July 22, 2023 - Deep clear purple with a ton of sediment
Quite sweet big stag’s fruit, utterly delicious if a bit too delicious for its own good. Finishes a bit simple.
Purchased on release this is holding up quite well in no immediate danger
November 12, 2022 - This wine is on point at the moment.
Tertiary notes are emerging but a solid core of dried red and black fruit remains.
There is a classic stags leap cocoa powder element that surround the fruit.
On the palate this is full body, med acid, and med+ tannin. It’s a grippy wine but there is plenty of fruit and life left here. Recommendation is to serve this with a juicy steak. Certainly not falling off at this point and built for another 5+ years of aging.
April 25, 2022 - This bottle (my last) definitely feels like it has moved past its prime and is starting to tire. Drank over two days. The wine is fairly balanced and silky but the structure is starting to edge out the fruit making the finish a bit edgy. Nice secondary flavors and pairs well with food. My recommendation is to drink up based on this bottle.
November 14, 2020 - Served as the first bottle of evening. Excellent balanced wine. Earthy on the nose. I decanted for a few hours which helped calm the wine down. Tannins have calmed down over time. Dark fruit, cassis, oak on the mid palate and long finish. Still a pretty bold cab though. Would pair well with steak.
August 22, 2017 - This is a wine that is tough to give an overall score because it comes down to style. Highs -- deep rich cassis and blackberry fruit, long finish, lots of structure to support fruit and nice layers of tobacco, bitter chocolate and hint of licorice. Lows -- nose is oaky and dusty tannins come down hard on the finish creating a bitterness when drinking on its own (a good steak would compliment this). It's a high quality wine from a tougher vintage that I'd rather have than some of the blah wines I've tasted lately. Not sure if aging will tame the tannins enough to make this amazing or it's destined to remain a jackhammer.
January 1, 2017 - Decanted with an aerator and served after a couple of hours. If you like big tannins that grip the back end, this one's for you. Big fruit upfront and pretty simple for being mostly cabernet. Need a big ribeye to match this one. Have the feeling that the tannins are overtaking the fruit so I'd drink them now if I had more.
September 14, 2016 - Teetering in between primary and secondary. Earthy on the nose, subdued fruit on the palate, and still a little tannic. Not as good as it likely once was.
July 16, 2016 - Earthy on the nose. Nice fruit on the palette very tannic still. This note is within 1 hour of opening. Comparing it against other Napa reds and Washington reds
August 9, 2015 - Good not great.
July 10, 2015 - Big, bold and opulent. Full of plum, blackberry, blueberry, clove and a bit of tobacco box. Full bodied with a long, lingering finish. First time I have tasted a "Rock Block" with some age and this was silky and polished. Will be interested in seeing how these vary from year to year as the vineyard plots change.