At first I thought this was going to be a sad 2001 But after an hour in the decanter explosive delisciosa Complicated fruit and earth Happy to open at pre thanksgiving festivities
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Deep ruby color, decanted 30 before first taste. First impression: nose of black currant, plum, blackberry with menthol/eucalyptus (maybe a touch of anise?); leather, graphite, tobacco. Still notable tannins and solid acidity on the tongue. A slightly short and uneventful finish, a bit surprising given the preamble.
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Napa Valley - November 2022; 11/16/2022-11/19/2022 (Napa Valley): Tasted along side the 2011 Anakota Dakota. Nose was not as pronounced as the Anakota with garrigue and mahogany wood. On the palate very smooth with some red fruit, earthiness, smoke, herbs and spice. Finish was nice but not as long as the Anakota. Tannins and acidity were more pronounced than the Anakota. This one may have some additional potential down the road.
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Nose is nice and form with good fidelity to the taste. Fruit is a bit tart, and it leans slightly toward the old work style. It is really a Bordeaux blend dominated by cab. Really went well with a Fiori's seasoned rib eye. Works best with food.
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This bottle was in a nice spot tonight. Paired well with RC Ranch Wagyu Bavette steak, seasoned and smoked and finished on the grill.
Garnet in color. Slight tart red fruit at room temp but delicious at cellar temp. Dark cherry. Tannins medium with a finish of fresh cut tobacco. Might have been the food or maybe it was the wine. This delivered for the vintage.
Really nice bottle of wine. Typical Howell Mountain with black and blue fruit up front and a bit of pepper and clove on the back palate. Some earthy, herbal notes add a nice balance to this bottle. Long, lingering finish with silky tannins. A slightly different style than the Craig Howell Mountain consumed the same evening but delicious and a bit more to my taste than the ‘08 Craig.
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Bad cork snapped in the middle and it crumbled while trying to extract the rest. Most of it fell into the bottle and I had to sacrifice about a glass worth due to the cork bits. No big loss as this was just meh. Deep purple, youthful. Not much going on in the nose. Some sweet spice notes, black fruit. Flavor very subdued. Blackberry and currant but not much else besides. Rather high acidity and unremarkable finish. Was expecting more from a Howell Mountain wine. I don't think it was a bad bottle - no flaws aside from the cork that I could detect. Might just be closed. I have another bottle; maybe revisit in 3 years or so.
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PnP'd - blackberry, cassis flavors. Silky and easy to drink. Not as big as other Howell Mountain wines, but still a solid showing given the difficult vintage.
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Dark red color with pink rim. True to its mountain-fruit roots, this wine has an excellent, rustic cabernet sauvignon nose of cassis, black cherry, green tobacco, and herbs. While this wine doesn’t have the typical palate intensity of other vintages, it is an honest wine with cassis, black cherry, bay leaf, tobacco, and mineral notes on the finish. There is plenty of acidity in this medium-bodied wine, and the tannins, while evident, are not hard or coarse. The finish maintains its fruit while adding mineral and tannin. Overall, this is a triumph in a vintage where valley floor fruit suffered. This wine is medium-bodied with medium intensity fruit, but it is balanced and delicious. It is a welcome break from some of the overworked wine found in some more recent vintages. Honest and enjoyable.
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One of the best wines from a rough, variable vintage. The mountain o course, didn't suffer as much as valley floor fruit, so this is a beautiful wine. Welcome touches of earth and herbs, but still lovely fruit and great balance. Softer style for sure, but very nice.
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Has a broad, think and quite resolved profile. There's no mistaking the terroir - not to be confused with any Bordeaux, this is very fruit forward though it has a caressing slight dryness on the finish which is welcome. A bit laid back and simple in profile, drinking well at this age. There's nothing particularly flamboyant or racy about this - likely on account of the vintage but quite tasty and impressive in many ways. Perhaps slightly over-priced - I think I paid $70 plus tax.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, black currant and licorice anise with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish.
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Stylish nose of blackberry, plum, cedar, and licorice. Juicy mountain fruit with a supporting frame of acidity and minerality. The 2011 Howell Mountain is open for business but should show more complexity with age. Drink starting 2020.
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The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), burnt, toast and espresso. It tastes like blackberry and cedar. The body is full. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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The 2011 Napa Cabernets continue to underwhelm me. Great job from La Jota in a difficult vintage, but this was just missing something. The flavor and nose were a bit muted, and the finish was a short. Its not a terrible wine, its just not quite there.
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Prior bottle was better with more fruit, less heat and nice leather and chocolate note weaved throughout. For this bottle, decanted nearly 2h and seemed to show more heat with gritty tannins and mint, eucalyptus and dark cherry, blackberry and espresso and tobacco leaf. Still a great wine for the vintage.
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Tasted alongside 10 other wines over a Thanksgiving Day dinner. The wines included La Jota 1996 & La Jota 2011, 1990 Opus One, 2012 Pott Vineyards The Arsenal, 1985 Masi Amarone, 2012 Outpost Cabernet (regular bottling), 1986 Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Corey Reserve, 2005 St Francis Anthem 2005, 2012 Whitehall Lane Cabernet (regular bottling) 2012, and 1997 Niebaum Coppola Rubicon
La Jota 2011 Howell Mountain, Medium Body with aroma's of blackberry, very forward & present tannin's with cigar-box and leather flavors, 15 second aftertaste of blackberry. This can use more time as it did not show well against the very diverse grouping above
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HOLD OFF DRINKING. This wine appears to have great potential but it is not ready. First flavors were earthy aromas, with pencil shavings undertone, followed by vegetable aftertaste. Longer finish than most with fruit revealing itself after 15 seconds. This is a complex wine with lots going on. I recommend re-visiting after another 3-5 years of bottle age.
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Very vocal on the nose with intense aromas of oak, fudge, butter, a little vanilla, cinnamon and a little coffee. Very ripe dark fruit, blackcurrants, blueberries and cherries.
Medium acidity, very ripe fruitiness with a hint of residual sweetness. This is balanced well by some medium+ tannins. High intensity with a medium+ finish.
A bit over the top in my opinion. But still young and with plenty of potential. Nevertheless delicious to drink right now.
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Aromatic with acidulous but ripe black fruit, very dominated by cassis. Pencil shavings. Very primary still but a very good balance and probably very accessible early on. Long balanced finish. Second only to 2004 Pontet Canet today. Everyone liked this. Recommended.
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Tasting, brief note. wild black berries and black plum with some cedar and licorice. Similar flavor profile, very elegantly styled with good support and energy from the wine's acidity and soft tannins. Good now, but this needs another 5+ years in the cellar.
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Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated but balanced and approachable, showing some of that classic Howell Mountain sweet black raspberry bramble fruits, with tones of dark mocha and hints of black currant, floral, spice, earth and creosote with subdued sweet spicy oak on the firm but silky smooth polished tannin finish.
Had this at a wine tasting for my wine group. 13 bottles for 15 people. One of the favorites of the night. Opened and sat in the bottle for over an hour before pouring.
Medium purple color. Aromas of blueberries, black currants and dark plums. soft tannins in line with other good drinking 2011 Napa cabs. It feels like the oak was downplayed a little, as the tannins were not overwhelming.
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Bold and elegant!!! Deep spices, long legs, deep blue/purplish fruit, aroma is striking and totally vivid in the glass with finesse and vibrant/long finish. All the elements of this wine are perfectly balanced!!! The tannins are firm yet also silky. This is a flat-out stunning wine is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A perfect blend with the perfect restaurant makes this a favourite and tops the list. Retail US $69 - $75 with restaurant purchase at $200 in Mastros, Chicago.
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Decanted for a little over an hour. On the nose: Deep jammy smell with hints of black and blue berries, dark amber maple syrup, oak and graphite. On the palate: Soft, inviting texture. Very balanced, hard to differentiate the flavors. Blueberry, pencil shavings, cherry with a hint of raspberry. Heard 2011 was a rough year, look forward to seeing what they produce in 2012.
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Some Blind Cali Reds: Medium purple color. Aromas of deep blueberries, black currants and dark plums, underlined by caramel, mocha, anise, black magic markers with notes of graphite and. On the palate, solid tannins but they’re not too rough, medium acid, the fruit is rich and chewy (blackberries, currants, dark plums). Significant oak influence but it’s complemented with complex notes of pencil shavings, dark roast coffee, brown sugar, black magic marker. Smooth but rich on the finish, this is a big wine that needs time to mellow out, but it’s a beauty with a lot of depth and purity. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, aged 19 months in 90% new French oak. $75.
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11/23/2023 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 92 Points
At first I thought this was going to be a sad 2001
But after an hour in the decanter explosive delisciosa
Complicated fruit and earth
Happy to open at pre thanksgiving festivities
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4/1/2023 - thestuer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep ruby color, decanted 30 before first taste.
First impression: nose of black currant, plum, blackberry with menthol/eucalyptus (maybe a touch of anise?); leather, graphite, tobacco.
Still notable tannins and solid acidity on the tongue.
A slightly short and uneventful finish, a bit surprising given the preamble.
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3/1/2023 - eudora wrote: 94 Points
Drinking beautifully at age 12.
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11/17/2022 - PghMike Likes this wine: 91 Points
Napa Valley - November 2022; 11/16/2022-11/19/2022 (Napa Valley): Tasted along side the 2011 Anakota Dakota. Nose was not as pronounced as the Anakota with garrigue and mahogany wood. On the palate very smooth with some red fruit, earthiness, smoke, herbs and spice. Finish was nice but not as long as the Anakota. Tannins and acidity were more pronounced than the Anakota. This one may have some additional potential down the road.
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12/12/2021 - jimyeni wrote: 90 Points
Pyrazines and vegetable character, hasn’t quite come together as some 2011s have.
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11/22/2021 - 55degrees wrote: 85 Points
Bitter
Green twig and unripe fruit
Too bad
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10/15/2021 - LCHammer Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Definitely thin and tart with a poor finish. No better on day 2. Another disappointing 2011 for me.
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8/8/2021 - Grand12 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose is nice and form with good fidelity to the taste. Fruit is a bit tart, and it leans slightly toward the old work style. It is really a Bordeaux blend dominated by cab. Really went well with a Fiori's seasoned rib eye. Works best with food.
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7/10/2021 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was in a nice spot tonight. Paired well with RC Ranch Wagyu Bavette steak, seasoned and smoked and finished on the grill.
Garnet in color. Slight tart red fruit at room temp but delicious at cellar temp. Dark cherry. Tannins medium with a finish of fresh cut tobacco. Might have been the food or maybe it was the wine. This delivered for the vintage.
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1/1/2021 - AAJR Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP’d - berries & baking spice flavors. Nice wine, but not your typical Howell Mtn.
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8/8/2020 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really nice bottle of wine. Typical Howell Mountain with black and blue fruit up front and a bit of pepper and clove on the back palate. Some earthy, herbal notes add a nice balance to this bottle. Long, lingering finish with silky tannins. A slightly different style than the Craig Howell Mountain consumed the same evening but delicious and a bit more to my taste than the ‘08 Craig.
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5/20/2020 - winesteward wrote: 85 Points
Bad cork snapped in the middle and it crumbled while trying to extract the rest. Most of it fell into the bottle and I had to sacrifice about a glass worth due to the cork bits. No big loss as this was just meh. Deep purple, youthful. Not much going on in the nose. Some sweet spice notes, black fruit. Flavor very subdued. Blackberry and currant but not much else besides. Rather high acidity and unremarkable finish. Was expecting more from a Howell Mountain wine. I don't think it was a bad bottle - no flaws aside from the cork that I could detect. Might just be closed. I have another bottle; maybe revisit in 3 years or so.
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12/8/2019 - AAJR Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP'd - blackberry, cassis flavors. Silky and easy to drink. Not as big as other Howell Mountain wines, but still a solid showing given the difficult vintage.
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3/30/2019 - Meerlust wrote: 90 Points
Dark red color with pink rim. True to its mountain-fruit roots, this wine has an excellent, rustic cabernet sauvignon nose of cassis, black cherry, green tobacco, and herbs. While this wine doesn’t have the typical palate intensity of other vintages, it is an honest wine with cassis, black cherry, bay leaf, tobacco, and mineral notes on the finish. There is plenty of acidity in this medium-bodied wine, and the tannins, while evident, are not hard or coarse. The finish maintains its fruit while adding mineral and tannin. Overall, this is a triumph in a vintage where valley floor fruit suffered. This wine is medium-bodied with medium intensity fruit, but it is balanced and delicious. It is a welcome break from some of the overworked wine found in some more recent vintages. Honest and enjoyable.
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12/22/2018 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely nose but the finish is a little green. Didn't fall apart on 2nd day. Pretty solid offering for 2011.
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10/30/2018 - Keeping It Real wrote: 90 Points
Not as good as when I had it before.
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8/20/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 93 Points
Chewy tannins, leather, tropical fruit. Medium finish. More of a Rhone-lover's Cabernet but a laudable effort for a cool year.
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7/3/2018 - Pluecht Likes this wine: 99 Points
Solid offering.
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5/10/2018 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very young, full bodied. Lots of fruit and tannin. Enjoyable but needs a few more years.
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1/8/2018 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of the best wines from a rough, variable vintage. The mountain o course, didn't suffer as much as valley floor fruit, so this is a beautiful wine. Welcome touches of earth and herbs, but still lovely fruit and great balance. Softer style for sure, but very nice.
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10/30/2017 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Has a broad, think and quite resolved profile. There's no mistaking the terroir - not to be confused with any Bordeaux, this is very fruit forward though it has a caressing slight dryness on the finish which is welcome. A bit laid back and simple in profile, drinking well at this age. There's nothing particularly flamboyant or racy about this - likely on account of the vintage but quite tasty and impressive in many ways. Perhaps slightly over-priced - I think I paid $70 plus tax.
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8/5/2017 - zack.wygant Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needs some time to open...solid 2011 however
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7/16/2017 - Marc S wrote: 92 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, black currant and licorice anise with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish.
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4/29/2017 - rlove wrote: 92 Points
Stylish nose of blackberry, plum, cedar, and licorice. Juicy mountain fruit with a supporting frame of acidity and minerality. The 2011 Howell Mountain is open for business but should show more complexity with age. Drink starting 2020.
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3/19/2017 - Ronreid54 wrote:
A bit flat
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3/19/2017 - Ronreid54 wrote: 89 Points
A little flat
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3/4/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decent 2011 effort and surprisingly approachable. Very restrained mountain fruit, medium finish.
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10/30/2016 - Mapleglo330 wrote: 92 Points
I liked quite a bit. Started out slow and hit bigger as night went on. Good Howell mountain representation.
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7/2/2016 - Twopawsup Likes this wine: 92 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), burnt, toast and espresso. It tastes like blackberry and cedar. The body is full. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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4/2/2016 - cjohnson2960 wrote: flawed
This is the third corked bottle of this wine acquired from a local wine store.
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2/11/2016 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 90 Points
The 2011 Napa Cabernets continue to underwhelm me. Great job from La Jota in a difficult vintage, but this was just missing something. The flavor and nose were a bit muted, and the finish was a short. Its not a terrible wine, its just not quite there.
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1/1/2016 - cjohnson2960 wrote: flawed
2d corked bottle.
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12/31/2015 - DBunk wrote: 91 Points
Prior bottle was better with more fruit, less heat and nice leather and chocolate note weaved throughout. For this bottle, decanted nearly 2h and seemed to show more heat with gritty tannins and mint, eucalyptus and dark cherry, blackberry and espresso and tobacco leaf. Still a great wine for the vintage.
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12/31/2015 - WineStl1969 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good but needs more time in the bottle
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11/26/2015 - tomoem wrote: 89 Points
Tasted alongside 10 other wines over a Thanksgiving Day dinner. The wines included La Jota 1996 & La Jota 2011, 1990 Opus One, 2012 Pott Vineyards The Arsenal, 1985 Masi Amarone, 2012 Outpost Cabernet (regular bottling), 1986 Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Corey Reserve, 2005 St Francis Anthem 2005, 2012 Whitehall Lane Cabernet (regular bottling) 2012, and 1997 Niebaum Coppola Rubicon
La Jota 2011 Howell Mountain, Medium Body with aroma's of blackberry, very forward & present tannin's with cigar-box and leather flavors, 15 second aftertaste of blackberry. This can use more time as it did not show well against the very diverse grouping above
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11/21/2015 - Gjagai Likes this wine: 91 Points
An awesome cab! Lots of fruit, smooth tannins, long finish.
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10/21/2015 - Wine_in_HD wrote: 94 Points
Deep delicious mountain fruit with ample spice and good integration of oak. Decanted for 2 hours. Declined a little the second day.
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9/21/2015 - mmeyers1984 wrote: 91 Points
Full bodied. Heavy tanins. Fruit forward.
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6/11/2015 - tomoem Likes this wine: 91 Points
HOLD OFF DRINKING. This wine appears to have great potential but it is not ready. First flavors were earthy aromas, with pencil shavings undertone, followed by vegetable aftertaste. Longer finish than most with fruit revealing itself after 15 seconds. This is a complex wine with lots going on. I recommend re-visiting after another 3-5 years of bottle age.
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5/9/2015 - Gestalted Likes this wine: 93 Points
absolutely delicious!!!
--
Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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4/19/2015 - Lilja wrote: 92 Points
*Same bottle as 2015-04-18 - Mascarello59
Very vocal on the nose with intense aromas of oak, fudge, butter, a little vanilla, cinnamon and a little coffee. Very ripe dark fruit, blackcurrants, blueberries and cherries.
Medium acidity, very ripe fruitiness with a hint of residual sweetness. This is balanced well by some medium+ tannins. High intensity with a medium+ finish.
A bit over the top in my opinion. But still young and with plenty of potential. Nevertheless delicious to drink right now.
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4/18/2015 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aromatic with acidulous but ripe black fruit, very dominated by cassis. Pencil shavings. Very primary still but a very good balance and probably very accessible early on. Long balanced finish. Second only to 2004 Pontet Canet today. Everyone liked this. Recommended.
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4/5/2015 - cjohnson2960 wrote: flawed
Corked. Hope to enjoy this free of the must of a corked bottle.
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4/4/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Tasting, brief note. wild black berries and black plum with some cedar and licorice. Similar flavor profile, very elegantly styled with good support and energy from the wine's acidity and soft tannins. Good now, but this needs another 5+ years in the cellar.
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4/4/2015 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated but balanced and approachable, showing some of that classic Howell Mountain sweet black raspberry bramble fruits, with tones of dark mocha and hints of black currant, floral, spice, earth and creosote with subdued sweet spicy oak on the firm but silky smooth polished tannin finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/04/la-jota-howell-mtn-napa-cab-highlights.html
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3/16/2015 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this at a wine tasting for my wine group. 13 bottles for 15 people. One of the favorites of the night. Opened and sat in the bottle for over an hour before pouring.
Medium purple color. Aromas of blueberries, black currants and dark plums. soft tannins in line with other good drinking 2011 Napa cabs. It feels like the oak was downplayed a little, as the tannins were not overwhelming.
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2/24/2015 - beezer6 wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple fruit all day.
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2/12/2015 - tedgetsmart Likes this wine:
had in vail---great
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2/4/2015 - Eurocave Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bold and elegant!!! Deep spices, long legs, deep blue/purplish fruit, aroma is striking and totally vivid in the glass with finesse and vibrant/long finish. All the elements of this wine are perfectly balanced!!! The tannins are firm yet also silky. This is a flat-out stunning wine is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A perfect blend with the perfect restaurant makes this a favourite and tops the list. Retail US $69 - $75 with restaurant purchase at $200 in Mastros, Chicago.
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11/1/2014 - blitzkriegwebster Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for a little over an hour. On the nose: Deep jammy smell with hints of black and blue berries, dark amber maple syrup, oak and graphite. On the palate: Soft, inviting texture. Very balanced, hard to differentiate the flavors. Blueberry, pencil shavings, cherry with a hint of raspberry. Heard 2011 was a rough year, look forward to seeing what they produce in 2012.
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10/30/2014 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Some Blind Cali Reds: Medium purple color. Aromas of deep blueberries, black currants and dark plums, underlined by caramel, mocha, anise, black magic markers with notes of graphite and. On the palate, solid tannins but they’re not too rough, medium acid, the fruit is rich and chewy (blackberries, currants, dark plums). Significant oak influence but it’s complemented with complex notes of pencil shavings, dark roast coffee, brown sugar, black magic marker. Smooth but rich on the finish, this is a big wine that needs time to mellow out, but it’s a beauty with a lot of depth and purity. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, aged 19 months in 90% new French oak. $75.
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10/25/2014 - Benj wrote: 90 Points
Tough vintage for Napa Cabs. With that said, this is a very good, high-quality Cab. $70.
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