Number is based on night 2. At that point it was incredibly smooth and deep with wonderful notes of chocolate and fruit. On night one I decanted for two hours. Still a little closed. I filtered since there was some sediment, so it was double decanted through an aerator. Much better then, but nothing like the second night. If I had more, which I wish I did, I’d give another year of bottle age.
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Even better than when I reviewed in 2019. Still delicious. Not turning at all. Only difference is that it was great without decanting. Decanted anyway based on my previous note. So good!
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Got lucky with this one. Cork was compromised but luckily the wine was intact--just a touch of bricking starting to show. Fully integrated, plenty of fruit. Pleasant from start to finish.
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My friend really liked this wine, I thought it was good not great, I don't think decanting for an hour helped this wine, a bit more subdued and rustic than what I was expecting.
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A very bold nose of dark fruits and spices, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red, with black currants, plum, dark chocolate and spices on long finish. A very good Cab that drinks like a wine twice it’s price. www.winelx.com
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Last bottle. Served with prime rib. Opened 1/2 hr before serving, but did not decant. Consistent with my previous notes, lovely but a little closed, could have used more air before serving. Perhaps fading a bit since a year ago, but nowhere near tired yet.
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Serving this at or slightly above cellar temp ~60F helps it retain focus, otherwise gets all flabby, hot, and messy. Decanted 2.5+ hrs. Has loads of sweet juicy blackberry/blueberry fruit, would likely ID as PS/Zin blend if tasting blind. Pronounced roasted espresso and 70%+ bitter dark chocolate notes with a little spearmint on the finish. Reading the WE97 TN again it's fairly on point I suppose, some may love it just not that wowed by the extracted high-alc style personally.
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In Vino Veritas (in wine there is truth; [people speak the truth when they are drunk]), another bottle of my cellar sacrifices. A 2015 Austin Hope Paso cab. This is my second bottle that I’ve had and it was just as good as the first. Deep, dark purple color, a nose of black fruit, along with a finish that seems to last a very long time. I’m guessing this one was meant to drink young, because it seems to be at its peak now. Looking forward to the remaining bottles!! 🍷🍷👍👍 #wine #winelover #winelovers #redblend #redblendwine #napawine #napa #napavalley #sonoma # pasorobleswines #cabernetsauvignon #cabernet #austinhopewines #pasoroblescabernet #austinhope
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Tasted side by side with the 2018. Wow! This 2015 kicks butt. All the jammy aspects of the 2018 have integrated wonderfully in the 2015. Soft blackberry, vanilla, oak.
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Encore une fois c`est du solide ce 2015, complexe et musclé avec une belle colonne. Un bon 3 heures de carafe et il se met à chanter. Des mures et du cassis avec un petit côté toasté. Il y a du poivre et du mocha, le boisé est de plus en plus digéré et les tannins sont bien enrobés. La finale vraiment longue nous laisse sur des relents de graphite. Excellent, il ira loin!
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In Vino Veritas (in wine there is truth; people speak the truth when they are drunk), bottles #1,778-82 of my cellar sacrifices. I have gotten behind in my postings and I need to catch them up, hence the 5 wines this time. Rating-wise, the Austin Hope Cabernet and Laurent Pinot were outstanding, with the Barbaresco, Merlot and Grenache behind them. All of them were very good, but the first two were stand outs. 🍷🍷🍷👍👍👍 #wine #winelover #winelovers #redblend #redblendwine ##cabernetsauvignon #napawine #napa #napavalley #napacab #tensley #austinhope #jemrose #cantinadelnebbiolo #sonoma #pinot #pinotnoir #Barbaresco #italianwines
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Summer Patio Dining over the 4th (Shari's, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Slow-O for an hour or so. Small pour. I liked the nose of dark fruits, tar, a touch of wet earth and herbaceousness. The palate however, was too much of about everything. Highly extracted, green, the 15.5% alcohol bleeds through significantly, overripe fruit, liqueurish, sweet cassis and more than enough vanilla. Pass for me.
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Après un bon 2 heures en carafe, c`est superbe en ce moment ce 2015. Un de leur meilleur millésime selon la presse spécilisée. Le nez est fragrant, surtout des fruits noirs avec du café torréfié et des herbes. En bouche, c`est bien expressif mais l`ensemble demeure assez bine équilibré et c`est bien approchable. Des bleuets, du cassis et du poivre noir se succèdent. Les tannins sont charnues et bien enrobés. La finale super longue et suave nous laisse sur une impression fine de Mocha. Superbe!
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So, this wine is great. Andy Dufrense was really into Hope and I think he'd like the 2015. I've had it a few times. I've also had every vintage since. They're all good but the '15 is better. I normally decant for a while but I once brought a bottle to a party where we just opened it and started drinking. It was good then, too. It was gone in like 10 minutes because that's just how my friends are. One guy was like "this is awesome". I was like "yup".
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Either this has grown on me or time in the bottle has been good for the wine. Certainly lots of fruit, but not overwhelming. Multidimensional, smooth, lingering finish, works with food.
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Inky. Ripe to overripe black fruit and jam nose. Ok, some Cabernet herb and very ripe, markedly sweet, unctuous to the point of being cloying. Oof, it took the two of us 2 nights to finish this. No thanks.
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black cherries, plum, blueberries, vanilla, chocolate, molasses, anise, brown spice, coffee, mocha, pepper and currant
just ripe enough to not be jammy. its like a "restrained" version of Caymus. I can enjoy this for about 2 glasses. doesn't mean its bad, just can't finish it on my own
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- Brick color - Thought it was over rated night 1. Decanted an hour and never really softened. Put back in bottle and drank the next night. Wow. So good
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Good Color, Clarity and Body. Round and soft mouth feel. The juice has lots of fruit forward flavors from start to finish with a touch of vanilla. Very nice!
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Ran through a vinturi, this has a massive bouquet and palate, with dark fruit, oak, a little spice, blended in with a lot of heat, this is not for the weak of heart. Huge mouthfeel and a nearly endless finish, this is a mid range Cali cab that holds up as long as you like big, big wine.
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Southern-style Cabernet Sauvignon. Plummy, with relatively low acid. Missing the Napa minerality and acidic zing. Would work well with chocolate cake. 15% ABV. 89-90+
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This wine is sooo close to being really, really great, really... I so want to root for the underdog here. A big Paso Cab should deserve to get the big scores and the big pay day that Napa Cabs have earned, right?
After decanting about 3 hours, this wine has bowls of fruit, tobacco, asphalt, granite dust, saline and cedar. Decadent mouthfeel, beautiful and deep impenetrable reddish purple color, vanilla oak and sweet milk chocolate cherry nose.
A tannic finish that goes on for over a minute, ever evolving... evoking memories of High Sierra Treks in mid Summer around glacial lakes with clean mountain air filling your senses. Hints of alpine meadows mixing with evergreen forest below.
But, nope... it's too sweet. Over ripe in my book... So close.
On a separate note, I was going to hold this wine, but I'm glad I popped it tonight instead. Check out the leaky cork in the photo I uploaded... Really bad fit. Leaked all the way around... This bottle may not have held up to longer term storage.
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Wow. Funky cold Medina. This was like drinking beechnut chewing tobacco. Not ripe, but leathery. Full flavor, but makes me want to retreat to a nice barolo.
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Pretty solid med-full bodied cab. Well-blended fruit, not overly ripe, with minimal alcohol or tannins. Drinking very well, quite smooth, but lacking some complexity.
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Big juicy fruit forward cab. Intense sweet dried fruits, underlying spice. Very soft tannins. Reminiscent of Caymus...so I know some folks will not like that. Very "new world". I like it.
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Superbowl wine concentrer de jus de raisin pas mauvais mais asser simple pas trop souvent mais fait la job dans un moment de superbowl avec la bouff qui vien avec
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enjoyed while watching the super bowl. Color ,clarity and body were perfect. easy to drink, good berry front to middle with a hint of oak/vanilla to the end. Very nice some complex flavors in the middle to make it really stand out. Very nice
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Drank from a magnum. Stylistically this is Paso Caymus and if you like that style this pulls it off with perfection. Mostly over blown baking spices with backings of ridiculously ripe/extracted fruit, cassis and vanilla. Some heat and lack of structure deter but for the style it delivers. Made to drin near term.
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Couple of years in the cellar clearly benefited this juice. It settled down a notch and paired very well with Gruyere cheese Lamburgers. Blackberry and boysenberry compote with a cinnamon/cloves finish. Sometimes you need something very fruit-forward with less complexity to go with a nice meal, and I'm not ashamed of liking this type of wine on some occasions. Now, I've got to figure out when to drink the remaining 3 cases. Cheers!
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The dense sweet fruit with a very slightly pruned flavor screams Paso Robles cab. Big bodied and very smooth. Not much complexity but has a decent backbone and finish. A crowd pleaser... the Caymus crowd. Better QPR than Caymus.
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Nice, but going to drop this a point to 89. I’d give this a Good QPR.
It’s been about 20 months since I’ve last had this. And it’s still really nice, if anything, it’s more balanced and smoother. Still a ton of fruit though and was hoping for a more textured, restrained and complex taste. Still have a bottle maybe another 20+ months are deserved?
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Seeking out new wine can result in pleasant surprise (this is great - wow!), considered indifference (glad I tried it, but I won’t buy it again), or complete disaster (WTF?). This concoction of a wine, for me, falls in the last category. How it got a WE 97 is a complete mystery, but this is a ripe wine - but not much else. Sure, it’s powerful, but it’s not good, at least to me.
Ruby red in color; full in body; nose of blueberry pie, Snicker's Bar, and mocaccino with whip. Tastes of cherry crumble, plum, Jolly Rancher, and vanilla, with a brief mid-palate and a Port-like finish that coats the mouth with sugar (and little acidity). 15% alcohol. This makes wines like Caymus and Meiomi look nuanced and restrained in comparison; even they wouldn't have added this much sugar.
I hesitate to call something undrinkable, but this is awfully close. I tend to enjoy powerful and fruity wines (e.g., Bevan, B Cellars), but they need to have structure, acidity, balance, and complexity - i.e., to be more than fruit in the front and sugar in the back. Maybe wait until 2021 to drink, but the lack of tannin or acidity makes me skeptical this will improve with time.
Has benefited from a year of bottle age, now very smooth but still full of flavor. A lovely CA Cab that did not break the bank to drink. This is the vintage that put them on the map... well deserved.
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PnP- better this time around but this wine is not for me (wife loves it and hopefully becomes my Cabernet gateway wine for her). Initial attack is sweet as candy black fruits that fade to a bit of spice and then falls of a cliff.
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On the palate: Blackberry and currant compote, vanilla, cola, cigar box. Soft and luscious. Not particularly elegant on the grand scale of things but concentrated. Great QPR.
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As with others who have noted here, this is a very fruit forward cab and packs a fruity punch. If you’re in the mood for that kind of profile, this is your wine! Bold and jammy, smooth finish.
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PnP. Solid effort for this type of cab, except it has a slight jammy feel (which I can pick up quickly) that can tire the palate after a while. Something you have to be in the mood for.
Garnet color with a bouquet and flavor of blackberries, dark cherries, coffee, and chocolate with soft tannins and good supporting acidity. Very good balance with considerable finesse and quite a long finish. Did not expect the wine to be so good, and at 95, it was a wow.
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Nice when we first poured, maybe a 90-91. But within 45 min it lost all complexity and was just fruit. A really shocking change, one of the most dramatic the four of have experienced.
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Lovely steak mothers day dinner and this guy, decanted for two hours. Dark I mean DARK purple almost black coloration. Med viscosity. Dark fruit acetone and wood to the nose...big blueberry charging out front to the palate, followed by black tea and as we move to the back palate heat( no kidding at 15%) and oak. Med plus finish. Nice effort...
Bu en succ. Il était en carafe depui plus de 5 heures. Ouff du gros jus mais pas surfait ou over the top. Bien fait, assez dense et nourri. Au nez fruits noir et menthol avec un peu d'épices. En bouche, beaucoup de matière. Pas mal d'extraction mais assez bien équilibré malgré le 15%. Des mures et du cassis avec du café noir et des tannins charnus sur une finale longue et poivrée. Très bon mais avec quelques années dans le corps ou beaucoup de carafe, pourrait devenir excellent.
Inky purple, blueberry and brown sugar nose, medium tannins and acidity. Blueberry pallet. Nice balance. Even though I mentioned brown sugar and n the nose, this is not sweet on the pallet. Decant and serve close to room temperature to let it show off for you. I enjoyed this wine very much.
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Wow. This one will come down to style preference. Came across as a classic hot weather Paso cabernet -- big dark fruit, viscous mouthfeel, sweet, chocolate covered caramel... Smooth but some heat and oak on the finish. There are some tannins to keep from being completely flabby. It's a cocktail or dessert wine for me.
Dark, rich, fruit forward wine. Fragrant nose of black currants, blackberries and violets. Full body with moderate tannins and enough acidity to keep it in balance. Blackberry pie, black cherry and oak with some smokiness on the finish. Alcoholic heat burned off on the second day. Fruit bomb that will appeal to many. A bit sweet for my taste. Not the best wine to drink with food.
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Sweet, hot, and overtly Parkerized wine. Reminds me of the Caymus 40th anniversary cab, which I hated, except it's slightly less sugar forward, the foundational fruit is certainly better, and I finished the wine as opposed to pouring it down the drain. I can see why some people love this wine, which is why I score it as "good", but I personally am not a fan of this style of cab.
Tasted upon opening and after an hour decant, with fairly consistent observations. The nose is very dark and brooding, with black currant, fig, blueberry, eucalyptus, and violet aromas. A very concentrated wine, it has sweet tannins on the front of the palate, along with more black fruit, then a little smoke and earth on the finish, mixed with a lingering blackberry acidity. I would rate this wine a little higher, but the whole experience is somewhat overshadowed by a bit of “heat” which is most likely due to the 15% ABV.
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97 no way, but a very good value for Cali Cab. Unmistakeable varietal characteristics, slightly green at this stage. I bet in 5 years this is a real winner.
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PnP- similar notes as previous tastings. Bam out of the gate the front hits hard with milk chocolate and dark fruit. That’s also where it ends for me. There is a short short middle and zero finish. It’s such an amazing start and then falls off a cliff.
A crowd pleaser for sure but leaves you wanting much much more. 89-90
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Paired with a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner. Popped and poured which was a mistake, as the wine was a bit closed and austere at first. It bloomed though after being open for about an hour, and second glass was more harmonious. After enough air it was consistent with my higher-scored note from 9/29/18 (which I had tasted by the glass in a restaurant). Will decant an hour ahead next time.
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I was pretty impressed with this Cabernet. I have no real experience with Paso wines but this one has a great dark fruit taste profile. The fruit is very dense and flavorful. The wine is mellow and soft around the edges. Nice effort....
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15% abv. Dark purple color, light rim. Viscous in glass. Blue and black fruit, menthol, dirt, oak. Med plus mouthfeel, moderate tannin grip, more black fruit, red currants, sweet chocolate syrup, marshmallow, med plus finish. Dark, rich, lots of resid sugar, but has enough complexity to stay interesting. If you like caymus, you’ll enjoy this wine.
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30 minute decant. Nice complexity and finish. Not quite the same flavor profile as Napa or even Sonoma. I got menthol which I don't love, but not overpowering.
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Deep ruby red with a touch of purple. Took a little bit of time to open up but then showed some dark flowers, blackberries, and baking spices. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. Similar notes on the palate with dark spices and berries. A bit of heat in the medium finish. Drink till 2025.
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This is a nice quaffable ‘plus’ wine. N4 fruity nose with hints of cinnamon and vanilla and light Woody clean oak bark. HL 3 moderate body with some moderate dryness mid palate. Fr4 fruit forward Fi 3
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Big juicy wine. Exact profile differs in important ways across 4-5 bottles I've had so far. All of them have rich black currant & blackberry dark fruits, a whiff of menthol, silky chocolate texture, vanilla extract. What differs is the extent of structure. Some bottles have had very little structure -- those come across as not just jammy, but flabby or syrupy fruitiness. I'd peg those bottles closer to 88-89. Other bottles have shown a modicum of acidity and structure, not tannic, but still something more defining that takes the bottle up in the 92 pt range.
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It’s not for me but what a crowd pleaser. First case has now been polished off. Could not have said it better than Rah below. 100% nailed it from from profile to it being a gateway wine/drug. It’s every guilty pleasure without consequences one could want when they were 16 years old.
Won’t improve with age (no tannin to speak of may lose a bit of sweetness though) as there is no real structure (acid) so drink it up if it’s your style or pop and share with friends within a few years.
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This wine represents the most laudable as well as the most derided qualities of a California wine.It is enjoyable: a crowd pleaser that is replete with tastes of berry jam, milk chocolate, and a hint of tobacco. It also has little tannin or acidity to give it structure, it is unabashedly unctuous, overripe, and extracted. This is the kind of wine that has made wines from California controversial. A style that produces imminently enjoyable wines but also a style that the aficionados refuse to take seriously. This is a wine that is akin to a Hollywood chick flick, milk chocolate, or mentholated cigarettes. They are enjoyed by many, but perhaps scoffed by the critics.
Depending on which group you fall into, you are going to love or hate this wine. If you like structured, disciplined, old world wine, this wine shall grab as little of your attention as a supplicant person would. If you do not care for tradition or what the critics call “good wine”, and want to just enjoy a wine that is very jammy sweet, hedonistic, and pleasing, perhaps even overtly so, this is the wine for you.
I chose to serve this wine to a group of friends whose interest in wine is at the beginner level and they fell head over heels in love with this wine. My wife and I enjoyed more their enthusiasm for the wine than our own. The wine reminded me of the adage that the best wines are the one that make the best memories. This wine certainly made our little group last night very merry.
Flashy and fleshy, prototypical Paso cabernet. Aims to please with gobs of big fruit, smooth, plenty of body, and well-knit. I don't know how much residual sugar there is in this wine, but I suspect there is some, and that probably explains part of its popularity. Very tasty now. I doubt if it will live forever, though. Drink up before the shine wears off. I found it for $22 a bottle - a fantastic bargain. Significantly more fun than the 2016.
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My second review of this. I needed a comfort wine and I knew this would fit the bill. This needs some fatty beef and that's what I had; a chuck eye steak. This is big, hot, and syrupy, but sometimes I want that. Three days to finish and it didn't change much.
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Restrained on the nose but WOW! on the palate. Chocolate mousse, black cherry, black raspberry, a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. Fruit, acidity and tannins are seamlessly integrated, and the finish lasts and lasts.
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Agreed that this has the syrupy texture and concentration to warrant a Wagner comparison, having not had any other wines from Paso that exhibited those characteristics. I did not get an enormous amount of wood on the nose, but the red currant note is spot on. A little RS, making this a likely cocktail wine with broad group appeal. I may keep one or two in the cellar with that intention, as to me it represents a far better value than Caymus. Not at all a bottle with a sense of terroir but feels a little less confected around half the price.
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Second time trying this wine. I am an old world guy and a good chunk of CA wine is way too fruit forward for me. I got this one first time around as a wine bar owner in TX recommended it. Tried it stand alone with high expectations but too much fruit. This time around I smoked a prime rib over hickory and thought I would go for a big bomb of a CA cab so I picked it up again. It wasn't a success for me. Don't get me wrong, if this is your style it's going to be great. Full body, big fruit bomb with stewed blackberry. After about an hour, huge chocolate notes blasted out of the bouquet and palate. It gained better structure and balanced a bit more but the fruit on this is overwhelming. My whole family felt the same and I went an opened a nice Barolo which suited us far better and I will score next. They upshot here is it is all a matter of style. If you want a big fruit forward cab, this is a good bet. We even felt it would work really well with a semi-sweet flourless chocolate dessert of some sort. If you want something with more maturity, then I'd pass.
Tough to score this as it has two dimensions, what the wine maker intended for it's intended audience and me. For me, it's good, just not great. I can see scores in the 90s for those that are looking for this style. Really tough.
8/7/6/7/8 - 36/86
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The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and black currant (cassis). It tastes like blackberry and forest floor. The body is full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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Best Cáli Cab below USD 50 I haver ver had. Full body, light acidity, strong but smooth tannins, long finish. Lots of dark fruit, wood, cinamon and some honey like sweetness.
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Holy crap is this big and sweet. Reminds me of some of the Parkerized Aussie wines I used to buy 10+ years ago. Will save my one bottle for some friends I have that like this style. Nothing subtle about this wine - pure in your face fruit and vanilla oak. Not my cup of tea but YMMV.
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I mean yeah, it's pretty good, but not exceptional. Some will love, some will not. Rather extracted. Reminds me of the 2013 Caymus, although the big C wins head to head.
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Jury is still out for me. A terribly good wine but too extracted for my personal taste. On the nose, malted chocolate, vanilla, honeycomb, cassis, blueberry, salal and animal fat. On the palate, plum, blackberry, spice, pepper. Very lush. Very very long, slightly bitter stemmy finish.
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So good. Bought three more bottles of the '15 via wine.bid. Bought a bottle for my dad. He liked it so much he ordered 6 bottles via Vivino. Looking fwd to the 2016 release
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Wow. Stunning. Huge wine and very fruit forward. Punch you in the face dark fruit on the nose and very well balanced. LONG finish that almost started to taste like pie after a few hours. Will definitely keep this on the radar as a regular addition to the cellar.
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Damn was this tasty. Different in that it was syrupy and sweet at the beginning...but it aired out nicely and good complexity. Definitely different and unique. Would buy again in an instant.
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Still on the fence on this wine. First time I had it it was wonderful. This time, not so much. Think having my appendix removed last week could be influencing it here.
Unique for a Cab, but very good as a stand-alone wine. Surprising blast of chocolate with some freshly brewed coffee on the nose, deep ruby hue, beautifully dense and velvety mouthfeel, the chocolate and coffee extends to the palate with hints of pepper. I found the tannins to be mild-to-moderate. A nice berry sweetness on the finish. I would fancy this with a glazed pork roast or smoked ribs with a molasses-based BBQ sauce.
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After 2 hours in the decanter. Spice box, soil, hints of dark chocolate followed by blueberry liquor, blackberry, mint, dusty tobacco leaf, and more hearty soil. It has a persistent finish that turns more dark red berry. The fruit is slightly over sweetened and just doesn't seem pure or whole. It feels like the blackberry and blueberry fruit want to come out more but fall short at this point in time. Looking forward to trying it again in 2+ years. I also tasted this right after opening with very different and less favorable tasting notes, definitely decant for 2 hours.
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Two hour decant. Deep, dark purple magenta color. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla on the rich nose. Smooth, dry, fruit forward palate. Round tannins on the medium finish.
This is very quaffable, but a bit too extracted for me. It’s the Caymus of Paso (in every good and bad way you’d like to interpret that). It was a pleasure to try this after seeing and hearing so much about it.
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Coravin pour, I found a few bottles on sale, and based on talk here, I had to see what the fuss was about. In 2017, I only poured one bottle down the drain, after opening, and it was a Haraszthy Wine Beritage (not reviewed), I thought, hey, family winery, red blend, let's try it?! Wrong. Horrible, for my palate. I am getting the same caramelized fruit, caramelized oak, syrupy sweetness, and dark fruit confection, on the nose that I got with the Haraszthy. Keep in mind I am taking a few Coravin pours tonight, a 2010 Heitz Trailside, a 2014 O'Shaughnessy Napa Cab, and a 2015 Band of Vintners. This is the only wine that distinctly stood out as a jammy, oaky, mess. Think fruit/milkshake. I think there is some promise here, but will need some air/bottle age, and I don't necessarily trust this wine to age well. With that said, I think this would be a crowd pleasing wine, served appropriately chilled (50-54 degrees). Curiosity killed the cat on this one for me. I cannot give this wine an objective review, yet I will cellar some more bottles for parties. I think this wine would do well in a blind tasting against Caymus, and Silver Oak. I could see this faring well against a young Silver Oak (acidic, thin fruit, barrel influence) versus lush and jammy fruit, prominent berry, smooth and short finish of the Austin Hope.
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Overwhelmingly syrupy and sweet. Decanted to see if the wine would improve, but three hours later the wine was the same as when opened. I’ve noticed quite a few very high scores on this wine, and if you like a very extracted wine, much sweeter than Caymus, then the higher scores are justified.
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great nose; sweet & black flavors, black cherries, blackberries & black currants layered with loads of vanilla. Hints of cedar, clove and spice; smooth tannin and finish.
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Wow. Deep purple crimson red. Great texture, medium tannins, medium plus body. Deep red fruit finish with hints of vanilla. A rockstar cab that'll hold up awhile longer. Best in its class and at its price point. Will be buying more!
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Deep puplish ruby red. Decanted for two hours before tasting. Layered nose with lots of caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, touch of licorice and some black cherries. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. Rich layers on the palate with notes of cinnamon, blueberries, gritty spices, a bit gamey, and black cherries. Medium finish. Drink till 2024.
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Pleasantly surprised....fruit forward with a beautiful bouquet. Smooth and balanced finished. Very Caymus like, but a better deal at $42.00. Might buy a few bottles for a change of pace, but a little too sweet for my tastes.
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The caymus like call is spot on. Very opaque. Sweet cassis and dark plum, very ripe. Heavy mouthfeel and vanilla base. It's typical of the full throttled cabs that are popular.
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I am a Napa guy all the way but I really like this wine. Definitely in the Caymus vein flavor wise. A fruit bomb but not obnoxious. Excellent QPR. I’m in. Bought a case.
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Total crowd pleaser. Caymus meets Silver Oak (Alexander Valley), but less refined, more fruit forward, and definitely for drinking young. I've been having a lot of 80's Napa Cab lately and this couldn't be farther from that, but this was perfect for overpowering brisket or burgers at a summer gathering. I don't love this style, but have to recognize that it is done well - amazingly so for a Paso Robles cab. Great QPR as well.
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Great fruit forward wine. Good QPR at $50 a bottle. The wine also has a nice long finish. One of the best wines I have had in years at this price point.
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The wine looks inky colored. There is no sediment in the bottle. It tastes like blackberry and black currant (cassis). The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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Nicely balanced fruit-forward type of cab. Really enjoyed it although not as much as the 2015 Teeter-Totter we drank just before it. Both wonderful cabs, but the Teeter-Totter was much more subtle and well-rounded and my preference. My wife's preference was opposite of mine.
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What makes a good tasting wine?? Super interesting range of comments on this wine depending on one’s style and preference - fruit forward big vs dry balanced elegant. Can both perspectives be right and just depend on flavor profile preference or does a great wine only need to be the latter??? I think both can age and both can last a long time in the mouth. Thoughts?
Was expecting more based on the hype. Decanted for about 1 hour. Fruit was overwhelmed by the other flavors. Definately a big cab but not in a refined way. No idea why the 97 points from WE.
I agree with Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettmann's review. Fantastic mouth feel, soft tannins with opulent blueberry front end with a mocha mid-palette. Long finish. Pairs well with a good steak as well as all by itself.
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Two more bottles since that first one, both significantly better at 93-94. The first was sent to me, and I didn't give it enough time to get over its travel sickness. Both these showed chocolate, plums, and cherries with a bit of sweetness. A nice big CA fruit bomb.
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PNP through a powered aerator and drank over 1 hour. Deep purple with a magenta rim. Nose of black cherry, cedar and nail polish. Taste is very fruit forward and extracted with black cherry and blackberries (blackberry cobbler) being most prominent, together with notes of cola and anise and a little ash on the finish. Was initially very sweet (too sweet) but lost some of that jammy flavor with more airtime. Still on the sweet side. Medium tannins and acidity. Medium plus body. Nice if you like your wine sweet and extracted. 89-90.
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Surprised at the number of comments on such a young wine. From restaurant at their suggestion to pair with a Wagyu Beef dinner. Agree with other comments that this is a big wine-in my estimation, therefore, hard to say it pairs well. This appears to be first attempt by winery at Cab, after years of Rhone wines. Would like to see if this becomes more balanced and nuanced with some cellaring.
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Really nice and well balanced and structured. It is definitely New World in style but nowhere near over the top like some I've tried. Just nice and fruit forward with a just right amount of spice. Has the structure and acid to keep it just right for the night when your in the California mood.
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Some friends over and I decided to pop a bottle to see what they thought. Similar thoughts as the last bottle - thankfully I only bought two. Once again, awfully rich, sweet, and over-extracted. If tasted blind I would never guess it was a cabernet. Drank next to a 2015 Becklyn cab and 2012 Lewelling cab. Both of those wines were considerably better in my opinion. I'll refrain from rating this bottle because it's just not my style, however, I believe the 97 rating from WE is really generous. Once again, I believe it's closer to the 89 rating from WA - although that's also a little generous in my opinion.
Nice Cab, kind of a Caymus Lite. Will get better in two years. The problem is that the price is all over the lot. One reviewer here paid $27, another paid $40, my cousin paid $32, the local Total Wine has it for $52! WTF?
This wine is a perfect example of why you have to be careful chasing points and ratings. I understand the attraction to this wine...it is loaded with sweet cherries, chocolate, is very extracted, and has prodigious oak. If you are into this style...then sure...it is a highly "rated" wine for your palate. I can totally understand why some folks would enjoy this style.
However, if you like balance, minerals, earth tones, and complexity - this is definitely not the wine for you. I personally find it way too sweet, over-oaked, and thought it tasted "artificial". Ironically, given all the great ratings here and on Vivino, I was about to buy a half case of it based on the ratings alone. But I found it at my local Spec's for $ 40 and thought I would give it a try first.
I personally would not rate this wine highly. However, I am not going to rate it as I don't want to rain on the hype parade as some folks really like this style of wine. It's just not for me, so drink what you enjoy!
Excellent for a Paso Cabernet. Reminds me of the Joseph Phelps Cabernet. Full bodied, balanced, a little sweet. Wine is good now and may develop a bit with age, but this one doesn’t need to age a long time. Deep purple, blackberry, cherry, hint of tobacco. Purchased for about $42 a bottle and well worth it.
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Full bodied wine with considerable time left to age. PNP and found the flavors a bit overpowering at first. Tasting again the second day the dark fruit flavors including plum were still predominant but way more approachable. An intense wine but very enjoyable.
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Good but young. A little over ripe and green. Reminds me of a Napa Cabernet, like Caymus, but a better than Caymus. Not what I expected from a Paso cab. Have one more will hold 1-2 years.
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Full bodied, dark, inky, oaky, ripe and sweet fruit, with that baking spice note, comes with some depth too. Decent tannin. Got a few of these for $26.99 each. Much has been said about this wine already and I think CT member HOWELLMOUNTAINCRU described it best.
IMO CA Cabernet, when its at its best is a marriage of wonderful depth of fruit, beautiful scents of flowers, minerals and spices and a feeling in the mouth of balance that ends with a lingering finish that makes you ponder what you swallowed for minutes and minutes. Austin Hope is not that wine. AH is a big, high alcohol, fruit bomb. A wine dominated by oak, and the vanilla flavors that imparts, that most beginning cabernet drinkers will absolutely love. Yes, it very much reminds one of Caymus. Its a true crowd pleaser and for the price a great wine to bring to a party. I still can enjoy, like a Hershey's kiss but can't recommend for the serious lover of Cab.
Deep extracted color; nose shows blackberry cobbler, cassis and black currants, smoky charred oak with vanilla and bramble, reminds me of Monte Rosso Zin; some blue fruit comes in on the palate with large chunky tannin, sweet fruit and lots of texture; good stuff.
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In the glass, the 2015 Austin Hope from Paso Robles is darkest ruby; almost, inky. It has a nose of blackberry jam and kirsch. On the palate, the wine is extracted with the same blackberry and kirsch as well as mocha, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar. The finish comes up short and the tannins are barely discernible. Just too sweet/syrupy for my palate.
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Although I'm not a big follower of WE, I decided to give this a shot in light of their 97 rating. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, dark cherry, and a little dark plum. Smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth/concentration especially for the price point. Quite rich/sweet as expected in light of the source from Paso Robles. Flavors of dark berries, chocolate, and baking spices. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. As someone else noted, the profile reminds me quite a bit of the last couple vintages of Caymus - solid depth/concentration but awfully rich/sweet. Drank next to a 2015 Quivet Kenefick Ranch cab and I thought the Quivet was quite a bit better - frankly I had a hard time drinking the Austin Hope next to the Quivet. In all, the Austin Hope just isn't my ideal style (too rich/sweet) and in my opinion closer to the 89 rating from WA.
Purposely left some for day two hoping that the richness/sweetness would subside some but no such luck. The fruit came across lighter and without the extra depth it came across even sweeter. More or less like a light chocolate milkshake. Once again, just not my style.
I saw the WE97 rating and the $40 price tag and decided to give it a try. Wow was I surprised! I am always skeptical whenever I see a 95+ rating for a wine under $50 but this wine delivers in spades. A deep, viscous, Ruby in color. A big nose of currant, blueberries, and chocolate. Very similar on the palette. This is a big, rich wine. Decanted 2.5 hours and drank over another 3 hours. This wine added secondary flavors as it got air. This had a very long finish. This is the best under $50 bottle I have ever drank and that is saying a lot! Went out and bought half a case. Buying more is always the highest praise I can give a wine.
Wow. Fruit forward, almost over extracted at first. An hour in the glass and it was flying, with great balance. Candied violets on the nose. Tons of anise, baking spices, and brown sugar on the finish. Goes on for more than a full minute and calls for you to take another sip. Can't wait to try this beast in about 5 years. Wonderful effort! Caymus... reminds me of Caymus.
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Deep ruby red. Lots of caramel, anise, baking spices and dark cherries on the nose. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium to medium plus bodied. Well integrated with alcohol you can feel but not over the top. Rich palate with notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, dark berries, and cherries. Long finish. Drink till 2026.
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P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by firming pucker which quite resolves by the LONG, very, VERY slightly spicy, tangy/swt finish to the barest hint of very, VERY fine tannins. MIGHT still improve a tad through '18, then drink into early '21? 15% ABV; My VG+, higher IF one desires an approachable, flirting with R.S. style. 97 pts WE (3/1/18) @ $50, 90 Decanter (Murphy, 7/8/18), & 88 (2x) winealign.com (7/’18). [As of late Jan '20, wine-searcher shows only magnums of the '15, though 750 mls of similarly styled subsequent vintages should be READILY available].
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Overview: Popped and decanted (in a big beaker) for 60 minutes. Drank over 2+ hours. Even after the decant, it started a bit closed, but opened up and got better as the night progressed.
Color & Aroma: Very clear and dark purple in color. Aroma is big, with lots of black currents and cherries.
Taste: Being from Paso, Cabernet is (regionally) typically big and this is no exception. Tannins are surprisingly very smooth with lots of blackberry & cherries and wood (cedar?). Medium acidity, but really nicely balanced with nice texture and a long finish. 15% ABV, but not a touch of heat, nicely done.
But 97 Points? That’s rarified air, so I’m not going to go that far, but I’d give this 90+ Points (still one of my highest scores ever) and it’s still a Great QPR for only $46!
Get more? Very probably... mainly to let it lay down and see what happens to the fruit in this (very) young puppy over the next 2-5 years.
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2/20/2024 - kingboo wrote: 94 Points
Just keeps getting better. Years left. Potential 95-96.
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1/22/2024 - B&PBaker Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ok but nothing special
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12/15/2023 - SnobbyWineaux Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasting beautifully right now. Still has some black current but more stewed. Tobacco and a hint of cedar. Nice mouthfeel. Smooth with soft tannins.
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11/14/2023 - Angro Likes this wine: 93 Points
Number is based on night 2. At that point it was incredibly smooth and deep with wonderful notes of chocolate and fruit. On night one I decanted for two hours. Still a little closed. I filtered since there was some sediment, so it was double decanted through an aerator. Much better then, but nothing like the second night. If I had more, which I wish I did, I’d give another year of bottle age.
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9/3/2023 - jamesb0nd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Heavy sediment which filtered out. Light tannins. Bright red fruit.
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8/5/2023 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Paso Cab. rich, deep, minerality undertones, dark perfectly ripe fruit. Nicely finished. Will last a couple more years.
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6/11/2023 - Josephd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Even better than when I reviewed in 2019. Still delicious. Not turning at all. Only difference is that it was great without decanting. Decanted anyway based on my previous note. So good!
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4/15/2023 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Got lucky with this one. Cork was compromised but luckily the wine was intact--just a touch of bricking starting to show. Fully integrated, plenty of fruit. Pleasant from start to finish.
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12/2/2022 - dlf-48 wrote:
Fruit forward smooth great berries one of my favorites
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11/26/2022 - vinomex wrote: 91 Points
My friend really liked this wine, I thought it was good not great, I don't think decanting for an hour helped this wine, a bit more subdued and rustic than what I was expecting.
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10/17/2022 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very bold nose of dark fruits and spices, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red, with black currants, plum, dark chocolate and spices on long finish. A very good Cab that drinks like a wine twice it’s price. www.winelx.com
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10/11/2022 - LightDancer wrote: 92 Points
Big, robust, slightly rustic cab. Full-bodied, layers of blackberry and cherry.
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9/25/2022 - dddchapman wrote:
Don’t know when it was consumed
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8/1/2022 - cellarstalker wrote:
Is also enjoyed it but after 45 minutes it smoothed out like it was out of gas.
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7/16/2022 - cdebeau Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork broke but wine was fine, cassis, blackberry, smooth, soft tannins
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5/29/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really quite good/drinking very well. Opulent dark fruit, smooth, well-integrated. Seems to be peaking.
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4/16/2022 - baucoin wrote: 95 Points
04.16.22. 4 hour decant. Outstanding. Best Austin Hope to date for me. Had with Steaks compliments of the Stickles.
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2/12/2022 - 1961Vintage wrote: 89 Points
Improving. Now better second day. Still needs more time.
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2/4/2022 - jmesack@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Aging this was the best thing I have done!
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1/5/2022 - smcisaac Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle. Served with prime rib. Opened 1/2 hr before serving, but did not decant. Consistent with my previous notes, lovely but a little closed, could have used more air before serving. Perhaps fading a bit since a year ago, but nowhere near tired yet.
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11/14/2021 - Fsenko57 Likes this wine:
Soft tannins - very enjoyable
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10/24/2021 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Serving this at or slightly above cellar temp ~60F helps it retain focus, otherwise gets all flabby, hot, and messy. Decanted 2.5+ hrs.
Has loads of sweet juicy blackberry/blueberry fruit, would likely ID as PS/Zin blend if tasting blind. Pronounced roasted espresso and 70%+ bitter dark chocolate notes with a little spearmint on the finish. Reading the WE97 TN again it's fairly on point I suppose, some may love it just not that wowed by the extracted high-alc style personally.
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10/21/2021 - Gr8penut Likes this wine: 92 Points
From my posting on Instagram:
In Vino Veritas (in wine there is truth; [people speak the truth when they are drunk]), another bottle of my cellar sacrifices. A 2015 Austin Hope Paso cab. This is my second bottle that I’ve had and it was just as good as the first. Deep, dark purple color, a nose of black fruit, along with a finish that seems to last a very long time. I’m guessing this one was meant to drink young, because it seems to be at its peak now. Looking forward to the remaining bottles!! 🍷🍷👍👍 #wine #winelover #winelovers #redblend #redblendwine #napawine #napa #napavalley
#sonoma # pasorobleswines #cabernetsauvignon #cabernet #austinhopewines
#pasoroblescabernet #austinhope
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9/24/2021 - SacFrench Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stunning
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9/19/2021 - Rudolph Schmidt Likes this wine:
Tasted side by side with the 2018. Wow! This 2015 kicks butt. All the jammy aspects of the 2018 have integrated wonderfully in the 2015. Soft blackberry, vanilla, oak.
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9/15/2021 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Encore une fois c`est du solide ce 2015,
complexe et musclé avec une belle colonne.
Un bon 3 heures de carafe et il se met à chanter.
Des mures et du cassis avec un petit côté toasté.
Il y a du poivre et du mocha, le boisé est de plus en
plus digéré et les tannins sont bien enrobés.
La finale vraiment longue nous laisse sur
des relents de graphite.
Excellent, il ira loin!
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9/5/2021 - dlf-48 wrote:
Great wine fruity bold rich
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8/19/2021 - Gr8penut Likes this wine: 92 Points
From my posting on Instagram:
In Vino Veritas (in wine there is truth; people speak the truth when they are drunk), bottles #1,778-82 of my cellar sacrifices. I have gotten behind in my postings and I need to catch them up, hence the 5 wines this time. Rating-wise, the Austin Hope Cabernet and Laurent Pinot were outstanding, with the Barbaresco, Merlot and Grenache behind them. All of them were very good, but the first two were stand outs. 🍷🍷🍷👍👍👍 #wine #winelover #winelovers #redblend #redblendwine ##cabernetsauvignon #napawine #napa #napavalley #napacab #tensley #austinhope #jemrose #cantinadelnebbiolo #sonoma #pinot #pinotnoir #Barbaresco #italianwines
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7/3/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 84 Points
Summer Patio Dining over the 4th (Shari's, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Slow-O for an hour or so. Small pour. I liked the nose of dark fruits, tar, a touch of wet earth and herbaceousness. The palate however, was too much of about everything. Highly extracted, green, the 15.5% alcohol bleeds through significantly, overripe fruit, liqueurish, sweet cassis and more than enough vanilla. Pass for me.
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5/29/2021 - Trump2016 wrote:
Amazing
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5/23/2021 - Martinville wrote: 95 Points
Crowd pleaser
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5/2/2021 - maxima wrote: 93 Points
Après un bon 2 heures en carafe, c`est superbe
en ce moment ce 2015.
Un de leur meilleur millésime selon la presse spécilisée.
Le nez est fragrant, surtout des fruits noirs avec
du café torréfié et des herbes.
En bouche, c`est bien expressif mais l`ensemble demeure
assez bine équilibré et c`est bien approchable.
Des bleuets, du cassis et du poivre noir se succèdent.
Les tannins sont charnues et bien enrobés.
La finale super longue et suave nous laisse
sur une impression fine de Mocha.
Superbe!
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4/22/2021 - RickyDWine Likes this wine: 94 Points
So, this wine is great. Andy Dufrense was really into Hope and I think he'd like the 2015. I've had it a few times. I've also had every vintage since. They're all good but the '15 is better. I normally decant for a while but I once brought a bottle to a party where we just opened it and started drinking. It was good then, too. It was gone in like 10 minutes because that's just how my friends are. One guy was like "this is awesome". I was like "yup".
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4/22/2021 - kingboo wrote: 93 Points
Well structured. Very nice complexities. Healthy tannins. Years left.
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4/9/2021 - Winedoc22 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Big, jammy, fruit forward. Great with bacon blue cheeseburgers!
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3/28/2021 - Renzloh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Inky black. Little bit of raisin at first, but that dissipated.
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3/20/2021 - Yzhang1908 Likes this wine:
Like it with beef, crowd pleaser.
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3/20/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Either this has grown on me or time in the bottle has been good for the wine. Certainly lots of fruit, but not overwhelming. Multidimensional, smooth, lingering finish, works with food.
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2/27/2021 - Mustang1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wow , great cab
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2/14/2021 - bwillia wrote: 84 Points
So completely over done and over ripe. Definitely not my style.
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2/4/2021 - KVM wrote:
Inky. Ripe to overripe black fruit and jam nose. Ok, some Cabernet herb and very ripe, markedly sweet, unctuous to the point of being cloying. Oof, it took the two of us 2 nights to finish this. No thanks.
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1/27/2021 - pkouchu wrote: 93 Points
black cherries, plum, blueberries, vanilla, chocolate, molasses, anise, brown spice, coffee, mocha, pepper and currant
just ripe enough to not be jammy. its like a "restrained" version of Caymus. I can enjoy this for about 2 glasses. doesn't mean its bad, just can't finish it on my own
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12/24/2020 - Renzloh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opulent and velvety. Just a tad sweet for me. My wife loves it.
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11/30/2020 - Jettoy1992 wrote: 94 Points
- Brick color - Thought it was over rated night 1. Decanted an hour and never really softened. Put back in bottle and drank the next night. Wow. So good
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11/1/2020 - Chazwine18 wrote:
Drink2018/23
$50
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10/24/2020 - Trolson wrote: 84 Points
Super sweet tasting. If you like a jammy Zinfandel-like taste, this is it. Did not taste as can.
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10/18/2020 - bryon m wrote: 92 Points
Good Color, Clarity and Body. Round and soft mouth feel. The juice has lots of fruit forward flavors from start to finish with a touch of vanilla. Very nice!
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8/16/2020 - mbardet Likes this wine:
Excellent!
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8/3/2020 - MatLot Likes this wine: 90 Points
bon vin sans plus concentré pas memorable simple mais bon beaucoup de matiere
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7/27/2020 - dgcaldwell Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fruit forward nose and body, medium body and good finish. Much better on the first night.
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7/25/2020 - 1961Vintage Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Remains young and quite fruity. Simply not my style.
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7/17/2020 - quaffnov Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ran through a vinturi, this has a massive bouquet and palate, with dark fruit, oak, a little spice, blended in with a lot of heat, this is not for the weak of heart. Huge mouthfeel and a nearly endless finish, this is a mid range Cali cab that holds up as long as you like big, big wine.
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7/15/2020 - Kansas1955 wrote: 88 Points
Very rich full fruit. Needs more age
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7/6/2020 - J Piper L Likes this wine: 97 Points
The earthy trend with just enough fruit is my kind of cab. A big, chewy wine that is aging well at this time
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6/21/2020 - Rramey Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very close to Caymus and less expensive. Worth the money.
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6/16/2020 - Duderino Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a nice spot right now. Drinking wine.
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6/15/2020 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Sticking with my last review of 89 Points. Very nice, but it seems almost overly candy-like. Very smooth, polished and balanced though.
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6/15/2020 - smcisaac Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a beautiful wine! Chocolate, cherry, raspberry, cinnamon, no harshness or bitterness. Paired with grilled sirloin steak.
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6/9/2020 - Kansas1955 wrote: 86 Points
Very heavy fruit flavor.
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5/27/2020 - joraesque wrote: 89 Points
Southern-style Cabernet Sauvignon. Plummy, with relatively low acid. Missing the Napa minerality and acidic zing. Would work well with chocolate cake. 15% ABV.
89-90+
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5/25/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had with lamb, shared with in-laws over Memorial Day. Pleasant wine, one of three that night. Pairs with food, not a cocktail wine.
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5/14/2020 - WineKnut Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine is sooo close to being really, really great, really... I so want to root for the underdog here. A big Paso Cab should deserve to get the big scores and the big pay day that Napa Cabs have earned, right?
After decanting about 3 hours, this wine has bowls of fruit, tobacco, asphalt, granite dust, saline and cedar. Decadent mouthfeel, beautiful and deep impenetrable reddish purple color, vanilla oak and sweet milk chocolate cherry nose.
A tannic finish that goes on for over a minute, ever evolving... evoking memories of High Sierra Treks in mid Summer around glacial lakes with clean mountain air filling your senses. Hints of alpine meadows mixing with evergreen forest below.
But, nope... it's too sweet. Over ripe in my book... So close.
On a separate note, I was going to hold this wine, but I'm glad I popped it tonight instead. Check out the leaky cork in the photo I uploaded... Really bad fit. Leaked all the way around... This bottle may not have held up to longer term storage.
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3/27/2020 - Esteve63 wrote: 87 Points
Wow. Funky cold Medina. This was like drinking beechnut chewing tobacco. Not ripe, but leathery. Full flavor, but makes me want to retreat to a nice barolo.
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3/15/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pretty solid med-full bodied cab. Well-blended fruit, not overly ripe, with minimal alcohol or tannins. Drinking very well, quite smooth, but lacking some complexity.
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2/21/2020 - dgcaldwell Likes this wine: 91 Points
Jammy and full of fruit. Not very nuanced, but drinks well.
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2/18/2020 - Salute Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big juicy fruit forward cab. Intense sweet dried fruits, underlying spice. Very soft tannins. Reminiscent of Caymus...so I know some folks will not like that. Very "new world". I like it.
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2/3/2020 - MatLot Likes this wine: 90 Points
Superbowl wine concentrer de jus de raisin pas mauvais mais asser simple pas trop souvent mais fait la job dans un moment de superbowl avec la bouff qui vien avec
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2/2/2020 - bryon m wrote: 92 Points
enjoyed while watching the super bowl. Color ,clarity and body were perfect. easy to drink, good berry front to middle with a hint of oak/vanilla to the end. Very nice some complex flavors in the middle to make it really stand out. Very nice
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1/27/2020 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Full and rich, more fruit than other structure. Was actually better on day 2.
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12/23/2019 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 90 Points
Drank from a magnum. Stylistically this is Paso Caymus and if you like that style this pulls it off with perfection. Mostly over blown baking spices with backings of ridiculously ripe/extracted fruit, cassis and vanilla. Some heat and lack of structure deter but for the style it delivers. Made to drin near term.
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11/30/2019 - xxquadxx wrote: 92 Points
Couple of years in the cellar clearly benefited this juice. It settled down a notch and paired very well with Gruyere cheese Lamburgers. Blackberry and boysenberry compote with a cinnamon/cloves finish. Sometimes you need something very fruit-forward with less complexity to go with a nice meal, and I'm not ashamed of liking this type of wine on some occasions. Now, I've got to figure out when to drink the remaining 3 cases. Cheers!
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11/18/2019 - HorstPeak Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love the fruit, rich and smooth tannins, big wine... Wife even liked it!
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11/16/2019 - iamandyc wrote: 90 Points
The dense sweet fruit with a very slightly pruned flavor screams Paso Robles cab. Big bodied and very smooth. Not much complexity but has a decent backbone and finish. A crowd pleaser... the Caymus crowd. Better QPR than Caymus.
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11/3/2019 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice, but going to drop this a point to 89. I’d give this a Good QPR.
It’s been about 20 months since I’ve last had this. And it’s still really nice, if anything, it’s more balanced and smoother. Still a ton of fruit though and was hoping for a more textured, restrained and complex taste. Still have a bottle maybe another 20+ months are deserved?
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11/3/2019 - Ticker tape guy Likes this wine: 93 Points
a big brawny fruit bomb of a Cab,,pairs so well with charred grilled ribeye steak..finish goes on and on
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10/22/2019 - msuwine wrote: 85 Points
Seeking out new wine can result in pleasant surprise (this is great - wow!), considered indifference (glad I tried it, but I won’t buy it again), or complete disaster (WTF?). This concoction of a wine, for me, falls in the last category. How it got a WE 97 is a complete mystery, but this is a ripe wine - but not much else. Sure, it’s powerful, but it’s not good, at least to me.
Ruby red in color; full in body; nose of blueberry pie, Snicker's Bar, and mocaccino with whip. Tastes of cherry crumble, plum, Jolly Rancher, and vanilla, with a brief mid-palate and a Port-like finish that coats the mouth with sugar (and little acidity). 15% alcohol. This makes wines like Caymus and Meiomi look nuanced and restrained in comparison; even they wouldn't have added this much sugar.
I hesitate to call something undrinkable, but this is awfully close. I tend to enjoy powerful and fruity wines (e.g., Bevan, B Cellars), but they need to have structure, acidity, balance, and complexity - i.e., to be more than fruit in the front and sugar in the back. Maybe wait until 2021 to drink, but the lack of tannin or acidity makes me skeptical this will improve with time.
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8/31/2019 - zylmanj Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty good but just a little too sweet for my palate. I think the price is a tad too high for the wine.
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8/8/2019 - seijaro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Has benefited from a year of bottle age, now very smooth but still full of flavor. A lovely CA Cab that did not break the bank to drink. This is the vintage that put them on the map... well deserved.
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7/28/2019 - HorstPeak Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 2015, would be the best from out of the 16, 17 vintages. This has gotten better in the bottle over the last year and will even get better.
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7/27/2019 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP- better this time around but this wine is not for me (wife loves it and hopefully becomes my Cabernet gateway wine for her). Initial attack is sweet as candy black fruits that fade to a bit of spice and then falls of a cliff.
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7/15/2019 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beginning to lose its harsher edges. Becoming much more approachable. In my mind, remains an experiment.
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7/6/2019 - wineotim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of crusting clinging to the inside of the bottle. Ripe, sweet, lifted Cab fruit, balanced acid. Just loved it. Will miss it.
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6/28/2019 - marcus_francois Likes this wine:
On the palate: Blackberry and currant compote, vanilla, cola, cigar box. Soft and luscious. Not particularly elegant on the grand scale of things but concentrated. Great QPR.
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6/23/2019 - vinomim91 Likes this wine: 91 Points
As with others who have noted here, this is a very fruit forward cab and packs a fruity punch. If you’re in the mood for that kind of profile, this is your wine! Bold and jammy, smooth finish.
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6/17/2019 - Cabwinefan wrote: 92 Points
Very smooth finish
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6/14/2019 - vinomex wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Solid effort for this type of cab, except it has a slight jammy feel (which I can pick up quickly) that can tire the palate after a while. Something you have to be in the mood for.
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6/7/2019 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Garnet color with a bouquet and flavor of blackberries, dark cherries, coffee, and chocolate with soft tannins and good supporting acidity.
Very good balance with considerable finesse and quite a long finish.
Did not expect the wine to be so good, and at 95, it was a wow.
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6/1/2019 - AZEngineer wrote: 90 Points
Nice when we first poured, maybe a 90-91. But within 45 min it lost all complexity and was just fruit. A really shocking change, one of the most dramatic the four of have experienced.
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5/12/2019 - Vigil gypsy wrote: 89 Points
Lovely steak mothers day dinner and this guy, decanted for two hours. Dark I mean DARK purple almost black coloration. Med viscosity. Dark fruit acetone and wood to the nose...big blueberry charging out front to the palate, followed by black tea and as we move to the back palate heat( no kidding at 15%) and oak. Med plus finish. Nice effort...
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5/6/2019 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Bu en succ. Il était en carafe depui plus de 5 heures.
Ouff du gros jus mais pas surfait ou over the top.
Bien fait, assez dense et nourri.
Au nez fruits noir et menthol avec un peu d'épices.
En bouche, beaucoup de matière. Pas mal d'extraction
mais assez bien équilibré malgré le 15%.
Des mures et du cassis avec du café noir et des
tannins charnus sur une finale longue et poivrée.
Très bon mais avec quelques années dans le corps ou beaucoup de carafe,
pourrait devenir excellent.
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4/21/2019 - chuckatwell Likes this wine: 92 Points
One if Janet’s favorite cab sav
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3/30/2019 - Josephd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Inky purple, blueberry and brown sugar nose, medium tannins and acidity. Blueberry pallet. Nice balance. Even though I mentioned brown sugar and n the nose, this is not sweet on the pallet. Decant and serve close to room temperature to let it show off for you. I enjoyed this wine very much.
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3/23/2019 - Devo77 Likes this wine:
Very nice
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1/31/2019 - iamandyc wrote: 88 Points
Wow. This one will come down to style preference. Came across as a classic hot weather Paso cabernet -- big dark fruit, viscous mouthfeel, sweet, chocolate covered caramel... Smooth but some heat and oak on the finish. There are some tannins to keep from being completely flabby. It's a cocktail or dessert wine for me.
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1/27/2019 - mvande21 wrote: 92 Points
Dark, rich, fruit forward wine. Fragrant nose of black currants, blackberries and violets. Full body with moderate tannins and enough acidity to keep it in balance. Blackberry pie, black cherry and oak with some smokiness on the finish. Alcoholic heat burned off on the second day. Fruit bomb that will appeal to many. A bit sweet for my taste. Not the best wine to drink with food.
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1/12/2019 - bobadopolis wrote: 81 Points
Sweet, hot, and overtly Parkerized wine. Reminds me of the Caymus 40th anniversary cab, which I hated, except it's slightly less sugar forward, the foundational fruit is certainly better, and I finished the wine as opposed to pouring it down the drain. I can see why some people love this wine, which is why I score it as "good", but I personally am not a fan of this style of cab.
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1/3/2019 - DickMull Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted upon opening and after an hour decant, with fairly consistent observations. The nose is very dark and brooding, with black currant, fig, blueberry, eucalyptus, and violet aromas. A very concentrated wine, it has sweet tannins on the front of the palate, along with more black fruit, then a little smoke and earth on the finish, mixed with a lingering blackberry acidity. I would rate this wine a little higher, but the whole experience is somewhat overshadowed by a bit of “heat” which is most likely due to the 15% ABV.
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12/29/2018 - mats13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
97 no way, but a very good value for Cali Cab. Unmistakeable varietal characteristics, slightly green at this stage. I bet in 5 years this is a real winner.
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12/28/2018 - gryz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very fruity - just like Caymus.
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12/28/2018 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP- similar notes as previous tastings. Bam out of the gate the front hits hard with milk chocolate and dark fruit. That’s also where it ends for me. There is a short short middle and zero finish. It’s such an amazing start and then falls off a cliff.
A crowd pleaser for sure but leaves you wanting much much more. 89-90
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12/27/2018 - Renzloh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Full bodied and rich. I would think this would improve over time.
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12/26/2018 - Snowryeder wrote: 92 Points
Dark fruit. Soft and enjoyable. Improved with air. On the sweet side.
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12/26/2018 - smcisaac Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paired with a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner. Popped and poured which was a mistake, as the wine was a bit closed and austere at first. It bloomed though after being open for about an hour, and second glass was more harmonious. After enough air it was consistent with my higher-scored note from 9/29/18 (which I had tasted by the glass in a restaurant). Will decant an hour ahead next time.
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12/24/2018 - Christianhart1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had with a Christmas Eve Ribeye steak dinner. Great pairing, nice fruit, soft tannins, smooth finish.
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12/22/2018 - lewisrise wrote: 95 Points
Decanted an hour. Cherry cola with a chocolate finish
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11/25/2018 - Visca wrote:
Ok. A bit too fruit forward
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11/23/2018 - mark m Does not like this wine: 87 Points
I was very surprised it was too sweet. Not my thing
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11/22/2018 - CV Griz Fan Likes this wine: 96 Points
I was pretty impressed with this Cabernet. I have no real experience with Paso wines but this one has a great dark fruit taste profile. The fruit is very dense and flavorful. The wine is mellow and soft around the edges. Nice effort....
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11/22/2018 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 92 Points
15% abv. Dark purple color, light rim. Viscous in glass. Blue and black fruit, menthol, dirt, oak. Med plus mouthfeel, moderate tannin grip, more black fruit, red currants, sweet chocolate syrup, marshmallow, med plus finish. Dark, rich, lots of resid sugar, but has enough complexity to stay interesting. If you like caymus, you’ll enjoy this wine.
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11/15/2018 - pickhardt wrote: 90 Points
30 minute decant. Nice complexity and finish. Not quite the same flavor profile as Napa or even Sonoma. I got menthol which I don't love, but not overpowering.
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11/11/2018 - Ticker tape guy wrote: 94 Points
just a great big Paso cab..all the deep fruit strong finish this one never disappoints
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11/8/2018 - Amishdesai93 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark, rich cab. Almost syrupy with chocolate, stone fruit and coffee/toffee notes. Firm tannins. Very enjoyable.
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11/5/2018 - 1961Vintage wrote: 91 Points
Jury is still out. The group really enjoyed it. What a fruit bomb. Maybe some more time in the bottle will mellow this bam bam a bit.
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10/21/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Deep ruby red with a touch of purple. Took a little bit of time to open up but then showed some dark flowers, blackberries, and baking spices. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. Similar notes on the palate with dark spices and berries. A bit of heat in the medium finish. Drink till 2025.
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10/21/2018 - cab blends wrote: 91 Points
This is a nice quaffable ‘plus’ wine.
N4 fruity nose with hints of cinnamon and vanilla and light Woody clean oak bark.
HL 3 moderate body with some moderate dryness mid palate.
Fr4 fruit forward
Fi 3
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10/17/2018 - tbrader Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big juicy wine. Exact profile differs in important ways across 4-5 bottles I've had so far. All of them have rich black currant & blackberry dark fruits, a whiff of menthol, silky chocolate texture, vanilla extract. What differs is the extent of structure. Some bottles have had very little structure -- those come across as not just jammy, but flabby or syrupy fruitiness. I'd peg those bottles closer to 88-89. Other bottles have shown a modicum of acidity and structure, not tannic, but still something more defining that takes the bottle up in the 92 pt range.
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10/16/2018 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 90 Points
It’s not for me but what a crowd pleaser. First case has now been polished off. Could not have said it better than Rah below. 100% nailed it from from profile to it being a gateway wine/drug. It’s every guilty pleasure without consequences one could want when they were 16 years old.
Won’t improve with age (no tannin to speak of may lose a bit of sweetness though) as there is no real structure (acid) so drink it up if it’s your style or pop and share with friends within a few years.
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10/14/2018 - rahul_d_chatter@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Hedonistic, enjoyable, and divisive!
This wine represents the most laudable as well as the most derided qualities of a California wine.It is enjoyable: a crowd pleaser that is replete with tastes of berry jam, milk chocolate, and a hint of tobacco. It also has little tannin or acidity to give it structure, it is unabashedly unctuous, overripe, and extracted. This is the kind of wine that has made wines from California controversial. A style that produces imminently enjoyable wines but also a style that the aficionados refuse to take seriously. This is a wine that is akin to a Hollywood chick flick, milk chocolate, or mentholated cigarettes. They are enjoyed by many, but perhaps scoffed by the critics.
Depending on which group you fall into, you are going to love or hate this wine. If you like structured, disciplined, old world wine, this wine shall grab as little of your attention as a supplicant person would. If you do not care for tradition or what the critics call “good wine”, and want to just enjoy a wine that is very jammy sweet, hedonistic, and pleasing, perhaps even overtly so, this is the wine for you.
I chose to serve this wine to a group of friends whose interest in wine is at the beginner level and they fell head over heels in love with this wine. My wife and I enjoyed more their enthusiasm for the wine than our own. The wine reminded me of the adage that the best wines are the one that make the best memories. This wine certainly made our little group last night very merry.
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10/14/2018 - mokecody wrote:
Questionable cork
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10/13/2018 - erwanlemoing Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent. Young. Will age well. Deep colors, strong tannins, definitely a great wine.
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10/9/2018 - NapaDoc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Flashy and fleshy, prototypical Paso cabernet. Aims to please with gobs of big fruit, smooth, plenty of body, and well-knit. I don't know how much residual sugar there is in this wine, but I suspect there is some, and that probably explains part of its popularity. Very tasty now. I doubt if it will live forever, though. Drink up before the shine wears off. I found it for $22 a bottle - a fantastic bargain. Significantly more fun than the 2016.
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10/9/2018 - wineotim wrote: 92 Points
My second review of this. I needed a comfort wine and I knew this would fit the bill. This needs some fatty beef and that's what I had; a chuck eye steak. This is big, hot, and syrupy, but sometimes I want that. Three days to finish and it didn't change much.
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9/29/2018 - smcisaac wrote: 95 Points
Restrained on the nose but WOW! on the palate. Chocolate mousse, black cherry, black raspberry, a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. Fruit, acidity and tannins are seamlessly integrated, and the finish lasts and lasts.
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9/29/2018 - dcmabush Likes this wine: 92 Points
Outstanding fruit forward wine. Great finish.
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9/23/2018 - jviz wrote: 91 Points
Agreed that this has the syrupy texture and concentration to warrant a Wagner comparison, having not had any other wines from Paso that exhibited those characteristics. I did not get an enormous amount of wood on the nose, but the red currant note is spot on. A little RS, making this a likely cocktail wine with broad group appeal. I may keep one or two in the cellar with that intention, as to me it represents a far better value than Caymus. Not at all a bottle with a sense of terroir but feels a little less confected around half the price.
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9/14/2018 - fm1488 wrote: 86 Points
Second time trying this wine. I am an old world guy and a good chunk of CA wine is way too fruit forward for me. I got this one first time around as a wine bar owner in TX recommended it. Tried it stand alone with high expectations but too much fruit. This time around I smoked a prime rib over hickory and thought I would go for a big bomb of a CA cab so I picked it up again. It wasn't a success for me. Don't get me wrong, if this is your style it's going to be great. Full body, big fruit bomb with stewed blackberry. After about an hour, huge chocolate notes blasted out of the bouquet and palate. It gained better structure and balanced a bit more but the fruit on this is overwhelming. My whole family felt the same and I went an opened a nice Barolo which suited us far better and I will score next. They upshot here is it is all a matter of style. If you want a big fruit forward cab, this is a good bet. We even felt it would work really well with a semi-sweet flourless chocolate dessert of some sort. If you want something with more maturity, then I'd pass.
Tough to score this as it has two dimensions, what the wine maker intended for it's intended audience and me. For me, it's good, just not great. I can see scores in the 90s for those that are looking for this style. Really tough.
8/7/6/7/8 - 36/86
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9/9/2018 - Ticker tape guy wrote:
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and black currant (cassis). It tastes like blackberry and forest floor. The body is full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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9/2/2018 - Snowryeder Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep crimson red color. Soft tannins. Fruit forward, Vanilla and cinnamon and red fruits.
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9/2/2018 - AndreRibeiroChaves Likes this wine: 92 Points
Best Cáli Cab below USD 50 I haver ver had. Full body, light acidity, strong but smooth tannins, long finish. Lots of dark fruit, wood, cinamon and some honey like sweetness.
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8/29/2018 - bound4er wrote: 85 Points
Holy crap is this big and sweet. Reminds me of some of the Parkerized Aussie wines I used to buy 10+ years ago. Will save my one bottle for some friends I have that like this style. Nothing subtle about this wine - pure in your face fruit and vanilla oak. Not my cup of tea but YMMV.
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8/29/2018 - kingboo wrote: 90 Points
I mean yeah, it's pretty good, but not exceptional. Some will love, some will not. Rather extracted. Reminds me of the 2013 Caymus, although the big C wins head to head.
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8/28/2018 - ChjonesVino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Jammy, dark fruit, chocolate, velvety feel. Will be even more interesting years from now.
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8/26/2018 - Plusvini wrote: 91 Points
Jury is still out for me. A terribly good wine but too extracted for my personal taste. On the nose, malted chocolate, vanilla, honeycomb, cassis, blueberry, salal and animal fat. On the palate, plum, blackberry, spice, pepper. Very lush. Very very long, slightly bitter stemmy finish.
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8/25/2018 - Tim and Bonnie Does not like this wine: 85 Points
We don’t get it; the ratings, I mean. It’s sweet, sweet, sweet. Tastes to us like a $14.99 cab, just a little thicker and, duh duh duh, sweeter.
Definite pass for us.
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8/24/2018 - cruzio32 Likes this wine: 97 Points
So good. Bought three more bottles of the '15 via wine.bid. Bought a bottle for my dad. He liked it so much he ordered 6 bottles via Vivino. Looking fwd to the 2016 release
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8/23/2018 - chezbeach Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent Paso Cabernet. Bold fruit up front, but well balanced and good finish. Should have 3-5 years of life at least.
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8/20/2018 - ksteiner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Absolutely luscious.
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8/18/2018 - Rramey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent! Excellent! Great fruit.
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8/18/2018 - bCloud09c Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. Stunning. Huge wine and very fruit forward. Punch you in the face dark fruit on the nose and very well balanced. LONG finish that almost started to taste like pie after a few hours. Will definitely keep this on the radar as a regular addition to the cellar.
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8/15/2018 - SC OLY Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big black cherry flavor that you can chew. Very smooth, long legs with a hint of tobacco.
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8/12/2018 - ivsimler Likes this wine: 94 Points
Damn was this tasty. Different in that it was syrupy and sweet at the beginning...but it aired out nicely and good complexity. Definitely different and unique. Would buy again in an instant.
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8/10/2018 - richardkim wrote: 89 Points
Sweet fruits and a rich mouthfeel in a ripe and oaky style. Would have liked to see more lift and structure.
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8/7/2018 - Droopydave Likes this wine:
Still on the fence on this wine. First time I had it it was wonderful. This time, not so much. Think having my appendix removed last week could be influencing it here.
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8/6/2018 - Puffy Cotes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Unique for a Cab, but very good as a stand-alone wine. Surprising blast of chocolate with some freshly brewed coffee on the nose, deep ruby hue, beautifully dense and velvety mouthfeel, the chocolate and coffee extends to the palate with hints of pepper. I found the tannins to be mild-to-moderate. A nice berry sweetness on the finish. I would fancy this with a glazed pork roast or smoked ribs with a molasses-based BBQ sauce.
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8/5/2018 - bovinum wrote: 91 Points
After 2 hours in the decanter.
Spice box, soil, hints of dark chocolate followed by blueberry liquor, blackberry, mint, dusty tobacco leaf, and more hearty soil. It has a persistent finish that turns more dark red berry. The fruit is slightly over sweetened and just doesn't seem pure or whole. It feels like the blackberry and blueberry fruit want to come out more but fall short at this point in time. Looking forward to trying it again in 2+ years. I also tasted this right after opening with very different and less favorable tasting notes, definitely decant for 2 hours.
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7/27/2018 - AGELVIS wrote: 89 Points
Two hour decant. Deep, dark purple magenta color. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla on the rich nose. Smooth, dry, fruit forward palate. Round tannins on the medium finish.
This is very quaffable, but a bit too extracted for me. It’s the Caymus of Paso (in every good and bad way you’d like to interpret that). It was a pleasure to try this after seeing and hearing so much about it.
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7/21/2018 - bablues wrote: 93 Points
Extremely nice. One of the best Paso Cabs that I have tasted. Long and lush with bright fruit that balanced the acidity and tannins very well.
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7/19/2018 - Jazz Nut wrote: 88 Points
Coravin pour, I found a few bottles on sale, and based on talk here, I had to see what the fuss was about. In 2017, I only poured one bottle down the drain, after opening, and it was a Haraszthy Wine Beritage (not reviewed), I thought, hey, family winery, red blend, let's try it?! Wrong. Horrible, for my palate. I am getting the same caramelized fruit, caramelized oak, syrupy sweetness, and dark fruit confection, on the nose that I got with the Haraszthy. Keep in mind I am taking a few Coravin pours tonight, a 2010 Heitz Trailside, a 2014 O'Shaughnessy Napa Cab, and a 2015 Band of Vintners. This is the only wine that distinctly stood out as a jammy, oaky, mess. Think fruit/milkshake. I think there is some promise here, but will need some air/bottle age, and I don't necessarily trust this wine to age well. With that said, I think this would be a crowd pleasing wine, served appropriately chilled (50-54 degrees). Curiosity killed the cat on this one for me. I cannot give this wine an objective review, yet I will cellar some more bottles for parties. I think this wine would do well in a blind tasting against Caymus, and Silver Oak. I could see this faring well against a young Silver Oak (acidic, thin fruit, barrel influence) versus lush and jammy fruit, prominent berry, smooth and short finish of the Austin Hope.
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7/14/2018 - TXRDW wrote: 85 Points
Overwhelmingly syrupy and sweet. Decanted to see if the wine would improve, but three hours later the wine was the same as when opened. I’ve noticed quite a few very high scores on this wine, and if you like a very extracted wine, much sweeter than Caymus, then the higher scores are justified.
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7/10/2018 - SGates Likes this wine: 93 Points
great nose; sweet & black flavors, black cherries, blackberries & black currants layered with loads of vanilla. Hints of cedar, clove and spice; smooth tannin and finish.
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7/4/2018 - Dalton_Noble Likes this wine: 88 Points
Too damn sweet
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7/3/2018 - Btho wrote: 97 Points
Wow. Deep purple crimson red. Great texture, medium tannins, medium plus body. Deep red fruit finish with hints of vanilla. A rockstar cab that'll hold up awhile longer. Best in its class and at its price point. Will be buying more!
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6/30/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Deep puplish ruby red. Decanted for two hours before tasting. Layered nose with lots of caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, touch of licorice and some black cherries. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. Rich layers on the palate with notes of cinnamon, blueberries, gritty spices, a bit gamey, and black cherries. Medium finish. Drink till 2024.
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6/30/2018 - Winowhyno Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pleasantly surprised....fruit forward with a beautiful bouquet. Smooth and balanced finished. Very Caymus like, but a better deal at $42.00. Might buy a few bottles for a change of pace, but a little too sweet for my tastes.
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6/30/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
The caymus like call is spot on. Very opaque. Sweet cassis and dark plum, very ripe. Heavy mouthfeel and vanilla base. It's typical of the full throttled cabs that are popular.
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6/25/2018 - lorenkreiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
I am a Napa guy all the way but I really like this wine. Definitely in the Caymus vein flavor wise. A fruit bomb but not obnoxious. Excellent QPR. I’m in. Bought a case.
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6/23/2018 - Mark Brandon wrote: 92 Points
Total crowd pleaser. Caymus meets Silver Oak (Alexander Valley), but less refined, more fruit forward, and definitely for drinking young. I've been having a lot of 80's Napa Cab lately and this couldn't be farther from that, but this was perfect for overpowering brisket or burgers at a summer gathering. I don't love this style, but have to recognize that it is done well - amazingly so for a Paso Robles cab. Great QPR as well.
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6/22/2018 - johnvey wrote: 89 Points
Fruit bomb on the nose, pallate is fruity and complex but mellow, medium body, finish has bitter note to it
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6/22/2018 - The Wine Geek Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great fruit forward wine. Good QPR at $50 a bottle. The wine also has a nice long finish. One of the best wines I have had in years at this price point.
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6/8/2018 - jcbrand Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine looks inky colored. There is no sediment in the bottle. It tastes like blackberry and black currant (cassis). The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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5/26/2018 - jfaulk Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nicely balanced fruit-forward type of cab. Really enjoyed it although not as much as the 2015 Teeter-Totter we drank just before it. Both wonderful cabs, but the Teeter-Totter was much more subtle and well-rounded and my preference. My wife's preference was opposite of mine.
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5/24/2018 - Hanessjm wrote:
What makes a good tasting wine?? Super interesting range of comments on this wine depending on one’s style and preference - fruit forward big vs dry balanced elegant. Can both perspectives be right and just depend on flavor profile preference or does a great wine only need to be the latter??? I think both can age and both can last a long time in the mouth. Thoughts?
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5/24/2018 - maitredgreg2 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Chocolaty!😋 there could be bottle variation with the lower scores.
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5/22/2018 - PinotPaul wrote: 89 Points
Was expecting more based on the hype. Decanted for about 1 hour. Fruit was overwhelmed by the other flavors. Definately a big cab but not in a refined way. No idea why the 97 points from WE.
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5/20/2018 - pc2006mg wrote: 93 Points
Big and powerful. Will buy this again!
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5/19/2018 - avwiner Likes this wine: 97 Points
I agree with Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettmann's review. Fantastic mouth feel, soft tannins with opulent blueberry front end with a mocha mid-palette. Long finish. Pairs well with a good steak as well as all by itself.
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5/13/2018 - seijaro Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two more bottles since that first one, both significantly better at 93-94. The first was sent to me, and I didn't give it enough time to get over its travel sickness. Both these showed chocolate, plums, and cherries with a bit of sweetness. A nice big CA fruit bomb.
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5/8/2018 - RockyII Likes this wine: 89 Points
PNP through a powered aerator and drank over 1 hour. Deep purple with a magenta rim. Nose of black cherry, cedar and nail polish. Taste is very fruit forward and extracted with black cherry and blackberries (blackberry cobbler) being most prominent, together with notes of cola and anise and a little ash on the finish. Was initially very sweet (too sweet) but lost some of that jammy flavor with more airtime. Still on the sweet side. Medium tannins and acidity. Medium plus body. Nice if you like your wine sweet and extracted. 89-90.
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4/29/2018 - Otaku Oenophile wrote: 89 Points
I too also tried this for the 97 point rating from WE.
It's not a bad effort it's just stylistically not for me.
Very fruit forward and extracted. A fruit milkshake that I think is probably more worthy of that rating would be Altamura.
A lot of people make comparison to Caymus but I never had some so I can't comment.
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4/29/2018 - ksteiner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice body and balance for such a young wine. I wish I had more than one more bottle of this!
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4/28/2018 - gew71walsh wrote: 90 Points
Surprised at the number of comments on such a young wine. From restaurant at their suggestion to pair with a Wagyu Beef dinner. Agree with other comments that this is a big wine-in my estimation, therefore, hard to say it pairs well. This appears to be first attempt by winery at Cab, after years of Rhone wines. Would like to see if this becomes more balanced and nuanced with some cellaring.
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4/28/2018 - 1lpellicia Likes this wine: 92 Points
Plums tobacco indeed silk tannings... legs last forever, long finish..
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4/27/2018 - cmr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really nice and well balanced and structured. It is definitely New World in style but nowhere near over the top like some I've tried. Just nice and fruit forward with a just right amount of spice. Has the structure and acid to keep it just right for the night when your in the California mood.
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4/21/2018 - Badmonkey wrote:
Some friends over and I decided to pop a bottle to see what they thought. Similar thoughts as the last bottle - thankfully I only bought two. Once again, awfully rich, sweet, and over-extracted. If tasted blind I would never guess it was a cabernet. Drank next to a 2015 Becklyn cab and 2012 Lewelling cab. Both of those wines were considerably better in my opinion. I'll refrain from rating this bottle because it's just not my style, however, I believe the 97 rating from WE is really generous. Once again, I believe it's closer to the 89 rating from WA - although that's also a little generous in my opinion.
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4/19/2018 - maitredgreg2 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Move over Caymus, you just got outdone! And for less the cost! I'm hoping he doesn't change his recipe, and continue this mix for 2016.
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4/17/2018 - seijaro Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice Cab, kind of a Caymus Lite. Will get better in two years. The problem is that the price is all over the lot. One reviewer here paid $27, another paid $40, my cousin paid $32, the local Total Wine has it for $52! WTF?
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4/15/2018 - oostexan wrote:
This wine is a perfect example of why you have to be careful chasing points and ratings. I understand the attraction to this wine...it is loaded with sweet cherries, chocolate, is very extracted, and has prodigious oak. If you are into this style...then sure...it is a highly "rated" wine for your palate. I can totally understand why some folks would enjoy this style.
However, if you like balance, minerals, earth tones, and complexity - this is definitely not the wine for you. I personally find it way too sweet, over-oaked, and thought it tasted "artificial". Ironically, given all the great ratings here and on Vivino, I was about to buy a half case of it based on the ratings alone. But I found it at my local Spec's for $ 40 and thought I would give it a try first.
I personally would not rate this wine highly. However, I am not going to rate it as I don't want to rain on the hype parade as some folks really like this style of wine. It's just not for me, so drink what you enjoy!
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4/13/2018 - wdcwineguys Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent for a Paso Cabernet. Reminds me of the Joseph Phelps Cabernet. Full bodied, balanced, a little sweet. Wine is good now and may develop a bit with age, but this one doesn’t need to age a long time. Deep purple, blackberry, cherry, hint of tobacco. Purchased for about $42 a bottle and well worth it.
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4/12/2018 - Vince92673 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Full bodied wine with considerable time left to age. PNP and found the flavors a bit overpowering at first. Tasting again the second day the dark fruit flavors including plum were still predominant but way more approachable. An intense wine but very enjoyable.
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4/6/2018 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good but young. A little over ripe and green. Reminds me of a Napa Cabernet, like Caymus, but a better than Caymus. Not what I expected from a Paso cab. Have one more will hold 1-2 years.
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4/4/2018 - wineotim wrote: 91 Points
Full bodied, dark, inky, oaky, ripe and sweet fruit, with that baking spice note, comes with some depth too. Decent tannin. Got a few of these for $26.99 each. Much has been said about this wine already and I think CT member HOWELLMOUNTAINCRU described it best.
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4/2/2018 - Mdubnik Likes this wine: 91 Points
very nice. a little sweet for me. but all in all, something i would surely buy again.
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4/2/2018 - HowellMountainCru Likes this wine: 90 Points
IMO CA Cabernet, when its at its best is a marriage of wonderful depth of fruit, beautiful scents of flowers, minerals and spices and a feeling in the mouth of balance that ends with a lingering finish that makes you ponder what you swallowed for minutes and minutes. Austin Hope is not that wine. AH is a big, high alcohol, fruit bomb. A wine dominated by oak, and the vanilla flavors that imparts, that most beginning cabernet drinkers will absolutely love. Yes, it very much reminds one of Caymus. Its a true crowd pleaser and for the price a great wine to bring to a party. I still can enjoy, like a Hershey's kiss but can't recommend for the serious lover of Cab.
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3/31/2018 - Rezy13 wrote:
Deep extracted color; nose shows blackberry cobbler, cassis and black currants, smoky charred oak with vanilla and bramble, reminds me of Monte Rosso Zin; some blue fruit comes in on the palate with large chunky tannin, sweet fruit and lots of texture; good stuff.
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3/31/2018 - Dagalaifus wrote: 85 Points
In the glass, the 2015 Austin Hope from Paso Robles is darkest ruby; almost, inky. It has a nose of blackberry jam and kirsch. On the palate, the wine is extracted with the same blackberry and kirsch as well as mocha, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar. The finish comes up short and the tannins are barely discernible. Just too sweet/syrupy for my palate.
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3/31/2018 - Jbarryleonard wrote:
Probably due to more sunshine and heat in Paso Robles, the sugar content was higher than what I like for a Cab.
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3/30/2018 - Badmonkey wrote:
Although I'm not a big follower of WE, I decided to give this a shot in light of their 97 rating. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, dark cherry, and a little dark plum. Smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth/concentration especially for the price point. Quite rich/sweet as expected in light of the source from Paso Robles. Flavors of dark berries, chocolate, and baking spices. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. As someone else noted, the profile reminds me quite a bit of the last couple vintages of Caymus - solid depth/concentration but awfully rich/sweet. Drank next to a 2015 Quivet Kenefick Ranch cab and I thought the Quivet was quite a bit better - frankly I had a hard time drinking the Austin Hope next to the Quivet. In all, the Austin Hope just isn't my ideal style (too rich/sweet) and in my opinion closer to the 89 rating from WA.
Purposely left some for day two hoping that the richness/sweetness would subside some but no such luck. The fruit came across lighter and without the extra depth it came across even sweeter. More or less like a light chocolate milkshake. Once again, just not my style.
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3/25/2018 - RayT Likes this wine: 94 Points
I saw the WE97 rating and the $40 price tag and decided to give it a try. Wow was I surprised! I am always skeptical whenever I see a 95+ rating for a wine under $50 but this wine delivers in spades. A deep, viscous, Ruby in color. A big nose of currant, blueberries, and chocolate. Very similar on the palette. This is a big, rich wine. Decanted 2.5 hours and drank over another 3 hours. This wine added secondary flavors as it got air. This had a very long finish. This is the best under $50 bottle I have ever drank and that is saying a lot! Went out and bought half a case. Buying more is always the highest praise I can give a wine.
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3/24/2018 - Lmcambre@yahoo.com wrote:
Great
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3/22/2018 - cavedivr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. Fruit forward, almost over extracted at first. An hour in the glass and it was flying, with great balance. Candied violets on the nose. Tons of anise, baking spices, and brown sugar on the finish. Goes on for more than a full minute and calls for you to take another sip. Can't wait to try this beast in about 5 years. Wonderful effort! Caymus... reminds me of Caymus.
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3/17/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby red. Lots of caramel, anise, baking spices and dark cherries on the nose. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium to medium plus bodied. Well integrated with alcohol you can feel but not over the top. Rich palate with notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, dark berries, and cherries. Long finish. Drink till 2026.
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3/10/2018 - nkromberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep color. Smooth aroma. Taste is really smooth. Vanilla. Great with cheese.
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3/3/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites & 8 Reds] from 3/2/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): N: RIPE, jammy (?) berries with notes of spice; Intensity lurking?
P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by firming pucker which quite resolves by the LONG, very, VERY slightly spicy, tangy/swt finish to the barest hint of very, VERY fine tannins. MIGHT still improve a tad through '18, then drink into early '21? 15% ABV; My VG+, higher IF one desires an approachable, flirting with R.S. style. 97 pts WE (3/1/18) @ $50, 90 Decanter (Murphy, 7/8/18), & 88 (2x) winealign.com (7/’18). [As of late Jan '20, wine-searcher shows only magnums of the '15, though 750 mls of similarly styled subsequent vintages should be READILY available].
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2/18/2018 - kevrob822 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Overview: Popped and decanted (in a big beaker) for 60 minutes. Drank over 2+ hours. Even after the decant, it started a bit closed, but opened up and got better as the night progressed.
Color & Aroma: Very clear and dark purple in color. Aroma is big, with lots of black currents and cherries.
Taste: Being from Paso, Cabernet is (regionally) typically big and this is no exception. Tannins are surprisingly very smooth with lots of blackberry & cherries and wood (cedar?). Medium acidity, but really nicely balanced with nice texture and a long finish. 15% ABV, but not a touch of heat, nicely done.
But 97 Points? That’s rarified air, so I’m not going to go that far, but I’d give this 90+ Points (still one of my highest scores ever) and it’s still a Great QPR for only $46!
Get more? Very probably... mainly to let it lay down and see what happens to the fruit in this (very) young puppy over the next 2-5 years.
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