5/5/2012 - wittkoje wrote:

Slow O for 8 hours, decanted for 1 hour. What a treat! Huge, fragrant nose. Pure cassis fruit, leather, and some light sweet oak notes fill the glass. Soft on entry in your mouth, but picks up intensity as it crosses your palate. Great balance of tannins and acidity. Awesome! Not too huge. Everyone loved this wine and it was WOTN amongst 3 other Aaron Pott wines (09 Pott Actaeon, 06 Pott Incubo, 06 Seven Stones).

4/3/2012 - wittkoje wrote:

Wow. This lived up to the hype. Decanted 6 hours, consumed over 3 hours. Beautiful nose, long elegant palate. Not too dense or too modern. Loved it.

2/26/2012 - wittkoje wrote:

Recently, my wife and I were fortunate to get a little preview of the upcoming Fairchild Estate release….the 2009 Sigaro Vineyard Cabernet.

Swirling the glass, the aromas flooded my nose and I smiled on the inside. I didn’t want my obvious joy to cloud my wife’s experience. I watched her do the same and finally I smiled when she said “Holy $#it.” What a nose! Dark cherries, and blackberries, leather and tobacco …. some freshly-turned earth and gravel also peak through. Almost as an afterthought, there were some gentle oak-spices to round out the end…

The palate of this wine is really incredible. Grace with underlying vigor. Polished and pure. The wine feels understated, but is truly quite complex. The fruits enter nimbly and dance across this tip of your tongue. The weight picks up in the mid-palate and fills out, without being too “heavy”, balanced by a perfect core of acidity. The tannins are gripping, but frame the wine wonderfully and lead to a long, long finish. The fruits lead the way, with hints of tobacco, iron, and stones, with a pull of earthiness and spice at the finish.

What I like best about this wine is what it’s not. It’s not ponderous. It’s not plush. It’s not overripe. It’s not a heavy-hitter and there is no alcoholic burn at the end. It doesn’t overwhelm my palate with heft and grip, yet it still had remarkable depth and complexity. I’ve realized that I don’t always appreciate the huge, overwhelming palate presence that many Cali cabs have, that I once loved and sought after. This wine delivers the “feel” that I want, with charm and might, but without being massive. To me, this is a wonderful expression of California cabernet. Easy 97+ points.

2/2/2012 - wittkoje wrote:

Slow O for 10 hours with a 1 hour decant. Truly a lovely wine.

8/25/2011 - wittkoje wrote:

My first bottle since tasting at the winery. Lou recommends serving this after 12 hours of slow-O and a 2 hr decant. I did as instructed and this wine soared! This was so engaging and thoughtful .... different than the other "Culty" Napa cabs in this price range. Broad mouthful of red fruits, leather, pencil lead, and spice. Not a flamboyant power-hitter, this wine impresses you with its sophistication .... but there is definitely muscle under the Armani suit. The tannins are still very present and speak well to its ageability. Was such a pleasure to spend a few hours sipping on this wine. BTW, this wine was super tight when I poured a sample after popping the cork. I can see why Lou recommends his wines be served this way. A pop and pour is doing this wine a disservice. 95 pts

2nd Night: This was even better! Tannins have mellowed a bit more and the fruit has opened up more. This is truly remarkable! 96 pts.

6/18/2011 - wittkoje wrote:

Decanted 2 hours. Wonderful wine and my first Maybach. Glad I got on this list early.