Alive and kicking. 25 years old and really not showing it. These 90s Napa Cabernets are really impressing me. This one seemed to have a nose of jasmine and blackberry and a little bit spicy. Entry was mature ripe blackberry, black cherry. The middle started to have a little bit of olive and green pepper showing up with some truffles. The finish was very soft, tannins just about gone. Really neat bottle, surprise pull from Dan! I think this one is beyond peak, headed down the backside of the hill slowly, but probably a solid 5 years left. If you have any of these, pop and enjoy them because this was a treat!
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Bought on a whim, as i found it in the back room at The Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. I figured for $25 it’d be WAY over the hill, and for a giggle why not. I Coravin’d it at first figuring if it was gone well I’d have a nice little souvenir to talk about.
Well!! I’m here to tell ya it’s alive and well. As some others have noted about the provenance of the bottle and how it would show, this one in pristine physical condition, from label to fill - full like it was bottled yesterday.
The color is fantastic, clear, medium ruby. If you look, just.....the slight bit of brown/bricking.
PnP after the Coravin realizing it was in good shape. Drank over the course of a couple of hours and it got better, with really nice fruit, although somewhat muted, but all in all juicy with bits of olive, blood orange and a backbone still of oak - which it did (back in 1994) spend 19 months in before the 23 years plus in bottle.
On the palate, still sporting great acidity, tannins of course well integrated, and still noticeable. A great feel front to mid palate and nice smooth medium+ finish.
This turned out to be one of the hightlights of the week, which included an ‘01 Tourellles, an ‘04 Montegrossi, an ‘06 Pommard and an ‘04 The Puzzle.
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Purchased on release and perfect cellaring. Wine has held up quite well. Barely noticeable bricking on the edges. Boysenberry, cherry, some blood red orange, plum and bright cherry, black olive, smoke, and cedar.
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Deep ruby/purple color. Nose of blackberries, Plums, oak and a hint of oregano. Lean but nicely balanced on the palate. Berry and plum flavors with a lingering finish. Not especially complex, though. 13.4% abv. I like this lighter style of cabernet before the fruit bomb craze.
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this one has been in the bottom o the bin for some time, and I just discovered it. Stored in not so perfect environment for lo these 18 or so years. Cork crumbled upon opening, but ,as luck would have it, after decanting for an hour or so, the bottle was still in drinkable condition. Nice fruit on initial taste, classic California. However, after the initial impact of cassias, there was a bit of an astringent aftertaste. Waited another hour, but astringent flavor overwhelmed after the initial fruit. Not terrible, but almost a tease.
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Blood-red, still well-intact and balanced, cedar and smooth, sweet blackcurrent on worn-down tannins. Neither distinguished nor complex but drinks pleasantly, very good QPR. Cellered at 56F since purchase at release and decanted an hour.
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I kind of expected this to be terrible, but it’s actually drinking quite nicely. Lovely nose, fruit is a bit restrained, but classic cabernet dark fruit (cassis, blackberry), nice acidity and very mellow tannins. Very pleasant.
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As others have noted, this wine is in a great drinking window and shows no signs of fading in the near term. Classic Cali cabernet and truly amazing for a 19 year old $20 bottle.
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Decanted for 35 minutes and enjoyed over 1 hour or so. Requires 1hr+ to open up. Dark red, youthful in colour. On the nose the fruit is very much present from the start but at the hour mark it develops, adding more classic Cabernet Sauvignon notes, with cedar, dark fruits, spice and a touch of earth. on the palate it is still very much a youngster, tight firm tannin , no harsh elements though, and at this stage on the austere side. Still a very well made wine , with lots of life and potential ahead of it. We wonder if the fruit bombs of today will evolve as nicely as this old school style California wine. 92-93+
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This is a great cab, still going strong after all these years. Why would anyone pay for those high priced cult cabs when there are wines like this around. Yummy rich fruit, a bit of sediment in the bottom, and years left.
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decanted this for about 2 hours, tons of sediment. drank at a dinner party, so no notes. this wine seems to be just a bit past its peak. not oxidized, but the palate is one dimensional and there didn't seem to be anything in the way of secondary notes. still has a strong frame of acid holding on. oh well, for $12 it was fun to try it.
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1994 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - purchased thirteen years ago in a supermarket in Charlotte for $20/ea. A bit of bricking at the rim and the tannins are very soft, but there is no oxidation, and everything that is still here is in perfect balance. Not a lot of complexity, but still has plenty of fruit, great acidity, and a nice finish. I was expecting a ghost and found something very much alive and fun. Two left.
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Very impressive for this price point (when I bought it). I've had three bottles recently, and all have impressed. Still showing nice balance, and a fair amount of fruit for it's age. All tasters have preferred to the '94 & '95 Silverado and the '92 Hess Collection.
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this wine is clearly on its way down hill, but still a decent wine. bright fruits have lightened considerably. leaving a a nice integrated but slight hollow wine with a fairly short finish. I drank this last about 4 years ago and I think it will only worsen from here out, I'll be drinking the rest pretty quickly.
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Big nose - cassis, dark fruit, some tobacco, and spice. Let this wine sit and open because you will love how it evolves. In the mouth the ripe fruit and spices are framed with the smooth tannins. The taste ends with a long finish that makes you want more. I am astonished at how much life is left in this 12 year old California Cab. This is one of my best wine buys!
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Moderate nose of cherries and mild tobacco. Clear light ruby red, with only a bit of lightening at the edge. Beautifully resolved and integrated tannins, a medium body, and lush super ripe frut... Still! Finishes long and sweet. This has got to be one of the greatest QPR wines of all time.
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This wine still has lots of life left. It was closed at first but with some air, it really opened up. Rich cassis, plum and blackberry float across the palate. Some toasty oak and velvety tannins on the finish. JUst a great, cab. Tried it the next day and it was even better (which suprised me given this bottling and its age). Drinking at its peak, but has time left for sure. Great stuff.
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With steak, harcort verts, and pomme frite, and a cheese plate at Fringale. Dark brick-red color, clear and lively, but also clearly mature. Good nose of earth and fruit and the beginnings of a secondary bouquet. Good, but no longer forward, cabernet flavors with a noticable pepper note. Medium body; tannins are fully resolved, making it very smooth.
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Still drinking beautifully. Big cabernet nose. Dark red with no color change at edge. Big CA fruit forward cabernet, but tannins have sweetened leaving a complex and delicious wine with a long finish.
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Bright disc. Deep (nearly opaque) ruby with red/orange rim. Clean nose, showing very intense raspberry, red plum, vanilla and cherry liqueur. Medium-bodied on the palate, with very silky texture. The tannins are ample but very supple. Similar flavors as for the nose. Long, silky smooth finish.
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Very tasty. Lots of good cab flavors. At first you get red cherry and currant flavors, but that melts into darker blackberry and plum. Underlying spice blends into a moderately long finish.
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Medium dark red color. Subdued aromas of ripe fruit and earth. Very ripe fruit and good complexity, courteousy of the layers of earth and spices. Medium finish. It's bad point is that it lacks true weight and concentration that would make it excellent. However, a very good wine with good QPR. What I would expect from an $18 dollar wine.
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6/29/2019 - mflesh wrote: 92 Points
Alive and kicking. 25 years old and really not showing it. These 90s Napa Cabernets are really impressing me. This one seemed to have a nose of jasmine and blackberry and a little bit spicy. Entry was mature ripe blackberry, black cherry. The middle started to have a little bit of olive and green pepper showing up with some truffles. The finish was very soft, tannins just about gone. Really neat bottle, surprise pull from Dan! I think this one is beyond peak, headed down the backside of the hill slowly, but probably a solid 5 years left. If you have any of these, pop and enjoy them because this was a treat!
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6/19/2019 - vineinabottle Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bought on a whim, as i found it in the back room at The Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. I figured for $25 it’d be WAY over the hill, and for a giggle why not. I Coravin’d it at first figuring if it was gone well I’d have a nice little souvenir to talk about.
Well!! I’m here to tell ya it’s alive and well. As some others have noted about the provenance of the bottle and how it would show, this one in pristine physical condition, from label to fill - full like it was bottled yesterday.
The color is fantastic, clear, medium ruby. If you look, just.....the slight bit of brown/bricking.
PnP after the Coravin realizing it was in good shape. Drank over the course of a couple of hours and it got better, with really nice fruit, although somewhat muted, but all in all juicy with bits of olive, blood orange and a backbone still of oak - which it did (back in 1994) spend 19 months in before the 23 years plus in bottle.
On the palate, still sporting great acidity, tannins of course well integrated, and still noticeable. A great feel front to mid palate and nice smooth medium+ finish.
This turned out to be one of the hightlights of the week, which included an ‘01 Tourellles, an ‘04 Montegrossi, an ‘06 Pommard and an ‘04 The Puzzle.
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11/24/2017 - hiltondg Likes this wine:
A well stored 1 owner bottle. Surprisingly great wine.
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7/4/2017 - acorelli Likes this wine: 90 Points
In beautiful shape. Not a great wine, but good.
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12/28/2016 - Popashawshaw Does not like this wine: 81 Points
Left it too long. Sigh. Undrinkable
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4/24/2016 - VillaSprezzatura Likes this wine:
ready drink
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12/7/2014 - Dvogt wrote: 89 Points
Purchased on release and perfect cellaring. Wine has held up quite well. Barely noticeable bricking on the edges. Boysenberry, cherry, some blood red orange, plum and bright cherry, black olive, smoke, and cedar.
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8/3/2014 - meniscus Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bought on release and stored in a cool basement.
Deep ruby/purple color.
Nose of blackberries, Plums, oak and a hint of oregano.
Lean but nicely balanced on the palate. Berry and plum flavors with a lingering finish. Not especially complex, though.
13.4% abv. I like this lighter style of cabernet before the fruit bomb craze.
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7/20/2014 - highalpine wrote: 87 Points
this one has been in the bottom o the bin for some time, and I just discovered it. Stored in not so perfect environment for lo these 18 or so years. Cork crumbled upon opening, but ,as luck would have it, after decanting for an hour or so, the bottle was still in drinkable condition. Nice fruit on initial taste, classic California. However, after the initial impact of cassias, there was a bit of an astringent aftertaste. Waited another hour, but astringent flavor overwhelmed after the initial fruit. Not terrible, but almost a tease.
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6/14/2014 - aka_ces wrote: 88 Points
Blood-red, still well-intact and balanced, cedar and smooth, sweet blackcurrent on worn-down tannins. Neither distinguished nor complex but drinks pleasantly, very good QPR. Cellered at 56F since purchase at release and decanted an hour.
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1/15/2014 - MeToo wrote:
I kind of expected this to be terrible, but it’s actually drinking quite nicely. Lovely nose, fruit is a bit restrained, but classic cabernet dark fruit (cassis, blackberry), nice acidity and very mellow tannins. Very pleasant.
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1/11/2013 - DHJ1968 wrote:
As others have noted, this wine is in a great drinking window and shows no signs of fading in the near term. Classic Cali cabernet and truly amazing for a 19 year old $20 bottle.
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12/20/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 35 minutes and enjoyed over 1 hour or so. Requires 1hr+ to open up. Dark red, youthful in colour. On the nose the fruit is very much present from the start but at the hour mark it develops, adding more classic Cabernet Sauvignon notes, with cedar, dark fruits, spice and a touch of earth. on the palate it is still very much a youngster, tight firm tannin , no harsh elements though, and at this stage on the austere side. Still a very well made wine , with lots of life and potential ahead of it. We wonder if the fruit bombs of today will evolve as nicely as this old school style California wine. 92-93+
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9/8/2012 - JDRFoster wrote: 92 Points
Great juice, well balanced and fully mature.
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5/31/2012 - kenv Likes this wine: 91 Points
WCC 1994 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): Mature nose of cassis and forest floor. Balanced, elegant, fully ready. Drinking quite nicely tonight.
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5/12/2012 - Gymnvali wrote: 89 Points
Still smooth with fruit finish.
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4/3/2012 - allenAchilles wrote: 91 Points
This is a great cab, still going strong after all these years. Why would anyone pay for those high priced cult cabs when there are wines like this around. Yummy rich fruit, a bit of sediment in the bottom, and years left.
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12/24/2011 - Morg wrote: 91 Points
Poped and poured directly from the bottle. Lots of sediment. Enjoyable wine, surprisingly fresh for it's age.
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10/18/2011 - Gargamel wrote: 89 Points
decanted this for about 2 hours, tons of sediment. drank at a dinner party, so no notes. this wine seems to be just a bit past its peak. not oxidized, but the palate is one dimensional and there didn't seem to be anything in the way of secondary notes. still has a strong frame of acid holding on. oh well, for $12 it was fun to try it.
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10/7/2011 - WinoRick wrote: 91 Points
Smooth, balanced and pleasant. On the downhill slope, but a very nice bottle of wine.
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8/26/2011 - rwgray wrote: 87 Points
barely hanging on.
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8/1/2011 - allenAchilles wrote: 90 Points
This was lovely. Considering its age and original price, the wine was first class. Balanced, with great fruit, and typical cab characteristics.
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4/5/2011 - PaulH wrote: 90 Points
1994 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - purchased thirteen years ago in a supermarket in Charlotte for $20/ea. A bit of bricking at the rim and the tannins are very soft, but there is no oxidation, and everything that is still here is in perfect balance. Not a lot of complexity, but still has plenty of fruit, great acidity, and a nice finish. I was expecting a ghost and found something very much alive and fun. Two left.
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2/21/2009 - darius wrote: 92 Points
Very impressive for this price point (when I bought it). I've had three bottles recently, and all have impressed. Still showing nice balance, and a fair amount of fruit for it's age. All tasters have preferred to the '94 & '95 Silverado and the '92 Hess Collection.
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12/25/2008 - jbrekke wrote: 85 Points
Disappointing. Thin, bitter finish, lack of complexity.
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8/14/2008 - daCrusher wrote: 90 Points
still drinking very well...lots of fruit with soft tannins, couple of years left on this wine
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7/16/2008 - LoireFan wrote: 91 Points
Damn, this is still too young and not in its prime. Worth buying and cellaring for a good five more years.
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12/3/2007 - gacortese wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, smooth, not too oakey, not the typical over powering tanins one gets in Napa Cabs. A delight to drink.
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9/1/2007 - LoireFan wrote: 91 Points
A conservative score as this bottle rocked. Not great complexity, but for $15 (on release), it so drubs quite a few $75+ of today's Napa cabs.
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8/6/2007 - daCrusher wrote: 88 Points
this wine is clearly on its way down hill, but still a decent wine. bright fruits have lightened considerably. leaving a a nice integrated but slight hollow wine with a fairly short finish. I drank this last about 4 years ago and I think it will only worsen from here out, I'll be drinking the rest pretty quickly.
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7/30/2007 - mlarch wrote:
Chuck , Mom and I drank with T Bones on 7/29/07. Outstanding wine.
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7/15/2007 - hiltondg wrote:
Starting to go vegital. Time to drink mine up.
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9/28/2006 - tomlbs wrote: 94 Points
Big nose - cassis, dark fruit, some tobacco, and spice. Let this wine sit and open because you will love how it evolves. In the mouth the ripe fruit and spices are framed with the smooth tannins. The taste ends with a long finish that makes you want more. I am astonished at how much life is left in this 12 year old California Cab. This is one of my best wine buys!
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3/25/2006 - Bakeman wrote:
Lisa and Kathy drank while the boys were at NCAA.
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10/4/2005 - PaulH wrote: 90 Points
Moderate nose of cherries and mild tobacco. Clear light ruby red, with only a bit of lightening at the edge. Beautifully resolved and integrated tannins, a medium body, and lush super ripe frut... Still! Finishes long and sweet. This has got to be one of the greatest QPR wines of all time.
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9/28/2004 - TripDaddy wrote: 91 Points
This wine still has lots of life left. It was closed at first but with some air, it really opened up. Rich cassis, plum and blackberry float across the palate. Some toasty oak and velvety tannins on the finish. JUst a great, cab. Tried it the next day and it was even better (which suprised me given this bottling and its age). Drinking at its peak, but has time left for sure. Great stuff.
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1/27/2004 - PaulH wrote: 90 Points
With steak, harcort verts, and pomme frite, and a cheese plate at Fringale. Dark brick-red color, clear and lively, but also clearly mature. Good nose of earth and fruit and the beginnings of a secondary bouquet. Good, but no longer forward, cabernet flavors with a noticable pepper note. Medium body; tannins are fully resolved, making it very smooth.
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11/27/2003 - PaulH wrote: 90 Points
Still drinking beautifully. Big cabernet nose. Dark red with no color change at edge. Big CA fruit forward cabernet, but tannins have sweetened leaving a complex and delicious wine with a long finish.
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1/2/2003 - dbg wrote:
fading fruit, tannins and oak starting to take over
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11/10/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Bright disc. Deep (nearly opaque) ruby with red/orange rim. Clean nose, showing very intense raspberry, red plum, vanilla and cherry liqueur. Medium-bodied on the palate, with very silky texture. The tannins are ample but very supple. Similar flavors as for the nose. Long, silky smooth finish.
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1/26/2002 - dbg wrote:
excellent
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6/24/2001 - dbg wrote:
excellent
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9/9/2000 - dbg wrote:
excellent
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8/16/2000 - dbg wrote:
excellent, open, good fruit, smooth tannins
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7/9/1998 - JeffJo wrote: 91 Points
Very tasty. Lots of good cab flavors. At first you get red cherry and currant flavors, but that melts into darker blackberry and plum. Underlying spice blends into a moderately long finish.
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5/3/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 88 Points
Medium dark red color. Subdued aromas of ripe fruit and earth. Very ripe fruit and good complexity, courteousy of the layers of earth and spices. Medium finish. It's bad point is that it lacks true weight and concentration that would make it excellent. However, a very good wine with good QPR. What I would expect from an $18 dollar wine.
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