August 21, 2022 - Dark almost black; intense dark berries, leather; soft silky attack followed by loads of intense dark berries, licorice and dark chocolate; a heavy wine, no finesse but with loads of everything
May 31, 2022 - Took delivery six years ago and this last bottle was begging to be enjoyed. Didn’t let me down. Ripe still with Stags Leap fruit, it’s a less tannic - and close shot to Cliff Lede’s other fine wines. On the attack it was a mink - silky smooth black fruit with cassis and hints of leather and cedar (no doubt from the ABV), and oh so rich. Midpalate jamminess was for me - since I’ve been enjoying CL wines since ‘08, lovely. Finish was long and layered with white pepper, blueberries and Concorde grapes taking me back to my - dare I share - Manischewitz-addled youth. And this was upon opening. L’Chaim!
November 2, 2020 - Delicious, full bodied, fruit forward blend from a spectacular vintage. Dark brooding, sour cherry, blackberry, black raspberry, baking spice and a hint of creosote on the palate. Smooth, silky tannins and a lingering finish with a hint of oak. Wish I had more of this vintage.
March 24, 2020 - Rich, fulfilling red. Tastes more like a Cabernet than a claret. Indigo in color. Spicy, pepper and a bit of green vegetable on the nose. Dark cherry, black raspberry, very, dark, bitter, chocolate on the palate with a hint of sweetness at the end. Full bodied with a lingering finish.
July 3, 2019 - A rich and yet, just slightly, thin red wine. The mouthfeel is a bit of a let down. It has a wonderful fruit flavor on the palette. There are notes of cherry, some cassis, and slight strawberry. The finish is more intense with notes of dried bluebery, and dusty earth. Loved it, but something here is not quite right. It is thin in both mouthfeel and palette. The wine did improve over the next hour but enough to overcome these shortfalls.
All that said it is a nice wine and worth letting sit for 5 more years.
April 6, 2019 - Needs 1 hour decant, turned pretty good over the night.
December 28, 2017 - Lovely!
October 1, 2017 - This wine is good to go out of the gate. Rustic red fruit coats your mouth with a firm background.
August 17, 2017 - PnP with dinner. It tasted very bordeaux'ish upon opening but became more fruit forward as the night went on. I am not sure if went well with dinner but not solo or if it changed. We will see how it is tomorrow. Still good overall. l
March 7, 2017 - Nice bright and tasty. Not an amazing wine but good. Might get better with some time