Started out tight with red fruits and an awkward finish. After 45 minutes of air, this blosomed into something beautiful with deep blackberry, cassis, vanilla and very smooth long finish.
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For $25 and the luke warm reviews here I wasn't expecting much, but I have to say, this wine is great. Fantastic earthy nose that screams Napa Cab. It's a little on the thin side tannin wise, and the finish is short. So yeah, maybe a little lacking in complexity compared to a higher end Howell mountain cab. But still very enjoyable.
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Decanted for a few hours, but had a quick sip right away, enoughto knowthat this was pretty good out of the bottle, but softened up after some air. The nose calmed down a bit on this bottle. Spicy blackberry with the soft Howell Mtn mouthfeel.
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Upon first whiff, you can sense there's a unique elegance to the wine. I'm serious. This is the kind of aroma you get from some of the best Cabernet I've come across. Super refined and polished nose of dark cherries, leather, cigar box and a gorgeous display of lilacs and other darker royal purple flowers. The palate is silky and smooth. More dark berries, earth and a good dose of floral qualities lead to a fantastic mouth feel. The finish is solid, but could be a bit more refined. For thirty bucks or so, this is a steal. I'd grab a bottle. Could this just be a great showing in a classically beautiful plump vintage? I wonder. Recommended.
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Excellent bottle of wine. On the nose: Eucalyptus/mint all night long (think Vicks Vapo-rub, but in a good way!), with some dark cherry coming through as well. On the palate: Full-bodied and still quite herbaceous. Eucalyptus/mint still in the forefront, then some cherry and oak. It's a dry wine with good tannins that are in check and not overpowering. It leaves the sides of your mouth dry & a bit chalky, which makes my mouth water and taste this one long after it's gone. 91+.
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Deep purple with slight burnt red edges. Explosive nose of black current, blackberry, chocolate, and a hint of game. Tastes of current, blackberry, with a little cassis and maybe a hint of black raspberry. Nice structure, and the fine tannins are balanced out nicely, still there but not overpowering.
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some initial funk (slight) dissipated with decant - bit of bandaid on the nose - full-bodied and flavorful, some tartness to it - smooth and got smoother and more flavorful with more air - beautiful dark color, legs - fine grained tannins, almost sweet - very nice cabernet, especially at the $25 Lot18 price - would buy again if at that price in a heartbeat. ADD - really opened up after about two hours of air - less tart, more fruitful and very tasty - give this one a long decant
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A nose of dark fruit, a bit muted, dark garnet in color. A full bodied single vineyard Cab, with blackberries, plums, chocolate and spice. Still young, needed to decant longer, a bit disappointed.
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Funky nose is right. But the taste more than makes up for it. Smoky, black raspberry, with a nice long musty oak finish. An intersting and unique wine.
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interesting evolution; night one had a heavy funk nose and taste, which I kind of like - but maybe it was a bit too much; by nights two and three the funk was gone and it was a very nice. I will definitely buy again at the $25 price, which is an awesome QPR for this bottle.
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2 hours in decanter, and couldn't keep myself out. Beautiful ruby red in the glass. Lots of musty, funky, earthiness on the nose along with soft chocolate notes and bright fruits. Complex, yet everything feels composed, with no scents leaping out or acting in a brazen fashion. In the mouth the cocoa/chocolate come more forward while stone fruit flavors of plum and quiet apricot enter the mix even more so than berries. The finish continues to brighten while the funky notes return. A wonderful drink from start to finish. -- 3 hours later: More air has revealed hints of wildflowers and anise on the nose. Yum.
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I liked this a lot, as I recall it tasted quite similar to Chalk Hill right out of the bottle but this old worldliness (for a Cali cab) seemed to fade over the three day period. I wish I had more to put a little bottle age on it.
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Brought up from the cellar to warm standing up for half the day, then popped and let breath in bottle for an hour or two.
Initial pour shows a nice rich ruby red in the glass with lots of long legs; the nose is of mocha with nice fruits - tropical fruits and berry fruits - along with just a hint of funky must.
The wine rolls smooth as silk onto the palate with the mocha joined with vibrant fruits, red and dark berries, and a hint of citrus. On the back of the tongue it tastes like a nice balanced cherry pie filling - not too sweet so that the tartness of the cherries shows through.
A bit of spiciness launches the nice long finish which continues with the fruit rolled into the tannins in a delicious musty mocha framework.
I can see how the Purple Label must still be locked up by the tannins, the bronze label is just now emerging from their grip; and it is really singing nicely. I think the Purple Label will be very nice when it is ready, I think I’ll keep track of where the W.H. Smith Howell Mountain cabs are by drinking the Bronze Label until it starts to plateau, then tasting a Purple Label, since the CT notes have been consistently saying that it is not yet ready.
Drink and hold or is that hold and Drink? Dino needs to know! Certainly, one must hold one’s drink else a mess be made.
90 for now with just a glass gone
91 - this is a delicious wine at a reasonable price ($25); I think it will continue to evolve but is drinking very well right now, unlike the Purple Label; CT notes indicate that it is still a tannic monster.
=+=+=+=+=+=+
From W.H. Smith:
The Vineyard:
The Piedra Hill Vineyard is becoming synonymous with award winning Cabernet-based wines from Howell Mountain. Bill and Joan Smith own, farm, and make wine from this stunning six acre vineyard. The vineyard is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily clones #337, #191, #341, #338, and BV 4, and the other four Bordeaux varieties: Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Piedra Hill Vineyard sits above the fog line, so average temperatures are five to ten degrees cooler than on the valley floor. This creates higher natural acidity in the grapes and leads to even ripening of the fruit. The hallmarks of the Piedra Hill wines continue to be intensity of fruit and tremendous balance.
The Winemaking:
The focus of Piedra Hill Cabernet is on fruit, richness and perfectly integrated tannins. The magic is in the removal of seed tannin. Grape seeds are removed at every step along the way – during the long, cold soak (6-8 days at 40°) and during fermentation via a process called ‘rack and return’ or delestage. The result of this process is a gorgeous, fruit-driven wine, wonderful to drink in its youth yet quite age-worthy.
The 2006[7] vintage presented us with a late but cool harvest which resulted in an abundance of depth and flavor for both of our single-vineyard Cabernet’s. Bronze Label is our ‘drink now’ Cabernet – made in a fruit-driven style wrapped in toasty, supple tannins. The nose is chocolate and dark fruit and a little bit of earth. You will be greeted by sweet, dark blueberries and a hint of chocolate on the palate. A classic Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain.
Food Pairing:
This is a Cabernet that will enhance even burgers on the grill or filet mignon in a mustard sauce. Don’t forget to finish the meal off with something chocolate – maybe a warm chocolate truffle cake?
Press: 93 Points Wine Enthusiast December 2009
Technical Information:
Appellation: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley Aging: 2 years oak aging in once used Boutes, Radoux, Taransaud, Ermitage and Treuil barrels Alcohol: 14.5% Harvest: October 6, 2007 Bottled: July 2009 Production: 384 cases Release Date: July 1, 2010
www.whsmithwines.com
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Surprisingly earthy and funky on the nose with some ripe blackberries mixed in as well. The earthiness gives an overall complexity through to the palate which I wasn't expecting from this wine and haven't seen in previous vintages. Made for a fun drinking experience but the 1/3 or so of the bottle that was left over for the next night really fell apart. Drink now and don't leave any for later.
5/1/2021 - t0pshelf wrote: flawed
corked :(
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12/26/2016 - tasty travels wrote: 91 Points
Delicious with a Christmas prime rib dinner!
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11/20/2016 - Spaceshot wrote: 88 Points
Seemed past its prime, still drinkable but lacked depth and fruit of the bottle we drank in 2014
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12/24/2015 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank on Christmas Eve with grilled beef tenderloin sandwiches. Delicious cab.
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8/8/2015 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 90 Points
I liked the wine but wonder if it is just past. Decent flavor but thought I detected more alcohol heat on the finish. Kept me from loving it.
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2/20/2015 - td1836 wrote: 92 Points
Started out tight with red fruits and an awkward finish. After 45 minutes of air, this blosomed into something beautiful with deep blackberry, cassis, vanilla and very smooth long finish.
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10/17/2014 - t0pshelf wrote:
For $25 and the luke warm reviews here I wasn't expecting much, but I have to say, this wine is great. Fantastic earthy nose that screams Napa Cab. It's a little on the thin side tannin wise, and the finish is short. So yeah, maybe a little lacking in complexity compared to a higher end Howell mountain cab. But still very enjoyable.
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6/9/2014 - MadisonWIneGuy wrote: 91 Points
Previous notes were spot on. Great wine. 91+ pts.
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12/21/2013 - VAD wrote: 90 Points
A decent mid week wine. Not your typical heavy cab. It was easy to drink and a nice cab.
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10/22/2013 - VAD wrote: 89 Points
Not overally complex wine. Drinks nice and smooth. Short finish.
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4/21/2013 - ICaWineGuy wrote: 91 Points
I am clearly really liking this a lot. I got some spiciness this time that went nicely with my grilled ribeye steak.
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3/22/2013 - pjb1955 wrote:
drank with a ribeye
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12/20/2012 - corkscrews wrote: 89 Points
Similiar note.
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11/12/2012 - AngryPrez wrote: 91 Points
might have been some bottle variation on the last one - nice, creamy soft tannins and enjoyable cabernet
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10/20/2012 - ICaWineGuy wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for a few hours, but had a quick sip right away, enoughto knowthat this was pretty good out of the bottle, but softened up after some air. The nose calmed down a bit on this bottle. Spicy blackberry with the soft Howell Mtn mouthfeel.
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10/17/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
Upon first whiff, you can sense there's a unique elegance to the wine. I'm serious. This is the kind of aroma you get from some of the best Cabernet I've come across. Super refined and polished nose of dark cherries, leather, cigar box and a gorgeous display of lilacs and other darker royal purple flowers. The palate is silky and smooth. More dark berries, earth and a good dose of floral qualities lead to a fantastic mouth feel. The finish is solid, but could be a bit more refined. For thirty bucks or so, this is a steal. I'd grab a bottle. Could this just be a great showing in a classically beautiful plump vintage? I wonder. Recommended.
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9/21/2012 - Frabjous wrote: 90 Points
In honour of the Autumnal Equinox. No real evolution since the last bottle, now it’s on to the Purple Label after some more time sideways.
A good cab blend for the coin but nothing stellar
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8/18/2012 - MadisonWIneGuy wrote: 91 Points
Excellent bottle of wine. On the nose: Eucalyptus/mint all night long (think Vicks Vapo-rub, but in a good way!), with some dark cherry coming through as well. On the palate: Full-bodied and still quite herbaceous. Eucalyptus/mint still in the forefront, then some cherry and oak. It's a dry wine with good tannins that are in check and not overpowering. It leaves the sides of your mouth dry & a bit chalky, which makes my mouth water and taste this one long after it's gone. 91+.
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8/17/2012 - td1836 wrote: 92 Points
Deep purple with slight burnt red edges. Explosive nose of black current, blackberry, chocolate, and a hint of game. Tastes of current, blackberry, with a little cassis and maybe a hint of black raspberry. Nice structure, and the fine tannins are balanced out nicely, still there but not overpowering.
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7/12/2012 - AngryPrez wrote: 91 Points
some initial funk (slight) dissipated with decant - bit of bandaid on the nose - full-bodied and flavorful, some tartness to it - smooth and got smoother and more flavorful with more air - beautiful dark color, legs - fine grained tannins, almost sweet - very nice cabernet, especially at the $25 Lot18 price - would buy again if at that price in a heartbeat. ADD - really opened up after about two hours of air - less tart, more fruitful and very tasty - give this one a long decant
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6/25/2012 - corkscrews wrote: 89 Points
A nose of dark fruit, a bit muted, dark garnet in color. A full bodied single vineyard Cab, with blackberries, plums, chocolate and spice. Still young, needed to decant longer, a bit disappointed.
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6/1/2012 - ICaWineGuy wrote: 91 Points
Funky nose is right. But the taste more than makes up for it. Smoky, black raspberry, with a nice long musty oak finish. An intersting and unique wine.
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5/16/2012 - hr3 wrote: 91 Points
interesting evolution; night one had a heavy funk nose and taste, which I kind of like - but maybe it was a bit too much; by nights two and three the funk was gone and it was a very nice. I will definitely buy again at the $25 price, which is an awesome QPR for this bottle.
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5/15/2012 - stbraunt wrote: 90 Points
A little sweet for a Cabernet, but improved and smoothed out over a half hour.
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4/30/2012 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with prior notes. Delicious, still evolving in the bottle.
Drink or hold
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4/28/2012 - pjb1955 wrote: 85 Points
Drinks like a Zinfandel, but may need to open more. Great body and texture.
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4/17/2012 - noahbw Likes this wine: 91 Points
2 hours in decanter, and couldn't keep myself out. Beautiful ruby red in the glass. Lots of musty, funky, earthiness on the nose along with soft chocolate notes and bright fruits. Complex, yet everything feels composed, with no scents leaping out or acting in a brazen fashion. In the mouth the cocoa/chocolate come more forward while stone fruit flavors of plum and quiet apricot enter the mix even more so than berries. The finish continues to brighten while the funky notes return. A wonderful drink from start to finish. -- 3 hours later: More air has revealed hints of wildflowers and anise on the nose. Yum.
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3/23/2012 - hr3 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent bottle, I love the earthy nose and taste
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1/13/2012 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 90 Points
Day 1 Consistant with prior notes.
Day 2: Attends, mes amis
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1/12/2012 - manny651 wrote: 80 Points
Decanted for 4 hours, still muted nose, palate was smooth but not much fruit and rough tannins.
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12/29/2011 - Vstalam wrote: 91 Points
Lighter ready to drink Howell Mtn. Cab, good to go after 30 minute decant.
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12/27/2011 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasty; had with XMas dinner at Dad & Libby’s, it was loved and admired by all! Still a little tight, will continue to evolve in the cellar.
Drink or hold
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12/12/2011 - hr3 wrote: 91 Points
I liked this a lot, as I recall it tasted quite similar to Chalk Hill right out of the bottle but this old worldliness (for a Cali cab) seemed to fade over the three day period. I wish I had more to put a little bottle age on it.
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11/4/2011 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 91 Points
Brought up from the cellar to warm standing up for half the day, then popped and let breath in bottle for an hour or two.
Initial pour shows a nice rich ruby red in the glass with lots of long legs; the nose is of mocha with nice fruits - tropical fruits and berry fruits - along with just a hint of funky must.
The wine rolls smooth as silk onto the palate with the mocha joined with vibrant fruits, red and dark berries, and a hint of citrus. On the back of the tongue it tastes like a nice balanced cherry pie filling - not too sweet so that the tartness of the cherries shows through.
A bit of spiciness launches the nice long finish which continues with the fruit rolled into the tannins in a delicious musty mocha framework.
I can see how the Purple Label must still be locked up by the tannins, the bronze label is just now emerging from their grip; and it is really singing nicely. I think the Purple Label will be very nice when it is ready, I think I’ll keep track of where the W.H. Smith Howell Mountain cabs are by drinking the Bronze Label until it starts to plateau, then tasting a Purple Label, since the CT notes have been consistently saying that it is not yet ready.
Drink and hold or is that hold and Drink? Dino needs to know! Certainly, one must hold one’s drink else a mess be made.
90 for now with just a glass gone
91 - this is a delicious wine at a reasonable price ($25); I think it will continue to evolve but is drinking very well right now, unlike the Purple Label; CT notes indicate that it is still a tannic monster.
=+=+=+=+=+=+
From W.H. Smith:
The Vineyard:
The Piedra Hill Vineyard is becoming synonymous with award winning Cabernet-based wines from Howell Mountain. Bill and Joan Smith own, farm, and make wine from this stunning six acre vineyard. The vineyard is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily clones #337, #191, #341, #338, and BV 4, and the other four Bordeaux varieties: Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Piedra Hill Vineyard sits above the fog line, so average temperatures are five to ten degrees cooler than on the valley floor. This creates higher natural acidity in the grapes and leads to even ripening of the fruit. The hallmarks of the Piedra Hill wines continue to be intensity of fruit and tremendous balance.
The Winemaking:
The focus of Piedra Hill Cabernet is on fruit, richness and perfectly integrated tannins. The magic is in the removal of seed tannin. Grape seeds are removed at every step along the way – during the long, cold soak (6-8 days at 40°) and during fermentation via a process called ‘rack and return’ or delestage. The result of this process is a gorgeous, fruit-driven wine, wonderful to drink in its youth yet quite age-worthy.
The 2006[7] vintage presented us with a late but cool harvest which resulted in an abundance of depth and flavor for both of our single-vineyard Cabernet’s. Bronze Label is our ‘drink now’ Cabernet – made in a fruit-driven style wrapped in toasty, supple tannins. The nose is chocolate and dark fruit and a little bit of earth. You will be greeted by sweet, dark blueberries and a hint of chocolate on the palate. A classic Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain.
Food Pairing:
This is a Cabernet that will enhance even burgers on the grill or filet mignon in a mustard sauce. Don’t forget to finish the meal off with something chocolate – maybe a warm chocolate truffle cake?
Press: 93 Points Wine Enthusiast December 2009
Technical Information:
Appellation: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Aging: 2 years oak aging in once used Boutes, Radoux, Taransaud, Ermitage and Treuil barrels
Alcohol: 14.5%
Harvest: October 6, 2007
Bottled: July 2009
Production: 384 cases
Release Date: July 1, 2010
www.whsmithwines.com
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11/9/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote: 88 Points
Surprisingly earthy and funky on the nose with some ripe blackberries mixed in as well. The earthiness gives an overall complexity through to the palate which I wasn't expecting from this wine and haven't seen in previous vintages. Made for a fun drinking experience but the 1/3 or so of the bottle that was left over for the next night really fell apart. Drink now and don't leave any for later.
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