Sadly my last ‘14, these have been really good. One hour decant, probably would have improved with more but it was fine. Intense nose, nicely acidic, good mouthfeel almost thin but not fake/syrupy which is really nice. This went too quickly for much analysis.
This was exactly what we wanted with our rib roast -- very dark and complex, with more acidity than sweetness, and with fully resolved tannins. Recognizably Californian, but leaning toward Bordeaux. My wife, predictably, loved it.
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Beautiful wine. Bottle decant. Medium purple, potent aromas and taste of toasted dark fruits, mountain grown herbs, leather, lit tobacco and caramelized oak. Good acidity, solid structure, crunchy tannins on long finish. Cheers
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Decanted for two hours. Really nicely balanced cab with deep fruit notes (cherry and blackberry), good depth, medium tannins and acid, long finish. Great nose.
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I thought I had brought the ‘16 and prepped it as such. Double decanted in the morning and then recorked until dinner. If I had realized it was the ‘14 I would have just open 30 min prior. But I don’t think it did it any harm. Dark and youthful in color, dark fruit and vanilla on the nose, more acidic on the palate in a good way making it not so heavy. No Napa cab glycerin type mouthfeel which I appreciate. Slightly lower score than last time but that can probably be attributed to altitude rather than my decant.
A solid representation of Howell Mountain cab, offering an array of black fruits, a little damp earth, and good acidity. As one would expect with a TRB-made wine, the tannins are well managed. This comes across as less polished and rounded than his Outpost cabs from the same AVA, and it’s nice to see the individual expression of place. Our guests helped us finish the bottle rather quickly, so we didn’t get to watch it evolve over the evening.
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Pizza party (Amy and Scott's house): Decanted half hour, followed 2 small glasses over 1.5 hours. The nose is dense and represents everything that's wrong with TRB cabernets. But the palate is singing. Tangy, blueberry and many other fruit flavors, good structure that includes acid and tannin. This was a great showing for me.
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User error. Needs to not to go up against a ‘12 Bevan EE and also a longer decant, 90 min was not enough. That being said, with a 3+ hr decant or 5 yrs sideways, this could reach 93-96.
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Drank and enjoyed and forgot to note a few weeks ago. Really enjoy this cuvee best from Saunter. Really nice with food. More restrained than many cabs. In a good way
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I think my last 2014. Tasting beautifully on a warm late fall eve in MD. Melted black licorice, dark plums, toasty cherries and dark chocolate. Big, bold, well-structured with fine acidity. Mildly chewy tannins on the long finish. This has plenty of life left. Enjoyed it by the fire in the backyard.
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This is a special wine. Absolutely delicious and probably in it's prime drinking window right now. Dark ruby, mostly opaque with only the slightest hint of age. Nose has tons of intensity and dark fruit, dark cherries. Surprising amount of acidity for a Cab, very pleasant, typical leather and pencil shavings. Some herbal notes. Smooth rounded tannins that are perfectly integrated, very long finish, complex, and has an interesting alcohol type burn, even though alcohol is pretty moderate for a CA Cab. That is not a bad thing though, it is not unpleasant at all. One of the best Cabernets I have had in a while.
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Perfectly aged Napa Cab. Oak and tannin were integrated and very smooth. I think this is near the peak and wouldn’t try to age it much longer—but probably will be a very slow decline
Going on a 1.5 hr decant. Eggplant purple and opaque. Howell Mtn Fruit! Expressive nose of ripe plums, dark cherries, toasted graham crackers and sweet earth. The palate adds this dense melted black licorice and taut mountain minerality that is just stupendous! Tannins are firm yet smooth, finish adds a mix of tart black fruit and minerals with a significant length! Cheers 🍷🍷
Amy & Scott Break in their new deck!: PnP - brought out at the end of the evening....another very nice cab that kept the trend of very good CA cabs alive and well! Another fun CA Cab to taste and enjoy. I only had a little of this as I had to drive home! I would have liked to follow it for a while to see if it further evolved, but was drinking quite well! Fruit forward with hints of earth and spice and sweet oak. A fun wine that is surely a crowd pleaser! I enjoyed it! 91 points for me.
Can’t get enough of this beauty. So focused. Nice concentrate of dark fruits. So well structured and balanced. Soft ripe tannins. Long finish. Got a few left.
Still young, but this wine has it all together: spice, cedar, blue fruits. Would be better with another 3 years in the bottle. Great QPR on BD for half off. Should have bought more!
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Opened for slow O three hours in advance...wow...explosive nose of dark red fruit and sweet vanilla...dark purple in color...nice layers of red fruit and graphite with a full mouthfeel...still some tannins on the finish that were a perfect match for a grilled steak...medium length finish...in a great spot now.
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Excellent. Powerful and deep but very well balanced and complex. Firing on all cylinders and improved with time in the decanter, although the bottle was gone by 2.5 hours. This should improve for another decade.
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Just so beautiful. Wine night (6 wines) and loved by all. Most likely the #1. Pure fresh ripe fruit. Powerful and elegant. Excited to have more shipped. Cheers 🍷
Some sediment. Alluring aromas of cedar and vanilla, but tasting much less oaky than the smell led me to expect. Moderate tannins that quickly faded. Lively acidity, and a powerfully minty flavor, more red than black fruits. This a big wine but not at all sweet or cloying -- the sustained acidity keeps it fresh (but beware the 14.6% alcohol). No urgency to drink these.
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I think this is very fairly graded by the CT community.....a very pleasant, mid weighted cab right from the pnp. Some bright cherry fruit, red not black. Good acidity but it fades a bit over 2-3 hours which makes me wonder how long these have left. The red fruit has a little tart component at the end after a while. This is a very nice wine and a joy to drink and fairly judged in the 93-94 range, IMO.
Three hour decant. Red currant, black cherry, cream cheese frosting, graham cracker, menthol, and sage on the expressive nose. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with good acidity. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish. TRB strikes again. :)
This is a beautiful wine that I wish I had bought more of on BD. I planned to give this a 3 hour decant but tasted on PnP and it was drinkable from the start. Lovely fruit, blueberries and blackberry initially, a hint of spice. Tannins were obvious but the chalky texture almost accentuated the blueberries. With longer decant time the fruit shifted to redder fruits like cherry and red currant. And I agree with AGELVIS when he mentions a hint of menthol. I especially like the acidity on this wine, it nicely offsets the big fruit and tannin. I left a bit and didn’t get to it until today, day 3, and it is still going strong. Tannins seem slightly more astringent but still very very nice. I think this will continue to improve.
Exceeded my expectations at this price point, with loads of blackberries and just a hint of ter. QPR winner here as it has that 'it' factor normally seen in higher-priced wines. Give this a long decant (tons of sediment!) as I did 4 hours on day 1 and still preferred on day 2. Built for the long haul.
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I am with CoryDean on this one. Drank it over a 2 day period, day 1 included a short decant.
Nose was vibrant with floral and lead pencil notes and fennel/licorice. Still very youthful and concentrated, which became more apparent on day 2 as it was still very lively. Plenty of blueberry notes, a hint of tart red fruit, dark chocolate and ended with that savory/fennel streak that cascaded in to a long and enjoyable finish. For me there were some sips towards the end of day 2 where it just knocked it out of the park.
I was drinking this in alongside a 2017 Myriad Dr. Crane that I had decanted for a few hours. I preferred this wine by a small margin, splitting hairs. 95+
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Three hour decant. Nearly opaque ruby magenta color. Boysenberry, eggplant, violets, strawberry popsicle, mocha and brown sugar on the complex nose. Super smooth palate, with subtle acidity. Soft, but very full tannins on the longish finish. This is feminine, but not delicate (if that makes sense).
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Gorgeous purple hue. Nose of lavender, pencil shavings, and dry tobacco. A very smooth easy wine with loads of concentration. Plenty of ripe blueberry, tart rhubarb, cocoa, and fennel seed. If you like the high elevation fruit and TRB winemaking style you should really enjoy this wine. 96 points.
Drank another bottle for learning purposes. I continue to fail to listen to my own advice. Still closed. In the decanter now for almost 4 hours. We've hit the pucker stage. Decent nose, expensive oak. BlackBerry fruit, if you can find it.
Do yourself a favor and hold.
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Decanted 1 hour. Needs many more hours of air to overcome the current state of closed down...ness. Purple/dark red in color. Dark cherry albeit a bit of sourness at this stage. Certainly well made with ample texture and full body. Hold.
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Took a flyer on Berserker day given HM fruit and TRB winemaker. Do not drink yet! This has more potential but just not ready. Lots of oak and coffee/mocha notes hide the tannins which hide the fruit. Definitely Howell Mtn, definitely underage. Drank better with meatballs and sauce, but still not great. 89 now, 93-94 with age. Check in again in 5 years.
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Coravin. Beautiful aromatics that blur the line between fruit and oak - something Thomas Brown is very good at. On the palate it has more Howell Mountain character than Outpost, but less depth. I'll wait another year before opening a bottle, but if you have several, it's drinking pretty nicely now.
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Decided to give this a shot after recently enjoying their entry level cab and also in light of the source on Howell Mtn. Purple fruit - blueberry, blackberry, and dark currants. Smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth. Nice flavors of dark berries, a little chocolate/mocha, and some spice. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Improved with time but drinking pretty well after the decant. However, I believe this vintage will benefit from another year or two to let the fruit soften/open-up some more which is no surprise in consideration of the source and winemaker's style. In my opinion, more or less in line with Parker's 93 rating, however, I do expect it to get better with a little more time. 100% cab.
Enjoyed as a PnP. First few smells and tastes were a bit closed off, didn't show its cards right away. I will give a decant for at least 30 min next bottle. Once it loosened up, it was terrific. Very smooth and velvety. Had good notes of coffee/mocha but just meshed well with the fruit. By the end of the bottle, smooth as silk. Will hold remaining bottles for a few years. Good now, but I can see being around 96 in a couple years. I'd say drinking window is 2018-2026
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2/29/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sadly my last ‘14, these have been really good. One hour decant, probably would have improved with more but it was fine. Intense nose, nicely acidic, good mouthfeel almost thin but not fake/syrupy which is really nice. This went too quickly for much analysis.
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11/1/2023 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was exactly what we wanted with our rib roast -- very dark and complex, with more acidity than sweetness, and with fully resolved tannins. Recognizably Californian, but leaning toward Bordeaux. My wife, predictably, loved it.
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3/30/2023 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine. Bottle decant. Medium purple, potent aromas and taste of toasted dark fruits, mountain grown herbs, leather, lit tobacco and caramelized oak. Good acidity, solid structure, crunchy tannins on long finish. Cheers
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1/1/2023 - westcoastwannabe wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours. Really nicely balanced cab with deep fruit notes (cherry and blackberry), good depth, medium tannins and acid, long finish. Great nose.
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12/26/2022 - wiscgrad wrote: 91 Points
not quite as impressed as other CT notes. solid napa cab, but a was hoping for some more depth of flavor. also, the tannins are a bit prickly
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12/20/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 92 Points
I thought I had brought the ‘16 and prepped it as such. Double decanted in the morning and then recorked until dinner. If I had realized it was the ‘14 I would have just open 30 min prior. But I don’t think it did it any harm. Dark and youthful in color, dark fruit and vanilla on the nose, more acidic on the palate in a good way making it not so heavy. No Napa cab glycerin type mouthfeel which I appreciate. Slightly lower score than last time but that can probably be attributed to altitude rather than my decant.
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11/26/2022 - EMTAME wrote: 92 Points
A solid representation of Howell Mountain cab, offering an array of black fruits, a little damp earth, and good acidity. As one would expect with a TRB-made wine, the tannins are well managed. This comes across as less polished and rounded than his Outpost cabs from the same AVA, and it’s nice to see the individual expression of place. Our guests helped us finish the bottle rather quickly, so we didn’t get to watch it evolve over the evening.
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10/2/2022 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Pizza party (Amy and Scott's house): Decanted half hour, followed 2 small glasses over 1.5 hours. The nose is dense and represents everything that's wrong with TRB cabernets. But the palate is singing. Tangy, blueberry and many other fruit flavors, good structure that includes acid and tannin. This was a great showing for me.
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8/7/2022 - Dine&Vine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very tasty and drinking very well at this stage. Wish I had more.
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6/25/2022 - midtownmac wrote:
Fabulous with prime Ny strip
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6/23/2022 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Anniversary wine, Coravin pour.
A richer, fruit forward yet structured cab.
Dark purple fruit, silky.
Easy to drink at the price point.
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4/6/2022 - Geaux Tigers wrote:
User error. Needs to not to go up against a ‘12 Bevan EE and also a longer decant, 90 min was not enough. That being said, with a 3+ hr decant or 5 yrs sideways, this could reach 93-96.
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3/27/2022 - nickvdm Likes this wine:
18.5/20
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3/2/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:
Drank and enjoyed and forgot to note a few weeks ago. Really enjoy this cuvee best from Saunter. Really nice with food. More restrained than many cabs. In a good way
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1/29/2022 - Nestor John Salazar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking over 4 hours.
Wine is on point. Could go a fewmore years but why wait?
Dark purple, licorice ra
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12/17/2021 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine: 94 Points
I think my last 2014. Tasting beautifully on a warm late fall eve in MD. Melted black licorice, dark plums, toasty cherries and dark chocolate. Big, bold, well-structured with fine acidity. Mildly chewy tannins on the long finish. This has plenty of life left. Enjoyed it by the fire in the backyard.
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11/1/2021 - Hoddick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great representation of everything wonderful about Howell Mountain fruit
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10/31/2021 - dera Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a special wine. Absolutely delicious and probably in it's prime drinking window right now. Dark ruby, mostly opaque with only the slightest hint of age. Nose has tons of intensity and dark fruit, dark cherries. Surprising amount of acidity for a Cab, very pleasant, typical leather and pencil shavings. Some herbal notes. Smooth rounded tannins that are perfectly integrated, very long finish, complex, and has an interesting alcohol type burn, even though alcohol is pretty moderate for a CA Cab. That is not a bad thing though, it is not unpleasant at all. One of the best Cabernets I have had in a while.
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10/28/2021 - mercurius wrote: 93 Points
Perfectly aged Napa Cab. Oak and tannin were integrated and very smooth. I think this is near the peak and wouldn’t try to age it much longer—but probably will be a very slow decline
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10/21/2021 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Going on a 1.5 hr decant. Eggplant purple and opaque. Howell Mtn Fruit! Expressive nose of ripe plums, dark cherries, toasted graham crackers and sweet earth. The palate adds this dense melted black licorice and taut mountain minerality that is just stupendous! Tannins are firm yet smooth, finish adds a mix of tart black fruit and minerals with a significant length! Cheers 🍷🍷
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9/5/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Amy & Scott Break in their new deck!: PnP - brought out at the end of the evening....another very nice cab that kept the trend of very good CA cabs alive and well! Another fun CA Cab to taste and enjoy. I only had a little of this as I had to drive home! I would have liked to follow it for a while to see if it further evolved, but was drinking quite well! Fruit forward with hints of earth and spice and sweet oak. A fun wine that is surely a crowd pleaser! I enjoyed it! 91 points for me.
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7/15/2021 - PSUSteve Likes this wine: 93 Points
45 minute slow oz
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7/4/2021 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Can’t get enough of this beauty. So focused. Nice concentrate of dark fruits. So well structured and balanced. Soft ripe tannins. Long finish. Got a few left.
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6/20/2021 - Dine&Vine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still young, but this wine has it all together: spice, cedar, blue fruits. Would be better with another 3 years in the bottle. Great QPR on BD for half off. Should have bought more!
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5/30/2021 - hanasowner wrote: 93 Points
Opened for slow O three hours in advance...wow...explosive nose of dark red fruit and sweet vanilla...dark purple in color...nice layers of red fruit and graphite with a full mouthfeel...still some tannins on the finish that were a perfect match for a grilled steak...medium length finish...in a great spot now.
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5/28/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:
Similar to my last review (94). A really nice wine for my palate. Enough fruit but also good acid to keep it lean enough for food.
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5/23/2021 - klezman wrote:
Excellent. Powerful and deep but very well balanced and complex. Firing on all cylinders and improved with time in the decanter, although the bottle was gone by 2.5 hours. This should improve for another decade.
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4/17/2021 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just so beautiful. Wine night (6 wines) and loved by all. Most likely the #1. Pure fresh ripe fruit. Powerful and elegant. Excited to have more shipped. Cheers 🍷
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4/11/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Some sediment. Alluring aromas of cedar and vanilla, but tasting much less oaky than the smell led me to expect. Moderate tannins that quickly faded. Lively acidity, and a powerfully minty flavor, more red than black fruits. This a big wine but not at all sweet or cloying -- the sustained acidity keeps it fresh (but beware the 14.6% alcohol). No urgency to drink these.
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3/30/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
I think this is very fairly graded by the CT community.....a very pleasant, mid weighted cab right from the pnp. Some bright cherry fruit, red not black. Good acidity but it fades a bit over 2-3 hours which makes me wonder how long these have left. The red fruit has a little tart component at the end after a while. This is a very nice wine and a joy to drink and fairly judged in the 93-94 range, IMO.
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3/25/2021 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
Three hour decant. Red currant, black cherry, cream cheese frosting, graham cracker, menthol, and sage on the expressive nose. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with good acidity. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish. TRB strikes again. :)
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3/24/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a beautiful wine that I wish I had bought more of on BD. I planned to give this a 3 hour decant but tasted on PnP and it was drinkable from the start. Lovely fruit, blueberries and blackberry initially, a hint of spice. Tannins were obvious but the chalky texture almost accentuated the blueberries. With longer decant time the fruit shifted to redder fruits like cherry and red currant. And I agree with AGELVIS when he mentions a hint of menthol. I especially like the acidity on this wine, it nicely offsets the big fruit and tannin. I left a bit and didn’t get to it until today, day 3, and it is still going strong. Tannins seem slightly more astringent but still very very nice. I think this will continue to improve.
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10/22/2020 - dpolzien Likes this wine: 92 Points
Exceeded my expectations at this price point, with loads of blackberries and just a hint of ter. QPR winner here as it has that 'it' factor normally seen in higher-priced wines. Give this a long decant (tons of sediment!) as I did 4 hours on day 1 and still preferred on day 2. Built for the long haul.
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10/19/2020 - JLuch1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I am with CoryDean on this one. Drank it over a 2 day period, day 1 included a short decant.
Nose was vibrant with floral and lead pencil notes and fennel/licorice. Still very youthful and concentrated, which became more apparent on day 2 as it was still very lively. Plenty of blueberry notes, a hint of tart red fruit, dark chocolate and ended with that savory/fennel streak that cascaded in to a long and enjoyable finish. For me there were some sips towards the end of day 2 where it just knocked it out of the park.
I was drinking this in alongside a 2017 Myriad Dr. Crane that I had decanted for a few hours. I preferred this wine by a small margin, splitting hairs. 95+
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4/29/2020 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 95 Points
Three hour decant. Nearly opaque ruby magenta color. Boysenberry, eggplant, violets, strawberry popsicle, mocha and brown sugar on the complex nose. Super smooth palate, with subtle acidity. Soft, but very full tannins on the longish finish. This is feminine, but not delicate (if that makes sense).
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4/24/2020 - CoryDean44 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gorgeous purple hue. Nose of lavender, pencil shavings, and dry tobacco. A very smooth easy wine with loads of concentration. Plenty of ripe blueberry, tart rhubarb, cocoa, and fennel seed. If you like the high elevation fruit and TRB winemaking style you should really enjoy this wine. 96 points.
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4/20/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Howell Mountain that is really good right now. This one created a fight for the last drops of the bottle.
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12/17/2018 - Mech-E Likes this wine:
Drank another bottle for learning purposes. I continue to fail to listen to my own advice. Still closed. In the decanter now for almost 4 hours. We've hit the pucker stage. Decent nose, expensive oak. BlackBerry fruit, if you can find it.
Do yourself a favor and hold.
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7/15/2018 - Rktekt3 wrote: 91 Points
Should have waited longer. Like a few more years.
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7/14/2018 - anthonyiez wrote: 90 Points
Not showing much right now. Stuffing is there to improve with time. Hope I'm correct.
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4/27/2018 - Mech-E wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Needs many more hours of air to overcome the current state of closed down...ness. Purple/dark red in color. Dark cherry albeit a bit of sourness at this stage. Certainly well made with ample texture and full body. Hold.
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4/5/2018 - Geaux Tigers wrote: 89 Points
Took a flyer on Berserker day given HM fruit and TRB winemaker. Do not drink yet! This has more potential but just not ready. Lots of oak and coffee/mocha notes hide the tannins which hide the fruit. Definitely Howell Mtn, definitely underage. Drank better with meatballs and sauce, but still not great. 89 now, 93-94 with age. Check in again in 5 years.
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3/12/2018 - mhewitt wrote: 94 Points
Coravin. Beautiful aromatics that blur the line between fruit and oak - something Thomas Brown is very good at. On the palate it has more Howell Mountain character than Outpost, but less depth. I'll wait another year before opening a bottle, but if you have several, it's drinking pretty nicely now.
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2/10/2018 - Badmonkey wrote: 93 Points
Decided to give this a shot after recently enjoying their entry level cab and also in light of the source on Howell Mtn. Purple fruit - blueberry, blackberry, and dark currants. Smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth. Nice flavors of dark berries, a little chocolate/mocha, and some spice. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Improved with time but drinking pretty well after the decant. However, I believe this vintage will benefit from another year or two to let the fruit soften/open-up some more which is no surprise in consideration of the source and winemaker's style. In my opinion, more or less in line with Parker's 93 rating, however, I do expect it to get better with a little more time. 100% cab.
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9/16/2017 - Robi6916 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed as a PnP. First few smells and tastes were a bit closed off, didn't show its cards right away. I will give a decant for at least 30 min next bottle. Once it loosened up, it was terrific. Very smooth and velvety. Had good notes of coffee/mocha but just meshed well with the fruit. By the end of the bottle, smooth as silk. Will hold remaining bottles for a few years. Good now, but I can see being around 96 in a couple years. I'd say drinking window is 2018-2026
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