April 6, 2024 - This bottle, while delicious, was a little more advanced than prior bottles. Sweet fruit and full bodied, but showing more tertiary flavors than in the past.
March 2, 2024 - Popped and poured sediment removed, freaking scrumptious. I knew the O2’s were gonna last a long time from Napa and Sonoma.
August 14, 2023 - From magnum. Bravo. Still tannins present, and loaded with delicious fruit. Wish I had a lot more of the 2002 Etude cab, as this will be drinking well for another 10 years I’d guess.
February 19, 2023 - A dynamite 2002 Etude cab. Dark, with no browning. Delicious flavors of blueberry and blackberry, carried forward from the similar nose. Had a glass of the remaining half-bottle the next day at it was at least as good - the fruit being perhaps a bit sweeter. Drinking at peak!
February 6, 2023 - From half bottle. Quite tasty after a quick decant. Good balance, despite some 02 ripeness (read heat). Good tertiary development. I might hold in 750, though this is showing quite well in 375ml.
November 13, 2022 - From half-bottle. Dark ruby to garnet on meniscus. Currant leaf, desiccated blackberry, cedar, pencil lead and anisette on the nose. The palate is ripe and contrasts ripe black and red hedge fruit with fine-grained (just this side of massaged) tannins with a subtle earthy core. There’s fine energy and brio here— far more vibrancy than previous tastings and the persistence seems to have grown. Quite enjoyable, and worth purchasing again in my estimation. Lovely with pan-roasted culotte steak, flashed kale, and roasted sweet potato. Very pleased with the development on this wine. Good freshness and quite good tertiary character. Drink if in half bottle, drink and hold in 750ml.
June 25, 2022 - PnP’ed out of a wine cradle. Pronounced nose of dried blackcurrant and blackberry, spices, cedar, wet earth, and tobacco. Medium acidity, full body, and fully resolved tannins complement the complex flavors. There was, however, lots of heat on the medium finish. With the fruit notes giving way to tertiary ones and the out-of-balance alcohol, it probably won’t improve more with more time.
January 18, 2022 - Subsequent notes on this wine from 6 years ago. Deep, dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & aromatic nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, cassis & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, mint, dark cocoa, cedar & tobacco, dried herbs, olives, minerals, spices & hints of oak in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, lush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & cassis with dark cocoa, herbs, minerals, spices & oak in the background. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing but it may close to or at its peak of development at 20 years of age although it should hold onto its current plateau for a few more years.
September 22, 2021 - Gorgeous wine. Blackberry, black cherry, and black raspberry fruit. Wonderful creamy texture on the mid-palate with notes of dried herbs, black licorice, cedar, and subtle earth. Beautiful smooth tannins on the long finish. At almost 20 years old, this is in a great drinking spot right now but rush on this one. Love this vintage.
March 13, 2021 - Simply delicious. Opaque and dark purple at the edges. Nose of sweet freshly sliced plums. Similar initial flavors with a bit of a spicy finish. 24 hours later, a taste from the remaining 1/3 bottle shows the wine even better. The spiciness has lessened (though still present on the finish) and the mouthfeel is perhaps a tiny bit softer. Still, though - very little overnight development. This 2002 Etude cab easily has 10 more years of drinking with a similar yummy tasting note.