2013 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve Howell Mountain

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 94.8 points

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  1/10/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Served blind. My last bottle of this one. 30 min double decant then a slow ox of 3 hours as I waited to pour it for our group. Wish I had kept the stopper in the bottle during that time. The nose was so much more floral/fruited early on. My 2nd WOTN just ahead of the super aged Keenan.
  
  The nose was fantastic early on. Caramel, graphite and dark red/black mountain fruit, great weight in the mouth and balance of all elements (acid/tannins) as far as Napa Cab is concerned. I am admittedly biased to Napa mountain Cabs, and it really doesn't get any better than how this well rounded and balanced '13 is drinking right now.......

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  6/30/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Splash double decant, followed by a 90 min slow ox (and then stored in sealed bottle until just prior to drinking). Deep dark magenta color. Charred blueberry, dark bitter chocolate, blackberry, anise, fig, and limestone. Smooth, dry palate. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.
  
  This was a pleasant surprise to kick off the Deer Valley edition of Wine-a-Palooza. I didn’t think DD could make a wine like this. It’s aged very well and would likely be even better at sea level and having not just been on a plane. Very good structure.

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  6/29/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Deer Valley Palooza in 3 stages with Mark1npt and Agelvis; 6/25/2023-7/1/2023 (8,100 ft): Tied for my wine of the night and my first del dotto——thanks Mark. Very balanced and medium in body and intensities. Slate on the nose and a chalkiness that I liked. Blackberries on the nose and palate. Great structure, will go a long time.

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  6/29/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points

  2nd bottle from the auction lot....at the pnp, there are great florals coming off this bottle even at altitude. Pine and briar and black berries, too. Double decanted and then slow ox'd for 90 min in bottle to take to the restaurant for tonight's dinner. Resolved and even at dinner but lost some of its 'juice' and nose. I don't know if it's the altitude or just that this bottle may have required less airtime? It again scored a point or two less than the first bottle back at sea level did. I have one bottle left and I think I'm just going to pnp it and see how it goes.

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  6/22/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 96 Points

  First bottle of a recent auction find, and first wine tasted this evening blind with the HMCs. Decanted for 1 hour prior to the start of this evening's event.
  
  Cork was solid, nose was exquisite right from the pnp. Strong dark red/black fruit, some perfumed floral notes like violets and maybe a little rose petal, too. Dark, opaque purple in the glass, not much of a hint of any aging showing up just yet. The palate reflected some aging as integration is smooth throughout. The fruit is soft, yet strong and the wine overall has tremendous balance and depth. This is a classy wine at this stage. Reflecting on it, I think I will just pnp the next bottle as there was a tad more vibrancy to the fruit early on. That's when the wine was a 96 to me and HMC didn't get to taste it that early on. An hour in and this one settled down a point to a 95 but to me it was my WOTN. Only the final sips about 4-5 hours in, showed any further drop off and it was only 1 more point then, to a 94 at the finish of the bottle.

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