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2011
2010
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2015 and 2024 (based on 5 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.7 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 22 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Jjthaeler on 12/20/2021 & rated 94 points: This was a legit wine. Still holding strong with great fruit, depth, and finish.
Tasted on the hour for 4 hours and it was fantastic. What a steal for $35. If I find more of the 2010 I'd buy it: the wine will hold up well for at least 5 more years if stored well. (927 views) | | | Tasted by mercurius on 10/5/2020 & rated 95 points: Opened at a campfire with some social distanced friends. This wine was singing and I was asked by everyone where to get more. Sadly I had to tell them that it is no more. Nice job to Steve and team. Great juice. (1444 views) | | | Tasted by King Cab on 1/29/2020 & rated 94 points: What an amazing expression of pure Napa Cabernet this is. Steve must be quite proud.
Dark and ominous without much brown edges, this has a nose of pure black cassis and cardamom with just a bit of pencil shavings. Deep and precise, the pakate shows amazing balance that just sort of glides across your tongue with ease and finesse; no awkward edge and nothing to stub your toes on, this is just a delight. Love the black currant and black raspberries in a pillowy manger of loveliness. lol Finish is long and focused and just amazing.
Real deal this be. Glad I have 4 more. (2006 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 3/31/2017 & rated 93 points: Deep and dark ruby red. Complex and layered nose with a touch of underripeness with green bell peppers, dark, a touch dirty, savory, and black cherries. Moderate plus tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Layered palate with dark cocoa, gamey notes, blackfruits and some red berries. Additional notes of broken twigs and a little damp earthiness. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2022. (3087 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 3/31/2017 & rated 94 points: This has hints of grandness but doesn't ultimately get there.
It climbs the mountain from the start with power and strength but then plateaus just before it gets to the top.
Rich and dark red in color - earthy sandy body - full body - 8/10
Tannins 7.5/10 amd a medium long finish. (3387 views) | | | Tasted by Geaux Tigers on 3/11/2017 & rated 92 points: After trying the 09 and 10 regular bottlings and being extremely disappointed, I was skeptical, admittedly. My expectations were exceeded significantly. Everything I expected from Coombsville. 90 min decant. Lovely fruit and floral aromatics. Dark color but didn't seem over-extracted or thick. Graphite, pencil shavings, burnt earth, bits of minerals and red acidic fruit. Was a bit grapey early on but faded. Complimentary oak. 40 second finish. Still tannins hanging around but not instrusive. (2830 views) | | | Tasted by DRS-Inc on 2/10/2017 & rated 93 points: This wine is the best I've had from this winery. Aromatic and tasty. Ripe dark fruit with nuances of herbs, carob and spice. On palate, it adds a note of roasted garden herbs. Chewy tannic structure, medium acidity, and a long finish. (1980 views) | | | Tasted by WineGold on 1/2/2017 & rated 95 points: Superb. Intense red fruit on the nose. Medium to full bodied red fruit and oak mingling together on the palate. Really exceptional, even, integrated experience. Strawberries, boysenberry, cranberry on the palate. Long finish. Highly enjoyable. At the beginning of a lengthy drinking window now. (2584 views) | | | Tasted by WineGold on 10/30/2016 & rated 94 points: Elegant. Layered. Rich. Interesting. Nuanced.
Plenty of black and blue fruit here. Nice tannin back home. Some white pepper.
Well integrated after a 2 hour decant with plenty of life. At least 4-5 more years of improvement left.
Really great QPR. (1776 views) | | | Tasted by WineGold on 2/27/2016 & rated 93 points: Decanted and consumed over three hours. Drinking very well now, and tastes like it will improved for another several years at least. At the beginning of a nice, long drinking window now.
Reddish purple in the glass. Not inky. Not translucent. Medium-dark in color.
On the nose: blueberry, boysenberry and cassis. Obvious oak on the aromatics. Fresh and lively nose. Not too heavy.
Flavors of mostly blue and black fruit, with a touch of red. 20% red fruit. Fruit is layered and integrated nicely with oak and tannin. Medium in body. This is an elegant Cabernet which I think old world fans will approve of, and there is enough structure, flavor, and grippy tanin here for new world Cabernet fans to enjoy.
Plush is a nice word for this wine, as an earlier reviewer used. Nice medium-long finish. Interesting wine. Doesn't punch you in the face, but grips you, and makes you think about it. Very nice overall, and a fine QPR. (2086 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 2/15/2016: Consistent with the previous notes. Very good, reliable cab (I enjoy drinking it now with some decanting, others would say hold longer including the winemaker)
(coravin, 1 glass) (2008 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 1/28/2016: Two weeks later, 2nd glass from coravin. The tasting notes are consistent with the ones of 1/15/2016( same score as well). I think this bottle is longstanding, and also that the coravin does deliver for at least two weeks. I did notice though that in a single press the coravin this time 'delivered' about 1.8-2 times the amount of wine. As a relatively light weighted on wine, it was a chanllege (this is a coravin note, not a wine note- I did not complain about drinking more good wine :-) )
I would now leave the bottle away for a month to see how it reacts after about six weeks, and the master plan is then to leave the remaining though the late spring.
As for the wine, good work Steve! (1906 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 1/15/2016 & rated 94 points: I think it got better since the last time I tasted it. Still very, very dark purple color, very full bodied, remains with medium plus legs and the fruit balance (currant, dark fruits, a little blueberry) stands well with a beginning of some earthy notes. Yes, I think it is still developing and will have alot more to give (as noted on my first note). I still vote to drink '08 while waiting for the '10 reserve to be ready. But it is already so good, that when I got the coravin, I simply decided to have a little glass and use this bottle to test both the development of the wine, and the quality of coravin preservation. For that reason, I'd revisit this bottle few times. It remains heavier /full body compared with the '08. Would have been great with a full meal, but I get few meats on the side to enjoy now. 94+, and certainly QPR wise- a steal. (1792 views) | | | Tasted by SouthernStateofMind on 8/22/2015: Several years removed since I first encountered this wine. Just getting better and better with time. WINEBERG has it spot on. A long decant will be well rewarded as I found this at its best after 3+ hours. Great job Steve! (1942 views) | | | Tasted by EMichels on 11/6/2013 & rated 92 points: Showing well; Refined; Plush; Not the showstopper it was the last time that I had it but still a great bottle (2385 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 11/6/2013 & rated 94 points: Tasted it at a full line-up of Congruence @ CLONYC40. It was a great 100% Cab, with very interesting background. As noted before, it stands out being a non-blended wine. It is very full bodied, dark ink (deep purple) color with long finish. It was a hard selection between the Congruence cab '08 and this one as the WOTN (and I lean towards the '10 reserve). First time I had the congruence, and I enjoy the smell, and the finish. Medium legs, and clearly this one has alot more to give.
My advice, FWIW. Get the '08 and the '10 reserve. Drink the '08 while waiting for the '10 to be ready
(Note: The '10 is and will most likely remain 'heavier' wine than the '08. Goes better with full meal, while the '08 can also be a stand alone. )
Edited (Jan-27-2014): Does voting with the wallet counts? I followed my own advice. I bought two '08 to enjoy while waiting for the '10 reserve to be ready :-) (2590 views) | | | Tasted by wineberg on 10/23/2013 & rated 94 points: Congruence Wine Dinner with Steve Eisenhauer (Bourbon Steak, DC): I believe this wine was decanted for several hours prior to bringing it to the dinner. My WOTN.
At 100% Cab Sauv, with no blending grapes, it also stands out next to the other wines in the lineup. I get the feeling it needed the decant; this has big tannins and backbone. Similar flavor profile to the regular '10 bottling, but deeper and darker; more blackberry and dark raspberry, florals, still get that hint of linen. More layers of complexity here too.
Steve said that this wine was made from two barrels that were simply better than the rest, so they pulled them and made a Reserve. One barrel was new oak and the other was used, so the final blend ends up 50% new oak.
This has the stuffing to last in the cellar for a while. Leave it alone for now or give it at least a few hour decant. (3190 views) | | | Tasted by EMichels on 10/10/2013 & rated 94 points: Beautiful depth; Great interest; Nice nose; Great depth; Still showing young - I think that has greatness ahead of it (2319 views) | | | Tasted by EMichels on 4/24/2013 & rated 93 points: Great balance; Soft nose; Great strength; Adds a strong vanilla nose; Really, really nice (2248 views) | | | Tasted by GoHeels on 2/8/2013 & rated 95 points: Opened this the day it arrived, right after release. I'm a fan of the '08 and '09 Congruence Cabs and had been really looking forward to this Reserve. It did not disappoint. On opening, a quick taste was very tight- to be expected from a '10 right now. Tasted after a 4 hour decant and it was still tight with heavy oak but the nose was fabulous. We drank around 7 hours after opening (5 in the decanter, 2 in glass) and found an absolutely fabulous wine. Nose was incredible. Not sharp in the least, super integrated oak and fruit, complex and layered. Not a big "new world" cab like I was expecting, but truly excellent. Can't wait to see how this is after some aging. I'm buying more. (1501 views) | | | Tasted by King Cab on 2/2/2013 & rated 95 points: Congruence new release party. 2010r. (reserve). Complex black fruit driven with amazing texture and depth. Hints of spring flowers and boysenberry. A contemplative wine which you will want to sit with on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Long finish is precise and true. The single best thing Steve has put under cork, period. 100 percent Cabernet consisting of 2 barrels. (2059 views) |
| Congruence Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonReserve The Wine News | Wine Country This Week | Wine Lover's PageUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners) |
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