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Comments on my notes

(13 comments on 13 notes)

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Red
2019 Realm Cellars The Bard Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
3/23/2024 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
96 points
Smooth and flavorful. Had as a pop and pour, with aeration in the glass. Dark red and black fruits, soft tannins. Remains a crowd pleaser, and for high-end Napa Cabs, a good QPR nowadays.

  • sonodoc commented:

    3/24/24, 1:39 PM - I certainly enjoyed this as a pop and pour, so you don’t need to hesitate next time!

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Red
2018 Realm Cellars The Absurd Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
12/14/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
97 points
Had this as a pop and pour after a 2019 Scarecrow. On my first tastes I thought this was as good as or better than the Scarecrow, but as a little time went on I realized that it did not quite keep up with the Scarecrow. With berry fruits and a smooth long finish, there was a hint of sourness or acidity in the finish that I might not have noticed except in comparison to the previous wine. But still very nice, even if a little ridiculously priced.

  • sonodoc commented:

    12/15/23, 1:03 PM - It sure was! Was breaking out some of my best bottles for my birthday.

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Red
2019 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
10/1/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
97 points
Fabulous! Incredibly smooth and silky, with raspberry and blueberry flavors (and many more) . I was planning to save some to revisit tomorrow night, but this just went down too easy.

  • sonodoc commented:

    10/5/23, 8:22 PM - I had this as a pop and pour. It didn't seem to need decanting, but perhaps it would have been even better with one!

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Red
2018 Realm Cellars The Bard Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
8/11/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
94 points
In recent years the Bard has been consistently one of my favorite wines. While the 2018 does not have the stunning intensity and complexity of flavors as the 2013, or the delicious flavors of the 2016 and some other vintages, it is still a very nice Napa Cabernet based wine with plenty of dark fruit and a smooth finish. Had this as a pop and pour, and it didn’t last long enough in the glass to find out what it does with some air; maybe next time!

  • sonodoc commented:

    8/12/23, 10:48 AM - I will have to try decanting next time, and see if that makes a difference. I also suspect that with the increased production in recent years that it would be hard to maintain the same quality as in the past, especially since Juan Mercado stepped away from production of the Realm wines a number of years ago, as he used to be the final taste tester of the blends.

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Red
2019 Sine Qua Non Syrah Distenta I Central Coast
7/17/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
98 points
Had as a pop and pour after taking it to a local restaurant. I spent several minutes just enjoying the nose of blackberry and black cherry. The palate also is overwhelmingly dark fruit, with an initial hint of tannin and alcohol, which becomes unnoticeable with a little time and accompanying savory food. I like my Syrahs young and bold, and this easily satisfies that, although I’m sure it will be even a little better with some more age. Everyone who tasted this tonight was impressed!

  • sonodoc commented:

    8/6/23, 5:31 PM - Thanks Ozziewine! I haven’t had an Andremily Syrah yet, but with your strong recommendation I’ll need to find some and give it a try! I haven’t been on the SQN list for very long, so not a lot of experience yet. I drank 5 SQN Grenache wines before I had my first two SQN Syrahs, and the Grenache were all excellent! The Distenta I Syrah was superb, as good as almost any wine that I’ve ever had. The Eleven Confessions Syrah was also an excellent wine, but to me it was well away from the quality of the Distenta I.

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Red
2016 Realm Cellars The Bard Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
6/27/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
95 points
Excellent! But was blown away by the 2013 Bard magnum that we had first!

  • sonodoc commented:

    6/28/23, 7:42 PM - 👍

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Red
2014 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
6/16/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
97 points
An awesome wine that is aging well. Very smooth and balanced, a superb Napa Cab.

  • sonodoc commented:

    6/20/23, 7:50 PM - All we did was open the bottle and leave it in the bottle for about an hour while we drank a Sine Qua Non Grenache first, and that seemed to work fine for us.

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Red
2012 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Katrina Eileen Napa Valley
2/2/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
92 points
To me this wine has aged out. While still smooth and enjoyable, it has lost most of the fruit flavors that I loved a few years ago, and has more of the earthy flavors that some people enjoy more than I do.

  • sonodoc commented:

    2/5/23, 2:16 PM - Yes, this might just have been an off bottle. It was my last one, so I may never know.

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Red
2014 Realm Cellars The Absurd Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
2/17/2021 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
98 points
Plenty of red and black fruit, smooth tannins. Delicious!

  • sonodoc commented:

    2/24/21, 8:43 PM - I actually had this more or less as a pop and pour We opened the bottle maybe half an hour before, but didn't decant it.

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Red
2016 Realm Cellars The Bard Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
11/22/2020 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
95 points
Lots of berry fruits. Delicious but still a touch tannic. To me this was a toss up against a 2017 Schrader RBS, with the Schrader ahead by a nose with being a little smoother with softer tannins.

  • sonodoc commented:

    11/24/20, 9:14 PM - Yes, I sure have to agree that the Bard is a much better qpr than the Schrader, which is why I try to buy a lot of a Realm, and a small allocation of Schrader.

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Red
2016 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Vineyard Stags Leap District
8/6/2020 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
94 points
A big wine, with intense blackberry and currant flavors.

  • sonodoc commented:

    8/8/20, 8:11 PM - No decanting - I took it to a restaurant and had it as a pop and pour. But I did save a little to take home and finished it off the next day; not much difference.

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Red
2010 Cardinale Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
9/13/2019 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
96 points
An excellent Napa Cab. Very smooth, with soft tannins. Plenty of dark fruit flavors, with hints of earthiness and smokiness. Paired superbly with an espresso encrusted rack of lamb.

  • sonodoc commented:

    6/2/20, 7:31 PM - I had this as a pop and pour and loved it. I tend not to decant older wines, and just like to see how they evolve over time in the glass and the bottle.

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Red
2014 Realm Cellars The Bard Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
7/13/2017 - sonodoc Likes this wine:
96 points
No changes from my last note. Another excellent bottle of Realm!

  • sonodoc commented:

    7/16/17, 8:56 AM - Yes, an OB/Gyn

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