4/9/2021 - Wineholio wrote:

I guess I'll be the contrarian here to all the other high-score posts. This was OK, but not great. Kind of a disappointment, actually. For me, it came across as overly sweet/rich, with a nose of vanilla oak. The mouthfeel was overdone and out of balance. I found it a bit flabby and not yet integrated.

I'm guessing more time in the bottle will help.

2/26/2021 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

This wine is not your typical Napa Cab. Plenty of blackberry, plum, boysenberry, but also some minerality and a wild herbaciousness. Great acidity. Kiss of mint/menthol on the finish. Even a hint of soy. Many years left in the tank. Should be interesting to track over the next decade.

7/12/2019 - Wineholio wrote:

Fully corked.

12/28/2018 - Wineholio wrote:

Corked!

6/20/2018 - Wineholio wrote:

Full premox. Dark yellow/gold.

12/20/2014 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Transparent pinkish-red. Aromas of red berries, stems, ash, freshly-cut framing lumber and a hint of Kirsch liqueur. Still a baby, showing tart strawberry, bramble from stems, more ash. Gobs of acid and some fine-grained tannins. Tightly wound at this point, needs 3-5 years of cellaring to integrate and flesh-out.

11/24/2012 - Wineholio wrote:

Although the bottle says Grenache, this Vin de Pays is big, rich and fruity, which makes me think there's a healthy dose of Carignan and/or Syrah in it. If it was tasted blind, I would have guessed it was a blend from west Paso Robles, not the south of France. It's lush with fruit, slightly hot, and slightly sweet without any detectable savory elements at this point. Some vanilla oak notes at the finish, and even a hint of cough syrup.

4/6/2012 - Wineholio wrote:

Unfortunately totally corked. Pervasive cellar rot-like smell and taste.

2/21/2011 - Wineholio wrote:

Dark red with purple edges. Medium body. Vanilla, toasted oak, cherry cola leather, spice on the nose. Bursting with fruit in the mouth, with tasty cherry, dark stone fruit, graphite, toasted oak, cocoa dust and a touch of mint. Great mouth-coating mouthfeel with some structured backbone. Juicy, medium-long finish. Amazing QPR in this wine!

2/11/2011 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted. Dark ruby red, mostly clear, medium body. Aromas of vanilla oak, baking spice. Layered flavors of cassis, cherry, cedar shavings and a bit of mint. Polished, elegant mouthfeel. Nice, medium-long finish. A very supple, silky Merlot.

2/11/2011 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted. Blood red. Mostly clear. Alluringly fragrant nose with notes of baked cherry pie, vanilla extract, black olive. Flavors of ripe black currant, plum, fig, black olives. Developed a slightly unpleasant stewed, overripe fruit note on 2nd day. More fruit than structure. Decent, medium-length finish. Drink now. Not getting any better.

2/5/2011 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted through Venturi. Medium garnet red. Slightly opaque. Initially, lots of FUNK on the nose, but it blew off quickly. Somewhat closed nose, but there are hints of earth, dry leaves, leather and oak. Flavors of wild berry, cassis. A touch hard and angular at this stage. Medium to high acidity. Medium, slightly tannic finish. Since this is my first Cabot (and Humboldt wine for that matter) I won't give a point rating. I'm just not that familiar with the Cabot style or Humboldt terroir. But, it is a very well-made wine for the price. High QPR.

2/4/2011 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted. Drank over two days. Medium/dark blood red red. Mostly clear. Initially the nose was closed but after a couple hours it started giving hints of dark cherry, boysenberry, mint or perhaps black licorice, and wet stone. Flavors included dark ripe fruit, wild berry, clay, spice and a hint of tobacco on the back palate. Rich mouthfeel. Medium finish, with very fine-grained tannins. Opened way too young, this wine should really develop nicely with a few years in the cellar.

2/4/2011 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted. Drank over two days. Medium ruby/garnet red. Slightly hazy. At first the nose was completely shut down but on day two showed hints of vanilla, cedar, chalk dust, even a bit of toffee. The primary flavors included Cherry Cola, red currant, and a bit of spice. Mid-weight, well-balanced, focused. Medium finish. Slightest hint of alcohol on finish. Opened way too young, this wine should really develop nicely with a few years in the cellar.

9/18/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours. Dark purple ink color. Immediately gave off massive aromas of dark fruit. Classic Reva notes of tar, blue and black fruit, spices. Drinking well now. Happy I have a few more left in the cellar.

9/18/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Light straw color. Has legs. Nose ginning hints of blossom, pear, citrus zest. Flavors of petrol/oil, pineapple, citrus, lychee with a touch of honey. Crisp, balanced acidity keeps the luxurious, creamy elements in check. Love this wine

8/27/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted. Bright red-purple color. Mostly opaque. Massive blast of berry candy on the nose. Almost effervescent mouthfeel. More candied red fruit - raspberry, strawberry. Medium to long finish. A little heat on finish. A bit flabby.

8/23/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Nice ruby red. Mostly transparent. Well balanced mix of somewhat muted fruit with a hint of mint or Eucalyptus. Decent finish. ABV 15.0%.

8/20/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted, and drank over two day window. Dark ruby red. Nose has hints of dark cherry, chocolate, baking spice. This wine is plush, with sweet dark red fruit, hints of vanilla and Howell Mountain spice/pepper. Tannins are very evident but fine. Beautiful mouthfeel. Long, clean finish. Day 2 this wine is singing. Any minor touches of heat or roughness has completely dissipated. Outstanding now, will be stellar in a few years.

8/20/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted. Dark, slightly-purple blood red. Opaque. Has LEGS. Nose tight but shows hints of berry, vanilla and spice. Blackberry, blueberry, a bit of bramble. Creamy, rich mouthfeel.

8/19/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted. Med red with hint of purple at edges. Mostly transparent. Dark cherry. Dry leaves/underbrush. Slight heat on medium finish. Balanced.

8/13/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted. Medium ruby red color. Somewhat transparent. Nose gives hints of dark red fruit, meat. Nice mouthfeel, with dark cherry, bacon fat, earth and a hint of red candy (likely from the Grenache). Slight hint of heat on finish. Wonderfully balanced wine. Next day update: all traces of heat were gone, and the wine was much more integrated than on day one. A few years in bottle will do this wine well.

8/7/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Dark oppulent and mouth-coating. Dense but balanced. Almost creamy. Flavors of plum, black fruit with a dash of white pepper. Very nice wine. Should improve with some time in bottle.

8/7/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Somewhat vegetal, green pepper flavors intemixed with blue and black fruit. A touch over oaked for my taste.

6/18/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Drank at BBQ at Kowalewski's

6/18/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Drank at BBQ at Kowalewski's

6/18/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Drank at BBQ at Kowalewski's

5/29/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Nose is bursting with currant, blue and black fruit. Ample weight. Lovely mouthfeel. Abundance of fruit - once again, currants, plums, black fruit. Decent acid. Slightly soft tannins. There is an essence of a Port-like pruniness or overripeness I'm not a fan of.

5/30/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Popped and decanted. Way too much sour berry flavor for me, bordering on kids chewable vitamin C tablets. Not consistent with other notes and ratings of this wine so I won't score it so as not to effect the overall score. Disappointed.

4/19/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Dark purplish-red. Opaque. Nose of plum, blue fruit. This is a jammy, fruit-forward wine with plenty of depth and structure. Mouthcoating mouthfeel. Very quaffable wine, and awesome QPR at $18/bottle.

4/17/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted. Dark ruby red. Somewhat opaque. Nose included cassis, plum, spices, dried leaves. Beautiful mouthfeel, with notes of spices, cardamom, juicy dark cherries. Firm structure, with fine tannins. Turns a bit hot at the finish. Some time to integrate and this will be even better.
The spiciness of this wine paired really well with the rotisserie-grilled Armenian spiced leg of lamb.

3/26/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

A truly enjoyable, classic Napa Cab. Decanted for approx. 2 hours prior to serving. Bright blood red color. Slightly opaque. Nose gives hints of spice, plum, berries. A nice band of berry-driven fruit, cassis, dark cherry with notes of spice. Well-balanced with firm structure and fine-grained tannins. Just the slightest amount of heat at the back end. Will benefit from a few years of cellar time. Really great QPR.

3/20/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Decanted for 4+ hours prior to tasting. Deep dark purplish-red color; slightly opaque. Aromas of cherry, dark chocolate, cedar and wet stone. Creamy, layered with black fruit, mocha, graphite, dried herbs, white pepper. Just a touch of sweetish vanilla oak. Very nice on the mid-palette. Well balanced, with well-integrated tannins. Medium finish.

3/6/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Screw cap. Opened and poured. Medium red color. Transparent. Somewhat lighter in body than expected. Nose bursting with dark cherries. Flavors of dark cherry, currants, mint. Tiny bit of over-ripe, "raisin" quality to this wine; and a bit hot on the finish. Recommend drinking this now as I don't think it's going to last much longer.

2/28/2010 - Wineholio Likes this wine:

Light/bright golden straw colored; mostly transparent. Wonderful nose of Honeysuckle, Pineapple, Melon, Grapefruit, Apricot and wet stone. Creamy, with flavors of honey, Honeydew, Melon, Pineapple, Fig and hints of Anise. Full-bodied, mouthfeel approaching syrupy but dense and balanced, with decent acidity. Long finish, slightly tart and tannic, even a tiny bit bitter. Wonderful wine but needs another year of so to integrate fully.

2/26/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

All estate-grown fruit. This is dark ruby red with slight purple edges. Mostly transparent. Aromas of chocolate-covered cherries with hints of smoke, menthol and cinnamon. In the glass it starts off with flavors of blackberry, black cherry/cherry cola, and semi-sweet chocolate migrating into tobacco leaf and smokey oak. After about 1-1/2 hours the oak became much more prominent. The finish on this wine is medium to long and develops a tad of a dry bitterness at the end. It seems like a few more years of bottle time would allow for more flavor integration. At this point I'll give it 90 pts.

2/13/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium ruby red with massive aromatics of ripe fruit - red, blue and black berries. Gobs of fruit on the palette without being 'jammy' or sweet. Notes of vanilla and caramel intertwine with the fruit, almost like a Grenache. Medium tannins and firm structure. Slightly hot on finish.

2/12/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Popped and poured. Very dark purple, almost black. India Ink. Totally opaque. Nose somewhat closed but slight hints of plummy jam, mocha. Massive wine, with "thick" body. fully mouth-coating. Plums, chocolate, hints of tar. Tannins still very present through the medium-long finish. Plenty of life left in this wine.

2/7/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Drank during a Super Bowl party. Popped and poured. Light pinkish-red color. Lighter body. Transparent. Nose offers wafts of being in a strawberry patch. Very sweetish strawberry flavors with hints of flowers, cinnamon and spice. Almost not acid to speak of. A very pleasant "drinking" Pinot.

2/4/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Popped and poured. MASSIVE OAK MONSTER which unfortunately overpowered and muted the fruit. Very disappointing. Agree with previous taster: definitely not worth $75.

2/6/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Popped and poured. Dark ruby red. Nose of oak, dark red and black fruit. Full mouthfeel, with dried red cherry, currants and toasted oak. Structure still firm with decent finish. a bit too much oak for me.

2/6/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted with Vinturi aerator. Not sure what to say about this wine but it is hugely tannic and acidic. Almost undrinkable for me. Not sure if it will improve with age or not but I'll never know since it was my only bottle. I've had other Charbonos from August Briggs, Robert Foley and Tofanelli's own and this was no comparison to any of them.

2/5/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Decanted. Very light in color and body, with floral notes on the nose reminiscent of a Pinot. Crisply ripe red mountain berries wrapped in an elegant package with notes of white pepper and baking spice. Well-balanced. You would never guess it was 15.5% ABV. Opened up and became more rounded after about an hour or so. This wine has great potential but needs more time in bottle.

1/29/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Much lighter body and somewhat more restrained than typical LC wines. Still very fruit-driven with blueberry and huckleberry compote, nice mouthfeel, and firm enough structure. Will likely improve a bit with some short aging.

1/30/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Not sure if I had a bad bottle but this was very disappointing for the $80 I paid for it on WineBid. I can't imagine paying the retail of $175. It was sharply tannic, not much fruit at all.

1/25/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

When wifey needed "a bit more" red wine for her Coq au Vin, I grabbed this bottle. After she used about 1/3, I poured a glass expecting to be underwhelmed. I was quite pleasantly surprised at what a nice Cab this has become. Beautiful nose of plum, cocoa, smoke. Very balanced at this point with a wonderful mouthfeel. Cassis, cherry, a tad more chocolate. A little more oak than I typically like but not overpoweringly so. Firm tannins. Decent finish. Excellent QPR for $35. I'd recommend consuming this in the next year or two.

1/23/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Slightly cloudy medium-dark red in the glass. Muted berries on nose. Soft mouthfeel. Stewed fruit with a bit of raisin/pruniness. No pepper to speak of.

1/9/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

I purchased a bottle of this on WineBid on a whim. I was familiar with other L'Aventure wines and really liked them. This wine was incredible.Dark purply-red. Nose wafted violets, spice and huckleberry. It is a BIG wine, with wet forest floor kind of earthiness (courtesy of the Mourvedre) and gobs of red, blue and black fruits. Slightly hot on the finish. No wonder considering it's 15.8% ABV. Only after I went looking for some more of this did I find out that it was only made for the 2005 vintage, in a small quantity. It isn't even listed on the L'Aventure web site.

1/9/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Very dark purple, almost black. Not much giving on nose. Definitely lost a bit of fruit and has mellowed out, but still holding up well. Some muted blueberry. Very nice but didn't knock my socks off.

1/9/2010 - Wineholio wrote:

Very, very dry. Lost all it's fruit. Suspect heat-damaged bottle. Too bad...