Opened from cellar and sipped -- very closed with a harsh back palate. Decanted it, and then drank it starting two hours later. Much improved -- more fruit noticeable, and the harshness had resolved. Kept improving with time, so if you drink it soon I'd give it plenty of air time. Dark fruits were predominant on the palate. This was fairly dense but had good complexity. It tended more toward heavy and plodding than velvety, however, keeping it from scoring higher. Overall, a nice wine; it paired nicely with grilled NY Strip and baked potato. (Quite a bit of sediment, so I would recommend decanting before serving.)
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Cellared since purchase in 2014. Opened and decanted with a steak dinner on October 4, 2023. The wine color was deep purple to the rim in the glass. There was subtle black fruit but definite vanilla on the nose. The wine featured full and rich Cabernet fruit, and was definitely fruit driven. There was appreciable oak in the wine but no tertiary development. All of the "action" was up front. That is to say, there was no complexity and a very short finish. There was evident tannin which may allow further development.
For now however, it is a monolithic, Napa California Cabernet.
This wine has medium intensity aromas of dark berries. On the palate, this full bodied wine has blackberry and dark cherry flavors and hints of leather. The tannins have softened since I last tasted in 2020 and the sediment in the bottle was proof of that. I felt it was even better the next day.
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My thoughts are consistent with most others. Great right now. Probably a few years ahead of it but no reason to wait. In terms of price, I’ve long since forgotten how this arrived in the cellar … but it’s very nice to drink so, if you have some now, don’t be shy
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"Inky," says the wife. "Dark cherry," say I. "Good," we agree, as we finish the bottle lickety-split. The dry tannins dominate at first, and then, with air, they don't disappear but move to the background, as the dark fruitiness emerges. At $110 a bottle, the value proposition is a little sketchy, but there's no doubt that this is a tasty beverage, and that the 2013 is completely ready to drink now.
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Needed only an hour to hit its stride.....soft, feminine mouthfeel, gentle aging components of light garnet color and ever so subtle aged red fruit.....nose of pronounced sage/herbs....takes almost 3-4 hours to lessen. This is in a very good place right now. I don't see it getting any better from here. 93 bordering on a 94.....
Rich, dark, blackberry fruit with notes of cassis, lavender and bitter chocolate deliver a full, round mouthfeel with this terrific cabernet. Absolutely needs an hour decant to unlock all its secondary flavors. Despite its full, fruit forward style, it pairs nicely with many foods.
Give this one at least two hours of air. Opened for one hour, then a decant for another hour before drinking. G loved it. The wine was an inky purple with a good amount of sediment (another reason to decant). Beautiful complex nose of many aromas including black pepper, clove, toast, coffee and blackberry. Cassis, coffee, and toasted spices were evident on the tongue, with a bit of heat that dissipated with time but never completely left. Nice long finish. Very enjoyable, and could have scored even higher for me with a bit less alcohol and a smoother, more luxuriant mouthfeel. May be better with more cellar time.
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CADE takes its name from Shakespeare, who used the term to describe wine casks, or cades, shipped from Bordeaux to England during Elizabethan times; fortunately, wine no longer is shipped via such arcane methods. In this case, the wine doesn’t even travel over water, but it is a wine that still sees 100% French oak barrels being used with 90% of the wine aged in new oak; those barrels coming from 11 different cooperages sourced from different forests in France. I’d say that was a good name for the winery given those facts.
Plumpjack Estate Winery obtained the 54-acre estate in 2005 amongst the elevated and sloping vineyards on Howell Mountain to add to their growing family of wines; their third winery, Odette Estate Winery, to be added in 2012 from the Stag’s Leap District AVA.
In 2012 Danielle Cyrot was named winemaker for Cade and brought her love of both Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc. Years later I would have the honor of meeting Danielle and tasting through their lineup, what a great day and wines! The wine that day was the 2012 Cade Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, the first year this wine was made from all estate fruit; for this post, I’m moving on a year to the 2013 vintage.
Still in its youth, the wine has many more years ahead. Upon opening, this blend of 87% Cabernet, 7% Petit Verdot, and 6% Merlot is big and bold with rustic qualities, almost begging for time to release its goodness. After a couple of hours, the wine softens and the fruit becomes one with the other qualities; complex notes of dark and rich fruits, powerful wine with balance and the right amount of tannins, acidity, and oak (19 months of barrel aging), culminating on a lengthy finish with a touch of dryness making it perfect for a big steak dinner.
2013 is probably long gone, but 2016 or 2017 should be available and both just as wonderful. Give them a try.
Very deep purple. Clean nose of pronounced intensity with aromas of black cherry, mint, eucalyptus, chocolate, vanilla, leather. Wine is developing. On the palate, dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, full body with pronounced flavor intensity of prunes, chocolate, leather. Finish is medium. Very good wine, ready to drink now or can be aged for 7 plus year. Very well made wine. Good structure. Not you typically Napa fruit bomb, a lot more sophisticated and structured
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Decanted for 2 hours. Leather, rose petal, blackberry and cassis on the nose. Flavor of dark berries, tannins were prominent but not overwhelming with balanced acidity. Full bodied and wonderful with lamb.
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Deep dark big wine. After about 45 minutes the high quality Howell Mountain fruit comes through. Plum, blackberry and other dark fruits smoothly put together.
Five hour decant. Deep dark magenta color, with ruby core and rusty rim. Black cherry, prune, brown sugar, pencil lead and orange sherbet on the nose. Dry, satiny, dusty palate with fine acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish. This is well-built, but just a touch tight.
Popped this last evening. Decanted for three hours before first sip, and it needed another 90 minutes before I had that "OK, here's the goods" moment.
Very much a full bodied high octane wine, and I think it would benefit from a couple more years of beauty rest. Nicely balanced towards the end of the night, as the heat blew off a bit.
After testing this out, I will be sure to let my Reserve bottlings rest for at least 3 years...
Outstanding wine. Deep dark purple. This may be the deepest darkest wine I have yet to experience. Very long heavy legs. Good taste of the dark berries; blueberries and BlackBerries. I did decant the wine overnight to let it open up and come to its full potential. It did not disappoint. We drank the wine over 3 to 4 hours and it continued to evolve in the glass . This wine needs and deserves a lot of air to bring it to its full potential. I wish I had more. This is definitely one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon
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Delicious! Fruity nose, delicate balance, and smooth long finish. This was all realized several hours after popping and decanting, though. Early sips were too tightly wound.
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Purple in color with a nose of blackberry, blueberry and pencil lead. On the palate the same blackberry and blueberry with chocolate notes developing with air. This is a big mountain wine and it needed the full 4 hour decant I gave it. I tried it on the hour and it definitely improved with air and time.
For such a big wine this was pretty darn smooth. This had good acid and big tannins that will continue to resolve as this wine ages. I agree with Cristal2000 that 2 years will greatly improve this wine but if you drink this now give it a significant decant.
I actually see this wine surpassing the 94 pts. Parker gave it in a couple of years. As usual the best recommendation I can give a wine is that I will be buying more of this.
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One hour decant. Very nice, powerful Napa Cab. Good fruit, vanilla and some white bread dough on the nose. Smooth palate with firm tannins on medium long finish. Nose continued to open over two hours. This could use more time.
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Plumpjack Dinner (1700 Degrees): Was the victim of following the Plumpjack. The wine really is too young at this point and a little disjointed. There currently isn't a balance, which left me a little "confused" and not sure what to make of it. The bottles were open about 4 hours prior to pouring but really needed a 4 hour decant. The 90 rating is for potential not where it is today. I really don't know where it is today.
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On the second day it's dark and brooding. It is fermented to dryness but there is concentration unlike the slightly syrupy wines to give the illusion of more body.
Black currant, cherry with a firm and gripping tannin that envelops ones mouth. Very earthy with tobacco notes in the background.
It probably has more potential if you let it age but my first impression is that for around 70-80 bucks the Roberts + Rogers 2013 Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cab is a better buy which is a solid 95-96 to me but not their Louer Family one which is like a 87.
Edit: I now realize most places sell Roberts + Rogers 2013 Howell Mountain for 100 bucks, in that case for 70 bucks go with the Cade or if you're gonna hold for the long term the Cade will hold up better I believe.
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Like it don't love it. Well made but nose and palate are a little funky. Weird oak regimen? Nose has some nuttiness to it I find odd. Tannic monster, needs time. Raspberries. Meh.
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Wonderful bottle. Needed some time to open up — about an hour. Chalk flavors on PnP gave way to slate, blueberry and pencil lead as it came to room temperature. Score [ 50 + 12 + 17 + 9 ] = 93.
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PnP and wow, this was not ready (as you might expect). Funk, oak and more oak. Put back in the cellar for a day and now drinking much, much better. This is a super powerful cabernet with structure, showing lots of black fruit both in the glass and on the nose. Take a sip and bam, it hits your pallet like a sledgehammer, but impressively without hard edges and with a terrific velvety mouthfeel. The tannins are still very prominent, and the finish is very long, and currently still pucker inducing. This Howell Mtn wine needs some time, but it's outstanding. I'd suggest not popping the cork for a few years, but if you do, give it tons of air.
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It is difficult to evaluate this based only on a tasting pour, but this is a supple and delicious wine. It is more approachable now that its 2013 counterparts in the Plumpjack and Odette Estate line-up. Even after a double decanting and several hours of being open, I would put it away for a couple more years.
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Super dark inky purple in color. The nose is a mix of oak and spices and violet. On the palate this is a classic young Howell mountain wide. Big tannins and big fruit. Maybe a bit more oaky than I prefer. This is still a very young wine. Will mature and develop.
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Still very young and tightly wound, but has a wonderful core of dark fruits and tons of structure. Despite how young it is, it was still very enjoyable to taste now (a friend shared a bottle with us).
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From three separate vineyard sites on Howell Mountain. This was a very brambly wine. Lots of tannins. Lots of structure. Dark core of fruit. Needs to settle a bit, but has a nice upside.
Also note that the bottle itself is especially tall; sort of a pain if cellaring in a rack meant for bottles to lay side by side.
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2/2/2024 - GJVines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened from cellar and sipped -- very closed with a harsh back palate. Decanted it, and then drank it starting two hours later. Much improved -- more fruit noticeable, and the harshness had resolved. Kept improving with time, so if you drink it soon I'd give it plenty of air time. Dark fruits were predominant on the palate. This was fairly dense but had good complexity. It tended more toward heavy and plodding than velvety, however, keeping it from scoring higher. Overall, a nice wine; it paired nicely with grilled NY Strip and baked potato. (Quite a bit of sediment, so I would recommend decanting before serving.)
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10/5/2023 - PITT Wine Guy Does not like this wine: 88 Points
2013 Cade Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Cellared since purchase in 2014. Opened and decanted with a steak dinner on October 4, 2023.
The wine color was deep purple to the rim in the glass.
There was subtle black fruit but definite vanilla on the nose. The wine featured full and rich Cabernet fruit, and was definitely fruit driven. There was appreciable oak in the wine but no tertiary development. All of the "action" was up front. That is to say, there was no complexity and a very short finish. There was evident tannin which may allow further development.
For now however, it is a monolithic, Napa California Cabernet.
88 Points
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12/16/2022 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine has medium intensity aromas of dark berries. On the palate, this full bodied wine has blackberry and dark cherry flavors and hints of leather. The tannins have softened since I last tasted in 2020 and the sediment in the bottle was proof of that. I felt it was even better the next day.
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10/24/2022 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
My thoughts are consistent with most others. Great right now. Probably a few years ahead of it but no reason to wait. In terms of price, I’ve long since forgotten how this arrived in the cellar … but it’s very nice to drink so, if you have some now, don’t be shy
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7/8/2021 - jmottern Likes this wine: 93 Points
An excellent bottle of wine. Nice nose followed by a smooth melody of black cherry, blackberry and plum fruit. Pleasant finish.
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7/5/2021 - Hricko Likes this wine: 97 Points
Smooth and robust. Excellent.
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5/21/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 94 Points
"Inky," says the wife. "Dark cherry," say I. "Good," we agree, as we finish the bottle lickety-split. The dry tannins dominate at first, and then, with air, they don't disappear but move to the background, as the dark fruitiness emerges. At $110 a bottle, the value proposition is a little sketchy, but there's no doubt that this is a tasty beverage, and that the 2013 is completely ready to drink now.
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5/18/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed only an hour to hit its stride.....soft, feminine mouthfeel, gentle aging components of light garnet color and ever so subtle aged red fruit.....nose of pronounced sage/herbs....takes almost 3-4 hours to lessen. This is in a very good place right now. I don't see it getting any better from here. 93 bordering on a 94.....
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3/7/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very solid. Can still cellar for a while. Nice with a grilled ribeye.
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8/19/2020 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich, dark, blackberry fruit with notes of cassis, lavender and bitter chocolate deliver a full, round mouthfeel with this terrific cabernet. Absolutely needs an hour decant to unlock all its secondary flavors. Despite its full, fruit forward style, it pairs nicely with many foods.
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7/21/2020 - GJVines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Give this one at least two hours of air. Opened for one hour, then a decant for another hour before drinking. G loved it. The wine was an inky purple with a good amount of sediment (another reason to decant). Beautiful complex nose of many aromas including black pepper, clove, toast, coffee and blackberry. Cassis, coffee, and toasted spices were evident on the tongue, with a bit of heat that dissipated with time but never completely left. Nice long finish. Very enjoyable, and could have scored even higher for me with a bit less alcohol and a smoother, more luxuriant mouthfeel. May be better with more cellar time.
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7/9/2020 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
CADE takes its name from Shakespeare, who used the term to describe wine casks, or cades, shipped from Bordeaux to England during Elizabethan times; fortunately, wine no longer is shipped via such arcane methods. In this case, the wine doesn’t even travel over water, but it is a wine that still sees 100% French oak barrels being used with 90% of the wine aged in new oak; those barrels coming from 11 different cooperages sourced from different forests in France. I’d say that was a good name for the winery given those facts.
Plumpjack Estate Winery obtained the 54-acre estate in 2005 amongst the elevated and sloping vineyards on Howell Mountain to add to their growing family of wines; their third winery, Odette Estate Winery, to be added in 2012 from the Stag’s Leap District AVA.
In 2012 Danielle Cyrot was named winemaker for Cade and brought her love of both Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc. Years later I would have the honor of meeting Danielle and tasting through their lineup, what a great day and wines! The wine that day was the 2012 Cade Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, the first year this wine was made from all estate fruit; for this post, I’m moving on a year to the 2013 vintage.
Still in its youth, the wine has many more years ahead. Upon opening, this blend of 87% Cabernet, 7% Petit Verdot, and 6% Merlot is big and bold with rustic qualities, almost begging for time to release its goodness. After a couple of hours, the wine softens and the fruit becomes one with the other qualities; complex notes of dark and rich fruits, powerful wine with balance and the right amount of tannins, acidity, and oak (19 months of barrel aging), culminating on a lengthy finish with a touch of dryness making it perfect for a big steak dinner.
2013 is probably long gone, but 2016 or 2017 should be available and both just as wonderful. Give them a try.
Cheers
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6/7/2020 - vpoms wrote: 91 Points
Very deep purple. Clean nose of pronounced intensity with aromas of black cherry, mint, eucalyptus, chocolate, vanilla, leather. Wine is developing. On the palate, dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, full body with pronounced flavor intensity of prunes, chocolate, leather. Finish is medium. Very good wine, ready to drink now or can be aged for 7 plus year. Very well made wine. Good structure. Not you typically Napa fruit bomb, a lot more sophisticated and structured
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5/24/2020 - jmottern Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent red wine. Sophisticated fruit not big fruit. Very pleasant.
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5/11/2020 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Leather, rose petal, blackberry and cassis on the nose. Flavor of dark berries, tannins were prominent but not overwhelming with balanced acidity. Full bodied and wonderful with lamb.
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3/28/2020 - jmottern Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep dark big wine. After about 45 minutes the high quality Howell Mountain fruit comes through. Plum, blackberry and other dark fruits smoothly put together.
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3/8/2020 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good wine. Ready to drink today. Very silky. Cheers
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1/16/2020 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
wow. Great hold. Drinkable today. Nice fruit. Well balanced. Cheers
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11/23/2019 - KendraPM wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was very tannic and little fruit. Amazing body and structure, just wish I would have cellared for 5+ more years
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4/10/2019 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 92 Points
Five hour decant. Deep dark magenta color, with ruby core and rusty rim. Black cherry, prune, brown sugar, pencil lead and orange sherbet on the nose. Dry, satiny, dusty palate with fine acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish. This is well-built, but just a touch tight.
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11/28/2018 - blarmston Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped this last evening. Decanted for three hours before first sip, and it needed another 90 minutes before I had that "OK, here's the goods" moment.
Very much a full bodied high octane wine, and I think it would benefit from a couple more years of beauty rest.
Nicely balanced towards the end of the night, as the heat blew off a bit.
After testing this out, I will be sure to let my Reserve bottlings rest for at least 3 years...
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9/27/2018 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
An overall a great experience . Great fruit and ready to drink. You can hold this for another 5-10 years if you have the right storage unit. Cheers
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5/15/2018 - H. Eugene wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding wine. Deep dark purple. This may be the deepest darkest wine I have yet to experience. Very long heavy legs. Good taste of the dark berries; blueberries and BlackBerries. I did decant the wine overnight to let it open up and come to its full potential. It did not disappoint. We drank the wine over 3 to 4 hours and it continued to evolve in the glass . This wine needs and deserves a lot of air to bring it to its full potential. I wish I had more. This is definitely one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon
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3/22/2018 - MelroseCellars Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious! Fruity nose, delicate balance, and smooth long finish. This was all realized several hours after popping and decanting, though. Early sips were too tightly wound.
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11/25/2017 - lorenkreiss Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous, big Cab that is delicious now but will only get so much better. Glad to have a few for my cellar.
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9/23/2017 - EM_MB wrote: 91 Points
4 hour decant. Still too young, better with time.
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9/11/2017 - RayT Likes this wine: 93 Points
Purple in color with a nose of blackberry, blueberry and pencil lead. On the palate the same blackberry and blueberry with chocolate notes developing with air. This is a big mountain wine and it needed the full 4 hour decant I gave it. I tried it on the hour and it definitely improved with air and time.
For such a big wine this was pretty darn smooth. This had good acid and big tannins that will continue to resolve as this wine ages. I agree with Cristal2000 that 2 years will greatly improve this wine but if you drink this now give it a significant decant.
I actually see this wine surpassing the 94 pts. Parker gave it in a couple of years. As usual the best recommendation I can give a wine is that I will be buying more of this.
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8/1/2017 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Simply silky. Great bottle. Just gets better over the time
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7/22/2017 - dpohlman wrote: 91 Points
I feel like this wine is in transition. It was actually better a year ago, but it should age well - allowing its best time to still be in the future.
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6/1/2017 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 92 Points
One hour decant. Very nice, powerful Napa Cab. Good fruit, vanilla and some white bread dough on the nose. Smooth palate with firm tannins on medium long finish. Nose continued to open over two hours. This could use more time.
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3/30/2017 - JS1056 wrote: 90 Points
Plumpjack Dinner (1700 Degrees): Was the victim of following the Plumpjack.
The wine really is too young at this point and a little disjointed. There currently isn't a balance, which left me a little "confused" and not sure what to make of it. The bottles were open about 4 hours prior to pouring but really needed a 4 hour decant.
The 90 rating is for potential not where it is today. I really don't know where it is today.
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2/8/2017 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 93 Points
It's totally closed on the first day of opening.
On the second day it's dark and brooding. It is fermented to dryness but there is concentration unlike the slightly syrupy wines to give the illusion of more body.
Black currant, cherry with a firm and gripping tannin that envelops ones mouth. Very earthy with tobacco notes in the background.
It probably has more potential if you let it age but my first impression is that for around 70-80 bucks the Roberts + Rogers 2013 Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cab is a better buy which is a solid 95-96 to me but not their Louer Family one which is like a 87.
Edit: I now realize most places sell Roberts + Rogers 2013 Howell Mountain for 100 bucks, in that case for 70 bucks go with the Cade or if you're gonna hold for the long term the Cade will hold up better I believe.
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2/8/2017 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Like it don't love it. Well made but nose and palate are a little funky. Weird oak regimen? Nose has some nuttiness to it I find odd. Tannic monster, needs time. Raspberries. Meh.
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12/17/2016 - roybivens Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful bottle. Needed some time to open up — about an hour. Chalk flavors on PnP gave way to slate, blueberry and pencil lead as it came to room temperature. Score [ 50 + 12 + 17 + 9 ] = 93.
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12/4/2016 - mhewitt wrote: 92 Points
This is going to be a fantastic wine in 5+ years but, as with many 2013s I would hold it.
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11/24/2016 - herbers Likes this wine: 96 Points
Well rounded smooth and complete
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11/23/2016 - Vino Me wrote: 87 Points
Retailer tasting. No formal notes. 87 points.
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9/30/2016 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP and wow, this was not ready (as you might expect). Funk, oak and more oak. Put back in the cellar for a day and now drinking much, much better. This is a super powerful cabernet with structure, showing lots of black fruit both in the glass and on the nose. Take a sip and bam, it hits your pallet like a sledgehammer, but impressively without hard edges and with a terrific velvety mouthfeel. The tannins are still very prominent, and the finish is very long, and currently still pucker inducing. This Howell Mtn wine needs some time, but it's outstanding. I'd suggest not popping the cork for a few years, but if you do, give it tons of air.
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9/23/2016 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 93 Points
It is difficult to evaluate this based only on a tasting pour, but this is a supple and delicious wine. It is more approachable now that its 2013 counterparts in the Plumpjack and Odette Estate line-up. Even after a double decanting and several hours of being open, I would put it away for a couple more years.
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8/24/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super dark inky purple in color. The nose is a mix of oak and spices and violet. On the palate this is a classic young Howell mountain wide. Big tannins and big fruit. Maybe a bit more oaky than I prefer. This is still a very young wine. Will mature and develop.
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8/12/2016 - td1836 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still very young and tightly wound, but has a wonderful core of dark fruits and tons of structure. Despite how young it is, it was still very enjoyable to taste now (a friend shared a bottle with us).
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6/24/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
From three separate vineyard sites on Howell Mountain. This was a very brambly wine. Lots of tannins. Lots of structure. Dark core of fruit. Needs to settle a bit, but has a nice upside.
Also note that the bottle itself is especially tall; sort of a pain if cellaring in a rack meant for bottles to lay side by side.
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4/25/2016 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
A really good wine! Simply going to get better through the years!!
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