Opaque blue-black color with red to the rim. The nose is heady with dried dusty tobacco, graphite/pencil box, blueberry, smokey ripened blackberry, and a subtle hint of baking spices. The mouthfeel is dense, silky, and luscious with still present appropriate acidity and tannin that gently support the gorgeous second and first growth Bordeaux style sweet Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, redolent with complexity, that is laced with vanilla bean and blackberry compote that linger through the long elegant finish. The 2008 Napa Valley vintage was problematic for winemakers with a below average crop yield that also produced small berry sized Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that yielded some dark, well-balanced, and powerful wines from the Rutherford area of Napa Valley. This wine is beautiful, and at once mature and still possessing brilliance and the promise of further developmental complexity without the loss of its concentration of youthful fruit flavors. I only wish I had bought more than two bottles, the first of which is a blurred distant memory. Postscript: Only minimal sediment left in one glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
We enjoyed this bottle while watching the Vikings defeat the Saints in OT. It is time to drink up those still left in the cellar. Showing signs of fading.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A big whiff of alcohol on opening which burns off within 10 minutes. Herbal/floral nose, ruby in the glass. Loads of red/black fruit on entry, cherry most prevalent. Mid-weight with sweet cassis and tannins, plenty of acidity left for quite a few more years. I must admit, it's better than I thought it would be. Somebody was wrong on the drink by date.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
5/27/2022 - Josch48 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opaque blue-black color with red to the rim. The nose is heady with dried dusty tobacco, graphite/pencil box, blueberry, smokey ripened blackberry, and a subtle hint of baking spices.
The mouthfeel is dense, silky, and luscious with still present appropriate acidity and tannin that gently support the gorgeous second and first growth Bordeaux style sweet Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, redolent with complexity, that is laced with vanilla bean and blackberry compote that linger through the long elegant finish. The 2008 Napa Valley vintage was problematic for winemakers with a below average crop yield that also produced small berry sized Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that yielded some dark, well-balanced, and powerful wines from the Rutherford area of Napa Valley.
This wine is beautiful, and at once mature and still possessing brilliance and the promise of further developmental complexity without the loss of its concentration of youthful fruit flavors. I only wish I had bought more than two bottles, the first of which is a blurred distant memory. Postscript: Only minimal sediment left in one glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2020 - Lou Z wrote:
X mas gift to Mike P
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2020 - JHalvorson Likes this wine: 91 Points
We enjoyed this bottle while watching the Vikings defeat the Saints in OT. It is time to drink up those still left in the cellar. Showing signs of fading.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2019 - GRoz Likes this wine: 90 Points
11 year old Napa Cabernet that’s drinking perfectly. Smooth as silk with great fruit. Drink up 1-2 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2018 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 92 Points
A big whiff of alcohol on opening which burns off within 10 minutes. Herbal/floral nose, ruby in the glass. Loads of red/black fruit on entry, cherry most prevalent. Mid-weight with sweet cassis and tannins, plenty of acidity left for quite a few more years. I must admit, it's better than I thought it would be. Somebody was wrong on the drink by date.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment