almost peak age for this n: intense and developed fruit. black currant, blackberry, fresh snapped twigs p: heavy and smooth, slightly overbearing on vanilla and alcohol, inviting nibble not tannic bite, ripe blackberry fruit dominant
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Huge Raymond Reserve fan drinking it since ‘88. I gave it a 94 because it reminded me of some 94’s I drank. Bramble-berries in the mouth. So well integrated. Not a huge nose but def a long delectable finish. Should last properly cellared for some years to come. But don’t think it will last all that long because I’ll happily consume it all! Once again thank you Raymond Family!
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Was not quite as good as expected. I can't easily put a finger on where it fell short...maybe not 100% varietally correct, I would not have picked this out in a blind tasting as a Napa Cab...maybe not the depth and character, one-dimensional. We let it breathe 4 hours, so it had plenty of air. It was a bit more than medium-bodied, but not full-bodied. Another case of wine mags making a big deal of a wine that did not live up to their description. It WAS very good, but thought I was getting a bargain excellent wine...NOT. This may have a year or two more on it before it will go downhill, definitely not for long-term aging.
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Last had this in summer of '17. Loved it then and even more impressed now. I think the scores are depressed by the fact that this is a mainstream label. Put this wine in a bottle with the label of some cult wine on it, add a 1 or 2 in front of the price, and people will ooh and aah over it. Powerful black/dark fruits, seamlessly integrated oak, everything in balance. Well done!
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It took a very long time to open up. Hints of cherry after an early strong earthy (musty) aftertaste. Nice color and aroma (after 1 hour decanting). Aging until 2019 or later may help.
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Probably one of the best Napa Cab under 40$ in the market today. Velvety tannins, integrated oak with strong black berry fruits flavour. A must à that price !
My wife really enjoyed this wine. My thought was it needed a little more bottle aging to reach its' full potential. Oak was predominate with the fruit somewhat muted, although the texture of the wine was velvety smooth. Slow ox for an hour plus. Probably better in 2019 and beyond, but a good wine to have on hand in the cellar. Very good QPR.
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Medium bodied - quite light for a Napa cab. Pleasant fruit with richness notably dialed back. At times this seems charming and at others a little muted. This is not a wine of power but has a certain amount of grace.
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Very nice wine for steak. Slightly dry and medium complexity. Tastes great. Can’t wait to try it in ‘19 when suggested. This is a better than average wine and worth the price.
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A nose of rich dark fruits, dark garnet in color. A full bodied red with blackberry, and black cherry, currants, chocolate spice finish. Too young to drink, decant. www.winelx.com
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Bought as a tryer because of WA 93 on the shelf card, but it was a fail. Got to 91 after an hour in decanter, thought it might be a buyer. Instead of showing more improvement, however, it died and we poured it out. Overpriced for what you get in that first hour, skip it.
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2+ hour decant. Dark ruby red color. Blackberry, flowers, cedar and cherry on the nose. Blackberry, currant, dark chocolate and leather on the palate. Medium body w/ medium acidity. Very soft mouthfeel despite its young age. Good value at this price point.
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This is a solid Napa Cabernet that is drinking well now, even at this early stage. It has oak, it has fruit, it costs $30 - it is what it is, and it does a decent job of it. Dark red in color, medium in body, nose of blackberry, licorice, and cedar. Tastes of blueberry pie, leather, and burnt toast, with a grainy and somewhat rustic finish. 14.5% alcohol. Blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Petite Sirah, and 2% Malbec. This will be better in a year or so, but it's a decent value.
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Pnp, Nice floral, cassis and dark fruit notes on the nose, highly tannic on the palate, suggesting longer cellar time required, dark/blue berries, mixed spices. Medium/short finish. Will wait another year before opening another...
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40th Anniversary bottling. Classic blackberry aromas. Doesn't show lots of oak on the nose. Has some vanilla to the nose, but gives a svelte fruit focused palate. It is noted that Phillipe Melka is on payroll at Raymond to help with the higher end Cab bottlings. This is a classic stylistic approach. With a much more modern approach to packaging.
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4/1/2024 - munktun Likes this wine: 92 Points
almost peak age for this
n: intense and developed fruit. black currant, blackberry, fresh snapped twigs
p: heavy and smooth, slightly overbearing on vanilla and alcohol, inviting nibble not tannic bite, ripe blackberry fruit dominant
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2/23/2024 - brianakrin wrote: 92 Points
Improved after 2hr decant. Has some secondary notes. Drinking well , no hurry.
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1/31/2023 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very good except the finish is now dry and bitter.
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4/6/2022 - timdrex Likes this wine: 91 Points
Full bodied with bright acidity.
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5/14/2021 - Time traveller Likes this wine: 94 Points
Huge Raymond Reserve fan drinking it since ‘88. I gave it a 94 because it reminded me of some 94’s I drank. Bramble-berries in the mouth. So well integrated. Not a huge nose but def a long delectable finish. Should last properly cellared for some years to come. But don’t think it will last all that long because I’ll happily consume it all! Once again thank you Raymond Family!
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4/16/2021 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tobacco, blackberry, dirt on the nose. Fruit forward and smooth as you drink it.
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12/17/2020 - skp88 wrote: 90 Points
I like this. A simple, tasty, refreshing wine. Totally reasonable at $30
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12/12/2020 - West Chester Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Full flavored and well balanced. Dry and tasty. Went well with steak that had a heavy red pepper rub..
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12/7/2020 - Vailman Likes this wine: 88 Points
Well made, easy drinking mid week red. Two hour decant helped. My expectations were low for this mass produced wine.
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9/24/2020 - Pinkflash Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice easy drinking wine. Went well with pulled pork.
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8/13/2020 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice wine. Drank it last night. Cheers
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7/26/2020 - West Chester Wine Likes this wine: 85 Points
Really solid bottle of wine. Good balanced flavor. Dry finish. Tasty.
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6/21/2020 - Jobu wrote: 92 Points
Red and black berries. A little darkish spice and oak. It doesn’t jump out at you but it is just so well balanced and has a great finish.
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5/15/2020 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 90 Points
really good bottle. Cheers
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1/19/2020 - Jpb68 wrote:
Top shel across top
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1/19/2020 - Jpb68 wrote:
Bottom shelf all the way right
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12/17/2019 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank very nicely. Ready to drink. med. fruit, and med body. Cheers
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10/29/2019 - TwoSmoochies wrote:
Lift Me up Gala 2019
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10/21/2019 - pkatz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice, balanced cab. Drinking well.
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8/25/2019 - Quaigs Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted fantastic. Excellent nose, well balanced with good complexity and a long finish. Paired excellent with a rack of lamb.
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5/5/2019 - bigbass250 wrote:
fabulous wish I had more
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4/11/2019 - Z1nnfull wrote: 88 Points
Was not quite as good as expected. I can't easily put a finger on where it fell short...maybe not 100% varietally correct, I would not have picked this out in a blind tasting as a Napa Cab...maybe not the depth and character, one-dimensional. We let it breathe 4 hours, so it had plenty of air. It was a bit more than medium-bodied, but not full-bodied. Another case of wine mags making a big deal of a wine that did not live up to their description. It WAS very good, but thought I was getting a bargain excellent wine...NOT. This may have a year or two more on it before it will go downhill, definitely not for long-term aging.
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12/15/2018 - Ezekill19 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely drinking and thoroughly enjoyed at Thansgiving 2018
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11/2/2018 - Chip Merlot Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last had this in summer of '17. Loved it then and even more impressed now. I think the scores are depressed by the fact that this is a mainstream label. Put this wine in a bottle with the label of some cult wine on it, add a 1 or 2 in front of the price, and people will ooh and aah over it. Powerful black/dark fruits, seamlessly integrated oak, everything in balance. Well done!
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10/28/2018 - BSBONO wrote: 90 Points
Drinking nicely now. Much better than one I had 6 months ago
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4/22/2018 - feinwine wrote:
Ok but not special. Other wines we’ve had in the same price point are better. (Prisoner, Buena Vista, Clos Pegasus)
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4/16/2018 - TraynorFamily wrote: 85 Points
It took a very long time to open up. Hints of cherry after an early strong earthy (musty) aftertaste. Nice color and aroma (after 1 hour decanting). Aging until 2019 or later may help.
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4/14/2018 - Dleduc wrote: 88 Points
Probably one of the best Napa Cab under 40$ in the market today. Velvety tannins, integrated oak with strong black berry fruits flavour. A must à that price !
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3/31/2018 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
A surreal hit at a party. Was a winner compared to other local wines. This was the only cab from napa.
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3/18/2018 - bpgodfrey@comcast.net wrote: 93 Points
Very impressive, great flavor, smooth finish
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3/1/2018 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 90 Points
My wife really enjoyed this wine. My thought was it needed a little more bottle aging to reach its' full potential. Oak was predominate with the fruit somewhat muted, although the texture of the wine was velvety smooth. Slow ox for an hour plus. Probably better in 2019 and beyond, but a good wine to have on hand in the cellar. Very good QPR.
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2/20/2018 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Velvet Elvis bottling. Red berry and sweet spice nose. Full-bodied; good replays with an assertive grip and fresh balance to finish.
4/5
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2/9/2018 - OWC wrote: 90 Points
Medium bodied - quite light for a Napa cab. Pleasant fruit with richness notably dialed back. At times this seems charming and at others a little muted. This is not a wine of power but has a certain amount of grace.
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1/30/2018 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
1 hour decant. Nice cab at a good price.
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1/29/2018 - Nyrican wrote:
Very nice cab with med tannins drank well excellent QPR at $33. Nice red velvet label
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1/1/2018 - Jpb68 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice wine for steak. Slightly dry and medium complexity. Tastes great. Can’t wait to try it in ‘19 when suggested. This is a better than average wine and worth the price.
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12/16/2017 - Winowhyno Likes this wine: 89 Points
Same as all previous Reserve Field Blends. Decent everyday drinker. Nothing too special. Always have some in the cellar.
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12/5/2017 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking this bottle is a great bottle for everyday drinking. The window is now to drink.
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11/28/2017 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
1 hour decant.
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11/27/2017 - artp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really dry at this point. But has the fruit, tannins, and lasting finish to suggest it will be so much better in 2022.
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11/27/2017 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 89 Points
A nose of rich dark fruits, dark garnet in color. A full bodied red with blackberry, and black cherry, currants, chocolate spice finish. Too young to drink, decant. www.winelx.com
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11/18/2017 - gspina@pfmservice.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine for the money.
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11/2/2017 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
A great bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinkable today, with smokey spices, dark chocolate
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11/2/2017 - seijaro wrote: 90 Points
Bought as a tryer because of WA 93 on the shelf card, but it was a fail. Got to 91 after an hour in decanter, thought it might be a buyer. Instead of showing more improvement, however, it died and we poured it out. Overpriced for what you get in that first hour, skip it.
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10/28/2017 - ChadMo wrote: 83 Points
Not a harsh red. Still getting use to reds
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10/6/2017 - tgang Likes this wine: 90 Points
2+ hour decant. Dark ruby red color. Blackberry, flowers, cedar and cherry on the nose. Blackberry, currant, dark chocolate and leather on the palate. Medium body w/ medium acidity. Very soft mouthfeel despite its young age. Good value at this price point.
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9/18/2017 - msuwine wrote: 91 Points
This is a solid Napa Cabernet that is drinking well now, even at this early stage. It has oak, it has fruit, it costs $30 - it is what it is, and it does a decent job of it. Dark red in color, medium in body, nose of blackberry, licorice, and cedar. Tastes of blueberry pie, leather, and burnt toast, with a grainy and somewhat rustic finish. 14.5% alcohol. Blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Petite Sirah, and 2% Malbec. This will be better in a year or so, but it's a decent value.
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9/10/2017 - Doc90 wrote: 85 Points
Fresh berry nose-raspberries and cream. Raspberries in the mouth, a little low in acid. Nice texture, but pretty one dimensional.
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8/28/2017 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Really good QPR.
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5/28/2017 - big.cactus34 wrote: 90 Points
Pnp, Nice floral, cassis and dark fruit notes on the nose, highly tannic on the palate, suggesting longer cellar time required, dark/blue berries, mixed spices. Medium/short finish. Will wait another year before opening another...
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2/17/2017 - nzinkgraf wrote:
40th Anniversary bottling. Classic blackberry aromas. Doesn't show lots of oak on the nose. Has some vanilla to the nose, but gives a svelte fruit focused palate. It is noted that Phillipe Melka is on payroll at Raymond to help with the higher end Cab bottlings.
This is a classic stylistic approach. With a much more modern approach to packaging.
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