April 26, 2023 - Lots of vanilla on the nose. Medium viscosity. Blackberry and cherry palate. Very smooth. Acidity was very nice and makes it seem like this wine can still get better.
October 17, 2022 - This wine is drinking fantastic now, but could still improve in a couple of years. Deep dark Garnett color, great bouquet of dark fruit, light tobacco and vanilla and wonderful balance of tannins to blackberry and other dark fruit. Silky smooth in palate with nice even finish.
July 20, 2020 - 1 hour decant and it was absolutely beautiful. Deep, dark and brooding on the palate with some vanilla and menthol on the nose. Really got better as the night went on.
March 24, 2020 - Two hour decant. Bright, nearly opaque magenta color. Tobacco leaf, boysenberry/blackberry jelly, ginger, dandelion and graham cracker on the complex, brooding nose. Smooth, dry, slightly bitter palate, with hefty mouth filling acidity (that coats the tongue and roof of the mouth). Firm, full tannins on the long finish.
Great Cabernet, but bitterness on the palate prevents a higher score. May still improve in the coming year or two.
January 27, 2020 - Four hour decant. Very deep magenta color. Jicama, cucumber, plum, strawberry and black cherry syrup on the bright, fresh nose. Smooth, tongue drying, full bodied palate, with terrific acidity. There was a fruit paste quality as well (not sure if it was good or bad). Very full tannins on the longish finish.
October 3, 2018 - Four hour decant. Inky magenta color. Ripe blackberry syrup and warm vanilla on the diminutive nose. Grippy palate with good acidity. Full, round tannins on the medium finish. Even in its youth, I expected more complexity and a longer finish from a $125 bottle.
May 30, 2018 - Last stop on our fourth day in Napa Valley is Caldwell Vineyards in Coombsville. Third wine is their Gold Cabernet Sauvignon from their Signature Collection. This bottling is made up of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Caldwell Estate Vineyard in Coombsville. Aged for a total of 20 months in 100% new French oak. Only 254 cases produced.
Dark purplish ruby red in appearance. Lush nose with high intensity coated in dark berries, cinnamon and some more blackberries. Heavy tannins (8/10) with a ripe and full body. Layered palate with flavors of cassis, black and blue fruits, tobacco and some minerality. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2030.