Dark, inky wine. Dark fruit, blueberry, graphite on the nose. Graphite, spice/pepper, dark fruit, blueberry, smooth, velvety, long finish. Much better than the last time I had this bottle. Pure enjoyment. Drank with no upfront aeration. Terrific!
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Agree with most recent comments. Wine is getting beyond peak. Dark, inky wine. Dark fruit, graphite on the nose. Graphite, spice/pepper, dark fruit. While I enjoyed the bottle, it didn't hold up.
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Opened up with 10 minutes of air, revealing notes of red- and black-currants on the palate, followed by graphite on the midpalate, and sour sop alongside black and white pepper on the finish. Medium-full-bodied with seamless tannins, more reminiscent of Old School-style reds. 80 minutes in, it was already headed downhill. 90-91
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Enjoyed with 3 friends. Everyone enjoyed it. I opened it because of someone else's comment about the presence of Brit in his bottles. We all enjoyed it and no one thought there was any Brit.
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The Brett has taken over in the last two bottles. Undrinkable. Having gone through 7 bottles over five years, with the Brett becoming more pronounced each year, I'd suggest it's time to drink up. And good luck with that.
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On the nose, lovely aromas of jammy blueberry and raspberry, along with cedar and subtle tobacco. Dark fruit on the palate (blueberry, blackberry). Big tannins, firm acidity...medium-full to full bodied Cab. Love the fruit profile and this is a big Cab. Probably a little young yet, so it's not overly complex at the moment (potential though).
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Drinking better than last bottle I had a year or so ago. Not a fruit bomb by any stretch, but plenty of tannins, earth, and structure with notes of dark fruit. Medium finish. Not sure there is much upside to holding longer. PJP 2015.
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perhaps a bit flat. the cork was a bit leaky, not all the way out but pretty far up the cork. Decanting helped bring it back to life a bit but not as good as the first bottle.
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Definitely some Brettanomyces spoilage going on in this bottle. It's been a year since the last bottle, when it was not evident. Hopefully, this is bottle variation and does not affect the remaining two.
Still, the brett is mild and the wine is/was outstanding. Previous rating would have been in the 92+/- range.
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Very dark with a crimson tint. Wonderfully fragrant and aging gracefully. Definitely in its drinking window, although the tannin still bodes well for several more years. Some depth and complexity. Somewhat noticeable alcohol and almost bretty (in a good way). A real value in Howell Mtn. Drink now or hold.
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A nose of dark fruits and spice, dark garnet in color. A full bodied Cab, with blackberry, currant, chocolate, with a long spiced finish. Still has lots of life left, just missing something to be great, decant. www.winelx.com
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Surprisingly round for a Howell Mountain, with round, almost plush tannins, and perhaps a dollop of glycerin. Initially this started developing a sour undercurrent with air. Minerally and hinting of Washington blackberry fruit. Was still drinking well after 2.5 hours, when it began showing hints of graphite on the nose, and dust on the midpalate. Perfect with prime rib. Alcohol integration is almost there (clocking at 14.5%). Will try to hold on to the remaining bottle till 2017! 89-91+
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Based on Silveradoup's 6/13 tasting note I finally opened one of my two bottles and he is spot on. More minerals than sweet fruit, nicely balanced, fully integrated, long finish and in a really good drinking window. I'm not sure about the 2021 outside drinking window and don't think this one will go much beyond the next three or four years.
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This wine is good to go! Everything has come together to make a great mountain Cabernet. Dark purple in color, lots of dark berries and great minerality to balance out the great fruit. Thankfully I have one more bottle!
Great quality but still needs more time. The tannins still need to settle. The fruit stands up but there is hardly any oak to speak of. Would wait another 2 years or so before trying this again.
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This wine needs more time to loosen up. Still too hot, the tanins are a little overpowering. I would expect them to loosen significantly in the next few years. Decanting for several hours would be wise if drinking soon.
The wine looks Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Blackberry, and Cherry. It tastes like Blackberry, Cherry, Burnt, and Coffee. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Coarse texture. The wine finishes Long.
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The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Strawberry, Red Currant, Fig, Plum, Forest floor, Medium Toast, Nutmeg, Clove, Rose, Hazelnut, and Alcohol/Hot. It tastes like Nutmeg, Red Currant, Fig, Cedar, and Tobacco. The body is Medium. The wine has Linear texture. The wine finishes Long. Still too young, needs a few more years an hour and 1/2 into decanting, starting to get very interesting, so much going on with this wine.
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Great wine. Had the 08 in the tasting room and the difference between vintages is incredible. 07 is a definite star. I can't wait to see how this wine matures in the cellar
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Popped and aerated into decanter for several hours of airtime. No sediment noted in either the bottle or the screen.
First pour shows the wine to be very dark red across the glass with no fading at the rim and lots of nice incarnadine legs. Lovely spicy nose with floral and fruit notes. Wonderful round and smooth feel on the tongue with gorgeous fruits on the mid-palate. A firm tannic grip is present in the wine, but it doesn’t seem to be locking anything down, just holding it nicely in its grip. The finish continues the rollout of the fruit and resolves the tannins. A really nice dustiness completes the finish with a bit of intrigue as it wasn’t there on the nose or palate.
As the wine opens up in the glass, Dino starts snorking quite earnestly as he senses something special unfolding, after all, Dino loves his vino! Snork! Snork! Snork!
After further breathing in the decanter, the fruit continues to come out and begins to resolve to strawberries with dark vermillion rose flower petals; the dustiness continues. There is a lot going on with this wine and all of it is good; all the moving parts are blending harmoniously
Man, I love Howell Mountain juice!
91-92+ My feeling is that this wine is at or near the beginning of its drinking window - it is drinking very well now but will continue to evolve and improve over the next decade.
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Whoops.. opened this one way too early. Lots of elements here that can make a great wine but they really need to settle down and integrate. Only after a few hours of airtime did any hint of potential start to emerge. If you are a buyer of the WH Smith Cabs, stick to the 'Bronze Label' for now and stuff this one in the back of the cellar for about 5 or 6 years.
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4/3/2022 - williamswhine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, inky wine. Dark fruit, blueberry, graphite on the nose. Graphite, spice/pepper, dark fruit, blueberry, smooth, velvety, long finish. Much better than the last time I had this bottle. Pure enjoyment. Drank with no upfront aeration. Terrific!
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12/14/2021 - williamswhine wrote: 91 Points
Agree with most recent comments. Wine is getting beyond peak. Dark, inky wine. Dark fruit, graphite on the nose. Graphite, spice/pepper, dark fruit. While I enjoyed the bottle, it didn't hold up.
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1/30/2021 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very smooth, delicious. Enjoyed with a piece of grilled beef tenderloin.
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9/16/2020 - mercurius wrote:
I'd say this is on the down-slope. Not as much fruit as my last bottle and starting to develop some meaty/funky notes that I'm not crazy for.
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2/29/2020 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still delicious. Velvety.
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12/12/2019 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful but sadly my last bottle.
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2/17/2019 - tdskier Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely fabulous wine. Drinking so nice. Nice dark in color. Spice and very full fruits.
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1/6/2019 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 92 Points
As before, a delicious Howell Mountain Cab. Y U M!!!
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8/3/2018 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Notes consistent. Has improved with time. Terrific bottle with ample life remaining.
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6/27/2018 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Another great showing. I like this wine and wish I had more.
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5/25/2018 - Tym4wine Likes this wine: 88 Points
Tannins still present. Light, clean aromas. Kirsch, cherry flavors. Some green, eucalyptus coming through. Mid-finish.
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3/25/2018 - 1961Vintage wrote: 93 Points
Still rings the bell! Very enjoyable.
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11/24/2017 - joraesque wrote: 91 Points
Opened up with 10 minutes of air, revealing notes of red- and black-currants on the palate, followed by graphite on the midpalate, and sour sop alongside black and white pepper on the finish. Medium-full-bodied with seamless tannins, more reminiscent of Old School-style reds. 80 minutes in, it was already headed downhill.
90-91
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8/26/2017 - dmccann3 wrote: 88 Points
This wine is at the end of it's window. Very light, not much structure left
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2/11/2017 - AdamGoldston Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of my favorite bottles. Fantastic Howell Mt. fruit. Great depth and balance. Forrest floor and tobacco.
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1/14/2017 - 1961Vintage wrote: 92 Points
Everyone loved it!
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1/3/2017 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful color, wonderful taste. Full Mouthfeel with a long finish.
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9/18/2016 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious. Smooth and full of flavor.
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4/17/2016 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 93 Points
Enjoyed with 3 friends. Everyone enjoyed it. I opened it because of someone else's comment about the presence of Brit in his bottles. We all enjoyed it and no one thought there was any Brit.
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4/5/2016 - Pedroel wrote: flawed
The Brett has taken over in the last two bottles. Undrinkable. Having gone through 7 bottles over five years, with the Brett becoming more pronounced each year, I'd suggest it's time to drink up. And good luck with that.
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2/16/2016 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious! Surprisingly bright fruit with a smooth long finish.
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2/8/2016 - AdamGoldston Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drink it if you got it. Fantastic black fruits, balanced tannin and long on the finish.
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1/18/2016 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Everything you'd want from a Howell Mountain; and at a good price. Complete wine. Will probably hang for a few Years more.
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11/22/2015 - shaffej wrote: 92 Points
Agree with the previous two notes...lovely expression of a Howell Mountain cab
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11/7/2015 - AdamGoldston Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic structure and depth drinking famously.
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10/30/2015 - AdamGoldston Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent wine likely peaking. Great structure and dark fruit.
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7/23/2015 - behm0027 Likes this wine: 89 Points
On the nose, lovely aromas of jammy blueberry and raspberry, along with cedar and subtle tobacco. Dark fruit on the palate (blueberry, blackberry). Big tannins, firm acidity...medium-full to full bodied Cab. Love the fruit profile and this is a big Cab. Probably a little young yet, so it's not overly complex at the moment (potential though).
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6/22/2015 - Jkuryak Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious! Great flavor and very smooth. Enjoyed with family on Father's Day with a grilled whole beef tenderloin.
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4/19/2015 - ppaluszewski wrote: 90 Points
Drinking better than last bottle I had a year or so ago. Not a fruit bomb by any stretch, but plenty of tannins, earth, and structure with notes of dark fruit. Medium finish. Not sure there is much upside to holding longer. PJP 2015.
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3/27/2015 - wcadkins Likes this wine: 88 Points
perhaps a bit flat. the cork was a bit leaky, not all the way out but pretty far up the cork. Decanting helped bring it back to life a bit but not as good as the first bottle.
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3/16/2015 - Pedroel wrote: 89 Points
Definitely some Brettanomyces spoilage going on in this bottle. It's been a year since the last bottle, when it was not evident. Hopefully, this is bottle variation and does not affect the remaining two.
Still, the brett is mild and the wine is/was outstanding. Previous rating would have been in the 92+/- range.
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2/26/2015 - 1961Vintage wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark dive into black fruit territory. Very well structured. Ready to last another decade. Going to enjoy watching this develop.
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11/30/2014 - Mrp2008 wrote: 92 Points
Very dark with a crimson tint. Wonderfully fragrant and aging gracefully. Definitely in its drinking window, although the tannin still bodes well for several more years. Some depth and complexity. Somewhat noticeable alcohol and almost bretty (in a good way). A real value in Howell Mtn. Drink now or hold.
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8/30/2014 - jljones wrote: 92 Points
Chocolate and currant - really enjoyed this last bottle, wish I had a few more.
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7/20/2014 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 91 Points
A nose of dark fruits and spice, dark garnet in color. A full bodied Cab, with blackberry, currant, chocolate, with a long spiced finish. Still has lots of life left, just missing something to be great, decant. www.winelx.com
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1/1/2014 - joraesque wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly round for a Howell Mountain, with round, almost plush tannins, and perhaps a dollop of glycerin. Initially this started developing a sour undercurrent with air. Minerally and hinting of Washington blackberry fruit. Was still drinking well after 2.5 hours, when it began showing hints of graphite on the nose, and dust on the midpalate. Perfect with prime rib. Alcohol integration is almost there (clocking at 14.5%). Will try to hold on to the remaining bottle till 2017! 89-91+
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10/13/2013 - granreservedan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ok, going to make this really easy > E X C E L L E N T!
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9/21/2013 - que syrah syrah wrote: 90 Points
Based on Silveradoup's 6/13 tasting note I finally opened one of my two bottles and he is spot on. More minerals than sweet fruit, nicely balanced, fully integrated, long finish and in a really good drinking window. I'm not sure about the 2021 outside drinking window and don't think this one will go much beyond the next three or four years.
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6/27/2013 - Silveradoup wrote: 93 Points
This wine is good to go! Everything has come together to make a great mountain Cabernet. Dark purple in color, lots of dark berries and great minerality to balance out the great fruit. Thankfully I have one more bottle!
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10/27/2012 - Whitebirdie wrote: 92 Points
black berry currant, delicious drinkable now and can hold
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10/4/2012 - Mrp2008 wrote: 92 Points
Great quality but still needs more time. The tannins still need to settle. The fruit stands up but there is hardly any oak to speak of. Would wait another 2 years or so before trying this again.
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8/10/2012 - ghonzo wrote: 93 Points
This is aging really well! Wonderful full floral yet earthy feel.
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8/4/2012 - Whitebirdie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bright lush berry, can continue to be set down as much as 6 years
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7/25/2012 - aaronfeigin wrote: 89 Points
This wine needs more time to loosen up. Still too hot, the tanins are a little overpowering. I would expect them to loosen significantly in the next few years. Decanting for several hours would be wise if drinking soon.
The wine looks Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Blackberry, and Cherry. It tastes like Blackberry, Cherry, Burnt, and Coffee. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Coarse texture. The wine finishes Long.
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6/22/2012 - ClubTerry wrote: 94 Points
This wine needs some serious decant time as it still extremely tight when first opened. Decanted for 12 hours and it was well worth it.
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4/16/2012 - Caligrrl Likes this wine: 92 Points
The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Strawberry, Red Currant, Fig, Plum, Forest floor, Medium Toast, Nutmeg, Clove, Rose, Hazelnut, and Alcohol/Hot. It tastes like Nutmeg, Red Currant, Fig, Cedar, and Tobacco. The body is Medium. The wine has Linear texture. The wine finishes Long. Still too young, needs a few more years an hour and 1/2 into decanting, starting to get very interesting, so much going on with this wine.
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3/20/2012 - txtigr84 wrote: 94 Points
Great wine. Had the 08 in the tasting room and the difference between vintages is incredible. 07 is a definite star. I can't wait to see how this wine matures in the cellar
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2/24/2012 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and aerated into decanter for several hours of airtime. No sediment noted in either the bottle or the screen.
First pour shows the wine to be very dark red across the glass with no fading at the rim and lots of nice incarnadine legs. Lovely spicy nose with floral and fruit notes. Wonderful round and smooth feel on the tongue with gorgeous fruits on the mid-palate. A firm tannic grip is present in the wine, but it doesn’t seem to be locking anything down, just holding it nicely in its grip. The finish continues the rollout of the fruit and resolves the tannins. A really nice dustiness completes the finish with a bit of intrigue as it wasn’t there on the nose or palate.
As the wine opens up in the glass, Dino starts snorking quite earnestly as he senses something special unfolding, after all, Dino loves his vino! Snork! Snork! Snork!
After further breathing in the decanter, the fruit continues to come out and begins to resolve to strawberries with dark vermillion rose flower petals; the dustiness continues. There is a lot going on with this wine and all of it is good; all the moving parts are blending harmoniously
Man, I love Howell Mountain juice!
91-92+ My feeling is that this wine is at or near the beginning of its drinking window - it is drinking very well now but will continue to evolve and improve over the next decade.
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1/28/2012 - BeachBum_73 wrote: 91 Points
BlueBerry & Tobacco nose. Nice legs.
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12/28/2011 - Giuseppe Donuts wrote: 93 Points
Needs more time to develop - but very good
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10/18/2011 - ghonzo wrote: 92 Points
Yikes! This needs a few years. Excited by the potential, though.
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10/17/2011 - ClubTerry wrote: 93 Points
Not really ready yet, should be pretty good after more cellar time.
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10/13/2011 - chj wrote: 95 Points
Wine enthusiast
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12/12/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:
Whoops.. opened this one way too early. Lots of elements here that can make a great wine but they really need to settle down and integrate. Only after a few hours of airtime did any hint of potential start to emerge. If you are a buyer of the WH Smith Cabs, stick to the 'Bronze Label' for now and stuff this one in the back of the cellar for about 5 or 6 years.
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