Like an aged Saint-Émilion...and still going. Aromas of rubber, pine needles, spices...clove, saddle leather, mixed with floral and vegetal notes, and a hint of citrus peels. Balanced, supple and ripe with a distinctive dried pot-pourri/band-aid smell. Dry tannins but fine. Opulent and complexe with a long edgy finish. Impressive and can easily see the 20 year mark. 91+
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High hopes for this wine initially. Found it a bit tired after opening and tasting. Aromatics indicated a mature a wine, but a muted nose. A little brined pork scent from the glass. Not off putting just a savory component. Nice balance of mature fruit, alcohol, acidity. Definitely think the peak has past so drink up!
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Really really good wine. Love AR cab in the blend. A bit tight upon open. Brief decant and ready to go. Minty earth, tobacco. Still great fruit. Perfect with beef tenderloin!
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2007 Catena Zapata Nicolas Cellared since release: PNP dinner 9/23/2023
Deep purple to the rim. Subtle nose of fruit. This is a young, big, fruit driven, very structured wine with firm but not obtrusive tannin, with a 30 second finish. There is no tertiary development yet. The Nicolas blend of 70% Cabernet, 20% Malbec and equal parts of Petit Verdot and Cab Franc is always nice. This is one of my favorite big reds. It never disappoints. The 2007 has 15 to 20 years of enjoyable drinking ahead.
94 Points
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Barely making it but making it.....most of its fruit is gone but still enjoyable with grilled rib eye...honestly I was expecting more this winery but....still ok.
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Alas my last bottle, but it’s drinking very well now. Had with tomahawk steaks in KV. Was the tables choice. Primary fruits peaking, but a good amount of secondary there. Cigar box, black fruit Soft tannins. Bottle too heavy though
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Sharp blackberry and cassis, with bitter herbal, loamy, olive overtones, the fruit gradually becoming more lush as it opened. Nonetheless, it never develops the sweetness the plush mouthfeel would suggest. Very drily tannic from first to last sip. A wine of sharp contrasts and unexpected twists.
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Drinking really well now. Decanted & enjoyed over 8 hours. The wine continued to improve with time, last glass was the best glass. Great balance, robust dark fruit flavors with a long finish & drying tannins on the back end. One bottle left - I will hold to 2027 given the tannins referenced indicates some cellar life.
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I think that this wine punches WAY above its weight considering that I got it under $100. Excellent QPR. The ABV is 14%, which is a throwback of sorts these days with most cabs now hitting 15%+. Just a delicious, enjoyable wine.
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Ready. Maybe in 5 years the wine could be more interesting for some of you, but heck I like fruit and it is fading. The wine right now I think is in the perfect spot. I don´t think further development is something I would apreciate . Have 2 more and will open them before Trump wins again in 2024
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Zh OstSonntag, CS+Malbec) Wunderbar gereifter und reifer Bordeaux-Style-Argentinier. Alles da, was es für einen großen Wein braucht: Fülle, Kraft und feine Balance. Hängt vielleicht ein bisschen zur Säure-Seite und lässt ein wenig (Frucht/Extrakt-) Süße vermissen. Wie gesagt, nur ein bisschen. Dafür eine ganz besondere leichte Würze, die wohl vom Malbec kommt. Und ein langer, beeindruckend intensiver Abgang... Meines Erachtens jetzt auf dem Höhepunkt, vielleicht schon ein wenig darüber. Trinken -2025. 1Std vorher karaffiert, hat ihm gut getan...
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Powerful and balanced bordeaux blend. Compromise between new and old world. Still a lot of primary fruit, black fruit; dark plum, blackberry, dark cherry. Smooth satin tannins and modest oak. Developing tertiary aromas and flavours; leather, forest floor. At peak in a couple of years perhaps, but can be cellared for another 10.
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dark red, brick rim - intense nose of blackberries and plumbs, with a nice touch of oak - same intense fruit in the mouth with high acid and mature integrated tannins - excellent overall balance - long 15-20 sec finish - drinking beautifully now, but will easily last another 5-10 years - tasted alongside the 2007 Catena Zapata Nicasia, which was less developed and more acidic, but both were great with food (grilled pork tenderloins)
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Nose: Complex aromas of blackberries, plum, oak, espresso beans, well developed Mouth: Dry, high acid, smooth texture, full body and high alcohol, high contcentration of fruit and medium + length. Conclusion: I love the integrated tannins and the distinct conentration of fruit in the mouth with out being overpowering like a big Cali CS. Its elegant. Needs 2 hours of decanting. Prior to that the acid was too dominant overpowering the fruit and tannins. After decanting all components felt more well integrated resulting in a smooth texture. With ample of acid and fruit this wine will evolve over the next 10 years.
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Nez ouvert d'écurie, de selle de cheval, d'épices, d'encre, de cassis et de caoutchouc. Un vin fruité aux tannins fins mais encore bien musclé, charpenté, aux saveurs florales et de cassis...style bordelais. Longue finale. Encore du solide pour plusieurs années...prochaine bouteille : 2022 à 2027. 93+
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First bottle from a case bought several years back. Poured into decanter and drank over an hour or so. Nice and fairly complex nose of dark fruit, soil, animal notes. On the palate ripe dark fruit, a touch of tar, eucalyptus, balanced however by good acidity. 14% alcohol not noticeable. Not unlike the (hot) 07 vintage of BdM in style. Medium (-) tannins. Fairly short finish. A good Cab but for me lacks ultimately a bit mid-palate concentration and depth for a higher score. Will easily last at this level for another 5-10 years.
PS: Enjoyed rest of bottle more on day 2, increased score from 91 to 93. Drink with a 60 min decant or hold for another 2-3 years.
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Cabernet Bordeaux Vergleich: - 2008 Kirwan: Noch sehr jung. Komplex. Sehr lang. Noch etwas ruppig. - 2008 Grand-Puy Lacoste: Dagegen etwas flach. Süppig. Schön zu trinken. Aber einfach. - 2007 Catena Zapata: Fruchtig. Starke Säure. Lang, aber sehr Mineralität. - 2010 Nenin: Toll. Jetzt schön zu trinken. Lang. Komplex. Sehr anderer Stil als Kirwan. - Für mich sind Kirwan und Nenin die Sieger des Abends.
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With grilled flank steak and roasted vegetables. Decanted for two hours. Very nice nose of dark fruits and licorice. Well balanced wine, lovely mouthfeel. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Personally, drink now and for another five years.
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Very good, though has a long drinking window still in front of it. Cabernet heavy blend, which shows in the tannins compared to argie Malbecs. Great structure. Black fruits some secondary of cigar box etc. will leave the next bottle. Only gripe- value for money ratio is poor.
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Decanted 2 hours. Ready to drink but no hurry. Still has many years left. This was again a very good bottle. Improved a lot with air. 2 hours in the decanter were perfect. 93 pts.
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Encore très riche et ample, un brin corsé aussi. Fruits noirs et épices avec des tanins charnus et une finale interminable. Bien mais a besoin de temps encore.
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Decanted and drunk fairly soon thereafter with BBQ ribs. Young looking, medium to dark garnet. Nose is pretty vanilla and dark fruited with some spice. Pretty rich texture with a chewy dark fruit palate with a spiced undertone and medium long finish. Probably still evolving and not near peak. Still quite nice with the food.
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Still a vivid purple color. Youthful nose of creme de cassis, blackberry jam new wood, cigar and spice box. Medium-full bodied and seamless. What a beautiful texture! Absolutely elegant in every aspect, this is perfectly balanced with flavors of red and black fruits, spicy new wood and just starting to show the barest hint of early maturity. Drink now-2029 95
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65% C.S. & 35% Malbec 50% ea barrel & bin fermented @ low temps, aged 24 mos in 100% new FR oak; 14.0% ABV, 5.8 grams/liter T.A., & 3.72 pH; 4,500 cs made, per WS.
N: GORGEOUS smoke, berries, rest tough to parse
P: MF, poss Med, body; LOVELY, ALMOST swtish frt met by balancing acidity which slowly, SEAMLESSLY transitions into a very LONG, impeccably BALANCED finish with NOTHING out of place/standing out! Drink NOW for its perfection, but I can SEE holding it for several more. They don't get MUCH better than this! My EXCEPTIONAL! 98 pts WA, 94 WE @ $120, 93+ Tanzer, & 92 WS.
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Drank at diner party with Tim and Mandy. Beef casserole for the main. Had been looking forward to this- and it pretty much didn’t disappoint. Dark in the glass, with secondary cigar box emerging but still lots of primary fruit. More tannins than usual Argentinian- heavy cab sav ratio. Needs food. Spices in the nose rather than chocolate. My biggest gripe would be what another member said- it’s price to quality ratio isn’t great.
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Um concentrado e refinado tinto. Aromas de frutas azuis e negras, cassis, grafite, expresso e chocolate meio amargo. Na boca é intenso, harmonioso e com surpreendente suavidade. Acho que isso é elegância. Acidez suficiente para o equilíbrio do conjunto e taninos finos com textura sedosa e aderente . Um belo final condimentado com café e chocolate meio amargo. 2007 foi um grande ano para a Catena Zapata, os Malbecs Adrianna e Nicasia também são espetaculares.
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Opened and let sit for an hour. This was our contribution to our wine group’s fall tasting. Tasted immediately upon opening and there was tremendous bottle variation. Surprisingly, they ended up at the same place after an hour when we started drinking in earnest. Muted currant, leather, herbs, espresso. Medium bodied, good finish. Good wine but terrible QPR. Just reinforces my judgement that Jay Miller had no business writing for the Wine Advocate.
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Dark purple. Pleasant aromas of cherry and currant and oak with some vanilla. Definitely new world in style. Flavors of black currant, green pepper, and tobacco. Seems quite mature and everything is integrated. Not as powerful as I remembered in the past, which is not necessarily a bad things. Maybe this is hitting is prime?
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Well 5 1/2 years after my first bottle (which I scored a 91) and this is hitting it's stride with the cellar time working its magic. I read someone else's TN and suggested a decant to remove sediment which did the trick. The color was a deep, sense purple and the nose could easily be a Napa Cab with 7-8 years of age. Definitely new world wine even and even though it was a Bordeaux blend it had more in common with California. Paired very well with grilled Angus Rib-eye and it was sad to see the bottle empty, which happened too soon in my opinion. I hate that point in the evening, when you want just one more glass but don't want to open another premier bottle.
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Decanted & consumed over 4 hours. My experience seems a little different when reviewing other CT tasting notes. Wine wasn't as big as others referenced & came across as a more mature wine. Floral & earthy nose. Dark berry flavors & secondary flavors that included spice & raisins. Medium finish. Enjoyable, two left in the cellar - it will be interesting to see how my next encounter goes.
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My Most Expensive wine purchase based on Peter's advice (Costco's expert) Copied Review- "7/19/2014 Likes this wine: 94 Points I agree with others that this wine made a very nice progress over the last year. Drinking wonderfully. I would add that we left 1/2 bottle in the decanter overnight and it was 'singing' the following day. Decanting helps and makes wonders. The rest of the notes are consistent with my previous notes: medium/long finish, right levels of oak in the background, full bodied, great dark ink color. Blackberry on the background, some cherry tasting as well (a bit weaker this time). Drank over two nights. Pleasure. (94+)"
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Nice wine that starts to blossom after two hours of decanting. It is not one of those wines that merely improves with decanting, it mutates from a so so wine with horrible QPR into a great wine. Lots of sediments.
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Perfect, perfect, perfect. Dark violet, dense. Dark fruits, candy compote, smoked, vanilla. Complex, spetacular tannins. Very balanced. The best wine that I tasted.
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Somewhat reduced. Lack of body for this wine. Nice to drink but not what you would expect from a Nicolas Catena. Impressive cherry on the nose and palate.
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This was the first of 6 bottles. I was not in a hurry to try it, as it is clearly a big wine. Opened for 1 hour followed by a 2 hour decant. That led to a great experience. It drank well and did not improve on the second night. I believe it will get better......so, will not be in a hurry to drink this one. I cannot explain why my rating is well above recent tastings......but more in line with reviews from a year or two ago.
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At Jess and Matt's 'Wedding.': now this wine is wound up. TIGHT. big and dense, but not too expressive off of the nose. dark black and some teased up baking spice. but again, really wound tight and not too giving at the moment. palate is much more giving. full, dark and brooding, with some fresh blackberry fruit appeal. loaded wiith fresh wild fruit spice, some violet floral nuance to the palate. medium/+ tannin. Day 2. Full and black fruit, open. Violet floral. Needs a day of air
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So big and ripe, it will overpower almost anything you put on the grill. The finish goes on and on and on...but not in a manner that says 'pour me another.' It's a meal replacement and wine all wrapped up in one package. The bottle weighs a ton, and so does the wine.
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Drank at Steak Pit for bday dinner. Decanted. Very smooth, supple mouthfeel and well structured body. Outstanding portfolio of favors and scents - not at all overwhelming or in your face but big, full, and engaging. Great with a rib eye!
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Vin body buildé sur fruits noirs compotés, pruneau, vanille, tanins ronds, jus épais et riche, matière jeune mais approchable, finale mentholée et boisée, légèrement asséchante. Fond de verre sur des arômes de café torréfié. À revoir dans 4/5ans 88-90/100
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Good. Very feminine, even bordering on flabby and unstructured right out the bottle. Improved with air significantly. Red licorice and coffee notes in the palate, with a floral but reserved nose. Perhaps not worth the cost but it may continue to open up more. Difficult to tell.
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I agree with others that this wine made a very nice progress over the last year. Drinking wonderfully. I would add that we left 1/2 bottle in the decanter overnight and it was 'singing' the following day. Decanting helps and makes wonders. The rest of the notes are consistent with my previous notes: medium/long finish, right levels of oak in the background, full bodied, great dark ink color. Blackberry on the background, some cherry tasting as well (a bit weaker this time). Drank over two nights. Pleasure. (94+)
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This is an excellent place right now. Its come together is smooth and balanced way. Lots of fruit on the nose and the initial palate, but showing some depth of flavor starting to emerge. Much more life in this one.
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my first experience with this winery/bottling--was not impressed for the $$. Fruit was flat and tho still drinking young with a tannic presence--there was nothing to suggest that those tannins are masking/covering the fruit. Maybe just needs more time or it may just never have that "pop". I have medium to low hopes for my next bottle--will wait a few years on it for sure though
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Still young, I think. This evening's experience is that it was excellent early in the evening, and started fading after an hour... this could be a bad pairing, or it wasn't sufficiently decanted and still sleepy.
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Outstanding. Nose was leather, granite, black earth, cherry, leather giove & cigar humidor. Long lingering finish. Tons of complexity & depth. Overall weighty & well rounded. Very very good. Paired well with a bone in ribeye.
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Aroma muito intenso e persistente de morangos frescos, delicioso. Sabor intenso, amadeirado, frutado, macio, refrescante, um pouco herbal. Muito corpo e sabor. Vinhos assim são marcantes.
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Drank the wine with our wine group after a 6 hour decanting. The Nicholas was in the company of 99 Hilside select, 2000 Davis Arthur Elevation 1147, Grace Family 29, and 07 foley Claret.....it not only held its own, but was in the top 2 or 3 of the wines of the evening. The Cab was elevated by the Malbec to a smooth, almost velvet character, with a strong black fruit and cedar mid palate and a very long lingering finish....great wine that will get even better with bottle age.
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Decanted for about 2 hours. The wine, however, still improved so much in the glass that I recommend 3-4 hours of decanting. Full-bodied wine with fine, soft tannins, cherry, coffee and spice. Elegant, young wine with a long aftertaste. Drinks very well already but no doubt will continue to improve.
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Breeders' Cup XXX; 11/1/2013-11/2/2013: Decanted 4 hours. A powerhouse, very ripe and expressive, layers of blueberry, cassis, and red currants. Mostly Cabernet character, but you also get that briary/loamy Malbec presence. Massive palate, juicy, concentrated, primarily red fruits, raspberry, maybe some red and black plum, and impressively well-integrated oak. Not yet as good as the 2004, but it might get there in a couple years.
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A great wine, and a great dispute- is it ready, or still too young? My partner and I opened it last night. Her view- still very fruity, too young and not developed yet (she gave it 89-90). My view is very different: The wine entered the drinking window nicely, and is developing well. Medium to long finish, right levels of oak in the background, full bodied, great dark ink color. Blackberry on the background, some cherry tasting as well. We decanted it only for 45 minutes or so, which may have had an affect. I enjoyed the finishing, and could have drank this one all night. Hints of pepper in the background, Well matched with the steak and Plum dessert.
We tasted it the second night as well (leaving it overnight in the cellar)- the lady approved it more, but still claims it is young. I liked it even more, but it means that it does need some more time.
I would have given it 95 or even 96, but given the diversity in the tasting results, I'd have to stick with 94. My rule is to leave it in the cellar for 5 years and check again. Just to be on the safe side, I bought another bottle today. My sense is that this one is built to last long. Looking forward to trying it again.
(Edited: retrospective note added on January 13, 2014---> I was thinking about this wine yesterday and even the lady mentioned we should try it again in the foresee future. I guess it is a sign that this wine is REALLY worth drinking if three months after the fact it is mentioned randomly as a wine to be revisited)
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These wines generally have at least some bret that adds to the wines character IMO, but this bottle had so much that it was distracting. After a couple of hours in the decanter enough blew off to reveal layers of black berry fruit, charcoal, licorice and mushrooms. The wines structure still dominates with juicy acidity and plenty of fine tannins on the grippy finish. The best days for this wine should be ahead of it if the bret doesn't eat it up. I'll open another in a year or two.
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I clearly like this more than most people, but both bottles I've had have been excellent. On a PnP, the nose was a perfect balance of fruit, spice, and alcohol. Upon tasting, the wine is not at all a fruit bomb. The dark fruits are there but elegant. A bit of pepper underlies the fruit and makes it interesting. The alcohol is in perfect balance and the tannins are present without overwhelming. While I normally like more fruit (I'm a big fan of some Howell Mountain cabs), the balance and harmony of this wine really impress me. Not cheap, but something I truly enjoy.
A bit too powerful on the alcohol side but nice fruit, not too much oak, smooth palate and medium length. Enjoyable yet over-priced. Nice companion of parmiggiano.
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Dark red with no purple showing. Nice aroma, good black fruit, dusty tannins, fruit was still solid with a nice finish. Drank over two days and I can't say it improved much. Wish I had more of this as it was very smooth and great to drink on its own.
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Very disappointed given price tag. Very tight, will benefit from 5+ years but even so did not impress with its potential. Black fruit with some minerality. Staggeringly bad QPR, cannot recommend.
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Dark red color. Black fruit, chocolate, and floral nose. The palate was wow! Black and red fruit, dark chocolate, pepper. Two hours in wonderful black cherries. Massive long finish. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec. This is a Super Malbec blend. Needs a few more years for full potential and then superwow. Good for another 10-15 years minimum.
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Tight out of bottle but improves significantly after 1hr in glass and even better after 3. Complex nose of charcoal, black cherry, currant, blackberry, earth, olives, and herbs. Nicely balaced palate with plenty of dark fruits, toasted herbs, black olives, and subtle vanilla. Much more elegant than a typical napa fruit bomb. Beautful wine, but not a 98 pointer. Maybe a 94 in a few yrs. 3rd bottle with consistent notes.
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Drank this at our Xmas poker game with my buddies. I think it was the first time I ever decanted a wine at a poker game so I took some good ribbing about that. Anyway I was a bit under-whelmed by this wine but my friends really enjoyed it. I did win big, almost enough to offset the cost of the bottle so that helps!
The nose was somewhat muted and not providing the aromas I would expect at this price point. On the palate this did have some nice dark fruit with a vanilla coating and smooth tannins, almost creamy. You can sense this was well crafted wine and I think (and hope) that 4-5 years in the cellar will awaken some of the secondary components I expect in these wines. Interesting enough we followed this with an 09 Segehsio Zin and the fruit/vanilla/oak was surprisingly similar though a bit harsher of a wine.
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65% Cabernet, 35% Malbec. Cabernet dominated nose with ripe fruit. Would have guessed a component of syrah if tasting blind with notes of licorice and hint of olive. Oak is prominent, not intrusive but needs more integration. Elegant and balanced for me, moderate tannin. Tasted after pop and pour, 1 hour, 4 hours and definitely improved somewhat. Delicious and excellent even for the price. Drink now or preferably hold.
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Very dark and dense colour. Intense nose of blackcurrant, cranberries and lots of oak. Smooth and balanced attack, complex sensation of oak, blackcurrant, plum, spice, and olive. Medium long finishing. Interesting, very new world and smooth, yet very strong and superficial cocktail of sensations. Lacks subtleness and elegance but is a very competitive alpha-male ...
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Very dark. Not particularly expressive on nose or attack. Elegant, smooth with nice vanilla finish. Good wine, but question 98 point Wine Advocate rating. From Dad's cellar at Keuka.
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This was the bottle we were going to bring for an Argentina wine tasting. Alas, the weather gods intervened with a freak October snow storm. So we drank by ourselves at home while the snow/sleet/rain came down. Not a bad a second choice here. Decanted for 1 1/2 hours and it continued to evolve for the better over the next 2 hours as we drank it so it could use more time. Blackberry, sage, truffle. Full bodied, very smooth to silkly smooth at the end. Still young and should get better over time. I don't see Miller's 98 but I never do. Can't see what Parker sees in the guy. Wine Spectator is much more in line.
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big and full, and quite nice really, but nowhere near the expectations created by the label and the price tag. Very new world - you would never mistake this for a Bordeaux - and it's nice and smooth, almost elegant but unfortunately it's all about mouthfeel with the flavor profile not very exciting.
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(65% Cab & 35 % Malbec) Deep red with brown/pink rim. Nose starts out with sweet fruit, blackcurrant, cool ripe blueberries, dried cherries/cherry pit and hint of liqourice. On the palate this wine is pure balance. Tannins are smooth with enough structure and backbone to last for a long time. Flavors are rounded dark fruit, slightly hints of dried herbs and liqourice. Rich and full, but at the same time elegant. The finish is exceptionally long. Outstanding bottle of wine
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3/3/2024 - ChateauDutremble Likes this wine: 91 Points
Like an aged Saint-Émilion...and still going.
Aromas of rubber, pine needles, spices...clove, saddle leather, mixed with floral and vegetal notes, and a hint of citrus peels. Balanced, supple and ripe with a distinctive dried pot-pourri/band-aid smell. Dry tannins but fine. Opulent and complexe with a long edgy finish. Impressive and can easily see the 20 year mark. 91+
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2/3/2024 - Rockwine98 wrote: 91 Points
High hopes for this wine initially. Found it a bit tired after opening and tasting. Aromatics indicated a mature a wine, but a muted nose. A little brined pork scent from the glass. Not off putting just a savory component. Nice balance of mature fruit, alcohol, acidity. Definitely think the peak has past so drink up!
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12/26/2023 - abelicious Likes this wine:
Really really good wine. Love AR cab in the blend. A bit tight upon open. Brief decant and ready to go. Minty earth, tobacco. Still great fruit. Perfect with beef tenderloin!
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10/12/2023 - noni15 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle showed better fruit and balance than my first bottle. I really enjoyed this one. DO not cellar this wine any longer....it is in its peak.
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9/24/2023 - PITT Wine Guy Likes this wine: 94 Points
2007 Catena Zapata Nicolas
Cellared since release:
PNP dinner 9/23/2023
Deep purple to the rim. Subtle nose of fruit. This is a young, big, fruit driven, very structured wine with firm but not obtrusive tannin, with a 30 second finish. There is no tertiary development yet. The Nicolas blend of 70% Cabernet, 20% Malbec and equal parts of Petit Verdot and Cab Franc is always nice.
This is one of my favorite big reds. It never disappoints.
The 2007 has 15 to 20 years of enjoyable drinking ahead.
94 Points
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8/19/2023 - TS Likes this wine:
Consistent with previous notes. Still youthful.
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7/20/2023 - noni15 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Barely making it but making it.....most of its fruit is gone but still enjoyable with grilled rib eye...honestly I was expecting more this winery but....still ok.
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6/10/2023 - chadslater Likes this wine: 93 Points
Alas my last bottle, but it’s drinking very well now. Had with tomahawk steaks in KV. Was the tables choice. Primary fruits peaking, but a good amount of secondary there. Cigar box, black fruit Soft tannins. Bottle too heavy though
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8/3/2022 - ChrisR Likes this wine:
Sharp blackberry and cassis, with bitter herbal, loamy, olive overtones, the fruit gradually becoming more lush as it opened. Nonetheless, it never develops the sweetness the plush mouthfeel would suggest. Very drily tannic from first to last sip. A wine of sharp contrasts and unexpected twists.
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6/5/2022 - AAJR Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking really well now. Decanted & enjoyed over 8 hours. The wine continued to improve with time, last glass was the best glass. Great balance, robust dark fruit flavors with a long finish & drying tannins on the back end. One bottle left - I will hold to 2027 given the tannins referenced indicates some cellar life.
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1/17/2022 - SteveN100 wrote: 94 Points
I think that this wine punches WAY above its weight considering that I got it under $100. Excellent QPR. The ABV is 14%, which is a throwback of sorts these days with most cabs now hitting 15%+. Just a delicious, enjoyable wine.
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10/3/2021 - wren460 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ready. Maybe in 5 years the wine could be more interesting for some of you, but heck I like fruit and it is fading. The wine right now I think is in the perfect spot. I don´t think further development is something I would apreciate . Have 2 more and will open them before Trump wins again in 2024
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4/16/2021 - Sennma wrote:
while a solid bottle...not sure that this shows much development after laying in the cellar for this time period.
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4/4/2021 - Axelpeter wrote: 94 Points
Zh OstSonntag, CS+Malbec) Wunderbar gereifter und reifer Bordeaux-Style-Argentinier. Alles da, was es für einen großen Wein braucht: Fülle, Kraft und feine Balance. Hängt vielleicht ein bisschen zur Säure-Seite und lässt ein wenig (Frucht/Extrakt-) Süße vermissen. Wie gesagt, nur ein bisschen. Dafür eine ganz besondere leichte Würze, die wohl vom Malbec kommt. Und ein langer, beeindruckend intensiver Abgang... Meines Erachtens jetzt auf dem Höhepunkt, vielleicht schon ein wenig darüber. Trinken -2025. 1Std vorher karaffiert, hat ihm gut getan...
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3/26/2021 - TS wrote: 93 Points
Powerful and balanced bordeaux blend. Compromise between new and old world. Still a lot of primary fruit, black fruit; dark plum, blackberry, dark cherry. Smooth satin tannins and modest oak. Developing tertiary aromas and flavours; leather, forest floor. At peak in a couple of years perhaps, but can be cellared for another 10.
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12/20/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
dark red, brick rim - intense nose of blackberries and plumbs, with a nice touch of oak - same intense fruit in the mouth with high acid and mature integrated tannins - excellent overall balance - long 15-20 sec finish - drinking beautifully now, but will easily last another 5-10 years - tasted alongside the 2007 Catena Zapata Nicasia, which was less developed and more acidic, but both were great with food (grilled pork tenderloins)
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8/30/2020 - Jokofon wrote: 92 Points
Nose: Complex aromas of blackberries, plum, oak, espresso beans, well developed
Mouth: Dry, high acid, smooth texture, full body and high alcohol, high contcentration of fruit and medium + length.
Conclusion: I love the integrated tannins and the distinct conentration of fruit in the mouth with out being overpowering like a big Cali CS. Its elegant. Needs 2 hours of decanting. Prior to that the acid was too dominant overpowering the fruit and tannins. After decanting all components felt more well integrated resulting in a smooth texture. With ample of acid and fruit this wine will evolve over the next 10 years.
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8/29/2020 - ChateauDutremble Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nez ouvert d'écurie, de selle de cheval, d'épices, d'encre, de cassis et de caoutchouc. Un vin fruité aux tannins fins mais encore bien musclé, charpenté, aux saveurs florales et de cassis...style bordelais. Longue finale. Encore du solide pour plusieurs années...prochaine bouteille : 2022 à 2027. 93+
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7/26/2020 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 93 Points
First bottle from a case bought several years back. Poured into decanter and drank over an hour or so. Nice and fairly complex nose of dark fruit, soil, animal notes. On the palate ripe dark fruit, a touch of tar, eucalyptus, balanced however by good acidity. 14% alcohol not noticeable. Not unlike the (hot) 07 vintage of BdM in style. Medium (-) tannins. Fairly short finish.
A good Cab but for me lacks ultimately a bit mid-palate concentration and depth for a higher score. Will easily last at this level for another 5-10 years.
PS: Enjoyed rest of bottle more on day 2, increased score from 91 to 93. Drink with a 60 min decant or hold for another 2-3 years.
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6/13/2020 - s******n Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cabernet Bordeaux Vergleich:
- 2008 Kirwan: Noch sehr jung. Komplex. Sehr lang. Noch etwas ruppig.
- 2008 Grand-Puy Lacoste: Dagegen etwas flach. Süppig. Schön zu trinken. Aber einfach.
- 2007 Catena Zapata: Fruchtig. Starke Säure. Lang, aber sehr Mineralität.
- 2010 Nenin: Toll. Jetzt schön zu trinken. Lang. Komplex. Sehr anderer Stil als Kirwan.
- Für mich sind Kirwan und Nenin die Sieger des Abends.
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4/27/2020 - sevo Likes this wine:
With grilled flank steak and roasted vegetables.
Decanted for two hours. Very nice nose of dark fruits and licorice. Well balanced wine, lovely mouthfeel. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Personally, drink now and for another five years.
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4/11/2020 - chadslater Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good, though has a long drinking window still in front of it. Cabernet heavy blend, which shows in the tannins compared to argie Malbecs. Great structure. Black fruits some secondary of cigar box etc. will leave the next bottle. Only gripe- value for money ratio is poor.
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2/13/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Ready to drink but no hurry. Still has many years left. This was again a very good bottle. Improved a lot with air. 2 hours in the decanter were perfect. 93 pts.
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9/10/2019 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Encore très riche et ample, un brin corsé aussi.
Fruits noirs et épices avec des tanins charnus
et une finale interminable.
Bien mais a besoin de temps encore.
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7/4/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and drunk fairly soon thereafter with BBQ ribs. Young looking, medium to dark garnet. Nose is pretty vanilla and dark fruited with some spice. Pretty rich texture with a chewy dark fruit palate with a spiced undertone and medium long finish. Probably still evolving and not near peak. Still quite nice with the food.
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3/10/2019 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still a vivid purple color. Youthful nose of creme de cassis, blackberry jam new wood, cigar and spice box. Medium-full bodied and seamless. What a beautiful texture! Absolutely elegant in every aspect, this is perfectly balanced with flavors of red and black fruits, spicy new wood and just starting to show the barest hint of early maturity. Drink now-2029 95
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2/15/2019 - Romol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. This bottle was not as good as my last one in 2017. A lot of friut but less depht and complexity. 91-92 pts.
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12/25/2018 - batsojr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really drinking well now. 45 minute decant provided clean red fruit with minimal tannins. Time to-drink this baby.
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6/2/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 2 *shared* VERY spectacular bottles] from 06/01/18] (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Dr. Tom, this was *fabulous*! You're TOO much, you know! :)
65% C.S. & 35% Malbec 50% ea barrel & bin fermented @ low temps, aged 24 mos in 100% new FR oak; 14.0% ABV, 5.8 grams/liter T.A., & 3.72 pH; 4,500 cs made, per WS.
N: GORGEOUS smoke, berries, rest tough to parse
P: MF, poss Med, body; LOVELY, ALMOST swtish frt met by balancing acidity which slowly, SEAMLESSLY transitions into a very LONG, impeccably BALANCED finish with NOTHING out of place/standing out! Drink NOW for its perfection, but I can SEE holding it for several more. They don't get MUCH better than this! My EXCEPTIONAL! 98 pts WA, 94 WE @ $120, 93+ Tanzer, & 92 WS.
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4/28/2018 - chadslater Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at diner party with Tim and Mandy. Beef casserole for the main. Had been looking forward to this- and it pretty much didn’t disappoint. Dark in the glass, with secondary cigar box emerging but still lots of primary fruit. More tannins than usual Argentinian- heavy cab sav ratio. Needs food. Spices in the nose rather than chocolate. My biggest gripe would be what another member said- it’s price to quality ratio isn’t great.
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2/22/2018 - MARCOSNITEROI wrote: 94 Points
Um concentrado e refinado tinto. Aromas de frutas azuis e negras, cassis, grafite, expresso e chocolate meio amargo. Na boca é intenso, harmonioso e com surpreendente suavidade. Acho que isso é elegância. Acidez suficiente para o equilíbrio do conjunto e taninos finos com textura sedosa e aderente . Um belo final condimentado com café e chocolate meio amargo. 2007 foi um grande ano para a Catena Zapata, os Malbecs Adrianna e Nicasia também são espetaculares.
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11/12/2017 - HOS Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened and let sit for an hour. This was our contribution to our wine group’s fall tasting. Tasted immediately upon opening and there was tremendous bottle variation. Surprisingly, they ended up at the same place after an hour when we started drinking in earnest. Muted currant, leather, herbs, espresso. Medium bodied, good finish. Good wine but terrible QPR. Just reinforces my judgement that Jay Miller had no business writing for the Wine Advocate.
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8/27/2017 - Thief Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark purple. Pleasant aromas of cherry and currant and oak with some vanilla. Definitely new world in style. Flavors of black currant, green pepper, and tobacco. Seems quite mature and everything is integrated. Not as powerful as I remembered in the past, which is not necessarily a bad things. Maybe this is hitting is prime?
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7/5/2017 - Al-Vino wrote: flawed
Cork was good...wine not so much! Spoiled like a baby in storage only to discover that the wine was flawed from the outset.
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4/23/2017 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Well 5 1/2 years after my first bottle (which I scored a 91) and this is hitting it's stride with the cellar time working its magic. I read someone else's TN and suggested a decant to remove sediment which did the trick. The color was a deep, sense purple and the nose could easily be a Napa Cab with 7-8 years of age. Definitely new world wine even and even though it was a Bordeaux blend it had more in common with California. Paired very well with grilled Angus Rib-eye and it was sad to see the bottle empty, which happened too soon in my opinion. I hate that point in the evening, when you want just one more glass but don't want to open another premier bottle.
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4/2/2017 - AAJR Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted & consumed over 4 hours. My experience seems a little different when reviewing other CT tasting notes. Wine wasn't as big as others referenced & came across as a more mature wine. Floral & earthy nose. Dark berry flavors & secondary flavors that included spice & raisins. Medium finish. Enjoyable, two left in the cellar - it will be interesting to see how my next encounter goes.
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3/23/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Very good bottle. Ready to drink with air. I guess it might impove with more age. 93+ pts.
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10/31/2016 - Captain A wrote:
My Most Expensive wine purchase based on Peter's advice (Costco's expert) Copied Review- "7/19/2014 Likes this wine: 94 Points I agree with others that this wine made a very nice progress over the last year. Drinking wonderfully. I would add that we left 1/2 bottle in the decanter overnight and it was 'singing' the following day. Decanting helps and makes wonders. The rest of the notes are consistent with my previous notes:
medium/long finish, right levels of oak in the background, full bodied, great dark ink color. Blackberry on the background, some cherry tasting as well (a bit weaker this time). Drank over two nights. Pleasure.
(94+)"
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8/28/2016 - akbash Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. High alcohol contents. Very fruity and a bit sweet. Very low tannins and acidity. Did not really enjoy it.
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5/20/2016 - Marcosuru wrote: 94 Points
Nice wine that starts to blossom after two hours of decanting.
It is not one of those wines that merely improves with decanting, it mutates from a so so wine with horrible QPR into a great wine.
Lots of sediments.
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3/18/2016 - Cadumaluf Likes this wine: 100 Points
Perfect, perfect, perfect. Dark violet, dense. Dark fruits, candy compote, smoked, vanilla. Complex, spetacular tannins. Very balanced. The best wine that I tasted.
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1/2/2016 - jusuf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Somewhat reduced. Lack of body for this wine. Nice to drink but not what you would expect from a Nicolas Catena. Impressive cherry on the nose and palate.
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1/1/2016 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was the first of 6 bottles. I was not in a hurry to try it, as it is clearly a big wine. Opened for 1 hour followed by a 2 hour decant. That led to a great experience. It drank well and did not improve on the second night. I believe it will get better......so, will not be in a hurry to drink this one. I cannot explain why my rating is well above recent tastings......but more in line with reviews from a year or two ago.
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11/7/2015 - skorn5 Likes this wine: 92 Points
very full body, and structure. deep purple, decanted for 3 hours.
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5/8/2015 - nzinkgraf wrote:
At Jess and Matt's 'Wedding.': now this wine is wound up. TIGHT. big and dense, but not too expressive off of the nose. dark black and some teased up baking spice. but again, really wound tight and not too giving at the moment. palate is much more giving. full, dark and brooding, with some fresh blackberry fruit appeal. loaded wiith fresh wild fruit spice, some violet floral nuance to the palate. medium/+ tannin.
Day 2. Full and black fruit, open. Violet floral. Needs a day of air
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5/4/2015 - Al-Vino wrote: 90 Points
So big and ripe, it will overpower almost anything you put on the grill. The finish goes on and on and on...but not in a manner that says 'pour me another.' It's a meal replacement and wine all wrapped up in one package. The bottle weighs a ton, and so does the wine.
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4/22/2015 - citizendrain wrote:
Just o.k. Wine fading. Drink now.
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3/1/2015 - Bumbanian wrote:
Drank at Steak Pit for bday dinner. Decanted. Very smooth, supple mouthfeel and well structured body. Outstanding portfolio of favors and scents - not at all overwhelming or in your face but big, full, and engaging. Great with a rib eye!
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2/26/2015 - Hazevedo wrote: 90 Points
- Brick color.
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1/17/2015 - wren460 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good to excellent. Extremely smooth without any heat whasoever. Didn´t decant but I think this wine needs at least 1 or 2 hours.
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11/19/2014 - stefad wrote: 89 Points
Vin body buildé sur fruits noirs compotés, pruneau, vanille, tanins ronds, jus épais et riche, matière jeune mais approchable, finale mentholée et boisée, légèrement asséchante. Fond de verre sur des arômes de café torréfié. À revoir dans 4/5ans 88-90/100
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10/26/2014 - n2wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank half of the bottle on Friday, half on Sunday. The wine was good on Friday, great on Sunday. Decant this one. It is drinking well now.
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10/21/2014 - smphelps wrote: 92 Points
Good. Very feminine, even bordering on flabby and unstructured right out the bottle. Improved with air significantly. Red licorice and coffee notes in the palate, with a floral but reserved nose. Perhaps not worth the cost but it may continue to open up more. Difficult to tell.
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10/20/2014 - Iceman611 wrote: 92 Points
Powerful and impressive. Needs to breathe overnight. Needs food.
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7/19/2014 - odds Likes this wine: 94 Points
I agree with others that this wine made a very nice progress over the last year. Drinking wonderfully. I would add that we left 1/2 bottle in the decanter overnight and it was 'singing' the following day. Decanting helps and makes wonders. The rest of the notes are consistent with my previous notes:
medium/long finish, right levels of oak in the background, full bodied, great dark ink color. Blackberry on the background, some cherry tasting as well (a bit weaker this time). Drank over two nights. Pleasure.
(94+)
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5/14/2014 - mclancy10006 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is an excellent place right now. Its come together is smooth and balanced way. Lots of fruit on the nose and the initial palate, but showing some depth of flavor starting to emerge. Much more life in this one.
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5/6/2014 - slmshdyms wrote: 90 Points
my first experience with this winery/bottling--was not impressed for the $$. Fruit was flat and tho still drinking young with a tannic presence--there was nothing to suggest that those tannins are masking/covering the fruit. Maybe just needs more time or it may just never have that "pop". I have medium to low hopes for my next bottle--will wait a few years on it for sure though
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4/28/2014 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Still very young.
93+ pts.
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4/14/2014 - CR lawrence Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still young, I think. This evening's experience is that it was excellent early in the evening, and started fading after an hour... this could be a bad pairing, or it wasn't sufficiently decanted and still sleepy.
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3/8/2014 - cepageyakima wrote:
Crud first Catena wine I have had that was corked...too bad
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2/21/2014 - JDV.DDSPHD wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding. Nose was leather, granite, black earth, cherry, leather giove & cigar humidor. Long lingering finish. Tons of complexity & depth. Overall weighty & well rounded. Very very good. Paired well with a bone in ribeye.
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2/12/2014 - heldermramos@gmail.com Likes this wine: 97 Points
Aroma muito intenso e persistente de morangos frescos, delicioso. Sabor intenso, amadeirado, frutado, macio, refrescante, um pouco herbal. Muito corpo e sabor. Vinhos assim são marcantes.
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12/1/2013 - Bacchusboy wrote: 93 Points
Drank the wine with our wine group after a 6 hour decanting. The Nicholas was in the company of 99 Hilside select, 2000 Davis Arthur Elevation 1147, Grace Family 29, and 07 foley Claret.....it not only held its own, but was in the top 2 or 3 of the wines of the evening. The Cab was elevated by the Malbec to a smooth, almost velvet character, with a strong black fruit and cedar mid palate and a very long lingering finish....great wine that will get even better with bottle age.
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11/17/2013 - cjsavino wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark colors in the glass, spicey gingerbread on the nose. Flavor a carry through in the glass with leather, stones. And long lasting tannins.
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11/10/2013 - Tony T wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for about 2 hours. The wine, however, still improved so much in the glass that I recommend 3-4 hours of decanting.
Full-bodied wine with fine, soft tannins, cherry, coffee and spice. Elegant, young wine with a long aftertaste. Drinks very well already but no doubt will continue to improve.
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11/1/2013 - Giggs wrote: 95 Points
Breeders' Cup XXX; 11/1/2013-11/2/2013: Decanted 4 hours. A powerhouse, very ripe and expressive, layers of blueberry, cassis, and red currants. Mostly Cabernet character, but you also get that briary/loamy Malbec presence. Massive palate, juicy, concentrated, primarily red fruits, raspberry, maybe some red and black plum, and impressively well-integrated oak. Not yet as good as the 2004, but it might get there in a couple years.
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10/15/2013 - odds wrote: 94 Points
A great wine, and a great dispute- is it ready, or still too young?
My partner and I opened it last night. Her view- still very fruity, too young and not developed yet (she gave it 89-90). My view is very different: The wine entered the drinking window nicely, and is developing well. Medium to long finish, right levels of oak in the background, full bodied, great dark ink color. Blackberry on the background, some cherry tasting as well.
We decanted it only for 45 minutes or so, which may have had an affect. I enjoyed the finishing, and could have drank this one all night. Hints of pepper in the background, Well matched with the steak and Plum dessert.
We tasted it the second night as well (leaving it overnight in the cellar)- the lady approved it more, but still claims it is young. I liked it even more, but it means that it does need some more time.
I would have given it 95 or even 96, but given the diversity in the tasting results, I'd have to stick with 94. My rule is to leave it in the cellar for 5 years and check again. Just to be on the safe side, I bought another bottle today. My sense is that this one is built to last long. Looking forward to trying it again.
(Edited: retrospective note added on January 13, 2014---> I was thinking about this wine yesterday and even the lady mentioned we should try it again in the foresee future. I guess it is a sign that this wine is REALLY worth drinking if three months after the fact it is mentioned randomly as a wine to be revisited)
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9/30/2013 - handymom wrote: 91 Points
Still quite young.
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7/25/2013 - erictayl wrote: 94 Points
Ruby red. Glass and mouth-coating strength. Fantastic wine drinking well now. Awesome hints of green pepper.
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6/21/2013 - DarinC wrote: 85 Points
These wines generally have at least some bret that adds to the wines character IMO, but this bottle had so much that it was distracting. After a couple of hours in the decanter enough blew off to reveal layers of black berry fruit, charcoal, licorice and mushrooms. The wines structure still dominates with juicy acidity and plenty of fine tannins on the grippy finish. The best days for this wine should be ahead of it if the bret doesn't eat it up. I'll open another in a year or two.
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5/25/2013 - Crunge Likes this wine: 94 Points
I clearly like this more than most people, but both bottles I've had have been excellent. On a PnP, the nose was a perfect balance of fruit, spice, and alcohol. Upon tasting, the wine is not at all a fruit bomb. The dark fruits are there but elegant. A bit of pepper underlies the fruit and makes it interesting. The alcohol is in perfect balance and the tannins are present without overwhelming. While I normally like more fruit (I'm a big fan of some Howell Mountain cabs), the balance and harmony of this wine really impress me. Not cheap, but something I truly enjoy.
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3/29/2013 - Fantomas Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit too powerful on the alcohol side but nice fruit, not too much oak, smooth palate and medium length. Enjoyable yet over-priced. Nice companion of parmiggiano.
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1/21/2013 - cbforever1 wrote: 90 Points
Very new world wine. A bit heavy, the first glass is great, but it's hard to finish the bottle. I question the aging potential as well.
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1/12/2013 - wilsp wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for two hours.
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11/2/2012 - LHH001 wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely fantastic wine, smooth yet complex. One of my all time favorites.
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10/6/2012 - Jayarr wrote: 91 Points
Dark red with no purple showing. Nice aroma, good black fruit, dusty tannins, fruit was still solid with a nice finish. Drank over two days and I can't say it improved much. Wish I had more of this as it was very smooth and great to drink on its own.
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6/16/2012 - il_diavolo wrote: 89 Points
Very disappointed given price tag. Very tight, will benefit from 5+ years but even so did not impress with its potential. Black fruit with some minerality. Staggeringly bad QPR, cannot recommend.
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6/15/2012 - Niagara wrote: 80 Points
Swill. Overdone, overblown, overpriced. Like getting hit in the fact with a giant oaken set of Andean pan pipes.
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4/17/2012 - mister wine wrote: 96 Points
Dark red color. Black fruit, chocolate, and floral nose. The palate was wow! Black and red fruit, dark chocolate, pepper. Two hours in wonderful black cherries. Massive long finish. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec. This is a Super Malbec blend. Needs a few more years for full potential and then superwow. Good for another 10-15 years minimum.
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4/3/2012 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Blossoms with a bit of air, don't rush to open it yet, long life is ahead of this wine.
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3/31/2012 - kietkopelli wrote: 93 Points
Extremely good. Very well made.
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3/1/2012 - DarinC wrote: 91 Points
Tight out of bottle but improves significantly after 1hr in glass and even better after 3. Complex nose of charcoal, black cherry, currant, blackberry, earth, olives, and herbs. Nicely balaced palate with plenty of dark fruits, toasted herbs, black olives, and subtle vanilla. Much more elegant than a typical napa fruit bomb. Beautful wine, but not a 98 pointer. Maybe a 94 in a few yrs. 3rd bottle with consistent notes.
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12/30/2011 - hdchappy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow, very young and tight upon opening, I will cellar the next bottle for a few years.
Opened up nicely on day two, this is a big dark and heavy wine with smooth tannins and pretty balanced. Went well with our steak.
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12/9/2011 - Arch57 wrote: 91 Points
Drank this at our Xmas poker game with my buddies. I think it was the first time I ever decanted a wine at a poker game so I took some good ribbing about that. Anyway I was a bit under-whelmed by this wine but my friends really enjoyed it. I did win big, almost enough to offset the cost of the bottle so that helps!
The nose was somewhat muted and not providing the aromas I would expect at this price point. On the palate this did have some nice dark fruit with a vanilla coating and smooth tannins, almost creamy. You can sense this was well crafted wine and I think (and hope) that 4-5 years in the cellar will awaken some of the secondary components I expect in these wines. Interesting enough we followed this with an 09 Segehsio Zin and the fruit/vanilla/oak was surprisingly similar though a bit harsher of a wine.
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12/9/2011 - Empirate wrote: 94 Points
65% Cabernet, 35% Malbec. Cabernet dominated nose with ripe fruit. Would have guessed a component of syrah if tasting blind with notes of licorice and hint of olive. Oak is prominent, not intrusive but needs more integration. Elegant and balanced for me, moderate tannin. Tasted after pop and pour, 1 hour, 4 hours and definitely improved somewhat. Delicious and excellent even for the price. Drink now or preferably hold.
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11/19/2011 - Vince92673 Likes this wine: 90 Points
medium tannins, complex flavors, nice mouth feel
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11/14/2011 - Fantomas Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very dark and dense colour. Intense nose of blackcurrant, cranberries and lots of oak. Smooth and balanced attack, complex sensation of oak, blackcurrant, plum, spice, and olive. Medium long finishing. Interesting, very new world and smooth, yet very strong and superficial cocktail of sensations. Lacks subtleness and elegance but is a very competitive alpha-male ...
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11/12/2011 - KSWinegeek wrote: 92 Points
Very dark. Not particularly expressive on nose or attack. Elegant, smooth with nice vanilla finish. Good wine, but question 98 point Wine Advocate rating. From Dad's cellar at Keuka.
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10/30/2011 - HOS Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was the bottle we were going to bring for an Argentina wine tasting. Alas, the weather gods intervened with a freak October snow storm. So we drank by ourselves at home while the snow/sleet/rain came down. Not a bad a second choice here. Decanted for 1 1/2 hours and it continued to evolve for the better over the next 2 hours as we drank it so it could use more time. Blackberry, sage, truffle. Full bodied, very smooth to silkly smooth at the end. Still young and should get better over time. I don't see Miller's 98 but I never do. Can't see what Parker sees in the guy. Wine Spectator is much more in line.
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10/14/2011 - grayfont wrote: 89 Points
big and full, and quite nice really, but nowhere near the expectations created by the label and the price tag. Very new world - you would never mistake this for a Bordeaux - and it's nice and smooth, almost elegant but unfortunately it's all about mouthfeel with the flavor profile not very exciting.
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10/2/2011 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This blew me away. Simply fantastic!
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9/5/2011 - askoje wrote: 93 Points
(65% Cab & 35 % Malbec) Deep red with brown/pink rim.
Nose starts out with sweet fruit, blackcurrant, cool ripe blueberries, dried cherries/cherry pit and hint of liqourice.
On the palate this wine is pure balance. Tannins are smooth with enough structure and backbone to last for a long time.
Flavors are rounded dark fruit, slightly hints of dried herbs and liqourice.
Rich and full, but at the same time elegant. The finish is exceptionally long. Outstanding bottle of wine
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7/30/2011 - KSWinegeek wrote: 93 Points
Elegant beauty which could use some more time to blossum. Had with Dad at Keuka.
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