Medium garnet, mild thinning. Bordeaux like nose, red fruits, violet, graphite.. Elegant palate, dusted red fruits, black cherry, cedar, balsamic, cola (?). Great persistence through the mid palate. Tannins resolved. Texture was smooth throughout, notable. Medium weight, long finish.
Truly outstanding wine on this evening. SMV one of the most age-worthy bottlings in Napa. The old world style with Napa fruit is a real treat...Decanted about 45 minutes prior - I am conservative on long decants with older wine as I find I may overshoot...this bottle was fully open and showing within an hour. Well stored bottles still have a ways to go - beautiful to drink now
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Finally there. Decanted twice and consumed 6 hours later. This has gracefully aged such that the powerful leather and tobacco fruit doesn't blow a hole in the side of my brain like my previous bottles. The tannins aren't quite silky, but mildly grainy and worthy of more aging. Doesn't have quite the complexity that I expected after 25 years. Could easily spend a few more years in the bottle, but the palate will clearly become more muted with time. Drink now, or try again in 2027.
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very nice on night one with two hours of air, on night two similar but with a little extra kick of dark fruit intensity... not quite as friendly on night two... I like my cabs with some red fruit and this was mostly dark fruit... big structure here, maybe could benefit from another 5-7 years??... often hard to tell if the fruit is leaving or hiding with 20 year old CA cabs
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Weekend in Westport; 8/25/2021-8/29/2021 (Westport, CT): This was really nice. Great old world style. Drinking in a pretty perfect spot at the moment. More secondary notes. Decent fruit. Clearly well liked as it was one of the bottles that got completely finished early.
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I hesitantly purchased a couple of magnums of this from Garagiste recently; hesitancy was tempered by my past positive experience with the great 1997 vintage in California and presented in magnum format. Great decision in retrospect....an absolutely gorgeous wine. Stood up a couple of hours in advance, used an Ah-so cork puller, decanted shortly before a dinner of smoked beef tenderloin, etc. Deep clear, ruby color, garnet edges, no noticeable bricking. Aged, classy, perfumed, complex and elegant Bordeaux like nose: dried violets, red currant, cherry shortcake, sweet fig, aged tobacco, old leather, and spiced laden dirt. Shows lots of mature red fruits on the palate. Structure well integrated, but definitely the glue still holding this together. Medium finish. Very impressive at 23 years. Definitely at peak, but if cellared properly might last for another 3-5+ years, depending on how long the fruits can hang...impressive.
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From the first sip upon opening to the last drop, this wine is phenomenal! Garnet in color, no bricking, but it needed to be strained twice for the sediment. Black Fruit,chocolate, cola and of course the always present eucalyptus. IT filled the palate and exploded into a long incredible finish. I've drank wines that cost 3-4 times this one and most pale by comparison.
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At its prime to drink if you like aged wines...gone is the flavor complexity and body and in place is focused linearity that is reminiscent of a nice older Bordeaux structurally. Flavor profile also nods its head toward France with some leather, barnyard nuances and herbal mint cherry. Some people in our group did not appreciate the wine as much as I did as a lot of the fruit and body has gone..but I think the length, elegance and evolution with oxygen were all amazing
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Showing extremely well! Very rich with fully integrated tannin. Beautiful nose of red/black fruits (red currants, blackberries), chocolate, tobacco and leather. Long finish.
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A bottle brought by a friend to our house from a purchase he and I made together a few years ago. This was the best bottle so far with some significant variation. He decanted it around 5pm at home and we drank it from about 7-9pm. The wine was a medium to dark garnet and showed only a little bricking. The nose was full of black fruit, chocolate and earthy leather. It had an extremely rich and mouth coating feel to it that indicated fully integrated tannin and just enough acidity to not be flat or flabby. Flavors were layered and complex reflecting the nose like black currant, black plum and blackberry as well as some graphite and with a very long finish. This was just a pleasure to drink and went perfectly with a sous-vide lamb “lollipop”.
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Tampa Spring Break III; 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Tampa FL): 6/17 wines tasted double blind. This one was really quite a surprise for me as well as others I believe. Would have been sure this was a Bordeaux from the 90's. Some browning on the color. Very restrained and elegant on the palate, with leather and cedar notes coming through the mature dark fruit. Quite interesting - first time with this producer.
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Loved the elegant profile of this wine- floral, cedar, rose, and blackberries. The perfume wasn't as expressive as I had hoped for, and the palate was rather light and fading. I've been trying 90s Spottswoode for the last several years and still haven't found one that performed better than the 2001 normal and Elivette cabs, which is my favorite vintage. For Bordeaux fans, Spring Mountain's flavor profile is closer to old world than typical Napa cab blends IMO.
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Delightful and still at peak. Decanted this magnum for an hour before drinking. Pronounced tobacco, saddle leather and spice. Tastes better than it did back in 2002.
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This is similar to my previous tasting note. The tobacco and leather dominance of the palate was not so crushing compared to the previous bottle. This was much more enjoyable on day 2 when the flavors seemed to be more in harmonious. This has a decent, though not great, backbone and I when I try the next bottle 5-10 years from now (2021-2026) it might prove very interesting.
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Opened to celebrate. Crumbly cork. Cherry red on a medium body. Notes of cherry, cedar, iodine, elderberry. Still has some life, although thinning a bit. Lively acidity, and tannins that have smoothed out with time. Nice mature profile- this bottle seemingly a little bit better than the last one. Red fruit dominated with decent finish although I would recommend consuming in one setting. Updated: Forgot this was sitting for nearly a week with one glass left in the bottle under vac-u-vin. Figured it would be vinegar but wow was I wrong. Something magical happened with slow ox for several days....way deeper, darker, smoother with amazing depth, additional sweet licorice notes, jammy secondary notes, and overall fuller body. Amazing transformation that I would never have guessed a 19 year old wine would have after plenty of air. Almost never have had an experience like this one. Upping the score to reflect the last glass, and with one more bottle in the cellar, will be sure to open and let fully air out before even trying a sip.
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Lots of ripe, dense and powerful fruit with some pronounced new oak spice. I liked the fruit quality a great deal, but found this slightly hot on finish.
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Nice dark ruby color. A bit less fragrant than my last bottle, but stiil it has a rich chocolate, oak and dark berry nose that is appealing. Flavors were rich and typical Cali cab reflecting the nose. A notch less complex and less aromatic than the last bottle, though still not like some other tasters have experienced. Pleasant, round and velvety. Perhaps this is as good as it will get but it shouldn't decline too precipitously.
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There is no sign of some of the negative elements some others have noted. Double Decanted at 4 pm and drunk from 5-9pm. Deep dark ruby color. Nose of minty licorice, vanilla/oak and black currant. Flavors are fairly complex with a strong chocolate covered cherry element but I think will evolve favorably with more time in bottle. Mouthfeel is rich with well integrated tannins.
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On day one this was a freight train of flavors of leather and tobacco that ran me over. On day two this locomotive was still rolling at full speed. But there was a stunning lack of body and feel that was a very odd juxtaposition. With silky smooth tannins, I'll be drinking the remainder of my collection by 2015. I'm just not sure what to expect in 10 years.
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Unfortunately, even after a long slow ox the wine is over the hill. Still enough acid tannin balance, but the fruit has just faded too much and the age flavor characteristics of spice, earth, cigar and leather cannot make up for the discrepancy.
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Sampled 6/24/12. Color was good and showed no sign of age. The nose had plenty of Oak, cassis and blackberry. On the palate the wine was 95% Oak. Hints of ripe blackberry and cassis are overwhelmed by Oak. As the hours passed, the Oak only intensified. Perhaps the fruit is just plain falling apart and off, but that is not what the color says. This is just a case of far too much Oak. Wonder if only new Tenn Oak was used, as it is that powerful. Down the drain this wine goes.
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Pulled out of the cellar and opened to air out for a bit. Initial pour shows a vibrant dark, bright ruby color. The bouquet is an impressive display of showmanship - highlighting fresh cherry, roundness of madagascar vanilla, cold iron, pencil shavings, menthol and lots of leathered cedar. Initial tasting on the cool side reveals a very smooth, neutral flavor profile. As this warms up, the fruit comes along with more merlot chocolate and tannin at the mid-palate and finish. The fruit taking some time to coax out. A triumphant example of the exemplary '97 vintage. Day two finds more of the same, with additional bay leaf, cigar box and tobacco notes, with solid and smooth structure and fine grained tannins.
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Decanted and drank over the evening. Nose was disappointing. First glass at about an hour. Tasted weak and little acidic. Opened up at 90 minutes, but was still dissapointing. Ripe fruit, leather. Probably past its prime. Need to drink up the rest in my cellar.
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We had already enjoyed 1996 vintage a few weeks earlier and were curious how this vintage would compare. Decanted. Day#1 color inky violet to dark red. Some sediment but not much. Nose very interesting at this stage of a 15 year old Cali Cab. On palate, we got a higher than expected heat but not unpleasant. Some dark fruits and tannins still there - assuming this has few more years to go. Day # 2 slightly better in all aspects. Green notes on nose developed. Complex and balanced. 92-93
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Finally coming around! Tasted two previous bottles closer to release date and was disappointed that the wines were closed. This is now showing it stuff. Ruby color, red fruit, anise, cedar, dried tobacco. A bit lean and tannic but ready for consumption window.
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wow, this may be the wine of the year. cork broke in half, but was not decayed. decanted for about a half hour. lots of life left for this juice. phenyl, eucalyptus, leather,flint, nice strong backbone--balanced with fruit. Still a little bit forward. Can't place the fruit component...
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Very interesting nose. Had some funkiness that seemed to make it smell very good. There was still a lot of fruits and the tannins were still present a very silky. Very delicious wine.
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2/20/11-Finally decided to break this one open. First observation was the cork was very long which tells me this was built to age. Deep purple stain on the cork which was infiltrated about 2/3. Very nice bouquet. Smell of some funk too. Very fragrant and vibrant, made me want to smell it again and again. In the glass a surprise, it looked more like pinot. Semi translucent. But very nice color. First sip was very good and fruity. I was expecting silky tannins from Spring Mountain but there were none to be found. Legs ran heavy and fat and many. Poured second glass thru Vinturi and oddly the bouquet disappeared! This went on for about a half hour. But the next sip the fruit was back in spades. Very well balanced. One reviewer commented on Lysol smell and I think I detected something like that. But it did not detract from flavor. Even though it was 14 years old, I think it could age another five. A very evolved wine at this point and nicely done too. Reminded me a little of Delectus wines; they seem to have their own flavor profile and this Spring Mountain had a hint of that. 2/21/11-Completely different wine, tasted nothing like cabernet but very much like a very bright pinot. 2/22/11-Back to Cabernet now! This wine continues to evolve and defy description. Wife was not so thrilled by it, but admitted it was better night 3. Will this age more? It is from Spring Mountain. I say no more than 5 years, for when I swished this around I found some tannins, but they have integrated probably 80%. Those with more experience with this wine / producer might be inclined to give at least 10. And fine sediment in last glass. Final rating is 93+.
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At First, big tannic monster; reminded me of an Italian red, leaving my mouth dry for the first hour of tasting. However, by the last glass it had finally started to calm down, revealing a nice "bordeaux" styled profile-- with eucalyptus and nice dark fruits. Better with food. Have had nicer bottles in the past, and have one more. May not rebuy if this is where the wine is at.
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This has a nice aspect of freshness to the fruit; it's rich ripe cassis in the sweet Napa style but also showing a broad palate of cedar, tobacco, and mint. Sturdy mountain tannins and very good acidity make me think this has the guts to go a long ways yet it's drinking fantastically now.
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Decanted for one hour; fine, grainy sediment stuck to the bottle, but very little sediment in the wine. The lower half of the cork was quite crumbly, and it took some deft work by my wife to cleanly remove that portion of the cork. However, I knew we were in good shape when I got the blast of dark fruit and menthol from five feet away. In the glass, a blend of ruby red and garnet, more garnet at the rim. On the nose, wonderful aromatics of mint, cedar, and dark red fruit. On the palate, fully resolved tannins, saturated fruit, mint, and graphite, with a long, smooth finish. Lovely with a steak. This was a very pleasant reminder of why we buy bottles that we then forget about for ten years.
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Decanted for 1.5 hrs. Showing its age and probably past its peak, but still very good. Even after decanting for 1.5 hrs. it took 45 minutes in the glass for the musty stink to evaporate; then the taste was very classy--medium bodied with a nice glycerin and sweetness. After it had opened up, it was VERY enjoyable. This should be drunk NOW.
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Big thick cab with tons of red fruit - cranberry, currant, cherry with hints of mint and lead pencil. Don't know that it gets much better but has gone from being a slutty CA cab to a more refined Bordeauxish wine.
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14.0% alcohol. Another winner on this night of 97s. Decanted. Dark red/purple color. Exotic nose of spice, currant, and cedar. In the mouth, powerful and robust, with plenty of fruit but supported by ample complexity. Strong acidity that is the only thing that keeps the balance from being impeccable. Long finish with beautifully integrated tannins. Drinking well now but with plenty of life ahead. A-
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top scorer at yapa very dark and inky bold, tobacco, creme brulee complex, smooth, powerful, big tannins, very age-worthy. Price actually reduced in 2003.<<CR>>
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Opened on the first night of our honeymoon, on arrival in Park City UT. Didn't write any notes, but had an overall impression of the best wine I've ever tasted. Impeccably aged, lots of cab flavors with an intense olive component. beautifully floral at moments, singing with fruit that aged gracefully. Loved it, and of course, in this particular case, the moment enhanced the wine.
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This 97 really has held up well... Once i got out the disintegrating cork, the wine had a great deep garnet color and a little whiff of alcohol out of the bottle. Once poured (did not let it breathe) after careful decanting, this was a spectacular wine. Great fruit with tannins i wouldn't define as smooth, but quite enjoyable. A very, very long finish. Sorry I only had that one bottle.
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My, my, my! A favorite of mine that again, did not disappoint. Mocha, fruit, and then some. Fine color in the glass. Lingering finish. Drank for birthday celbration and worth the wait.
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A top third wine out of 25 1997's blinded. Husky, mtn grown berry fruits w/ muscular tannins, reminded me more of the mountain on the other side of the valley (Howell). Great length! None left to try on day 2 and that's telling...
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Solidly a special wine. Opened with Bordeaux like funk, which blew off to reveal a complex nose of herbs, forest floor, cassis and an unusual Lysol like mintiness, with a briary component. Changed throughout the hour we had it, with medium weight flavors of briary cassis, and dusty acidic tannins. Seemed more closed than I hoped it would be, but none the less a well put together wine. Drink now.
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90s California Cabs (MA): More of a blue-ish purplely color than the other deep reds in the tasting. A slightly different animal - perhaps the mountain fruit (but what do I really know?) - but it didn't quite show as well as I'd hoped. Maybe because it was my first tasting and I was hoping to surprise the crowd w/ a curveball, but the TNs here had gotten me excited that this was a real winner. Decanted 2 hrs. Bought from retail, so maybe that was the problem. Still, a delicious wine, just not a Wow moment.
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Excellent wine, continues to improve. See previous notes, long finish, and tamed tannins, with balanced acidity, and lots of mountain fruit, restrained wood characteristics. Underrated winery and vineyards. A superstar.
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We Drank this at PONCHO along with some other albeit younger Spring Mountain California Cabs. By far the winner of the night as we also tasted Barnett Rattlesnake 2001, Showkett 2003, and Sherwin Cab. 2002. HInts of tobacco and cherry in the nose. Finish on this wine lasted for quite awhile. Only complaint is that the fruit had given way to some of the tannic qualities. This is a big wine on the dark side of the fruit. Decanted for 2 hours but could be decanted for longer in my opinion. Nevertheless a big and complex wine.
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Excellent Cabernet. Opened slowly, and still tastes very young, with hints of tobacco, green tea, cedar, black pepper, and cassis. The finish was long, and the tannins are still austere and strong. Not quite balanced yet, probably needs another five years. I hope this does not go the way some California Cabs do, and lose its fruit as it softens its tannin structure. I was surprised also, expecting this cab to blow away the 1997 Georges De Latour, but it was second to that. The Latuor is sexier right now.
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this 97 does not disappoint. deep blue to the rim, at first this wine shows like it was bottled yesterday not almost ten years ago. cassis, wild blueberries, tobacco smoke and eucalyptus menthol live in perfect harmony. firm structured tannins with a long lingering finish. this wine has it all and seemigly can drink for a long, long time to come, decanted for almost two hours and it barely softened. one of the best California Cabs i have had in a good long while and hands down the WOTN.
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Group #4 - Opaque red/crimson. Lovely forward aroma of red fruit, rose petal, and violet. Nice mouthful of black fruit and a long cedar finish. Slightly bitter. 5/05
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spicy fruit, chocolate. earth, cherry, firm but nuanced long tannic finish not a lot of fruit but a big mouthful Plenty of life yet, another 5 years at least if stored right.
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1/19/2024 - Winokdub wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding in every way. Still has some youthful energy though fully mature. If that makes any sense. Loved it.
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11/5/2022 - walkerjfw wrote: 96 Points
Great weekend with the Varners! Dinner at their house the night after Tum Tum (Birmingham, Alabama): With the Varners in Birmingham, wonderful dinner at their home. Generous contributions from their cellar. This was a treat to open.
Medium garnet, mild thinning. Bordeaux like nose, red fruits, violet, graphite.. Elegant palate, dusted red fruits, black cherry, cedar, balsamic, cola (?). Great persistence through the mid palate. Tannins resolved. Texture was smooth throughout, notable. Medium weight, long finish.
Truly outstanding wine on this evening. SMV one of the most age-worthy bottlings in Napa. The old world style with Napa fruit is a real treat...Decanted about 45 minutes prior - I am conservative on long decants with older wine as I find I may overshoot...this bottle was fully open and showing within an hour. Well stored bottles still have a ways to go - beautiful to drink now
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6/26/2022 - jmcafee Likes this wine:
Finally there. Decanted twice and consumed 6 hours later. This has gracefully aged such that the powerful leather and tobacco fruit doesn't blow a hole in the side of my brain like my previous bottles. The tannins aren't quite silky, but mildly grainy and worthy of more aging. Doesn't have quite the complexity that I expected after 25 years. Could easily spend a few more years in the bottle, but the palate will clearly become more muted with time. Drink now, or try again in 2027.
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6/8/2022 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
very nice on night one with two hours of air, on night two similar but with a little extra kick of dark fruit intensity... not quite as friendly on night two... I like my cabs with some red fruit and this was mostly dark fruit... big structure here, maybe could benefit from another 5-7 years??... often hard to tell if the fruit is leaving or hiding with 20 year old CA cabs
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8/27/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Weekend in Westport; 8/25/2021-8/29/2021 (Westport, CT): This was really nice. Great old world style. Drinking in a pretty perfect spot at the moment. More secondary notes. Decent fruit. Clearly well liked as it was one of the bottles that got completely finished early.
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12/25/2020 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I hesitantly purchased a couple of magnums of this from Garagiste recently; hesitancy was tempered by my past positive experience with the great 1997 vintage in California and presented in magnum format. Great decision in retrospect....an absolutely gorgeous wine. Stood up a couple of hours in advance, used an Ah-so cork puller, decanted shortly before a dinner of smoked beef tenderloin, etc. Deep clear, ruby color, garnet edges, no noticeable bricking. Aged, classy, perfumed, complex and elegant Bordeaux like nose: dried violets, red currant, cherry shortcake, sweet fig, aged tobacco, old leather, and spiced laden dirt. Shows lots of mature red fruits on the palate. Structure well integrated, but definitely the glue still holding this together. Medium finish. Very impressive at 23 years. Definitely at peak, but if cellared properly might last for another 3-5+ years, depending on how long the fruits can hang...impressive.
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3/7/2020 - daved Likes this wine: 98 Points
From the first sip upon opening to the last drop, this wine is phenomenal! Garnet in color, no bricking, but it needed to be strained twice for the sediment. Black Fruit,chocolate, cola and of course the always present eucalyptus. IT filled the palate and exploded into a long incredible finish. I've drank wines that cost 3-4 times this one and most pale by comparison.
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1/8/2020 - richshoes Likes this wine: 96 Points
At its prime to drink if you like aged wines...gone is the flavor complexity and body and in place is focused linearity that is reminiscent of a nice older Bordeaux structurally. Flavor profile also nods its head toward France with some leather, barnyard nuances and herbal mint cherry. Some people in our group did not appreciate the wine as much as I did as a lot of the fruit and body has gone..but I think the length, elegance and evolution with oxygen were all amazing
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12/29/2018 - faivre_eric wrote: 95 Points
Showing extremely well!
Very rich with fully integrated tannin.
Beautiful nose of red/black fruits (red currants, blackberries), chocolate, tobacco and leather.
Long finish.
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11/24/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
A bottle brought by a friend to our house from a purchase he and I made together a few years ago. This was the best bottle so far with some significant variation. He decanted it around 5pm at home and we drank it from about 7-9pm. The wine was a medium to dark garnet and showed only a little bricking. The nose was full of black fruit, chocolate and earthy leather. It had an extremely rich and mouth coating feel to it that indicated fully integrated tannin and just enough acidity to not be flat or flabby. Flavors were layered and complex reflecting the nose like black currant, black plum and blackberry as well as some graphite and with a very long finish. This was just a pleasure to drink and went perfectly with a sous-vide lamb “lollipop”.
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2/18/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Tampa Spring Break III; 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Tampa FL): 6/17 wines tasted double blind. This one was really quite a surprise for me as well as others I believe. Would have been sure this was a Bordeaux from the 90's. Some browning on the color. Very restrained and elegant on the palate, with leather and cedar notes coming through the mature dark fruit. Quite interesting - first time with this producer.
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2/18/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Tampa Spring Break (the third); 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Various Tampa locations (Seasons 52, Capital Grille, Berns etc.)): Wine #6: I would have sworn this was old bordeaux. It has that leather and cigar and library character that I associate with that part of the world. In a great drinking window right now. Don't think it's getting better and prob will eventually start to fall off so drink up. Went great with the lamb chops.
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12/24/2017 - JEP007 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Loved the elegant profile of this wine- floral, cedar, rose, and blackberries. The perfume wasn't as expressive as I had hoped for, and the palate was rather light and fading. I've been trying 90s Spottswoode for the last several years and still haven't found one that performed better than the 2001 normal and Elivette cabs, which is my favorite vintage. For Bordeaux fans, Spring Mountain's flavor profile is closer to old world than typical Napa cab blends IMO.
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9/17/2017 - asayed Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delightful and still at peak. Decanted this magnum for an hour before drinking. Pronounced tobacco, saddle leather and spice. Tastes better than it did back in 2002.
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7/17/2016 - Slick23861 Does not like this wine: 84 Points
gave it two courtesy sips and sent it straight down the elevator
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5/31/2016 - jmcafee wrote:
This is similar to my previous tasting note. The tobacco and leather dominance of the palate was not so crushing compared to the previous bottle. This was much more enjoyable on day 2 when the flavors seemed to be more in harmonious. This has a decent, though not great, backbone and I when I try the next bottle 5-10 years from now (2021-2026) it might prove very interesting.
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4/28/2016 - Senso-beak wrote: 94 Points
Opened to celebrate. Crumbly cork. Cherry red on a medium body. Notes of cherry, cedar, iodine, elderberry. Still has some life, although thinning a bit. Lively acidity, and tannins that have smoothed out with time. Nice mature profile- this bottle seemingly a little bit better than the last one. Red fruit dominated with decent finish although I would recommend consuming in one setting. Updated: Forgot this was sitting for nearly a week with one glass left in the bottle under vac-u-vin. Figured it would be vinegar but wow was I wrong. Something magical happened with slow ox for several days....way deeper, darker, smoother with amazing depth, additional sweet licorice notes, jammy secondary notes, and overall fuller body. Amazing transformation that I would never have guessed a 19 year old wine would have after plenty of air. Almost never have had an experience like this one. Upping the score to reflect the last glass, and with one more bottle in the cellar, will be sure to open and let fully air out before even trying a sip.
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12/28/2014 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cali Cab at its best aged to perfection...drink up.
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12/13/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Lots of ripe, dense and powerful fruit with some pronounced new oak spice. I liked the fruit quality a great deal, but found this slightly hot on finish.
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11/23/2013 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice dark ruby color. A bit less fragrant than my last bottle, but stiil it has a rich chocolate, oak and dark berry nose that is appealing. Flavors were rich and typical Cali cab reflecting the nose. A notch less complex and less aromatic than the last bottle, though still not like some other tasters have experienced. Pleasant, round and velvety. Perhaps this is as good as it will get but it shouldn't decline too precipitously.
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3/30/2013 - Montecalvo Likes this wine: 92 Points
drinking well. definitely mature. no more reason to wait as it won't get better.
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3/2/2013 - oldwines wrote: 93 Points
There is no sign of some of the negative elements some others have noted. Double Decanted at 4 pm and drunk from 5-9pm. Deep dark ruby color. Nose of minty licorice, vanilla/oak and black currant. Flavors are fairly complex with a strong chocolate covered cherry element but I think will evolve favorably with more time in bottle. Mouthfeel is rich with well integrated tannins.
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2/10/2013 - jmcafee wrote:
On day one this was a freight train of flavors of leather and tobacco that ran me over. On day two this locomotive was still rolling at full speed. But there was a stunning lack of body and feel that was a very odd juxtaposition. With silky smooth tannins, I'll be drinking the remainder of my collection by 2015. I'm just not sure what to expect in 10 years.
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1/27/2013 - cdmofwa wrote: 91 Points
still amazing
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1/9/2013 - mtnbarry Does not like this wine: 78 Points
Unfortunately, this was no better than my last bottle. Very disappointed that this wine did not make it 15 years like I hoped and expected.
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10/22/2012 - mtnbarry wrote: 84 Points
Unfortunately, even after a long slow ox the wine is over the hill. Still enough acid tannin balance, but the fruit has just faded too much and the age flavor characteristics of spice, earth, cigar and leather cannot make up for the discrepancy.
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9/8/2012 - Old Vino wrote: 87 Points
Contrary to previous ones, this was an off bottle. Lost its character within 3 hours of air time.
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7/23/2012 - Old Vino wrote: 93 Points
Per previous note. This time showing even better.
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6/25/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: 75 Points
Sampled 6/24/12. Color was good and showed no sign of age. The nose had plenty of Oak, cassis and blackberry. On the palate the wine was 95% Oak. Hints of ripe blackberry and cassis are overwhelmed by Oak. As the hours passed, the Oak only intensified. Perhaps the fruit is just plain falling apart and off, but that is not what the color says. This is just a case of far too much Oak. Wonder if only new Tenn Oak was used, as it is that powerful. Down the drain this wine goes.
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4/8/2012 - Senso-beak wrote: 92 Points
Pulled out of the cellar and opened to air out for a bit. Initial pour shows a vibrant dark, bright ruby color. The bouquet is an impressive display of showmanship - highlighting fresh cherry, roundness of madagascar vanilla, cold iron, pencil shavings, menthol and lots of leathered cedar. Initial tasting on the cool side reveals a very smooth, neutral flavor profile. As this warms up, the fruit comes along with more merlot chocolate and tannin at the mid-palate and finish. The fruit taking some time to coax out. A triumphant example of the exemplary '97 vintage. Day two finds more of the same, with additional bay leaf, cigar box and tobacco notes, with solid and smooth structure and fine grained tannins.
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3/12/2012 - kirschke wrote:
Just an awesome bottle of California red! Soft and luscious, was still going strong but definitely not going to age any more...
Drink now!
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3/4/2012 - wirelessbluedog wrote: 85 Points
Decanted and drank over the evening. Nose was disappointing. First glass at about an hour. Tasted weak and little acidic. Opened up at 90 minutes, but was still dissapointing. Ripe fruit, leather. Probably past its prime. Need to drink up the rest in my cellar.
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2/9/2012 - Brett wrote: 92 Points
Nice bottle....last bottle.
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1/27/2012 - us010144 wrote: 91 Points
This was an outstanding pour.So smooth and rich with subtle aromas. May have been a bit past peak, but was still very fine!
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1/11/2012 - Old Vino wrote: 92 Points
We had already enjoyed 1996 vintage a few weeks earlier and were curious how this vintage would compare. Decanted. Day#1 color inky violet to dark red. Some sediment but not much. Nose very interesting at this stage of a 15 year old Cali Cab. On palate, we got a higher than expected heat but not unpleasant. Some dark fruits and tannins still there - assuming this has few more years to go. Day # 2 slightly better in all aspects. Green notes on nose developed. Complex and balanced. 92-93
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12/27/2011 - DHutch wrote: 94 Points
Finally coming around! Tasted two previous bottles closer to release date and was disappointed that the wines were closed. This is now showing it stuff. Ruby color, red fruit, anise, cedar, dried tobacco. A bit lean and tannic but ready for consumption window.
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11/19/2011 - Yak wrote: 95 Points
wow, this may be the wine of the year. cork broke in half, but was not decayed. decanted for about a half hour. lots of life left for this juice.
phenyl, eucalyptus, leather,flint, nice strong backbone--balanced with fruit. Still a little bit forward. Can't place the fruit component...
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10/29/2011 - pk44 wrote:
A little past it's prime, but opened up nicely after an hour.
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6/11/2011 - Jeveritt89 wrote: 94 Points
Very interesting nose. Had some funkiness that seemed to make it smell very good. There was still a lot of fruits and the tannins were still present a very silky. Very delicious wine.
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3/7/2011 - pmarlo wrote: 93 Points
2/20/11-Finally decided to break this one open. First observation was the cork was very long which tells me this was built to age. Deep purple stain on the cork which was infiltrated about 2/3. Very nice bouquet. Smell of some funk too. Very fragrant and vibrant, made me want to smell it again and again. In the glass a surprise, it looked more like pinot. Semi translucent. But very nice color. First sip was very good and fruity. I was expecting silky tannins from Spring Mountain but there were none to be found. Legs ran heavy and fat and many. Poured second glass thru Vinturi and oddly the bouquet disappeared! This went on for about a half hour. But the next sip the fruit was back in spades. Very well balanced. One reviewer commented on Lysol smell and I think I detected something like that. But it did not detract from flavor. Even though it was 14 years old, I think it could age another five. A very evolved wine at this point and nicely done too. Reminded me a little of Delectus wines; they seem to have their own flavor profile and this Spring Mountain had a hint of that.
2/21/11-Completely different wine, tasted nothing like cabernet but very much like a very bright pinot.
2/22/11-Back to Cabernet now! This wine continues to evolve and defy description. Wife was not so thrilled by it, but admitted it was better night 3. Will this age more? It is from Spring Mountain. I say no more than 5 years, for when I swished this around I found some tannins, but they have integrated probably 80%. Those with more experience with this wine / producer might be inclined to give at least 10. And fine sediment in last glass. Final rating is 93+.
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2/25/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote: 91 Points
At First, big tannic monster; reminded me of an Italian red, leaving my mouth dry for the first hour of tasting. However, by the last glass it had finally started to calm down, revealing a nice "bordeaux" styled profile-- with eucalyptus and nice dark fruits. Better with food. Have had nicer bottles in the past, and have one more. May not rebuy if this is where the wine is at.
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12/19/2010 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
This has a nice aspect of freshness to the fruit; it's rich ripe cassis in the sweet Napa style but also showing a broad palate of cedar, tobacco, and mint. Sturdy mountain tannins and very good acidity make me think this has the guts to go a long ways yet it's drinking fantastically now.
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4/10/2010 - jshufelt wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for one hour; fine, grainy sediment stuck to the bottle, but very little sediment in the wine. The lower half of the cork was quite crumbly, and it took some deft work by my wife to cleanly remove that portion of the cork. However, I knew we were in good shape when I got the blast of dark fruit and menthol from five feet away. In the glass, a blend of ruby red and garnet, more garnet at the rim. On the nose, wonderful aromatics of mint, cedar, and dark red fruit. On the palate, fully resolved tannins, saturated fruit, mint, and graphite, with a long, smooth finish. Lovely with a steak. This was a very pleasant reminder of why we buy bottles that we then forget about for ten years.
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2/21/2010 - WRRII wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hrs. Showing its age and probably past its peak, but still very good. Even after decanting for 1.5 hrs. it took 45 minutes in the glass for the musty stink to evaporate; then the taste was very classy--medium bodied with a nice glycerin and sweetness. After it had opened up, it was VERY enjoyable. This should be drunk NOW.
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12/26/2009 - etirer wrote: 94 Points
Big thick cab with tons of red fruit - cranberry, currant, cherry with hints of mint and lead pencil. Don't know that it gets much better but has gone from being a slutty CA cab to a more refined Bordeauxish wine.
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12/10/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
14.0% alcohol. Another winner on this night of 97s. Decanted. Dark red/purple color. Exotic nose of spice, currant, and cedar. In the mouth, powerful and robust, with plenty of fruit but supported by ample complexity. Strong acidity that is the only thing that keeps the balance from being impeccable. Long finish with beautifully integrated tannins. Drinking well now but with plenty of life ahead. A-
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6/15/2009 - DarkStar1974 wrote: 94 Points
drinking very well now. very little tannins left. fruit was still tasty
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6/7/2009 - TannicBeast wrote: 92 Points
top scorer at yapa very dark and inky bold, tobacco, creme brulee complex, smooth, powerful, big tannins, very age-worthy. Price actually reduced in 2003.<<CR>>
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6/22/2008 - skinowdrinklater wrote: 97 Points
Opened on the first night of our honeymoon, on arrival in Park City UT. Didn't write any notes, but had an overall impression of the best wine I've ever tasted. Impeccably aged, lots of cab flavors with an intense olive component. beautifully floral at moments, singing with fruit that aged gracefully. Loved it, and of course, in this particular case, the moment enhanced the wine.
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5/2/2008 - GZ3 wrote: 95 Points
This 97 really has held up well... Once i got out the disintegrating cork, the wine had a great deep garnet color and a little whiff of alcohol out of the bottle. Once poured (did not let it breathe) after careful decanting, this was a spectacular wine. Great fruit with tannins i wouldn't define as smooth, but quite enjoyable. A very, very long finish. Sorry I only had that one bottle.
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2/24/2008 - sbfireman wrote: 96 Points
My, my, my! A favorite of mine that again, did not disappoint. Mocha, fruit, and then some. Fine color in the glass. Lingering finish. Drank for birthday celbration and worth the wait.
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11/27/2007 - Grinner wrote: 95 Points
A top third wine out of 25 1997's blinded. Husky, mtn grown berry fruits w/ muscular tannins, reminded me more of the mountain on the other side of the valley (Howell). Great length! None left to try on day 2 and that's telling...
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8/19/2007 - ginfizz wrote: 94 Points
Solidly a special wine. Opened with Bordeaux like funk, which blew off to reveal a complex nose of herbs, forest floor, cassis and an unusual Lysol like mintiness, with a briary component. Changed throughout the hour we had it, with medium weight flavors of briary cassis, and dusty acidic tannins. Seemed more closed than I hoped it would be, but none the less a well put together wine. Drink now.
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5/11/2007 - Brett wrote: 92 Points
I continue to love this wine. It is drinking fantastic. I'm just sorry I'm down to my last bottle.
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2/3/2007 - Brett wrote: 92 Points
Consumed vs. a 2001 Silver Oak and the Spring Mountain won hands down. This is drinking very well.
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1/30/2007 - RomanKJ wrote: 91 Points
90s California Cabs (MA): More of a blue-ish purplely color than the other deep reds in the tasting. A slightly different animal - perhaps the mountain fruit (but what do I really know?) - but it didn't quite show as well as I'd hoped. Maybe because it was my first tasting and I was hoping to surprise the crowd w/ a curveball, but the TNs here had gotten me excited that this was a real winner. Decanted 2 hrs. Bought from retail, so maybe that was the problem. Still, a delicious wine, just not a Wow moment.
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1/24/2007 - mmyette wrote: 94 Points
Excellent wine, continues to improve. See previous notes, long finish, and tamed tannins, with balanced acidity, and lots of mountain fruit, restrained wood characteristics. Underrated winery and vineyards. A superstar.
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10/22/2006 - Life is a Cabernet wrote: 96 Points
We Drank this at PONCHO along with some other albeit younger Spring Mountain California Cabs. By far the winner of the night as we also tasted Barnett Rattlesnake 2001, Showkett 2003, and Sherwin Cab. 2002. HInts of tobacco and cherry in the nose. Finish on this wine lasted for quite awhile. Only complaint is that the fruit had given way to some of the tannic qualities. This is a big wine on the dark side of the fruit. Decanted for 2 hours but could be decanted for longer in my opinion. Nevertheless a big and complex wine.
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4/22/2006 - mmyette wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Cabernet. Opened slowly, and still tastes very young, with hints of tobacco, green tea, cedar, black pepper, and cassis. The finish was long, and the tannins are still austere and strong. Not quite balanced yet, probably needs another five years. I hope this does not go the way some California Cabs do, and lose its fruit as it softens its tannin structure. I was surprised also, expecting this cab to blow away the 1997 Georges De Latour, but it was second to that. The Latuor is sexier right now.
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7/24/2005 - Opimian wrote:
this 97 does not disappoint. deep blue to the rim, at first this wine shows like it was bottled yesterday not almost ten years ago. cassis, wild blueberries, tobacco smoke and eucalyptus menthol live in perfect harmony. firm structured tannins with a long lingering finish. this wine has it all and seemigly can drink for a long, long time to come, decanted for almost two hours and it barely softened. one of the best California Cabs i have had in a good long while and hands down the WOTN.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Group #4 - Opaque red/crimson. Lovely forward aroma of red fruit, rose petal, and violet. Nice mouthful of black fruit and a long cedar finish. Slightly bitter. 5/05
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11/8/2004 - JOELHABES wrote: 95 Points
scents of green olive, tea leaf and black cherry this wine appears closed and young.
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2/27/2004 - twoamps wrote: 94 Points
spicy fruit, chocolate. earth, cherry, firm but nuanced long tannic finish not a lot of fruit but a big mouthful
Plenty of life yet, another 5 years at least if stored right.
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