Decanted 90 minutes before service - given the vintage, I was worried this might be too much, but with hindsight, many hours would have been preferable. In the glass, deep, saturated purplish-red. On the nose, currants, oak, and a distinct herbal element. On the palate, fruit-rich and tannic. I was expecting a far more evolved and approachable wine given the vintage, but instead, I received a structured, tannic wine, as I might anticipate from a good or great vintage ten years down the road. The tipoff for me that we weren't dealing with a good Napa vintage was the absence of a cocoa note - without that, I doubt I would have guessed this was from a poor vintage.
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Only bottle from the inaugural release. I have had each of the following three vintages over the past two years as I had multiple bottles of each. All showed better, probably, reflecting a combination of vintage variation and more experience with the vineyard. But particularly with a long decant, still a very enjoyable but more subtle wine. Currants, baking spice, molasses, cedar.
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Fantastic bottle. Deep dark ruby like look to it. Tannins have softened and the fruit really showed in this vintage! First from this vineyard. Schrader’s always go great with good beef! Wished I had more of this vintage! Many years left in the cellar!
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Started off like any other quality Napa Valley Cab. Notes of currant, cassis, black fruit, vanilla, and spices with a palate to match plus medium plus tannins. I let this decant for about 3 hours and by the time we drank it with dinner, it was on another level! The tannins had softened tremendously and this wine transformed into a silky, layered beauty. The fruit was still dominant but the wine had mellowed tremendously and the secondary and even some tertiary flavors started peaking through.
I understand this was an off year for everyone but this wine is a testament to the quality of Schrader. If you must drink this one soon, I highly recommend a 2-4 hour decant, tasting every hour. But even for a difficult vintage, this was still some high quality juice!
***Tasting notes are after a 3 hour decant***
Color: Dark ruby, dulling at the hue.
Nose: Cassis, black cherry, vanilla, forest floor, fruit cake, hints of new leather and sweet tobacco
Palate: Lush black fruit, tart cherry, vanilla, medium plus alcohol, medium tannins, medium plus acidity.
Finish: Long finish of black cherry, vanilla, and sweet tobacco.
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My thoughts are very consistent with the writings of others, this particular vintage was a challenge for most. The LPV, though, got the short end of the stick. A nice, quality wine, for sure but lacking in complexity and spunk. Would drink now as don't see it improving
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All dark blueberry and blackberry. Fresh young end of cedar not your grandparents closet cedar. Graphite, unsmoked pipe tobacco, molasses, and chocolate/toffee.
Amazing for 2011. The best Schrader has to offer? No. But not disappointed. Good for the vintage. Drink while the good years age further. Missing a touch of stuffing.
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I had high expectations for this wine and was underwhelmed. Has a tart cherry, licorice and cedar nose. Good acidity and some pomegranate, raspberry and pencil shavings on the palate. I expected more complexity and depth. Not my style. Recently had a BCellars Beckstoffer which was outrageous, and this pales in comparison
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The last of two bottles that I picked-up a couple years ago at a nice price in the secondary market. Dark ruby fruit - dark cherry, dark currants, blackberry, and a little plum. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity, however, I expected a little bigger/fuller fruit - medium body. Nice rich flavors of dark berries, some spice, and a mineral/graphite component. No green notes as I've frequently encountered with this vintage. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time but drinking well after the decant. One of the better 2011 Napa cabs that I've had, however, this will probably be my last 2011 Napa cab at least for over $100 - there are much better options at a similar price with the 2015 & 2016 vintages. 92/93 in my opinion - more or less in line with the WA 93 rating. 100% cab.
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Drank with the 2013 LPV. Room was split on preference. Clearly the ‘13 was more concentrated. Half felt the ‘11 was more balanced and nuanced. I preferred the ‘13 by a lot.
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Compared to the Anthem winery LPV wine, this one has just about an identical nose. The nose of this vineyard just seems to be a "purple" kind of note. But, the wine seemed to be very different. This wine was a little on the lean side. Entered with black cherry and a hint of fig and dark chocolate in the middle. Finished with a moderate youthful tannic bite. The sweeter side of this which it probably displayed 2 or so years ago has started to soften, and is starting to allow some more interesting notes in the future. Probably one of the more balanced LPV wines I've had to date without a doubt, but it failed to hit the upper rung of wines today. The Rudd Samantha's and 2005 Spoto Private Reserve stole the show. Regarding this wine, I think it's probably a good idea to lock it up for 5 years to see what it has in 2023. Considering what people pay for these bottles, you've got nothing to lose by aging it in this case.
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Mildly aromatic, seems on the sweet side. Black fruit, cassis, plum, earth, graphic. Good but not great. Not worth the price. 2011 was a difficult vintage, but as much as I enjoy the Schrader cabs, the LPV have been disappointing vintage after vintage. 2011 is no different.
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Drank this at Pearl in Brooklyn #Embracing65 (birthday). Ok at pop n pour. A hint tannic. Not a super heavy cabernet sauvignon. This was very smooth, drinkable, and approachable. I've had other schraders, but even for a bad vintage, this was pretty good; but not worth it for the money. We drank this with special friends that were able to appreciate this cult wine.
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Flat out delicious wine. With VHR, Piper, and Greer, one of the standouts of the vintage. Great depth, beautiful nose, and a long finish. My first Schrader LPV - can’t wait to try one from a “better” vintage.
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Certainly a worthwhile effort given the incredibly challenging vintage. Nice complex nose of charcoal, smoked BBQ, wet asphalt and earth. Not much in the way of green like you typically get from 2011. Lots of spice, including pepper and herbal flavors on the pallet. A bit thin however, without a lot of character or power coming through mid pallet. Short on the finish. I really don't see this getting any better with age. Given it is a Schrader, it was a very "meh" wine. Could take it or leave it.
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Hands-down the best 2011 I've had so far. Was decanted for about one hour prior to consumption.. The nose on this wine was incredibly unique and was very much an expression of the Terroire. beautifully integrated and silky smooth I believe this wine could age for another 10 years gracefully and provide drinking pleasure throughout. 95+
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Dark purple in color, nose was mostly mineral earthy notes. On the palate scorched earth, gravel, charcoal, asphalt, spices with red acidic fruits showing through about halfway through the bottle. Tannins were silky smooth and no apparent notes of oak. This was integrated and very good for a 2011.
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Dark inky purple in color. The nose is amazingly strong focused on plums and cassis. On the palate this is a hugely concentrated wine. With great extracted blue and black fruits. Hints of currant with mix of oak and tannin. Good overall balance. Great long and complex finish. For 2011 a very nice wine
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From the much-maligned 2011 vintage, this Schrader still brings it. Has the typical Schrader profile of blackberry liqueur, cassis, nutmeg and cinnamon in the nose and mouth. It doesn't have the same level of glycerin as you would normally find, but even the finish is gratifying. This is a 93+ wine, best enjoyed with one hour of decant. It seemed to thin out and become a bit more acidic as it warmed up and had 3 hours of decant.
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Blackberry and currant flavors along with a nice vanilla oak undercurrent. I agree with another reviewer that the flavors haven't yet integrated into a seamless whole. I would put this aside for a year or two.
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Lots of interesting flavors, but doesn't seem ready yet; almost like the puzzle pieces didn't quite fit together and bursts of dark fruit were interrupted. Probably better in a couple years.
Good nose of black fruits, vanilla, cassis and some cedar in there. Really nice balance on the togue with a long finish. A finesse wine made in a tough vintage. Drink or hold for a few more years.
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Ready to go upon opening, it seems with all 2011 Schraders they had to try hard to make a good bottle, and it is only good not great. Smokey, Vanilla, cassis with good concentration but a tad thin and hollowing the middle. There is still enough going on and very enjoyable but it's not anywhere close to previous vintages.
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Urban Heights - 03 Cathelin, 90 LP, 97 Rayas, 07 IX, 11 LPV & etc. (Urban Heights - Bethesda, Maryland): Already very approachable and enjoyable. Expressive nose displaying black fruits, blackberry jam, crème de cassis, vanilla, liquid smoke, licorice, lead pencil, cedar and burning incense. Appearance of excellent concentration, warm, round and silky palate, sweet cassis fruit driven palate impression, good acidity, slightly dry tannins and nice finish. It feels like a lot of technical wine making has gone into this to give the perception of volume and concentration. The middle palate is a bit hollow telling me that there isn’t as much of concentration as it appears. Nevertheless very enjoyable in very primary cult cab way.
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Decanted 5 hours and I'd recommend that length of decant at a minimum. 6+ would be ideal. Super complex on the nose with black and red berry scents mixed with a touch of mint or perhaps eucalyptus. Wonderful balance and texture and a finish that just keeps lingering long after you finished your last sip. Great wine from the '11 vintage.
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No formal tasting notes. Absolutely delicious. Finish kept on going. Even this young everything was in harmony and balance. Had some in glass after an hour and it just kept getting better.
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12/24/2023 - jsebiri wrote:
The Cali lovers all thought this was super nice , a little over the top for me , but good juice for sure.
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12/30/2022 - Rbtrage wrote: 90 Points
Just ok. Nothing special for the price. A bit thin.
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11/15/2021 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 90 minutes before service - given the vintage, I was worried this might be too much, but with hindsight, many hours would have been preferable. In the glass, deep, saturated purplish-red. On the nose, currants, oak, and a distinct herbal element. On the palate, fruit-rich and tannic. I was expecting a far more evolved and approachable wine given the vintage, but instead, I received a structured, tannic wine, as I might anticipate from a good or great vintage ten years down the road. The tipoff for me that we weren't dealing with a good Napa vintage was the absence of a cocoa note - without that, I doubt I would have guessed this was from a poor vintage.
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10/3/2021 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consistent with prior notes of 8/31/2019, one of the better 2011 Napa Cabs you can have.
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2/2/2021 - brianngibson wrote: 94 Points
Only bottle from the inaugural release. I have had each of the following three vintages over the past two years as I had multiple bottles of each. All showed better, probably, reflecting a combination of vintage variation and more experience with the vineyard. But particularly with a long decant, still a very enjoyable but more subtle wine. Currants, baking spice, molasses, cedar.
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1/12/2021 - Bcw1989 wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic bottle. Deep dark ruby like look to it. Tannins have softened and the fruit really showed in this vintage! First from this vineyard. Schrader’s always go great with good beef! Wished I had more of this vintage! Many years left in the cellar!
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12/16/2020 - CashUSM16 wrote: 95 Points
Started off like any other quality Napa Valley Cab. Notes of currant, cassis, black fruit, vanilla, and spices with a palate to match plus medium plus tannins. I let this decant for about 3 hours and by the time we drank it with dinner, it was on another level! The tannins had softened tremendously and this wine transformed into a silky, layered beauty. The fruit was still dominant but the wine had mellowed tremendously and the secondary and even some tertiary flavors started peaking through.
I understand this was an off year for everyone but this wine is a testament to the quality of Schrader. If you must drink this one soon, I highly recommend a 2-4 hour decant, tasting every hour. But even for a difficult vintage, this was still some high quality juice!
***Tasting notes are after a 3 hour decant***
Color: Dark ruby, dulling at the hue.
Nose: Cassis, black cherry, vanilla, forest floor, fruit cake, hints of new leather and sweet tobacco
Palate: Lush black fruit, tart cherry, vanilla, medium plus alcohol, medium tannins, medium plus acidity.
Finish: Long finish of black cherry, vanilla, and sweet tobacco.
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9/19/2020 - royalscam Likes this wine: 93 Points
My thoughts are very consistent with the writings of others, this particular vintage was a challenge for most. The LPV, though, got the short end of the stick. A nice, quality wine, for sure but lacking in complexity and spunk. Would drink now as don't see it improving
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6/21/2020 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
All dark blueberry and blackberry. Fresh young end of cedar not your grandparents closet cedar. Graphite, unsmoked pipe tobacco, molasses, and chocolate/toffee.
Amazing for 2011. The best Schrader has to offer? No. But not disappointed. Good for the vintage. Drink while the good years age further. Missing a touch of stuffing.
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3/29/2020 - dpolzien Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyed but was probably expecting more. Interesting note of red hots on the nose. Preferred Day 2 > Day 1
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3/12/2020 - JohnBlueLabel wrote: 90 Points
I had high expectations for this wine and was underwhelmed. Has a tart cherry, licorice and cedar nose. Good acidity and some pomegranate, raspberry and pencil shavings on the palate. I expected more complexity and depth. Not my style. Recently had a BCellars Beckstoffer which was outrageous, and this pales in comparison
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8/31/2019 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 94 Points
Balanced wine, with smooth waves of cherry and currant, balanced with licorice and a light cedar.
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4/20/2019 - Badmonkey wrote: 93 Points
The last of two bottles that I picked-up a couple years ago at a nice price in the secondary market. Dark ruby fruit - dark cherry, dark currants, blackberry, and a little plum. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity, however, I expected a little bigger/fuller fruit - medium body. Nice rich flavors of dark berries, some spice, and a mineral/graphite component. No green notes as I've frequently encountered with this vintage. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time but drinking well after the decant. One of the better 2011 Napa cabs that I've had, however, this will probably be my last 2011 Napa cab at least for over $100 - there are much better options at a similar price with the 2015 & 2016 vintages. 92/93 in my opinion - more or less in line with the WA 93 rating. 100% cab.
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4/13/2019 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with the 2013 LPV. Room was split on preference. Clearly the ‘13 was more concentrated. Half felt the ‘11 was more balanced and nuanced. I preferred the ‘13 by a lot.
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3/19/2019 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 94 Points
Balanced and full bodied. Looking forward to trying other vintages.
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12/23/2018 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still young and very tight. Overhwhelming black fruits and a ton of structure. Shows what a great winemaker can do even in an off vintage.
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11/9/2018 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points
Compared to the Anthem winery LPV wine, this one has just about an identical nose. The nose of this vineyard just seems to be a "purple" kind of note. But, the wine seemed to be very different. This wine was a little on the lean side. Entered with black cherry and a hint of fig and dark chocolate in the middle. Finished with a moderate youthful tannic bite. The sweeter side of this which it probably displayed 2 or so years ago has started to soften, and is starting to allow some more interesting notes in the future. Probably one of the more balanced LPV wines I've had to date without a doubt, but it failed to hit the upper rung of wines today. The Rudd Samantha's and 2005 Spoto Private Reserve stole the show. Regarding this wine, I think it's probably a good idea to lock it up for 5 years to see what it has in 2023. Considering what people pay for these bottles, you've got nothing to lose by aging it in this case.
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11/4/2018 - gharter wrote: 88 Points
Mildly aromatic, seems on the sweet side. Black fruit, cassis, plum, earth, graphic. Good but not great. Not worth the price. 2011 was a difficult vintage, but as much as I enjoy the Schrader cabs, the LPV have been disappointing vintage after vintage. 2011 is no different.
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9/17/2018 - CarlSchmidt wrote: 90 Points
Nice Cab but not as stunning as the others in the Fantastic Four from Schrader for 2011.
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3/10/2018 - dhammer53 wrote: 92 Points
Drank this at Pearl in Brooklyn #Embracing65 (birthday). Ok at pop n pour. A hint tannic. Not a super heavy cabernet sauvignon. This was very smooth, drinkable, and approachable. I've had other schraders, but even for a bad vintage, this was pretty good; but not worth it for the money. We drank this with special friends that were able to appreciate this cult wine.
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12/25/2017 - Cow Town Likes this wine: 93 Points
Flat out delicious wine. With VHR, Piper, and Greer, one of the standouts of the vintage. Great depth, beautiful nose, and a long finish. My first Schrader LPV - can’t wait to try one from a “better” vintage.
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1/29/2017 - EyeDoc wrote: 93 Points
I found this much richer than the T6 from the same vintage. Drink now - very full bodied but balanced.
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12/30/2016 - Cristal2000 wrote: 91 Points
Certainly a worthwhile effort given the incredibly challenging vintage. Nice complex nose of charcoal, smoked BBQ, wet asphalt and earth. Not much in the way of green like you typically get from 2011. Lots of spice, including pepper and herbal flavors on the pallet. A bit thin however, without a lot of character or power coming through mid pallet. Short on the finish. I really don't see this getting any better with age. Given it is a Schrader, it was a very "meh" wine. Could take it or leave it.
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12/30/2016 - Niagara wrote: 95 Points
Wine of the vintage, IMO. I wish I had more of this!
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10/9/2016 - lucaslabelle wrote: 95 Points
Hands-down the best 2011 I've had so far. Was decanted for about one hour prior to consumption.. The nose on this wine was incredibly unique and was very much an expression of the Terroire. beautifully integrated and silky smooth I believe this wine could age for another 10 years gracefully and provide drinking pleasure throughout. 95+
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10/8/2016 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark purple in color, nose was mostly mineral earthy notes. On the palate scorched earth, gravel, charcoal, asphalt, spices with red acidic fruits showing through about halfway through the bottle. Tannins were silky smooth and no apparent notes of oak. This was integrated and very good for a 2011.
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8/21/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark inky purple in color. The nose is amazingly strong focused on plums and cassis. On the palate this is a hugely concentrated wine. With great extracted blue and black fruits. Hints of currant with mix of oak and tannin. Good overall balance. Great long and complex finish. For 2011 a very nice wine
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7/27/2016 - elamasters wrote:
Excellent concentration and mouthfeel. Worryingly though, there was definite brettanomyces character on the nose and palate that was hard to ignore.
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6/18/2016 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From the much-maligned 2011 vintage, this Schrader still brings it. Has the typical Schrader profile of blackberry liqueur, cassis, nutmeg and cinnamon in the nose and mouth. It doesn't have the same level of glycerin as you would normally find, but even the finish is gratifying. This is a 93+ wine, best enjoyed with one hour of decant. It seemed to thin out and become a bit more acidic as it warmed up and had 3 hours of decant.
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3/26/2016 - mreinitz wrote: 93 Points
Blackberry and currant flavors along with a nice vanilla oak undercurrent. I agree with another reviewer that the flavors haven't yet integrated into a seamless whole. I would put this aside for a year or two.
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12/5/2015 - Curlyrat wrote:
An amazing bottle of wine!! Loved it
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11/27/2015 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 95 Points
My first Schrader. Really amazing with complete knock oyt nose and lovely round mouth feel.
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11/1/2015 - awise45 wrote: 92 Points
Lots of interesting flavors, but doesn't seem ready yet; almost like the puzzle pieces didn't quite fit together and bursts of dark fruit were interrupted. Probably better in a couple years.
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10/31/2015 - CabIsKing wrote: 92 Points
Good nose of black fruits, vanilla, cassis and some cedar in there. Really nice balance on the togue with a long finish. A finesse wine made in a tough vintage. Drink or hold for a few more years.
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10/9/2015 - johnbhamrick wrote: 95 Points
I thought this wine tasted good, then I looked at what I paid for it and was astonished!!! $250 down the drain in effect.
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7/23/2015 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ready to go upon opening, it seems with all 2011 Schraders they had to try hard to make a good bottle, and it is only good not great. Smokey, Vanilla, cassis with good concentration but a tad thin and hollowing the middle. There is still enough going on and very enjoyable but it's not anywhere close to previous vintages.
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7/23/2015 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Urban Heights - 03 Cathelin, 90 LP, 97 Rayas, 07 IX, 11 LPV & etc. (Urban Heights - Bethesda, Maryland): Already very approachable and enjoyable. Expressive nose displaying black fruits, blackberry jam, crème de cassis, vanilla, liquid smoke, licorice, lead pencil, cedar and burning incense. Appearance of excellent concentration, warm, round and silky palate, sweet cassis fruit driven palate impression, good acidity, slightly dry tannins and nice finish. It feels like a lot of technical wine making has gone into this to give the perception of volume and concentration. The middle palate is a bit hollow telling me that there isn’t as much of concentration as it appears. Nevertheless very enjoyable in very primary cult cab way.
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4/11/2015 - El Tej wrote: 96 Points
Finessed but with structure. Sage and wet rocks on the nose. Black currant and dark red fruits in the core with dusty tannins to boot.
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2/27/2015 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 90 Points
full bodied intense
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12/5/2014 - Rob MacKay wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 5 hours and I'd recommend that length of decant at a minimum. 6+ would be ideal. Super complex on the nose with black and red berry scents mixed with a touch of mint or perhaps eucalyptus. Wonderful balance and texture and a finish that just keeps lingering long after you finished your last sip. Great wine from the '11 vintage.
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2/23/2014 - JS1056 Likes this wine: 95 Points
No formal tasting notes. Absolutely delicious. Finish kept on going. Even this young everything was in harmony and balance. Had some in glass after an hour and it just kept getting better.
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