Some bottle stink and hints of oxidation at first which made me worry the wine was past its prime. But then the wine opened up. It showed wonderful notes of chocolate and dark fruits and a slightly spicy but smooth texture. Still relatively tight the first night. Drank it over three evenings. Surprisingly, on the third evening, the wine was smooth, long, creamy - still keeping the fruit character of the first night. A wonderful bottle, will keep and perhaps improve slightly in next 5 years.
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Big, but fairly well balanced. Strong eucalyptus/minty character. Still some prominent oak. Very similar to Washington state cab blends. Not really my style, but not a bad wine, and ageing better than I expected.
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Decanted 1.5 hours. Similar to previous bottle, but this one had better fruit and presented at or just approaching peak drinking. I'd still drink now, but this bottle still a couple years to go.
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61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. Decanted 1 hour. A couple years past peak and starting to dry out, but still a nice Cape blend. Dusty basement floor, wet leather, smoky plantain/roasted banana, medium bodied, with attractive wild red berry and currant. Drink now.
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Drinking well. Nicely balanced, with an uplifting and appropriate green note. Excellent pairing with grilled tenderloin. I don't see this improving a bunch, but also see no rush to drink remaining bottles. Updating "drink by" window to 2016.
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opened my only bottle in celebration of the Big Easy's recent Open win - this was a lovely example of a good marriage of Bordeaux blend with careful use of Shiraz to give a spicy fruit cake edge to the wine. Nice wine and an estate I shall have to investigate further
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I thought that this was really good - very rich and complex, intense nose is full of dark fruits, fig, iodine, licourice and smoke. Palate is equally as complex, ripe but not sweet, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit mingle with herbal, fig and licourice notes. Nice finish- still with some tannin and acidity but drinking really well. The drinking window does definitely not end in 2009 for this wine....
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Elegant wine, ready to be enjoyed now and we think it will continue to evolve. Nice ont he nose and finish. Once again a bit too much oak
Lucky to have come across this in a lovely gem of a restaurant in Swakopmund, Namibia called the Grapevine. Actually the owner gave us the option that if we didnt like it he wouldnt charge us.. I guess he knew one or two things about wine..
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Opened for about an hour. Big nose of smoke, leather and cassis that is pretty powerful. The palate was very nice with blackberry, black currants and hints of coffee. The finish is a mix between silky smooth and velvety thats lasts an easy 20+. Different but enjoyable.
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This wine was tasted as part of a Bourdeaux blend tasting - blind of course - between the following wines: Sassicaia 2005 Ernie Els (South Africa) 2003 Chateau Pedesclaux 2005 Chateau Talbot 2000 Shafer Stags Leap 1,5 2005 West Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Sassicaia and Ernie Els (more I think because it really stuck out from the rest of them!) shared the win with equal number of votes although personally I really liked the Talbot and had the follwoing order: 1) Talbot, 2) Sassicaia, 3) Ernie Els, 4) West CS, 5) Stags Leap 6) Pedesclaux. It was however a very even flight.
The notes: Sassicaia - All you would expect from this excellent wine! Initially some notes of rubber but in the glas stronger notes of jam or ripe fruit and some vanilla. Also some notes of truffels and rubber. On the palate it has very well rounded tannins and a teste that lingers in the mouth for a very long time! 91 points Ernie Els - very special on the nose with lots of green tomatoes, tar, smoky, plums and very strong leather notes - complex! Taste matched this quite well but a bit over the top. Couldn't make up my mind if I really liked this wine or if I really didn't. Interesting though! 90 points Pedesclaux - Classic Bourdeaux notes with dark chocolate, cedar and barn yard as dominate notes - although a bit week for my liking on the nose. Good acidity and tannins but not enough fruit. 82 points. Talbot - This was a very balanced wine - although lacked the things I would look for in a spectcular wine. Had som green notes on the nose, peppry but was very nice and balanced on the palate. It was of course the oldest wine in the tasting although I believe still good for decades. 91 points. Shafer 1,5 Stags Leap - Very jammy on the nose with some notes of mint. Better on the palate. 88 points. West CS - Black currant and lots of fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins but quite soft. Enjoyable but not so intriguing. 89 points.
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A Last Minute Bash for 8 (Pacific Time, 40 th St(Design District), Miami): Decanted for 5 hours in decanted w glass stopper, which led to a beautiful claret styled wine that is nearing its potential. Classic cassis, lead pencil, cedar notes with great balance, and an excellent 20-30 second finish. Ellen's favorite of the evening vs 01 Ca' Mcaranda Promis; and Pegau Reserve's 98 & 03!
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Nose of smokey black fruit; tart black fruit on the palate becoming soft on the finish. Very nice. This wine loves air, I'd suggest opening an hour or two before drinking. I don't get the sense that this will improve much (if at all) with more aging.
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With Ray - I normally like this but the initial bouquet was a disappointing - while dusty it also was dirty cellar (not sure if it was a bad cork?) - Softened after decanting. Medium to heavy body with good tannins and a sharp edge (was better after an hour) - had it with an 05 Caymus Special Selection which was the better wine tonight.
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Popped/poured - 90 pts. Still needs a decant. Smoky with a bit of game on the nose. Spiced fruit with chalk minerality on the palate. Medium length finish with medium fine tannins on the finish. Will report back after filter/decant. An hour later, the palate smooths out; a longer, less tannic finish. I think this still has a few years to go. Maybe more than a few, even though the end of the window according to WS is 2008. Update: 4 days later, this is drinking better than it did when opened......93pts. Dark fruit, spice and hints of green on the nose carry to the palate joined by cassis. Mouthfeel has become very velvety, rich with a remarkably long finish.
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Not sure this is worth the price tage for a south african wine. Very dark, nearly purple in colour. OK nose with spices and smoke - a bit hot. On the palate it is not very complex and not overlong. all in all a good but nothing special.
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Scored this one on potential. Popped/poured with no decant, not doing it justice. Opens up a bit quicker than the Engelbrecht Els from the Western Cape, and has a bit more depth. The nose is very typical of a high-end South African red...smokey fruit. On the palate, it's a bit disjointed, but I suspect a little more time in the glass will round this out very nicely based on the evolution of its cousin. Will save the other two bottles for 2-3 years before revisiting.
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7/26/2020 - ShaunB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of cherry and red fruit with fine well intergrrated tannins
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11/11/2017 - Lsqrd1964 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Some bottle stink and hints of oxidation at first which made me worry the wine was past its prime. But then the wine opened up. It showed wonderful notes of chocolate and dark fruits and a slightly spicy but smooth texture. Still relatively tight the first night. Drank it over three evenings. Surprisingly, on the third evening, the wine was smooth, long, creamy - still keeping the fruit character of the first night. A wonderful bottle, will keep and perhaps improve slightly in next 5 years.
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4/22/2015 - Spencer wrote:
Big, but fairly well balanced. Strong eucalyptus/minty character. Still some prominent oak. Very similar to Washington state cab blends. Not really my style, but not a bad wine, and ageing better than I expected.
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10/9/2014 - Giggs wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours. Similar to previous bottle, but this one had better fruit and presented at or just approaching peak drinking. I'd still drink now, but this bottle still a couple years to go.
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9/10/2014 - Giggs wrote: 91 Points
61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. Decanted 1 hour. A couple years past peak and starting to dry out, but still a nice Cape blend. Dusty basement floor, wet leather, smoky plantain/roasted banana, medium bodied, with attractive wild red berry and currant. Drink now.
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7/14/2013 - vanpe003 wrote:
Drinking well. Nicely balanced, with an uplifting and appropriate green note. Excellent pairing with grilled tenderloin. I don't see this improving a bunch, but also see no rush to drink remaining bottles. Updating "drink by" window to 2016.
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8/2/2012 - belfast taxman wrote: 90 Points
opened my only bottle in celebration of the Big Easy's recent Open win - this was a lovely example of a good marriage of Bordeaux blend with careful use of Shiraz to give a spicy fruit cake edge to the wine. Nice wine and an estate I shall have to investigate further
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12/18/2009 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
I thought that this was really good - very rich and complex, intense nose is full of dark fruits, fig, iodine, licourice and smoke. Palate is equally as complex, ripe but not sweet, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit mingle with herbal, fig and licourice notes. Nice finish- still with some tannin and acidity but drinking really well. The drinking window does definitely not end in 2009 for this wine....
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12/16/2009 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Elegant wine, ready to be enjoyed now and we think it will continue to evolve. Nice ont he nose and finish. Once again a bit too much oak
Lucky to have come across this in a lovely gem of a restaurant in Swakopmund, Namibia called the Grapevine. Actually the owner gave us the option that if we didnt like it he wouldnt charge us.. I guess he knew one or two things about wine..
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11/21/2009 - CabIsKing wrote: 92 Points
Opened for about an hour. Big nose of smoke, leather and cassis that is pretty powerful. The palate was very nice with blackberry, black currants and hints of coffee. The finish is a mix between silky smooth and velvety thats lasts an easy 20+. Different but enjoyable.
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11/8/2009 - Cobbster wrote: 90 Points
Toned down from the previous bottle. Much less smokiness, not as nuanced.
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2/20/2009 - robertek wrote: 90 Points
This wine was tasted as part of a Bourdeaux blend tasting - blind of course - between the following wines:
Sassicaia 2005
Ernie Els (South Africa) 2003
Chateau Pedesclaux 2005
Chateau Talbot 2000
Shafer Stags Leap 1,5 2005
West Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Sassicaia and Ernie Els (more I think because it really stuck out from the rest of them!) shared the win with equal number of votes although personally I really liked the Talbot and had the follwoing order: 1) Talbot, 2) Sassicaia, 3) Ernie Els, 4) West CS, 5) Stags Leap 6) Pedesclaux. It was however a very even flight.
The notes:
Sassicaia - All you would expect from this excellent wine! Initially some notes of rubber but in the glas stronger notes of jam or ripe fruit and some vanilla. Also some notes of truffels and rubber. On the palate it has very well rounded tannins and a teste that lingers in the mouth for a very long time! 91 points
Ernie Els - very special on the nose with lots of green tomatoes, tar, smoky, plums and very strong leather notes - complex! Taste matched this quite well but a bit over the top. Couldn't make up my mind if I really liked this wine or if I really didn't. Interesting though! 90 points
Pedesclaux - Classic Bourdeaux notes with dark chocolate, cedar and barn yard as dominate notes - although a bit week for my liking on the nose. Good acidity and tannins but not enough fruit. 82 points.
Talbot - This was a very balanced wine - although lacked the things I would look for in a spectcular wine. Had som green notes on the nose, peppry but was very nice and balanced on the palate. It was of course the oldest wine in the tasting although I believe still good for decades. 91 points.
Shafer 1,5 Stags Leap - Very jammy on the nose with some notes of mint. Better on the palate. 88 points.
West CS - Black currant and lots of fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins but quite soft. Enjoyable but not so intriguing. 89 points.
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1/24/2009 - bsmall wrote: 92 Points
very nice w/ braised short ribs...fullboied---nice long finish
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1/23/2009 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
A Last Minute Bash for 8 (Pacific Time, 40 th St(Design District), Miami): Decanted for 5 hours in decanted w glass stopper, which led to a beautiful claret styled wine that is nearing its potential. Classic cassis, lead pencil, cedar notes with great balance, and an excellent 20-30 second finish. Ellen's favorite of the evening vs 01 Ca' Mcaranda Promis; and Pegau Reserve's 98 & 03!
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1/10/2009 - Cobbster wrote: 91 Points
Nose of smokey black fruit; tart black fruit on the palate becoming soft on the finish. Very nice. This wine loves air, I'd suggest opening an hour or two before drinking. I don't get the sense that this will improve much (if at all) with more aging.
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10/23/2008 - cab blends wrote: 90 Points
With Ray - I normally like this but the initial bouquet was a disappointing - while dusty it also was dirty cellar (not sure if it was a bad cork?) - Softened after decanting. Medium to heavy body with good tannins and a sharp edge (was better after an hour) - had it with an 05 Caymus Special Selection which was the better wine tonight.
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7/9/2008 - vanpe003 wrote:
Popped/poured - 90 pts. Still needs a decant. Smoky with a bit of game on the nose. Spiced fruit with chalk minerality on the palate. Medium length finish with medium fine tannins on the finish. Will report back after filter/decant. An hour later, the palate smooths out; a longer, less tannic finish. I think this still has a few years to go. Maybe more than a few, even though the end of the window according to WS is 2008. Update: 4 days later, this is drinking better than it did when opened......93pts. Dark fruit, spice and hints of green on the nose carry to the palate joined by cassis. Mouthfeel has become very velvety, rich with a remarkably long finish.
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6/28/2008 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Nose of coffee, pepper, spice and campfire. After decanting, dark fruit came in to the mix. This was complex with a rich mid palate.
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3/31/2008 - il_diavolo wrote: 89 Points
Not sure this is worth the price tage for a south african wine. Very dark, nearly purple in colour. OK nose with spices and smoke - a bit hot. On the palate it is not very complex and not overlong. all in all a good but nothing special.
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5/15/2007 - Spencer wrote: 89 Points
Solid, well-balanced wine, but ultimately a bit simple. I would drink this over the short term.
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1/3/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 90 Points
Scored this one on potential. Popped/poured with no decant, not doing it justice. Opens up a bit quicker than the Engelbrecht Els from the Western Cape, and has a bit more depth. The nose is very typical of a high-end South African red...smokey fruit. On the palate, it's a bit disjointed, but I suspect a little more time in the glass will round this out very nicely based on the evolution of its cousin. Will save the other two bottles for 2-3 years before revisiting.
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12/23/2006 - lizjagla@yahoo.com wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyed this wine very much. Very oaky nose, but a smooth taste on the pallet. I think this will get better with a bit more aging.
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5/2/2005 - cousteau wrote: 91 Points
Very complex and powerful. Too young to understand it further at this point.
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