This wine stood out with its youthful character. The aroma revealed ripe raspberries and strawberries. It boasted a well-balanced structure, with pronounced notes of spice and tobacco on the palate, yet maintaining a delightful fruit-forward profile. No complaints; it was thoroughly enjoyable.
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Blended with Cab Franc and Merlot. Fascinating nose, fresher than you would think, but unique notes of balsamic, dried spice, bruised plum, fresh violets. Palate is gorgeous, fuller than expected for the age, still mostly primary fruits but with development happening as well, fresh tobacco, old cedar, structure also showing younger than you would think. Fabulous stuff overall, and clearly could age for quite a bit longer.
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Enjoyed this wine with a great piece of beef. On the nose were hints of black fruit with some spice on the palate. The tannins were soft and the remaining acidity was sufficient for a nice round taste.
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Deep garnet color. Quite herbal on the nose with hints of wet grass and hay. Dark blackberry, plum and a bit of raisin on the palate. Full bodied, opaque with a warm, silky finish.
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Rolling the tape back to some old notes that suggest past its prime this wine is drinking very nicely after hour one looking forward to another glass soon. I would give this a 45 minute decant. Cheers!
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Drank two consistent bottles. An hour decant for each. Ripe red fruits (but not overly so), kirsch, anise, and oak. Big mouthfeel and a 50-second finish. I've been back and forth whether this wine was too ripe, but I've now settled on the conclusion that it's not. Good to drink now.
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Medium, clear burgundy color. Herbal notes on the nose. Some fruit on the palate but mostly expressed green vegetal notes. I did not let this breathe long enough but the next day all the fruit was gone and only some bitter notes remained. Need to drink up.
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Decanted for an hour. Nose of anise, blueberries, and graphite. Cassis, anise, and pencil shavings. 35-second finish. Very nice wine with several years ahead of it.
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Spire Collection Tasting at Wine on the Way (Wine on the Way): A nose completely dominated by green bell pepper. Additional notes of a smokey meat, and some Rutherford dust on the finish (although this is not valley floor). Obviously, a wine that is very decisive (WA 95, WS 78). Hard to get past the strong green bell pepper.
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A bit of a disappointment, relative both to reviews and other vintages of this bottling. Expressive, inviting nose of blue fruit and graphite (think St. Julien). On the palate, however, the wine was quite acidic as well as vegetal. The Cab Franc is a substantial minority of the assemblage, yet seemed to dominate. After a multi-hour decant and more hours in the glass, the wine never rounded out for me. I can't imagine this would be cured by more bottle age, so perhaps it was an off bottle, despite ideal storage since release and no external evidence of flaws. A mystery, for now...
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last two bottles and sad about that. Both resonated well with entire family. well balanced, nuanced tobacco and cedar with enough dark red fruit layers to remind one of all that this winery is capable of.
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This needs 3 hours of air to fully open and reveal its potential. Color is between ruby and garnet. Mushroom on the nose upon opening, evolving to more floral notes after time. Green and hot upon opening. Vegetal flavors on the palate. With time this softens and opens to reveal what I expect from Sycamore...light bright red fruit. This has softened nicely with age. The tannins are well integrated, the wine is balanced with a long, lingering finish.
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Not really loving this right now (or ever?). Quite vegetal, with some heat -- a pretty bad combination. Evens out a little over time. To be fair, this was a pop and pour (over several hours) with no decant. Could use a decant. Try again (last bottle) with that, or in 3+ years, hoping its rounded out by then.....
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Not sure why I only gave this wine a 94. Could easily have been a 95+!
This is a full, rich, dark and very luscious cab with a nice long finish. Overall very polished without any rough edges whatsoever. Inherently sweet though not at all syrupy. Deep dark rich fruit-blackberry, hint of licorice and notes of dark chocolate. Not earthy at all.
This bottle started out very nice and as the evening progressed it opened into a magnificent treat that will be on my list to acquire more.
This wine is in peak drinking form. If it is in your cellar, this is a good time to start enjoying it. Don't see how it is going to get much better. All the pieces are there in just the right proportion.
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Too much sweet fruit on the nose for my tastes, I expected more purity of fruit to shine. However, mouthfeel is velvety smooth. Lots of raspberry, and maybe some blueberry, with traces of sandalwood, and (I agree!) maple syrup essence. Very easy acids on finish. I suggest drinking up.
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Earthy for a CA cab. Coffee and dark fruit tones. Agreed with earlier post about vanilla and graphite. Liked it a lot, more restrained than most of it's peers. drink soon.
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Still dark ruby color; nose of blueberry and blackberry, hints of strawberry, vanilla, graphite, slight floral notes; flavors of dark fruit, then some mushroom/earth, creamy, hints of toasty oak (my wife tasted some slight maple even), soft tannins, nice integration; mid-palate, medium finish; a wonderful cab, drinking great right now, enjoy!
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This wine was spectacular. I had this at the Capitol Grille in Boston, MA. A beautiful bouquet of rose petals, and subtle fruit. I didn't decant this bottle and right out of the gate the wine was wonderful. Toasted vanilla and gentle oka notes. There wasn't an over abundence of fruit which was nice. Overall this was was a gem.
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A bit of cork taint, too bad because even through that I could taste the mint and lush fruit of this wine which would otherwise have been stunning and perfect for drinking here early in 2010.
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12/29/2023 - Carson.McEvoy Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine stood out with its youthful character. The aroma revealed ripe raspberries and strawberries. It boasted a well-balanced structure, with pronounced notes of spice and tobacco on the palate, yet maintaining a delightful fruit-forward profile. No complaints; it was thoroughly enjoyable.
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3/21/2023 - GTFreek wrote:
Blended with Cab Franc and Merlot. Fascinating nose, fresher than you would think, but unique notes of balsamic, dried spice, bruised plum, fresh violets. Palate is gorgeous, fuller than expected for the age, still mostly primary fruits but with development happening as well, fresh tobacco, old cedar, structure also showing younger than you would think. Fabulous stuff overall, and clearly could age for quite a bit longer.
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8/29/2020 - Vandy1983 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Enjoyed this wine with a great piece of beef. On the nose were hints of black fruit with some spice on the palate. The tannins were soft and the remaining acidity was sufficient for a nice round taste.
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4/8/2017 - wconnolly wrote: 90 Points
Deep garnet color. Quite herbal on the nose with hints of wet grass and hay. Dark blackberry, plum and a bit of raisin on the palate. Full bodied, opaque with a warm, silky finish.
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1/20/2017 - Trooper JR wrote: 92 Points
Rolling the tape back to some old notes that suggest past its prime this wine is drinking very nicely after hour one looking forward to another glass soon. I would give this a 45 minute decant. Cheers!
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1/15/2017 - nm10 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank two consistent bottles. An hour decant for each. Ripe red fruits (but not overly so), kirsch, anise, and oak. Big mouthfeel and a 50-second finish. I've been back and forth whether this wine was too ripe, but I've now settled on the conclusion that it's not. Good to drink now.
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1/7/2017 - Sabluebond Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very soft. A little sweet. Lovely.
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9/11/2016 - nm10 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice wine. Ripe fruits and long finish.
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7/31/2016 - nm10 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not as impressive as the first two. More ripe than I remember. Needs a minimum 90 minute decant. Still a very nice wine.
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7/1/2016 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium, clear burgundy color. Herbal notes on the nose. Some fruit on the palate but mostly expressed green vegetal notes. I did not let this breathe long enough but the next day all the fruit was gone and only some bitter notes remained. Need to drink up.
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6/4/2016 - nm10 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Seemingly even more expressive than last time with a two hour decant. Rich, ripe Napa cab, but never seemed to be over the top.
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5/6/2016 - nm10 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for an hour. Nose of anise, blueberries, and graphite. Cassis, anise, and pencil shavings. 35-second finish. Very nice wine with several years ahead of it.
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4/14/2016 - dontime wrote: 90 Points
Spire Collection Tasting at Wine on the Way (Wine on the Way): A nose completely dominated by green bell pepper. Additional notes of a smokey meat, and some Rutherford dust on the finish (although this is not valley floor). Obviously, a wine that is very decisive (WA 95, WS 78). Hard to get past the strong green bell pepper.
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1/27/2016 - JonnyG wrote: 90 Points
A bit of a disappointment, relative both to reviews and other vintages of this bottling. Expressive, inviting nose of blue fruit and graphite (think St. Julien). On the palate, however, the wine was quite acidic as well as vegetal. The Cab Franc is a substantial minority of the assemblage, yet seemed to dominate. After a multi-hour decant and more hours in the glass, the wine never rounded out for me. I can't imagine this would be cured by more bottle age, so perhaps it was an off bottle, despite ideal storage since release and no external evidence of flaws. A mystery, for now...
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11/26/2015 - Ajnate wrote:
last two bottles and sad about that. Both resonated well with entire family. well balanced, nuanced tobacco and cedar with enough dark red fruit layers to remind one of all that this winery is capable of.
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5/16/2015 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
This needs 3 hours of air to fully open and reveal its potential. Color is between ruby and garnet. Mushroom on the nose upon opening, evolving to more floral notes after time. Green and hot upon opening. Vegetal flavors on the palate. With time this softens and opens to reveal what I expect from Sycamore...light bright red fruit. This has softened nicely with age. The tannins are well integrated, the wine is balanced with a long, lingering finish.
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12/14/2014 - Winokdub wrote: 92 Points
Great wine. Dark and rich. Lots of layers of fruit. Nice finish.
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7/3/2014 - Sycamore wrote:
Not really loving this right now (or ever?). Quite vegetal, with some heat -- a pretty bad combination. Evens out a little over time. To be fair, this was a pop and pour (over several hours) with no decant. Could use a decant. Try again (last bottle) with that, or in 3+ years, hoping its rounded out by then.....
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6/12/2014 - CieloVista wrote: 88 Points
Dark ruby red with aromas of plums and blueberries. A little past its prime.
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11/3/2012 - afu wrote: 94 Points
Not sure why I only gave this wine a 94. Could easily have been a 95+!
This is a full, rich, dark and very luscious cab with a nice long finish. Overall very polished without any rough edges whatsoever. Inherently sweet though not at all syrupy. Deep dark rich fruit-blackberry, hint of licorice and notes of dark chocolate. Not earthy at all.
This bottle started out very nice and as the evening progressed it opened into a magnificent treat that will be on my list to acquire more.
This wine is in peak drinking form. If it is in your cellar, this is a good time to start enjoying it. Don't see how it is going to get much better. All the pieces are there in just the right proportion.
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2/15/2012 - JasonG wrote: 90 Points
Too much sweet fruit on the nose for my tastes, I expected more purity of fruit to shine. However, mouthfeel is velvety smooth. Lots of raspberry, and maybe some blueberry, with traces of sandalwood, and (I agree!) maple syrup essence. Very easy acids on finish. I suggest drinking up.
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1/15/2012 - Mark Brandon wrote: 92 Points
Earthy for a CA cab. Coffee and dark fruit tones. Agreed with earlier post about vanilla and graphite. Liked it a lot, more restrained than most of it's peers. drink soon.
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12/26/2011 - Cray316 wrote: 92 Points
No formal notes - great wine... drink now or very soon.
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1/22/2011 - mdkraft99 wrote: 93 Points
Still dark ruby color; nose of blueberry and blackberry, hints of strawberry, vanilla, graphite, slight floral notes; flavors of dark fruit, then some mushroom/earth, creamy, hints of toasty oak (my wife tasted some slight maple even), soft tannins, nice integration; mid-palate, medium finish; a wonderful cab, drinking great right now, enjoy!
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7/4/2010 - rcdyer wrote: 93 Points
Right time to drink this.
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5/8/2010 - VinoTheory wrote: 93 Points
This wine was spectacular. I had this at the Capitol Grille in Boston, MA. A beautiful bouquet of rose petals, and subtle fruit. I didn't decant this bottle and right out of the gate the wine was wonderful. Toasted vanilla and gentle oka notes. There wasn't an over abundence of fruit which was nice. Overall this was was a gem.
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2/17/2010 - DadsWine wrote: flawed
A bit of cork taint, too bad because even through that I could taste the mint and lush fruit of this wine which would otherwise have been stunning and perfect for drinking here early in 2010.
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2/10/2010 - Spider2afly wrote: 90 Points
Lots of fruit and enough tannins to fill it out.
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9/22/2009 - bigdogflow wrote: 90 Points
Recommended by restaurant manager. Solid wine, good balance.
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2/13/2009 - davemetz1117 wrote: 86 Points
a little upsetting. I had high hopes for this wine. Probably the most disappointing of the night.
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