With Burgers….. Pre food upon opening, a little cloudy but densely packed. 5 spice, licorice, earth, dark sour cherries, slight green pepper. Followed for 2 hours with Cassis and some mild sweetness coming to the front. Very nice.
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Needed an hour decant. This is a big wine with abundant ripe napa fruit. It has a luxurious texture that is boarding on port. Better than the last bottle seems to be hitting its stride.
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Big, modern, heavy handed. Not like the Lewellings pre-2007. Fine cocktail wine, or maybe a wine for dessert, but too big and sweet to enjoy more than a glass.
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Rich, ripe, lush and very nearly overdone in a Parker-esque kind of way. Dried dark fruits with probably the most cocoa I've ever experienced in a cabernet. Also a lot of wood, tannin and acidity. This wine was sharp-edged and not harmonious. It's also showing some age with dried fruit flavors. All my bottles of this wine have been in this style.
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Similar notes as previous tasting. Black cherries and leather in the nose. Black cherries and blackcurrants in the flavor. Well balanced wine with a long smooth finish.
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Decanted for about an hour. Very ripe, with pronounced black licorice on the nose and licorice and blackberry jam on the palate. A well-made wine, but not my favorite style.
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I last drank this in 2013. Boy, it's really improved since then. Drank this at a Superbowl dinner in NY. Full body. Some tannins. A little cherry fruit. It was an Oh Boy wine. Everyone loved it. It was #2 for the night after the '16 Becklyn. I'm glad I drank this 10 year old wine, but sorry that I have none left.
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Pop and pour. Dark cherries, and Brandy, charred wood and tar on the nose. A near perfect balance on the palate.
This is a bit syrupy with some raisins, plum and - odd but enjoyable- a note of Bartlett pear.
Really a pleasant one. This is my Last Bottle and I don’t know that I could’ve timed this any better. If I had more I would drink them in the next 6 to 12 months for optimum enjoyment
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Poured at the table from a portable coreavin. Really impressive for a wine that our guests turned out to have purchased for $35 on Winebid (and later saw for $25). Fully mature, but with a long plateau ahead of it, medium purple, really nice balance. The nose is moderately aromatic with floral aromas and ripe blueberries, vanilla and licorice, mint. On the palate, saturated and flavorful without seeing at all overpowering. I would definitely buy this for my daughter if I can find it for the same price that Natasha quoted. More recent vintages are selling for $50-75, which strikes me as less of a bargain.
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Wine Tasting at Ken's; 8/8/2018-8/9/2018 (Ithaca, NY): Coravin pours for tasting. This wine drank great. Notes of red and dark fruits - cherry, currant and a touch of blackberry - followed by licorice, a little vanilla and, with some air time, some herbs. Great with the steak.
I was proud of this wine to show so well, amid the company of this tasting, where it was the least expensive wine by a lot. (It was $37 retail from a store. The other wines were all $75-$150+ - although this was the wine most in drinking range, at 10 years old. The other wines were a little on the early side).
Fresh and youthful with fruit that almost tastes sweer. Doug fir and other aromatics lift the nose. Very moderate tannins frame blue fruit and a hint of wood. Finished with black pepper and a bit of heat.
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Christmas wine with prime rib :) Deep blue fruit and rich cassis with a ripe nose. Maybe over the top for some people but I’ve had a couple bottles before and this is what I expected.
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In a great place right now and drinking beautifully. Great nose of cassis and kirsch. Only thing keeping my score from being higher is a little more acidity to add freshness. Unctuous wine with a 60 second finish.
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Previously coravin'd bottle. Remaining 3/4's opened, not decanted, and followed over 2.5 hours. Nose is heavy on oak, tar and vanilla. Really jammy and syrupy upon opening, the wine mellowed with time showing heavy dark fruit, crushed stone, aged wood, spice box, and vanilla. Soft, dusty finish. Really a good wine that will continue to age well for the next 4+ years.
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A hedonistic delight. If the words "voluptuous Cabernet" bring a sneer to your face, this is not the wine for you. But if they bring a smile, you're in for a treat. I'd rate it even higher if the tannins weren't almost completely resolved and the acid low. Not the most balanced wine you'll ever drink, but one of the most delicious. I suggest drinking within the next couple of years.
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Rich, ripe, juicy, lush and heavy. Blackberry, cassis, coffee, cocoa, graphite and oak. Full-bodied, smooth and concentrated with a cloying character, but also with just enough acidty to make it drinkable. Not a great food wine. This wine has become more and more "Parker-ized" and less and less enjoyable to me - everything is simply overdone.
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Black cherries, leather, oak, and a hint of perfume in the nose. Black cherries and blackcurrants in the flavor. Well balanced wine with a long smooth finish.
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An Interesting Mix at St. G (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark purple/red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. A mix of dark red and black fruit on the nose, a green edge. The palate is fairly bold, full bodied, blackberry, plenty of oak that same herbaceous element.
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Black in color with no bricking around the rim. Very typical Lewelling with black currants and black raspberry with bits of dark blueberry. There is also a note of plums and figs. It is thick and jammy and slightly raisiny. The tannins are well resolved. Not much to note on the front of the palate but explodes in the mid-palate with a 30 second finish. Drink now.
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Expressive if Port-like nose. On the palate this bottle disappointed: plump, flabby, raisin-ed and lacking structure to balance the fruit. It tasted like a great supermarket fruit bomb. Fairly long finish. This reflects my experience with the 2007 of this wine. I'd hoped that vintage was an anomaly. That or substantial bottle variation in my remaining bottles 88-90 pts
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Dinner with Barbara, Lance, Jen and me in Princeton (Princeton, NJ): What a tasty wine! Notes of black and red fruit, cherry, blackberry, oak and lots of tannins - and a finish that just doesn't quit. Just perfect with our filet mignon, could age for many years but delicious now. With Lance and Barbara in Princeton.
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This is a wine where waiting will have it's reward. Smooth, mouth coating wine. Mid pallet white pepper, dark fruit, light graphite, cassis, and good tannins
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Uncorked only, about an 90 mins before arriving at a restaurant. Aroma of aged barrel w fresh ripe blueberry and a hint of saddle leather.
More fruit than tannins, which rest in the background, but there's a front=pallette dustiness that gives the wine a dry mouth feel in spite of all the light blue and dark fruits. As much as I like this wine and as good as it is today, I'm concerned about aging this beyond another 2-3 years due to the lack of structure. Drink by 2019.
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This Cab has evolved from being excellent to becoming stunning. Like three years ago, it features deep, concentrated dark fruit with a finish that goes on and on. Along with its richness, there are secondary notes of dark chocolate, cassis and lavender...this is an amazing wine for the money.
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What a tasty wine for a birthday dinner for Jen! Lovely red fruits, cherry, blackberry, oak and tannins. Over time it improved in the glass and showed more licorice as well. Great with the dry-aged T-Bone steaks (strip + filet). This wine will improve with some more aging time (2+ years) -- and probably will last for 10 years -- but is tasty now, too. Good QPR for $37 / bottle.
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Very rich, ripe, sweet and lush. Blackberry, cassis, coffee and oak. Soft, round and fruit-forward. Almost cloying, but with just enough structure to keep it balanced. Overpowered the veal chop I ate with it. Not a style I prefer, but still a nice wine.
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I did not have a bad wine that night. Least favorite of the 4 we had but still fantastic. Tannic and structured but less complexity than the others. The nose started to fade a bit but still a very solid 90+ wine. Finish was around 15-20 seconds.
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This was a lot better than a bottle I had three years ago - which was an overblown fruit-bomb. This bottle had really lovely, rich, ripe aromas and concentrated, sweet, layered flavors of blackberry, cassis and vanilla. Velvety and creamy with soft edges. Needed more tannic structure to match all the ripe fruit, but still a very delicious wine. 91+
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classic and lovely cabernet from St Helena. Structured with plenty for fruit but not over extracted or jammy. Paired well with arroz con pollo from a Jose Andres recipe.
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Decanting released a torrent of sweet aromas: concord grape, chocolate, molasses, espresso. Concord grape in color. Flavors did not contradict the aromas, except the integration of alcohol and tannins kept is from being a fruit monster. Very enjoyable. Velvety long finish.
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Brought in to a restaurant. Decanted half the bottle, drank the balance from the bottle. Dusty tannins early on make this seem older/more mature, and they become less prominent over the 2 hour drinking window. Mocha, dark fruit and sweet oak. Very approachable now, expect this will be even better in a few more years
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Wow! What a gem, I'm so happy my friends that drink a lot of CA wine turned me onto this bottle. Loaded with dark fruit notes and gobs of layered fruit. Gotta choose the food carefully, could see how it might overpower some dishes. We picked some short ribs and boy did the 2008 sing.
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Drank with a Champoux Washington Cab and so this wine seemed a bit too flabby and had port like elements. Still a nice wine, but just didn't play well with the other.
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What Napa Cab is all about, power, concentration, depth, and length. Black cherry, licorice, mocha and loam. Opened nicely with little time to breathe. If anything not that complex, but makes up for it with deliciousness.
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Although an ejoyable bottle in its own right, my first Lewelling upheld the reviews that I have read. It really seemed to lack cabness in my view, with a big fruity nose and taste that had really none of the traditional cab features I enjoy, no tannon, no cigar nor tobacco. Tasted blind I would have guessed one of the flabby syrahs being schlepped out of CA these days. Gotta agree with others, definately not in my cab sweet spot.
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I enjoyed over dinner at Piccolo's Italian restaurant at Lake Oconee. This is only the 4th bottle of Lewelling I've tasted (2 of them were at the winery) and I was not dissappointed. I bought a case and am looking forward to the others.
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Same note as previous, although I got to taste again on 2nd day. On day two, there was a sweetness that started to overtake the coconut again, very creamy and fairly hot. I like Napa wines, but this is definitely not in my wheelhouse, it tastes manufactured. Hoping I like the Wright better.
Yes, very fruit forward but also has balancing tannins and acid. It better integrates with about an hour of air. I love it but it is not bordeaux style - full throttle Napa.
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I'll agree with other posters and say this is fruit forward. I was disappointed. After drinking the '08 Wight last month (a classic cab), the regular cab couldn't hold a candle to it. This wine is very dark. Some heat on the tongue (is that acid?). At 90 minutes, chocolate joined the fruit. If this wasn't so full-bodied, you'd a thought it was an Ozzie Shiraz. I drank this at a business dinner at BLT in White Plains. The other bottle that I brought, an '09 Carlisle SC Syrah was far superior, and at less than half the price. The bad news is that I have another '08 cab sitting in my cellar. Revisit in 2016.
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My first Lewelling Cab...very big, bold, fruit forward and concentrated. However, what makes this more than just another well made fruit bomb is it's spicy, almost licorice finish that also gives this wine a nice complexity.
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This wine is all about big in your face fruit. Nothing subtle about this wine. It's enjoyable for what it is but lacked balance and acidity to warrant a hire score. The wine is very heavy.
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Very concentrated. Coconut flavour is distracting and in combination with the rich fruit makes this more of a cocktail wine. No tannin apparent. Creamy oak and blueberry. heavy handed cab.
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Stumbled upon this wine on a wine list at Blue Water Grill in NYC. This is only the 3rd time I've had Lewelling cab - the other two times were at the winery. This is an impossible wine to buy as it sells out to the wine list within an hour of its release and I've never seen it on a restaurant wine list until now, so I grabbed a bottle to try. It was outstanding - very rich and fruit-forward. Very extracted which is what I really like! We all enjoyed the bottle and I'll go back for more.
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Tasted this at a steakhouse, so I didn't catch the ABV and it didn't have much time to open, but it made a great impression. Came across as a solid, but youthful Napa Cabernet. The tannins were not oppressive, but the wine seemed a bit primary. Flavors of ripe currant, cedar, and graphite were the predominant things I noticed. I'll probably be seeking some out.
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Popped and poured into decanter. First aromatics were pretty muted and a bit overly tannic up front. That did start to integrate fairly quickly though and after about 30 minutes in the decanter it was noticeably settled. I never really got anything overpowering on the nose but very strong cassis and oak up front on the palate. After some air time the dark/sweet fruit really started to show as well. Overall a really good wine but I'll give it ~2 hours in the decanter up front next go round.
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This is a fantastic cab for the price point, strong fruit flavor on the front dark berry dominant, the midpalate had a clean heaviness which is reminiscent of the more expensive napa cabs, vanilla, dark chocolate, tobacco notes, finish had great legs, this will definitely improve with time mid 90s but great potential to move up. -S
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Decanted for over 2 hours before having with grilled strip steaks. Aroma has a strong musty funk and pine. The taste continues with pine, as well as oak, but the funk and mustiness continues. You can also get the dark fruit in there some, but this is definitely corked.
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WOTN. Fruit balances the alcohol nicely. Decanted for about 2 hours. Lots of blackberry sweetness without being over the top. Anise and a little cassis. Finishes very long.
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Nothing subtle about this BIG wine. You get an idea of what you are in for when you pour it - dark, dark purple. Felt like I got bopped over the head by a 2x4. Not my style. Perhaps some subtleties will develop over time.
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Had after an 04 leeuwin and an 07 shelter 27-29. I agree with rickspicks. Over ripe and unbalanced at this point. The 07 Lewelling hit me the same way early on, but seems to be coming around now. I hope this will do the same.
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Whoa! I expected this to be big and ripe, but this was almost "off-scale" on both. Tons of cassis & oak, but also seems heavy, sweet, over-ripe and somewhat cloying. Needs a lot more structure to balance out all the fruit. I would give this about an 87-88, which is significantly out of synch with all other CT tasters and all the pros, so something must be strange about this bottle. I will not give it a score and will hope for a better bottle next time.
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Now this is what I like in a wine!!! Both of the 2008 Lewellings are wonderful. Big powerful reds, full bodied, teeth staining, intense wine that still has layers of complexity. I think this is the QPR of the year.
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11/8/2023 - JoeDwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
With Burgers…..
Pre food upon opening, a little cloudy but densely packed.
5 spice, licorice, earth, dark sour cherries, slight green pepper. Followed for 2 hours with Cassis and some mild sweetness coming to the front. Very nice.
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1/16/2022 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 94 Points
Well integrated with beautiful fruit.l and a long finish. One of our favorites.
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1/1/2022 - rbruce Likes this wine:
Celebrating 2022!
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11/29/2021 - aaronwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed an hour decant. This is a big wine with abundant ripe napa fruit. It has a luxurious texture that is boarding on port. Better than the last bottle seems to be hitting its stride.
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11/9/2021 - Cow Town Likes this wine: 89 Points
Big, modern, heavy handed. Not like the Lewellings pre-2007. Fine cocktail wine, or maybe a wine for dessert, but too big and sweet to enjoy more than a glass.
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11/1/2021 - VinoRosso wrote: 92 Points
My last bottle of the 08. A bit sweeter than o remember
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10/17/2021 - rbruce wrote:
Wine from Cordell’s. They were invited to dinner this night and couldn’t make it, so we drank it with the fillets and twice bakes.
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10/5/2021 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
A nice mouthful of of baking spice, cranberry, bitter chocolate abs nicely lifted aromatics on the nose.
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9/25/2021 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Rich, ripe, lush and very nearly overdone in a Parker-esque kind of way. Dried dark fruits with probably the most cocoa I've ever experienced in a cabernet. Also a lot of wood, tannin and acidity. This wine was sharp-edged and not harmonious. It's also showing some age with dried fruit flavors. All my bottles of this wine have been in this style.
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8/18/2021 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Smooth, dark cherry notes with a lithe mouthfeel and long finish. As fine a Lewelling as I’ve had.
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7/18/2021 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar notes as previous tasting. Black cherries and leather in the nose. Black cherries and blackcurrants in the flavor. Well balanced wine with a long smooth finish.
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8/13/2020 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 93 Points
A fabulous wine that still has plenty of fruit, and integrated tannins.
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5/3/2020 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pnp no sed. Still big Napa cab. True to style. Pretty nose, soft tannins. A joy to drink. Enjoy now with small decant or hold.
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4/18/2020 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Deep crimson color with unctuous, mouthcoating blue fruit and just a tad of heat in the back of the throat. Drink any time.
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1/17/2020 - SpoochMan wrote:
gifted to C&M
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8/25/2019 - JCGuthrie wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Very ripe, with pronounced black licorice on the nose and licorice and blackberry jam on the palate. A well-made wine, but not my favorite style.
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2/3/2019 - dhammer53 wrote: 93 Points
I last drank this in 2013. Boy, it's really improved since then. Drank this at a Superbowl dinner in NY. Full body. Some tannins. A little cherry fruit. It was an Oh Boy wine. Everyone loved it. It was #2 for the night after the '16 Becklyn. I'm glad I drank this 10 year old wine, but sorry that I have none left.
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10/10/2018 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Dark cherries, and Brandy, charred wood and tar on the nose. A near perfect balance on the palate.
This is a bit syrupy with some raisins, plum and - odd but enjoyable- a note of Bartlett pear.
Really a pleasant one. This is my Last Bottle and I don’t know that I could’ve timed this any better. If I had more I would drink them in the next 6 to 12 months for optimum enjoyment
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8/9/2018 - KPB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured at the table from a portable coreavin. Really impressive for a wine that our guests turned out to have purchased for $35 on Winebid (and later saw for $25). Fully mature, but with a long plateau ahead of it, medium purple, really nice balance. The nose is moderately aromatic with floral aromas and ripe blueberries, vanilla and licorice, mint. On the palate, saturated and flavorful without seeing at all overpowering. I would definitely buy this for my daughter if I can find it for the same price that Natasha quoted. More recent vintages are selling for $50-75, which strikes me as less of a bargain.
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8/8/2018 - TashNYC wrote: 93 Points
Wine Tasting at Ken's; 8/8/2018-8/9/2018 (Ithaca, NY): Coravin pours for tasting. This wine drank great. Notes of red and dark fruits - cherry, currant and a touch of blackberry - followed by licorice, a little vanilla and, with some air time, some herbs. Great with the steak.
I was proud of this wine to show so well, amid the company of this tasting, where it was the least expensive wine by a lot. (It was $37 retail from a store. The other wines were all $75-$150+ - although this was the wine most in drinking range, at 10 years old. The other wines were a little on the early side).
Drink now but has time, too.
(Same tasting as KPB)
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3/31/2018 - guitarguy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fresh and youthful with fruit that almost tastes sweer. Doug fir and other aromatics lift the nose. Very moderate tannins frame blue fruit and a hint of wood. Finished with black pepper and a bit of heat.
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12/26/2017 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
Points for sheer determination! Ebulliently fruity with something to say. Very present nose, great fruity length with good sinusy feel.
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12/25/2017 - allenn1999 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Christmas wine with prime rib :)
Deep blue fruit and rich cassis with a ripe nose. Maybe over the top for some people but I’ve had a couple bottles before and this is what I expected.
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9/16/2017 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Very similar note to last time.
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8/28/2017 - Longboarder Likes this wine: 96 Points
In a great place right now and drinking beautifully. Great nose of cassis and kirsch. Only thing keeping my score from being higher is a little more acidity to add freshness. Unctuous wine with a 60 second finish.
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6/6/2017 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice fruit forward napa cab!
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5/21/2017 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Previously coravin'd bottle. Remaining 3/4's opened, not decanted, and followed over 2.5 hours. Nose is heavy on oak, tar and vanilla. Really jammy and syrupy upon opening, the wine mellowed with time showing heavy dark fruit, crushed stone, aged wood, spice box, and vanilla. Soft, dusty finish. Really a good wine that will continue to age well for the next 4+ years.
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4/15/2017 - Hamersly Likes this wine: 95 Points
A hedonistic delight. If the words "voluptuous Cabernet" bring a sneer to your face, this is not the wine for you. But if they bring a smile, you're in for a treat. I'd rate it even higher if the tannins weren't almost completely resolved and the acid low. Not the most balanced wine you'll ever drink, but one of the most delicious. I suggest drinking within the next couple of years.
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4/8/2017 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Rich, ripe, juicy, lush and heavy. Blackberry, cassis, coffee, cocoa, graphite and oak. Full-bodied, smooth and concentrated with a cloying character, but also with just enough acidty to make it drinkable. Not a great food wine. This wine has become more and more "Parker-ized" and less and less enjoyable to me - everything is simply overdone.
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2/24/2017 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
Black cherries, leather, oak, and a hint of perfume in the nose. Black cherries and blackcurrants in the flavor. Well balanced wine with a long smooth finish.
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2/3/2017 - JCGuthrie wrote: 91 Points
Backup bottle after the '07 Wight was corked. Nice nose, bit too sweet on the palate for my taste.
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2/2/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 88 Points
An Interesting Mix at St. G (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark purple/red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. A mix of dark red and black fruit on the nose, a green edge. The palate is fairly bold, full bodied, blackberry, plenty of oak that same herbaceous element.
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1/30/2017 - fine137 Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Basically bad port. These Lewelling wines all have the same flavor profile hot, sweet alcoholic mess.
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1/23/2017 - JPBone wrote: 93 Points
Black in color with no bricking around the rim. Very typical Lewelling with black currants and black raspberry with bits of dark blueberry. There is also a note of plums and figs. It is thick and jammy and slightly raisiny. The tannins are well resolved. Not much to note on the front of the palate but explodes in the mid-palate with a 30 second finish. Drink now.
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9/8/2016 - thalver wrote:
Expressive if Port-like nose. On the palate this bottle disappointed: plump, flabby, raisin-ed and lacking structure to balance the fruit. It tasted like a great supermarket fruit bomb. Fairly long finish. This reflects my experience with the 2007 of this wine. I'd hoped that vintage was an anomaly. That or substantial bottle variation in my remaining bottles 88-90 pts
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9/7/2016 - Alberic13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. The body is full. I really like this wine.
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7/30/2016 - TashNYC wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Barbara, Lance, Jen and me in Princeton (Princeton, NJ): What a tasty wine! Notes of black and red fruit, cherry, blackberry, oak and lots of tannins - and a finish that just doesn't quit. Just perfect with our filet mignon, could age for many years but delicious now. With Lance and Barbara in Princeton.
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7/10/2016 - Brsed Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drink great right now. Deep brooding black fruit with some cigar. Nice backbone. Not flabby at all.
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4/23/2016 - MD.Gibson wrote: 95 Points
This is a wine where waiting will have it's reward. Smooth, mouth coating wine. Mid pallet white pepper, dark fruit, light graphite, cassis, and good tannins
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3/12/2016 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Uncorked only, about an 90 mins before arriving at a restaurant. Aroma of aged barrel w fresh ripe blueberry and a hint of saddle leather.
More fruit than tannins, which rest in the background, but there's a front=pallette dustiness that gives the wine a dry mouth feel in spite of all the light blue and dark fruits. As much as I like this wine and as good as it is today, I'm concerned about aging this beyond another 2-3 years due to the lack of structure. Drink by 2019.
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1/14/2016 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 95 Points
This Cab has evolved from being excellent to becoming stunning. Like three years ago, it features deep, concentrated dark fruit with a finish that goes on and on. Along with its richness, there are secondary notes of dark chocolate, cassis and lavender...this is an amazing wine for the money.
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12/11/2015 - TashNYC wrote: 95 Points
What a tasty wine for a birthday dinner for Jen! Lovely red fruits, cherry, blackberry, oak and tannins. Over time it improved in the glass and showed more licorice as well. Great with the dry-aged T-Bone steaks (strip + filet). This wine will improve with some more aging time (2+ years) -- and probably will last for 10 years -- but is tasty now, too. Good QPR for $37 / bottle.
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9/24/2015 - bcg14 wrote: 88 Points
Non-distinct fruit flavors and high alcohol aromas. Certainly stacked with fruit, but lacked the acidity to be interesting.
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8/24/2015 - Dr. Pato wrote: 94 Points
Rich, dense fruit bomb with bright acidity.
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7/18/2015 - Napacablover Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark cherry fruit bursts out of the glass! great bottle!
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6/20/2015 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Very rich, ripe, sweet and lush. Blackberry, cassis, coffee and oak. Soft, round and fruit-forward. Almost cloying, but with just enough structure to keep it balanced. Overpowered the veal chop I ate with it. Not a style I prefer, but still a nice wine.
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1/12/2015 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine: 91 Points
I did not have a bad wine that night. Least favorite of the 4 we had but still fantastic. Tannic and structured but less complexity than the others. The nose started to fade a bit but still a very solid 90+ wine. Finish was around 15-20 seconds.
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12/24/2014 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
This was a lot better than a bottle I had three years ago - which was an overblown fruit-bomb. This bottle had really lovely, rich, ripe aromas and concentrated, sweet, layered flavors of blackberry, cassis and vanilla. Velvety and creamy with soft edges. Needed more tannic structure to match all the ripe fruit, but still a very delicious wine. 91+
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10/5/2014 - bonedocnine Likes this wine: 92 Points
classic and lovely cabernet from St Helena. Structured with plenty for fruit but not over extracted or jammy. Paired well with arroz con pollo from a Jose Andres recipe.
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4/28/2014 - Ellenkf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanting released a torrent of sweet aromas: concord grape, chocolate, molasses, espresso. Concord grape in color. Flavors did not contradict the aromas, except the integration of alcohol and tannins kept is from being a fruit monster. Very enjoyable. Velvety long finish.
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3/1/2014 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Brought in to a restaurant. Decanted half the bottle, drank the balance from the bottle. Dusty tannins early on make this seem older/more mature, and they become less prominent over the 2 hour drinking window. Mocha, dark fruit and sweet oak. Very approachable now, expect this will be even better in a few more years
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1/24/2014 - themki wrote: 93 Points
Deep and long finish - black cherry, creme de cassis, and loam. Just beginning to be integrated - will get better for many years
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12/28/2013 - Lipin wrote: 95 Points
Wow! What a gem, I'm so happy my friends that drink a lot of CA wine turned me onto this bottle. Loaded with dark fruit notes and gobs of layered fruit. Gotta choose the food carefully, could see how it might overpower some dishes. We picked some short ribs and boy did the 2008 sing.
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12/22/2013 - Brsed wrote: 87 Points
Drank with a Champoux Washington Cab and so this wine seemed a bit too flabby and had port like elements. Still a nice wine, but just didn't play well with the other.
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10/19/2013 - tkoby11 wrote: 92 Points
What Napa Cab is all about, power, concentration, depth, and length. Black cherry, licorice, mocha and loam. Opened nicely with little time to breathe. If anything not that complex, but makes up for it with deliciousness.
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9/29/2013 - Stumpy wrote: 87 Points
Although an ejoyable bottle in its own right, my first Lewelling upheld the reviews that I have read. It really seemed to lack cabness in my view, with a big fruity nose and taste that had really none of the traditional cab features I enjoy, no tannon, no cigar nor tobacco. Tasted blind I would have guessed one of the flabby syrahs being schlepped out of CA these days. Gotta agree with others, definately not in my cab sweet spot.
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9/9/2013 - Napacablover Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow!! Love this wine!
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5/20/2013 - Napacablover wrote: 94 Points
I enjoyed over dinner at Piccolo's Italian restaurant at Lake Oconee. This is only the 4th bottle of Lewelling I've tasted (2 of them were at the winery) and I was not dissappointed. I bought a case and am looking forward to the others.
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5/19/2013 - fisk15 wrote: 85 Points
Same note as previous, although I got to taste again on 2nd day. On day two, there was a sweetness that started to overtake the coconut again, very creamy and fairly hot. I like Napa wines, but this is definitely not in my wheelhouse, it tastes manufactured. Hoping I like the Wright better.
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5/10/2013 - rogerr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Yes, very fruit forward but also has balancing tannins and acid. It better integrates with about an hour of air. I love it but it is not bordeaux style - full throttle Napa.
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4/5/2013 - dhammer53 wrote: 89 Points
I'll agree with other posters and say this is fruit forward. I was disappointed. After drinking the '08 Wight last month (a classic cab), the regular cab couldn't hold a candle to it. This wine is very dark. Some heat on the tongue (is that acid?). At 90 minutes, chocolate joined the fruit. If this wasn't so full-bodied, you'd a thought it was an Ozzie Shiraz. I drank this at a business dinner at BLT in White Plains. The other bottle that I brought, an '09 Carlisle SC Syrah was far superior, and at less than half the price. The bad news is that I have another '08 cab sitting in my cellar. Revisit in 2016.
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3/26/2013 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 92 Points
My first Lewelling Cab...very big, bold, fruit forward and concentrated. However, what makes this more than just another well made fruit bomb is it's spicy, almost licorice finish that also gives this wine a nice complexity.
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2/19/2013 - Snelson1154 wrote: 91 Points
This wine is all about big in your face fruit. Nothing subtle about this wine. It's enjoyable for what it is but lacked balance and acidity to warrant a hire score. The wine is very heavy.
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1/19/2013 - Fruitbomb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice. Opened up with an hour of decanting. Lots of great dark fruit, juicy and forward.
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12/30/2012 - fisk15 wrote: 88 Points
Very concentrated. Coconut flavour is distracting and in combination with the rich fruit makes this more of a cocktail wine. No tannin apparent. Creamy oak and blueberry. heavy handed cab.
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10/7/2012 - ahoff wrote: 93 Points
Really big at first. After 2 hours, opened up. Tons of dark fruit, not too much tannin. I buy these every year, and the '08s are top notch.
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8/7/2012 - deltacop wrote: 92 Points
Awesome
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7/27/2012 - pakabear wrote:
This is really good. Dark fruit, blackberry and blueberry in cream. Could use a few years, but oh so good!
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4/26/2012 - jfaulk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Massive fruit up front. Dark and foreboding. Supple tannins and oak to carry it. Needs time to age
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4/23/2012 - Napacablover wrote: 94 Points
Stumbled upon this wine on a wine list at Blue Water Grill in NYC. This is only the 3rd time I've had Lewelling cab - the other two times were at the winery. This is an impossible wine to buy as it sells out to the wine list within an hour of its release and I've never seen it on a restaurant wine list until now, so I grabbed a bottle to try. It was outstanding - very rich and fruit-forward. Very extracted which is what I really like! We all enjoyed the bottle and I'll go back for more.
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3/23/2012 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted this at a steakhouse, so I didn't catch the ABV and it didn't have much time to open, but it made a great impression. Came across as a solid, but youthful Napa Cabernet. The tannins were not oppressive, but the wine seemed a bit primary. Flavors of ripe currant, cedar, and graphite were the predominant things I noticed. I'll probably be seeking some out.
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3/17/2012 - kinger0003 wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured into decanter. First aromatics were pretty muted and a bit overly tannic up front. That did start to integrate fairly quickly though and after about 30 minutes in the decanter it was noticeably settled. I never really got anything overpowering on the nose but very strong cassis and oak up front on the palate. After some air time the dark/sweet fruit really started to show as well. Overall a really good wine but I'll give it ~2 hours in the decanter up front next go round.
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2/9/2012 - sasvino wrote: 95 Points
This is a fantastic cab for the price point, strong fruit flavor on the front dark berry dominant, the midpalate had a clean heaviness which is reminiscent of the more expensive napa cabs, vanilla, dark chocolate, tobacco notes, finish had great legs, this will definitely improve with time mid 90s but great potential to move up. -S
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2/8/2012 - Wine Sparty wrote: flawed
Decanted for over 2 hours before having with grilled strip steaks. Aroma has a strong musty funk and pine. The taste continues with pine, as well as oak, but the funk and mustiness continues. You can also get the dark fruit in there some, but this is definitely corked.
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1/28/2012 - megropolis wrote:
Much more balanced then 2007.
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1/7/2012 - S1 wrote:
WOTN. Fruit balances the alcohol nicely. Decanted for about 2 hours. Lots of blackberry sweetness without being over the top. Anise and a little cassis. Finishes very long.
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1/5/2012 - shalansky Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Nothing subtle about this BIG wine. You get an idea of what you are in for when you pour it - dark, dark purple. Felt like I got bopped over the head by a 2x4. Not my style. Perhaps some subtleties will develop over time.
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11/19/2011 - winopops3 wrote:
Had after an 04 leeuwin and an 07 shelter 27-29. I agree with rickspicks. Over ripe and unbalanced at this point. The 07 Lewelling hit me the same way early on, but seems to be coming around now. I hope this will do the same.
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11/19/2011 - rickspicks wrote:
Whoa! I expected this to be big and ripe, but this was almost "off-scale" on both. Tons of cassis & oak, but also seems heavy, sweet, over-ripe and somewhat cloying. Needs a lot more structure to balance out all the fruit. I would give this about an 87-88, which is significantly out of synch with all other CT tasters and all the pros, so something must be strange about this bottle. I will not give it a score and will hope for a better bottle next time.
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10/17/2011 - xtian wrote: 94 Points
Very nice - deep dark, chocolaty cab with smooth fruit and integrated tannins. No whimpy wine, it has no hard edges but plenty of stuffing.
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6/7/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 95 Points
Now this is what I like in a wine!!! Both of the 2008 Lewellings are wonderful. Big powerful reds, full bodied, teeth staining, intense wine that still has layers of complexity. I think this is the QPR of the year.
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10/22/2010 - prettydeceextrap wrote: 92 Points
Winery Tastings, October 2010; 10/22/2010-10/25/2010 (Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Spring Mountain, St. Helena, Calistoga, Napa): Very syrupy, full of alcohol but seemingly without the distracting heat. Lasted for minutes in the mouth, with tons of mid-palate. Not sure how it will age, as it drank well right out of the bottle. Lots of swirling helped blow off some of the alcohol. Fantastically floral with just enough white pepper to make it interesting.
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