Deep garnet red with a bit of bricking on the edges. Layered nose showing its age with notes of tobacco, black currants, smoked oak, touch of tomato and gravel. Medium tannins (5.5/10) with medium bodied. Lovely palate with leather, tobacco, gravel and red berries. Medium plus finish. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine actually tasted young. Lots of fruit - both dark and red cherries. A hint or two of cinnamon and vanilla in the nose. Full bodied but with enough acid to keep it from tasting fat. Nice finish of tart cherries - but just a touch of heat at the end. Fourth of July wine with pulled pork and the pork and wine were great together.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Now this is a weird one at the end of a night of Cabs...fresh strawberry, tea, jammy, dark but maturing. A bizarre Kool-Ade nature to the fruit makes it hard to take serious but it's a decent wine. Unusual.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Thick and heavy. Initially a powerful herb, pepper, and charred oak scent. The taste begins with rich, chunky, black cherry, currant, stewed tomato and some prune on the palate followed by coffee, earth and mint flavors. Finishes with ample dusty tannins and lingering mocha mint flavors. Although there is a lot going on, it seems over-extracted and over-oaked. After extensive breathing, it settled down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nat cork. A dull garnet red but somewhat translucent. A restrained nose with sweet red fruits, almost candied, but not fake. a bit of heat there too. Dark, savory, hot with plenty of structure but not quite the fruit to match, flavors reminiscent of Cdp - dark, winey, black tea.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Only 2 bottles left of this. All prune on my pallet. Nose is still pretty good but it has lost its sld terrior that I loved in it's youth. Drink up for those that still have some in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First night, popped and ran trough Venturi. Didn't do the trick. Was very tight and tannins fairly harsh with little fruit. Second night was so much better. Decanted for an hour and the fruit came forward. Current and black cherries with a touch of earth. Tannins were not sweet but in check. Nice cab for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purple color with a mixed red berry nose. Decanted and covered for 4 hours. Black cherry, blackberry, lots of earth with moderate, nicely balanced and well integrated tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and vigorously aerated for 10 minutes to open the wine. Bright ruby in color with a deep red fruit nose. Black cherries, blackberries, some spice, vanilla and a bit of earth, but dominated by the significant tannins. They are not yet fully resolved and really complement the fruit with a dry, dusty and grainy mid-tongue finish. High QPR. These will last longer than the 2013 community estimate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nat cork. Dark in the glass, purple with a black core. Nose tends more old world in style with nice fruit underneath - purple fruits like raisin and plum but not cooked or baked, just dark. Initially bordeaux like also picks up some garrigue and olive notes as well as red fruits like pomegranate. Oak emerged over time revealing a vanilla note and a bit cocoa or chocolate. Lots of prickly tannin still present. Carries is alc well, wouldnt have guessed it to be 15+. Medium bodied with a nice finish. enjoyed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking much nicer now than bottles I popped (too young) a year and two years ago. Poured thru a vinturi and decanted for about an hour. Still a bit young but the oak, fruits and tannins have nicely integrated leaving a medium-to-full bodied wine with textured, layered flavors where no one thing really stands out or dominates. I'm more Oakville than Stags Leap but this is a really nice Stag's Leap at a really good QPR. The fruits could be a bit more bold and the tannins a bit more sweet for my liking but then I have to remember this is a $32 wine, not $50 or more, and it's a wine that at that price and my budget qualifies for top 5% of what can be expected for a high quality, daily wine and do a helluva good job of satisfying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last bottle. Red and Black fruits in the nose, noticeable tannins yet but fair to good balance. Big body and filled the mouth, leading to a good finish. Oak was a bit more than I care for, but less than many Napa cabs. Good with lamb chops but took a back seat to the 2001 Sterling SVR (which was a bit more refined). Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black cherry and a little cedar on the nose - medium body with some soft tannins. Drinking very nicely now and I believe should continue to evolve over another couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright flavors of red fruit on the nose. The palate was full of black cherry and pencil lead. A great drink now wine. A slight hint of heat on nose...and palate....but the flavors and tannins mask the heat most of the time. Great job!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Allow this wine the time to open up and you will be rewarded with a real fruit bomb of a Cab. As noted by others Raspberry, Cherries and chocolate with a tiny bit of leather lurking in the background. Wish I had more of this in the cellar, as it has a lot of life left in it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Similar to other notes. Very big wine, totally closed at first. After hour one, some nice chocolate, blackcurrant and plum. After hour two, this had developed into a nicely balanced, if somewhat simple Cali cab. Definitely has the stuffing to last another 3-5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. Big nose of oak and blackberry. Began with green tannins and thinness on the palate. Over time the greeness was less and the taste improved. I have one of these in my celler and would consider a long decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear dark ruby red in the glass with muted initial aromas of blackberries and plum. Over the evening the wine opened up a bit and offered appealing cocoa, black currant & notes. Palate was primarily black currant, plum & chocolate, with a pretty good balance of integrated tannins and medium acidity. Not particularly lengthy, and a little bit of heat on the finish, but otherwise a perfectly nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice nose, spicy, rich, earthy with a hint of floral. Tastes Spicy with hints of plum, tannins are a bit strong, and could probably benefit from some age. 83 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great perfume nose, floral, nice fruit underneath. Round & sumptuous in the mouth, but the finish falls short, otherwise this would be a 94 point wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had with Pasta dinner. Bottle was opened on 20 minutes before 1st glass, which was woefully inadequate for this big tannic fruit loaded monster. Wine vastly improved with more air time, and should be decanted for 2-3 hours IMO. This one seems like it will be real good with some more cellaring, but right noiw was a bit hot and tannic. You could taste a big plum taste right away, but then you are over come by alcohol and tannins on the finish. It was definitely a bit rough a round the edges. By the last glass it had smoothed somewhat but still was a bit out of balance. Would love to retry in a couple of years. Not rated...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Poured at a retailer tasting. Garnet color. Floral and blackberry aromas with good fruit, red currant, oak and spice flavors on the palate. Tannins are slightly chewy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/7/2021 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Deep garnet red with a bit of bricking on the edges. Layered nose showing its age with notes of tobacco, black currants, smoked oak, touch of tomato and gravel. Medium tannins (5.5/10) with medium bodied. Lovely palate with leather, tobacco, gravel and red berries. Medium plus finish. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2013 - Druidh wrote: 90 Points
This wine actually tasted young. Lots of fruit - both dark and red cherries. A hint or two of cinnamon and vanilla in the nose. Full bodied but with enough acid to keep it from tasting fat. Nice finish of tart cherries - but just a touch of heat at the end. Fourth of July wine with pulled pork and the pork and wine were great together.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2012 - snbernst wrote: 90 Points
balanced, deep, mild tannins; food friendly
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2012 - hoops92 wrote: 89 Points
Very solid effort. A bit over-oaked. Thick, chewy, Stags Leap District Cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 87 Points
Now this is a weird one at the end of a night of Cabs...fresh strawberry, tea, jammy, dark but maturing. A bizarre Kool-Ade nature to the fruit makes it hard to take serious but it's a decent wine. Unusual.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2011 - bin905 wrote: 88 Points
Thick and heavy. Initially a powerful herb, pepper, and charred oak scent. The taste begins with rich, chunky, black cherry, currant, stewed tomato and some prune on the palate followed by coffee, earth and mint flavors. Finishes with ample dusty tannins and lingering mocha mint flavors. Although there is a lot going on, it seems over-extracted and over-oaked. After extensive breathing, it settled down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2011 - 11mcraig wrote: 90 Points
Another classic cab...quite good!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2011 - Riezin wrote:
Nat cork. A dull garnet red but somewhat translucent. A restrained nose with sweet red fruits, almost candied, but not fake. a bit of heat there too. Dark, savory, hot with plenty of structure but not quite the fruit to match, flavors reminiscent of Cdp - dark, winey, black tea.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2011 - VCvino wrote: 86 Points
Only 2 bottles left of this. All prune on my pallet. Nose is still pretty good but it has lost its sld terrior that I loved in it's youth. Drink up for those that still have some in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2011 - VCvino wrote: 85 Points
This bottle appears to have fallen out of balance. Sad - I really liked this wine in it's youth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2011 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 89 Points
First night, popped and ran trough Venturi. Didn't do the trick. Was very tight and tannins fairly harsh with little fruit.
Second night was so much better. Decanted for an hour and the fruit came forward. Current and black cherries with a touch of earth. Tannins were not sweet but in check. Nice cab for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2010 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Purple color with a mixed red berry nose. Decanted and covered for 4 hours. Black cherry, blackberry, lots of earth with moderate, nicely balanced and well integrated tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2010 - drerwinsu wrote: 89 Points
Had after dinner. Very good w chocolate lava flour-less cake.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2010 - Wolfgang wrote: 91 Points
Blackberry and oak on the nose, flavors of tart cherry, forrest floor and spice. I agree with others that this will out last the 2013 window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2010 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Opened and vigorously aerated for 10 minutes to open the wine. Bright ruby in color with a deep red fruit nose. Black cherries, blackberries, some spice, vanilla and a bit of earth, but dominated by the significant tannins. They are not yet fully resolved and really complement the fruit with a dry, dusty and grainy mid-tongue finish. High QPR. These will last longer than the 2013 community estimate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/19/2010 - Riezin wrote:
Nat cork. Dark in the glass, purple with a black core. Nose tends more old world in style with nice fruit underneath - purple fruits like raisin and plum but not cooked or baked, just dark. Initially bordeaux like also picks up some garrigue and olive notes as well as red fruits like pomegranate. Oak emerged over time revealing a vanilla note and a bit cocoa or chocolate. Lots of prickly tannin still present. Carries is alc well, wouldnt have guessed it to be 15+. Medium bodied with a nice finish. enjoyed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2010 - calicabnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking much nicer now than bottles I popped (too young) a year and two years ago. Poured thru a vinturi and decanted for about an hour. Still a bit young but the oak, fruits and tannins have nicely integrated leaving a medium-to-full bodied wine with textured, layered flavors where no one thing really stands out or dominates. I'm more Oakville than Stags Leap but this is a really nice Stag's Leap at a really good QPR. The fruits could be a bit more bold and the tannins a bit more sweet for my liking but then I have to remember this is a $32 wine, not $50 or more, and it's a wine that at that price and my budget qualifies for top 5% of what can be expected for a high quality, daily wine and do a helluva good job of satisfying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2010 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Last bottle.
Red and Black fruits in the nose, noticeable tannins yet but fair to good balance. Big body and filled the mouth, leading to a good finish. Oak was a bit more than I care for, but less than many Napa cabs.
Good with lamb chops but took a back seat to the 2001 Sterling SVR (which was a bit more refined).
Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2010 - TCKM wrote: 89 Points
This is drinking well right now. Fruit seems slightly more subdued than I recall from prior bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2010 - VCvino wrote: 90 Points
Black cherry and a little cedar on the nose - medium body with some soft tannins. Drinking very nicely now and I believe should continue to evolve over another couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2009 - gmbdds wrote: 87 Points
Notes of blackberry, black cherry, cigar and olive. This tightens up on the finish which is drying and somewhat harsh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2009 - NY Wino wrote: 82 Points
Very fruity nose with a deep purple color. Very fruit forward w/ heavy oak and tannic finish. Not a winner in my opinion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2009 - dmlove18 wrote: 78 Points
Musty smell and taste. Cork looked fine so something was bad with the wine. Would not buy again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2009 - j1mmy wrote: 90 Points
Nice for the price. I would strongly suggest a little time in the glass and getting down to room temp. Was really closed/tight out of the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2009 - VinToronto wrote: 90 Points
Very nice, though did not allow enough decant time. This will last another couple of years at least.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2009 - bvwino wrote: 91 Points
Nice black fruit on the nose. Tannins mellow, nice finish. Wonderful wine, drinking very well now and probably good for a couple years. Great QPR
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2009 - BSteffes wrote: 90 Points
Bright flavors of red fruit on the nose. The palate was full of black cherry and pencil lead. A great drink now wine. A slight hint of heat on nose...and palate....but the flavors and tannins mask the heat most of the time. Great job!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2009 - foggy111 wrote: 93 Points
Allow this wine the time to open up and you will be rewarded with a real fruit bomb of a Cab. As noted by others Raspberry, Cherries and chocolate with a tiny bit of leather lurking in the background. Wish I had more of this in the cellar, as it has a lot of life left in it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/18/2009 - VinToronto wrote: 91 Points
Similar to other notes. Very big wine, totally closed at first. After hour one, some nice chocolate, blackcurrant and plum. After hour two, this had developed into a nicely balanced, if somewhat simple Cali cab. Definitely has the stuffing to last another 3-5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2008 - gmbdds wrote: 86 Points
Tasted blind. Big nose of oak and blackberry. Began with green tannins and thinness on the palate. Over time the greeness was less and the taste improved. I have one of these in my celler and would consider a long decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2008 - Dillo wrote: 87 Points
Clear dark ruby red in the glass with muted initial aromas of blackberries and plum. Over the evening the wine opened up a bit and offered appealing cocoa, black currant & notes. Palate was primarily black currant, plum & chocolate, with a pretty good balance of integrated tannins and medium acidity. Not particularly lengthy, and a little bit of heat on the finish, but otherwise a perfectly nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2008 - VinoPKM wrote: 87 Points
A decent Napa Cab, very forgetable though. Not a lot of fruit or flavor or nose... sabor por favor. Very bland to me for a Napa Cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2008 - celtic67 wrote: 93 Points
Ditto.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2008 - celtic67 wrote: 92 Points
Ditto.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2008 - Rabelais wrote: 89 Points
An inoffensive cab, but good QPR. Somewhat “hollow” (not much on the mid-palate), and disappears on the finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2008 - celtic67 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Black cherries & currants w/dark chocolate. Tremendous value for ~$30.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2008 - cr8it wrote:
Nice nose, spicy, rich, earthy with a hint of floral. Tastes Spicy with hints of plum, tannins are a bit strong, and could probably benefit from some age. 83 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2008 - Hollowleg wrote: 91 Points
Great perfume nose, floral, nice fruit underneath. Round & sumptuous in the mouth, but the finish falls short, otherwise this would be a 94 point wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2007 - Terroirist wrote:
ehh... better wines out there for 30+ bucks, but I am not a fan of most Cali wines so...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2007 - Coupe 60 wrote:
Had with Pasta dinner. Bottle was opened on 20 minutes before 1st glass, which was woefully inadequate for this big tannic fruit loaded monster. Wine vastly improved with more air time, and should be decanted for 2-3 hours IMO. This one seems like it will be real good with some more cellaring, but right noiw was a bit hot and tannic. You could taste a big plum taste right away, but then you are over come by alcohol and tannins on the finish. It was definitely a bit rough a round the edges. By the last glass it had smoothed somewhat but still was a bit out of balance. Would love to retry in a couple of years. Not rated...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2007 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Poured at a retailer tasting. Garnet color. Floral and blackberry aromas with good fruit, red currant, oak and spice flavors on the palate. Tannins are slightly chewy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment