I love the wines from Rutherford. Try finding this textured mouthfeel, generally speaking, elsewhere. Dusty is the expression of the mouthfeel. Aromatics of berries with in mouth flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate sweetness. The wine is beautiful right now and I would not let this age too many more years.
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Needs time to open and when it does it is a wonderful cab with Rutherford fruit. It still shows plenty of black berries and black cherries with dark mocha chocolate flavors. The famous Rutherford dust terroir is present, forest floor and minerality. Supported by a strong backbone of textured tannins with balanced acidity.
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Cork splintered like the last note mentioned. Votes of berries and some mineralogy excellent taste would highly recommend drinking if ever someone has it or gets a chance to have it.
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Don't really remember buying this wine but wish I had more. With a decant becomes a smooth complex full-bodied wine with dark delicious fruit. Very good with food. Pleasant if subtle finish.
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Really enjoyed. If you like power, drink as pop and pour. Becomes quite delicious with beautiful red and purple fruit, deep & lush but smooth. Very long finish.
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Agree with prior reviews: (1) 2-4 hours breathing does the trick, no need to decant, (2) With that, it is in DRINK NOW status, believe it to be at peak. BTW, Excellent = 90-93, Very good is 86-89.
Excellent Rutherford Cab; smoky dark cherries, wood, earth, spice. Not timid-just short of robust, I would say elegance balanced with just a click short of full-bodied-not fruit forward, but the fruit makes its presence felt in an elegant way.
I did not like their Kith and Kin, felt it never came to fruition, while drinking half a case over multiple years. I would also say there are Napa Cabs that are just as good as this Rutherford Cab for less $$$ (not going to give away my secrets). That said, still an outstanding wine. If you are going to shop for it, look at a lot of different sites as the price varies dramatically,
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MDVILLAVERDE and DERYCK have it right. Needs a couple hours of air. Half opened bottle with plain cork stopper still nice next day - ripe plum, fig, spice. Nice.
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Better than I remember, this is more full and balanced. The style is rich and plush with not much if any dryness (and I like dry styles), the fruit is nicely extracted. Classy, a bit of a crowd-pleaser. Not the most complex.
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This records an early Jan 2019 tasting. Wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. Soft tannins. Silky. You have to let it breathe. Fruit is not elite Napa cab, but at this price point its enjoyable.
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Needs time in the glass or a short (1 hr) decant. Blue and black fruit preserves, spice, and a touch of oak. Some chocolate and vanilla as well. Tannins are smooth and well integrated. Medium finish.
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Silky texture, quite perfumed (overly so perhaps). Not much dryness on the finish unfortunately - this is more of a rich, fruit forward style. Tasty and expressive if a bit unbalanced.
Similar on 2nd day.
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Beautiful dark purple in the glass, oak, red fruit and pine, just the slightest hint of alcohol. Smooth entry, plenty of black raspberry and very nice tannin integration. This is a very nice cab. Plenty more time to go.
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Splash decant. Pours a deep inky purple in the glass. Nose shows a plethora of rich and ripe dark berries, cassis, kirsch, dark roasted coffee beans, bittersweet chocolate, vanillin oak and warm, wet gravelly earth. Palate shows the same as the nose except instead of the dark berries it's fairly red fruited. Midpalate is lush, ripe and full of unintegrated grainy tannins most definitely from the oak and not the fruit. A touch hot on the long ripe finish which I find fairly simple. Hedonistic and pleasurable for what it is. Don't see this evolving from here although it should integrate with time and the acid can hold on to see this round out nicely in 3 years.
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Dense with high acidity and lingering heat on the finish. Nothing to balance the alcohol. Heat increases with air. Needs riper fruit or more structure to deal with the heat, a bit disappointing. Have enjoyed Round Pond in the past, but this one, not so much.
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Found this on sale and decided to give it a shot in light of Thomas Rivers Brown involvement. Dark ruby fruit - dark currants, dark cherry, blackberry, and blueberry. Fairly fruit forward and a little rich. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth for the price point. However, I thought the finish was somewhat lacking - a little short and not much depth. Followed a 2015 Lewis cab which was a tough bottle to follow - the Lewis was significantly better as expected. I believe the Round Pond might of shown a little better by itself. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time. 86% cab, 9% petit verdot, and 5% malbec.
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It's becoming harder and harder for me to differentiate among many of these 2012 Napa Cabernet Sauvignons. Almost too much upfront fruit, subdued tannin, and very little structure and complexity, after almost five years. This was better than many, still very young with a predominance of upfront black currant, cocoa powder, and some fine grained dusty tannins. Decent finish. Enjoyed with a grilled ribeye. Time will tell as to whether the 2012's will develop or just disappoint!
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Nothing terrible, nothing noteworthy -- maybe just spoiled by the better wines I experience routinely. Disjointed out of the bottle. Got smoother on day #2. Some earthiness with dark fruit. Meh
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This is drinking great right now even on pop and pour. Expressive nose of dark fruit and mocha, palate brightens up a bit with more red red fruit and well integrated oak. One of the best values in Napa and markedly better since TRB has gotten involved.
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Nice nose. One of the least open for business 2012's I have drank. Decanted 4 hours and it took another 2 hours to open up. Was pretty good after that. Another year should really help this bottle.
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Heard some hype about this wine and even ran across it at a local high end steakhouse list (by the glass) in the city. Saw it for $35.99 (about $15 off retail) at a local wine shop, so thought...why not?! 14.5%ABV. Bottom line...this a mostly red fruit driven, cherry cola cab (Pinot lovers cab) without a lot of complexity. There is some lush mouthfeel and forward fruit....so I get the crowd pleaser aspect. I'd probably consider it for a party or everyday wine at the >$35 price point. At a retail $50...I can think of many others that could easy best this. YMMV.
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Delicious, silky smooth Cabernet that is ready to drink practically out of the bottle. Plum like fruit, black currant, mocha and hints of milk chocolate make this a classic Napa Cab. Good, long finish with a full dark fruit mouthfeel. Exceptional wine for the money.
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Smooth, cashmere texture, a lot of perfume on the nose. Elegant style with not grittiness or earthiness, quite poised and concentrated. A bit one-dimensional though. Not a blockbuster.
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Needs time. Either in the bottle or decanted. Was tight and not offering a lot in the first couple hours. Currant and plum, over several hours secondary notes of sweet tobacco and burnt caramel showed themselves, but this is a young bottle with time to evolve into something special.
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Deep purple in the glass. Viscous, extracted, and brooding. On the nose, a plethora of dark fruits including blackberries, blueberries, black currants, huckleberries, and dark cherries followed by some serious Rutherford dust and well integrated but still noticeable oak that loaned a nice touch of vanilla and baking spices. No animale notes just yet but they are not too far off. Palate followed up with the nose but even after a 3 hour decant the tannins were still grainy and there was a bitter cocoa/coffee note on the finish that wasn't my favorite. All in all a nice wine but needs 3-5 years before revisiting.
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Still seems wound-up. 3 hour decant and it was just beginning to open...barely. I would hold another couple of years yet at least. Patience will be rewarded with this one.
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A deep, rich wine with notes of cherry and spice that give this wine a lovely complexity that evolves over the mid palate. What really distinguishes this wine is its soft, gentle mouthfeel driven by its small grained tannins. Cab flavors in an almost merlot package. Long, fruit-driven finish. A remarkable wine at the price.
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I really liked this wine. It was beautifully balanced with succulent super ripe blackberry, vanilla, and cream . I am hearing that 2012 is a great vintage for CA, my interest is piqued.
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I think this is a great all-purpose Napa Cab that boasts quality and structure. It's balanced between plenty of plush dark fruits but also is married appropriately with a lovely earthy, rustic notes of tobacco and espresso.
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Used a cup of this to make bordelaise to go with pan-seared ribeyes (sauce was great BTW). In the name of science, had a glass after bottle was open for about an hour. Pretty similar to prior experience - this is pretty decent wine, but not up to snuff with expectations. Had a 2013 Myriad NV that we opened to go with dinner that blew this out of the water (and costs just $5 more).
Corked this and re-visited remaining half bottle on day 2, and it had fallen off. Not totally off the table, but certainly not as good as prior day. Score reflects day 1 experience.
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Loved this wine so much the first time around I ordered a few more bottles. The first one I popped had the "on no!" green notes on the nose and something was wrong. Popped a second one hoping it was an anomaly and thankfully it was. One of the best cabernet's from Napa you can get for the money IMO. Rich vibrant nose of blue fruit, with additional notes of chocolate and creme de cassis. Needs some air, but once open there is great concentration and complexity. The tannins are still very present, giving off some serious pucker mid pallet, but the wine finishes for a good 40 seconds +. While it isn't upper tier Napa in terms of overall purity and depth of fruit, this wine is really tremendous for the price...assuming your bottles aren't bad!
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Very nice wine for the money. I agree with WS and RP ratings. Soft and round tannins with classic Cabernet fruit. Plenty of time to become more complex.
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I agree with PMJak11's observation about the finish of this wine, but I am reluctant on giving it a 95. Popped with a cork with minimal bleed through. Dark stain on the cork. The first note was blackberry cassis and spice out of the bottle. Poured into glass and served pop and pour style. After an hour this one opened up well. Dark, full bodied wine with sandalwood, blackberry, vanilla. Gives way to black licorice and baking spice. Finished strong with quite a bit of oaky tannin and good ol 'Rutherford dust with a blackberry punch that took the finish to about 1-2 minutes. Nice wine. I might try to find another couple of bottles to cellar, but this one is drinking very nicely right now. Drink 2015-2022.
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Definitely a treat and not a trick!! Very similar to the Domaine Eden Cab but slightly higher price point. Let this baby open up, but one of the best finishing wines I've had! Goes awesome with beef tenderloin, celery root gratin, almond joy, twix, and gobstoppers!!
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This is really a fabulous wine, but drank too soon. Wonderful fruit and complexity, but the tannins were pretty hard at the end and this is after a 1 hour decant. Bargain? At $55, I am not at all sure. But good wine, yes.
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great depth and structure. not too jammy, but dark fruit, and layers of finish with that rutherford dust. this may even get better with some cellar time.
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Lovely caressing fruit, nice concentration, so rich and decadent. One of my go-to cabs at anywhere around this price-point. While drinking ok already, it should benefit from a few more years of bottle age to really show what it has. Right now it feels slightly overbearing and unformed. It should unfurl more with time.
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Possibly the wrong evening to open such a lovely wine with Ribs and Chicken but totally enjoyed it with an evening enjoying amazing company and music, embracing good flavours to make it all perfect. A wine that is balanced and capable to enhance the value of any dinner in all flavours. A balanced intensity of dark fruit and tannins with a medium/long finish. An aroma of oak and hints of spice indicating a wine that can be opened for any occasion and many consumers.
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Full-bodied, thick, concentrated dark fruit. This is one of the best '12 cabs I've had - so decadent, so much coffee and dark chocolate notes. Showing well already but amazing to think it will get better.
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Tho still a bit young, it's got nice bouquet though not abundant, beatiful deep purple to the rim, a nice fruit/acidity balance with some spice and zing around the tongue, and a nice long, polished tannin finish. This is very good now, will be great with a few more years cellaring. I should keep the others for another 3-5 years at least.
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Had fairly high expectations for this wine, given the vintage and Rutherford location. But found very little interesting about this wine. Not "bad" juice by any means, just nothing that I found particularly redeeming or age-worthy. Had stored at room temp since purchased a couple of months ago, and splash decanted to try and open things up. Never really developed over 2.5 hours it was consumed. May try to let other bottle rest in cellar temp before opening.
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Wait a few years. Do not open yet. The wine has high acidity. It smells like strawberry and cherry. The body is medium. The wine finishes medium. It tastes like almond, blackberry, barnyard and alcohol/hot. The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. The wine has coarse texture.
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70% New French for 18 months, 86 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec. distinctly darker and more cavernous aromas. Soft upfront, but not just fruit notes.
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Exceptional wine. Was the WOTN against wines over double the price from Realm, Carter and Frank Family. Powerful and balanced with a smooth finish, this really hit the spot.
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Deep-to-opaque ruby and packed with wild berry fruit on both the nose and palate, this wine also includes accents of anise, vanilla, fig and graphite. Full-bodied, round, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and with silky tannins, it builds in the middle and closes long. This seductive Cabernet will have broad appeal as a result of its bright fruit and soft textures. It should be at its best over the next 7-8 years. Drink now-2023.
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Dust, leather, and olives on the nose. Lots of fruit on the palate and delicate tannins. Not something I'd expect to cellar well, though - not enough structure? But it's still really nice. Just drink it now! 86% Cab Sauv, with Petit Verdot and Malbec in the mix.
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Fresh, ripe, sweet berries, soft, dusty tannins, vanilla bean scents and a soft textured, lush, polished, ripe black cherry finish are found in this wine.
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Blackberry, soft black currant, plush fruits and mouthfeel; cocoa powder, sweet loamy earth and wet tobacco with a hint of black cherry. Big, plush, easy, with some classic softer cab character. Very appealing.
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3/6/2024 - tomoem Likes this wine: 92 Points
I love the wines from Rutherford. Try finding this textured mouthfeel, generally speaking, elsewhere. Dusty is the expression of the mouthfeel. Aromatics of berries with in mouth flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate sweetness. The wine is beautiful right now and I would not let this age too many more years.
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2/14/2024 - macmiker007 wrote: 93 Points
Still one of my favorites and nothing beats that Rutherford dust!!. Cork was in great shape - no challenges in extracting it.
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12/9/2023 - Stags wrote: 91 Points
Needs time to open and when it does it is a wonderful cab with Rutherford fruit. It still shows plenty of black berries and black cherries with dark mocha chocolate flavors. The famous Rutherford dust terroir is present, forest floor and minerality. Supported by a strong backbone of textured tannins with balanced acidity.
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2/4/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine: 93 Points
best after being open for 6 hours, give this plenty of time. tannins still a bit rough and grainy, but still plenty of dark fruit
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12/28/2022 - Rockclimber Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork splintered like the last note mentioned. Votes of berries and some mineralogy excellent taste would highly recommend drinking if ever someone has it or gets a chance to have it.
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4/10/2022 - BSBONO wrote: 92 Points
Splintered cork but was able to salvage. Happily the wine was not affected but 3 hour decant did it wonders
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1/22/2022 - AAJR Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP’d. Fruit forward berries & jam with soft textures.
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1/9/2022 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Full body, round tannins that you don’t want to swallow. Very long finish. Lots of dark fruit.
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4/16/2021 - up4wine wrote: 91 Points
Big, full, meaty wine. Quite a bit of vanilla oak, but not objectionable.
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10/12/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Don't really remember buying this wine but wish I had more. With a decant becomes a smooth complex full-bodied wine with dark delicious fruit. Very good with food. Pleasant if subtle finish.
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7/22/2020 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
Quite plush and perfumed, but not much going on and not much structure. 91+pts.
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7/3/2020 - VandenBrand Likes this wine: 95 Points
beautiful wine, full bodied, lush, well balanced.
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5/18/2020 - Markie_Sharkie wrote:
Really nice Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. Improved after 2 hours opening. Drinking well right now.
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5/4/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really enjoyed.
If you like power, drink as pop and pour.
Becomes quite delicious with beautiful red and purple fruit, deep & lush but smooth. Very long finish.
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4/6/2020 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 92 Points
Agree with prior reviews: (1) 2-4 hours breathing does the trick, no need to decant, (2) With that, it is in DRINK NOW status, believe it to be at peak. BTW, Excellent = 90-93, Very good is 86-89.
Excellent Rutherford Cab; smoky dark cherries, wood, earth, spice. Not timid-just short of robust, I would say elegance balanced with just a click short of full-bodied-not fruit forward, but the fruit makes its presence felt in an elegant way.
I did not like their Kith and Kin, felt it never came to fruition, while drinking half a case over multiple years.
I would also say there are Napa Cabs that are just as good as this Rutherford Cab for less $$$
(not going to give away my secrets). That said, still an outstanding wine.
If you are going to shop for it, look at a lot of different sites as the price varies dramatically,
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3/1/2020 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
A bit disappointing for the price. Decanted, had a strange unlikely white pepper aspect to the finish. A bit underwhelming.
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12/30/2019 - Pluecht Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drink now
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11/29/2019 - champ12oh Likes this wine: 91 Points
MDVILLAVERDE and DERYCK have it right. Needs a couple hours of air. Half opened bottle with plain cork stopper still nice next day - ripe plum, fig, spice. Nice.
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11/13/2019 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Quite plush and elegant. Pretty useful and better than the '13.
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8/23/2019 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Better than I remember, this is more full and balanced. The style is rich and plush with not much if any dryness (and I like dry styles), the fruit is nicely extracted. Classy, a bit of a crowd-pleaser. Not the most complex.
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6/22/2019 - Deryck Likes this wine: 92 Points
Open and let breathe for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Great fruit forward cab; excellent.
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3/9/2019 - mdvillaverde wrote: 91 Points
This records an early Jan 2019 tasting. Wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. Soft tannins. Silky. You have to let it breathe. Fruit is not elite Napa cab, but at this price point its enjoyable.
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12/26/2018 - suarezd wrote: 89 Points
Maybe could have used more air
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11/29/2018 - meatbomb013 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needs time in the glass or a short (1 hr) decant. Blue and black fruit preserves, spice, and a touch of oak. Some chocolate and vanilla as well. Tannins are smooth and well integrated. Medium finish.
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11/25/2018 - AAJR Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consumed over two days. Dark berry & dark chocolate flavors with a medium finish.
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11/22/2018 - grover91 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Served with tenderloin. Good, but more subtle and not as interesting as I remembered. Could use more time in the bottle and then decanting.
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9/13/2018 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Silky texture, quite perfumed (overly so perhaps). Not much dryness on the finish unfortunately - this is more of a rich, fruit forward style. Tasty and expressive if a bit unbalanced.
Similar on 2nd day.
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6/9/2018 - GiGi82 Likes this wine:
Great everyday drinking wine. Smooth on the finish. Could hold another few years
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5/6/2018 - JTobin Likes this wine: 93 Points
One hour decant. Drinking well now and looking forward to my next bottle in a couple of years.
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3/4/2018 - madalyn Likes this wine: 92 Points
just picked up from a futures order
PNP nice Napa Cab, not sure it would benefit from more time but is nice now
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2/8/2018 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful dark purple in the glass, oak, red fruit and pine, just the slightest hint of alcohol. Smooth entry, plenty of black raspberry and very nice tannin integration. This is a very nice cab. Plenty more time to go.
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1/31/2018 - ESTEELE90 wrote:
Splash decant. Pours a deep inky purple in the glass. Nose shows a plethora of rich and ripe dark berries, cassis, kirsch, dark roasted coffee beans, bittersweet chocolate, vanillin oak and warm, wet gravelly earth. Palate shows the same as the nose except instead of the dark berries it's fairly red fruited. Midpalate is lush, ripe and full of unintegrated grainy tannins most definitely from the oak and not the fruit. A touch hot on the long ripe finish which I find fairly simple. Hedonistic and pleasurable for what it is. Don't see this evolving from here although it should integrate with time and the acid can hold on to see this round out nicely in 3 years.
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1/12/2018 - Mootsie Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Dense with high acidity and lingering heat on the finish. Nothing to balance the alcohol. Heat increases with air. Needs riper fruit or more structure to deal with the heat, a bit disappointing. Have enjoyed Round Pond in the past, but this one, not so much.
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10/16/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 90 Points
Found this on sale and decided to give it a shot in light of Thomas Rivers Brown involvement. Dark ruby fruit - dark currants, dark cherry, blackberry, and blueberry. Fairly fruit forward and a little rich. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth for the price point. However, I thought the finish was somewhat lacking - a little short and not much depth. Followed a 2015 Lewis cab which was a tough bottle to follow - the Lewis was significantly better as expected. I believe the Round Pond might of shown a little better by itself. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time. 86% cab, 9% petit verdot, and 5% malbec.
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8/5/2017 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
It's becoming harder and harder for me to differentiate among many of these 2012 Napa Cabernet Sauvignons. Almost too much upfront fruit, subdued tannin, and very little structure and complexity, after almost five years. This was better than many, still very young with a predominance of upfront black currant, cocoa powder, and some fine grained dusty tannins. Decent finish. Enjoyed with a grilled ribeye. Time will tell as to whether the 2012's will develop or just disappoint!
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7/1/2017 - iamandyc wrote: 85 Points
Nothing terrible, nothing noteworthy -- maybe just spoiled by the better wines I experience routinely. Disjointed out of the bottle. Got smoother on day #2. Some earthiness with dark fruit. Meh
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6/28/2017 - mhewitt wrote: 93 Points
This is drinking great right now even on pop and pour. Expressive nose of dark fruit and mocha, palate brightens up a bit with more red red fruit and well integrated oak. One of the best values in Napa and markedly better since TRB has gotten involved.
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4/8/2017 - catlady Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ready even now with a good 2 hour aeration. Can hold for more years.
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3/24/2017 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, loamy, leather and dark fruits. Brooding. Still very young. Will reward further cellaring.
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12/31/2016 - RayT Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice nose. One of the least open for business 2012's I have drank. Decanted 4 hours and it took another 2 hours to open up. Was pretty good after that. Another year should really help this bottle.
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12/8/2016 - greedy Likes this wine: 57 Points
Awful. Mouth full of dirt. What a complete disappointment. You Americans may have paid in the 40$ range. This cost me $100 cdn.
I will stick with chimney rock, maze, and more importantly an aged beringer cab private reserve, which has become my go to Napa cab.
Will not buy this again.
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10/20/2016 - City Squirrel wrote: 91 Points
Heard some hype about this wine and even ran across it at a local high end steakhouse list (by the glass) in the city. Saw it for $35.99 (about $15 off retail) at a local wine shop, so thought...why not?! 14.5%ABV. Bottom line...this a mostly red fruit driven, cherry cola cab (Pinot lovers cab) without a lot of complexity. There is some lush mouthfeel and forward fruit....so I get the crowd pleaser aspect. I'd probably consider it for a party or everyday wine at the >$35 price point. At a retail $50...I can think of many others that could easy best this. YMMV.
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10/2/2016 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious, silky smooth Cabernet that is ready to drink practically out of the bottle. Plum like fruit, black currant, mocha and hints of milk chocolate make this a classic Napa Cab. Good, long finish with a full dark fruit mouthfeel. Exceptional wine for the money.
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9/30/2016 - AAJR Likes this wine: 91 Points
No notes - with pizza & pasta. Enjoyable.
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9/13/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Smooth, cashmere texture, a lot of perfume on the nose. Elegant style with not grittiness or earthiness, quite poised and concentrated. A bit one-dimensional though. Not a blockbuster.
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9/10/2016 - vincemcd61 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine had with pasta bolognese
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6/12/2016 - mpricher wrote: 91 Points
Needs time. Either in the bottle or decanted. Was tight and not offering a lot in the first couple hours. Currant and plum, over several hours secondary notes of sweet tobacco and burnt caramel showed themselves, but this is a young bottle with time to evolve into something special.
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5/30/2016 - ESTEELE90 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep purple in the glass. Viscous, extracted, and brooding. On the nose, a plethora of dark fruits including blackberries, blueberries, black currants, huckleberries, and dark cherries followed by some serious Rutherford dust and well integrated but still noticeable oak that loaned a nice touch of vanilla and baking spices. No animale notes just yet but they are not too far off. Palate followed up with the nose but even after a 3 hour decant the tannins were still grainy and there was a bitter cocoa/coffee note on the finish that wasn't my favorite. All in all a nice wine but needs 3-5 years before revisiting.
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5/24/2016 - xuaeinw wrote: 92 Points
Very approachable for a 2012 Napa cab. Recommend decanting for an hour. Long life ahead.
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5/14/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous notes. Amazing depth and concentration, though missing an X factor.
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5/8/2016 - cj.haaland Likes this wine: 94 Points
A two hour decant while we were out and it opened beautifully. We were to busy cooking and drinking and talking to stop and take notes. It was lovely.
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4/30/2016 - Mootsie Likes this wine:
Still seems wound-up. 3 hour decant and it was just beginning to open...barely. I would hold another couple of years yet at least. Patience will be rewarded with this one.
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4/30/2016 - Ceo wrote: 93 Points
Black Cherry and slight currant. Wow this is smooth!!
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4/2/2016 - MystMrQ Likes this wine: 93 Points
A deep, rich wine with notes of cherry and spice that give this wine a lovely complexity that evolves over the mid palate. What really distinguishes this wine is its soft, gentle mouthfeel driven by its small grained tannins. Cab flavors in an almost merlot package. Long, fruit-driven finish. A remarkable wine at the price.
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3/23/2016 - Phoenix Rising Likes this wine: 91 Points
I really liked this wine. It was beautifully balanced with succulent super ripe blackberry, vanilla, and cream . I am hearing that 2012 is a great vintage for CA, my interest is piqued.
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2/15/2016 - xuaeinw wrote: 91 Points
You can drink this now with an hour decant.
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2/6/2016 - GrapeTank wrote: 92 Points
What great work. Wonderful wine. Fruit forward. Strong Tannins that take you to Mars. A finish that stretches 5k. Love this wine.
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2/4/2016 - wineotim wrote: 91 Points
Too soft and oaky for me. Oh...and no Rutherford dust.
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1/26/2016 - Ryan.Vento Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think this is a great all-purpose Napa Cab that boasts quality and structure. It's balanced between plenty of plush dark fruits but also is married appropriately with a lovely earthy, rustic notes of tobacco and espresso.
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1/18/2016 - ageverett wrote: 90 Points
Used a cup of this to make bordelaise to go with pan-seared ribeyes (sauce was great BTW). In the name of science, had a glass after bottle was open for about an hour. Pretty similar to prior experience - this is pretty decent wine, but not up to snuff with expectations. Had a 2013 Myriad NV that we opened to go with dinner that blew this out of the water (and costs just $5 more).
Corked this and re-visited remaining half bottle on day 2, and it had fallen off. Not totally off the table, but certainly not as good as prior day. Score reflects day 1 experience.
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1/6/2016 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:
Follow up note. The wine fell off quite a bit after 24hrs. I wouldn't expect better on day 2. If I was rating it today it would be more like 90pts.
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1/5/2016 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Loved this wine so much the first time around I ordered a few more bottles. The first one I popped had the "on no!" green notes on the nose and something was wrong. Popped a second one hoping it was an anomaly and thankfully it was. One of the best cabernet's from Napa you can get for the money IMO. Rich vibrant nose of blue fruit, with additional notes of chocolate and creme de cassis. Needs some air, but once open there is great concentration and complexity. The tannins are still very present, giving off some serious pucker mid pallet, but the wine finishes for a good 40 seconds +. While it isn't upper tier Napa in terms of overall purity and depth of fruit, this wine is really tremendous for the price...assuming your bottles aren't bad!
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12/24/2015 - McWing11 wrote: 92 Points
Great cab! Loads of oak and and tannins. Very drinkable, but should improve with time.
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12/1/2015 - dmatz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice wine for the money. I agree with WS and RP ratings. Soft and round tannins with classic Cabernet fruit. Plenty of time to become more complex.
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11/29/2015 - mgrahamca Likes this wine: 92 Points
A great red wine with nice body and impressive finish. Happy to have bought 3 bottles.
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11/8/2015 - mflesh wrote:
I agree with PMJak11's observation about the finish of this wine, but I am reluctant on giving it a 95. Popped with a cork with minimal bleed through. Dark stain on the cork. The first note was blackberry cassis and spice out of the bottle. Poured into glass and served pop and pour style. After an hour this one opened up well. Dark, full bodied wine with sandalwood, blackberry, vanilla. Gives way to black licorice and baking spice. Finished strong with quite a bit of oaky tannin and good ol 'Rutherford dust with a blackberry punch that took the finish to about 1-2 minutes. Nice wine. I might try to find another couple of bottles to cellar, but this one is drinking very nicely right now. Drink 2015-2022.
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10/31/2015 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Definitely a treat and not a trick!! Very similar to the Domaine Eden Cab but slightly higher price point. Let this baby open up, but one of the best finishing wines I've had! Goes awesome with beef tenderloin, celery root gratin, almond joy, twix, and gobstoppers!!
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10/19/2015 - xuaeinw wrote: 92 Points
Wait a year.
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10/15/2015 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
The concentration is amazing, so silky and velvety too. Just plain delicious. What a treat.
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9/7/2015 - maitredgreg2 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Hold, 93+, based on future expectations
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9/7/2015 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is really a fabulous wine, but drank too soon. Wonderful fruit and complexity, but the tannins were pretty hard at the end and this is after a 1 hour decant. Bargain? At $55, I am not at all sure. But good wine, yes.
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9/5/2015 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cassis, menthol, herbs, and dark berries on the nose. Fruity on the palate with medium+ tannins. Medium+ finish.
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8/28/2015 - SmithTXX Likes this wine: 92 Points
great depth and structure. not too jammy, but dark fruit, and layers of finish with that rutherford dust. this may even get better with some cellar time.
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8/26/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Big Rutherford cabernet.
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8/25/2015 - Eurocave Likes this wine:
To be rated by a patient that we gifted the bottle. A hopeful enjoyment for the couple to embrace in California style.
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8/12/2015 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Lovely caressing fruit, nice concentration, so rich and decadent. One of my go-to cabs at anywhere around this price-point. While drinking ok already, it should benefit from a few more years of bottle age to really show what it has. Right now it feels slightly overbearing and unformed. It should unfurl more with time.
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8/3/2015 - Eurocave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Possibly the wrong evening to open such a lovely wine with Ribs and Chicken but totally enjoyed it with an evening enjoying amazing company and music, embracing good flavours to make it all perfect. A wine that is balanced and capable to enhance the value of any dinner in all flavours. A balanced intensity of dark fruit and tannins with a medium/long finish. An aroma of oak and hints of spice indicating a wine that can be opened for any occasion and many consumers.
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7/24/2015 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Full-bodied, thick, concentrated dark fruit. This is one of the best '12 cabs I've had - so decadent, so much coffee and dark chocolate notes. Showing well already but amazing to think it will get better.
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6/26/2015 - mkoss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tho still a bit young, it's got nice bouquet though not abundant, beatiful deep purple to the rim, a nice fruit/acidity balance with some spice and zing around the tongue, and a nice long, polished tannin finish. This is very good now, will be great with a few more years cellaring. I should keep the others for another 3-5 years at least.
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5/28/2015 - ageverett wrote: 89 Points
Had fairly high expectations for this wine, given the vintage and Rutherford location. But found very little interesting about this wine. Not "bad" juice by any means, just nothing that I found particularly redeeming or age-worthy. Had stored at room temp since purchased a couple of months ago, and splash decanted to try and open things up. Never really developed over 2.5 hours it was consumed. May try to let other bottle rest in cellar temp before opening.
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5/23/2015 - Gestalted Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow, so delicious! Really big fruit and complexity. Finish goes on and on. Love it!
--
Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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5/4/2015 - chriscolburn wrote: 90 Points
Hard to not like this bottle of wine.
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4/25/2015 - bterry3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blind tasted against the Kith & Ken. This is a bolder wine reminiscent of a traditional Rutherford wine.
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4/19/2015 - Cuellar's Cellar wrote: 88 Points
Wait a few years. Do not open yet. The wine has high acidity. It smells like strawberry and cherry. The body is medium. The wine finishes medium. It tastes like almond, blackberry, barnyard and alcohol/hot. The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. The wine has coarse texture.
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4/18/2015 - cab blends wrote: 91 Points
California Tasting (Barrel Tasting and an slight older): Powerhouse fruity
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4/3/2015 - nzinkgraf wrote:
70% New French for 18 months, 86 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec. distinctly darker and more cavernous aromas. Soft upfront, but not just fruit notes.
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3/15/2015 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exceptional wine. Was the WOTN against wines over double the price from Realm, Carter and Frank Family. Powerful and balanced with a smooth finish, this really hit the spot.
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2/13/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep-to-opaque ruby and packed with wild berry fruit on both the nose and palate, this wine also includes accents of anise, vanilla, fig and graphite. Full-bodied, round, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and with silky tannins, it builds in the middle and closes long. This seductive Cabernet will have broad appeal as a result of its bright fruit and soft textures. It should be at its best over the next 7-8 years. Drink now-2023.
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2/8/2015 - partylikeakennedy wrote: 90 Points
Dust, leather, and olives on the nose. Lots of fruit on the palate and delicate tannins. Not something I'd expect to cellar well, though - not enough structure? But it's still really nice. Just drink it now! 86% Cab Sauv, with Petit Verdot and Malbec in the mix.
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11/17/2014 - Mootsie wrote:
Needs a few years to deepen and bring out the complexity. My guess is these will eventually be awesome. Too young and monolithic now.
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11/12/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Fresh, ripe, sweet berries, soft, dusty tannins, vanilla bean scents and a soft textured, lush, polished, ripe black cherry finish are found in this wine.
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10/1/2014 - Eurocave Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine presented a fine balance of aroma, texture and flavour, long and lingering finish. Delightfully complex, smooth and persistent.
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9/12/2014 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Blackberry, soft black currant, plush fruits and mouthfeel; cocoa powder, sweet loamy earth and wet tobacco with a hint of black cherry. Big, plush, easy, with some classic softer cab character. Very appealing.
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8/11/2014 - gew71walsh wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at winery. Balanced with herbal tones and tobacco. Finishes nicely, but still young.
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8/3/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
RRV and Napa Visit; 7/7/2014-8/30/2014 (Napa and Sonoma): 10th vintage of the Rutherford Cab for Round Pond. Deep black fruit aromas. More grill marks/charcoal notes than fruit up front, dark cinnamon spice.
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8/3/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
RRV and Napa Visit; 7/7/2014-8/30/2014 (Napa and Sonoma): More purple to the rim when looked at next to the 2012 Rutherford Cab. Big black fruit and great with the Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog goat cheese.
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