October 4, 2020 - Still drinking fine. Mild herbal nose. Tannins well softened with nice texture at this point. Fruit and wood are there, but all a bit muted.
February 26, 2011 - Popped and pored through a Vinturi and aerated. Classic ruby Cabernet color with a purplish hue (no bricking, no aging garnet color to speak of). Nose of deep, black fruits, blackberry, oak, vanilla, sweet spice. Very tight nose. Strong oak and vanilla on the palate, on first entry fruit is tight. No secondary, aged notes coming through yet. Slight hint of malolactic. This needs sufficient time to breathe. Medium tannins, nice acidity, medium weight but a bit hollow on the finish. A nice value though.
April 29, 2010 - nicely done. oak is evident as others have noted, but not overpoweringly so.
February 9, 2010 - Popped & poured. Dark violet-tinged nearly opaque garnet colour. Nose of dark fruit - blackberry, Bing cherry, black plum, a little spicy wood, vanilla bean and even a hint of cocoa. Dark and lovely, but a little closed.
Smooth entry, but it's an iron hand in a velvet glove; rich almost jammy fruit, balsamic notes, chocolate and vanilla lead to substantial dry, woody, mouth-puckering tannins and bright acidity (blackberry!) on the mid palate. The most vanillic wine I've ever tasted! Good body, but the mouthfeel's a tad thin. Moderate finish of tart berries, balsamic vinegar, dark oak and dutched cocoa. Lovely! 90+
January 1, 2010 - Second Day review (preserved in the fridge overnight). The wine had some rough edges on entry that dissipated with decanting on Night 1. For night 2, the fruity aromas have faded somewhat and been replaced by aromatic woody (Sandalwood) and hard-cherry candy aromas. The tannins come through on the back of the mid-palate and power through on the finish. There was more dark berry fruit showing on night one, but there is a lot to look forward to for the second night. Solid Cab with time still left in the cellar, if you choose.
March 30, 2009 - The nose on this one belies a ton of oak, underneath which are dark purple grapes (I know, it's wine, but I smelled grapes this time). The oak comes through on the taste as a woody undercurrent, but is not overpowering. Rather, there is a juicy fruitiness (not the gum) to this wine, with a slight edge of spice to it. This makes for a very interesting and delicious wine. My sense is that this wine is drinking very well right now, and comes off as very balanced.
May 31, 2008 - Great for tannic wine.