Whether Ambassador Hall is a Republican or a Democrat is immaterial. Her party is very clearly Bacchus and this wine is a delight. If delicious Napa cabs are your thing, friend, place some flowers in your hair and proceed with abandon. I’m sad that this is the last of my three bottles. Looking forward to moving on to the 2008 in short order. Stored at 55 in Eurocave since release.
The fruit is still fresh, the tannins smooth, the nose showing dark berry compote and a savoriness that is enticing. Not a cerebral wine, but extremely enjoyable. Dance, satyrs, dance!
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Received a partial bottle to try from my Oenophile neighbor. Served with BBQ Ribs. Purple-Red on the pour. Full-bodied, Red Fruit on the nose with Cherries, Blackberry and Cassis on the palate. Nice, full, round mouth-feel. Subdued smooth tannins. Spouse Endorsed, A Hit!
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i see it has been nearly 2 years since I last consumed this wine. took it to the big steak house and paired it with porterhouse and the usual sides. the wine was a perfect complement to the meal. the tannins have relaxed leaving a velvety smoothness which I love in cabernet. i am happy i exercised the discipline to lay this down as it is just what I hoped it would be. sorry to see I only have 3 bottles left, but it is at its prime so will drink it up in next couple of months.
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I would not say this has many years to go, based on my palate. The fruit is still bold and luscious. Blackberry, cassis, hint of leather on the finish. Fully integrated tannins at this point so not sure what will happen in the future. Not showing many secondary flavors. This is not to detract from the fact that it's an excellent wine right now. My vote is to drink now-2025.
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I saved this puppy for some years, as I had the 2008 and found it excellent but wanted to see what a few years could do to such a wine. Perfectly aged, and while the luxurious fruit I remember from the 08 was a tiny bit faded, the wine really delivered, and had integrated tannins as I had hoped. Outstanding.
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Stunning! Super dark and concentrated with a complex nose of coffee, anise, mocha and blackberries. After a 4 hour decant and 2 hours to consume, still remained tightly knit with rich black fruit more pervasive than on the nose and warm spice development. After 13 years, just entering the drinking window. No reason why this will not go another 5, maybe 10 years.
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we served this big cab with beef wellington. paired perfectly with the beef and mushrooms. nice flavor of dark fruit. smooth finish as tannins have relaxed. everything i had hoped for when i bought it nine years ago. both bottles we opened performed well. glad to have a couple more bottles to enjoy.
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Took to he St. Joe auction. In a great place right now. Everything has come together nicely. Good to have waited on this one. Should seek more in the auction market.
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Standing rib roast on Christmas with the in-laws. Oh my! But Hall to the rescue. I decanted this for an hour and half. The tannins have matured well but still have room to go. The initial dark fruits have a jammy quality with some chocolate and the finish is leather and tobacco.
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Brought to a Christmas Eve party. Was worried from some of the comments that this wine might be on a downward trajectory. Worries alleviated for now. A gorgeously rich Napa cab with notes of current, cassis and dark chocolate. Very nice with or without food.
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Well I did not drink this one as I was traveling and my wife and in-laws decided it was the perfect accompaniment to bone in filets. And in their words " it rocked with the beef". Held its own and some. Wish I had more, was a gift bottle from friends who were over for dinner months ago ...
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Great bottle of wine, my last one. Highly recommended and I will try to find more if I can for the right price. Broke a vertical string to enjoy this last bottle. It was excellent and finished #2 of 5 wines tried tonight bested only by the Cade Howell Mountain.
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We had seven years of K Hall last night paired with steak and potatoes. 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, and 12. The 2007 is still closed right now. I would suggest holding them for a few more years. The 10 was very approachable and drank very well. The 2005 was smooth and good. I think the 2009 will be like the 2005 in four more years. The 2011 was the sweetest with me tasting caramel along with big fruit. The 2012 needs more time in the bottle to integrate tannins better. I will say that the wines changed over the course of the evening. All of these are very good wines and I would not have been disappointed by any of them.
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The nose makes this wine wonderful. The fragrance carries over into the mouth to impart a amazingly complete experience. Very deep, dark red color. Notes of red fruits and Cabernet spice linger in the mouth.
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very dark fruit, earthy spicy tones, lingering smooth finish drinking very well right now but still has plenty of life left in it. It is a celebration to one's palate.
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This bottle showed very well! Completely open for business. Really fine tannins and balanced acidity compliment the layers of predominantly red fruit. I really enjoyed the minerality and pine components. A great Cab from a classic vintage. Easily competes with its more expensive competitors.
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Fantastic wine! Deep Flavors... Had a wonderful nose, deep purple juice and complex tastes of fruit, pencil lead, tobacco and more that I am too simple to describe. Just absolutely stunning. Held for four years and now looking for the next vintage.
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Deep, dark wine. A bit hot on the nose and palate at first but blew off. Dense with lead pencil, chocolate, spice and some mint notes. A little hollow at mid-palate but started and finished strong. Good tannic backbone.
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Wow, fantastic. Lots of fruit, acidity and tannic grip so this wine has quite a bit of life left. That said, beautiful black cherry, plum, blackberry, anise, pencil and espresso. Really starting to integrate -- a little more time will take off some of the edge from the oak.
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2007 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Hezi Levi's in Highland Park): Big nose. Some alcohol showing. Liqueur fruit. Black, green stem quality that I actually enjoyed. Pepper, menthol and pine needles. Different. Enjoyable palate. Big and bold tannins. Well endowed. Me: 5 Group: 6
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Drank at our first Wine Lovers Group dinner at City Fish Market in Boca Raton. Nine reds were served and this wine received the highest amount of points from the members beating out 2006 Quilceda Creek, 2007 Dominus, 2004 Montelena Reserve and others. Beautiful fruit with well balanced tannins. Very well structured and silky smooth. Beautiful finish. An outstanding wine if you can find it.
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Decided to open a half bottle (my last one). Similar to previous notes though I thought the other bottle had a little more pep to it hence the slightly lower score. Popped and poured through Vinturi and into the decanter. Deep purple in color. The tannin structure is evident in this bottle immediately. As another poster and I mentioned in our notes, this was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar after a busy and seemingly never ending work week. This needed some time to open up but after it did it was excellent. You can taste the dark fruit structure (blackberry, cherry, along with hints of molasses and chocolate) that add a little sweetness to this one.
Softer tannins than I expected and it was extremely smooth throughout my bottle experience. A nice lengthy pronounced finish that leaves you wanting more of it. Another outstanding Kathryn Hall. One of my favorite cabs....still love the 06 and 08 better than this one but it is still a great wine. Highly recommended as usual.
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Popped and poured through Vinturi. Decided to open a half bottle. As another poster mentioned, this was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar after a busy and seemingly never ending work week. This needed some time to open up but after it did it was excellent. You can taste the dark fruit structure (blackberry, cherry, along with hints of molasses and chocolate that add a little sweetness to this one.
Softer tannins than I expected and it was extremely smooth throughout my bottle experience. A nice lengthy pronounced finish that leaves you wanting more of it. Another outstanding Kathryn Hall. One of my favorite cabs....still love the 06 and 08 better than this one but it is darn good. Highly recommended as usual.
Just wish the price had not skyrocketed over the past few years on these since they used to be around $65 for club members before the iconic 08 WS 96 but now sell for $100+ almost everywhere and the 2010 vintage will be $125. All in all though a great wine.
Drank over 3 days and it never seemed to come around, tannic, clumsy on the fruit, back end was awkward and green. Based on previous bottles I'm going to say something was up with this one since it's normally a sure thing.
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Pop & Pour... This was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar. Otherwise, we would have decanted. This needs time to open up. very hot on the nose, but delicious. Dark fruits, mild tannins, fennel, coriander & mustard seed.... this really opened up in the glass but I did this a disservice by not aerating...
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Decanted about one hour prior to taking to 32 East Restaurant and was exellent. Lots of fruit both dark and red. Medium body and smooth. Did not drink the full bottle and took home and had it two days later and it was even better. It was a 92 on the first day and 94 on the third. Have none more bottle from this vintage which I will cellar for a couple ot years.
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Very good; lots of red fruit; not overly complex. I didn't get a lot of backbone in this wine and there was little or no sediment. Suggest this is should be drunk relatively soon. Don't think its ageworthy.
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Best wine on thanksgiving; though still much fruit this had an elegance like the winemaker herself; one more bottle of this vintage will let sleep for awhile
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I was offered a taste of this wine at a 2011 wine tasting in downtown Fort Worth. Didn't see the cork pulled, but the aromatics were smelled about 3 inches from putting your nose in the glass. This is a lighter fruit style of wine for being a Napa Cab. I didn't get a lot of dark deep fruit or cocoa. Taste was cocoa, dark fruit with a very spicy finish for a cabernet. The wine is intricately laced, tannins very firm, almost a little obnoxious. This was like a "light jam bomb." This wine was a bit unbalanced with little fruit, bold with a crude finish, hence the sub-90 rating, but the structure might be very good to others and definitely has many plus-90 ratings. I would like to see how another 1-2 years of cellaring changes the finishing characteristics of the wine, and to see if it actually develops anything fruity on the front. If those two things are improved upon, this is a 94 waiting to happen.
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Very pleased. This is the second bottle of the 07 that I have consumed this summer. Drank with a steak dinner. Blackberry and cherry come through on the mid palate with nice oak and spice on the finish. Definitely needed 2 hours to decant, and yet this wine needs two more years to really show it's stuff.
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Verry nice, iconic cab, wish they could keep the price sub 75 but it seems like they are realy picking up steam. Father in law flipped the decanter upside down to get the last drop if that tells you anything.
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At Vintage Wines SD Sat. Tasting (6 cabs) - I'll be dissenting opinion here and say I did not like really like this wine. Nose a bit closed. Most tannic and very long aftertaste. However entirely too oaky for me so you are left chewing on bitter wood. Just didn't work for me. Can certainly improve as tannins settle down and oak integrates though. Rating is for as is today.
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Score is for current drinkability. Initiallyafter opening appears to need some time (pretty tasty, but overshadowed by its siblings), but after leaving corked for a few days (it became necessary to address other prospects instead)--the flavor mellowed and the heat reduced into something far closer to the 2006 than initially. Very nice. I think that I will wait a bit longer on the others--and will be rewarded.
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Nose: Black Cherry, Currants, Licorice and Vanilla. Shows some spices and ginger as well. Palate: Wound very tight, but with air this opened up to show nice black fruits with some red cherry integrated as well. The oak component gave a vanilla and spice element. Finish: Long and mouthcoating dark friut and milk chocolate notes. Elegant yet not overly silky.
Nice cab that will need time to develop. Decant 3+ hours at this stage.
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Maybe a little too early, but very nice with not much time open. Mouth-coating flavors of raspberry and strawberry with a long finish and ample tannins. Pleasant surprise, and I liked it better than the 06, which was much more acclaimed by WS.
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An excellent Napa Cab that prevailed in a blind tasting of California reds. I loved the balance here between the nice ripe fruit, subtle frame of oak and chewy tannins. Great choice by Lautier.
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For me, compared to the 06 and especially the 05, we opened this too soon. Still needs time. Very closed despite 4 hours decanting and did not measure up to the WOW factor I'm used to with Hall. Don't get me wrong. This will be excellent. But wait.
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Dark sweet black cherries and cola. A full bodied high end California Cab that needs more time in the bottle to see how it all comes together. Right now, the fruits dominate yet this wine has nice potential (at a rather rich price).
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Trip to Napa Valley; 1/30/2011-1/31/2011 (Napa, CA): Wow wow wow! An exceptional cabernet! 96% cabernet sauvignon, 2% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot. Packed full of vibrant raspberries, black cherries, with a little green bell pepper rounding it out. Very little oak. Not nearly as jammy as the '07 Napa Valley & the '06 Bergfeld, but rich nonetheless. Very elegant. Superb tannin structure with a finish that lasts and lasts. Absolutely phenomenal!
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Very good, but liked the Hall napa cab (2006) even more. Drank at the winery along with Hall's other fabulous cabs. Not as good as the 06 KH , but very good nonetheless.
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3/28/2024 - Scooter McGraw Likes this wine: 95 Points
Whether Ambassador Hall is a Republican or a Democrat is immaterial. Her party is very clearly Bacchus and this wine is a delight. If delicious Napa cabs are your thing, friend, place some flowers in your hair and proceed with abandon. I’m sad that this is the last of my three bottles. Looking forward to moving on to the 2008 in short order. Stored at 55 in Eurocave since release.
The fruit is still fresh, the tannins smooth, the nose showing dark berry compote and a savoriness that is enticing. Not a cerebral wine, but extremely enjoyable. Dance, satyrs, dance!
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9/30/2023 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Time to drink this wine. Still tasting good, starting to decline, so won't get any better with more age.
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12/4/2022 - red freddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
14.8% abv
Received a partial bottle to try from my Oenophile neighbor.
Served with BBQ Ribs. Purple-Red on the pour. Full-bodied, Red Fruit on the nose with Cherries, Blackberry and Cassis on the palate. Nice, full, round mouth-feel. Subdued smooth tannins. Spouse Endorsed, A Hit!
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4/9/2022 - MemorialWineFan wrote:
Much better than the 2009.
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12/24/2021 - tewks wrote: 94 Points
i see it has been nearly 2 years since I last consumed this wine. took it to the big steak house and paired it with porterhouse and the usual sides. the wine was a perfect complement to the meal. the tannins have relaxed leaving a velvety smoothness which I love in cabernet. i am happy i exercised the discipline to lay this down as it is just what I hoped it would be. sorry to see I only have 3 bottles left, but it is at its prime so will drink it up in next couple of months.
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12/15/2021 - KaupCava Likes this wine: 94 Points
Berry, vegetal, and menthol nose
Cassis, blackberry and viscous palate
Fantastic fruit and acid in balance
Huge lingering finish
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11/13/2021 - WineCPA wrote: 94 Points
I would not say this has many years to go, based on my palate. The fruit is still bold and luscious. Blackberry, cassis, hint of leather on the finish. Fully integrated tannins at this point so not sure what will happen in the future. Not showing many secondary flavors. This is not to detract from the fact that it's an excellent wine right now. My vote is to drink now-2025.
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10/17/2021 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
So full of life and will last another 8-10 years. Drinking so well right now though.
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5/22/2021 - JCaress wrote: 93 Points
Drinking well. Dense fruit but not heavy. Chocolate and black cherry. Got even better through the evening. Saved a splash for day 2.
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5/1/2021 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Perhaps a little past prime. Black fruit, tobacco and earth.
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2/10/2021 - llsawyer665 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic!
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2/1/2021 - Mezz Likes this wine: 92 Points
I saved this puppy for some years, as I had the 2008 and found it excellent but wanted to see what a few years could do to such a wine. Perfectly aged, and while the luxurious fruit I remember from the 08 was a tiny bit faded, the wine really delivered, and had integrated tannins as I had hoped. Outstanding.
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11/15/2020 - mda7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
fantastic
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9/21/2020 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 92 Points
restoring my faith in california cabs that can be laid down for awhile
delicious
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8/8/2020 - herzog330 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Just not what I thought. A little old and not much complexity. Based on what I thought it would be, I was disappointed.
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4/19/2020 - mtnbarry Likes this wine: 97 Points
Stunning! Super dark and concentrated with a complex nose of coffee, anise, mocha and blackberries. After a 4 hour decant and 2 hours to consume, still remained tightly knit with rich black fruit more pervasive than on the nose and warm spice development. After 13 years, just entering the drinking window. No reason why this will not go another 5, maybe 10 years.
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4/4/2020 - jsmithvail Likes this wine:
Elegant drinking very nice
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3/13/2020 - llsawyer665 Likes this wine:
Phenomenal. Deep red layered fruit
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1/19/2020 - tewks wrote: 94 Points
we served this big cab with beef wellington. paired perfectly with the beef and mushrooms. nice flavor of dark fruit. smooth finish as tannins have relaxed. everything i had hoped for when i bought it nine years ago. both bottles we opened performed well. glad to have a couple more bottles to enjoy.
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9/10/2019 - Jenny S wrote: 92 Points
Round mellow wonderful integrity. Bought many years ago at the winery. Drank for our anniversary. Yum- good for drinking now
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7/26/2019 - Sijan wrote:
Outstanding, classy cab with gobs of dark fruit & spicy cedar. At its peak but likely to stay there for several years, perhaps a decade
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4/4/2019 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent. Plenty of tannins. Plenty of fruit. Should have decanted for 2 hours+.
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4/4/2019 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Needs 20 min in glass. Certainly in prime with great balance overall. Will provide immense pleasure for another decade.
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2/2/2019 - R&R Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showing very well, actually still needed time in the glass to open.
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2/24/2018 - gejohnston wrote: 94 Points
Took to he St. Joe auction. In a great place right now. Everything has come together nicely. Good to have waited on this one. Should seek more in the auction market.
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12/25/2017 - jschnabel wrote: 92 Points
Standing rib roast on Christmas with the in-laws. Oh my! But Hall to the rescue. I decanted this for an hour and half. The tannins have matured well but still have room to go. The initial dark fruits have a jammy quality with some chocolate and the finish is leather and tobacco.
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12/24/2017 - wine4lux Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brought to a Christmas Eve party. Was worried from some of the comments that this wine might be on a downward trajectory. Worries alleviated for now. A gorgeously rich Napa cab with notes of current, cassis and dark chocolate. Very nice with or without food.
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4/13/2017 - FarrisVault wrote:
Well I did not drink this one as I was traveling and my wife and in-laws decided it was the perfect accompaniment to bone in filets. And in their words " it rocked with the beef". Held its own and some.
Wish I had more, was a gift bottle from friends who were over for dinner months ago ...
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4/8/2017 - travelme Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great bottle of wine, my last one. Highly recommended and I will try to find more if I can for the right price. Broke a vertical string to enjoy this last bottle. It was excellent and finished #2 of 5 wines tried tonight bested only by the Cade Howell Mountain.
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9/18/2016 - D3S Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great Aromatics, red fruit, well balanced tannins and medium to long finish.
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8/31/2016 - Sethbo11 wrote: 93 Points
Great just not quite as great as the 2006, 2008, or 2013.
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4/10/2016 - MemorialWineFan wrote: 91 Points
We had seven years of K Hall last night paired with steak and potatoes. 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, and 12. The 2007 is still closed right now. I would suggest holding them for a few more years. The 10 was very approachable and drank very well. The 2005 was smooth and good. I think the 2009 will be like the 2005 in four more years. The 2011 was the sweetest with me tasting caramel along with big fruit. The 2012 needs more time in the bottle to integrate tannins better. I will say that the wines changed over the course of the evening. All of these are very good wines and I would not have been disappointed by any of them.
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1/3/2016 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose makes this wine wonderful. The fragrance carries over into the mouth to impart a amazingly complete experience. Very deep, dark red color. Notes of red fruits and Cabernet spice linger in the mouth.
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10/1/2015 - jperez68 Likes this wine: 94 Points
very dark fruit, earthy spicy tones, lingering smooth finish drinking very well right now but still has plenty of life left in it. It is a celebration to one's palate.
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9/19/2015 - DarinC Likes this wine: 95 Points
This bottle showed very well! Completely open for business. Really fine tannins and balanced acidity compliment the layers of predominantly red fruit. I really enjoyed the minerality and pine components. A great Cab from a classic vintage. Easily competes with its more expensive competitors.
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7/6/2015 - Skendig2000 wrote: 97 Points
Fantastic wine! Deep Flavors... Had a wonderful nose, deep purple juice and complex tastes of fruit, pencil lead, tobacco and more that I am too simple to describe. Just absolutely stunning. Held for four years and now looking for the next vintage.
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5/27/2015 - lvjohn Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Pretty good, but ultimately there were secondary flavors that detract. Cannot explain further.
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3/10/2015 - iamandyc wrote: 92 Points
Deep, dark wine. A bit hot on the nose and palate at first but blew off. Dense with lead pencil, chocolate, spice and some mint notes. A little hollow at mid-palate but started and finished strong. Good tannic backbone.
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12/29/2014 - mreinhard74@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
A bit one dimensional and flat.
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11/27/2014 - iwadasn wrote: 89 Points
Failed to impress. Lovely wine, soft and mellow, but without memorable qualities.
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11/22/2014 - jimyeni wrote: 96 Points
Wow, fantastic. Lots of fruit, acidity and tannic grip so this wine has quite a bit of life left. That said, beautiful black cherry, plum, blackberry, anise, pencil and espresso. Really starting to integrate -- a little more time will take off some of the edge from the oak.
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11/19/2014 - Martnmac wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic. Triple yum!!!
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9/7/2014 - dfaircloth wrote: 93 Points
Loads of black fruits, graphite, cedar, and caramel on the nose. Slightly grippy palate with focused black fruits and touches of vanilla
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7/6/2014 - The Wine Sherpa Likes this wine: 93 Points
An outstanding wine. Notes consistent with prior note. Great fruit after decanting two hours. Still could age more IMO.
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7/3/2014 - JWH6 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A wonderful Napa Cab, deserving of the accolades it receives.
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3/11/2014 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
2007 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Hezi Levi's in Highland Park): Big nose. Some alcohol showing. Liqueur fruit. Black, green stem quality that I actually enjoyed. Pepper, menthol and pine needles.
Different. Enjoyable palate. Big and bold tannins. Well endowed.
Me: 5 Group: 6
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10/9/2013 - uncle al Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at our first Wine Lovers Group dinner at City Fish Market in Boca Raton. Nine reds were served and this wine received the highest amount of points from the members beating out 2006 Quilceda Creek, 2007 Dominus, 2004 Montelena Reserve and others.
Beautiful fruit with well balanced tannins. Very well structured and silky smooth. Beautiful finish. An outstanding wine if you can find it.
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10/5/2013 - awise45 wrote: 93 Points
Very full and smooth. Not overwhelming either in smell or first taste, but nice blend of medium-dark fruits.
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9/27/2013 - travelme wrote: 92 Points
Decided to open a half bottle (my last one). Similar to previous notes though I thought the other bottle had a little more pep to it hence the slightly lower score. Popped and poured through Vinturi and into the decanter. Deep purple in color. The tannin structure is evident in this bottle immediately. As another poster and I mentioned in our notes, this was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar after a busy and seemingly never ending work week. This needed some time to open up but after it did it was excellent. You can taste the dark fruit structure (blackberry, cherry, along with hints of molasses and chocolate) that add a little sweetness to this one.
Softer tannins than I expected and it was extremely smooth throughout my bottle experience. A nice lengthy pronounced finish that leaves you wanting more of it. Another outstanding Kathryn Hall. One of my favorite cabs....still love the 06 and 08 better than this one but it is still a great wine. Highly recommended as usual.
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8/1/2013 - travelme Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured through Vinturi. Decided to open a half bottle. As another poster mentioned, this was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar after a busy and seemingly never ending work week. This needed some time to open up but after it did it was excellent. You can taste the dark fruit structure (blackberry, cherry, along with hints of molasses and chocolate that add a little sweetness to this one.
Softer tannins than I expected and it was extremely smooth throughout my bottle experience. A nice lengthy pronounced finish that leaves you wanting more of it. Another outstanding Kathryn Hall. One of my favorite cabs....still love the 06 and 08 better than this one but it is darn good. Highly recommended as usual.
Just wish the price had not skyrocketed over the past few years on these since they used to be around $65 for club members before the iconic 08 WS 96 but now sell for $100+ almost everywhere and the 2010 vintage will be $125. All in all though a great wine.
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7/27/2013 - xboomer wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding Cab
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7/24/2013 - BinVA wrote: 87 Points
Drank over 3 days and it never seemed to come around, tannic, clumsy on the fruit, back end was awkward and green. Based on previous bottles I'm going to say something was up with this one since it's normally a sure thing.
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5/4/2013 - xboomer wrote: 93 Points
Excellent
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4/5/2013 - King of the Farm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop & Pour... This was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar. Otherwise, we would have decanted. This needs time to open up. very hot on the nose, but delicious. Dark fruits, mild tannins, fennel, coriander & mustard seed.... this really opened up in the glass but I did this a disservice by not aerating...
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3/29/2013 - awise45 wrote: 93 Points
Really smooth and full, long finish. Dark berries with deep hues.
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2/19/2013 - sjdcellar wrote: 95 Points
this won a very competitive tasting this weekend - dusty tannins, dark fruits, cassis, and some eucalyptus/mint. delicious
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9/22/2012 - TEDL wrote: 86 Points
Strong tannins and a bit sweet to the point that one diner did not like. No fruits detected.
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9/9/2012 - xboomer wrote: 95 Points
Bill, Larry and me loved this outstanding Cab with our steaks Sun night
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5/15/2012 - uncle al wrote: 94 Points
Decanted about one hour prior to taking to 32 East Restaurant and was exellent. Lots of fruit both dark and red. Medium body and smooth. Did not drink the full bottle and took home and had it two days later and it was even better. It was a 92 on the first day and 94 on the third. Have none more bottle from this vintage which I will cellar for a couple ot years.
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2/25/2012 - xboomer wrote: 94 Points
Give it at least an hour before serving.
Really good!
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1/20/2012 - Santaliz wrote: 92 Points
Strong heat out of the bottle, with include with a nice steak Really enjoyed the next next day after it toned down. Great value at $50
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1/19/2012 - mactheknife wrote: 91 Points
Very good; lots of red fruit; not overly complex. I didn't get a lot of backbone in this wine and there was little or no sediment. Suggest this is should be drunk relatively soon. Don't think its ageworthy.
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11/26/2011 - bugdoced wrote: 93 Points
Best wine on thanksgiving; though still much fruit this had an elegance like the winemaker herself; one more bottle of this vintage will let sleep for awhile
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10/26/2011 - bradleyjvt wrote: 94 Points
Big fruit forward Cab. Still a little young in my view but a lot of promise.
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10/8/2011 - mflesh wrote: 89 Points
I was offered a taste of this wine at a 2011 wine tasting in downtown Fort Worth. Didn't see the cork pulled, but the aromatics were smelled about 3 inches from putting your nose in the glass. This is a lighter fruit style of wine for being a Napa Cab. I didn't get a lot of dark deep fruit or cocoa. Taste was cocoa, dark fruit with a very spicy finish for a cabernet. The wine is intricately laced, tannins very firm, almost a little obnoxious. This was like a "light jam bomb." This wine was a bit unbalanced with little fruit, bold with a crude finish, hence the sub-90 rating, but the structure might be very good to others and definitely has many plus-90 ratings. I would like to see how another 1-2 years of cellaring changes the finishing characteristics of the wine, and to see if it actually develops anything fruity on the front. If those two things are improved upon, this is a 94 waiting to happen.
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10/2/2011 - awise45 wrote: 92 Points
Restrained, but stilil interesting and deep. Needs some time to open up and then is expressive and full with lots of dark berries and a long finish.
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9/24/2011 - The Wine Sherpa wrote: 94 Points
Very pleased. This is the second bottle of the 07 that I have consumed this summer. Drank with a steak dinner. Blackberry and cherry come through on the mid palate with nice oak and spice on the finish. Definitely needed 2 hours to decant, and yet this wine needs two more years to really show it's stuff.
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9/17/2011 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 94 Points
More up front fruit than the 08 Napa I tried beside it but also very nice.
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9/6/2011 - jjwtnbe wrote: 94 Points
Verry nice, iconic cab, wish they could keep the price sub 75 but it seems like they are realy picking up steam. Father in law flipped the decanter upside down to get the last drop if that tells you anything.
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7/9/2011 - yeti575rider wrote: 87 Points
At Vintage Wines SD Sat. Tasting (6 cabs) - I'll be dissenting opinion here and say I did not like really like this wine. Nose a bit closed. Most tannic and very long aftertaste. However entirely too oaky for me so you are left chewing on bitter wood. Just didn't work for me. Can certainly improve as tannins settle down and oak integrates though. Rating is for as is today.
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7/5/2011 - red guy wrote: 89 Points
Score is for current drinkability. Initiallyafter opening appears to need some time (pretty tasty, but overshadowed by its siblings), but after leaving corked for a few days (it became necessary to address other prospects instead)--the flavor mellowed and the heat reduced into something far closer to the 2006 than initially. Very nice. I think that I will wait a bit longer on the others--and will be rewarded.
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5/12/2011 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Nose: Black Cherry, Currants, Licorice and Vanilla. Shows some spices and ginger as well. Palate: Wound very tight, but with air this opened up to show nice black fruits with some red cherry integrated as well. The oak component gave a vanilla and spice element. Finish: Long and mouthcoating dark friut and milk chocolate notes. Elegant yet not overly silky.
Nice cab that will need time to develop. Decant 3+ hours at this stage.
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5/9/2011 - awise45 wrote: 93 Points
Maybe a little too early, but very nice with not much time open. Mouth-coating flavors of raspberry and strawberry with a long finish and ample tannins. Pleasant surprise, and I liked it better than the 06, which was much more acclaimed by WS.
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4/15/2011 - JOsgood wrote:
An excellent Napa Cab that prevailed in a blind tasting of California reds. I loved the balance here between the nice ripe fruit, subtle frame of oak and chewy tannins. Great choice by Lautier.
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2/24/2011 - Yack Man wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at the Chronicle wine tasting - will have to re-visit.
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2/22/2011 - russdan60 wrote: 91 Points
For me, compared to the 06 and especially the 05, we opened this too soon. Still needs time. Very closed despite 4 hours decanting and did not measure up to the WOW factor I'm used to with Hall. Don't get me wrong. This will be excellent. But wait.
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2/14/2011 - StainedGlass wrote: 91 Points
Dark sweet black cherries and cola. A full bodied high end California Cab that needs more time in the bottle to see how it all comes together. Right now, the fruits dominate yet this wine has nice potential (at a rather rich price).
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2/10/2011 - Drmerick@southlandspinecenter wrote: 90 Points
To the nose berries, currant, nice velvety finish, awesome w ribeye
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1/30/2011 - rentmp3 wrote: 94 Points
Trip to Napa Valley; 1/30/2011-1/31/2011 (Napa, CA): Wow wow wow! An exceptional cabernet! 96% cabernet sauvignon, 2% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot. Packed full of vibrant raspberries, black cherries, with a little green bell pepper rounding it out. Very little oak. Not nearly as jammy as the '07 Napa Valley & the '06 Bergfeld, but rich nonetheless. Very elegant. Superb tannin structure with a finish that lasts and lasts. Absolutely phenomenal!
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9/20/2010 - kingboo wrote: 91 Points
Very good, but liked the Hall napa cab (2006) even more. Drank at the winery along with Hall's other fabulous cabs. Not as good as the 06 KH , but very good nonetheless.
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9/12/2010 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 95 Points
My favorite of their wines and one of the best at the tasting. Well structured with a great finish and smooth tannins.
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