Given the 1998 vintage was about as lackluster as it gets for California Cabernet, this showed remarkably well while admirably representing its provenance. However, it is certainly tired at this point, and not worth holding onto if you still have any hand. Drink it up and use the empty slot to berth something more vibrant for the future.
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NR as this came very late in the night, but remember it being easy drinking with some very nice body / fruit, really relaxed (faded purple-fruited jeans) but not so soft as to be flat... so easy to drink that it could be seen as simple but I liked it
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There needs to be an "I love it" button! Had this wine at a dinner where we tasted 6 cabs ranging from 2010 to 1998. This was the oldest, and the only one that had transitioned to what I would describe as a mature wine. Bouquet of leather and other barnyard scents. Wonderfully balanced, with a nice long finish. Great option for a reasonably priced example of a mature napa cab.
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Pleasant easy-drinking classically styled napa cab at current auction prices. Slight seepage halfway into cork. Red fruit profile with earth and some vegetal notes. Very few tannins on the medium finish. Held up for at least 2hrs. 3rd bottle with consistent notes. Drink soon.
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Even though this was a magnum bottle and should have aged a bit slower than the 750's, I think it was over the hill--showed more volatile aciidity than it should have and seemed flat on the finish. Should have consumed it earlier.
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JohnR's "wake": Supplied the "dead" bottle evaluated by Phredd in his notes but the day after I opened my last bottle, either to find it salvageable or to clear another over the hill wine from my cellar. Pleasantly surprised it was the former, though seriously on its last legs. I stood it up for 2 hrs for the sediment to fall as I wasn't planning to decant or filter; after 13 years both the nose and palate were very light though not yet subdued, roughly a 3-4 intensity on a scale of 10 (10 being the concentration of flavors we all know from young CA Cabernet). The wine offers delicate notes of cherries, red currants, oak spice, toast, and cedar for the nose & palate. Interesting hints of bell pepper and red licorice before the finish; almost non-existent except for some faint hints of leather from the last bit of oak tannin. Decreased development, intensity and acidity are all attributed to age, as well as the light body and smoother palate feel from the reduced tannins. Remarkable that we still get a clear fruit / green / earth transition across the palate at 13 years and that the oak is still well integrated without dominating what remains of the nose or palate. Length is also good albeit if only for the front and mid-palate. Agree with oldgrowth45's note that the wine now has Burgundian-like qualities.
Style & Quality- B+. As compared with other aged Cabs both from CA and Bordeaux, this is on its last legs and can go from at worst a completely dead bottle to at best an easy drinking shadow of its former self. Looks like your mileage may vary on this wine right now and I suggest you drink through your inventory sooner than later. The aforementioned complexity and depth- fruit-to-vegetal-to-earth across the palate; and well done oak integration, keeps this wine out of the gutters but the lack of intensity keeps it out of the top tier uber-age-worthy category.
Value- B+. $35 / bottle before shipping is a good price for aged CA Cab in an "off-vintage" back before abv's went through the roof.
Overall- B+
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NC Cindy Tasting. JohnR's Wake. (WineKnurd's House): NC Cindy Tasting. "JohnR's Wake". The cork on this wine showed significant seepage, but it wasn't clear that the seepage went all the way to the top of the cork. In addition, the wine was fairly faded and thin, like a translucent cherry juice. On the nose, there was an unusual combination of dustiness and used gym sock, along with some light raspberry. The palate showed thin sour raspberry, with some sweetness. There was very little tannin, and this wine has a very fruit juicy aspect. There were almost no secondary notes at all, which is very odd for a wine of this age. I am concerned about the seepage, but the wine doesn't display oxidation or any other characteristics that could truly be described as a flaw. After looking at other tasting notes, our experience appears to be similar, so I don't think the wine itself had any problem. I'll stick with the 84 score on the assumption that this wine is just over the hill.
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Drank over two nights. Medium dark ruby color. Initial nose is spicy/metallic, with good intensity. As it opens, there's fresh mushrooms, plums and a little slate on the nose. The initial palate is fairly clean, emphasizing plum and oak. There's nice spice on the midpalate that helps even out the fruit. The back palate gets a little thin and reedy. The finish has reasonable length and intensity, interestingly, there's some aspects here that recall a well-aged Burgundy as well. Decent, middle-of-the-road Cab Sauv. Cheers.
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Tasted non blind at the winery. Served from MAGNUM.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thatch, barnyard, white pepper, plums and berries. Flavors of berries, cherries and a bit of raspberry. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink now.
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This is my third and final bottle of this vintage. The previous two tastings were underwhelming. The first bottle, the wine tasted like it had peaked 2-3 years prior. The second tasting we had back to back with a 97' and obviously the 97 was far better. This tasting I was absolutely impressed. The wine had life, structure. Deep dark fruit, chocolate & plenty of Napa earth. Hardly any tannins, and it poured fruit from every ounce. Beautifully mature and perfect drinking. No decanting needed. Now, I wish I had more bottles :(
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Moderate expectations because of vintage and age, but was pleasantly surprised. Had with Indian dinner. Very Bordeaux like, with a soft mouthfeel and integrated tannins. The flavors were subdued dusty chocolate, earth, and herbs, but still held together. Very nice with a meal, and the table enjoyed as well.
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Red as a brick and very smooth. This opened with some aggressive vegetal (cedary eucalyptus) character and a distinct dusty earthiness on the nose. It mellowed over the day to reveal more cassis/berry notes. Very nice on day 2, dead by day 3.
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Drank at dinner with friends. This bottle was an excellent surprise. Did not expect much from the maligned 98 vintage & expected it to be over the hill. This bottle had really pulled together, was quite seamless & an excellent addition to our beef-centric meal. Reminds me of my mature Gruaud Laroses. Has the same earth, pine/cedar, dusty dry cherry, old leather quality.... an unworthy description but an excellent glass with dinner. I believe it has peaked & should be drunk up now; there is not much tannin left nor fruit to age further. Drink it up with any meal that would suit a nice mature St. Julien.
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This is what mature California cabernet is all about...smooth as silk, beautiful nose of cedar, earth, cassis with some red fruit in the balance. The vintage was difficult, as Parker called it..."maligned", but top producers found a way to craft wines that worked with what Mother Nature gave them. Bernard Portet is a Frenchman, and his wines are the essence of Bordeaux...but they happen to come from Napa Valley. Visiting there recently, I was astounded by the quality of their simple Napa Valley bottlings after a decade (plus) of age - the quality (and QPR) is astounding. I had the 1998 several times upon release and shortly thereafter thinking it would come around, but what it really needed was patience. Ahh...patience and virtue, the relationship is so hard to find willingly. Well, here I was tasting a wine that I felt was hard-edged and a disappointment years ago...and now I am here enjoying a beautiful mature wine.
For those of you who know Bordeaux, Clos du Val offers California cabernet that is more similar to Saint-Julien than any other...round, herbaceous, cedar (not oak) and beautiful cassis and red fruit flavor profile. If you know Gruaud-Larose, then this is its long-lost cousin who came to America years ago and made a wonderful home for itself (like the man himself, Bernard Portet).
There is a reason Clos du Val has been Wine & Spirits winery of the year numerous times and their wines compete with classified growth Bordeaux from decades ago.
Salute!
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This is an enjoyable and well made wine with a berry, smoke and leather bouquet and a balanced fruit and tannic palate. It is medium bodied and a good accompanyment to grilled meats and in my opinion deserves more respect than it has earned from another reviewer in Cellartracker.
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Initially a lot of earthy notes like leather, dirt, and tobacco, followed by blackberries. Could use a touch more concentration, but still an enjoyable wine.
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Dark purple color. Nice nose with dark fruits, a touch of leather, dried herbs, and notes of oak. Medium to full body with good acidity and resolved tannins. Nice flavors that could use a touch more concentration. Shortish finish that is very tasty.
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12/20/2023 - Driller60 wrote: 80 Points
Not great. Lost its mojo I would guess 5-7 years ago. Still drinkable. Soft and mellow plummy and soft worn leather notes.
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1/30/2023 - jwhiggins Likes this wine: 92 Points
Given the 1998 vintage was about as lackluster as it gets for California Cabernet, this showed remarkably well while admirably representing its provenance. However, it is certainly tired at this point, and not worth holding onto if you still have any hand. Drink it up and use the empty slot to berth something more vibrant for the future.
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11/18/2022 - Bmcatee Likes this wine: 84 Points
Relatively flat and past it’s prime. Still drinkable and decent
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7/21/2018 - WoodieBayArea wrote:
NR as this came very late in the night, but remember it being easy drinking with some very nice body / fruit, really relaxed (faded purple-fruited jeans) but not so soft as to be flat... so easy to drink that it could be seen as simple but I liked it
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2/13/2017 - sababa1022 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully. Nicely fruit forward. No rush. The drinking dates are wrong.
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3/19/2016 - focus wrote: 93 Points
Super....had many old world flavors for a Napa cab....coffee, tobacco, mocha...really nice finish....wish I had more!
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5/13/2015 - focus wrote: 90 Points
Still alive...tobacco, plum, cassis, musky, barn yard aromas. Full bodied for a wine this old. Med-long finish...pleased we found this!
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4/22/2014 - dars_blog wrote: 90 Points
Opened up nicely over a couple of days. A velvety texture with supple aromas and flavors of dark fruits.
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1/14/2014 - Jgallup wrote: 80 Points
Past its prime. Day 1 had some funk otherwise very good. Day 2 it was a goner. If you've got 'em, open 'em!
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10/14/2013 - sublime wrote: 79 Points
Still some nose but thin, little or no fruit. Acidic & little else. Mild tannins on the finish.
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12/2/2012 - leighhunt Likes this wine: 91 Points
There needs to be an "I love it" button! Had this wine at a dinner where we tasted 6 cabs ranging from 2010 to 1998. This was the oldest, and the only one that had transitioned to what I would describe as a mature wine. Bouquet of leather and other barnyard scents. Wonderfully balanced, with a nice long finish. Great option for a reasonably priced example of a mature napa cab.
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11/30/2012 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
California Cabernet Tasting for Leigh's Birthday: The best in the line-up tonight!
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11/23/2012 - DarinC wrote: 87 Points
Pleasant easy-drinking classically styled napa cab at current auction prices. Slight seepage halfway into cork. Red fruit profile with earth and some vegetal notes. Very few tannins on the medium finish. Held up for at least 2hrs. 3rd bottle with consistent notes. Drink soon.
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6/20/2011 - IlonaN wrote: 85 Points
Even though this was a magnum bottle and should have aged a bit slower than the 750's, I think it was over the hill--showed more volatile aciidity than it should have and seemed flat on the finish. Should have consumed it earlier.
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6/10/2011 - WineKnurd Likes this wine: 88 Points
JohnR's "wake": Supplied the "dead" bottle evaluated by Phredd in his notes but the day after I opened my last bottle, either to find it salvageable or to clear another over the hill wine from my cellar. Pleasantly surprised it was the former, though seriously on its last legs. I stood it up for 2 hrs for the sediment to fall as I wasn't planning to decant or filter; after 13 years both the nose and palate were very light though not yet subdued, roughly a 3-4 intensity on a scale of 10 (10 being the concentration of flavors we all know from young CA Cabernet). The wine offers delicate notes of cherries, red currants, oak spice, toast, and cedar for the nose & palate. Interesting hints of bell pepper and red licorice before the finish; almost non-existent except for some faint hints of leather from the last bit of oak tannin. Decreased development, intensity and acidity are all attributed to age, as well as the light body and smoother palate feel from the reduced tannins. Remarkable that we still get a clear fruit / green / earth transition across the palate at 13 years and that the oak is still well integrated without dominating what remains of the nose or palate. Length is also good albeit if only for the front and mid-palate. Agree with oldgrowth45's note that the wine now has Burgundian-like qualities.
Style & Quality- B+. As compared with other aged Cabs both from CA and Bordeaux, this is on its last legs and can go from at worst a completely dead bottle to at best an easy drinking shadow of its former self. Looks like your mileage may vary on this wine right now and I suggest you drink through your inventory sooner than later. The aforementioned complexity and depth- fruit-to-vegetal-to-earth across the palate; and well done oak integration, keeps this wine out of the gutters but the lack of intensity keeps it out of the top tier uber-age-worthy category.
Value- B+. $35 / bottle before shipping is a good price for aged CA Cab in an "off-vintage" back before abv's went through the roof.
Overall- B+
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6/10/2011 - Phredd Does not like this wine: 84 Points
NC Cindy Tasting. JohnR's Wake. (WineKnurd's House): NC Cindy Tasting. "JohnR's Wake". The cork on this wine showed significant seepage, but it wasn't clear that the seepage went all the way to the top of the cork. In addition, the wine was fairly faded and thin, like a translucent cherry juice. On the nose, there was an unusual combination of dustiness and used gym sock, along with some light raspberry. The palate showed thin sour raspberry, with some sweetness. There was very little tannin, and this wine has a very fruit juicy aspect. There were almost no secondary notes at all, which is very odd for a wine of this age. I am concerned about the seepage, but the wine doesn't display oxidation or any other characteristics that could truly be described as a flaw. After looking at other tasting notes, our experience appears to be similar, so I don't think the wine itself had any problem. I'll stick with the 84 score on the assumption that this wine is just over the hill.
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4/17/2011 - oldgrowth45 wrote:
Drank over two nights. Medium dark ruby color. Initial nose is spicy/metallic, with good intensity. As it opens, there's fresh mushrooms, plums and a little slate on the nose. The initial palate is fairly clean, emphasizing plum and oak. There's nice spice on the midpalate that helps even out the fruit. The back palate gets a little thin and reedy. The finish has reasonable length and intensity, interestingly, there's some aspects here that recall a well-aged Burgundy as well. Decent, middle-of-the-road Cab Sauv. Cheers.
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3/12/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
Clos du Val Winery Tasting (Clos Du Val Tasting Room): WIML90
Tasted non blind at the winery. Served from MAGNUM.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thatch, barnyard, white pepper, plums and berries. Flavors of berries, cherries and a bit of raspberry. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink now.
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2/19/2011 - leighhunt wrote: 91 Points
Excellent. Adding this note a few weeks after consumption so I don't have specifics other than it really delivered, drinking great now.
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12/18/2009 - skinnydave wrote: 92 Points
This is my third and final bottle of this vintage. The previous two tastings were underwhelming. The first bottle, the wine tasted like it had peaked 2-3 years prior. The second tasting we had back to back with a 97' and obviously the 97 was far better. This tasting I was absolutely impressed. The wine had life, structure. Deep dark fruit, chocolate & plenty of Napa earth. Hardly any tannins, and it poured fruit from every ounce. Beautifully mature and perfect drinking. No decanting needed. Now, I wish I had more bottles :(
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10/3/2009 - rjeman2000 wrote: 89 Points
Moderate expectations because of vintage and age, but was pleasantly surprised. Had with Indian dinner. Very Bordeaux like, with a soft mouthfeel and integrated tannins. The flavors were subdued dusty chocolate, earth, and herbs, but still held together. Very nice with a meal, and the table enjoyed as well.
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5/4/2009 - andtheodor wrote: 85 Points
Red as a brick and very smooth. This opened with some aggressive vegetal (cedary eucalyptus) character and a distinct dusty earthiness on the nose. It mellowed over the day to reveal more cassis/berry notes. Very nice on day 2, dead by day 3.
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2/28/2009 - clava wrote: 88 Points
Drank at dinner with friends. This bottle was an excellent surprise. Did not expect much from the maligned 98 vintage & expected it to be over the hill. This bottle had really pulled together, was quite seamless & an excellent addition to our beef-centric meal. Reminds me of my mature Gruaud Laroses. Has the same earth, pine/cedar, dusty dry cherry, old leather quality.... an unworthy description but an excellent glass with dinner. I believe it has peaked & should be drunk up now; there is not much tannin left nor fruit to age further. Drink it up with any meal that would suit a nice mature St. Julien.
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4/8/2008 - ericrico wrote: 90 Points
This is what mature California cabernet is all about...smooth as silk, beautiful nose of cedar, earth, cassis with some red fruit in the balance. The vintage was difficult, as Parker called it..."maligned", but top producers found a way to craft wines that worked with what Mother Nature gave them. Bernard Portet is a Frenchman, and his wines are the essence of Bordeaux...but they happen to come from Napa Valley. Visiting there recently, I was astounded by the quality of their simple Napa Valley bottlings after a decade (plus) of age - the quality (and QPR) is astounding. I had the 1998 several times upon release and shortly thereafter thinking it would come around, but what it really needed was patience. Ahh...patience and virtue, the relationship is so hard to find willingly. Well, here I was tasting a wine that I felt was hard-edged and a disappointment years ago...and now I am here enjoying a beautiful mature wine.
For those of you who know Bordeaux, Clos du Val offers California cabernet that is more similar to Saint-Julien than any other...round, herbaceous, cedar (not oak) and beautiful cassis and red fruit flavor profile. If you know Gruaud-Larose, then this is its long-lost cousin who came to America years ago and made a wonderful home for itself (like the man himself, Bernard Portet).
There is a reason Clos du Val has been Wine & Spirits winery of the year numerous times and their wines compete with classified growth Bordeaux from decades ago.
Salute!
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6/18/2007 - Three-Star Dave wrote: 81 Points
A bit past its prime. All smoke and wood, though smooth. Margie liked it, I could give it a pass. Went well with BBQ steak.
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5/12/2007 - nuanda wrote:
Very woody taste. Not my kind of wine but this may appeal to some
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1/30/2007 - windinthewillows1 wrote:
Enjoyed 98 with Roast pork. It was wondeful. Let breath for 2 hours. Tannins were just right. Lots of rich flavor , smooth and ready to drink now.
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5/31/2005 - Tad GW wrote: 88 Points
This is an enjoyable and well made wine with a berry, smoke and leather bouquet and a balanced fruit and tannic palate. It is medium bodied and a good accompanyment to grilled meats and in my opinion deserves more respect than it has earned from another reviewer in Cellartracker.
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2/23/2005 - cbbrown3 wrote: 88 Points
Initially a lot of earthy notes like leather, dirt, and tobacco, followed by blackberries. Could use a touch more concentration, but still an enjoyable wine.
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2/9/2005 - cbbrown3 wrote: 88 Points
Dark purple color. Nice nose with dark fruits, a touch of leather, dried herbs, and notes of oak. Medium to full body with good acidity and resolved tannins. Nice flavors that could use a touch more concentration. Shortish finish that is very tasty.
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11/15/2003 - cbbrown3 wrote: 87 Points
Medium ruby color. Nice nose with dark fruit and some oak. Nice taste and a nice aftertaste, but could use a touch more concentration. Smooth tannins.
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