4/21/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Very nice with a 60 minute decant. Don’t think this will improve much from here.

4/21/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

I agree with RayT, the 2016 seems much bigger than prior EE vintages. We had it after a 2014 Tor BTK, and it was a little like going from Smokey Robinson to AC/DC. Both wines had a 60 minute decant. I’d try the 2016 EE again in a few years with a longer decant.

4/14/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

First glass after an hour decant was disappointing. The wine was thin, a little rough, with high toned red fruit (strawberry?) and a funky note. Smoother, darker and deeper after another hour.

4/6/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Really, really good after a two hour decant.

2/3/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

I know some CTers like to compare wine to women but I am going in a different direction. After a 60 minute decant, the 2013 Altagracia was like a bulldozer. Not a Cat D11, but still big with a dark plum and dark chocolate paint job. After another couple of hours the wine had shed some of its brawn - more like a big pickup with dark cherry paint, a hunk of chocolate in the cargo bed, and some nice detailing in herbal green. Really liked driving around in the pickup.

What can I say? Sometimes fine wine brings to mind an exquisite painting, and sometimes it’s heavy equipment.

P.S. The Altagracia was last night’s wine. Tonight’s is a 2009 Ovid, which is definitely a Porsche.

1/19/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

I’m a Napa cab fan, and found this to be a nice change of pace on a cold winter evening. Dark fruit without being sweet, core of intense herbal liquor. Dense and chewy more than 4 hours after decanting. Curious what this might be like in 5 or 10 years. This is the first of 3 bottles, so I might find out.

1/5/2024 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Quite electric after a 2 hour decant, maybe capable of higher voltage with a few more years. Not trying to be prosaic, electric is just the word that kept coming into my head.

12/9/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Four hour decant, K thought it was still a little tight and she was right.

11/23/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Agree with Mr. Christiansen, this is drinking very well with a 2 hour decant. It excelled with a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner with lots of spice and tomato sauce. That said, it’s still got room to improve and I expect it will over the next few years.

11/18/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Enjoyed after a 2 hour decant with L&D before going to K’s birthday party. At this point the wine was nice but a touch rough and disjointed - maybe 93/94. There was a half glass left in the decanter when we got home, 6 hours after initially pouring the wine, and it was stupendous. Smooth as silk with lively blue/red fruit, spice and a long finish. I rarely score a wine above 95 but this last glass is deserving.

11/17/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Very thick after a 3 hour decant, smoother, lighter and a little less interesting 90 minutes later.

10/6/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

My fifth of six bottles. Drinking through this Pavots vintage too quickly which must mean it’s meeting expectations.

10/6/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

At the moment the 2013 Bella Oaks seems to have a little less fruit, and a little more bitterness and tannin compared to the Staglin Estate bottling. Tonight it was served as an emergency bottle to replace a corked wine and may have benefited from a decant. Could be better with more age and/or a substantial decant.

9/23/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Decanted for 60 minutes, and during the next few hours the wine went through a pretty dramatic transition from big, soft and sweet to savory and somewhat structured. At least tonight I would have liked to hold onto big and sweet a little longer.

9/16/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Drank next to a 2010 Ramey Pedregal, and the Schafer was a touch smoother and a touch more integrated, but both are really nicke wines drinking well with a 90 minute decant.

9/9/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Started out well as a PNP and improved over several hours. Good focus and concentration in a medium weight cab franc. Dark cherry, citrus, and lemongrass. I’d score a point higher if the finish were a little longer and the tannins less grippy.

9/2/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

After a 30 minute decant, this bottle of the 2012 Private Reserve seemed old, with brownish margins and some musty off notes (straw? chamomile tea?). But by the time dinner was ready (at least another 30 minutes) the wine had shed the off notes and become a soft, easy drinking and probably in-it’s-prime cab. I have a few more bottles and I think it’s time to enjoy them.

8/26/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

IMO this is drinking very well right now.

8/26/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

Tailgating before a Springsteen concert, so this was a PNP. Really good, with a lot of power and energy. Would probably benefit from a 90 minute decant or a few more years in the cellar.

8/25/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Really nice, probably at its peak. Opened the bottle 30 minutes before serving, but did not decant.

8/25/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

This bottle was past it’s drinking window. Brown at the edges on the pour and in the glass, with musty notes on the palate. I have two more bottles and hope for some bottle variation in a positive direction.

8/20/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Needs air for a couple of hours to open up. By then it’s a pretty respectable mid-weight cab with mild tannins and pretty good length and complexity for the price.

8/19/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

Not enjoyable after a two hour decant. Dark red fruit and pine forest, with a monolithic attack and a short, tannic finish. Began to loosen up and stretch out after about five hours.

8/12/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Energetic and lively after a short decant.

8/12/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Energetic and lively after a short decant.

7/22/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Two hour decant seemed just right.

7/21/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Fifteen months after my last bottle, and following a 2 hour decant this bottle had a better showing. Dark blue fruit, mint, tarragon, and on the medium long finish some cinnamon and pepper. Much more savory than fruity. Not sure if there is another positive evolution, but there might be.

7/15/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Spectacular, the best of 5 bottles. Sorry I have only one more.

7/8/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

In a really good place after a 30 minute decant. I have several more and I’m not sure there’s a reason to hold them longer.

7/5/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

It’s a real commentary on how the wine world has evolved - or maybe it’s just me - but it’s sad that at $120 The Bard is an “entry level” Napa cab. That said, it may be the best at this price point and a bargain compared to what you get from some bottles at twice the price.

7/2/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

Sliding past its peak.

7/1/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Hold until 2025-2028.

P.S. A coravined glass was left in the bottle for Day 2. Poured it and let it breath for an hour, and it was significantly more rich and complex than on Day 1. I’d score Day 2 at 94 or even 95.

6/24/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

Decanted for 2 hours and intended to serve for friends before a 2000 Pichon Baron. I decided it was not worthy and opted to serve the Pichon Baron followed by a Napa Cab. Two years ago I thought this wine was a little special, but not tonight.

6/24/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Only beginning to open up after a 3 hour decant. Smooth, with soft tannins, but nothing special yet. Hold for a few years.

6/23/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

Did not really begin to open until 4 hours after being decanted. Smooth and rich with fairly soft tannins, but still primary with little secondary action beyond a nice smoky note.

5/27/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Really needs at least 3 hours of air. Many years of life left.

5/26/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

After a 3 hour decant, the 2010 Cemetery is almost explosive, with big red-blue fruits, some cayenne, and unfortunately drying tannins that appear on the mid-palate and expand on the finish. It’s really mouth filling, and a little unruly, but sort of joyful to drink (in comparison to the mournful label art). I have a few more bottles, and it would be great if the tannins soften before the fruit dissipates but I’m not sure that will happen.

5/20/2023 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

After a 3 1/2 hour decant, the 2015 Aida was disappointing. Medium weight, which is a nice change of pace from the typically heavy Napa Cabs. Unfortunately the wine was a little bitter, without much fruit and without savory notes beyond some Cayenne Pepper. Also some significant tannins on the finish. The tannins may resolve with time, but I’m not sure age will add much of interest. I have a few more bottles and I was hoping for more.

4/22/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

3 hour decant recommended at this stage.

3/25/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Very nice after a 90 minute decant but after another 90 minutes it’s become a one dimensional zombie

3/4/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Complex blue fruit with a long finish and integrated tannins. Not sure it was needed, but very nice after a 90 minute decant and still strong 4 hours later.

2/25/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Drank alongside a 2013 Bevan Harbison Cabernet. The Bevan was terrific, but the Shafer was the unanimous group choice (4 of 4). Both were de anted for about an hour. The Bevan was bigger, while the Shafer was more balanced, silky and nuanced. Of course the Shafer had four more years of bottle age and both bottles brought smiles to everyone’s face.

1/29/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Enjoyed with Lisa, Dave and Tabitha the cat. Note to self: it’s worth holding a bottle or two through 2025 to see where this goes.

1/29/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

We opened a 2013 Bevan EE and a 2013 Schrader RBS. Both were very good after a 60 minute decant. The Bevan was a little bigger, bolder and darker; the Schrader a little smoother and lighter with fruit more to the reddish end of the spectrum. I expect both of these wines will improve over the next few years.

1/29/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

We opened a 2013 Bevan EE and a 2013 Schrader RBS. Both were very good after a 60 minute decant. The Bevan was a little bigger, bolder and darker; the Schrader a little smoother and lighter with fruit more to the reddish end of the spectrum. I expect both of these wines will improve over the next few years.

1/13/2023 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

My penultimate bottle of the 2012 vintage. Wish I had more.

12/28/2022 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

First half of the bottle was drawn via Coravin and seemed thin and, well, uninteresting after a 45 minute decant. Opened the bottle the next day and the remainder had a little more body and energy. This was the first of 6 bottles and I’m going to try another bottle before scoring.

12/26/2022 - Red Sox Fan wrote:

Not much going on after a short decant and an hour later….still not much going on. Some dark fruit and charcoal, with a little too much tannic grit on the finish. In deference to more favorable recent reviews, I am going to withhold a score until trying another bottle.

12/26/2022 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour and needed another hour to really begin to open up. Compared to a 2013 Tor To-Kalon Cabernet, this was bigger and more robust. Dark blue back fruit, graphite, a little tea and citrus, with somewhat gritty tannins. Interested to see w this evolves.

12/25/2022 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine:

Similar my experience in July. Drinking well now, but almost delicate for a Napa cab. I’m not sure this wine lasts 5 years, much less through 2034.