This was a lovely wine - once it got going. I made the mistake of not decanting the wine, even though last year we enjoyed it without a decant. The first night it was jammy and flabby and did not show much of anything. The 2nd night was an entirely different story. It was lovely - fragrant on the nose, rich, balanced and bright on the palate with good fruit, and had a nice long finish. If you own this wine and really want to enjoy it, I urge you to decant it for at least 1 hour.
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This Celia Welch wine was wonderful, and I believe better than 3 years ago. It is aromatic, rich, balanced, mouth-coating, smooth, lovely dark fruit with just that light touch of sweetness and a long, enjoyable finish. This wine is definitely in its "sweet spot."
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Agree with previous notes that this is drinking at peak today. It'll hold for a while but I wouldn't wait if I had another. Experimented with 1 pass thru Vinturi and no aeration. Settled on a hybrid 1/2 and 1/2 (mad scientist at work). Needed a Phoenix summertime chill. It is super smooth with a dark purple color and no sign of aging yet. Dark fruit, mellow, tastes mature but not old, a beautiful bottle of wine
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Very ripe cab. Definitely at peak maturity here. You can start to taste the age on this wine just a liiiitle bit. But, the nose has a floral tang to it which makes this one a bit unique from the other bottles on the table. This wine has good black fruit notes on the front and middle. Finishes with a dark chocolate note and a resolved tannin that does not obscure the finish. From the start to the finish, most interesting wine on the table. Makes you think for sure.
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A very enjoyable California Cab by Celia Welch - red fruit, bright, clean, balanced, smooth on the palate, and a lovely finish. This wine has quite a few more years of enjoyment to give.
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Dark ruby. Nose of earth, chocolate, and plum. On the palate fairly viscous with a persistent tannic grip. Flavors of black cherry, black berry, oaky spice with lingering finish. I liked this better on day 2 which makes me want to hold my remaining bottle for a few years.
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Corra Vertical: Corra Vertical tasting. Initially this is dusty with lots of tannic grip. On the palate it is a bit thin at the end, but still a marvelous example of Napa Cab.
On day 2, it has not changed much. It has maintained fruit but shows a tiny bit more finesse. Delicious.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Wine was showing its flavor right away. Very elegant style with lots of bright red fruit. Very delicious but lacked the finish that would have helped balance out the fruit.
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mellow and smooth, flavors are sliding by with the impact of flowers on a summer breeze. Nose is all cab, mouth feel is pleasant with a touch of pepper, than a long slow slide
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chocolate and red fruits on the nose. the palate is surprisingly savory and austere. the fruit just wont come out to play though it hints at being there. bad timing i think.
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Wow. Really nice nose of cassis, cedar, some earth and vanilla. Very silky finish that lasted 60 seconds+. This is my first Corra and to tell you the truth I was pretty blown away. Very, very good vino. Thumbs up Celcia.
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Taste: Full bodied with chewy tannins. The structure is a bit imposing with tones of oak, dark red cherries, cassis, and black currants.
Overall: I was hoping for more. There is good depth, but this wasn't expressive and was somewhat chunky on both the nose and palate. Hopefully it was just a dumb bottle.
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Charity Dinner (Rhys, Corra, Clerc Milon +++): Very nice showing for this wine. Classic Napa Cab at this point. The nose has cassis, cedar, some alcohol, a bit of dark chocolate. Full bodied. Slick texture but supple as well. Layered with complexity but still youthful. Great fruit. Nice balance. Long finish. Pretty special.
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NY/NJ Offline at Aureole 8.20.12 (Aureole, NYC): Complex aromatics on the nose mixing notes of cassis, pyrazine, mint, chocolate and toasted oak. Similar notes on the palate. Full-bodied but well-structured and balanced with medium tannin and acid. Very nice overall.
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Dark, rich cab with currant and blackberry upfront, fading to tobacco and earth notes on the finish. Nice balance and structure. Will likely continue to improve with cellar time.
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Deep ruby red pour with a great nose, decanted 3 hours served with a pork tenderloin . A very nice balanced wine with a nice finish, probably better served with a steak .
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I don't agree with my last note, this is much tighter/closed than the '07 or '08, it may of entered into a new phase. Medium bodied classic Celia, dark fruit, earth, with touches of peppery spice and oak finishing it off. I wonder where this will be in 5-10 years. If I had to rate them now I would say: '07 is 96 with potential to climb to a 99-100 in a few years, '08 is 95-96 and ready to drink, it may improve over the next couple of years but no reason to wait, and '06 my end up being in the 95-97pt range once the tannins fully integrate.
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The nose had aromas of very dark cherries and a sandalwood/incense aroma. After a couple hours, the nose became less spicy and had more of a vanilla note. The palate had cherry and currant flavors with the sandalwood spiciness coming out again near the finish. I think that sandalwood note is from Darnajou barrels, but I don't know... I didn't notice the spiciness as much once the wine had been opened for a few hours, so maybe that will integrate more with time.
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Much more gentle than the 2007. Not what I was expecting from the appearance, deep dark core with ruby edges. I seem to classify top wines as either masculine or feminine (neither bad) and this leaned towards the feminine side. Smooth and elegant with classic Corra flavors, just more subtle. This is at its prime age for drinking, don’t see any room for improvement by waiting any longer.
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Received the '07 Corra offering this week so I thought I'd pop one of these to help out with the decision whether or not to repurchase. I did not decant, but I should have as this improved substantially with air. The nose seemed to be dominated by cedar and mint. On the palate a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Dark fruits, and a creaminess with some vanilla. The tannins are there, but they are sweet and this is approachable now. 92-93 pts.
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Corra Vertical 04-06 (McClure House - San Diego): A pretty clear step down from the 04 and 05. Big cedar nose with a huge whiff of menthol and herb. Really felt like it was a cedar closet. Some good char. Muted fruit. Good concentration and density. Still a nice wine, even up against the outstanding 04 and 05 but it was clearly 3 of 3.
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Her wines are always so good. Strong graphite and mineral nose with such a lush creamy feel in the mouth. Vanilla and black cherry flavors round out the sweet but substantial tannins.
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Beautiful wine with black cherry, currant, brambleberry and chocolate notes. Drank beautifully and improved throughout the course of dinner! Smooth and elegant all the way through.
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Pop and poured a glass while the rest went into a decanter. Very accessible right from the get go, dark purple hue. A little smoke on the nose with blue fruits, if there was anything to detract from what is otherwise a great wine was the nose being a little reticient. This got better after being opened several hours.
I was very surprised at how integrated the flavors and tannins were already, very well balanced and showing no heat whatsoever. Blueberry pie and dusty plum and hints of cassis. With a hint of oak on the finish the drinkability factor was very high.
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Dinner at Palsiade, Seattle. Started with champagne and the most mouth-watering crab cakes. Opened the wine at 8pm, consumed over 3.5 hours from the decanter with wagu and jumbo prawns. The first glass was the most aromatically expressive. Huge floral component, big blackberry and blueberry fruit, and an long, long, endless finish. Wow. Glad I jumped on this winery's wagon. Definitely will be purchasing from again. This is classic cabernet.
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Popped and poured. The nose had cherry, cassis, vanilla, and a spice note like white pepper. The palate had flavors of cherry, currant, and just a touch of bell pepper. This was a somewhat reserved style for a CA Cab, with a very smooth mouthfeel, nice balance and a long finish. This bottle was consumed over about 2 hours, and the last glass was the best. Not as complex or powerful as the 06 Scarecrow, but a very well crafted wine.
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4/1/2024 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Drinking well. Darker fruits. Good structure. No complaints. Solid cab in a tougher vintage.
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11/27/2021 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Great right from the start with loads of jammy red fruit. Still some structure but likely on the decline.
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9/10/2021 - Labrador Likes this wine: 89 Points
This was a lovely wine - once it got going.
I made the mistake of not decanting the wine, even though last year we enjoyed it without a decant. The first night it was jammy and flabby and did not show much of anything. The 2nd night was an entirely different story. It was lovely - fragrant on the nose, rich, balanced and bright on the palate with good fruit, and had a nice long finish.
If you own this wine and really want to enjoy it, I urge you to decant it for at least 1 hour.
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6/12/2020 - Labrador Likes this wine: 92 Points
This Celia Welch wine was wonderful, and I believe better than 3 years ago. It is aromatic, rich, balanced, mouth-coating, smooth, lovely dark fruit with just that light touch of sweetness and a long, enjoyable finish. This wine is definitely in its "sweet spot."
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5/29/2020 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Agree with previous notes that this is drinking at peak today. It'll hold for a while but I wouldn't wait if I had another.
Experimented with 1 pass thru Vinturi and no aeration. Settled on a hybrid 1/2 and 1/2 (mad scientist at work).
Needed a Phoenix summertime chill. It is super smooth with a dark purple color and no sign of aging yet. Dark fruit, mellow, tastes mature but not old, a beautiful bottle of wine
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3/14/2020 - n2wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking well right now.
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10/26/2018 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points
Very ripe cab. Definitely at peak maturity here. You can start to taste the age on this wine just a liiiitle bit. But, the nose has a floral tang to it which makes this one a bit unique from the other bottles on the table. This wine has good black fruit notes on the front and middle. Finishes with a dark chocolate note and a resolved tannin that does not obscure the finish. From the start to the finish, most interesting wine on the table. Makes you think for sure.
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3/31/2017 - Labrador Likes this wine: 90 Points
A very enjoyable California Cab by Celia Welch - red fruit, bright, clean, balanced, smooth on the palate, and a lovely finish. This wine has quite a few more years of enjoyment to give.
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2/1/2017 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not as good as bottle #1, but good nonetheless. Got a good deal so good qpr but question whether current pricing is worth it.
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12/29/2016 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 93 Points
No specific notes but I loved it. Probably at its peak.
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12/16/2016 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Mature, demure Cali Cabernet. Plum and cassis fruit totally integrated with fine tannins. Velvety and smooth- at peak.
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9/5/2015 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Taste at TETE.
Limited notes.
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8/29/2015 - Knicksfan wrote: 92 Points
beautiful CS; drinking well; nicely balanced;
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8/8/2015 - Knicksfan wrote: 93 Points
Love Corra with about 10 years of age and this bottle does not disappoint; nice balance of fruit, tannin and secondary flavors: yum
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2/9/2015 - Acohen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely elegant cab with dark currant, tobacco, mocha and lots of berry with integrated tannins that was great with coffee crusted steaks
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12/25/2014 - winopops3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby. Nose of earth, chocolate, and plum. On the palate fairly viscous with a persistent tannic grip. Flavors of black cherry, black berry, oaky spice with lingering finish. I liked this better on day 2 which makes me want to hold my remaining bottle for a few years.
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8/9/2014 - S1 Likes this wine:
Corra Vertical: Corra Vertical tasting. Initially this is dusty with lots of tannic grip. On the palate it is a bit thin at the end, but still a marvelous example of Napa Cab.
On day 2, it has not changed much. It has maintained fruit but shows a tiny bit more finesse. Delicious.
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3/22/2014 - ageverett Likes this wine: 94 Points
At Lotus of Siam in Vegas. Minimal time to breathe, but didn't really need it. Supple and approachable -- drinking lovely right now. Smooth finish.
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2/23/2014 - Acohen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened for 4 hours and was bright currant, berry and very well integrated tannins. More feminine but still powerful and delicious
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2/20/2014 - Barbaro wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Wine was showing its flavor right away. Very elegant style with lots of bright red fruit. Very delicious but lacked the finish that would have helped balance out the fruit.
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11/26/2013 - B Paul wrote: 93 Points
Followed over two nights. Really drinking nicely right now (though certainly there's no rush to drink) with all aromas/flavors in harmony.
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8/3/2013 - shadow wrote: 94 Points
mellow and smooth, flavors are sliding by with the impact of flowers on a summer breeze.
Nose is all cab, mouth feel is pleasant with a touch of pepper, than a long slow slide
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7/10/2013 - mjf@ulkner wrote: flawed
badly corked
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5/24/2013 - Uglypinga wrote:
chocolate and red fruits on the nose. the palate is surprisingly savory and austere. the fruit just wont come out to play though it hints at being there. bad timing i think.
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5/12/2013 - ToddS wrote:
This bottle was singing. Still think these are ready while the '05s could use more time.
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1/27/2013 - CabIsKing wrote: 95 Points
Wow. Really nice nose of cassis, cedar, some earth and vanilla. Very silky finish that lasted 60 seconds+. This is my first Corra and to tell you the truth I was pretty blown away. Very, very good vino. Thumbs up Celcia.
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1/12/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
David White comes to town (Domaine Wine Storage and Sun-Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: Comes off as four square on the nose with tones of dark red cherries, currants, oak, and cassis.
Taste: Full bodied with chewy tannins. The structure is a bit imposing with tones of oak, dark red cherries, cassis, and black currants.
Overall: I was hoping for more. There is good depth, but this wasn't expressive and was somewhat chunky on both the nose and palate. Hopefully it was just a dumb bottle.
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9/29/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Charity Dinner (Rhys, Corra, Clerc Milon +++): Very nice showing for this wine. Classic Napa Cab at this point. The nose has cassis, cedar, some alcohol, a bit of dark chocolate. Full bodied. Slick texture but supple as well. Layered with complexity but still youthful. Great fruit. Nice balance. Long finish. Pretty special.
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8/20/2012 - amgryger wrote:
NY/NJ Offline at Aureole 8.20.12 (Aureole, NYC): Complex aromatics on the nose mixing notes of cassis, pyrazine, mint, chocolate and toasted oak. Similar notes on the palate. Full-bodied but well-structured and balanced with medium tannin and acid. Very nice overall.
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8/4/2012 - lewrose@gmail.com wrote:
Kickass bottle of california cabernet. Bravo Celia!
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2/23/2012 - kgh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, rich cab with currant and blackberry upfront, fading to tobacco and earth notes on the finish. Nice balance and structure. Will likely continue to improve with cellar time.
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7/23/2011 - CK6865 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep ruby red pour with a great nose, decanted 3 hours served with a pork tenderloin . A very nice balanced wine with a nice finish, probably better served with a steak .
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6/27/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 93 Points
I don't agree with my last note, this is much tighter/closed than the '07 or '08, it may of entered into a new phase. Medium bodied classic Celia, dark fruit, earth, with touches of peppery spice and oak finishing it off. I wonder where this will be in 5-10 years. If I had to rate them now I would say: '07 is 96 with potential to climb to a 99-100 in a few years, '08 is 95-96 and ready to drink, it may improve over the next couple of years but no reason to wait, and '06 my end up being in the 95-97pt range once the tannins fully integrate.
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6/11/2011 - last chance wrote: 92 Points
The nose had aromas of very dark cherries and a sandalwood/incense aroma. After a couple hours, the nose became less spicy and had more of a vanilla note. The palate had cherry and currant flavors with the sandalwood spiciness coming out again near the finish. I think that sandalwood note is from Darnajou barrels, but I don't know... I didn't notice the spiciness as much once the wine had been opened for a few hours, so maybe that will integrate more with time.
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5/14/2011 - kgh Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big and bold cab with vibrant fruit profile, a peppery spice note, and a solid core of tannins which round out the balance of the wine nicely.
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5/6/2011 - Uglypinga wrote:
Big Ass American Cabs blind with shocking results! (Montana's Rib and Chop House): Wine #12
Very cab like nose with chocolate, currants, and ripe berries. The palate follows suit but it had a clipped finish. Fair balance...a fair wine.
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4/30/2011 - dontime wrote: 92 Points
PA Wine Talk Number 17 - Big Ass Napa Cabs/Blends (Montana's Rib & Chop House - Meadville, PA): Great nose of black fruit and currant. Lots of ripe fruit on the palate with cocoa and vanilla. Easy drinking.
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3/25/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 94 Points
Much more gentle than the 2007. Not what I was expecting from the appearance, deep dark core with ruby edges. I seem to classify top wines as either masculine or feminine (neither bad) and this leaned towards the feminine side. Smooth and elegant with classic Corra flavors, just more subtle. This is at its prime age for drinking, don’t see any room for improvement by waiting any longer.
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8/3/2010 - KMKCMT Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful Bottle
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5/23/2010 - heartdoc1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Smooth elegant, well-balance cabernet with a nice medium-long finish. Nice black cherry and currant flavors throughout.
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3/3/2010 - littlefoot wrote: 90 Points
I'm apparently missing something here. I thought it was a nice $50 cab- not Paloma nice, maybe Larkmead nice.
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2/18/2010 - WineForRob wrote:
Dont remember drinking this but it is gone and Im sure I enjoyed it.
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2/2/2010 - B Paul wrote: 92 Points
Received the '07 Corra offering this week so I thought I'd pop one of these to help out with the decision whether or not to repurchase. I did not decant, but I should have as this improved substantially with air. The nose seemed to be dominated by cedar and mint. On the palate a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Dark fruits, and a creaminess with some vanilla. The tannins are there, but they are sweet and this is approachable now. 92-93 pts.
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12/27/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote: 91 Points
Corra Vertical 04-06 (McClure House - San Diego): A pretty clear step down from the 04 and 05. Big cedar nose with a huge whiff of menthol and herb. Really felt like it was a cedar closet. Some good char. Muted fruit. Good concentration and density. Still a nice wine, even up against the outstanding 04 and 05 but it was clearly 3 of 3.
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12/16/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 94 Points
Her wines are always so good. Strong graphite and mineral nose with such a lush creamy feel in the mouth. Vanilla and black cherry flavors round out the sweet but substantial tannins.
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11/10/2009 - heartdoc1 wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine with black cherry, currant, brambleberry and chocolate notes. Drank beautifully and improved throughout the course of dinner! Smooth and elegant all the way through.
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11/3/2009 - P.Robert wrote: 94 Points
Pop and poured a glass while the rest went into a decanter. Very accessible right from the get go, dark purple hue. A little smoke on the nose with blue fruits, if there was anything to detract from what is otherwise a great wine was the nose being a little reticient. This got better after being opened several hours.
I was very surprised at how integrated the flavors and tannins were already, very well balanced and showing no heat whatsoever. Blueberry pie and dusty plum and hints of cassis. With a hint of oak on the finish the drinkability factor was very high.
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7/10/2009 - chimpanzee29 wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Palsiade, Seattle. Started with champagne and the most mouth-watering crab cakes. Opened the wine at 8pm, consumed over 3.5 hours from the decanter with wagu and jumbo prawns. The first glass was the most aromatically expressive. Huge floral component, big blackberry and blueberry fruit, and an long, long, endless finish. Wow. Glad I jumped on this winery's wagon. Definitely will be purchasing from again. This is classic cabernet.
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5/16/2009 - last chance wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. The nose had cherry, cassis, vanilla, and a spice note like white pepper. The palate had flavors of cherry, currant, and just a touch of bell pepper. This was a somewhat reserved style for a CA Cab, with a very smooth mouthfeel, nice balance and a long finish. This bottle was consumed over about 2 hours, and the last glass was the best. Not as complex or powerful as the 06 Scarecrow, but a very well crafted wine.
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4/12/2009 - tommydiesel wrote: 95 Points
big juicey, jammy,black ripe fruit up front. Long finish. Decanted over an hour, built to last!
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