1/7/2023 - Kdog Likes this wine:

This was an honor to consume. Beautifully well made and preserved. Perfect cork, cigar box leather, dried herbs on the nose. Early tasting blew off with air to reveal elegant lush fruit still with some youthful flavors and integrated tannins, plenty of finish. Textbook what you would hope to enjoy in a 31 year old Napa cab. Intellectual and game changer for my opinion of older Napa cabs. Bravo to Ed Sbragia.

1/30/2021 - Kdog Likes this wine:

Pure and clean, extracted, cool climate acidity, dark blue and black fruits. Absolute joy to drink. Head turner.

1/30/2021 - Kdog Likes this wine:

I will say I’ve been supremely disappointed with this wine previously but am a burgundy neophyte. Today much better. Decant 3-4 hrs. Bricking, earthy notes fade to reveal tart but not too tart cherry fruits, medium plus acidity, integrated tannins. Interesting to me is the wine really put on weight with air and came to be medium to full bodied which was a pleasure for me. So i do prefer my new world RR pinots but this is an interesting progressive experience in the glass. Just tough being so patient with it.

7/3/2020 - Kdog wrote:

2 hr decant drank over 2 nights. Spice, earthy freshness on the nose, seamless on the palate, well integrated tannins, pepper, dark fruit flavors, medium long finish. Well balanced, well made, really solid at 10 years, a lot of little things to appreciate. Cheers to the producer.

5/4/2019 - Kdog Likes this wine:

Fabulous for a $60-70 Napa Cab 11 yrs of age. 3 hr decant, still youthful dark red fruits no bricking but close, very aromatic nose with oak, vanilla and red fruits. Velvety mid palate, med to long finish with resolved but still a grip on the finish. Outkicks its coverage by a longshot, well made by quality producer.

11/20/2018 - Kdog wrote:

Bad bottle, hopefully. Have a few more, maybe need to drink asap

8/4/2018 - Kdog wrote:

This wine is outstanding. A terrific syrah with great concentration of flavor and oak influence that is stern but not over the top. Having consumed alot of syrah, the detail and dedication to the winemaking and vineyard management is impressive. For $48 its a steal.

5/29/2018 - Kdog wrote:

Similar notes as others, needed double decant 4-5 hrs to really come around. Elegant and delicious

5/19/2018 - Kdog wrote:

This stuff is at high tide. 2 hour decant but not sure it needed it. Fragrant nose, meaty, gamey, velvety, lush, sweet red/blue fruits. Flat out delicious, I dont think this could get to be in a better place.

4/15/2018 - Kdog wrote:

Drank last night vs a lot of high end Napa Cabs and really held its own. Took a long decant to come around 4-5 hrs then poured back into bottle. Delicious sweet dark fruits but not overly so, pure velvet and seamless in the mid palate with a nice medium finish. A joy to drink, great value for Napa cabs.

4/15/2018 - Kdog Likes this wine:

Drank last night vs a lot of high end Napa cabs and showed very well. 2 hour decant, no formal notes, this was singing. Delicious fruit, powerful mid palate, long finish, all well balanced and structured. Best PR i’ve had out of many vintages. In a great spot right now.

4/1/2018 - Kdog wrote:

2 yrs since last taste. Better, still needs lengthy decant, i doubled it. Dark fruits come through the complex body, very balanced in a more Napa Cab-reserved style.

11/20/2017 - Kdog wrote:

Luscious sweet fruit that has enough acidity to balance it out. Ready to roll after a short decant.

10/16/2017 - Kdog wrote:

This wine takes forever to open up. Slow ox 24 hrs, decant 3 hrs, completely shut down herbal and acidic. Vacuum pumped, sat 2 days, almost poured it out. Opened, magical round luscious cabernet with youthful sweet fruits and resolved tannins. Its all there, not the first time I had to get the PR in a headlock to get the fruit to come out, frustrating. Patience and planning will be rewarded.

7/30/2017 - Kdog wrote:

Very nice. Bright, great acidity, juicy fruit, cola, concentrated in the mid palate with a little patience. Thumbs up.

6/24/2017 - Kdog wrote:

Still a terrific wine, contrary to others still has plenty of stuffing to go potentially many more years. Just a tint of bricking on the edge. Needs 4 hour decant, plenty of rich, velvety, sweet stags leap fruit, grippy tannins, long finish. For the $50 I paid for it, tremendous QPR. I think the best of all Lede's entry Stags Leap Cabs over the years.

5/26/2017 - Kdog wrote:

Awesome. No decant, little air, brilliant nose, delicious, bright strawberry, black cherry fruit, mouthwatering acidity, a pleasure to drink. A terrific rendition of the Melville style.

4/7/2017 - Kdog wrote:

Powerful stuff. Takes forever to draw it out, double decant and still 5 hrs for it to start to come around. Impressive fruit, acidity in the mid palate, real grip on the finish. If i were patient this wine could go a long way.

1/19/2017 - Kdog wrote:

Very nice wine. Aromatic, bright cola, spice, strawberry on the mid-palate, a little earthiness, 15-30 sec finish. Got for $20, great QPR.

12/31/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Agree with last note. Fantastic. Aggressive decant 3-4 hrs, still took an hour in the glass. Muted nose initially, til palate comes around. Velvety red and black fruits, seamless tannins, powerful mid palate and 30-45 sec finish. Wine became so much better with air, balanced, well made, voluptuous. So happy yet sad to have one more.

11/11/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Terrific wine. Decant 2 hours, a little smoked meat, gamey, on the nose, faint dark fruits. Velvety dark fruits, currant that builds with power on the mid palate and an impressive finish that lets you know its something, 30-60 sec. Nice acidity and integrated yet still a little grippy tannins. Complex and well-balanced, round, impressive wine. Pissed I only bought one. Red Mountain mourvedre has just won me over.

9/5/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Okay but longing for more. 3 hr decant and still tight, would double decant if I had to do it over. When it finally came around it had classic cab lower profile flavors, earthy, cocoa, dark red fruit, structured. Had a small window of what I was hoping for that showed its power and pedigree, but the finish seemed to tail off after what I considered to be not long enough. I think this wine's reviews will vary greatly due to how its handled.

8/6/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Awesome. No decant, very concentrated, voluptuous intense fruit, long finish. Acidity and fruit in balance, dusty tannins to maintain the finish. My style.

6/12/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Took a long time to coax this one out of its shell, did 2 hr decant and didnt come alive for another 2 hours. Finally, was very nice, lush fruit, medium acidity, medium finish. Not as full throttle as other K wines I've had but still a nice one.

5/27/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Takes an 45min-1hour decant, love the smoked meat on the nose. Full and round on the palate, concentrated fruit but not over the top. Great acidity keeps it lively and a little grip on the finish. Well made, joy to drink

4/23/2016 - Kdog Likes this wine:

Outstanding. Ageless for being 8 yrs old. Ready after PNP, not a subtle pinot. Fruit forward, rich and velvety, mild acidity, mouthwatering fine tannins on the long finish. Very new world, and to my liking

3/27/2016 - Kdog wrote:

This wine needs at least a 4-5 hour decant to coax out its power. I did 2 hour decant and only after 20 min in the glass did it begin to come alive. And i felt there was plenty more to uncover. No score because of mute start but will live up to its pedigree and score.

3/1/2016 - Kdog wrote:

Delicious. Luscious and velvety, fruit forward profile but enough elegance to keep harmony. I think I'll enjoy these young.

11/26/2015 - Kdog wrote:

This wine was absolutely outstanding if you prefer a fruit forward style. Has everything, and young but still balances out well. Big bright black cherry, mixed berry fruits, not too sweet, balanced by firm acidity. Velvety in the mid palate, nice tannic grip on the 30-60 sec finish. Plenty of stuffing to hold for years. I have had a hundred Tensleys, this one is my favorite to date.

6/29/2015 - Kdog wrote:

Outstanding cab, great QPR for high quality Napa Cab. Rich Stags leap fruit profile, everything is there. Still youthful at 10 years, wish I had more.

5/29/2015 - Kdog wrote:

This was classic Syrah-fruit forward Tensley with nuances. The new oak provided some added complexity, had a noticeable acidic backbone that needed just a bit of air but kept things very bright to balance the ripe fruit. A terrific sweet spice on the finish, similalr to spice box and a tinge of cinnamon, surprising to me. From having had a lot of Tensleys the variety in this was very enjoyable.

5/21/2015 - Kdog wrote:

Popped and poured, fairly muted. Opened up well with some air so definitely recommend 30-60min decant. No detailed notes other than to say a nice wine with well rounded acidity and fruit profile.

5/4/2015 - Kdog wrote:

2 hour decant, ready to roll. Little earth, on the nose, mostly subdued. Palate is expressive with lush, full bodied, ripe blackberry, currant, tobacco, concentrated, slight acidity. Sweet, nice dusty tannins on the finish. Really nice wine, good QPR. May skip decant next bottle, see it develop more, definitely newer world style. A pleasure.

3/21/2015 - Kdog Likes this wine:

No decant, strawberry and mixed berry fruits on the nose, a little earthy stem. There is a real intensity and purity to the fruit, backed by racy acidity to balance. Silky, clean, iintensity builds in the midpalate, juicy on the finish. Classic melville flavors taken up a notch. Delicious. If you want burgundy then dont buy this, and that will be your loss.

3/16/2015 - Kdog wrote:

2 hour decant. Tannins completely resolved, classic balanced cab, plenty of earthiness and nothing overwhelming via fruit or alcohol. For those who like a reserved style of Napa cab this is right in their wheelhouse. I like a little more power from the fruit, as I would expect from a Napa cab at this price point and lineage. Still plenty to appreciate about this wine.

11/2/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Decant 4 hrs, earthy barnyard nose that gives way to subtle dark red fruits with air. Medium to full bodied, got better with air as it put on weight and the dark red rustic fruits developed. Medium finish, elegant and velvety, very nice wine.

10/27/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Very balanced all around, gained a little spice and complexity since my last taste. Thoughtful, well made wine.

10/20/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Second bottle, benefitted from 2 hr decant and served at cellar temp that seemed to tame the acidity and smooth out the younger edges. Bright red fruit flavors, pepper, soft and delicate on the palate, yet still round in its fruit and mouthfeel. Great QPR, not tremendously complex but not sure what others expect at this price point. Nice wine.

10/16/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Delicious wine, no decant. Ready to roll with a little work in the glass. A little oak and blue and black fruits on the nose. Velvety palate, sweet blueberry, blackberry. Integrated tannins with a little grip, mouthwatering acidity, medium plus finish. True to its score, will hold but think its fairly peaked. Not to share.

9/19/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Drinking beautifully, consumed over three days (I should drink faster I know). No bricking, subdued nose, a little earthy funk, little oak with just hints of dark fruits. Lush and velvety on the palate with sweet blue and black fruits, tannins integrated but definitely still present. Don't think this is getting any worse anytime soon. Think it still has the stuffing to go 3-4 more years. Got better as it went, agree with others on a short decant.

9/6/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Opened day 1 PnP, day 2 it really came alive. Recommend a decant. Bright, clean, dark berry flavors, cola, solid acidity, really put on weight day 2. Very nice.

8/31/2014 - Kdog wrote:

- Medium forming legs - Drank over 3 days, delicious. Very concentrated, lush, velvety sweet dark fruits of blueberry currant, blackberry. Tannins well integrated but plenty for structure, long finish. Paired well with kick ass salty ribeyes, brought out the sweetness of the fruit. New world and lovely.

8/16/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Very nice syrah, quality producer, young and ripe. A little earth and dark brooding fruits on the nose, alcohol. Medium to full bodied on the palate, currant, sweet blackberry, juicy acidity that makes it lively, medium finish. Nice fruit forward Santa Ynez syrah.

7/12/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Agree with some previous notes, decant 30 minutes, ready to roll, a little oak, vanilla, dark berries, a little pepper on the finish. Developed, extracted fruit with a clean, not overwhelming quality. Good winemaking, great wine.

7/7/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Nice cab, 1st try, stood up well to smoked meat. Toasty oak and vanilla on the nose, pretty solid and balanced, nothing out of whack and classic oakville cab flavors. Sweet tannins for sure, nice balance for salty food, surprising to me but works to my taste. Solid QPR, happy i have more.

7/4/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Juicy, racy, pure up front fruits that are backed by solid acidity. Full mid palate, turns my wine friends heads. Good QPR, should have bought more.

7/1/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Corked. Big bummer.

6/14/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Delicious stuff, it really rocks right now. Sad these guys are no more. 92

6/3/2014 - Kdog wrote:

Second bottle, lost its youthful exuberance, luscious cherry cola, good acidity, bright SBC pinot. Wish I had bought a few more.

6/1/2014 - Kdog wrote:

2 hour decant. A wine worthy of its stature. Very earthy beginning to a dark fruitier finish. Wine slowly developed over 90min, nice complexity, elegant, beautiful, subtle and generous at the same time, long finish. Intellectual. It really comes full circle from a slow start. Have faith, be rewarded.