poured in to decanter @ 5:00pm w/ a quick sip, very promising. Bottle rinse and poured back in for dinner @ State Rd Restaurant later. I will update later.
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12/28/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 97 Points
Drinking wonderfully, in a really good drinking window right now. Easily the WOTN.
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9/29/2011 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
RussK WW@CMax Mike's 2007Ca cabs. phenolic fruit
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9/14/2011 - Dasher wrote: 98 Points
Great bottle of wine! Unreal front end,back end, middle, sideways!
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9/13/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 93 Points
Some alcohol on the nose that eventually blew off but was somewhat a tough starter. Rich, viscous blackberry and blueberry fruit. Heavy weight. Fruit and decadent. Something missing though, can't get my arms around it.
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9/10/2011 - dburkes Likes this wine: 97 Points
The finest California Cab I have ever tasted. Tremendous dark fruit with a mere hint of camphor on the front end, followed by luscious, mouth-coating tannins in the mid palate. The finish was simply unreal. I will not soon forget this wine.
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8/30/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 95 Points
I am confused by this wine, don't know if it is bottle variation or my palate. This is the third bottle I have had in the last 6 months and they all were excellent but different. Full bodied, dirty/unfiltered, dark fruit with hints of tanned leather, chocolate, and spice. Finished off with oak and medium tannins.
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8/10/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 95 Points
It took @ an hour to open up. Initially tones fo lead pencil, earth and giant puckering tannins dominated the wine. Once the wine opened the fruit arrived and tannins seemed to settle into a more velvety structure. This is a classic claret and falls in line with the reputation of the 07 vintage.
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5/30/2011 - HBvino wrote: 93 Points
Excellent super dark fruit. Fairly tight up front, but extends to a long finish of smoothed out currant. Excited to try again with steak or lamb.
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5/29/2011 - Levinma1 wrote:
Jodi and Fred at graduation pArty
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3/25/2011 - calicabnut Likes this wine: 98 Points
A massive, hedonistic wine! Enormous nose of flowers and springtime. Beyond purple to a nearly ebony color. Tartrates have already started to form hinting at what's to come. Not just full bodied but voluptuous and amazingly round and balanced for how young it is right now, but at the same time there's no doubt room for even more improvement with some cellar time as the fruits are huge and the acidity is there to round them even further. Sweet, rich tannins and smooth, almost velvety on the palate with notes of both chocolate and vanilla coming through. For my taste, if there's a weakness it's that the oak may be just a tad too subdued, but many will like that. I won't touch another until at least 2014 not because it's necessary but because the expectation of what will come starting 3 to 5 years from now is too good to pass up by drinking more any earlier, and it will almost certainly hold up for another 5 to 10 years beyond that.
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3/12/2011 - amateurwino wrote: 91 Points
On the nose, slightly lush fruit that comes off as a shade figgy. Not as sweet-fruited as the Insignia tasted before it. Some herbal elements and piney spice come out on the nose too, but on the palate, the oak here doesn't quite integrate. The resultant combination of sweetish vanilla notes from the oak and the some slightly green character here give off a slight picklish note that gives me concern at this point. Otherwise, has decent structural elements so this may well come together in time. 91-92
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1/3/2011 - Joelene wrote: 91 Points
too hot too sweet, uninteresting, tasty but not worth the dough, if u want this just go get a Klinker Brink or something
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12/30/2010 - JasonSTL739 wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely amazing wine!
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11/11/2010 - amateurwino wrote:
California Cab Tasting, USQ Wines; 11/10/2010-11/12/2010 (New York): Has a very pretty nose, with perfumey aromas and a bit of a raisiny and alcoholic feel to the fruit aromas. Slightly bitter medicinal cherry flavors on the palate. Not my favorite tonight. 90+
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11/5/2010 - Uglypinga wrote:
The nose on this is big but still undifferentiated. Lots of brambly dark fruit. The palate is thick and structured, with a lot of tight, red fruit, some smoke, cassis, dark cherries, a lot of promise but the flavors wont release, staying tight through the finish. No heat whatsoever, and the velvety, viscous texture is the highlight right now. I think tomorrow this will be a lot better but these need to go to sleep.
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10/12/2010 - B Paul wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for about three hours. Graphite, cassis and fruit on the nose. Very rich wine, and pure. Slightly bested by the '07 Scarecrow, though this is more suited to near term drinking (that said, I think it will improve with a couple of years of age). 94+ pts.
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7/29/2010 - StainedGlass wrote: 95 Points
Superb. A dark, big but elegant cabernet with a wonderful long finish, I enjoyed savoring it on its own as much as I did with my steak. Decanted during a retaurant meal, I was surprised how well balanced this wine was despite its youth. It is only going to get better over the next few years.
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7/24/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 97 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): WOTD - and on a fantastic day of many ultra fine wines!
This is my style of wine. Big and viscous but extremely balanced and full of finesse and elegance all in the same juice.
Big ripe red berries - cherries, strawberries, darker cassis and some lighter red plum action as well. Aromas continue showcasing balsamic vinegar, figs, nuts and heady vanilla mocha. Lots of weight - a massive hedonistic blockbuster.
An enormous "yummy-deliciousness" factor. So young and super sweet but balanced tannins. Nice acid that will help this bottle stay lively for at least two decades. The back end shows flavors of molasses and red flowers. Very feminine in style. Awesome.
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7/24/2010 - psmith wrote:
Very ripe, with dark Cabernet fruits and graphite notes. Plush in a Merlot sort of way. Some wood evident. Structure in the background at this point. Nice wine.
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7/10/2010 - fisk15 wrote: 98 Points
This magnum saw a bit too much heat thanks to UPS, the cork showed wine to within 3/8" of the top. The wine showed no signs of heat damage , and was spectacular. Rich, very smooth, fine tannins, no alcohol showing. One of the finest Napa cabs I've ever tried. I have no idea where this wine is going but it's wonderful now. Perfect with Flannery Rib Caps served that eve. Drank at HHI on Julie's B-Day trip.
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6/22/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 95 Points
WOTN. Even though really young, this wine was very complex. Blueberry, cherry, blackberry and bitter sweet chocolate. A fruit bomb, cocoa, baking spice, needs time to open up. Could have guessed QC blind. A few years and this will be rocking.
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5/9/2010 - gsquireh wrote: 97 Points
Full-bodied, and powerful. Rich luscious, sweet black fruit, cassis, and licorice.
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4/27/2010 - jtcseventysix wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby red with a muted, closed down nose; dense and chewy with gobs of dark plum fruit; big, bold and full, but with great balance and soft, flowing mouthfeel. A stunner but still quite young.
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4/10/2010 - beau11 wrote: 97 Points
very well balanced and drinking well early with gobs of dark fruits melded perfectly with sweet tannins. Phenomenal nose which had me smelling it for hours. Decanted over 3 hours and it was still improving. Night and day versus the 05 which was hot and the 06 which was uneventful
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2/22/2010 - JonesBlairR wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding, complex, smooth and deep in flavor.
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2/9/2010 - thenapalist wrote: 98 Points
I have to agree with RP on this one though I think you may want to cellar this one for a year or two for optimum enjoyment. Sweet tannins but still a bit sharp. Dark and concentrated without being overly jammy. Alcohol is already in balance and the acidity adds a perfect freshness. Lots of black fruit and a nicely restrained amount of oak. Best Foley Claret that I've ever had going back almost a decade.
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1/9/2010 - suttonri wrote:
In the Foley style with lots of fruit and oak, though less mocha than I normally get from his wines. Definitely back on form compared to the 06 & 05 vintages. If you like the style it's worth picking up. Became more structured and tight on day two, arguing for respectable aging.
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