needed some decanting at least 30 minutes tannins are gone but still with flavor chocolate, lavendar and leathery notes also full bodied and went well with rib-eye steak
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P: Med body; Very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by astringent pucker which never comes close to losing touch with the frt as it evolves into the quite LONG, balanced finish with a bitter/swt choc tinge to the inoffensively dusty tannins. Has yet to peak? For now & approaching its 35th? 13% ABV; My Exceptional-, poss full Exceptional with a bit more cellaring.
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2 bottles, both decanted 1 hour and served with grilled filet. Corks fully saturated (not dense enough) and difficult to remove without tearing apart. Pushed in the last 1/4 inch and poured through strainer. Funky, musty, notes on opening which quickly blew off. Orange color on the rim but generally a deep rich purple hue in the glass. Still showing some subdued fruit on the palate. Fruit and tannins well balanced considering the age and the combination produced a complex, elegant wine, a traditional Cali cab of the era. Cabernet the way I like it, but definitely not in the modern style. Not bold or big but very enjoyable and a perfect foil for the food. Long finish with a leathery touch at the end. A little sediment. No doubt drinking 5 years earlier or better corks would have added a few points.
Popped & poured, this took a short while to really open up. Quite minty at first, followed by anise, fennel, tarragon and red currants. As it opens, dark fruit and violet qualities emerge. Nicely integrated at this stage, featuring flavors of red & purple fruit, blackberry liqueur, violets and herbs. Has an elegance about it. Lovely.
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The tannins are just starting to overtake the fruit in this wine. This is the 2nd bottle of this wine and 4th bottle of '91 Cali Cab I've had in the last month. I've been very pleased with how this vintage has held up. A pleasing balance of youth and age.
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Dinner with xhoser and locals at Wildfire. Thought this had more of an old-world feel to it than a Cali Cab. Notes of tobacco and pencil shavings, with some dark fruit hiding at the end.
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Dinner with xhoser (Wildfire, Oakbrook): Ripe, prune and red fruit aromas. Medium-bodied, with spice, dark fruit and currant flavors with a ripe edge. Has a youthful tartness to it.
I decanted this briefly off its sediment before we left for dinner, and this definitely needed more air than I had given it. The wine suffered as a result IMO, and could have shown much better had I allowed it to.
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Dark, brickish color. Dark, rich aromas. A touch of prune initially, but rich flavors and great length. Kept getting better throughout the evening. Can probably go another few years.
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Smokey, dark red-fruit nose. Medium body, dark black fruit. Delicious, but the acidity is higher than it should be at this point. Better with burgers than by itself.
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Rich and delicious but still has plenty of energy. Notes of earth and black olives accompany currant, plum, and musky dark berry fruit. Still purple, and in perfect condition. A real treat.
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We've enjoyed the 92 over the years but we noticed at the winery that the 91 scored better in an onsite vertical tasting so we tracked down a bottle. Make sure to filter this as it is loaded with sediment. Classic mountain black fruits are still very prevalent, and even a little sour on the finish. Very enjoyable/
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Medium ruby color. Restrained blackberry and cedar nose. As before, delicious blackberry fruit, soft tannins and a smooth finish, but with some cedar and tobacco as well. Fully mature, fine CA cab.
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I bought a case of this wine on release and have enjoyed it on every occasion over the past 15 years. Delicious blackberry fruit, soft tannins and a smooth finish. For me, this wine peaked 4 or 5 years ago and is holding well, but really no reason to age further.
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9/18/2022 - Tpmess wrote: 90 Points
needed some decanting at least 30 minutes
tannins are gone but still with flavor
chocolate, lavendar and leathery notes
also full bodied and went well with rib-eye steak
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12/22/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [8 HIGH end Reds & 10 Shared Bottles] from 12/21/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): I can't thank you enough for sharing this TERRIFIC wine, Danny! :)
N: Closed; RIPE, smoke/earth, poss pyrazines, rest tough to parse; Intensity lurking?
P: Med body; Very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by astringent pucker which never comes close to losing touch with the frt as it evolves into the quite LONG, balanced finish with a bitter/swt choc tinge to the inoffensively dusty tannins. Has yet to peak? For now & approaching its 35th? 13% ABV; My Exceptional-, poss full Exceptional with a bit more cellaring.
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5/11/2015 - Ocean676 Likes this wine: 89 Points
2 bottles, both decanted 1 hour and served with grilled filet. Corks fully saturated (not dense enough) and difficult to remove without tearing apart. Pushed in the last 1/4 inch and poured through strainer. Funky, musty, notes on opening which quickly blew off. Orange color on the rim but generally a deep rich purple hue in the glass. Still showing some subdued fruit on the palate. Fruit and tannins well balanced considering the age and the combination produced a complex, elegant wine, a traditional Cali cab of the era. Cabernet the way I like it, but definitely not in the modern style. Not bold or big but very enjoyable and a perfect foil for the food. Long finish with a leathery touch at the end. A little sediment. No doubt drinking 5 years earlier or better corks would have added a few points.
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12/31/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Popped & poured, this took a short while to really open up. Quite minty at first, followed by anise, fennel, tarragon and red currants. As it opens, dark fruit and violet qualities emerge. Nicely integrated at this stage, featuring flavors of red & purple fruit, blackberry liqueur, violets and herbs. Has an elegance about it. Lovely.
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12/31/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 91 Points
Opened by Allred at Anvil. Similar notes as previous bottle. This was still tight upon opening, but evolved nicely over time.
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3/29/2013 - BoulderWine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still drinking nicely. One bottle left.
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3/19/2013 - bcwine Likes this wine: 88 Points
The tannins are just starting to overtake the fruit in this wine. This is the 2nd bottle of this wine and 4th bottle of '91 Cali Cab I've had in the last month. I've been very pleased with how this vintage has held up. A pleasing balance of youth and age.
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11/13/2011 - tommil45 wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose, dark red color, smooth on the palate. Should be drank within next year or so.
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10/26/2011 - thelostverse wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with xhoser and locals at Wildfire. Thought this had more of an old-world feel to it than a Cali Cab. Notes of tobacco and pencil shavings, with some dark fruit hiding at the end.
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10/26/2011 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
Dinner with xhoser (Wildfire, Oakbrook): Ripe, prune and red fruit aromas. Medium-bodied, with spice, dark fruit and currant flavors with a ripe edge. Has a youthful tartness to it.
I decanted this briefly off its sediment before we left for dinner, and this definitely needed more air than I had given it. The wine suffered as a result IMO, and could have shown much better had I allowed it to.
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8/24/2011 - BoulderWine wrote: 92 Points
Dark, brickish color. Dark, rich aromas. A touch of prune initially, but rich flavors and great length. Kept getting better throughout the evening. Can probably go another few years.
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5/19/2011 - kenv wrote: 88 Points
Smokey, dark red-fruit nose. Medium body, dark black fruit. Delicious, but the acidity is higher than it should be at this point. Better with burgers than by itself.
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10/8/2010 - vendange wrote: 91 Points
Rich and delicious but still has plenty of energy. Notes of earth and black olives accompany currant, plum, and musky dark berry fruit. Still purple, and in perfect condition. A real treat.
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5/22/2010 - Teamcrev wrote: 90 Points
We've enjoyed the 92 over the years but we noticed at the winery that the 91 scored better in an onsite vertical tasting so we tracked down a bottle. Make sure to filter this as it is loaded with sediment. Classic mountain black fruits are still very prevalent, and even a little sour on the finish. Very enjoyable/
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4/26/2009 - stoneb wrote: 91 Points
Pristine bottle. Consistent with prior notes.
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8/3/2008 - stoneb wrote: 91 Points
Medium ruby color. Restrained blackberry and cedar nose. As before, delicious blackberry fruit, soft tannins and a smooth finish, but with some cedar and tobacco as well. Fully mature, fine CA cab.
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3/29/2008 - stoneb wrote: 90 Points
I bought a case of this wine on release and have enjoyed it on every occasion over the past 15 years. Delicious blackberry fruit, soft tannins and a smooth finish. For me, this wine peaked 4 or 5 years ago and is holding well, but really no reason to age further.
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3/28/2008 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Sweet, dark fruit and earth flavors, well balanced. Decanted immediately before drinking and showed perfectly.
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11/1/2005 - BailliSacks wrote:
Pleasant, enjoyable, unexceptional. (old note, date estimated)
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12/1/2001 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
RICH BERRY FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH A TOUCH OF CHOCOLATE AND LICORICE. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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