June 18, 2023 - Just a lovely Cali Cab. And for me the best vintage and the best showing yet. Better after coravin plus air but not too much but can pop and pour. Classic in style not syrupy or Jammy like too many Cali cabs. Agree with the notes with higher scores and flavor profile and Personally I like it better than the neighbor it shares vines with (silver oak) at half the price or less. Yummy, structured and at peak. Yes legs are amazingly prominent so higher in alcohol than optimal so hopefully will age well. Wish I had 3 cases but can’t seem to hold them. Will buy more if possible even if not this vintage which has been my favorite. Can go longer for sure. 91 (at least).
Also just a beautiful place to visit for a tasting if you are in NAPA.
October 8, 2021 - I really love this wine. Probably my favorite vintage of those I’ve tasted. Simple but elegant and a great wine with pizza on a Friday night. Smoky, dark fruit, robust. Better every time. Seems like it could last a long time but I see no reason to hold as it’s just excellent now. Not cheap but still a great QPR for a napa cab that’s not just a fruit bomb like so many are. 91+
September 5, 2021 - Fruit forward. Smooth. Complex.
September 22, 2020 - Black currants, cassis, cola, and eucalyptus aromas shine bright after a 2+ hour decant. Plump, full bodied, with a meaty texture, luscious fruit flavors, and firm but well-integrated tannin. This will keep getting better with age, allowing it to shed some of its New World opulence.
July 31, 2020 - Mellow, smoky undertones with a hint of tobacco. Not overly fruit forward. Nice. Crowd pleaser
May 22, 2020 - Smooth, easy drinking, jammy cab. Black fruits, soft tannins and relatively moderate heat given the 15.2% although it is a little peppery on the finish. A nice enjoyable mid-range cab. Right down the middle of the fairway. A good $35-$40 wine. Crowd pleaser. Good but not interesting.
January 24, 2020 - Mainly Cabernet Sauvginon with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah blended in. Aged in for 21 months in oak barriques (40% new). 15,2% alcohol, 5,6 g/l acidity. Tasted blind.
Dense, extracted and fully opaque blackish-red color with a youthful purple hue. The nose feels rich, ripe and very expressive with aromas of sweet boysenberries and blackcurrants, licorice, some crunchy chokeberry, a little bit of minty herbal character, light peppery tones, a hint of savory spices and a touch of sweet mocha oak. The wine is ripe, full-bodied and silky on the palate with intensely juicy flavors of sweet dark fruits, some jammy blackcurrants, a little bit of wizened red plums, light licorice tones, sweet oaky hints of mocha coffee and vanilla and a touch of savory wood spice. The moderately high acidity feels quite balanced with the fruit and the ripe, ample tannins lend some grip to the mouthfeel. The finish is ripe, long and concentrated with somewhat noticeable alcohol warmth and quite rich flavors of dark plums, some ripe blackcurrants, a little bit of vanilla oak, light savory notes of woody spice, a hint of licorice and a touch of mocha coffee.
A lush, ripe and juicy Napa Cab that is more on the unctuously fruity and oaky than on the stylish and structure-driven style. A big wine for people who think big means better. Although the wine is quite soft and weighty, it fortunately retains some balance with its good combination of acidity and firm tannins. However, albeit quite enjoyable and tasty in its modern way, this kind of voluptuous, very ripe and rather oaky style of Cab isn't really my kind of wine. Add a handful of points to my score, if you prefer fruit and oak over freshness, balance and structure. I hope the wine will lose some of its baby fat and integrate the oakier tones with the fruit if left to age in a cellar. Gives you more extraction than bang for the buck at 35,99€.
July 14, 2019 - We had this wine at a double blind tasting with friends. It showed well in the tasting, and was a enjoyed by all. Unfortunately, I left my tasting notes behind. It is nice now, but will likely improve with a few more years in the cellar.
December 23, 2018 - Earthy on the nose and in taste. Will not be getting this again.
August 11, 2018 - A BIG comedown from the 2012, which I would have rated a 93. A little sour at first and it never improved over three hours.