PnP. Better than previous bottles of older vintages. Started out nice but became too tannic and rough for me. Not a ton of fruit present, more earth, herbs, and minerality. Decent depth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep dark center, red/purple rim with little signs of age. Blackcurrants, a little creamy, a little wood polish. Smooth, great cassis fruit mixed with some blueberries, solid tannins and good acidity, some toasty oak, a little stalky greenness, fantastic length. Excellent Cabernet, tends more to the European but has an excellent richness and balanced tannin and acidity. Now or in 5+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Said to be a blend of 75% Cab, 14% Merlot, 6% CF, 4% PV & 1% Malbec from estate, Domaine Eden and 3 other Saratoga sites. Semi opaque garnet red. Aromas of red fruit, cigar box & herbs. flavors include red fruit, tobacco leaf, tea & mineral. 14% alc goes unnoticed. Excellent balance from an old school producer. In a stand alone setting this is quite impressive for just $32 on release. Tonight, I had the good fortune to also drink a small pour of a '05 Phelan Segur & a lovely '94 Montelena Estate Cab. Both of those rocked the Mt Eden off the table. But, on any other night by itself the '14 Domain Eden likely scores a point or two higher stand alone.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I agree with the recent posted tasting notes. A wonderful Cab that has aged nicely. Dark, rich fruit, sufficient tannins for structure, smooth. Excellent with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely wine. A little shy at first but it opens up nicely. Olive brine and mint leaf on the nose. Soft and supple on the palate with refreshing plummy fruit and spice. The finish has lively acidity and peppery spice. Quite classic in style. Great with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bought a bottle during a local pizzeria's Monday half-price wine night so 37.50--not much above the lowest WSearcher Pro price I could find (34)--the first of three reds we tried. Modest circumstances for introduction to a premium wine: still young, poor lighting, no time for breathing, limited to 6+ oz pour, etc. Glassware was spacious but shallow (more like a Burg glass). With that said, I appreciated the opportunity: very good color, fragrant red fruit nose and body, good mouthfeel--tasty now, likely much better in 5-7 years (more complexity, better mouthfeel?). 14% ABV. I would have preferred to call a day ahead and have the steward decant and plug the wine for 24 hours. Do restaurants do that? My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I considered this notable when considering quality, age, and price. Given all the alternatives, I would not pay 34 for this--might do low 20s for few bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent earthy and extra dry style of Cab (think BRDX, not Napa) that is consistent great value across vintages. Already approachable with some decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This savory and earthy Cabernet is drinking fine right now, but it's a bit too herbal and olive-driven for me. Inky black in color, medium in body, nose of boysenberry, charcoal, and olives. Thick tastes of mountain blueberry, rosemary, and graphite, with a green finish that lacks a lot of acidity. 14% alcohol. Some may embrace this as "classic" Cabernet, but - if this is the good old days - I don't want to go back.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Napa Cabs Blind Tasting: Napa (and other CA) cabs blind tasting Wine served: 5th of 9 Group: 1 of 9 Me: 2 of 9
Very nice wine, my 2nd overall only to the Palmeri. This one got consistently high scores from the group and ran away as the winner. No one ranked it less than their 4th favorite, with 4 1st place votes. Great value. Very happy the winners graciously shared their winning bottle of this with me as a thanks for hosting.
Warm aromas of mocha, blackberries, violets, with a hint of sun baked grasses. Pure sweet fruit on the palate with a penetrating core and a lingering acid finish. Perfect with pan fried NY strip steak, the fruit of the wine and the seared crust and warm fat of the steak. 50 + 16 + 17 + 8 = 91.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP into Zalto Bdx. Bottle #11244. Nose showing fresh pine needles or tea, but not especially fragrant at this stage. Wine itself is totally open knit with plum, salty caramel, orange peel, herbs, and freshness permeating throughout. Tannins are grain free and add a nice texture with some prickle on the finish. Wonderful stuff and shows what a young California can be with some restraint. Good now, but I'd give this 1-2 years. 91+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excited to finally get to this and I was not disappointed. Nor have I ever been with this cuvee. Pretty much love everything about this wine and I don't think of myself as a huge cab enthusiast with the majority of my cellar made up of PN and chardonnay mostly from Burgundy. That said, there's something old school, "Burgundian" about this distinctly old school CA Cab. On top of that the Santa Cruz Mt appellation seems to tame some of CA cabernet's worst inclinations toward high octane jammy fruit bombs. The Santa Cruz Mts also seem to impart its own sense of terroir to the wines that are quite different from the more showy Napa Valley. Thankfully, the appellation seems to run largely under the radar of hype driven critics and point chasers. PnP in Reidel BDXs and slow ox a few hours prior to dinner. Medium garnet red color. Smokey nose of red fruit, cigar box and herbs. Reserved red fruit, tobacco leaf, tea, mineral on a sturdy yet completely tolerable structure. Feels weightless and lifted with an underlying sense of complexity and depth. I'm really digging it and I'm grabbing more very soon. 14% alc on the label but taste and feels like 12-13%. Consistently the best value in cabernet blends bar none that I drink year in year out since tripping onto it. the 2014 might be the best yet. May Jeffrey Patterson stay at the helm well into his very old ages!
Tasting pour , at Chapel Hill Wine Co over TWE weekend. Nicely blended Cali cab with lots of character and stuffing. Full bodied and spicey. Drinking well now, good QPR. I have consistently enjoyed these over the years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sunfish Cellars Fall Tasting (Sunfish Cellars, St. Paul, MN): Tasting pour. Pretty red fruits, lively acid, medium full body, tasty. Love the style, approachable and nuanced, not in your face. An easy no brainer for over achieving cab. 91+pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lots of dark fruit. Cherry cola. Forest floor. Funky finish. Bouquet was polite. Taste was balanced however I thought that the finiah was too short for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/8/2024 - PMJak11 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Better than previous bottles of older vintages. Started out nice but became too tannic and rough for me. Not a ton of fruit present, more earth, herbs, and minerality. Decent depth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2023 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep dark center, red/purple rim with little signs of age.
Blackcurrants, a little creamy, a little wood polish.
Smooth, great cassis fruit mixed with some blueberries, solid tannins and good acidity, some toasty oak, a little stalky greenness, fantastic length.
Excellent Cabernet, tends more to the European but has an excellent richness and balanced tannin and acidity. Now or in 5+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Annual Wine Group Summer Event - BBQ Brisket at Siggy's (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Small taste. Brief note; this was solid, youthful as expected, well made as always, dark fruits and wood showing with some nice firm structure. Needs another 3 to 5 years. 90pts now with upside.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2021 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
Said to be a blend of 75% Cab, 14% Merlot, 6% CF, 4% PV & 1% Malbec from estate, Domaine Eden and 3 other Saratoga sites. Semi opaque garnet red. Aromas of red fruit, cigar box & herbs. flavors include red fruit, tobacco leaf, tea & mineral. 14% alc goes unnoticed. Excellent balance from an old school producer. In a stand alone setting this is quite impressive for just $32 on release. Tonight, I had the good fortune to also drink a small pour of a '05 Phelan Segur & a lovely '94 Montelena Estate Cab. Both of those rocked the Mt Eden off the table. But, on any other night by itself the '14 Domain Eden likely scores a point or two higher stand alone.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2020 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 91 Points
No formal notes. Slow ox'ed for an hour before trying. Consumed quickly by all at a bbq on what felt like the first fall night in Philly. Nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2020 - wolfonthehill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not a cab guy - but this is very well done. Balanced, deep, rich.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2020 - jeginmt Likes this wine: 94 Points
I agree with the recent posted tasting notes. A wonderful Cab that has aged nicely. Dark, rich fruit, sufficient tannins for structure, smooth. Excellent with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2019 - Wineloon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine. A little shy at first but it opens up nicely. Olive brine and mint leaf on the nose. Soft and supple on the palate with refreshing plummy fruit and spice. The finish has lively acidity and peppery spice. Quite classic in style. Great with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2019 - Rvasudev wrote:
Interesting cabernet, slightly sour, but generally good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2018 - Oenecnist wrote:
Bought a bottle during a local pizzeria's Monday half-price wine night so 37.50--not much above the lowest WSearcher Pro price I could find (34)--the first of three reds we tried. Modest circumstances for introduction to a premium wine: still young, poor lighting, no time for breathing, limited to 6+ oz pour, etc. Glassware was spacious but shallow (more like a Burg glass). With that said, I appreciated the opportunity: very good color, fragrant red fruit nose and body, good mouthfeel--tasty now, likely much better in 5-7 years (more complexity, better mouthfeel?). 14% ABV. I would have preferred to call a day ahead and have the steward decant and plug the wine for 24 hours. Do restaurants do that? My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I considered this notable when considering quality, age, and price. Given all the alternatives, I would not pay 34 for this--might do low 20s for few bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2018 - Slaz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent earthy and extra dry style of Cab (think BRDX, not Napa) that is consistent great value across vintages. Already approachable with some decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/18/2018 - msuwine wrote: 89 Points
This savory and earthy Cabernet is drinking fine right now, but it's a bit too herbal and olive-driven for me. Inky black in color, medium in body, nose of boysenberry, charcoal, and olives. Thick tastes of mountain blueberry, rosemary, and graphite, with a green finish that lacks a lot of acidity. 14% alcohol. Some may embrace this as "classic" Cabernet, but - if this is the good old days - I don't want to go back.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2018 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Napa Cabs Blind Tasting: Napa (and other CA) cabs blind tasting
Wine served: 5th of 9
Group: 1 of 9
Me: 2 of 9
Very nice wine, my 2nd overall only to the Palmeri. This one got consistently high scores from the group and ran away as the winner. No one ranked it less than their 4th favorite, with 4 1st place votes. Great value. Very happy the winners graciously shared their winning bottle of this with me as a thanks for hosting.
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2018 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 91 Points
Warm aromas of mocha, blackberries, violets, with a hint of sun baked grasses. Pure sweet fruit on the palate with a penetrating core and a lingering acid finish. Perfect with pan fried NY strip steak, the fruit of the wine and the seared crust and warm fat of the steak. 50 + 16 + 17 + 8 = 91.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2018 - Justin S Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP into Zalto Bdx. Bottle #11244. Nose showing fresh pine needles or tea, but not especially fragrant at this stage. Wine itself is totally open knit with plum, salty caramel, orange peel, herbs, and freshness permeating throughout. Tannins are grain free and add a nice texture with some prickle on the finish. Wonderful stuff and shows what a young California can be with some restraint. Good now, but I'd give this 1-2 years. 91+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Excited to finally get to this and I was not disappointed. Nor have I ever been with this cuvee. Pretty much love everything about this wine and I don't think of myself as a huge cab enthusiast with the majority of my cellar made up of PN and chardonnay mostly from Burgundy. That said, there's something old school, "Burgundian" about this distinctly old school CA Cab. On top of that the Santa Cruz Mt appellation seems to tame some of CA cabernet's worst inclinations toward high octane jammy fruit bombs. The Santa Cruz Mts also seem to impart its own sense of terroir to the wines that are quite different from the more showy Napa Valley. Thankfully, the appellation seems to run largely under the radar of hype driven critics and point chasers. PnP in Reidel BDXs and slow ox a few hours prior to dinner. Medium garnet red color. Smokey nose of red fruit, cigar box and herbs. Reserved red fruit, tobacco leaf, tea, mineral on a sturdy yet completely tolerable structure. Feels weightless and lifted with an underlying sense of complexity and depth. I'm really digging it and I'm grabbing more very soon. 14% alc on the label but taste and feels like 12-13%. Consistently the best value in cabernet blends bar none that I drink year in year out since tripping onto it. the 2014 might be the best yet. May Jeffrey Patterson stay at the helm well into his very old ages!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/3/2018 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not as impressive as the big dog but excellent bang for the buck. Dark fruit. Earth. More Boredeaux esque
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2018 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasting pour , at Chapel Hill Wine Co over TWE weekend.
Nicely blended Cali cab with lots of character and stuffing. Full bodied and spicey. Drinking well now, good QPR. I have consistently enjoyed these over the years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2017 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Sunfish Cellars and Korean food with Charles (Sunfish Cellars / Hoban): Drank a small pour at a tasting. This wine was surprsingly accessible right now. Herbaceous, good complexity and moderate tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Sunfish Cellars Fall Tasting (Sunfish Cellars, St. Paul, MN): Tasting pour. Pretty red fruits, lively acid, medium full body, tasty. Love the style, approachable and nuanced, not in your face. An easy no brainer for over achieving cab. 91+pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2017 - thoughtdujour wrote: 90 Points
Lots of dark fruit. Cherry cola. Forest floor. Funky finish. Bouquet was polite. Taste was balanced however I thought that the finiah was too short for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment