Wow what a difference 5 years made in this wine! The cork was pristine. Cedar and tobacco and dark fruit notes jump out of the glass.. The tannins are now beautifully integrated with the fruit. Dominant blackberry and a little plum, less anise than last bottle. The wine leaves a subtle but very long lasting tingle on the palate. I matched it with some dark chocolate and was very happy with it. Could be at its peak so enjoy.
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Tasted very flat. Not turned or overaged, just flat and boring. A stark contrast from young Schweiger wines. Maybe they just weren't meant to age. Really disappointed.
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Opaque black with a half inch pour. Very rich mouth entry with tasty blackberry, black currant, and black cherry, buoyed up by a perfect undertow of acid and tannin. Dense, powerful, mouth filling, and big, with a lovely sheen of smoothness, elegance, and integration from being aged for 14 years.
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For a high altitude Cabernet Sauvignon that on release is dominated by powerful tannin that is backward, tight, grippy, and astringent, this 13 year old wine is a stunning Olympic gold metal gymnastic flip. Round, soft, integrated, seamless, rich, fruit forward, and luscious, while remaining refreshingly acidic and amply tannic. Overall, magnificently well matured, comparable to great left bank Bordeaux wines made with higher proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Big aromatic nose of cedar and dark fruit and flavors of blackberry and slight touch of anise. Finish is a bit short on the mid palate on the second night of being open. Paired well with grilled lamb and mint jelly side sauce. Dark fruit flavor was deeper and more intense in the 2 hours after opening. Suggests the wine is mature but not yet in decline. Still I will be consuming my remaining bottle within next couple of years.
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No real change from Feb. of this year: “ A rich plum color fills the glass as a bouquet of cassis, plum, tobo, licorice and mint rises from it. Well balanced with fully integrated tannins, it glides across the palate. The finish comes up a bit short. A well made wine.” Not as much sediment in this bottle as in the last. 14.9% alc. With grilled (beef) burgers. Recommended.
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Six years have passed since I last pulled a cork on this wine. The husky “big boyness” of the wine at that time has matured and slendered into a well-shaped, sculpted Napa Cab. A rich plum color fills the glass as a bouquet of cassis, plum, tobo, licorice and mint rises from it. Well balanced with fully integrated tannins, it glides across the palate. The finish comes up a bit short. A well made wine. Significant sediment with some on the initial pour and plenty on the final pour. 14.9% alc. With reverse seared strip steaks (beef). Recommended.
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Tasted open for 6 days. At 12 years old, still opaque with a thin red outer ring. Generous nose of blackberry, black currants, and blackberry. Still firmly tannic and refreshingly acidic, along with getting closer to round, lush, and integrated. The swallow is delicious, caressing, and throat coating. Overall, Schweiger consistently makes rich, concentrated, and well structured Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots that are outstanding values among the high altitude mountain appellations in Napa.
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- Garnet color and aromas of cherry. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry, cherry and chocolate with a light/medium body. Narrow texture.
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Drinking very well indeed - tannins still quite assertive...might have a few years left. Sadly no more in my cellar. A nice earthiness to it - I see the Bordeaux character others mentioned.
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Straight forward spring mountain cab. I like the 09 better but this is still very nice and still quite youthful. In fact I will probably save the last bottle for another 5 yrs. Tannins are approachable (not so much in 09) and there are hints of anise, black cherry and loam. Nicely structured but lacking some depth and complexity. Now sometimes I just enjoy a big California cab even though it does lack some secondary characteristics or notes. I wish there was more on the back end but the finish was pleasing and it was well put together.
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Decanted for about three+ hours. Good structure, chewy tannins, and long legs. Dark fruit, in good balance (definitely not overly fruit-forward in any way). I think there is pretty good balance of fruit, acidity and tannins. I'll let the other bottle I have lay down for a while. This paired okay with a rich roasted duck dinner, with fingerling potatoes cooked in the duck fat, and a nice port-apricot reduction sauce. Probably better suited for even heavier meats.
Recommended - B/B+
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I really enjoyed this. I love spring moutain wines. Keenan, Cain Five and Juslyn are some of the greats up there and Schweiger to me is a hidden gem. I love their port as well. Nice mix of red and black fruit. You can get that blackcherry and a touch of anise intertwined with some raspberry and violets. The tannins really add some structure and the length of this really impressed me. Nice balanced acidity and subtle hints of earth on the back end. I really enjoyed this and I think it could cellar for another 10 yrs.
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Through the vinturi into the decanter for 2 hours. In the glass: Deep inky garnet, slow long legs. On the nose: Hot wet pavement, currants, raspberry, whiff of white pepper and smoke. In the mouth: med/full mouth feel, good concentration of the nose, some light dry tannins in the middle, weenzy bit of tart raspberry on the tongue, some dry tannins down the throat. A little more fruit than my tastes in a cab, but still nice. More than held its own with the ribsteak and fresh garden tomatoes. Decanting is a must!
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Decanted 2 hours & paired with rich grilled lamb chops (excellent). Typical Schweiger cab, big dark berry fruit, chewy tannins but with good structure and decent finish. Probably be even better with a few more hours decanting.
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Much better than my previous bottle. Bdx-ish stley cab. Dark fruit and some earth. Tannins present to provide good grip but not overwhelming. Good balance. Nice wine in what appears to be a good drinking window.
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Day 1 is all vanilla and coconut. Not fun. Day 2--starts to come around with tyical cab fruit coming in to play; tannins present; tastes like an OK bdx opened too young. Day 3--best day by far; tastes like a modern style decent bdx. Consclusion/speculation--needs a big decant if serving near term; potential to get better but probably nothing great in store for this wine; will appeal more to old school Cali cab drinkers than to the lush/velvety cab fans.
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Sampled 7/17/12. I remember this wine when it was first released and thought it was simple but pleasant. Plenty of fruit on release, but no longer. This will be my second to last experiment with Schweiger. As has been this winemaker's history, the fruit is loaded and very forward in the first 2-3 years, even if it is a very simple wine at such point in time. You want to put it down to see if any secondary flavors will evolve and make the wine more interesting. However, no such luck. The fruit after 2-3 years just completely falls off and leaves nothing but Oak and tannins. I suspect this wine will only get worse from this point out. Unfortunately, I have one more bottle of this wine. I'll open it in a year or so to confirm my suspicions and that will be my last experiment with Schweiger cabs.
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The back label reads that this can be “enjoyed now or cellared for many years.” Forego the former and opt for the latter. This is a big boy. While it delivers substantial enjoyment now, the tannins are big and edgy and need time to knit themselves together. Abundant crushed red fruits of cherry, plum and cassis/blackberry liquor make for an abundant, floral nose. Sweet on the attack the fruit carries through with nods to anise, mint and vanilla. Perhaps some sweet wrapping tobacco toward the finish. A hefty wine from our own (or formerly our own?) Andrew Schweiger. A well made wine. Some slight grains of sediment. 14.9% alc. With grilled ribeyes topped with black olive butter. Recommended.
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Drank on our first wedding anniversary. Plum and cherry flavors. Hints of earth and leather and a bit of vegetable on the aftertaste. Well balanced. Looking forward to opening the rest of the case.
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Dark in color. Deep plum and dark berry smell. Tastes of blackberry, plum and smooth tannins for a Napa Cab. I enjoyed this. Smoother than I had expected.
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10/13/2023 - leighhunt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! It is drinking perfectly right now. What a great example of how mountain fruit ages well!
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4/22/2023 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow what a difference 5 years made in this wine! The cork was pristine. Cedar and tobacco and dark fruit notes jump out of the glass.. The tannins are now beautifully integrated with the fruit. Dominant blackberry and a little plum, less anise than last bottle. The wine leaves a subtle but very long lasting tingle on the palate. I matched it with some dark chocolate and was very happy with it. Could be at its peak so enjoy.
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10/25/2019 - alex.lewis Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Tasted very flat. Not turned or overaged, just flat and boring. A stark contrast from young Schweiger wines. Maybe they just weren't meant to age. Really disappointed.
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5/13/2019 - Mossrose wrote: 94 Points
Opaque black with a half inch pour. Very rich mouth entry with tasty blackberry, black currant, and black cherry, buoyed up by a perfect undertow of acid and tannin. Dense, powerful, mouth filling, and big, with a lovely sheen of smoothness, elegance, and integration from being aged for 14 years.
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12/4/2018 - Mossrose wrote: 94 Points
For a high altitude Cabernet Sauvignon that on release is dominated by powerful tannin that is backward, tight, grippy, and astringent, this 13 year old wine is a stunning Olympic gold metal gymnastic flip. Round, soft, integrated, seamless, rich, fruit forward, and luscious, while remaining refreshingly acidic and amply tannic. Overall, magnificently well matured, comparable to great left bank Bordeaux wines made with higher proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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10/26/2018 - scw Likes this wine: 94 Points
soft and nice on the front palette. a hint of tanin still. wentwell with the duck kabob at Bavel .
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10/26/2018 - scw Likes this wine: 94 Points
soft and nice on the front palette. a hint of tanin still. wentwell with the duck kabob at Bavel w/Sheila.
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5/10/2018 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Big aromatic nose of cedar and dark fruit and flavors of blackberry and slight touch of anise. Finish is a bit short on the mid palate on the second night of being open. Paired well with grilled lamb and mint jelly side sauce. Dark fruit flavor was deeper and more intense in the 2 hours after opening. Suggests the wine is mature but not yet in decline. Still I will be consuming my remaining bottle within next couple of years.
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5/5/2018 - timewithwine wrote:
No real change from Feb. of this year: “ A rich plum color fills the glass as a bouquet of cassis, plum, tobo, licorice and mint rises from it. Well balanced with fully integrated tannins, it glides across the palate. The finish comes up a bit short. A well made wine.” Not as much sediment in this bottle as in the last. 14.9% alc. With grilled (beef) burgers. Recommended.
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2/15/2018 - timewithwine wrote:
Six years have passed since I last pulled a cork on this wine. The husky “big boyness” of the wine at that time has matured and slendered into a well-shaped, sculpted Napa Cab. A rich plum color fills the glass as a bouquet of cassis, plum, tobo, licorice and mint rises from it. Well balanced with fully integrated tannins, it glides across the palate. The finish comes up a bit short. A well made wine. Significant sediment with some on the initial pour and plenty on the final pour. 14.9% alc. With reverse seared strip steaks (beef). Recommended.
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8/1/2017 - Mossrose wrote: 94 Points
Tasted open for 6 days. At 12 years old, still opaque with a thin red outer ring. Generous nose of blackberry, black currants, and blackberry. Still firmly tannic and refreshingly acidic, along with getting closer to round, lush, and integrated. The swallow is delicious, caressing, and throat coating. Overall, Schweiger consistently makes rich, concentrated, and well structured Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots that are outstanding values among the high altitude mountain appellations in Napa.
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12/19/2016 - Escher Cellars wrote: 87 Points
- Garnet color and aromas of cherry. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry, cherry and chocolate with a light/medium body. Narrow texture.
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11/4/2016 - otrevizo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Chocolate
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6/26/2015 - Chapel Likes this wine: 89 Points
compared to same year, same district vineyard (Spring Mnt) and this wine was a weak, watered down cab. Not much power ie tannins. smooth,not acidic
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2/27/2015 - rednaxela83 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very well indeed - tannins still quite assertive...might have a few years left. Sadly no more in my cellar. A nice earthiness to it - I see the Bordeaux character others mentioned.
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11/14/2014 - pjbeans wrote: 90 Points
Good QPR, a bit on the lighter side for spring mountain cabernet. Still deep fruit but lighter tannins which have fully integrated. Ready to drink
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11/2/2014 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. Marido brought to mustang for dinner. Very Bx like.
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6/21/2014 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine: 91 Points
Straight forward spring mountain cab. I like the 09 better but this is still very nice and still quite youthful. In fact I will probably save the last bottle for another 5 yrs. Tannins are approachable (not so much in 09) and there are hints of anise, black cherry and loam. Nicely structured but lacking some depth and complexity. Now sometimes I just enjoy a big California cab even though it does lack some secondary characteristics or notes. I wish there was more on the back end but the finish was pleasing and it was well put together.
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3/13/2014 - Armando B wrote: 89 Points
Bdxish Cali cab. Some old world earth and acid but with brighter fruit. Good, solid, not flashy. Drinking well and in balance.
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1/20/2014 - WStucker wrote: 91 Points
Time to drink it up. Ready to go, classic mountain Napa Cab. $35 at the winery was about right.
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1/11/2014 - pa81 Likes this wine:
Decanted for about three+ hours. Good structure, chewy tannins, and long legs. Dark fruit, in good balance (definitely not overly fruit-forward in any way). I think there is pretty good balance of fruit, acidity and tannins. I'll let the other bottle I have lay down for a while. This paired okay with a rich roasted duck dinner, with fingerling potatoes cooked in the duck fat, and a nice port-apricot reduction sauce. Probably better suited for even heavier meats.
Recommended - B/B+
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11/20/2013 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine: 92 Points
I really enjoyed this. I love spring moutain wines. Keenan, Cain Five and Juslyn are some of the greats up there and Schweiger to me is a hidden gem. I love their port as well. Nice mix of red and black fruit. You can get that blackcherry and a touch of anise intertwined with some raspberry and violets. The tannins really add some structure and the length of this really impressed me. Nice balanced acidity and subtle hints of earth on the back end. I really enjoyed this and I think it could cellar for another 10 yrs.
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9/15/2013 - SportstHER wrote: 89 Points
Through the vinturi into the decanter for 2 hours. In the glass: Deep inky garnet, slow long legs. On the nose: Hot wet pavement, currants, raspberry, whiff of white pepper and smoke. In the mouth: med/full mouth feel, good concentration of the nose, some light dry tannins in the middle, weenzy bit of tart raspberry on the tongue, some dry tannins down the throat. A little more fruit than my tastes in a cab, but still nice. More than held its own with the ribsteak and fresh garden tomatoes. Decanting is a must!
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5/17/2013 - Wrkolbeck wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 2 hours & paired with rich grilled lamb chops (excellent). Typical Schweiger cab, big dark berry fruit, chewy tannins but with good structure and decent finish. Probably be even better with a few more hours decanting.
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4/12/2013 - Armando B wrote: 89 Points
Much better than my previous bottle. Bdx-ish stley cab. Dark fruit and some earth. Tannins present to provide good grip but not overwhelming. Good balance. Nice wine in what appears to be a good drinking window.
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1/23/2013 - kakera Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice spring mountain cabernet, probably could have decanted a bit more.
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11/17/2012 - Wrkolbeck wrote: 90 Points
Winery tasting, still good berry fruit but plenty on tannin left. Should drink well for another few years.
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7/26/2012 - Armando B wrote: 86 Points
Day 1 is all vanilla and coconut. Not fun. Day 2--starts to come around with tyical cab fruit coming in to play; tannins present; tastes like an OK bdx opened too young. Day 3--best day by far; tastes like a modern style decent bdx. Consclusion/speculation--needs a big decant if serving near term; potential to get better but probably nothing great in store for this wine; will appeal more to old school Cali cab drinkers than to the lush/velvety cab fans.
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7/19/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: 88 Points
Sampled 7/17/12. I remember this wine when it was first released and thought it was simple but pleasant. Plenty of fruit on release, but no longer. This will be my second to last experiment with Schweiger. As has been this winemaker's history, the fruit is loaded and very forward in the first 2-3 years, even if it is a very simple wine at such point in time. You want to put it down to see if any secondary flavors will evolve and make the wine more interesting. However, no such luck. The fruit after 2-3 years just completely falls off and leaves nothing but Oak and tannins. I suspect this wine will only get worse from this point out. Unfortunately, I have one more bottle of this wine. I'll open it in a year or so to confirm my suspicions and that will be my last experiment with Schweiger cabs.
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6/9/2012 - timewithwine wrote:
The back label reads that this can be “enjoyed now or cellared for many years.” Forego the former and opt for the latter. This is a big boy. While it delivers substantial enjoyment now, the tannins are big and edgy and need time to knit themselves together. Abundant crushed red fruits of cherry, plum and cassis/blackberry liquor make for an abundant, floral nose. Sweet on the attack the fruit carries through with nods to anise, mint and vanilla. Perhaps some sweet wrapping tobacco toward the finish. A hefty wine from our own (or formerly our own?) Andrew Schweiger. A well made wine. Some slight grains of sediment. 14.9% alc. With grilled ribeyes topped with black olive butter. Recommended.
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4/26/2012 - wino121 wrote: 91 Points
On spot for Swag, good fruit and drinking great.
Had it with smoked Ribs, not the best pairing but never the less good.
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1/16/2012 - dzal808@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Purchased 2 bottles 4/11. Nice Napa Cab. Didn't rally live up to the Schweiger hype. Wouldn't buy it again for the $30+ it cost
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9/18/2011 - mbfoster1983 wrote: 92 Points
Drank on our first wedding anniversary. Plum and cherry flavors. Hints of earth and leather and a bit of vegetable on the aftertaste. Well balanced. Looking forward to opening the rest of the case.
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8/21/2011 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Still got a lot going on. Wish I had a lot more.
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5/14/2011 - chodur wrote: 90 Points
Good taste not alcoholic smooth
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4/30/2011 - jktaylor wrote: 92 Points
Really enjoyed this and looking forward to my other bottle. Drinking well now. Typical Napa cab which is a good thing.
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4/23/2011 - tgbozeman wrote: 90 Points
decanted for an hour to let it open. plumb overtones a little hot from alcohol but should age well
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4/17/2011 - ccarlucci wrote: 83 Points
It had a good, strong bite at first pour, but lost something by the next day.
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1/27/2011 - dase13 wrote: 88 Points
Dark in color. Deep plum and dark berry smell. Tastes of blackberry, plum and smooth tannins for a Napa Cab. I enjoyed this. Smoother than I had expected.
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11/2/2010 - TEDL wrote: 88 Points
Liked this one, nice balance of fruits and tannins.
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