This was a 100 pt wine when I bought it. It’s just amazing. This is the first bottle I’ve drunk /- so well balanced, round, kits of dark fruits, gentle tannins.
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Wow! What a wonderful bottle of Napa Cabernet. Drinking beautifully from the moment the bottle was opened. Velvety smooth tannins. Rich flavors. Very elegant. Really great!
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Very Good / Excellent. Decanted and sat for 45 minutes before first taste; drank over the next two hours. It is what you would expect from Stag's Leap. Deep purple color, long legs, dark fruits, vanilla, cassis. Very smooth, almost creamy. It is a Parker-ized wine.
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Monthly Tasting Group: California and Washington Cabs/Syrah (Estelle, St. Paul, MN): Very dark purple/red color. Splashed and slow-O'd for 2 hours. Lots of vanilla and sweet, ripe blackberry and creme de cassis on the nose and palate. The palate is extracted, ripe, heavy on the oak with the vanilla really coming on strong still at 10 years old. There's a good bit of volatility from the mid palate to the finish that is distracting. This may please others more that embrace the style.
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Any CA or WA cabernet or syrah (Estrelle, St. Paul): splashed and slo-O'd for 2 hours at cellar temperature. This wine was big, fruity, fairly nice if a bit heavy and dense. 5 years ago I thought this wasn't ready. Now, I feel that it could improve with more cellar time, but I worry that it will just get more dense and heavy-handed.
Very well balanced and after a 2hr decant, the finish was very long and seamless. Tannins have melted away and are perfectly integrated. Still some fruit, but more secondary notes now. Out of the 4 vintages Ive had (05’, 09’, 12’, & 13’), this 2012 was my favorite. Drink now or in next couple years if you like balance and fruit still in your Cabs.
dark red - abundant fruit (cassis, blackberries) with multiple spices, but not much in the way of tertiary aromas yet - full mouth of ripe fruit, but low acidity - moderate ripe tannins - long 20-30 sec finish - an elegant wine that is drinking nicely now, but needs many more years to develop fully
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Deep luscious purple in color, long legs on the glass, absolutely mesmerizing nose and balance. Such quality black fruit and texture, long finish, and a wonderful example of Napa giving all its best. Impressively young, feels like it has a decade or more of pure pleasure to give. Had with a Reuben and pulled pork over dinner with mom and dad at Tela.
Deep ruby color with slow legs. Took 2.5-3 hrs to really open up. Oak, cassis blackberry and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Plum, black cherry and pepper on the tongue. Long velvety finish.
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I'm being a little harsh on this because for this price point I expected to be blown away. It was a good bottle of Cab. Well balanced but almost to the point of being one dimensional. Even after decanting for a couple hours it never really produced the complexity or depth that I hoped.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Deep and dark in color. Dark berries, cedar and a touch of tobacco box on the nose. Integrating nicely. Dark berries, dark plums, cherries and chocolate on the palate. The finish was close to a minute. This will easily go 5-10 more years. I cannot wait for my other bottle.
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This was something else. A swirl of flavors including spices like cardamom and cinnamon, cherries, chocolate and coffee. Also a big plank of oak. Give it a several hour decant or more years in the bottle.
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Popped and poured. May have benefited from an hour decant. Drinking well - complex, rich, dark berry, chocolate, and leather. Enjoyed with fillet mignot.
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Agree that it needs several more years... but IMO will never reach RP's 100 score. Yes, a nice CA Cab, but not worth the $230 price. The 2012 Lillian Cab served with it was better (96) at $85.
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Deep ruby. Purple and black ripe fruit with plum, fig jam, and vanilla against a firm backplane of tobacco, tar, sage, and chinese XO sauce. well-balanced and grippy in a good way, though still young and needs 5-10 more years to come fully into its own.
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Mostly Cali at Jason's: Very dark red color. PNP. Hi toned, youthful, very dark fruits, lots of extract, herbal with some green stem notes, a bit of alcohol at times, but overall, pretty good.
Medium ruby. Aromatic dark berry, plums, flowers, vanilla,cedar on the nose, some tobacco. Silky palate, medium body with dark fruit and medium acidity. Medium tannins that are soft. Long finish
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bought a second bottle that was not as good as the first. this is still technically an excellent wine. the nose is somewhat light but the acidity and tannins are well integrated. when aspirated, there is no increase in either one. the mouthfeel is good bordering on excellent. the weak point of the wine is fruit flavor which is on the light side. i didn't think that it was worth the price. poor qpr.
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this is technically an excellent wine. the nose is somewhat light but the acidity and tannins are well integrated. when aspirated, there is no increase in either one. the mouthfeel is good bordering on excellent. the weak point of the wine is fruit flavor which is on the light side. i didn't think that it was worth the price. poor qpr.
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This beauty is a study in contradiction. There's the nose of dark berry fruit and menthol which reminded me of the 85 Sassicaia I had the good fortune to enjoy 10 years ago. The mouth feel was a bit course at first, though, but 2 hours after decanting smoothed out a bit. Nonetheless, it's slightly rough edges artfully integrated with a fine balance of cherry and cedar the whole way. The skyscraper finish lasted a full 45 seconds right out of the bottle and 2 hours later. Very approachable now, this young brute should refine with age and head closer to perfection. Glad I have 5 more! It was terrific with Valentines lamb chops!
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There is a tannic and sappy volcano rumbling below this slightly backward beauty. Structure, extraction, and power. This needs another few years to unfold. May surpass Fay in this vintage if it sheds its more muscular side and transforms into more elegance. No mistaking its potential for greatness.
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We opened a bottle for our Christmas Eve dinner at a fine restaurant. The bouquet was tremendous; we sat for 10-15 minutes just enjoying the smell of the bouquet before we had our first sip.
We paired this wine with a beef tenderloin and prime rib - wonderful bouquet, pleasant, long lasting finish, an excellent combination with our meal.
I can't wait for a few years to enjoy this wine even more.
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First bottle of two cases purchased on release. What a wonderful wine. The fruit was red cherry and the finish was over a minute. Very well balanced and appropriately rated. Long life left
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now, i know what a grippy wine tastes like. even days after drinking this wine, the finish stays with me. the technicals about the wine - nose and flavor - are above average but the structure and the finish are to die for. the acids and tannins are balanced extremely well. worth $235 per bottle? probably not but it is a great wine.
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Go West! Tasting (The QEII Centre, Westminster, London): Big nose, more “serious” than Fay, more dense and ripe, oak is more profound, bold aromas and a massive promise. In the palate, the wine is smoother than expected, a bit of alcohol bite (14.50%), ripe massive fruit, great texture, fine tannins, still a baby, long finish. Outstanding
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Currently more discret than the SLV. Very high quality wine but too young and quite frankly too expensive at twice the price of the SLV (which I preferred).
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So much going on here. Dark and rich black fruit on the palate. Bright and lively red berry on the finish. Structured and full bodied but tastes refreshing. Toasty oak and smooth vanilla on the back end. Fine grained tannins. Decanted for two hours. Very drinkable now, but will continue to evolve for some time.
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Drank with coq au vin at Phillips HQ in IL. It was incredible. Strong notes of red fruit and hints of pepper went extremely well with the powerful flavors of the food.
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Like so many top tier 2012's this one was great right after popping and even better after several hours in the decanter. Incredible amounts of black and red fruit backed by significant oak dominate the nose, palate, and finish. Amazingly the wine still maintains a balanced freshness and elegance helped in part from some youthful tart notes. Good now but great in 5...10...15 years?
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This is a blend of the best barrels of Fay and S.L.V., typically close to 50/50. Served PnP, and like the Fay and S.L.V., the aromas are dominated by oak and black fruits. Perhaps a touch more acid in this wine than the SVD wines, either that or the selected barrels had a touch more balance to my tastes. Also very fruity, lush, rich. Sweet tannins. While this wine may benefit from age, primarily to mute the heavy oak, its surprisingly tasty in its youth.
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Decanted about an hour and tasted over the next 48. Tasted head to head with 2012 Caymus Special Selection. Clearly, two wines cut from the same (vintage) cloth, but I have to give the nod to the Caymus. This is really a wonderful wine, but one noticeable flaw, it had a taste of egg whites. As I recall, egg whites are used as a fining in come wine, perhaps this was too young. The taste dropped off after a while in the decanter, I suspect adequate cellar time would eliminate this off flavor.
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Dinner at SLWC during PNV week, fantastic setting and great wines.
This was following the SLV and FAY, current release wine, still very young. Bordeaux-like nose of dark fruits, tobacco, minerals, graphite. Palate of dark fruits, chocolate, earth tones, pine. Mouthfeel is silky and gracelful graceful
In my experience, SLWC Cask 23 is an extremely age-worthy wine, the 92 is among the best of that vintage and still going...We drank this next to the 99 Cask 23, - a great comparison as you'll see what the 2012 will grow up to be (or exceed given the vintage). Would lay this down for a while - this could be one of their 30+ year wines.
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4/20/2024 - CHarder Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is really quite fantastic. Rounded. Fresh. Fruit in place. Smooth. Cool - in no way over the top. This is IMO california Cab close to its best.
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3/31/2024 - Carl W. Likes this wine: 97 Points
Really good with friends and holiday meal
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3/30/2024 - bibendumrrb Likes this wine: 98 Points
This was a 100 pt wine when I bought it. It’s just amazing. This is the first bottle I’ve drunk /- so well balanced, round, kits of dark fruits, gentle tannins.
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8/26/2023 - pas.vino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! What a wonderful bottle of Napa Cabernet. Drinking beautifully from the moment the bottle was opened. Velvety smooth tannins. Rich flavors. Very elegant. Really great!
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2/9/2023 - Kozakofthewest Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just excellent !
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2/7/2023 - clio_wine Likes this wine:
Very Good / Excellent. Decanted and sat for 45 minutes before first taste; drank over the next two hours. It is what you would expect from Stag's Leap. Deep purple color, long legs, dark fruits, vanilla, cassis. Very smooth, almost creamy. It is a Parker-ized wine.
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12/24/2022 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour prior to enjoying. Well balanced and elegant. Stewed fruit and light spice with underlying forest floor / earthiness.
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10/2/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: California and Washington Cabs/Syrah (Estelle, St. Paul, MN): Very dark purple/red color. Splashed and slow-O'd for 2 hours. Lots of vanilla and sweet, ripe blackberry and creme de cassis on the nose and palate. The palate is extracted, ripe, heavy on the oak with the vanilla really coming on strong still at 10 years old. There's a good bit of volatility from the mid palate to the finish that is distracting. This may please others more that embrace the style.
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10/2/2022 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Any CA or WA cabernet or syrah (Estrelle, St. Paul): splashed and slo-O'd for 2 hours at cellar temperature. This wine was big, fruity, fairly nice if a bit heavy and dense. 5 years ago I thought this wasn't ready. Now, I feel that it could improve with more cellar time, but I worry that it will just get more dense and heavy-handed.
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6/10/2022 - CGC2012 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very well balanced and after a 2hr decant, the finish was very long and seamless. Tannins have melted away and are perfectly integrated. Still some fruit, but more secondary notes now. Out of the 4 vintages Ive had (05’, 09’, 12’, & 13’), this 2012 was my favorite. Drink now or in next couple years if you like balance and fruit still in your Cabs.
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6/6/2022 - Verb Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark red - abundant fruit (cassis, blackberries) with multiple spices, but not much in the way of tertiary aromas yet - full mouth of ripe fruit, but low acidity - moderate ripe tannins - long 20-30 sec finish - an elegant wine that is drinking nicely now, but needs many more years to develop fully
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12/5/2021 - Miamidivorcelawyer Likes this wine: 90 Points
very elegant wine, on the path with great balance and focus but needs another 8-12 to fully mature.
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7/20/2021 - stschutz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep luscious purple in color, long legs on the glass, absolutely mesmerizing nose and balance. Such quality black fruit and texture, long finish, and a wonderful example of Napa giving all its best. Impressively young, feels like it has a decade or more of pure pleasure to give. Had with a Reuben and pulled pork over dinner with mom and dad at Tela.
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3/26/2021 - Policarpio Cellars wrote:
Liftu
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12/31/2020 - Twopawsup Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep ruby color with slow legs. Took 2.5-3 hrs to really open up. Oak, cassis blackberry and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Plum, black cherry and pepper on the tongue. Long velvety finish.
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12/25/2020 - Kcornett Likes this wine: 89 Points
I'm being a little harsh on this because for this price point I expected to be blown away. It was a good bottle of Cab. Well balanced but almost to the point of being one dimensional. Even after decanting for a couple hours it never really produced the complexity or depth that I hoped.
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9/6/2020 - Richard123 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Heavenly... Drinking well right now.
Decanted for an hour or so before consumption.
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6/26/2020 - cablover123 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Deep and dark in color. Dark berries, cedar and a touch of tobacco box on the nose. Integrating nicely. Dark berries, dark plums, cherries and chocolate on the palate. The finish was close to a minute. This will easily go 5-10 more years. I cannot wait for my other bottle.
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4/19/2020 - Steven DiFiore wrote: 93 Points
Needs more age. Drank after 8 years.
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4/11/2020 - BillsWine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Superb!
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2/9/2019 - MarcoNahuel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent Cabernet Sauvignon; decanted one hour prior to drinking - but this wine will get better in the coming 5 - 10 years.
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1/27/2019 - Mapleglo330 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was something else. A swirl of flavors including spices like cardamom and cinnamon, cherries, chocolate and coffee. Also a big plank of oak. Give it a several hour decant or more years in the bottle.
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1/26/2019 - markopf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking very well for its age. Going to wait another couple years before having another.
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10/20/2018 - Alok Kapoor Likes this wine: 96 Points
Absolutely amazing.
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10/13/2018 - Combo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. May have benefited from an hour decant. Drinking well - complex, rich, dark berry, chocolate, and leather. Enjoyed with fillet mignot.
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9/8/2018 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 86 Points
Judgement of Singapore (Home (Singapore)): Overripe & overoaked. Jammy. I can just about understand the quality but this is just too much all over for my palate.
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8/21/2018 - BrockmanP Likes this wine: 96 Points
Truly one of the best I’ve tasted.
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3/20/2018 - seijaro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Agree that it needs several more years... but IMO will never reach RP's 100 score. Yes, a nice CA Cab, but not worth the $230 price. The 2012 Lillian Cab served with it was better (96) at $85.
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1/21/2018 - clugodmd wrote:
iflevin for 2 min... made it amazing.
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12/10/2017 - Jeffkunins wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby. Purple and black ripe fruit with plum, fig jam, and vanilla against a firm backplane of tobacco, tar, sage, and chinese XO sauce. well-balanced and grippy in a good way, though still young and needs 5-10 more years to come fully into its own.
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10/28/2017 - Junekwu wrote:
Excellent as always
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10/7/2017 - akim_hobo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same notes as the previous bottle but the nose and palate felt a bit muted this time around. Perhaps bottle variation or a dumb phase?
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9/30/2017 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Guys Night Part III (Jason's House): Big and youthful. I suspect this is semi shut-down and needs 5-10 years to resurface.
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9/28/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Mostly Cali at Jason's: Very dark red color. PNP. Hi toned, youthful, very dark fruits, lots of extract, herbal with some green stem notes, a bit of alcohol at times, but overall, pretty good.
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6/17/2017 - brich Likes this wine: 97 Points
Lovely California cab. Well balanced and classic. Good to drink now or can be put down for 5-10 years
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5/28/2017 - akim_hobo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium ruby. Aromatic dark berry, plums, flowers, vanilla,cedar on the nose, some tobacco. Silky palate, medium body with dark fruit and medium acidity. Medium tannins that are soft. Long finish
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2/15/2017 - wally248 Likes this wine: 95 Points
bought a second bottle that was not as good as the first. this is still technically an excellent wine. the nose is somewhat light but the acidity and tannins are well integrated. when aspirated, there is no increase in either one. the mouthfeel is good bordering on excellent. the weak point of the wine is fruit flavor which is on the light side. i didn't think that it was worth the price. poor qpr.
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2/15/2017 - wally248 Likes this wine: 95 Points
this is technically an excellent wine. the nose is somewhat light but the acidity and tannins are well integrated. when aspirated, there is no increase in either one. the mouthfeel is good bordering on excellent. the weak point of the wine is fruit flavor which is on the light side. i didn't think that it was worth the price. poor qpr.
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2/15/2017 - Dough Boy Likes this wine: 98 Points
This beauty is a study in contradiction. There's the nose of dark berry fruit and menthol which reminded me of the 85 Sassicaia I had the good fortune to enjoy 10 years ago. The mouth feel was a bit course at first, though, but 2 hours after decanting smoothed out a bit. Nonetheless, it's slightly rough edges artfully integrated with a fine balance of cherry and cedar the whole way. The skyscraper finish lasted a full 45 seconds right out of the bottle and 2 hours later. Very approachable now, this young brute should refine with age and head closer to perfection. Glad I have 5 more! It was terrific with Valentines lamb chops!
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1/16/2017 - Dontbnvs wrote: 98 Points
Very smooth, wonderful fruits.
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12/27/2016 - Henry Miller Likes this wine: 97 Points
There is a tannic and sappy volcano rumbling below this slightly backward beauty. Structure, extraction, and power. This needs another few years to unfold. May surpass Fay in this vintage if it sheds its more muscular side and transforms into more elegance. No mistaking its potential for greatness.
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12/26/2016 - cvinje Likes this wine: 96 Points
We opened a bottle for our Christmas Eve dinner at a fine restaurant. The bouquet was tremendous; we sat for 10-15 minutes just enjoying the smell of the bouquet before we had our first sip.
We paired this wine with a beef tenderloin and prime rib - wonderful bouquet, pleasant, long lasting finish, an excellent combination with our meal.
I can't wait for a few years to enjoy this wine even more.
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8/27/2016 - dbhatiamd Likes this wine: 99 Points
First bottle of two cases purchased on release. What a wonderful wine. The fruit was red cherry and the finish was over a minute. Very well balanced and appropriately rated. Long life left
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6/22/2016 - Vineyard Boy Likes this wine: 97 Points
A bit of heat at first but goes away with a 2-4 hour decant. Very smooth!
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5/4/2016 - wally248 Likes this wine: 97 Points
now, i know what a grippy wine tastes like. even days after drinking this wine, the finish stays with me. the technicals about the wine - nose and flavor - are above average but the structure and the finish are to die for. the acids and tannins are balanced extremely well. worth $235 per bottle? probably not but it is a great wine.
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3/10/2016 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Go West! Tasting (The QEII Centre, Westminster, London): Big nose, more “serious” than Fay, more dense and ripe, oak is more profound, bold aromas and a massive promise. In the palate, the wine is smoother than expected, a bit of alcohol bite (14.50%), ripe massive fruit, great texture, fine tannins, still a baby, long finish. Outstanding
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1/24/2016 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 93 Points
Currently more discret than the SLV. Very high quality wine but too young and quite frankly too expensive at twice the price of the SLV (which I preferred).
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1/15/2016 - Niagara wrote: 96 Points
amazing stuff.
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12/30/2015 - scotthpdx Likes this wine: 99 Points
Don Grasso shared with us at Fred's in Mui with his niece Alex and son Pete
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12/25/2015 - ecola Likes this wine: 97 Points
So much going on here. Dark and rich black fruit on the palate. Bright and lively red berry on the finish. Structured and full bodied but tastes refreshing. Toasty oak and smooth vanilla on the back end. Fine grained tannins. Decanted for two hours. Very drinkable now, but will continue to evolve for some time.
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12/24/2015 - obphillips@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
Drank with coq au vin at Phillips HQ in IL. It was incredible. Strong notes of red fruit and hints of pepper went extremely well with the powerful flavors of the food.
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12/13/2015 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Like so many top tier 2012's this one was great right after popping and even better after several hours in the decanter. Incredible amounts of black and red fruit backed by significant oak dominate the nose, palate, and finish. Amazingly the wine still maintains a balanced freshness and elegance helped in part from some youthful tart notes. Good now but great in 5...10...15 years?
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11/24/2015 - DSR wrote: 96 Points
Wonderful balance, concentration and long finish.
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11/11/2015 - rama wrote:
This is a blend of the best barrels of Fay and S.L.V., typically close to 50/50. Served PnP, and like the Fay and S.L.V., the aromas are dominated by oak and black fruits. Perhaps a touch more acid in this wine than the SVD wines, either that or the selected barrels had a touch more balance to my tastes. Also very fruity, lush, rich. Sweet tannins. While this wine may benefit from age, primarily to mute the heavy oak, its surprisingly tasty in its youth.
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8/17/2015 - Desert Pilot Likes this wine: 100 Points
Excellent but needs time in the cellar. 5 years?
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5/26/2015 - webbaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted about an hour and tasted over the next 48. Tasted head to head with 2012 Caymus Special Selection. Clearly, two wines cut from the same (vintage) cloth, but I have to give the nod to the Caymus. This is really a wonderful wine, but one noticeable flaw, it had a taste of egg whites. As I recall, egg whites are used as a fining in come wine, perhaps this was too young. The taste dropped off after a while in the decanter, I suspect adequate cellar time would eliminate this off flavor.
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2/19/2015 - walkerjfw wrote:
Dinner at SLWC during PNV week, fantastic setting and great wines.
This was following the SLV and FAY, current release wine, still very young. Bordeaux-like nose of dark fruits, tobacco, minerals, graphite. Palate of dark fruits, chocolate, earth tones, pine. Mouthfeel is silky and gracelful graceful
In my experience, SLWC Cask 23 is an extremely age-worthy wine, the 92 is among the best of that vintage and still going...We drank this next to the 99 Cask 23, - a great comparison as you'll see what the 2012 will grow up to be (or exceed given the vintage). Would lay this down for a while - this could be one of their 30+ year wines.
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