12/25/2023 - savageriver Likes this wine:

It was bright, nice acid an light tannins. Took a hour an half to open up decanted.

12/3/2023 - savageriver wrote:

Tasted along with a 2022, to be honest and didn’t enjoy either, but the 1997 had only faded a little
bit an was very comparable to the newer wine. He older wine was better, but not by much. I was gifted many older bottles from a friends cellar, so I have been buying current releases to compare. This color had faded but it tasted very comparable.

10/25/2023 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Decanted 1 hour and it still had an ethanol on the nose. I Enjoyed the bottle the second night more more. Needs time to open up.

10/22/2022 - savageriver Likes this wine:

My wife an I enjoyed this wine. It drank well an was balance for having such high Alcohol. We bought this bottle at 39,00 at that price it didn’t disappoint. It seems like the retail much higher now. You can finder equal quality from Napa at lower price points, but we had this vintage on our wedding year an tasted the early vintage on our honeymoon at the vineyard, so it was worth the connection to the memories.

10/17/2021 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Tannins were silky, the alc/acid balance was prefect. The fruit and wood were blended and not over done. The nose was almost nonexistent besides a fate smell of red wine.

10/21/2018 - savageriver wrote:

It was good not outstanding. This went well with our meal but like others have said it like chadonnay as you would expect but made closer like a Chablis style but not their either.

10/21/2018 - savageriver Likes this wine:

The fruit was very good. It seemed well balanced. The tannins had chalky presence one the decanted they seemed a bit smoother. The end of the bottle had some sediment and smoke.

6/4/2018 - savageriver wrote:

Great at the price range well balanced for low cost Napa cab.

12/24/2017 - savageriver Does not like this wine:

I wanted to like this bottle. Decanted two hours, cleaned sediment out of bottle and double decanted. Dark purple The body was heavy while the tannins were not unbalanced in texture. Day 2 this improved. To be honest day one I almost dumped it. Maybe it baked before it made to where I bought it. Day 2 it tasted more like a mass produced Columbia valley cab, which was a improvement. I was between 84-86 so I placed my higher number.

12/23/2017 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Awesome wine maybe in its prime. Decanted and served. Was a gift a few years ago glad to have and extra bottle.

12/8/2017 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Enjoyed the bottle! On opening the tannins were to heavy for the wieght of the wine, but 2 hours decanted balanced everything out really well. I would not decant this to long or to much structure will fade. It’s not a mtn cab, but a blend, so it opens up pretty fast young. This is a great red for a home chef. Easy to find no cellar required decant when you start cooking and it’s ready to go.

12/3/2017 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Decanted for 6-8 hours. Dark purple almost black. The nose was black cherry and I want to say tabacoo. At 7 hours in the decanter the tannins smoothed out, but still held a lot of structure. Great balance. I would say everything about this wine is bold and it has a strong edge to it but finishes smooth. Some sediment in bottle.

11/29/2017 - savageriver wrote:

Used it to mix French 75 drinks did a great job.

11/29/2017 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Nice balance smooth tannins. Better then pervous bottles.

10/22/2017 - savageriver Likes this wine:

The nose was funky/musky at first, but gave way to lighter fruit. On taste the acid was up front and center and then the fruit, which tasted cooked. This drank much better with the meal. We had a triple cream Brie and then a grilled rack of lamb.

9/27/2015 - savageriver Likes this wine:

It is purple, which is starting to warm with age. All the aromas are light, but still pleasant. Medium to high acid and medium to low tannin's, which makes a nice balance. The fruit notes are mild and I noted more earthy tones. I drink mostly new world wines, so I think that is to be expected. It was decanted for 2 hours. It paired very well with grilled steak and cauliflower gratin. It was a 16 dollar bottle, which I liked, but I also expect more at this price point. The label is very different then the picture above. The newer label has a more classical look with line art of a chateau. This blend is 60% Cab and 40% Merlot, with 12.5 alcohol.

9/24/2015 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Dark Purple tones. Medium cherry, plum and smoked aromas accompanied by some alcohol. The flavors of blackberry, spice, vanilla and smoke. A good balance of acid and more tannins, and its is ready to drink, maybe decanting for the ritual. For below 8 dollars a bottle at Costco this wine is a steal. This is a great wine for the fall or next to a outdoor campfire. It's not for fine dining, but shines in rustic grilled food to some french cafe food.

9/24/2015 - savageriver Likes this wine:

Dark Purple tones. Mild cherry and plum aromas accompanied by alcohol. The flavors of fruit, vanilla and smoke. For a cab it maybe slightly low in acid and tannins, but the balance is still good and ready to drink. For a below 11 dollars a bottle this wine is a steal.