Dark Red, black berries aromas and at taste. Round and long finishing. It pairs well with strong taste food, like blue and gorgonzola cheese and Steak au Poivre.
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Didn't like this at all. Felt the alcohol burn on the back of the throat and flavors were astringent. 2018 showed much better a few weeks ago. Maybe it needs time?
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I am a fan of Beau Vigne and cult in particular. This one needs a bit more time in the bottle, but not too much. There is a lot of ripe fruit on the nose and palate that interferes with the complexity. And while the tannins are not that strong I thinkg it would definitely improve with 2 more years in the bottle.. so maybe 2025.
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Nice bouquet on this from the get go, but there’s plenty of oak notable at the start, as well. Ninety minutes of air helps a bit, allowing the plush black fruit and hints of licorice to unfurl some more, at which point the oak feels less obtrusive. I’d give this another 2-3 years in the cellar, which should help it come into better balance.
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A nose of dark fruits and spices, purple in color. A medium to full bodied red, with blackberry, plum, some chocolate and spice on long finish, a good QPR. www.winelx.com
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This is a review of the Cult wine labeled 11th anniversary. The label seems to be going down a confusing path where they have partially separated off the Cult label, online, and are producing two versions of that wine, one with a paper label and the other with gold lettering that includes the title 11th anniversary. According to my communication with Beau Vigne, the latter is a barrel selection. The cheaper version seems to be what is available at Costco and online retailers. This is a perfectly quaffable crowd pleaser with bright black and red fruit, good acidity. Nicely balanced, no hard edges. I happily drink this during the week when I’m looking for something easy going, or serving to casual wine drinkers ( or gift to my adult children). Worth the $50 sale price, but not the $150 retail
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Fruit was overwhelming to the point of being unpleasant despite decanting for 30-45 mins. Aromatics we’re also subdued because of this. Acidity was also totally subdued by the fruit. I had to put the bottle away. I tried it again after 24 hrs and it was *much* better. The fruit had receded, acidity pleasant and aromas were noticeably more. Overall, balance was significantly better the next day.
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Agree with others that this is a nice midweek wine. Good structure and rather more intense “berry” than I’d expect from a Cab. Not bad but a bit fruit-forward. Still, nice structure — has some depth to it. Feels like this will age well.
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Starting with the obvious - How does a wine historically priced at over $100 show up at my local Costco with a $30 price tag? After a quick search tapping into the usual online resources I snatched up a case on the spot. Several retailers are offering the 2019 Beau Vigne Cult for a "sale price" of $45-$50. Additional homework after the fact (succinct version) tells me that the original proprietors of Beau Vigne had to sell sometime in 2018 as part of a divorce settlement. New ownership is doing something with the brand and the vineyards, and likely moving inventory at compelling prices to recoup some of their acquisition expenses. More details can be found online with some easy searching.
About the wine itself - suffice it to say that this 2019 version of Beau Vigne Cult is probably NOT of the same caliber as previous vintages. That said, after about 90 minutes in the decanter it was quite decent. It was actually the favorite wine of the evening for my guests (I also served a non-classified 2009 bordeaux that drank very well) - they raved about this one. Highlights for them were the big fruit-bomb nose and the blackberry pie palate. If I had payed full price for these I'd probably give them time to rest in the cellar to sort themselves out (and maybe feel some disappointment due to the high price point). However, at the Costco price of $30 they belong in cellars everywhere and I will open them with abandon whenever I am entertaining. Please decant - it has some issues out of the gate that settled down with air time.
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As noted by others, this version of Cult is not as big as prior versions with more balance and cool glassy tones on the palate. At this early stage, the tannins are a bit chewy and show up on the finish. Was showing best on the 2nd day. Secondary flavors are subtle at this stage and best IMO as a food wine.
Softer floral aromas for Beau Vigne. Different than other versions and vintages. Dark garnet in the glass. Acidity is softer and integrated along with the tannins. Subtle Bing cherry in the glass. Tannins are smooth and refined. Finishes medium. A little heart on the back end.
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Recently discovered that this label has undergone a transition from mostly estate grown fruit to purchased grapes from Atlas Peak, Oakville, and Rutherford. It is a less expensive wine than its predecessors which came in a bottle with gold etched lettering ( now referred to as Anniversary). The new wine has a black paper label. It is made by Julian Fayard. I am therefore modifying my earlier review.
The new Cult is very tasty and more approachable young. It is still very much in the Beau Vigne style. Unclear as to the retail price, but I paid $50, have heard others as low as the mid thirties. Rich blue and black fruits, layered with spice and cedar and a terrific long finish that lingers.
It is a delicious modern California cab, and received a rave review by Dunnuck. It is a solid QPR, for under $50
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This was enjoyable, but there were some pretty disappointing aspects even for the $30 Costco price, let alone the wildly variable "normal" price which seems to range from $50 to $150 (??!) Like others have said, not sure what's going on there. Take this note with a small grain of salt as I'm coming down from Covid and my smell isn't quite at 100%- but it's close. I can smell stuff normally, just a touch muted.
Anyway, this was tough to rate; started off really lovely, very easily worth the $30 and resembling a solid $50 Napa with the rich black cherry, cedary mocha oak notes, good structure and acidity, etc- but then it quickly took several turns for the worse. The entire thing seemed to clam up within 10 mins of opening and even after a long decant, or waiting for day 2, it simply refused to show anything at all on the nose or palate anymore except for the faintest black cherry suggestion left over. Not exaggerating - a really sudden and dramatic change from a complete, delicious Napa cab to something almost blank, certainly not "bad" but not engaging at all. What's more is that the alcohol here really pokes out- not afraid of high ABV wines, I enjoy Mollydooker sometimes, but it's just not well-integrated here. Feels notably hot and a bit sharp on the finish.
Giving it an okay score, at least for $30, as it was tasty enough, even with the super shy character. I liked that it showed good fruit without green tones, showed solid acidity and powerful tannins that were only occasionally chalky. The heat was a bit much, yes, but at least it wasn't astringent. Doesn't seem like a jammy fruit bomb 15%, more of a weird situation where the alcohol kept rising but without the full fruit to match. I'm sure I'd get a little more out of it once I'm back to 100% smell. But yeah, not my fave cab for $30, and I'd be pissed if I bought this for the listed price on the winery website. If one considers that, I'm massively overrating this.
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Just saw this at Costco for $30. I paid $50 for mine a few months ago when it was supposedly a $99 wine. No idea what's going on, but we tried it last night. Uncorked four hours in advance (no help) but not decanted. Initially dark maroon color, med-full bodied, more cassis and plum than the black cherry typical of Napa, some cedar, whiff of V.A., baby fat. Into the second hour the wine firms up, the VA gets replaced bymint and cocoa and newly revealed tannins improve the finish. Performs well above the $30 price tag, if ballbuster CalCab's your jam.
Decanted, aerated, and drunk over 3 hours. Uniform dark ruby color. No sediment. Fragrant floral nose. Medium-bodied and moderately complex with dark fruit, plum, oak, and other tasty notes. Medium-length finish. Refreshing, a term I’ve never used before to describe a cabernet sauvignon. Blindfolded, this $30 (at Costco) wine could easily hold its own against wines costing much more. Very nice and a great value. Still young, it might be even better with bottle age.
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Drinking this outside in the last 40 minutes of daylight and it’s very pretty. The nose is very expensive and inviting with cocoa dusted sweet fruit and wildflowers in a cedar box. The palate is medium bodied+ with the fruit gaining richness on the finish with a solid underpinning of firm yet plush tannins. The fruit profile is plum, currant and black cherry. A half hour of airtime has done wonders and added a point, so do decant if possible.
A good wine that l would say is slightly better than the 2018 ‘paper label’ Cult Cab and better than many mid-tier red’s on the market. A nice midweek wine that shows a bit of a darker berry profile than the 2018 vintage. Black and blueberry fruit, currants and plums. A medium to full body wine that should benefit from cellaring. I gave the 2018 vintage 92 points and I feel perhaps I was a bit generous (More like 90+ point wine). This vintage, 91 Points.
Grabbed a bottle of this at my local Costco. Delicious wine. Intense cassis and dark berries and medium acidity. Long finish. Really enjoyable wine and opened up quite a bit after sitting in the glass for 15 minutes. Reminded me of a more structured/refined Caymus.
Opened this up same day it arrived. Not sure if that effected things but upon opening there was an overpowering brown sugar/molasses aroma and flavor. Really ripe fruits, peppery, leather, jam, fig, tobacco molasses. Definetly had to let this sit for 30 min minimum. Wondering if the fruit overpowering would calm down over time. Going to wait to open the next one for a few years i think.
5/25/2024 - mannymo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Enjoyable. Beautiful color. Great nose. Just a really nice balanced wine. For me, why I drink wine.
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5/13/2024 - libero wrote: 93 Points
Dark Red, black berries aromas and at taste. Round and long finishing. It pairs well with strong taste food, like blue and gorgonzola cheese and Steak au Poivre.
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1/11/2024 - Nanda’s Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very nice wine
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1/3/2024 - libero wrote: 93 Points
Dark Red, clear, red and black berries aromas and taste. Round and long finishing. Delicious with peppery food
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10/24/2023 - Snowey wrote:
Didn't like this at all. Felt the alcohol burn on the back of the throat and flavors were astringent. 2018 showed much better a few weeks ago. Maybe it needs time?
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10/16/2023 - hsunch@yahoo.com wrote: 91 Points
Very good wine.
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10/11/2023 - garlicgrapes Does not like this wine:
This wine has an insane amount of oak on it, I found it to be undrinkable at this point in time.
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9/28/2023 - kvswine Likes this wine: 90 Points
I am a fan of Beau Vigne and cult in particular. This one needs a bit more time in the bottle, but not too much. There is a lot of ripe fruit on the nose and palate that interferes with the complexity. And while the tannins are not that strong I thinkg it would definitely improve with 2 more years in the bottle.. so maybe 2025.
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6/15/2023 - EMTAME wrote: 90 Points
Nice bouquet on this from the get go, but there’s plenty of oak notable at the start, as well. Ninety minutes of air helps a bit, allowing the plush black fruit and hints of licorice to unfurl some more, at which point the oak feels less obtrusive. I’d give this another 2-3 years in the cellar, which should help it come into better balance.
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6/13/2023 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nose of dark fruits and spices, purple in color. A medium to full bodied red, with blackberry, plum, some chocolate and spice on long finish, a good QPR. www.winelx.com
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6/7/2023 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a review of the Cult wine labeled 11th anniversary. The label seems to be going down a confusing path where they have partially separated off the Cult label, online, and are producing two versions of that wine, one with a paper label and the other with gold lettering that includes the title 11th anniversary. According to my communication with Beau Vigne, the latter is a barrel selection. The cheaper version seems to be what is available at Costco and online retailers.
This is a perfectly quaffable crowd pleaser with bright black and red fruit, good acidity. Nicely balanced, no hard edges.
I happily drink this during the week when I’m looking for something easy going, or serving to casual wine drinkers ( or gift to my adult children).
Worth the $50 sale price, but not the $150 retail
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5/19/2023 - EshwarS Likes this wine:
Fruit was overwhelming to the point of being unpleasant despite decanting for 30-45 mins. Aromatics we’re also subdued because of this. Acidity was also totally subdued by the fruit. I had to put the bottle away. I tried it again after 24 hrs and it was *much* better. The fruit had receded, acidity pleasant and aromas were noticeably more. Overall, balance was significantly better the next day.
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4/8/2023 - MK9786 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nothing spectacular, but then you realize you've polished off the bottle. Obviously enjoyable.
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2/25/2023 - WhiteBuffalo wrote:
...
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12/12/2022 - JeffShuck Likes this wine: 91 Points
Agree with others that this is a nice midweek wine. Good structure and rather more intense “berry” than I’d expect from a Cab. Not bad but a bit fruit-forward. Still, nice structure — has some depth to it. Feels like this will age well.
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11/24/2022 - DrinkWineSaveWater Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tremendous value from Costco pricing.
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10/25/2022 - BuckeyeBenS Likes this wine: 90 Points
Starting with the obvious - How does a wine historically priced at over $100 show up at my local Costco with a $30 price tag? After a quick search tapping into the usual online resources I snatched up a case on the spot. Several retailers are offering the 2019 Beau Vigne Cult for a "sale price" of $45-$50. Additional homework after the fact (succinct version) tells me that the original proprietors of Beau Vigne had to sell sometime in 2018 as part of a divorce settlement. New ownership is doing something with the brand and the vineyards, and likely moving inventory at compelling prices to recoup some of their acquisition expenses. More details can be found online with some easy searching.
About the wine itself - suffice it to say that this 2019 version of Beau Vigne Cult is probably NOT of the same caliber as previous vintages. That said, after about 90 minutes in the decanter it was quite decent. It was actually the favorite wine of the evening for my guests (I also served a non-classified 2009 bordeaux that drank very well) - they raved about this one. Highlights for them were the big fruit-bomb nose and the blackberry pie palate. If I had payed full price for these I'd probably give them time to rest in the cellar to sort themselves out (and maybe feel some disappointment due to the high price point). However, at the Costco price of $30 they belong in cellars everywhere and I will open them with abandon whenever I am entertaining. Please decant - it has some issues out of the gate that settled down with air time.
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8/6/2022 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
As noted by others, this version of Cult is not as big as prior versions with more balance and cool glassy tones on the palate. At this early stage, the tannins are a bit chewy and show up on the finish. Was showing best on the 2nd day. Secondary flavors are subtle at this stage and best IMO as a food wine.
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8/5/2022 - Tym4wine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Softer floral aromas for Beau Vigne. Different than other versions and vintages. Dark garnet in the glass. Acidity is softer and integrated along with the tannins. Subtle Bing cherry in the glass. Tannins are smooth and refined. Finishes medium. A little heart on the back end.
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8/3/2022 - DrinkWineSaveWater wrote: 91 Points
Great value (from Costco US).
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7/23/2022 - Quarked wrote: 89 Points
A bit of an oak monster the first night, though the oak receded quite a bit after a couple hours. The second night this was more balanced.
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7/12/2022 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much like the last bottle, but I would say it is slowing slightly better? A decent wine and still about a 91 Points.
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7/3/2022 - Acesnead wrote: 86 Points
Really needs to age.
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6/19/2022 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 93 Points
Recently discovered that this label has undergone a transition from mostly estate grown fruit to purchased grapes from Atlas Peak, Oakville, and Rutherford. It is a less expensive wine than its predecessors which came in a bottle with gold etched lettering ( now referred to as Anniversary). The new wine has a black paper label. It is made by Julian Fayard. I am therefore modifying my earlier review.
The new Cult is very tasty and more approachable young. It is still very much in the Beau Vigne style. Unclear as to the retail price, but I paid $50, have heard others as low as the mid thirties. Rich blue and black fruits, layered with spice and cedar and a terrific long finish that lingers.
It is a delicious modern California cab, and received a rave review by Dunnuck. It is a solid QPR, for under $50
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6/11/2022 - jcbrand Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good structure, fruit and acidity. Going revisit in a year to see how it integrates in bottle.
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5/20/2022 - timdavis130 wrote: 88 Points
Jammy and black fruity.
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5/17/2022 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was enjoyable, but there were some pretty disappointing aspects even for the $30 Costco price, let alone the wildly variable "normal" price which seems to range from $50 to $150 (??!) Like others have said, not sure what's going on there. Take this note with a small grain of salt as I'm coming down from Covid and my smell isn't quite at 100%- but it's close. I can smell stuff normally, just a touch muted.
Anyway, this was tough to rate; started off really lovely, very easily worth the $30 and resembling a solid $50 Napa with the rich black cherry, cedary mocha oak notes, good structure and acidity, etc- but then it quickly took several turns for the worse. The entire thing seemed to clam up within 10 mins of opening and even after a long decant, or waiting for day 2, it simply refused to show anything at all on the nose or palate anymore except for the faintest black cherry suggestion left over. Not exaggerating - a really sudden and dramatic change from a complete, delicious Napa cab to something almost blank, certainly not "bad" but not engaging at all. What's more is that the alcohol here really pokes out- not afraid of high ABV wines, I enjoy Mollydooker sometimes, but it's just not well-integrated here. Feels notably hot and a bit sharp on the finish.
Giving it an okay score, at least for $30, as it was tasty enough, even with the super shy character. I liked that it showed good fruit without green tones, showed solid acidity and powerful tannins that were only occasionally chalky. The heat was a bit much, yes, but at least it wasn't astringent. Doesn't seem like a jammy fruit bomb 15%, more of a weird situation where the alcohol kept rising but without the full fruit to match. I'm sure I'd get a little more out of it once I'm back to 100% smell. But yeah, not my fave cab for $30, and I'd be pissed if I bought this for the listed price on the winery website. If one considers that, I'm massively overrating this.
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5/14/2022 - Neecies wrote:
Just saw this at Costco for $30. I paid $50 for mine a few months ago when it was supposedly a $99 wine. No idea what's going on, but we tried it last night. Uncorked four hours in advance (no help) but not decanted. Initially dark maroon color, med-full bodied, more cassis and plum than the black cherry typical of Napa, some cedar, whiff of V.A., baby fat. Into the second hour the wine firms up, the VA gets replaced bymint and cocoa and newly revealed tannins improve the finish. Performs well above the $30 price tag, if ballbuster CalCab's your jam.
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5/8/2022 - WineDr. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted, aerated, and drunk over 3 hours. Uniform dark ruby color. No sediment. Fragrant floral nose. Medium-bodied and moderately complex with dark fruit, plum, oak, and other tasty notes. Medium-length finish. Refreshing, a term I’ve never used before to describe a cabernet sauvignon. Blindfolded, this $30 (at Costco) wine could easily hold its own against wines costing much more. Very nice and a great value. Still young, it might be even better with bottle age.
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5/7/2022 - Icemn21 wrote: 90 Points
Fruity, bold, not terribly complex. Good wine, but not great at the price point - $30 at Costco
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4/24/2022 - Drankthewholebottle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking this outside in the last 40 minutes of daylight and it’s very pretty. The nose is very expensive and inviting with cocoa dusted sweet fruit and wildflowers in a cedar box. The palate is medium bodied+ with the fruit gaining richness on the finish with a solid underpinning of firm yet plush tannins. The fruit profile is plum, currant and black cherry. A half hour of airtime has done wonders and added a point, so do decant if possible.
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4/9/2022 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 91 Points
A good wine that l would say is slightly better than the 2018 ‘paper label’ Cult Cab and better than many mid-tier red’s on the market. A nice midweek wine that shows a bit of a darker berry profile than the 2018 vintage. Black and blueberry fruit, currants and plums. A medium to full body wine that should benefit from cellaring. I gave the 2018 vintage 92 points and I feel perhaps I was a bit generous (More like 90+ point wine). This vintage, 91 Points.
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3/14/2022 - frsilvajr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Grabbed a bottle of this at my local Costco. Delicious wine. Intense cassis and dark berries and medium acidity. Long finish. Really enjoyable wine and opened up quite a bit after sitting in the glass for 15 minutes. Reminded me of a more structured/refined Caymus.
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3/12/2022 - Tym4wine wrote: 89 Points
Nice aromatics. Grippy tannins. Dark fruit flavors. Muted acidity. Nice wine.
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2/26/2022 - Ohbarolo wrote: 86 Points
Opened this up same day it arrived. Not sure if that effected things but upon opening there was an overpowering brown sugar/molasses aroma and flavor. Really ripe fruits, peppery, leather, jam, fig, tobacco molasses. Definetly had to let this sit for 30 min minimum. Wondering if the fruit overpowering would calm down over time. Going to wait to open the next one for a few years i think.
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