Decanted and let breath for five hours. This time fram was beneficial to let the tannins mellow more, ideal breathing time was around 2-2 1/2 hours as a little tasting at this point had a fruit dominated flavor with obvious savory notes. By the time we started drinking at five+ hours, a prominent herbal/bell pepper type flavor took over. The quality is excellent but as with others, the flavor profile isn’t a personal preference. Finish was also longer around the two hour mark. Might be better with food as well…has at least another 5-7 years to go in the cellar.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definitely showing some age here, and I feel like the fruit is showing excess rightness, that I doubt was there when the wine was younger. Strangely, it also had a little green on the nose that didn’t blow off with airtime like Wen would expect from a Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Disappointing. No fruit, very earthy from beginning to end. We even let it sit 2 days and drank against a half bottle of 2018 o’shaughnessy, which is fine but not great, and it didn’t stand up. We have 1 more, really hope it improves.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful with Beef Bourginion! I decanted about four hours before drinking. Didn't sense the tight tannins of other tasters... This one was drinking well now. Will do a full tasting note on a future bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Agree with others have said about this wine. It is still quite tannic and leaves your mouth puckering even after splash decanting this for 20 minutes. The nose is mostly dark fruits - but the palate is a bit different. Did not get all cabernet from this - drank more like a cab franc with a bit of spicy notes here and there. Overall enjoyable - but would give it a few more years to settle down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nearly two years ago I said it was still Grippy / tannic but had real promise. Two years later and I’ve set the same default score rather than a higher preference. It’s certainly softened and eased off though still has a whiff of green pepper. It’s also however just flattened out and lost some vibrancy and definition. Still very decent and enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank in mag format with friends over dinner of short rib and pumpkin raviolis. A lovely, sweet nose of Napa cabernet but not much after that. Never developed or fleshed out. No weight to it. Still, pleasant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In retrospect this wine was UN- afforded the proper decant. Tonight's tasting showed it is totally closed and in fact showing simple youth. Perhaps too young but I blame myself for not decantling this wine for 2-4 hours. Almost non existent nose. And, to continue being rude, I would add and say a "poor expample of a normally better brand".
I found that the finish was very underdeveloped. Almost unripened fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
fully opaque ruby violet; cassis, tobacco, lavender, graphite; fruit is a bit restrained, good acidity, nice tannic backbone; blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Verdot, aged 19 months in French oak, only 45% new, winemaker Diana Snowden is wife of Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac in Burgundy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
89/90 points...disappointing. Had this as the last wine of the night at an Italian steakhouse. Nothing special, nothing really wrong with it either. My least favorite of the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A dry and restrained wine without the huge fruit and density of some west coast cabs. Possibly a slightly muted stage and needs more time to cone out the other side. It’s lost some of the gravitas and vibrancy of its tasting a year or so ago. Still tannic and drinking pretty well. I tasted the 16 recently and it’s clear the biodynamic approach of Diana is coming to life in the bottle. The 16 was singing but needs 5 years plus really. I still have high hopes for this in 2 years or so. Expect to be scoring this higher soon.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Plum Market Luxury Tasting (Bad Hunter - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Black plum and cherry throughout, more elegant aromatically, then fat on the palate. Good+ weight and length. Brooding slightly, better to cellar a few more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice nose Slight smoke & pepper and Cali fruit Good transitions across the palate Very nice tannin structure that carries fruit VERY well Good flavors cassis and graphite works well together Aging should be interesting Good minerals that play well with the fruit
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
To be fully honest, I was expecting more from this wine. Maybe it is because it probably needs another 3-5 years in bottle. The nose was not as expressive as I would expect from a 98% Cab. Sauv. and the finish was still very primary. If opening now, decant for an hour and hopefully it will be drinking better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What used to be the reserve, but now built out of vineyard blocks. Before tearing out the vineyard this vineyard always produced the best wine. Sterilized marbles in the barrel. That's darn good Cabernet. 98% 2 % petite Verdot. Prior is Cabernet.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/24/2024 - Rick 4 Wine wrote:
Past peak. Coming apart. Tannins are done and acidity wasn’t there to hold it together a decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2024 - PMTinfv Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and let breath for five hours. This time fram was beneficial to let the tannins mellow more, ideal breathing time was around 2-2 1/2 hours as a little tasting at this point had a fruit dominated flavor with obvious savory notes. By the time we started drinking at five+ hours, a prominent herbal/bell pepper type flavor took over. The quality is excellent but as with others, the flavor profile isn’t a personal preference. Finish was also longer around the two hour mark. Might be better with food as well…has at least another 5-7 years to go in the cellar.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2023 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Definitely showing some age here, and I feel like the fruit is showing excess rightness, that I doubt was there when the wine was younger. Strangely, it also had a little green on the nose that didn’t blow off with airtime like Wen would expect from a Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2023 - Winechat63 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Disappointing. No fruit, very earthy from beginning to end. We even let it sit 2 days and drank against a half bottle of 2018 o’shaughnessy, which is fine but not great, and it didn’t stand up. We have 1 more, really hope it improves.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2022 - Snoski62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful with Beef Bourginion! I decanted about four hours before drinking. Didn't sense the tight tannins of other tasters... This one was drinking well now. Will do a full tasting note on a future bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2022 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tannins still strong, would wait several more years to peak
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2021 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 91 Points
A bit tannic, probably not at its peak yet. Aired for 2 hours
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2021 - pgrzesik Likes this wine: 90 Points
Agree with others have said about this wine. It is still quite tannic and leaves your mouth puckering even after splash decanting this for 20 minutes. The nose is mostly dark fruits - but the palate is a bit different. Did not get all cabernet from this - drank more like a cab franc with a bit of spicy notes here and there. Overall enjoyable - but would give it a few more years to settle down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2021 - BGK810 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious. Tastes like a ripe cab franc. Rich black cherry, a little streak of green, some tannins and a medium length finish. Has many more years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2021 - Mbad77 wrote: 92 Points
Nearly two years ago I said it was still
Grippy / tannic but had real promise. Two years later and I’ve set the same default score rather than a higher preference.
It’s certainly softened and eased off though still has a whiff of green pepper. It’s also however just flattened out and lost some vibrancy and definition.
Still very decent and enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2021 - Mdhealey wrote: 88 Points
Drank in mag format with friends over dinner of short rib and pumpkin raviolis. A lovely, sweet nose of Napa cabernet but not much after that. Never developed or fleshed out. No weight to it. Still, pleasant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2020 - GiWineDoc Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just ok. Doesn’t live up to its price point. Not bad but nothing truly special. More leather than bold fruit
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2020 - tomoem wrote: 88 Points
Valentines dinner with friends
In retrospect this wine was UN- afforded the proper decant. Tonight's tasting showed it is totally closed and in fact showing simple youth. Perhaps too young but I blame myself for not decantling this wine for 2-4 hours. Almost non existent nose. And, to continue being rude, I would add and say a "poor expample of a normally better brand".
I found that the finish was very underdeveloped. Almost unripened fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2019 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine is really maturing. Nice musky nose. Well balanced and leathery.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2019 - ashikoh Likes this wine: 93 Points
fully opaque ruby violet; cassis, tobacco, lavender, graphite; fruit is a bit restrained, good acidity, nice tannic backbone; blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Verdot, aged 19 months in French oak, only 45% new, winemaker Diana Snowden is wife of Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac in Burgundy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2019 - SMHalps wrote: 90 Points
89/90 points...disappointing. Had this as the last wine of the night at an Italian steakhouse. Nothing special, nothing really wrong with it either. My least favorite of the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2019 - Mbad77 wrote: 92 Points
A dry and restrained wine without the huge fruit and density of some west coast cabs. Possibly a slightly muted stage and needs more time to cone out the other side. It’s lost some of the gravitas and vibrancy of its tasting a year or so ago. Still tannic and drinking pretty well.
I tasted the 16 recently and it’s clear the biodynamic approach of Diana is coming to life in the bottle. The 16 was singing but needs 5 years plus really.
I still have high hopes for this in 2 years or so. Expect to be scoring this higher soon.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Plum Market Luxury Tasting (Bad Hunter - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Black plum and cherry throughout, more elegant aromatically, then fat on the palate. Good+ weight and length. Brooding slightly, better to cellar a few more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2018 - Glenn92 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice nose
Slight smoke & pepper and Cali fruit
Good transitions across the palate
Very nice tannin structure that carries fruit VERY well
Good flavors cassis and graphite works well together
Aging should be interesting
Good minerals that play well with the fruit
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2018 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very pretty and open.
Earthy, plum, graphite and pencil shavings. Similar to 15 and 13 yet more approachable.
Still like the 15 and 13 better though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2017 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice cab nose with good tannins and dusty earth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: flawed
IMW - Cab / Cab Franc Walk-Around Tasting 2018 (mostly 2014 vintage) (Hyatt, San Francisco): Flawed. Coin polish. Sulfur.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2017 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
To be fully honest, I was expecting more from this wine. Maybe it is because it probably needs another 3-5 years in bottle. The nose was not as expressive as I would expect from a 98% Cab. Sauv. and the finish was still very primary. If opening now, decant for an hour and hopefully it will be drinking better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2017 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
What used to be the reserve, but now built out of vineyard blocks. Before tearing out the vineyard this vineyard always produced the best wine. Sterilized marbles in the barrel. That's darn good Cabernet. 98% 2 % petite Verdot. Prior is Cabernet.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment