Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Intoxicating nose of black and blue fruits, Whitman Sampler box and eucalyptus. Full bodied and plush with copious, rich fruits in spades. You would be hard pressed to know this wine is 17 years of age. Blackberry, blueberry liqueur, black currants and chocolate truffle on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. I liked this bottle better than a bottle a year or so ago. The bottom line here is you have to know this wine is big and heady and open it when the setting is right. This was my last ’04 and I am happy to move on to other vintages of Switchback Ridge. Drink over the next 3-5 years.
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Raisin-y / amarone like. Not at all what I was expecting nor looking for, especially after the very solid experience I l previously had with a 2010. Perhaps a storage issue - noticed the bottle marked as 'from private collection' from K&L so that makes me a bit wary on older vintages sold by the aggregator merchants
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Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Heady nose of black fruits, cassis liqueur, molten licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Full bodied with ample acidity. There is notable heat on the palate. Big, plush and hedonistic. Black cherries, currants, plums and chocolate on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Just a big Cabernet Sauvignon that might be a little too much for some. Drink in the near term. Best over the next 1-2 years.
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This is quite evolved but still nice. There is loads of tobacco and fig to complement the black cherry fruit. The fruit is still fairly juicy and has yet to start drying out. The vanilla and chocolate in combination with a high alcohol level is reminiscent of an Amarone in many ways. The vanilla infused oak is very prominent on the finish, a bit to the wine's detriment. I think this would have been better 5 years ago when the fruit could have handled the alcohol and oak better.
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10/21/2021 - tomlee wrote: 91 Points
Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Intoxicating nose of black and blue fruits, Whitman Sampler box and eucalyptus. Full bodied and plush with copious, rich fruits in spades. You would be hard pressed to know this wine is 17 years of age. Blackberry, blueberry liqueur, black currants and chocolate truffle on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. I liked this bottle better than a bottle a year or so ago. The bottom line here is you have to know this wine is big and heady and open it when the setting is right. This was my last ’04 and I am happy to move on to other vintages of Switchback Ridge. Drink over the next 3-5 years.
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1/8/2021 - yinha Likes this wine: 88 Points
Raisin-y / amarone like. Not at all what I was expecting nor looking for, especially after the very solid experience I l previously had with a 2010. Perhaps a storage issue - noticed the bottle marked as 'from private collection' from K&L so that makes me a bit wary on older vintages sold by the aggregator merchants
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8/21/2020 - tomlee wrote: 88 Points
Purple in color. 15.7% ABV. Heady nose of black fruits, cassis liqueur, molten licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Full bodied with ample acidity. There is notable heat on the palate. Big, plush and hedonistic. Black cherries, currants, plums and chocolate on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Just a big Cabernet Sauvignon that might be a little too much for some. Drink in the near term. Best over the next 1-2 years.
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11/30/2018 - brettay wrote: 86 Points
This is quite evolved but still nice. There is loads of tobacco and fig to complement the black cherry fruit. The fruit is still fairly juicy and has yet to start drying out. The vanilla and chocolate in combination with a high alcohol level is reminiscent of an Amarone in many ways. The vanilla infused oak is very prominent on the finish, a bit to the wine's detriment. I think this would have been better 5 years ago when the fruit could have handled the alcohol and oak better.
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10/16/2018 - Rbtrage wrote: 89 Points
Too much alcohol for my taste...
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