Blind. Just goes to show you what air does to a wine......
5 hour slow ox by James prior to tonight's event. Another 3 hours of slow ox during our event.
Medium to dark garnet in the glass. Big whiff of alcohol to start and for most of the evening. High acid and a short finish early on. Seems VERY out of balance. Lots if burn, which I don't like. 93 at best early on?
Funny thing is....as this gets more air it deepens, darkens and improves....a lot, and comes into balance. 97 by the end of the night but you need to give this one plenty of air. A good 5 hour full decant is probably best at this point in time, otherwise you have to give it an 8 hour slow ox. This might have been a 98 with more time in the glass, but we ran out!
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Drank 4 out of 5 bottles of a Bond 2007 retrospective box. All but the St. Eden. The pluribus was the WOTN! Had a nicely aged bouquet to it that none of the others had. Epic steak SF, with R&R and Justin of J&J! Great dinner! Epic Somelier was on spot, wines were enjoyed by all. At or in their prime, IMO.
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This is even better than I remembered. The attack has softened since 2020 - this wine is now a total, well-integrated beauty with silky mouthfeel, spicy but suave mid palate with glorious fruit and a lingering finish rife with boysenberry, blackberry, juicy jaboticaba, and pine and eastern cedar notes. This is a great bottle to savor or enjoy with food. The piney notes set this bottle apart. Seek it out!!
Cements pluribus as the best of the Bonds in my opinion- if you have the patience to cellar these for pten plus years, they reward you with awesome depth, complexity and flavor! This one has at least another decade of joy to give. Maybe twenty.
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Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about three hours.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of sandalwood, rose petals, maple and mixed dark fruits. Flavors of dark plums, currants, chocolate and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
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Opened at 4pm, places in a decanter from 6-6:45pm and back to the bottle to consumed at dinner 8pm-10pm.
I believe this wine didn’t fully opened, while the body is bold, and the mouth is coated with layers of minerals and purity it was a little flat on the middle. To me the edges were beautiful but lakes a bit complexity and secondary notes on the center.
If I had another bottle (which sadly I don’t) I will keep it in the cellar for at least 5 years. The best days of this wine are still down the road...
95+ HOLD.
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The 2007 Pluribus is so concentrated in flavor and almost aggressive on the attack and then just drifts to silky balance and a lengthy almost medicinal herby laced finish. Still a little drying at the very end. This wine is in the window now but easily has 20 more years to give. Excellent wine with plenty of structure and layers of flavors.
I decanted this for 5 hours at cellar temp and we consumed over the next five hours. I think it was best starting at about the 6 hour mark when it was closer to room temperature. With all of the bond wines, I typically do not even start approaching them until their 10th birthday, and even then I find they need a proper decanting to maximize enjoyment.
Served with lamb saddle and crispy bacon fat brussel sprouts with charred corn and pignoli nuts.
Also had a glass before dinner with some extra sharp cheddar and some aged gruyere and mixed nuts.
It paired well with everything.
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Lavender, damp tilled soil on an autumn evening, medium tannin almost completed its integration into a nearly perfect and elegant Spring Mountain Cabernet. These aged Bonds are really phenomenal
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Decanted and served. Recommend a one-hour decant as it was quite closed until then. Sturdy single-vineyard blend from high on Spring Mountain. The Cabernet Sauvignon dominates with very firm tannins and light charred earth integrated on the palate. If you're expecting a quality Napa Cabernet you won't be disappointed. It's thick and balanced if unsubtle.
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First impression is a strong note of dirt and yet in a really positive way. Strong minerals and earthiness and black pepper. Nose is subtle and ethereal and a huge contrast to the bold flavors. Toast, big body, still dense tannins. Extremely long finish. From a magnum, decanted.
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This wine offers incredibly ripe fruit and a creamy mouthfeel, with just enough acidity and tannin to keep things honest. This is more opulent than other Pluribus (or, more generally, Bond) wines I've had, something that could be due to the vintage. Even if it's a variation, though, it's a delicious one.
Inky red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of plum, mocha, spice cake, and fresh herbs. The wine takes about an hour to open up, when it starts to offer layers of prune, blackberry tart, black cherry, espresso, and pencil lead. 14.5% alcohol. I'd drink soon, since the wine may become top-heavy as it continues to age.
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I was lucky enough to enjoy this bottle, brought by a friend to the dinner. It is one of the best bottles of wine I've enjoyed all year. I was shocked to go to my Spectator app and see it rated 88 points upon release. I think it just shows how difficult the rating process is, and how the "best" tasters in the world can't guess where the wine will be in 10 years. i'm usually pretty close to Spectator, typically up or down by 2 points or less. The difference was dramatic on this one.
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The bond series is excellent, and used to be, ok, don't laugh in your glass, a relative value compared to Harlan itself. Napa cab doesn't get better than these. Lengthy complex, integrated, never over the top or in your face.
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For this particular style of winemaking, this wine blows you away regardless whether you enjoy this wine style or not. Super concentrated and ripe with impeccable precision. The nose had cinnamon, ink, oak and big dark currant. The palate was very sweet but precise. It needs at least a 15-20 years to beautifully play out the potential of this wine. Definitely the best Bond I have ever had. This is a Harlan level wine with a lower price tag.
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A stunning wine which has the Napa character while being very Cabernet at the same time. Nose is intense with notes of cedar, graphite, mint, licorice, ground coffee and cocoa beans. Full bodied, still very tannic with acidity to balance its huge concentration. A serious wine with quite a few similarities to Bordeaux makes no concessions to be friendly, but while austere in structure it is packed with substance. I would say it would be better consumed in five years time from now.
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We had this alongside the 2004 Colgin IX Estate and the 2004 Pichon-Baron, and, strange as it sounds, it was much closer in character to the Bordeaux than the other Napa wine. Great nose with cab sauv typicity, sporting cedar, graphite, melted liquorice, mint, coffee and herbal scents. Full-bodied on the palate, still quite primary with firm but fine tannins, rich fruit that retains its freshness despite the ripeness and power and medium+ acidity offering perfect balance. Very long aftertaste. Cellar for another 5 years.
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Dark, full & dense wine. Cassis, black currant and coffee, burned wood, charcoal on the nose, with some herbal, eucalyptus and menthol notes, and a stylish whiff of violets. On the palate black currant, cassis, blackberries/bramble, dark plums, chocolate, vanilla and roasted coffee. Needs a bit more time to level out in my opinion. Not a fruit bomb, but still quite heavy. Went good with a steak.
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This is one of my favorites in the flight. Bordeaux aromatically yet a bit muted. Flavors of red berries, cherry, black currant, cocoa, with defined wet stones and coffee bean. This is the most full bodied of all poured and is quite lush and generous. Nice and silky despite the tannic backbone.
4/26/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 97 Points
Blind. Just goes to show you what air does to a wine......
5 hour slow ox by James prior to tonight's event. Another 3 hours of slow ox during our event.
Medium to dark garnet in the glass. Big whiff of alcohol to start and for most of the evening. High acid and a short finish early on. Seems VERY out of balance. Lots if burn, which I don't like. 93 at best early on?
Funny thing is....as this gets more air it deepens, darkens and improves....a lot, and comes into balance. 97 by the end of the night but you need to give this one plenty of air. A good 5 hour full decant is probably best at this point in time, otherwise you have to give it an 8 hour slow ox. This might have been a 98 with more time in the glass, but we ran out!
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10/22/2023 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank 4 out of 5 bottles of a Bond 2007 retrospective box. All but the St. Eden. The pluribus was the WOTN! Had a nicely aged bouquet to it that none of the others had. Epic steak SF, with R&R and Justin of J&J! Great dinner! Epic Somelier was on spot, wines were enjoyed by all. At or in their prime, IMO.
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9/9/2023 - Whisky&Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is even better than I remembered. The attack has softened since 2020 - this wine is now a total, well-integrated beauty with silky mouthfeel, spicy but suave mid palate with glorious fruit and a lingering finish rife with boysenberry, blackberry, juicy jaboticaba, and pine and eastern cedar notes. This is a great bottle to savor or enjoy with food. The piney notes set this bottle apart. Seek it out!!
Cements pluribus as the best of the Bonds in my opinion- if you have the patience to cellar these for pten plus years, they reward you with awesome depth, complexity and flavor! This one has at least another decade of joy to give. Maybe twenty.
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10/13/2020 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about three hours.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of sandalwood, rose petals, maple and mixed dark fruits. Flavors of dark plums, currants, chocolate and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
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6/20/2020 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened at 4pm, places in a decanter from 6-6:45pm and back to the bottle to consumed at dinner 8pm-10pm.
I believe this wine didn’t fully opened, while the body is bold, and the mouth is coated with layers of minerals and purity it was a little flat on the middle. To me the edges were beautiful but lakes a bit complexity and secondary notes on the center.
If I had another bottle (which sadly I don’t) I will keep it in the cellar for at least 5 years. The best days of this wine are still down the road...
95+ HOLD.
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5/16/2020 - Whisky&Wine Likes this wine: 96 Points
The 2007 Pluribus is so concentrated in flavor and almost aggressive on the attack and then just drifts to silky balance and a lengthy almost medicinal herby laced finish. Still a little drying at the very end. This wine is in the window now but easily has 20 more years to give. Excellent wine with plenty of structure and layers of flavors.
I decanted this for 5 hours at cellar temp and we consumed over the next five hours. I think it was best starting at about the 6 hour mark when it was closer to room temperature. With all of the bond wines, I typically do not even start approaching them until their 10th birthday, and even then I find they need a proper decanting to maximize enjoyment.
Served with lamb saddle and crispy bacon fat brussel sprouts with charred corn and pignoli nuts.
Also had a glass before dinner with some extra sharp cheddar and some aged gruyere and mixed nuts.
It paired well with everything.
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1/31/2020 - rylanreynolds wrote: 98 Points
Lavender, damp tilled soil on an autumn evening, medium tannin almost completed its integration into a nearly perfect and elegant Spring Mountain Cabernet. These aged Bonds are really phenomenal
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8/8/2019 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted and served. Recommend a one-hour decant as it was quite closed until then. Sturdy single-vineyard blend from high on Spring Mountain. The Cabernet Sauvignon dominates with very firm tannins and light charred earth integrated on the palate. If you're expecting a quality Napa Cabernet you won't be disappointed. It's thick and balanced if unsubtle.
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6/8/2019 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 98 Points
First impression is a strong note of dirt and yet in a really positive way. Strong minerals and earthiness and black pepper. Nose is subtle and ethereal and a huge contrast to the bold flavors. Toast, big body, still dense tannins. Extremely long finish. From a magnum, decanted.
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5/26/2019 - msuwine wrote: 95 Points
This wine offers incredibly ripe fruit and a creamy mouthfeel, with just enough acidity and tannin to keep things honest. This is more opulent than other Pluribus (or, more generally, Bond) wines I've had, something that could be due to the vintage. Even if it's a variation, though, it's a delicious one.
Inky red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of plum, mocha, spice cake, and fresh herbs. The wine takes about an hour to open up, when it starts to offer layers of prune, blackberry tart, black cherry, espresso, and pencil lead. 14.5% alcohol. I'd drink soon, since the wine may become top-heavy as it continues to age.
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8/11/2018 - Corrie Likes this wine: 96 Points
I was lucky enough to enjoy this bottle, brought by a friend to the dinner. It is one of the best bottles of wine I've enjoyed all year. I was shocked to go to my Spectator app and see it rated 88 points upon release. I think it just shows how difficult the rating process is, and how the "best" tasters in the world can't guess where the wine will be in 10 years. i'm usually pretty close to Spectator, typically up or down by 2 points or less. The difference was dramatic on this one.
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3/23/2017 - ehodin Likes this wine: 97 Points
Could drink this wine the rest of my life - just beautiful - very very slight hint of tannins, which should guarantee a long life
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8/26/2016 - capacious Likes this wine: 94 Points
The bond series is excellent, and used to be, ok, don't laugh in your glass, a relative value compared to Harlan itself. Napa cab doesn't get better than these. Lengthy complex, integrated, never over the top or in your face.
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7/13/2016 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 95 Points
For this particular style of winemaking, this wine blows you away regardless whether you enjoy this wine style or not. Super concentrated and ripe with impeccable precision. The nose had cinnamon, ink, oak and big dark currant. The palate was very sweet but precise. It needs at least a 15-20 years to beautifully play out the potential of this wine. Definitely the best Bond I have ever had. This is a Harlan level wine with a lower price tag.
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5/20/2016 - Bcw1989 wrote:
Perfect wine for any meal, but tonight it was sushi on the big island in Hawaii.
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1/1/2015 - El Tej wrote: 97 Points
Intense core of crushed rocks and blueberry liqueur
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10/17/2014 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 97 Points
A stunning wine which has the Napa character while being very Cabernet at the same time. Nose is intense with notes of cedar, graphite, mint, licorice, ground coffee and cocoa beans. Full bodied, still very tannic with acidity to balance its huge concentration. A serious wine with quite a few similarities to Bordeaux makes no concessions to be friendly, but while austere in structure it is packed with substance. I would say it would be better consumed in five years time from now.
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10/15/2014 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 98 Points
We had this alongside the 2004 Colgin IX Estate and the 2004 Pichon-Baron, and, strange as it sounds, it was much closer in character to the Bordeaux than the other Napa wine. Great nose with cab sauv typicity, sporting cedar, graphite, melted liquorice, mint, coffee and herbal scents. Full-bodied on the palate, still quite primary with firm but fine tannins, rich fruit that retains its freshness despite the ripeness and power and medium+ acidity offering perfect balance. Very long aftertaste. Cellar for another 5 years.
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4/18/2014 - Ramberg wrote: 92 Points
Dark, full & dense wine.
Cassis, black currant and coffee, burned wood, charcoal on the nose, with some herbal, eucalyptus and menthol notes, and a stylish whiff of violets.
On the palate black currant, cassis, blackberries/bramble, dark plums, chocolate, vanilla and roasted coffee.
Needs a bit more time to level out in my opinion.
Not a fruit bomb, but still quite heavy.
Went good with a steak.
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3/14/2011 - GreatLibations wrote: 98 Points
This is one of my favorites in the flight. Bordeaux aromatically yet a bit muted. Flavors of red berries, cherry, black currant, cocoa, with defined wet stones and coffee bean. This is the most full bodied of all poured and is quite lush and generous. Nice and silky despite the tannic backbone.
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