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| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.3 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 7/2/2023 & rated 92 points: First bottle in 5yrs. Shows a little more oak influence than I typically like with cedar spiced finish—however it’s lengthy and complex. Mid palate comparatively a thin—however while it leans towards black currants there’s a lovely nuanced lift on the nose that sets this apart. Tannins are mild and mostly integrated. I liked this better in the past but it’s not like it’s falling apart or unbalanced.
Pulled together after 3hrs air showing more integrated and polished. Even shows a mild green cab streak which add complexity. (849 views) | | | Tasted by wendyinwlv on 11/20/2022 & rated 93 points: Very heavy (well it is a cab!) Lots of dark fruit - blackberries and blueberries. Good and even tannins. (806 views) | | | Tasted by jvphoto on 7/23/2022 & rated 93 points: Pencil lead, lavender, saddle leather, mixed berries. Fine tannins & tip of the tongue acid (817 views) | | | Tasted by River Rat on 10/10/2021: Has it been 5 years already? Opened at dinner Thursday. 1/3 bottle under cork since. Note from day 4. Pours very dark almost black. Expressive black currant, coffee bean and cocoa on the nose. Blackberry and black cherry transitions seamlessly actoss the palate. The acid and tannin structure assure a long life. Delicious now but more development ahead. Excited for the future of this wine. (1324 views) | | | Tasted by t_moderne on 9/5/2021 & rated 93 points: Opened, poured a taste, and then enjoyed about 1 hour later.
Dark purple color.
Inviting nose of black cherries and cocoa. There is a light herbal note as well.
Delicious full bodied wine with dark fruits and good acidity. Layers of flavors. Tannins present but generally integrated.
An enjoyable bottle of cabernet. (1294 views) | | | Tasted by Maphill01 on 7/31/2021: Splash decanted off moderate sediment. Aromatic nose of young, high quality Napa cab, dark fruit, blueberry. Not blowsy, or a fruit bomb, surprisingly focused, but not austere. On the palate, red fruit layered with the dark fruit. Medium body and acidity, fine grained tannins. Some bitter chocolate and a bit of heat on the finish. (1121 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 3/6/2021 & rated 89 points: A handful for one of the few social distancing with vaccinated friend. 2015 W&M Cabernet, 2014 Lewis Reserve, 2013 Tor followed by Penta and Esperanza Tequila. No notes, some memory
2015 W&M, PnP and then 3 hour decant. is built for the long haul as it is still a bit austere with lift to keep as of today a bit more laser focused than I prefer (more than other vintages before and after). I would hold to see if it better integrates with time. (2045 views) | | | Tasted by t_moderne on 9/28/2019 & rated 93 points: Pop and pour; poured half into a 375ml bottle.
Dark purple.
Nose offers black cherries, black plums, some blueberries and, if you look for it, a Int of mint.
Nice intro of dark fruits, with bright acidity and some tannins on the finish.
Very nice.
Tasted the following day after 2 hours of slow ox.
Enjoyable.
This is not inexpensive. I opened this to consider whether to purchase during an upcoming offering.
Decided to buy the 2017s. This is a good wine and I have hope for the 2017s to be enjoyable as well. (1687 views) | | | Tasted by Mtpisgah on 8/19/2019: This wine was great a year ago and is even better now. The fruit and tannins have integrated very well. Still has years to go till hitting its peak. (1377 views) | | | Tasted by lucaslabelle on 12/25/2018 & rated 95 points: Really beautiful and delicious wine. (1924 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 8/19/2018 & rated 93 points: Followed over a few nights. Dense and dark fruited, but nice lift on the palate and fine well crafted tannins. Showed toast upon opening but more milk chocolate by day 3. Quite youthful and well crafted, should meld together nicely. 93+ (2779 views) | | | Tasted by mflesh on 8/17/2018 & rated 95 points: Had an opportunity to taste the 2014 and 15 side by side. This wine had a note that was less sweet fruit on the nose, definitely more black and mineral-rich. This wine is showing some youthful acidity up front, but the power up front comes from a medicinal black cherry. Finishes a little stiff, even though it was decanted for an hour. This was my personal fave of the two. This one has 10-15 years ahead of it. (2365 views) | | | Tasted by Mtpisgah on 8/14/2018: Decanted for two hours before enjoying with filet mignon. A longer decant would not be a bad idea, but this wine was drinking well with the time I had. Still a little tight but very enjoyable and exhibiting some tannins and dark fruit.
After sampling it ove two nights, I was a buyer for the 2016. (1945 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 7/26/2018: July 2018 Rivers-Marie Visit (At Mending Wall winery): Poured blind, in a flight of three which all turned out to be the William and Mary wines. Round and concentrated with a beautifully present red fruited core and bright acidity (much more than the 2014 showed). I also liked this today better than the 2014. (3133 views) | | | Tasted by Elpaninaro on 7/15/2018: Double decanted 6 hours prior to serving
inky almost black color, tight nose with a whiplash of raspberry, dark and brooding, moody, on the palate primary but with such a mass of sweet primary cassis and dark cherry fruit that it is a thrill to drink today, chocolate notes, with time a rose-tinted cassis tone takes precedence, length to burn, great depth but with a little more electricity around the edges, a wild ride, as with the 2014 there is a very solid structure here for long term aging to allow the fruit to develop, qualitatively on par with the other top wines on the table- but in terms of sheer scale and the on-the-edge thrill factor, this stands alone, a worthy follow-up to the excellent 2014 from this new winery. (****)+, 2025-2055. (2312 views) | | | Tasted by tcufletch on 5/29/2018 & rated 96 points: Tasting with Will Segui (Mending Wall - Napa): Opened a couple of hours before tasting; nose of dark red fruits, cloves, spice; so elegant on the palate, with sweet raspberries, cherry, and a soft, light woodiness; definitely some older-world, rustic nature to this wine; heavily structured but still so very good and easy to drink right now; corked and kept cool; days 2 and 3, the fruit profile became a bit darker and the tannins intensified, confirming the wine's structure; this is quickly becoming one of my favorite Napa Cabs (2959 views) | | | Tasted by River Rat on 11/16/2017: Disclaimer: Will graciously offered me a bottle and asked for my impressions.
Opened on Tuesday evening and poured a glass. Coiled up tightly not unlike other ‘15s I have tasted with dense sappy fruit and oak dominating. Checked in again on Wednesday and it still needed air so I left the wine in the glass overnight and this note is from Thursday morning.
Dark red and purple fruit along with a whaft of tobacco leaves and cigar box. Nice intensity on the palate as the fruit and spice play off each other. The finish has a nice tart edge similar to the ‘14 that I really enjoy that balances out the fruit profile. The note of alcohol from FMIII was there on the pnp but after all the air it integrated nicely once the fruit settled down and the tannins appeared. Firm, fairly grippy tannins that soften a bit with some red berry notes lingering throughout the finish.
My recommendation would be to either A: Stash this in the back of the cellar for 5 years minimum or B: Pour into a decanter and let it breath for 24-36hrs or it will not show it’s stuff. This is seriously wound up tight right now but man does it deliver when you are patient. (3070 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 7/26/2017: This was poured blind. As context, I don't buy much Cab, especially those from Napa. Will poured this to our glasses and we got after it. The ABV is 14.5% and initially, I got some heat. I'm pretty sensitive to alcohol but in the context of the tasting, I wanted to be honest and made the comment. Herbal, cedar and dark cherry, with finishing tannin and a chewy finish. What this wine showed, aside from the aromatic, is some true Cab qualities, which for me seems to get lost in the modern style, IMO. I plan to buy a couple of these and re-taste the wine again in the Fall, as I like what is here. If the alcohol shows again at that time, then at least I will know I have a confirmation of it, as others at the table tasting it did not find it like I did. (3533 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| William & Mary Producer website2015 William & Mary Cabernet Sauvignon Shifflett RanchFrom the release newsletter
The weather at bloom/set. Tiny berries/clusters. Consistently above average temperatures.
2015 was the third year of below average precipitation and the vintage was off to a predictably early start. A start that ran into the first 'moment' of the vintage - cool, damp weather in May. What was shaping up to be another good sized crop was immediately cut by nearly a third (or more in some places). Taking it one step further, that was the last cool weather we had that summer as we were consistently above average the rest of the way, resulting in small, compact clusters with tiny berries.
The results were fantastic. Beautiful color and extraction. The earlier harvest date (almost three weeks compared to 2014) preserved freshness and aromatics, a true reflection of vintage and site. If not for the terrible yields, we would welcome 2015 back anytime.Cabernet 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 SauvignonUSAAmerican 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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