Bright nose of fresh squeezed cherries / cherry preserves, mint, fresh earth, some tertiaty meaty notes and dried berries subtly around the edges. The palate is lean with more ripe red berries and some oak that shows itself as vanilla and a little espresso. It’s definitely a linear and direct palate, not expansive but also not out of place in any direction. Definitely plenty of life left here.
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Color: Opaque purple with wider ruby rim along edge of glass (15/15) Aroma: Gorgeous powerful bouquet of ripe dark fruit and wet roses (15/15) Palate: Dense ripe fruit explosion on tongue with leather and coconut in the mid-palate that dissipates surprisingly quick...probably the result of a tough vintage (30/35) Overall quality: The nose is truly special but the palate lacked a lasting punch. It's a medium body wine with good tannin and acidity and a short/medium finish. (31/35)
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Aromatic nose. Pakate is more red fruit than dark. Tannins are present but not intrusive. Not bad for a tough vintage. Says a lot about the talent of the winemaker.
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I found the tannins to be rough and never got smooth after several hours. I have had some great vintages but 2011 is not one of them. There are better wines for the money.
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Medium ruby red with very fine sediment. Definitely from a wet and cool vintage from the characteristics on the nose with herbal notes, green bell peppers, touch of sweet spices and a little stinky. Medium tannins (6/10) and solid acidity with a medium body. A bit gritty in texture with notes of red berries, herbal, truffles, plums and forest floor. Medium plus finish. Better with a little bit of air. Drink till 2020.
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A decent, if unremarkable, wine. To me, this was a bit too heavy on the oak, masking the dark fruits a bit. My wife, however, loved this, commenting on its smooth tannins and lack of any hard edges. To its credit, the wine is without flaws (other than the oak, for me) but it's also without anything to celebrate. Not as good as the 2010, which is unsurprising given the weaker vintage.
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Decanted and let evolve for about 45 minutes. Lovely dark fruit with ripe plum, blackberry and leather notes. Great mouthfeel and aromas of cocoa mingled with rich spice array. Some bramble on the palate adds to the complexity and experience.
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A bit green, tight and tannic on first night. Recorked for another night. Improved on day two as it opened up and green character vanished. Very nice but nothing special.
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Chewy, with great mouth-feel. Complex and layered, built to age, but I couldn't help myself. Dark berries with vanilla notes. Pricey, but I found it worth the splurge.
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No greeness in the wine. Very purple and dark on the pour. Took about 30 minutes for it to start strutting its stuff and was very enjoyable. Sweet vanilla and berries with some dark wood and earthiness to go with it. Some acidity but not a lot. This is a great wine to drink while the 2010,2012,2013's mature up.
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Another great 2011 Cab. Bold nose of currants, tobacco, smoky oak and herbs. Moderate plus body showing some depth, cassis, plums, and a smoky cocoa finish.
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Nothing special. Opened and tasted, then decanted for 90 minutes. Still al ittle green on the nose. Nice structure, well balanced, the tannins are softening. Violets, plums and herbal, black fruits. Not sure where this is going. I like the 2010 and 2012, not a fan of the 2011. A nice wine, but not worth the price.
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Took to a party. Popped and gave it about 30 minutes of air in the bottle. This had a very strong core compared to the Saunter - not as "delicate" on the profile, but also not as expressive. Bit deeper finish. Was pleased that this didn't have any of the "green" notes often seen in 2011. Think other bottles need a couple of years laying down.
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From a 375 - nose was really green at open. Decanted for six hours until it blew that "pepper nose" off by about 60-70%. Can't figure out if this is just in an odd period or victim of the 2011 vintage as it doesn't have a ton of fruit. The good news is that there's a nice acid structure and good finish on it. It could come around to be much more or just fade off from here - my stock tells me to hope for more, but '11 has frightened me in this sense. I made note to give it 2-3 years and cross my fingers.
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Deep dark colour. Lavender, wax, currant, brown gravy, motor oil on the nose... Alcohol and tannins higly integrated as a foundation for an explosion of fruit upon swallow. Agree regarding premature loss of finish although what's left reminds one of a satisfying taste.... Keep in mind that 88 on Eric's scale is great.
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Slight upgrade from when I tasted the first bottle in January. This is maturing quickly so I don't think this has longevity - maybe 5 - 7 years. Juicy cranberry and ripe blackberry with a slight alcoholic finish.
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3-4 hour slow ox. Firm big tannins and the slow-ox helped soften out the wine. This has huge potential. Probably another 2-3 years away from truly shining.
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After having the 2010 I was excited for the new vintage to be released. Even though I knew it would be young I wanted to try one. The three hour decant definitely helped. This is a perfect steak wine. Juicy, ripe, and tannic with a great rounded mouthfeel. This should be even better in a few years.
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1/1/2024 - OaktownRush Likes this wine:
Bright nose of fresh squeezed cherries / cherry preserves, mint, fresh earth, some tertiaty meaty notes and dried berries subtly around the edges. The palate is lean with more ripe red berries and some oak that shows itself as vanilla and a little espresso. It’s definitely a linear and direct palate, not expansive but also not out of place in any direction. Definitely plenty of life left here.
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11/6/2022 - Mr T wrote:
PNP with a group at dinner
Decent but not great with some hard edges
Maybe better with more air but maybe also the vintage
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2/7/2022 - Mr T wrote:
Not a great vintage but still a solid wine but not up to the 2013
Slight green streak but still rich fruit
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11/19/2020 - mhekman wrote: 91 Points
Color: Opaque purple with wider ruby rim along edge of glass (15/15)
Aroma: Gorgeous powerful bouquet of ripe dark fruit and wet roses (15/15)
Palate: Dense ripe fruit explosion on tongue with leather and coconut in the mid-palate that dissipates surprisingly quick...probably the result of a tough vintage (30/35)
Overall quality: The nose is truly special but the palate lacked a lasting punch. It's a medium body wine with good tannin and acidity and a short/medium finish. (31/35)
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11/10/2020 - PSUSteve wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Plum, tobacco, mint in plenty of oak. Same from start to finish. Seems to have plenty of life left.
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4/5/2020 - OTTMJ Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very drinkable but was a little weird as it was not very complex on the palate.
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7/15/2019 - budman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle... and the best!
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2/13/2019 - budman Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid effort!!!
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1/10/2018 - budman Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aromatic nose. Pakate is more red fruit than dark. Tannins are present but not intrusive. Not bad for a tough vintage. Says a lot about the talent of the winemaker.
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1/8/2018 - Carl Thoma Does not like this wine: 88 Points
I found the tannins to be rough and never got smooth after several hours. I have had some great vintages but 2011 is not one of them. There are better wines for the money.
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10/20/2017 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 89 Points
Medium ruby red with very fine sediment. Definitely from a wet and cool vintage from the characteristics on the nose with herbal notes, green bell peppers, touch of sweet spices and a little stinky. Medium tannins (6/10) and solid acidity with a medium body. A bit gritty in texture with notes of red berries, herbal, truffles, plums and forest floor. Medium plus finish. Better with a little bit of air. Drink till 2020.
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6/3/2017 - Crunge wrote: 91 Points
A decent, if unremarkable, wine. To me, this was a bit too heavy on the oak, masking the dark fruits a bit. My wife, however, loved this, commenting on its smooth tannins and lack of any hard edges. To its credit, the wine is without flaws (other than the oak, for me) but it's also without anything to celebrate. Not as good as the 2010, which is unsurprising given the weaker vintage.
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5/26/2017 - mikemboutiquewines wrote: 93 Points
Great effort by TRB in an "off" vintage. Drinking nicely now with at least 5 or 6 good years ahead of it.
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3/19/2017 - air guitar & pinot noir Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and let evolve for about 45 minutes. Lovely dark fruit with ripe plum, blackberry and leather notes. Great mouthfeel and aromas of cocoa mingled with rich spice array. Some bramble on the palate adds to the complexity and experience.
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8/25/2016 - Rktekt3 wrote: 92 Points
I think this wine has moved into a really good phase. For a 2011 Napa cab, this is a great wine with no trace of greeness in it.
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6/20/2016 - iamandyc wrote: 90 Points
A bit green, tight and tannic on first night. Recorked for another night. Improved on day two as it opened up and green character vanished. Very nice but nothing special.
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4/7/2016 - FGS Likes this wine: 92 Points
Chewy, with great mouth-feel. Complex and layered, built to age, but I couldn't help myself. Dark berries with vanilla notes. Pricey, but I found it worth the splurge.
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2/14/2016 - Stumpy wrote: 89 Points
Good bones for the future I think but seemed to lack fruit and was Tannic-opened a bit with time but not in my list of must buys.
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2/14/2016 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine: 93 Points
No greeness in the wine. Very purple and dark on the pour. Took about 30 minutes for it to start strutting its stuff and was very enjoyable. Sweet vanilla and berries with some dark wood and earthiness to go with it. Some acidity but not a lot. This is a great wine to drink while the 2010,2012,2013's mature up.
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2/2/2016 - bobpsi Likes this wine:
Another great 2011 Cab. Bold nose of currants, tobacco, smoky oak and herbs. Moderate plus body showing some depth, cassis, plums, and a smoky cocoa finish.
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12/13/2015 - gharter wrote: 88 Points
Nothing special. Opened and tasted, then decanted for 90 minutes. Still al ittle green on the nose. Nice structure, well balanced, the tannins are softening. Violets, plums and herbal, black fruits. Not sure where this is going. I like the 2010 and 2012, not a fan of the 2011. A nice wine, but not worth the price.
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9/21/2015 - konadog wrote: 91 Points
drank with friends, pop 'n pour. really good from the start, boysenberry, dark cherry with a hint of cedar.
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8/30/2015 - ageverett Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took to a party. Popped and gave it about 30 minutes of air in the bottle. This had a very strong core compared to the Saunter - not as "delicate" on the profile, but also not as expressive. Bit deeper finish. Was pleased that this didn't have any of the "green" notes often seen in 2011. Think other bottles need a couple of years laying down.
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8/7/2015 - JJB007 Likes this wine:
this is the third bottle so apologies if the write up is brief!!.
All I can say is tonight is nothing but wonderful accompanied by wonderful wine.
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4/5/2015 - haldolugr wrote: 92 Points
This wine was a hit at the dinner table. Plum, vanilla, and smokey tobacco in the mouth with a clean smooth finish.
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3/6/2015 - mrmedoes wrote: 88 Points
From a 375 - nose was really green at open. Decanted for six hours until it blew that "pepper nose" off by about 60-70%. Can't figure out if this is just in an odd period or victim of the 2011 vintage as it doesn't have a ton of fruit. The good news is that there's a nice acid structure and good finish on it. It could come around to be much more or just fade off from here - my stock tells me to hope for more, but '11 has frightened me in this sense. I made note to give it 2-3 years and cross my fingers.
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11/29/2014 - beej wrote: 88 Points
Deep dark colour.
Lavender, wax, currant, brown gravy, motor oil on the nose...
Alcohol and tannins higly integrated as a foundation for an explosion of fruit upon swallow.
Agree regarding premature loss of finish although what's left reminds one of a satisfying taste....
Keep in mind that 88 on Eric's scale is great.
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10/3/2014 - sandwich Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slight upgrade from when I tasted the first bottle in January. This is maturing quickly so I don't think this has longevity - maybe 5 - 7 years. Juicy cranberry and ripe blackberry with a slight alcoholic finish.
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8/28/2014 - Rmbaum55 wrote: 93 Points
Maybe young, but delicious and well-balanced nevertheless. Great nose. Happy to drink now
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7/4/2014 - haldolugr wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruit, herbal notes, with a strong dusting of cocoa. Still a baby with a finish that needs more time to develop. But this is good juice.
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6/23/2014 - jaxpaj wrote: 94 Points
Really drinking well now. Still think Myriad 3 twins was better for 2011.
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6/9/2014 - jaxpaj wrote: 94 Points
3-4 hour slow ox. Firm big tannins and the slow-ox helped soften out the wine. This has huge potential. Probably another 2-3 years away from truly shining.
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5/4/2014 - thatrick wrote: 92 Points
Way to early but I just had to try a bottle - not sure what I was expecting but it was a pleasant surprise - will hold my other bottles
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1/31/2014 - sandwich Likes this wine: 91 Points
After having the 2010 I was excited for the new vintage to be released. Even though I knew it would be young I wanted to try one. The three hour decant definitely helped. This is a perfect steak wine. Juicy, ripe, and tannic with a great rounded mouthfeel. This should be even better in a few years.
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1/8/2014 - RMundell Likes this wine: 90 Points
too young but promising
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