-- decanted 50 min. before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hours --
NOSE: a bit high-toned; noticeable oak; no funk or pencil shavings; mixture of ripe red/purple fruits; typical Cabernet Sauvignon blackberry aroma.
BODY: lots of sediment present; black-garnet color of great depth; slight bricking throughout; full bodied.
TASTE: plush; some very fine tannin; alcohol a little noticeable; very big; very ripe; hint of incense; medium-low acidity; age simply hasn't done much for this wine; Drink Now.
50, 5, 11, 15, 7 = 88
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A fairly dense and concentrated wine, but the tannins are now fully resolved. Rich dark fruit that is more open than before and is now well balanced. A bit monolithic, but still quite pleasurable. Needed a half hour of decanting and should hold for another 2-3 years in its sweet spot. Last of 4 bottles.
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Garnet edge with a deep red core. Ripe on the nose. Cassis, black fruit, with a touch of raisin/tobacco. Wonderful mouthfeel with balanced acidity. This baby unfolds on the finish. That’s what is is all about here. Dark chocolate, cherry liquer, and a touch of hot rocks/minerality. Drinking great now and will hold up for 5 or so more years before it’s starts a long steady decline.
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I've taken care to properly store this bottle for 10 years now. In this case, the effort has paid off. This wine has evolved nicely since the 8 years past I last tasted it. It's in fine balance, and the flavors are a couple dimensions past primary level-1. There's a great deal of length, fullness (without heaviness) and persistence to the wine. I'd say this would go up favorably against a lot of multi-hundred dollar bottles from the region. The cassis, sour-plum, dried meats, and dirt nose is evocative, and it all transfers to a transcendent palate. Loads of minerals and pepper popping in and out too. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing drinking this alone on a Tuesday night with plans for a turkey sandwich dinner pairing. This deserves company and great fanfare.
With Prime Rib on Christmas. A correct though not particularly distinct Napa Cab. Very good core of ripe plum fruit with toasty accents, along with cedar and herb notes. Chunky on the palate with plenty of good fruit and gritty tannin. Paired well with the meat. Should hold for several years, but don't see this getting much better.
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Major cork disintegration issue for me too. First night did not like as disjointed and seemed corked. Rating is for 2nd day where it blew off the musty smell and tannins melted into the complex wine. Very dark wine. Lots of cassis but the fruit is overshadowed by an earthy, tobacco, char driven set of secondary flavors. I liked it as it is so different from most of the current Napa wines. Long finish. Nose was OK but nothing special.
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Much better than the last bottle I tried back in 2012 or 2013. It was not in a good stage back then, but the extra 2-3 years seems to be bringing it along. It did not show a whiff of age or hot alcohol on finish, so would be safe to hold even longer I think. Decanting will improve, for sure. Good black fruit, some oak still lingering but not bombastic.
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Pretty disappointing. Not very aromatic, taste was somewhat off. Cork was in bad shape, disintegrated into hundreds of small pieces and finally had to push the remainder into the bottle. At first, we thought it might be spoiled, but that wasn't the case, it was just not very good. Got slightly better as the night went on, but not anywhere near our expectations. Since this was our first of this vintage, I'm not scoring this since it could be an off bottle, especially given the recent positive comments on CT.
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Still rocking. After 10 years tannins are finally integrating with the lush blackberry and currant. Cherry and plum round out the chocolate backbone. Good stuff. Enjoy.
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No visible signs of age. Decent nose - black fruits. Bright, racy fruit (black cherries) on the palate, along with a hint of smoke. Medium body, with an OK (not great) finish. Probably time to drink up.
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Opened about 30-45 minutes before tasting. No visual signs of age. Terrific nose - red and black fruit. Same on the palate. Fairly rich, with a nice finish. Tannins almost completely resolved. At or slightly past its peak.
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This bottle spent two hours in a bus and some more being dragged around the city on a hit day, so that may have knocked off a couple of points. Still excellent, though I find the vanilla flavor from the oak a little too prominent. Maybe could go another year or two, but the fruit is in a good place right now and the tannins very well integrated.
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A great bottle of wine for a reasonable price. Hard to believe that this is 10 years old. Still has a ton of energy and primary cab attributes. Tannins have mellowed and there is a ton of sweet red and blue fruits. I don't think that this will necessarily get better with time but should hold up for another 5 years or so. Wish I had more of this vintage.
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This is the 7th bottle of a case I have of this. I have not had a bottle in over a year and a half. I think this wine is maturing nicely, especially if folks like a mature Napa Cab. Clearly fruit driven with plenty of oak but there is a very soft tannin structure that helps an earthy and sweet finish. I tend to agree with Gary V that this wine will provide enjoyment for folks who like the style until 2017.
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Deep dark opaque purple. Nose initially has smokey bacon, black plum, blackberry jam, pepper and oaky vanilla. Not as tannic as I expected. Fat thick rich mouthfeel. Dark fruit, tar, bacon, blackberry jam, pencil lead, oak, vanilla, tobacco and chocolate take turns across your palate. This is not a wine of finesse. For me, this is too over extracted, but I can see why some would really like it. Not my favorite style however.
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Seems like it is still young. Dark, firm, deep fruit with charcoal and tobacco notes. Lots of structure that enhance the wine especially on day #2 where the fruits deepen and round out the wine. Fragrant nose and long finish. Tannins are a bit dusty and drying.
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A big wine that comes across as a bit monolithic and on the verge of overextracted, but keeps it under control and delivers the rich CA cab experience. Full bodied blackberry fruit with low plus acidity, and a little noticeable alcohol on the back end.
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The 2005 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District is a cab California can be proud of. This medium bodied wine more than delivers the balance and complexity of black fruits and oak cab lovers crave. Equally pleasing, are further notes of lilac, nutmeg, tobacco and earthiness, which remain on the palate through a lasting finish.
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Popped and Poured. Beautiful Cabernet which is aging gracefully. This may have lost a little of the fruit intensity of its' youth but still has plenty of dark fruits along with secondary elements of chocolate, tobacco and graphite. Excellent wine which is still drinking well.
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Good complexity with some resin aroma and sweet wood notes. Well balance and the tannins are fine but present and show in the finish with a bit of drying. Nice.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted a couple pours, non-blind, over a couple hours --
Dark garnet color of great depth, with some tawny at the edges. The Nose is expressive, showing luxurious blackberry and a hint of chocolate. Medium-full bodied on the palate; rich; a bit oaky; very fine tannin still here; adequate acidity; soft mouthfeel; probably wouldn’t age this more than 5 – 10 more years; this was better than this note probably makes it sound.
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No signs of age, visually or otherwise. HUGE nose - cassis and plums. Same notes on the palate. Fairly rich, with a very good finish. Sturdy tannins, although it only got about 45 minutes of air before we started drinking it. Very pleasant, but extremely one-dimensional. No minerals, forest floor, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, etc., just typical cabernet fruit. Holding up just fine.
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No bricking yet. Dark garnet. Pushing the edge of acceptable VA (which did not blow off). Vanilla. Ripe cassis and plum. Tannins absent. Could use more acidity. Drink up, not one to age.
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Color has lightened with slight bricking. Rose petal and red berries on nose. Cassis, blackberry flavor that shows some maturity. Cocoa on the long finish. Stands up well against the 06 in the reverse vertical. 04 tomorrow.
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What a nice surprise. So much better than a couple of years ago. Dark fruit on the nose. The taste is also of very sweet dark fruit with smooth tannins and a hint of lavender. Can not tell you how much this wine has improved. Tasted with 5 or 6 cabs a few years ago and was the least by far. Try it now. You will be very pleasantly surprised. Drinking beautifully
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Yikes, this was tasty. Popped and poured into a decanter. Inky red-black, still fine-grained tannins adding a remarkable tactile mouthfeel. This followed two very fine Syrahs, one from Santa Cruz (Big Basin Mandala 2004) and another from OZ (Clarendon Hills Liandra), both excellent, but this high-octane Cab blew us away. I last tried this a couple of years ago, and thought it needed a couple of years for the tannins to integrate and the oak to reveal the fruit. What a difference!
Very smooth with nice fruit and great nose. Not in your face at all. Drinking well now but could go another 4-8 years depending upon your preferences. Paired very well with a Filet Mignon.
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Pretty much same as last year. This goes very quickly. Pulled from cellar, opened and let stand an hour. Plenty of dark black fruit. I still find the oak under control. Moderate finish. Drinking well now.
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Deep, dark red. Very complex, complared to the jammy characteristic this wine had in my opinion several years ago. I enjoyed this over 2 days, and picked up different notes with almost every sip. Nicely balanced. Tannins still bold, but not harsh.
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Nice balance. Quite enjoyable with plenty of black fruit and plumb. Not very tannic but not flabby. I have slight issue with the value proposition. I think similar quality WA and CA Cabs can be found at lower price points.
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Quite disappointing, given my love for SLD cabs, the good early reviews on this wine, and my experiences with the '06. Despite fine storage, this wine looked older than other '05s in the glass. Nice nose, but the palate seemed marred by an overripe, prune/raisin note and significant heat on the back end. A recent bottle of the '09 showed a hint of these characteristics, but they're too much here in the '05.
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Decanted 60 minutes. Dark garnet in the glass with just a hint of transparency near the rim. Surpirisingly approachable for a 2005 NV cabernet. Nose of red fruits and tobacco. A prototype Stags Leap cab - a very juicy mouth with dark red fruit and polished tannins. Drink.
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Drank upon opening and very much enjoyed. Not flabby or sweet but everything working together to give my mouth a lovely Napa Cab experience. This wine is in a good place and, depending on your style, has some shelf life.
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- Garnet color with slow forming legs and aromas of cherry. It's in total harmony and has flavours of cherry and oak with a full body. Round texture with a long finish.
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Very nice solid SLD Cab. Opened for hour, let come to room temp out of the cellar, did not decant but poured out about 30 miin before we sat down to dinner. Nice black fruits mellow tannis. No heat. I didn't get too much oak like some reviewers. This is ready now. Didn't last long, folks were split between this and an 06 Kosta Brown Syrah.
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A bit corked, which resolved itself as much as it could after about 30 minutes. What was left was a mature wine with soft tannins and a full, thick body. I was disappointed in how fat and unfocused this wine had become. Sweet and syrupy, but still had nice depth and a good finish. I used to be very enthusiastic about this wine, but my enthusiasm had waned considerably. Drink these up if you own them.
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Delicious, and really takes you to the SLD; classic example. Drank from decanter over a ~two hr window. Was a little disjointed initially; big tannins, one-note cherry fruit, heavy cedar, and a weird vegetal note. Started to smooth out quickly, giving way to smoother tannins, complex red fruit, and creamy oak. Really sings after 1+ hr of air, and will probably benefit from a few more years of cellaring.
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Last time i had this wine was over three years ago, and i was impressed. we had this with thanksgiving, and i have to say i was underwhelmed. it's balanced and soft and the tannins are all integrated, but there's just nothing exciting to this wine. it's good, but would have expected much more given my initial impressions with the first bottle. lauren and i agreed with our assessment, but everyone else thought it was very good.
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Decanted. Aromatic. Currant, blueberry, chocolate and slight anise notes. Very soft in feel. Balanced. Gained depth and focus with air time. Beautiful. Some critiques will want more complexity and I suppose that's what would take this to a classic level.
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Double splash decanted. Medium purple. Dark fruit, cassis and hints of vanilla and leather in the nose. A full mouth without being over the top - red and dark fruits over nice acidity. Tannins are smooth and the wine was harmonious. Drink or hold.
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Decanted for three hours. Lovely. Smooth dark chocolate; very nicely integrated. On the chewier and simpler side of a good place. Perhaps the tannins need further softening for the fruit to create overtones? I'm giving the next one a couple-three years sideways.
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Bad cork, top was slightly pink and could see trails leading all the way down the side in two places. This is the second bad cork I've had on 05 Cliff Lede Cab - the first was a birthday gift to my wife from a co-worker - too bad, as we really like their wines. I have one more bottle of 2005 in the cellar, will probably pop that one soon to see if it's good.
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Decanted for an hour then rebottled and consumed over about 3 hours. Similar to previous TN. Just wanted to drink this wine again in its current state of development before laying down my remaining bottles for a few years. Great balance between youth and maturity. Still some primary ripe red and black fruits with nice secondary notes of chocolate, tobacco and some vanilla oak. Long finish with soft tannins. This is in a great place right now and exhibits a lush mouthfeel with great balance and complexity. This is one of my favorite '05 Napa cabs.
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Second bottle in the last year that there is too much oak. Early bottles showed a lot of oak too but it was more balanced. While good, I think the oak needs to settle down and hopefully the fruit will come out to play again.
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This was shockingly good and a textbook example of a Napa cabernet. Nose of dark berries, cassis, herbs and earth. Ripe, dense fruits on the palate with a firm structure that balances perfectly with the big fruit. Layered, deep flavors match the medium to fully body with a textured, rich, but also elegant mouthfeel. Long, fruity, complex finish. This is a great example of a young, full throttle cab.
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Very mature for a 6 yr. old CA cab. Showing a little bit of age around the rim and throwing some sediment. A little vegetal and healthy earth aroma. Gritty yet vibrant tannin complimented with dried, dark fruit. Finish was long and lingering. I would have guessed it was older.
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A year after the last bottle, I thought it was time to revisit this one. Alcohol was still there along with the oak; drank over two hours; notes were very consistent with last bottle. Sorry I didn't buy more.
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Beautiful nose of olive tapenade, plums and scorched earth. Good mouth feel--coats the entire palate with a silky, diffuse texture; along with some bracing acidity on the back end. Quite Bordeaux-like--you can feel and taste the secondary characteristics of the terroir, but without any of the barn :). However I think this has hit its drinking window--it's ready to go!
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Another seemingly over the hill, young cab. Had some promise on the nose with a lot of earth elements in place of the standard Napa fruit bomb....but the palate left you wishing for the fruit bomb. Short finish, hallow mid palate. Flavors hinted at being decent enough, but it just could not raise itself to where it needed to be. Some oaky buttery thing on the finish.
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Fairly opaque purple color, oak and rubber on the nose, nice fruit, pencil fairly tannic, decent mouth feel and finish. Very nice, I wonder if this may improve over next few years.
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Minneapolis Wine Club: Napa Cabernet: A wine with great concentration. Cherry, oak, dust and vanilla on the nose. On the palate sweet fruits, coffee, dust, cherry and vanilla. Medium to long finish and plenty of tannins. Should age 10 plus years.
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Minneapolis Wine Club Does Cali Cabs (Gail's House): Dark red purple. Nose shows sweet black fruits, earth, and cedar. Lovely on the palate with nicely balanced oak, fruit, and sweetish tannins. Medium plus finish. (Far superior to the 2007) 91+ to 92pts.
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Last had this about 2 years ago and it certainly seems to be moving in the right direction. Decanted for about an hour and rebottled. Wonderfully aromatic nose of cassis, leather and spice. Rich and creamy mouthfeel with a great attack of red and black fruits. Lots of blackcurrant and blueberry with some toasted oak. Secondary flavors of clove and dark chocolate emerge as the wine evolves. The finish is 45+ seconds with smooth tannins. This is very well balanced. I didn't pick up the heat others have commented on. This seems to be on the threshold of maturity. It still has a lot of the blazing fruit of it's youth but is developing secondary flavors and additonal complexity. Should be fantastic in a couple of years and drink well for a long time but drink sooner if you prefer the younger, full-throttle style of cabernet.
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The nose showed, black currants, confectioners sugar, spice and a hint of green pepper. On the full bodied palate, I found sweet raspberry jam and cola, which turned to sour cherry with an herbal quality. The finish showed dark red fruits which turned slightly sour as it faded away.
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Drank the Cliff Lede and Hess Collection with the Skelton's and Gunther. The Cliff Lede was a classic Stags Leap District wine - Earthy flavors combined with oak and dark fruit. This wine was drinking really well with the ability to age longer. The Hess Collection needed time to unwind and even then had a poor upfront flavor. This is definately NOT the wine it was two to three years ago. Color and body held up but it was not enjoyable.
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Popped and poured, decanted and drank over three hours. Delicious to taste and smell, with everything I look for in a nice Napa Cab - black currant, integrated creamy oak, nice mouthfeel, and a mouthwatering acidity. Very high delicious factor, but you *really* feel the 14.8% alcohol for some reason - this is hot. That takes it down from an amazing wine to a merely very good wine, but I'll take it.
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Great depth and structure with loads of black currant and dark berry flavors. Firm and rich with interlocked flavors. The finish has great length with tannins that indicate potential for longer shelf life. Drink from 2010 to 2018.
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This was a really unexpected surprise! My wife and I drank our glasses separately, but had the same response!!! This was really great stuff. Big fruit, balanced, fine stag's leap tannins, smoooooth and wonderful. Left me with a long chocolatey finish. Got to find some more.
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Big wine. Less oak and more fruit than I expected. Great mouth feel with finish that goes on for at least thirty seconds. Tannins are very soft - this is ready to drink now for sure. Paired with Colorado rack of lamb with mint/basil pesto and it worked beautifully.
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Drank Robert's bottle, this remains a great stags leap cab. I love the fruit, very well balanced. Every bottle I have had has been great! We were at a wine tasting and this was the #2 cab. A Quilceda Palangat cab was #1, Joseph Phelps cab (which I really like) was #3 and an 03Merryvale Profile was a dissapointing 4th-wasn't good?
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Easter Sunday Dinner started with 05 Sobon Estate Zin, followed by 05 Cliff Lede Cab then 04 JP - Bacus. The Zin was a nice start lighter in body, good fruit went down very easy. The wine has held up well and good for another year or so. The Cliff Lede was served just before and during dinner. A bigger wine, nice color, full body cab. Many nice flavors from start to finish. The Backus durring and after dinner. Slightly bigger than the Cliff Lede wine, drinking very well able to age another two to four years with ease. The last two wines were equally enjoyable but I say the backus the ability to age longer.
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Lots of alcohol and moderate oak on the nose upon opening; started to open up after 1 hour of decanting, really started to sing after two hours; aromas of raisin and cherries; flavors of strawberries, cocoa, roasted coffee beans and hint of leather; medium to full body; finish last upwards of a whole minute; really enjoyed this wine
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Nose of red berries with oak and leather. Well balanced with flavors of cassis, leather, and red berries. Still plenty of tannins but not overpowering. This wine is drinking significantly better than six months ago.
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Minneapolis Wine Club 1/30/10: Nose: Very dark fruit and an almost raisony quality that blew off with air. Palate: The dark fruit shows with cassis and a medium length finish. Nice wine.
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Minneapolis Wine Club Does California Reds (Shari's House): Medium purple. Nose of dark fruits, coffee, oak and spices. Good structure and this wine has some cellaring in it. Very concentrated finish and shows mostly dark fruits and toasted oak. Cellar this for five more years and visit again.
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Nice dark color. Classic cab nose. Smooth cassis and blackberry flavour touch of oak and rosemary. Very classy. A bit young. Would not pay $50 for it as you can get the same experince elsewhere for under $30. Good value as part of Wine Library's thank you pack.
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1+ hr decant in med-base decanter @64F. COLOR- pure ruby encased in obsidian (a cracked fantastical stone-gem). NOSE- sweet raspberry jam, cassis, i-5 valley barnyard, little strawberry red-fruit. PALATE- Mmm it's good. Silky smooth mouthfeel lays the carpet for intense, layered cabernet fruit-- strawberry/raspberry, cassis/blueberry; then salty caramel and a 2nd infusion of juice just before the FANTASTIC FINISH (30-60 sec long) of white-pepper, balsamic on cedar wood, bloody meat, and menthol. With just an hour of decanting, this would seem ready to serve - no obvious tannin stress, good complexity, and plentiful, open flavors. I'd actually like to see a little more grit to let me know I have something to count on for the next 10+ years. If it's not just hiding, I still think there's probably enough balance and concentration here to first evolve and second maintain through 2020. Delicious! Quick edit: I have to point out and agree in full that the lingering end-finish is loaded, just loaded, with charcoal (and the roasting red meat).
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Tasted blind - Opened and served right away. Deep ruby in colour. Much more youthful nose than the Chauvin giving notes of ripe fruits, mocha and hints of oak. Soft in the mouth but with lots of structure and length. A delicious wine at this stage but should offer more with additional cellaring. Try again in 5 years. Very good. 89+
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I guess my tastes are continuing to evolve. Granted, this is young but shows little evidence that it will develope any complexity with age. Very fruit forward with dominant cherry. Good for burgers and pasta but I wouldn't expect anything great.
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Beautiful nose of dark fruit, dark chocolate, pencil lead. Big, fruit forward cab. Flavors of cassis, berries, chocolate. Very complex. Layer after lay of flavor sweeps over the tongue. Delicious cabernet with enough tannins and acid for the long haul. A very long, tannic finish. Needs decanting as it already has lots of sediment. It also could use about 3 hours of air prior to drinking.
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Dark garnet colour, big full bodied, flavors of black berry, black cherry, mocha, hints of cigar box & earthy mushroom with spicy nutmeg & cinnamon on a firm fine grained tannin finish.
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Nice wine. Dark purple. Nose needs to be teased at this point to emerge, but good cedar, sweet tobacco, olive and black fruit comes out with some effort. Real good mouth feel, cassis, dark fruits, some cigar wrapper and vanilla. Good stuff, everything is there, but yet not overly exciting. IMO, what you should get from SLD as long as you do not %$^# it up. Excellent QPR, though this is what one should expect.
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50 min decant. Black warrior like app. Nose: M+ inten. Extremely tight wound. Needs lots of air. Blackberry liq, burnt black cherry sauce, wet tobacco, eucalyptus, scorched earth. Palate: Hi body, hi- fine grippy tannins, M acid, M fin, Hi- flav inten. Very tight and concentrated, crem de cassis, blk currant, sweet oak, tar, espresso- needs age and air, revisit in 2012+
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Long smooth finish, somewhat lacking in complexity and earthiness. Drank with a group of friends and nobody was raving. I think it is pretty fairly priced for California Cab, i can't believe i am saying 50 bucks is a value!! Very nice tastiing room at the winery by the way.
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Consistent with prior notes. I should have decanted this more, but it was still very enjoyable. Dark fruits on the nose and in the mouth. Nice long finish. A touch of euclyptus on the nose which I didn't note in the prior 2 bottles.
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Red Fish restaurant, open for about 3 hours. Disclaimer, I am not a real huge napa cab drinker because of the prices of the big names, but I have heard lots about this bottle and it did not disappoint. Nice dark purple color. Nose of charcoal, overipe blackberry, a hint of blueberry, a little olive, a little mocha, and some vanilla comming thru. On the palate there is rippened blueberry, dark blackberry, olive, mocha, vanilla, and high quality chewey tannin on the backend. The finish is very long. This is a great entry level cab and makes me want to explore more into Napa's cabs. Very balanced wine overall, impressive effort at this price point and I will be looking for more to cellar. Hold. 50+5+13+17+8
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This wine has so much going for it. Very dense and interesting- every taste revealed something new about the wine. But for me, the alcohol dominates. Kind of like if you bought eggnog in the dairy aisle and poured Bacardi 151 on top of it- the rum would never integrate and it would be fire on top of something otherwise tasty. It's disappointing- everyone seems to love this wine except me.
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Consistent with previous note. Decanted one hour. Saw in a wine shop in Charleston while visiting my mom, and picked up to accompany some steaks. Big and full bodied, and on the verge of overextracted, but I think a few more years in the bottle will allow this wine to improve.
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For the money, a wonderful wine. Great flavors of cocoa, currant and cassis with black fruits. The finish is well done and the tannins well integrated.
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Very well balanced wine, everything seems to be working together right now. Great oakiness on the nose, though not overpowering in any way. Long tart finish, nice black fruits in the mid palette. A bit boring, but a very well made wine. It's hard for me to imagine this wine getting much better as it's drinking really very well right now.
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Very similar to the 2004. Nice fruit on the nose and palate, with bit of oak and medium tanic structure. Quite drinkable now. A nice wine at the price point.
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Nose is oaky, cocoa, cassis. The taste has minerals and earth, highly complex with a black pepper finish, exotic spices on a long explosive finish. Dark, tannins at first overpower the fruit when paired with red pepper soup. A waterfall of fruit flavor appears as the wine opens and is allowed to be tasted on its own. With steak = incredible... with smoked asparagus = mind-blowing. Give it time to breath and the fruit is king.
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this is absolutely one of my favorite cabs, took to Ruth Chris's for dinner to celebrate my daughter being pregnant, only my S.I.L. and I got to enjoy. They only charged $15.00 for corking, used to be $25.00. Maybe a sign of the times.Well balanced, great flavor.l
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Great dark, inky color. Big nose of cherry, vanilla, and oak. Not over the top oak. Incredibly silky smooth, with well integrated tannins. Looong finish. Drank along side a 2005 Shafer One Point Five and this held it's own and then some. Paired nicely with a sirloin at Mistral in Boston. Good stuff, gots to find me some more!
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Young but delicious! Had with a great New York strip steak, yumm!!!!! Tannins have started ti integrate slightly and the fruit just bursts through. It complements the steak very well. This will just get better over the next few years. I only have a few bottles left and will need to find more before it vanishes.
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Nicely integrated. Cassis/balckberry, vanilla/oak with leather and soemearth tones. A nice Stag cab and glad I tried it, but not sure it was worth the $.
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Tannins could use a little more aging but this is what the little women likes and it was her B-day so what she wants is what she gets. Very nice well balanced wine that will only get better with 3-5 years of bottle age. Nice dark fruit and smokeyness with a long taste. Great stuff.
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Another great bottle shared with friends. This wine continues to get better over time. Decanted for one hour and re-bottled. Drank 2 hours later....yum. My current favorite cab.
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Impressive flavors of black currant, coconut, vanilla and oak. The fruit is rich and concentrated on the palate with the black fruits leading the way again. There is also a slight mineral edge that gives balance to the fruit. The tannins are present and will no doubt lay down some with a little bottle age. A very good effort with a complex mix of flavors. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot all from the Stags Leap District.
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decanted just before pouring and drank over the next three hours; black purple to the eye; didn't give it enough time to open on the nose, so perhaps the light aroma shouldn't be held against it - what was there was appealing with a slight hint of grass and mint; on the palate, well integrated tannin sets up the dark fruit; a hint of chocolate; notable depth and richness; very smooth; stood up to the steak beautifully; moderate length on finish with a bit of alcohol warmth; well worth the price
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Popped and poured at cellar temp. Nice nose of dark fruit, graphite, a little vanilla. The wine was showing its youth, but had a nice palate of dark fruit, damp earth, cassis, and cedar. Still plenty of unresolved tannins, but the wine got better as it sat in the glass. Plenty of structure and some of the tell tale Stag's Leap profile.
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Had at a business dinner and really enjoyed. Rich, full bodied, with a hint of jamminess as the dark fruit (currants jumped out to me) is still primary and will settle down and develop depth with age. Surprisingly smooth and accessible now, but should get better in a few years. Fairly low in acidity with a nice long finish.
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Enjoyed over Labor day with Bob, Mike @ Jeff, this was the wotn. Excellent, opened the bottle about 3 hrs earlier but left in bottle. Upon first tasting the consensus was that the wine was still young and would get better as it aged. By the end of the night it was really great, smooth, nice fruit, mild tannins.
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Big difference between the last time I had this wine & now. I decanted 2 hours and let it sit open in the bottle for another 3 hrs. This enabled the wine to show much more complexity. The nose showed dark black raspberry, cassis, fresh leather and a touch of blueberry. In the mouth, nice long finish, fine grained tannins there but in check with the copious amount of fruit. The wine kept getting better and better as the night progressed. Really beautiful wine. This wine is great now with a 3 hr decant, or I believe it will age nicely for 5 - 7 yrs. Glad I have 2 more bottles.
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Nose of blackberry, currant and big, big oak. The palate had some nice fruit, but the oak really stuck out. I'm not an oakaphobe by any means, but this was a bit much. It also seemed a little hot at the finish to me. This wine did improve with an hour of air time, but I think it really just needs more time in the bottle to integrate.
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big dark wine that needs to breathe before showing some very nice traits, the nose is full of dark berry and oak, there are dark flavors of coffee and dark chocolate amongst dark fruit, all held together by big but modest tannins, steak wine
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not sure how to rate this, has a very unique fruit flavor, wine seemed to change as I drank it. Later on I noticed the tannins. My expectation is that it needs a little more time and will be excellent.
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This is from memory from a few nights ago. This is too young to really fully appreciate thery good bottle of wine. It is primary but all the ingrediants are there for it to develope into a very good cab. My guess would be three years before trying again.
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Deep, dark purple in color. Fruit was a little ovewhelmed by dry, firm tannins and alcohol was a little too prominent. Going to park the others for a while. Bottle 1 of 3
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Excellent cabernet. Strong nose of dark fruits. Full mouthfeel with just the right level of acidity and tannins. Long lucious finsih. This has turned into one of my favorite Napa cabs.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Either this has opened back up or they decanted nicely. Chocolate and black cherry aromas with a full bodied lush mouth feel. Fruit supports the building tannins making them come across as soft and creamy. Always one of my favorites.
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Right out of the bottle: Deep dark purple in the glass. On the nose scorched earth, wood smoke, blackberries a little more shut down than last time. Taste is spicy with some alcohol but balanced. Elegant for such a big wine. Going into that bitter chocolate edge that experienced last time. Needs some serious decanting.
Decanted overnight: Great rich opaque dark purple in the glass. Nose of black fruits, some licorice, cedar/cigar box and some sweet vanilla. Nose much more closed down thn last time. Spicey!. The tannins are big and chewey. Still a little bitterness.The fruit is buried beneath tannins/spice and some heat. This wine has an initial elegance and drinkability to it but after decanting it shows how big it really is. It's obvious that this is a concentrated cabernet with great structure and excellent complexity but it needs 2-3 more years of bottle age to start strutting IMHO. The heat is a little high right now. 92-93+Pts on potential. I'd repurchase and lay it down for a few years.
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Deep red in color with black currant, green pepper, cedar and cassis. This bottle took about 45 minutes to really open up and once it did it was well balanced and quite enjoyable.
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-- popped and poured -- -- bottle was opened 1.5 hours before consumption -- -- tasted non-blind --
NOSE: dark currant; leather; lots of dill; nice cedary secondary aromas; the NOSE seemed like it might have been holding back just a little bit right now.
TASTE: very lush mouthfeel -- surprisingly smooth for an '05 (so young!); earthy; somewhat bitter; powerful; dark currant and plum; slight hint of anise on the finish; full palate; nice fine-grained tannins and a long finish indicate this will show even better in a few years. What an awesome wine!
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 9 = 93 points.
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Well call me impressed. Right out of the bottle: Great nose of scorched earth, figs, prunes, mixed berries , smoke, cedar, sandlewood, some vanilla and almond on the back end. Great balance between the hefty fruit, slightly dry tannins and acidity. They all are there but none dominate. Substantial but elegant. Beautiful deep color as well. My initial reaction is to buy a bunch of this because it should be fantastic in a few years. 93Pts on potential.
I'm going to decant for a couple of hours to see what happens. After 2 Hours decant: Now I'm getting some black licorice in the nose and taste and a bitter chocolate taste at the end. The nose has gotten a little more restrained with some alcohol on it. Very dark in the glass. The fruit is still deep and rich but has also closed down a bit. Liked it better before decanting. Needs more bottle age to open up and work out the bitterness.
After 3 hours: getting more floral notes on the nose and palate and alot of cherries and chocolate/wood. The bitterness is subsiding and getting lots of sweeter chocolate.Would wait a year or more for the next one. Very well made.
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Color was inky purple with a fairly closed nose on day one. Palate showed tight dark fruit. Amazingly concentrated and focused. I was immediately impressed with the overall quality. Day two showed softened tannins and had smooth overall character. Very, very good, and glad I have another to sit on for a couple of years.
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Dark violet hue, dark fruits, cardamom, cinnamon and white pepper in the mouth with a well structured finish. great QPR on the wine list at Vigilucci's La Jolla.
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This is all I ask for in Cabernet. Balanced, complex, wonderful with food, just as nice on its own. Nothing sticks out as being out of place. It all fits so well together right now. Give this about 90 minutes in the decanter then let it rip. Drink now thru 2012.
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Dark, inky purple color. Subdued nose of plum and cassis, with a rich palate of dark berries, cedar, spice, vanilla, and tilled soil. Proper, integrated oak with appropriately noticeable acidity and drying tannins. Medium-long finish. A very nice wine, but still somewhat introverted at this point. The best is yet to show. Acquire.
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great relative value for NV....decanted for 2 hours and consumed over 5......well integrated tannins, cassis, spice and tangy oak......this was at it's peak with 1-3 hours of air.....i will buy more......
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Very nice cabernet for the money. A little oaky at first, and a touch too sweet for my palate, but on day two the oak and sweetness were gone, and what was left was a beautifully balanced wine showing dark fruits, vanilla and raspberries. If your a tannin hog like me, drink now. Otherwise wait off a few years.
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I must admit I was a bit tipsy by the time I arrived at Cliff Lede after a couple of glasses of Chianti for lunch, but this wine absolutely blew me away. I was in Napa for a little bit of road biking(my other passion) and stopped into Cliff Lede to taste one of my favorite Napa cabs. It was the day of their release party for the '05 Stag's Leap District cabernet and the tasting fee was $25 which went towards the purchase of wine as long as you bought three or more bottles. After tasting the '05 SLD Cab, three bottles was no problem, wish I could afford an entire case as I'm sure this will age wonderfully over the next twelve years. On the nose the wine smells like a classy stew of high-quality oak, an exotic aroma of figs and violets, earth, and deep dark fruits like blackberries and blueberry liqueur. I'll say I'm a big Bordeaux fan but there are times when I crave something just a little bit fuller-bodied and not have to pay $150 for it the way you would for a Bordeaux of equal strength, for example a St. Emilion the likes of Angelus. Anyway, I will say that the SLD cab from Cliff Lede is one of the finest values in Napa today at $50. Highly recommended.
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Decanted for 1 hour. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. This wine exhibited a dark garnet/purple color. On the nose, aromas of blackberries, kirsch liquor and blueberries jumped out of the glass and were followed by hints of vanilla, spice and floral notes. On the palate, flavors of sweet dark berries were complemented by dark chocolate notes followed by hints of spice and vanilla on the finish. Great, lush mouthfeel with a wonderful beginning, middle and finish. A very solidly constructed Cabernet and look forward to trying one with a bit more age on it. HS93
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Has firmed up a bit since my last bottle. Big black cherry and blackberry flavors with a soft midpalate extending into building tannins. A little less approachable and may be closing down.
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I've never had a wine change so much over a few days. Wide green streak just dominated on the first day, almost undrinkable (from someone who thinks not many wines are undrinkably bad). However, it blew off by the second day, revealing a cedar box nose, good structure, dark fruit, and a medium finish. Worth cellaring for a few years.
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very nice bottle of cab for the money -- no formal note, but the tannins were well integrated and smooth over the tongue, there were lots of diverse flavors (red, black fruit, coffee) and the finish lasted for a little while. Will pick up more.
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Consistent with last bottle. Shy aromatics but very exhuberant with ripe flavors of blackberry, coffee, pepper and kirsch within a medium-full frame. Tasted blind, I'm not sure I'd guess this was Cal Cab. More like syrah. Nevertheless, this is a well made effort. Not sure how ageworthy this will be, but it drank well tonight.
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Soft subtle aromas of red currants evolving over the next hour to include flowers & vanilla. Complex & elegantly coordinated flavors of black cherry & raspberry, followed by a sweet touch of oak & blackberry. What really stands out is how easy going the tannins are for such a young wine. This is the best Cliff Lede Cabernet to date and probably the best release yet of any wine by this fine producer. Fantastic effort & great Q.P.R.
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After having one very good and one ok bottle I had to pop one more just to see what was going on. This one is very good and consistent with my first note. 93+ Plenty of acid calls for a piece of meat if you drink it now. Hopefully this will balance out and improve with time in the cellar.
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First sip after pop and pour. Vibrant and young, primary in nature. No complexity showing but tasty. 4 hours in the decanter down the road, wine has shut down. Overbearing tannins and showing lots of heat. This wine needs time, but has the potential for greatness in 5-7 years.
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This one acted completely different (a different case also) from the first. This one was almost undrinkable for the first two hours. It then sofened up, gained focus and was very good. Maybe 90pts. Saved quite a bit for tomorrow. Day 2 has settled things down a little but this is young and unruley and the wife still doesn't like it. Day 3 - Different wine gives hope for the future??? Wife likes it.
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Dark purple color. On the nose picked up hints of cassis, cedar, plum, and brown sugar. Complex and soft on the palate with nice length. Still a bit austere and young. From 03-05 this is the lowest scorer but still nice. Lede is definitely bang for your buck and and up and comer to keep your eye on.
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Deeply colored with ruby edge. Shy nose. Broad flavors of sweet cassis, brambly red fruits, black pepper and other spices. Very nicely structured with good mouthfeel. Finishes with nice length and modest complexity. A good value. 91+
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You can't say enough about these guys. For them to still be charging what they charge and have the first class operation they have this must be an expensive hobby for Cliff because he ca'nt be making money. Anyway this blew me away. The best Cliff Lede yet. Red fruits and a touch of alchohol on the nose. Pure silk in the mouth. Red and black berry flavors expand in the mouth while the fruit continues to pour in while overwhelming the sweet building tannins. This tasted like a Caymus Special Select from a top vintage. Truly an amzing wine.
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Very dark color, toasty fruit and some serious but sweet tannin. Over 2 hours the wine opened up considerably with some creamy chocolate notes. A little time should allow the oak to integrate.Plenty of fruit to offset the tannins. On day 2 the wine shows some mint. Still very rich. This is a good one.
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Decanted 45 minutes. Absolutely beautiful aromas of cherries, blueberries, cassis, allspice, vanilla with nice floral scents. I spent 10 minutes relishing these aromas and had me tweaking my rating scale to make aromas more of a factor. Perfect balance of tannins, dryness, fruit tempo, acidity, and very elegant. Tops in fruit concentration and richness, this wine is not restrained at all, and to me was as good, if not better than the Flora Springs 25th Aniversary Cab, and blew away Turnbull 05 Cab which both I tried prior to this. Tons of blackberries, cherries, cassis, raspberries along with a nice streak of allspice, chocolate, and perfect amount of oak. Pre-ordered 4 cases from winery at $35 a bottle, Wine Club price. A wine that makes the 05 Turnbull Cab almost seem like 2 buck chuck!
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9/5/2020 - Ed B Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted thru a strainer because cork crumbled. Drank over two hours. No detailed notes. Rich, full bodied. Super long finish.
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12/22/2019 - Jim B wrote: flawed
Let this one go to long. past its window.
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8/25/2019 - Blacksmith450 wrote: 93 Points
Belle maturité, équilibre exemplaire, finale savoureuse et longue. Excellent !
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8/21/2019 - grafstrb wrote: 88 Points
-- decanted 50 min. before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hours --
NOSE: a bit high-toned; noticeable oak; no funk or pencil shavings; mixture of ripe red/purple fruits; typical Cabernet Sauvignon blackberry aroma.
BODY: lots of sediment present; black-garnet color of great depth; slight bricking throughout; full bodied.
TASTE: plush; some very fine tannin; alcohol a little noticeable; very big; very ripe; hint of incense; medium-low acidity; age simply hasn't done much for this wine; Drink Now.
50, 5, 11, 15, 7 = 88
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8/24/2018 - vinole wrote: 91 Points
A fairly dense and concentrated wine, but the tannins are now fully resolved. Rich dark fruit that is more open than before and is now well balanced. A bit monolithic, but still quite pleasurable. Needed a half hour of decanting and should hold for another 2-3 years in its sweet spot. Last of 4 bottles.
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7/1/2018 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Garnet edge with a deep red core.
Ripe on the nose. Cassis, black fruit, with a touch of raisin/tobacco.
Wonderful mouthfeel with balanced acidity. This baby unfolds on the finish. That’s what is is all about here. Dark chocolate, cherry liquer, and a touch of hot rocks/minerality. Drinking great now and will hold up for 5 or so more years before it’s starts a long steady decline.
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3/29/2018 - Gti2ton wrote: flawed
Corked
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3/20/2018 - z_willus_d wrote: 94 Points
I've taken care to properly store this bottle for 10 years now. In this case, the effort has paid off. This wine has evolved nicely since the 8 years past I last tasted it. It's in fine balance, and the flavors are a couple dimensions past primary level-1. There's a great deal of length, fullness (without heaviness) and persistence to the wine. I'd say this would go up favorably against a lot of multi-hundred dollar bottles from the region. The cassis, sour-plum, dried meats, and dirt nose is evocative, and it all transfers to a transcendent palate. Loads of minerals and pepper popping in and out too. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing drinking this alone on a Tuesday night with plans for a turkey sandwich dinner pairing. This deserves company and great fanfare.
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12/26/2017 - bryon m wrote: 92 Points
Still inky dark. Weight and clarity is excellent. Good flavors of cherry, tabacco, with a little leather at the Finish that stays for a While.
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7/13/2017 - clutj Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good rich cab, still holding its own at 12 years out. Tannins well integrated, fruit subdued a bit by age, good time to drink.
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12/25/2016 - Nanda wrote: 88 Points
With Prime Rib on Christmas. A correct though not particularly distinct Napa Cab. Very good core of ripe plum fruit with toasty accents, along with cedar and herb notes. Chunky on the palate with plenty of good fruit and gritty tannin. Paired well with the meat. Should hold for several years, but don't see this getting much better.
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5/6/2016 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Major cork disintegration issue for me too. First night did not like as disjointed and seemed corked. Rating is for 2nd day where it blew off the musty smell and tannins melted into the complex wine. Very dark wine. Lots of cassis but the fruit is overshadowed by an earthy, tobacco, char driven set of secondary flavors. I liked it as it is so different from most of the current Napa wines. Long finish. Nose was OK but nothing special.
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3/29/2016 - Tallhoyalawya Does not like this wine: 88 Points
The cork disintegrated. Wine was not to my liking.
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3/8/2016 - SexyEpicurean wrote: 88 Points
Much better than the last bottle I tried back in 2012 or 2013. It was not in a good stage back then, but the extra 2-3 years seems to be bringing it along. It did not show a whiff of age or hot alcohol on finish, so would be safe to hold even longer I think. Decanting will improve, for sure. Good black fruit, some oak still lingering but not bombastic.
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1/1/2016 - Coachron13 Does not like this wine:
Pretty disappointing. Not very aromatic, taste was somewhat off. Cork was in bad shape, disintegrated into hundreds of small pieces and finally had to push the remainder into the bottle. At first, we thought it might be spoiled, but that wasn't the case, it was just not very good. Got slightly better as the night went on, but not anywhere near our expectations. Since this was our first of this vintage, I'm not scoring this since it could be an off bottle, especially given the recent positive comments on CT.
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11/12/2015 - magic2coop Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still rocking. After 10 years tannins are finally integrating with the lush blackberry and currant. Cherry and plum round out the chocolate backbone. Good stuff. Enjoy.
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11/7/2015 - Night Train Likes this wine: 91 Points
No visible signs of age. Decent nose - black fruits. Bright, racy fruit (black cherries) on the palate, along with a hint of smoke. Medium body, with an OK (not great) finish. Probably time to drink up.
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9/26/2015 - Night Train Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened about 30-45 minutes before tasting. No visual signs of age. Terrific nose - red and black fruit. Same on the palate. Fairly rich, with a nice finish. Tannins almost completely resolved. At or slightly past its peak.
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7/22/2015 - prism wrote:
This bottle spent two hours in a bus and some more being dragged around the city on a hit day, so that may have knocked off a couple of points. Still excellent, though I find the vanilla flavor from the oak a little too prominent. Maybe could go another year or two, but the fruit is in a good place right now and the tannins very well integrated.
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7/1/2015 - meatbomb013 Likes this wine: 94 Points
A great bottle of wine for a reasonable price. Hard to believe that this is 10 years old. Still has a ton of energy and primary cab attributes. Tannins have mellowed and there is a ton of sweet red and blue fruits. I don't think that this will necessarily get better with time but should hold up for another 5 years or so. Wish I had more of this vintage.
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6/29/2015 - Kdog wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding cab, great QPR for high quality Napa Cab. Rich Stags leap fruit profile, everything is there. Still youthful at 10 years, wish I had more.
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6/10/2015 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
This is in excellent form tonight. Worth the wait. Superb aromatics. Soft black fruit, cedar, graphite and tobacco on the palate.
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5/13/2015 - wbduval Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Drinking very well at the moment - decanted for 2.5 hours and then drunk over the next 4.
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5/8/2015 - Corrie Likes this wine: 93 Points
At it's best right now--flavor and balance just right.
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1/4/2015 - JackTurner Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is the 7th bottle of a case I have of this. I have not had a bottle in over a year and a half. I think this wine is maturing nicely, especially if folks like a mature Napa Cab. Clearly fruit driven with plenty of oak but there is a very soft tannin structure that helps an earthy and sweet finish. I tend to agree with Gary V that this wine will provide enjoyment for folks who like the style until 2017.
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11/21/2014 - kas Likes this wine: 91 Points
really big rolland styled wine. a bit dusty and concentrated for me; maybe it will soften. I'll try again in 2-3 yrs
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11/20/2014 - oldwines wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark opaque purple. Nose initially has smokey bacon, black plum, blackberry jam, pepper and oaky vanilla. Not as tannic as I expected. Fat thick rich mouthfeel. Dark fruit, tar, bacon, blackberry jam, pencil lead, oak, vanilla, tobacco and chocolate take turns across your palate. This is not a wine of finesse. For me, this is too over extracted, but I can see why some would really like it. Not my favorite style however.
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8/13/2014 - iamandyc wrote: 91 Points
Seems like it is still young. Dark, firm, deep fruit with charcoal and tobacco notes. Lots of structure that enhance the wine especially on day #2 where the fruits deepen and round out the wine. Fragrant nose and long finish. Tannins are a bit dusty and drying.
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5/30/2014 - vinole wrote: 90 Points
A big wine that comes across as a bit monolithic and on the verge of overextracted, but keeps it under control and delivers the rich CA cab experience. Full bodied blackberry fruit with low plus acidity, and a little noticeable alcohol on the back end.
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5/12/2014 - RebeccaDeVaney Likes this wine: 90 Points
The 2005 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District is a cab California can be proud of. This medium bodied wine more than delivers the balance and complexity of black fruits and oak cab lovers crave. Equally pleasing, are further notes of lilac, nutmeg, tobacco and earthiness, which remain on the palate through a lasting finish.
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4/25/2014 - Yamadori wrote: 93 Points
Popped and Poured. Beautiful Cabernet which is aging gracefully. This may have lost a little of the fruit intensity of its' youth but still has plenty of dark fruits along with secondary elements of chocolate, tobacco and graphite. Excellent wine which is still drinking well.
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4/4/2014 - Robert Pavlovich Does not like this wine:
Big fruit, too ripe for my tastes, and lacking in freshness and tannic structure to balance it out.
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3/30/2014 - brigcampbell wrote:
OCPoker4wine - Ashley and Brian come home (WCC - Irvine CA): Blind - guessed Bordeaux. Wrong.
Good complexity with some resin aroma and sweet wood notes. Well balance and the tannins are fine but present and show in the finish with a bit of drying. Nice.
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3/29/2014 - grafstrb wrote:
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted a couple pours, non-blind, over a couple hours --
Dark garnet color of great depth, with some tawny at the edges. The Nose is expressive, showing luxurious blackberry and a hint of chocolate. Medium-full bodied on the palate; rich; a bit oaky; very fine tannin still here; adequate acidity; soft mouthfeel; probably wouldn’t age this more than 5 – 10 more years; this was better than this note probably makes it sound.
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3/9/2014 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Drinking OK but will be better in 2016+
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3/8/2014 - Night Train Likes this wine: 90 Points
No signs of age, visually or otherwise. HUGE nose - cassis and plums. Same notes on the palate. Fairly rich, with a very good finish. Sturdy tannins, although it only got about 45 minutes of air before we started drinking it. Very pleasant, but extremely one-dimensional. No minerals, forest floor, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, etc., just typical cabernet fruit. Holding up just fine.
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3/1/2014 - SeattlePaul Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious fruit and vanilla notes, great example of a CA cab.
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1/16/2014 - pape du neuf wrote: 89 Points
No bricking yet. Dark garnet. Pushing the edge of acceptable VA (which did not blow off). Vanilla. Ripe cassis and plum. Tannins absent. Could use
more acidity. Drink up, not one to age.
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12/25/2013 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Was a 92 for 2 hrs then went downhill fast. Drink now (and quickly). Probably was best a year ago or so.
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10/15/2013 - dfarley wrote: 91 Points
Seems to be hitting its peak now
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9/11/2013 - magic2coop Likes this wine: 93 Points
Color has lightened with slight bricking. Rose petal and red berries on nose. Cassis, blackberry flavor that shows some maturity. Cocoa on the long finish. Stands up well against the 06 in the reverse vertical. 04 tomorrow.
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9/1/2013 - bvwino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very well.
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7/25/2013 - le fouloir wrote: 91 Points
Solid Napa cab with classic Napa notes and terroir. It has improved with age and may be at its peak of maturity.
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7/17/2013 - ilmvino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking very well now.
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5/20/2013 - Bill Johnson Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a nice surprise. So much better than a couple of years ago. Dark fruit on the nose. The taste is also of very sweet dark fruit with smooth tannins and a hint of lavender. Can not tell you how much this wine has improved. Tasted with 5 or 6 cabs a few years ago and was the least by far. Try it now. You will be very pleasantly surprised. Drinking beautifully
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5/11/2013 - prism wrote: 93 Points
Yikes, this was tasty. Popped and poured into a decanter. Inky red-black, still fine-grained tannins adding a remarkable tactile mouthfeel. This followed two very fine Syrahs, one from Santa Cruz (Big Basin Mandala 2004) and another from OZ (Clarendon Hills Liandra), both excellent, but this high-octane Cab blew us away. I last tried this a couple of years ago, and thought it needed a couple of years for the tannins to integrate and the oak to reveal the fruit. What a difference!
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4/22/2013 - ejca Likes this wine:
Very good,will drink another very soon and will let the last one sit for a few more years.
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3/13/2013 - rmgambrel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very smooth with nice fruit and great nose. Not in your face at all. Drinking well now but could go another 4-8 years depending upon your preferences. Paired very well with a Filet Mignon.
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2/11/2013 - flashvictor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Textbook Cali Cab - Big fruit, sweet tannins and a little oak. Really good.
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11/13/2012 - Tonythefish wrote: 91 Points
Plenty of dark black fruit with a nice finish. Drinking well now.
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10/31/2012 - jcurl wrote: 92 Points
Pretty much same as last year. This goes very quickly. Pulled from cellar, opened and let stand an hour. Plenty of dark black fruit. I still find the oak under control. Moderate finish. Drinking well now.
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10/22/2012 - KeithSurg wrote: 93 Points
Deep, dark red. Very complex, complared to the jammy characteristic this wine had in my opinion several years ago. I enjoyed this over 2 days, and picked up different notes with almost every sip. Nicely balanced. Tannins still bold, but not harsh.
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9/15/2012 - Brsed wrote: 91 Points
Nice balance. Quite enjoyable with plenty of black fruit and plumb. Not very tannic but not flabby. I have slight issue with the value proposition. I think similar quality WA and CA Cabs can be found at lower price points.
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8/27/2012 - EMTAME wrote: 87 Points
Quite disappointing, given my love for SLD cabs, the good early reviews on this wine, and my experiences with the '06. Despite fine storage, this wine looked older than other '05s in the glass. Nice nose, but the palate seemed marred by an overripe, prune/raisin note and significant heat on the back end. A recent bottle of the '09 showed a hint of these characteristics, but they're too much here in the '05.
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8/25/2012 - h8oopus wrote: 91 Points
still tightly wound and could use more time in the bottle. Dark berry fruit and plush velvety jam. Cherry, nutmeg, cinnamon.
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8/15/2012 - Jack wrote: 89 Points
Same as last couple of notes.
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7/19/2012 - michigan dogs wrote: 87 Points
not up to previous bottles, already over the hill???
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7/17/2012 - Fishboy wrote: 90 Points
Another great bottle
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6/29/2012 - Taylor56 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 60 minutes. Dark garnet in the glass with just a hint of transparency near the rim. Surpirisingly approachable for a 2005 NV cabernet. Nose of red fruits and tobacco. A prototype Stags Leap cab - a very juicy mouth with dark red fruit and polished tannins. Drink.
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6/24/2012 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 93 Points
Terrific fruit and balance...lots of sediment so strain and decant briefly...opened up right away.
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5/14/2012 - clutj wrote: 92 Points
Very good, lots of sediment so pour carefully
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4/7/2012 - FoodMuse Likes this wine: 90 Points
Subdued notes of oak with good acidity and mild tannins. Very refined with hints of dark dried cherries.
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3/5/2012 - Fishboy wrote: 90 Points
Consistent notes
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2/12/2012 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Drank upon opening and very much enjoyed. Not flabby or sweet but everything working together to give my mouth a lovely Napa Cab experience. This wine is in a good place and, depending on your style, has some shelf life.
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2/6/2012 - michigan dogs wrote: 91 Points
drink up, still very good
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1/22/2012 - KenYz wrote: 93 Points
- Garnet color with slow forming legs and aromas of cherry. It's in total harmony and has flavours of cherry and oak with a full body. Round texture with a long finish.
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1/14/2012 - EyeDoc wrote:
Very solid wine. Good dollop of oak. A little bit of green pepper on the nose. Medium bodied with nice lingering finish.
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12/26/2011 - jcurl wrote: 92 Points
Very nice solid SLD Cab. Opened for hour, let come to room temp out of the cellar, did not decant but poured out about 30 miin before we sat down to dinner. Nice black fruits mellow tannis. No heat. I didn't get too much oak like some reviewers. This is ready now. Didn't last long, folks were split between this and an 06 Kosta Brown Syrah.
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12/17/2011 - THA wrote: 88 Points
A bit corked, which resolved itself as much as it could after about 30 minutes. What was left was a mature wine with soft tannins and a full, thick body. I was disappointed in how fat and unfocused this wine had become. Sweet and syrupy, but still had nice depth and a good finish. I used to be very enthusiastic about this wine, but my enthusiasm had waned considerably. Drink these up if you own them.
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11/30/2011 - rbeers wrote: 93 Points
decanted 2 hours, very nice balance, long finish, likely will continue to improve over one to two years.
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11/27/2011 - tomherer wrote: 92 Points
Delicious, and really takes you to the SLD; classic example. Drank from decanter over a ~two hr window. Was a little disjointed initially; big tannins, one-note cherry fruit, heavy cedar, and a weird vegetal note. Started to smooth out quickly, giving way to smoother tannins, complex red fruit, and creamy oak. Really sings after 1+ hr of air, and will probably benefit from a few more years of cellaring.
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11/25/2011 - lano wrote: 90 Points
Last time i had this wine was over three years ago, and i was impressed. we had this with thanksgiving, and i have to say i was underwhelmed. it's balanced and soft and the tannins are all integrated, but there's just nothing exciting to this wine. it's good, but would have expected much more given my initial impressions with the first bottle. lauren and i agreed with our assessment, but everyone else thought it was very good.
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11/14/2011 - gmbdds wrote: 93 Points
Decanted. Aromatic. Currant, blueberry, chocolate and slight anise notes. Very soft in feel. Balanced. Gained depth and focus with air time. Beautiful. Some critiques will want more complexity and I suppose that's what would take this to a classic level.
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10/22/2011 - Taylor56 wrote: 91 Points
Double splash decanted. Medium purple. Dark fruit, cassis and hints of vanilla and leather in the nose. A full mouth without being over the top - red and dark fruits over nice acidity. Tannins are smooth and the wine was harmonious. Drink or hold.
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9/30/2011 - prism wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for three hours. Lovely. Smooth dark chocolate; very nicely integrated. On the chewier and simpler side of a good place. Perhaps the tannins need further softening for the fruit to create overtones? I'm giving the next one a couple-three years sideways.
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9/25/2011 - GA_Seattle wrote: flawed
Bad cork, top was slightly pink and could see trails leading all the way down the side in two places. This is the second bad cork I've had on 05 Cliff Lede Cab - the first was a birthday gift to my wife from a co-worker - too bad, as we really like their wines. I have one more bottle of 2005 in the cellar, will probably pop that one soon to see if it's good.
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8/14/2011 - johndefi wrote: 91 Points
Really nice olive and chocolate on the nose. Blackberry, a little earthy and beef jerky, and sour cherry. Med-long finish.
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6/12/2011 - Yamadori wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour then rebottled and consumed over about 3 hours. Similar to previous TN. Just wanted to drink this wine again in its current state of development before laying down my remaining bottles for a few years. Great balance between youth and maturity. Still some primary ripe red and black fruits with nice secondary notes of chocolate, tobacco and some vanilla oak. Long finish with soft tannins. This is in a great place right now and exhibits a lush mouthfeel with great balance and complexity. This is one of my favorite '05 Napa cabs.
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6/7/2011 - Jack wrote: 89 Points
Second bottle in the last year that there is too much oak. Early bottles showed a lot of oak too but it was more balanced. While good, I think the oak needs to settle down and hopefully the fruit will come out to play again.
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6/5/2011 - kingboo wrote: 94 Points
Great Stags Leap cab. Bold, rich flavors. Great complexity. Enjoyed with Turkish cuisine.
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5/17/2011 - rickspicks wrote: 93 Points
This was shockingly good and a textbook example of a Napa cabernet. Nose of dark berries, cassis, herbs and earth. Ripe, dense fruits on the palate with a firm structure that balances perfectly with the big fruit. Layered, deep flavors match the medium to fully body with a textured, rich, but also elegant mouthfeel. Long, fruity, complex finish. This is a great example of a young, full throttle cab.
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5/7/2011 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very mature for a 6 yr. old CA cab. Showing a little bit of age around the rim and throwing some sediment. A little vegetal and healthy earth aroma. Gritty yet vibrant tannin complimented with dried, dark fruit. Finish was long and lingering. I would have guessed it was older.
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4/16/2011 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A year after the last bottle, I thought it was time to revisit this one. Alcohol was still there along with the oak; drank over two hours; notes were very consistent with last bottle. Sorry I didn't buy more.
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4/15/2011 - rockguit wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful nose of olive tapenade, plums and scorched earth. Good mouth feel--coats the entire palate with a silky, diffuse texture; along with some bracing acidity on the back end. Quite Bordeaux-like--you can feel and taste the secondary characteristics of the terroir, but without any of the barn :). However I think this has hit its drinking window--it's ready to go!
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4/2/2011 - cadamson wrote: 86 Points
Another seemingly over the hill, young cab. Had some promise on the nose with a lot of earth elements in place of the standard Napa fruit bomb....but the palate left you wishing for the fruit bomb. Short finish, hallow mid palate. Flavors hinted at being decent enough, but it just could not raise itself to where it needed to be. Some oaky buttery thing on the finish.
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3/27/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Very solid and smooth cab. Nice nose and good length. Seems to be in a good spot now but I suspect will drink well another 5 years or so.
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3/25/2011 - winopops3 wrote: 90 Points
Fairly opaque purple color, oak and rubber on the nose, nice fruit, pencil fairly tannic, decent mouth feel and finish. Very nice, I wonder if this may improve over next few years.
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3/6/2011 - AMeatWithVino wrote: 91 Points
No formal notes but I liked the 05 Caymus Cab just a little better than the Lede - Overall though, a solid cab.
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2/26/2011 - Muskatd wrote: 91 Points
Nice big wine. Love Cilff's stuff
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2/13/2011 - magic2coop wrote:
Cork leaked. More astringent than I remember. Much stronger at the edges. High tannin, fruit struggled to come through.
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2/1/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club: Napa Cabernet: A wine with great concentration. Cherry, oak, dust and vanilla on the nose. On the palate sweet fruits, coffee, dust, cherry and vanilla. Medium to long finish and plenty of tannins. Should age 10 plus years.
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1/30/2011 - grapemaven wrote: 93 Points
Delicious black fruit and cassis in a well balanced package.
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1/29/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Does Cali Cabs (Gail's House): Dark red purple. Nose shows sweet black fruits, earth, and cedar. Lovely on the palate with nicely balanced oak, fruit, and sweetish tannins. Medium plus finish. (Far superior to the 2007) 91+ to 92pts.
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1/7/2011 - Yamadori wrote: 93 Points
Last had this about 2 years ago and it certainly seems to be moving in the right direction. Decanted for about an hour and rebottled. Wonderfully aromatic nose of cassis, leather and spice. Rich and creamy mouthfeel with a great attack of red and black fruits. Lots of blackcurrant and blueberry with some toasted oak. Secondary flavors of clove and dark chocolate emerge as the wine evolves. The finish is 45+ seconds with smooth tannins. This is very well balanced. I didn't pick up the heat others have commented on. This seems to be on the threshold of maturity. It still has a lot of the blazing fruit of it's youth but is developing secondary flavors and additonal complexity. Should be fantastic in a couple of years and drink well for a long time but drink sooner if you prefer the younger, full-throttle style of cabernet.
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1/1/2011 - jimmyrice14 wrote: 92 Points
Very solid. Fruit expressive but not over powering. Good structure. Opened up within a few minutes in the decanter after pouring through the venturi.
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12/18/2010 - GregGH wrote: 87 Points
Disappointing - overly sweet - trying to auzzie ? Very poor QPR
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11/14/2010 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 92 Points
The nose showed, black currants, confectioners sugar, spice and a hint of green pepper. On the full bodied palate, I found sweet raspberry jam and cola, which turned to sour cherry with an herbal quality. The finish showed dark red fruits which turned slightly sour as it faded away.
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11/5/2010 - 11mcraig wrote: 93 Points
Best Cali Cab I have had in a while...let the bottle decant for 1 hour. Massive fruit on the nose, great finish...wish I had more.
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10/11/2010 - bryon m wrote: 91 Points
Drank the Cliff Lede and Hess Collection with the Skelton's and Gunther. The Cliff Lede was a classic Stags Leap District wine - Earthy flavors combined with oak and dark fruit. This wine was drinking really well with the ability to age longer. The Hess Collection needed time to unwind and even then had a poor upfront flavor. This is definately NOT the wine it was two to three years ago. Color and body held up but it was not enjoyable.
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10/10/2010 - Jack wrote: 88 Points
Weakest showing yet. Tar was too prevalent and there was notable heat. Just not as balanced as previous bottles have been.
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10/3/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured, decanted and drank over three hours. Delicious to taste and smell, with everything I look for in a nice Napa Cab - black currant, integrated creamy oak, nice mouthfeel, and a mouthwatering acidity. Very high delicious factor, but you *really* feel the 14.8% alcohol for some reason - this is hot. That takes it down from an amazing wine to a merely very good wine, but I'll take it.
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10/3/2010 - borneman wrote: 92 Points
Vs. the '03 SLD, this one had more primary fruit flavors. Lots of cassis, and sweet, almost port-like notes. Best after an hour or two opened.
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7/2/2010 - wineguy58 wrote: 91 Points
think earthy chocolate covered cherries
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6/30/2010 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great depth and structure with loads of black currant and dark berry flavors. Firm and rich with interlocked flavors. The finish has great length with tannins that indicate potential for longer shelf life. Drink from 2010 to 2018.
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5/27/2010 - cellarman1 wrote:
This was a really unexpected surprise! My wife and I drank our glasses separately, but had the same response!!! This was really great stuff. Big fruit, balanced, fine stag's leap tannins, smoooooth and wonderful. Left me with a long chocolatey finish. Got to find some more.
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5/16/2010 - jcbrand wrote: 93 Points
Epitome of a Napa cabernet, this is great. Jess even gave it a 91...
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5/8/2010 - heartlandrv wrote: 92 Points
Big wine. Less oak and more fruit than I expected. Great mouth feel with finish that goes on for at least thirty seconds. Tannins are very soft - this is ready to drink now for sure. Paired with Colorado rack of lamb with mint/basil pesto and it worked beautifully.
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4/22/2010 - michigan dogs wrote: 92 Points
Drank Robert's bottle, this remains a great stags leap cab. I love the fruit, very well balanced. Every bottle I have had has been great! We were at a wine tasting and this was the #2 cab. A Quilceda Palangat cab was #1, Joseph Phelps cab (which I really like) was #3 and an 03Merryvale Profile was a dissapointing 4th-wasn't good?
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4/5/2010 - bryon m wrote: 91 Points
Easter Sunday Dinner started with 05 Sobon Estate Zin, followed by 05 Cliff Lede Cab then 04 JP - Bacus. The Zin was a nice start lighter in body, good fruit went down very easy. The wine has held up well and good for another year or so. The Cliff Lede was served just before and during dinner. A bigger wine, nice color, full body cab. Many nice flavors from start to finish. The Backus durring and after dinner. Slightly bigger than the Cliff Lede wine, drinking very well able to age another two to four years with ease. The last two wines were equally enjoyable but I say the backus the ability to age longer.
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3/28/2010 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of alcohol and moderate oak on the nose upon opening; started to open up after 1 hour of decanting, really started to sing after two hours; aromas of raisin and cherries; flavors of strawberries, cocoa, roasted coffee beans and hint of leather; medium to full body; finish last upwards of a whole minute; really enjoyed this wine
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2/4/2010 - scelliott99 wrote: 91 Points
Nose of red berries with oak and leather. Well balanced with flavors of cassis, leather, and red berries. Still plenty of tannins but not overpowering. This wine is drinking significantly better than six months ago.
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1/31/2010 - rrr-rrr-rrrr wrote: 93 Points
not too much nose, but VERY complex after 2 hrs decan. and medium to long finished
tested in 4 season hotel in Vancouver b.c. canada CAD$75
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1/30/2010 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club 1/30/10: Nose: Very dark fruit and an almost raisony quality that blew off with air. Palate: The dark fruit shows with cassis and a medium length finish. Nice wine.
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1/30/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Does California Reds (Shari's House): Medium purple. Nose of dark fruits, coffee, oak and spices. Good structure and this wine has some cellaring in it. Very concentrated finish and shows mostly dark fruits and toasted oak. Cellar this for five more years and visit again.
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12/29/2009 - df1962 wrote: 91 Points
Nice dark color. Classic cab nose. Smooth cassis and blackberry flavour touch of oak and rosemary. Very classy. A bit young. Would not pay $50 for it as you can get the same experince elsewhere for under $30. Good value as part of Wine Library's thank you pack.
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12/26/2009 - z_willus_d wrote: 92 Points
1+ hr decant in med-base decanter @64F. COLOR- pure ruby encased in obsidian (a cracked fantastical stone-gem). NOSE- sweet raspberry jam, cassis, i-5 valley barnyard, little strawberry red-fruit. PALATE- Mmm it's good. Silky smooth mouthfeel lays the carpet for intense, layered cabernet fruit-- strawberry/raspberry, cassis/blueberry; then salty caramel and a 2nd infusion of juice just before the FANTASTIC FINISH (30-60 sec long) of white-pepper, balsamic on cedar wood, bloody meat, and menthol. With just an hour of decanting, this would seem ready to serve - no obvious tannin stress, good complexity, and plentiful, open flavors. I'd actually like to see a little more grit to let me know I have something to count on for the next 10+ years. If it's not just hiding, I still think there's probably enough balance and concentration here to first evolve and second maintain through 2020. Delicious! Quick edit: I have to point out and agree in full that the lingering end-finish is loaded, just loaded, with charcoal (and the roasting red meat).
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12/16/2009 - godx wrote: 89 Points
Tasted blind - Opened and served right away. Deep ruby in colour. Much more youthful nose than the Chauvin giving notes of ripe fruits, mocha and hints of oak. Soft in the mouth but with lots of structure and length. A delicious wine at this stage but should offer more with additional cellaring. Try again in 5 years. Very good. 89+
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11/15/2009 - Blue Shorts wrote:
Same notes as before. Only 2 left, and I'm convinced that this wine will easily last 10 or more years. Needs hours of decanting now. Superb wine.
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11/12/2009 - g-man wrote: 88 Points
I guess my tastes are continuing to evolve. Granted, this is young but shows little evidence that it will develope any complexity with age. Very fruit forward with dominant cherry. Good for burgers and pasta but I wouldn't expect anything great.
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9/16/2009 - Blue Shorts wrote: 93 Points
50+5+13+17+8 Details to follow Popped and poured.
Beautiful nose of dark fruit, dark chocolate, pencil lead. Big, fruit forward cab. Flavors of cassis, berries, chocolate. Very complex. Layer after lay of flavor sweeps over the tongue. Delicious cabernet with enough tannins and acid for the long haul. A very long, tannic finish. Needs decanting as it already has lots of sediment. It also could use about 3 hours of air prior to drinking.
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8/13/2009 - rmcnees wrote: 91 Points
Dark garnet colour, big full bodied, flavors of black berry, black cherry, mocha, hints of cigar box & earthy mushroom with spicy nutmeg & cinnamon on a firm fine grained tannin finish.
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8/9/2009 - lumpkins wrote: 91 Points
thoroughly enjoyed. big wine, well balanced with a lovely finish. black berry, mocha, cigar box & mushroom/earthy tones.
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8/3/2009 - cadamson wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine. Dark purple. Nose needs to be teased at this point to emerge, but good cedar, sweet tobacco, olive and black fruit comes out with some effort. Real good mouth feel, cassis, dark fruits, some cigar wrapper and vanilla. Good stuff, everything is there, but yet not overly exciting. IMO, what you should get from SLD as long as you do not %$^# it up. Excellent QPR, though this is what one should expect.
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7/18/2009 - Fishboy wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit with vanilla, oak and a hint of coconut. Well balanced with medium tannins.
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6/18/2009 - elamasters wrote:
This bottle was very shut down at the moment. It took a lot of coaxing to get much scent up out of the glass. In my opinion, this needs more time.
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6/5/2009 - WineSnob7 wrote: 92 Points
Nice and smooth for a cab..enjoying a glass out by the pool
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6/1/2009 - GETRENNT wrote: 93 Points
50 min decant. Black warrior like app.
Nose: M+ inten. Extremely tight wound. Needs lots of air. Blackberry liq, burnt black cherry sauce, wet tobacco, eucalyptus, scorched earth.
Palate: Hi body, hi- fine grippy tannins, M acid, M fin, Hi- flav inten.
Very tight and concentrated, crem de cassis, blk currant, sweet oak, tar, espresso- needs age and air, revisit in 2012+
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5/20/2009 - tina7474 wrote: 91 Points
Long smooth finish, somewhat lacking in complexity and earthiness. Drank with a group of friends and nobody was raving. I think it is pretty fairly priced for California Cab, i can't believe i am saying 50 bucks is a value!! Very nice tastiing room at the winery by the way.
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4/25/2009 - bubbachumps wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with prior notes. I should have decanted this more, but it was still very enjoyable. Dark fruits on the nose and in the mouth. Nice long finish. A touch of euclyptus on the nose which I didn't note in the prior 2 bottles.
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4/3/2009 - manonthemoon wrote: 93 Points
Red Fish restaurant, open for about 3 hours. Disclaimer, I am not a real huge napa cab drinker because of the prices of the big names, but I have heard lots about this bottle and it did not disappoint. Nice dark purple color. Nose of charcoal, overipe blackberry, a hint of blueberry, a little olive, a little mocha, and some vanilla comming thru. On the palate there is rippened blueberry, dark blackberry, olive, mocha, vanilla, and high quality chewey tannin on the backend. The finish is very long. This is a great entry level cab and makes me want to explore more into Napa's cabs. Very balanced wine overall, impressive effort at this price point and I will be looking for more to cellar. Hold. 50+5+13+17+8
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4/3/2009 - RobertDwyer wrote: 88 Points
This wine has so much going for it. Very dense and interesting- every taste revealed something new about the wine. But for me, the alcohol dominates. Kind of like if you bought eggnog in the dairy aisle and poured Bacardi 151 on top of it- the rum would never integrate and it would be fire on top of something otherwise tasty. It's disappointing- everyone seems to love this wine except me.
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3/30/2009 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous note. Decanted one hour. Saw in a wine shop in Charleston while visiting my mom, and picked up to accompany some steaks. Big and full bodied, and on the verge of overextracted, but I think a few more years in the bottle will allow this wine to improve.
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3/26/2009 - matthen wrote: 93 Points
For the money, a wonderful wine. Great flavors of cocoa, currant and cassis with black fruits. The finish is well done and the tannins well integrated.
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3/24/2009 - Traxx wrote: 90 Points
Very well balanced wine, everything seems to be working together right now. Great oakiness on the nose, though not overpowering in any way. Long tart finish, nice black fruits in the mid palette. A bit boring, but a very well made wine. It's hard for me to imagine this wine getting much better as it's drinking really very well right now.
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3/20/2009 - SFDoug wrote: 90 Points
Bold, touch of earthiness, starts out smoothly and holds its own through the finish.
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2/16/2009 - jswanson wrote: 93 Points
Very similar to the 2004. Nice fruit on the nose and palate, with bit of oak and medium tanic structure. Quite drinkable now. A nice wine at the price point.
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2/14/2009 - mstrickland wrote: 95 Points
Nose is oaky, cocoa, cassis. The taste has minerals and earth, highly complex with a black pepper finish, exotic spices on a long explosive finish. Dark, tannins at first overpower the fruit when paired with red pepper soup. A waterfall of fruit flavor appears as the wine opens and is allowed to be tasted on its own. With steak = incredible... with smoked asparagus = mind-blowing. Give it time to breath and the fruit is king.
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2/7/2009 - michigan dogs wrote: 93 Points
this is absolutely one of my favorite cabs, took to Ruth Chris's for dinner to celebrate my daughter being pregnant, only my S.I.L. and I got to enjoy. They only charged $15.00 for corking, used to be $25.00. Maybe a sign of the times.Well balanced, great flavor.l
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1/19/2009 - omao wrote: 90 Points
Needs more time. Nice fruit and balance, though. Smooth. My first Lede.
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1/16/2009 - troutmonster wrote: 93 Points
Great dark, inky color. Big nose of cherry, vanilla, and oak. Not over the top oak. Incredibly silky smooth, with well integrated tannins. Looong finish. Drank along side a 2005 Shafer One Point Five and this held it's own and then some. Paired nicely with a sirloin at Mistral in Boston. Good stuff, gots to find me some more!
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12/31/2008 - mplsbruin wrote: 88 Points
Blind Tasting in Evanston (Tina's condo): '68 Heitz reg cab, '68 Antonio Vallana Spanna, '2005 Cliff Lede cab (Wine Library blind tasting winner), 2004 Beringer cab (Wine Library blind tasting loser).
Notes: "Huge. Needs more time."
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12/17/2008 - g-man wrote: 93 Points
Young but delicious! Had with a great New York strip steak, yumm!!!!! Tannins have started ti integrate slightly and the fruit just bursts through. It complements the steak very well. This will just get better over the next few years. I only have a few bottles left and will need to find more before it vanishes.
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11/28/2008 - Black Mikan wrote: 91 Points
Nicely]
Nicely integrated. Cassis/balckberry, vanilla/oak with leather and soemearth tones. A nice Stag cab and glad I tried it, but not sure it was worth the $.
]
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11/25/2008 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Currant, smoke, toast and mineral nose. Full-bodied with rich, sweet-centred fruit flavours; long, toasty/tarry finish.
4/5
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11/24/2008 - parathesis wrote: 93 Points
Tannins could use a little more aging but this is what the little women likes and it was her B-day so what she wants is what she gets. Very nice well balanced wine that will only get better with 3-5 years of bottle age. Nice dark fruit and smokeyness with a long taste. Great stuff.
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11/13/2008 - Mary Beth wrote:
drinking very nicely . . .
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11/1/2008 - Blue Shorts wrote:
Another great bottle shared with friends. This wine continues to get better over time. Decanted for one hour and re-bottled. Drank 2 hours later....yum. My current favorite cab.
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10/31/2008 - whynblog wrote: 93 Points
Impressive flavors of black currant, coconut, vanilla and oak. The fruit is rich and concentrated on the palate with the black fruits leading the way again. There is also a slight mineral edge that gives balance to the fruit. The tannins are present and will no doubt lay down some with a little bottle age. A very good effort with a complex mix of flavors. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot all from the Stags Leap District.
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10/28/2008 - eoremus wrote: 90 Points
decanted just before pouring and drank over the next three hours; black purple to the eye; didn't give it enough time to open on the nose, so perhaps the light aroma shouldn't be held against it - what was there was appealing with a slight hint of grass and mint; on the palate, well integrated tannin sets up the dark fruit; a hint of chocolate; notable depth and richness; very smooth; stood up to the steak beautifully; moderate length on finish with a bit of alcohol warmth; well worth the price
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10/24/2008 - ebrown35 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured at cellar temp. Nice nose of dark fruit, graphite, a little vanilla. The wine was showing its youth, but had a nice palate of dark fruit, damp earth, cassis, and cedar. Still plenty of unresolved tannins, but the wine got better as it sat in the glass. Plenty of structure and some of the tell tale Stag's Leap profile.
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10/19/2008 - jimmythesaint wrote: 90 Points
Nice Cab with pencil and leather. More earth components than fruit.
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10/5/2008 - JasonNYC1 wrote:
Still my favorite under $100 Napa Cab. Great nose, smooth, balanced from soup to nuts.
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10/4/2008 - g-man wrote: 92 Points
Still young but very promising. Give this another couple of years and it may warrant another point or two.
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10/2/2008 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
Had at a business dinner and really enjoyed. Rich, full bodied, with a hint of jamminess as the dark fruit (currants jumped out to me) is still primary and will settle down and develop depth with age. Surprisingly smooth and accessible now, but should get better in a few years. Fairly low in acidity with a nice long finish.
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9/20/2008 - grafstrb wrote:
Same notes as previously (4/4/08). ... this is a fantastic CA Cab., and is all the more attractive for its price point ($50 or less).
Somewhat tight upon opening, still has some baby fat to shed. This showed its best after a couple hours in the decanter.
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9/14/2008 - saleswiz wrote: 95 Points
Just as good as the last bottle! Going back to buy more!
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9/3/2008 - michigan dogs wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed over Labor day with Bob, Mike @ Jeff, this was the wotn. Excellent, opened the bottle about 3 hrs earlier but left in bottle. Upon first tasting the consensus was that the wine was still young and would get better as it aged. By the end of the night it was really great, smooth, nice fruit, mild tannins.
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8/30/2008 - bubbachumps wrote: 94 Points
Big difference between the last time I had this wine & now. I decanted 2 hours and let it sit open in the bottle for another 3 hrs. This enabled the wine to show much more complexity. The nose showed dark black raspberry, cassis, fresh leather and a touch of blueberry. In the mouth, nice long finish, fine grained tannins there but in check with the copious amount of fruit. The wine kept getting better and better as the night progressed. Really beautiful wine. This wine is great now with a 3 hr decant, or I believe it will age nicely for 5 - 7 yrs. Glad I have 2 more bottles.
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8/18/2008 - parathesis wrote: 93 Points
Drank at the horse show in SB. Needs more time in the bottle. Outstanding wine even in plastic glasses.
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8/8/2008 - last chance wrote: 88 Points
Nose of blackberry, currant and big, big oak. The palate had some nice fruit, but the oak really stuck out. I'm not an oakaphobe by any means, but this was a bit much. It also seemed a little hot at the finish to me. This wine did improve with an hour of air time, but I think it really just needs more time in the bottle to integrate.
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7/20/2008 - whits wrote: 92 Points
big dark wine that needs to breathe before showing some very nice traits, the nose is full of dark berry and oak, there are dark flavors of coffee and dark chocolate amongst dark fruit, all held together by big but modest tannins, steak wine
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7/4/2008 - J-Sho wrote: 92 Points
see previous note
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6/19/2008 - jcbrand wrote: 91 Points
Nice bouquet, oak undertones. Black fruit taste, good balance except for the slight alcohol taste as it warms up.
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6/17/2008 - michigan dogs wrote: 91 Points
not sure how to rate this, has a very unique fruit flavor, wine seemed to change as I drank it. Later on I noticed the tannins. My expectation is that it needs a little more time and will be excellent.
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6/16/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 95 Points
Just a pleasure to drink. By far the most consistent winery with the best price. Alos super nice people. Can't ask for more.
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6/14/2008 - mike_d wrote: 92 Points
Tannic out of the bottle; opened up with two hoursr in the decanter. Nice long finish. Should improve with time.
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6/9/2008 - g-man wrote: 92 Points
This is from memory from a few nights ago. This is too young to really fully appreciate thery good bottle of wine. It is primary but all the ingrediants are there for it to develope into a very good cab. My guess would be three years before trying again.
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5/29/2008 - sjk7 wrote: 90 Points
Deep, dark purple in color. Fruit was a little ovewhelmed by dry, firm tannins and alcohol was a little too prominent. Going to park the others for a while. Bottle 1 of 3
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5/28/2008 - 6831 wrote: 89 Points
Not as memorable as previous bottles but still a good bottle of Cab.
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5/24/2008 - Blue Shorts wrote: 93 Points
Excellent cabernet. Strong nose of dark fruits. Full mouthfeel with just the right level of acidity and tannins. Long lucious finsih. This has turned into one of my favorite Napa cabs.
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5/19/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 95 Points
I have been all over the place with this wine. I think this is the spot where this wine belongs. Nothing else new
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5/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 95 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Either this has opened back up or they decanted nicely. Chocolate and black cherry aromas with a full bodied lush mouth feel. Fruit supports the building tannins making them come across as soft and creamy. Always one of my favorites.
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4/25/2008 - Jack wrote: 91 Points
Consistant with previous bottles but I had this without food and it really needs some meat to show it's best.
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4/20/2008 - grapemaven wrote: 92 Points
May be the best Cali cab in it's price range $40 and should improve over the next 2-3 years.
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4/18/2008 - seanness wrote: 93 Points
Mellowed out nicely over three hours
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4/9/2008 - beachnic wrote: 92 Points
Right out of the bottle: Deep dark purple in the glass. On the nose scorched earth, wood smoke, blackberries a little more shut down than last time. Taste is spicy with some alcohol but balanced. Elegant for such a big wine. Going into that bitter chocolate edge that experienced last time. Needs some serious decanting.
Decanted overnight: Great rich opaque dark purple in the glass. Nose of black fruits, some licorice, cedar/cigar box and some sweet vanilla. Nose much more closed down thn last time. Spicey!. The tannins are big and chewey. Still a little bitterness.The fruit is buried beneath tannins/spice and some heat. This wine has an initial elegance and drinkability to it but after decanting it shows how big it really is. It's obvious that this is a concentrated cabernet with great structure and excellent complexity but it needs 2-3 more years of bottle age to start strutting IMHO. The heat is a little high right now. 92-93+Pts on potential. I'd repurchase and lay it down for a few years.
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4/5/2008 - Zigman wrote: 92 Points
Deep red in color with black currant, green pepper, cedar and cassis. This bottle took about 45 minutes to really open up and once it did it was well balanced and quite enjoyable.
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4/4/2008 - grafstrb wrote: 93 Points
-- popped and poured --
-- bottle was opened 1.5 hours before consumption --
-- tasted non-blind --
NOSE: dark currant; leather; lots of dill; nice cedary secondary aromas; the NOSE seemed like it might have been holding back just a little bit right now.
BODY: purple-garnet colored; incredible depth; medium-full body.
TASTE: very lush mouthfeel -- surprisingly smooth for an '05 (so young!); earthy; somewhat bitter; powerful; dark currant and plum; slight hint of anise on the finish; full palate; nice fine-grained tannins and a long finish indicate this will show even better in a few years. What an awesome wine!
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 9 = 93 points.
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3/15/2008 - saleswiz wrote: 95 Points
Wow! If you like big Cali cabs pick this one up. Best 05 Cali I've tasted so far. Pop and pour, this is ready to drink! Explosive with strong finish!
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3/14/2008 - Blue Shorts wrote: 92 Points
I didn't take notes, but it was definiely an excellent wine. Smooth, with a good amount of complexity and a long finish. I'm glad I have 6 more.
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3/6/2008 - beachnic wrote: 93 Points
Well call me impressed. Right out of the bottle: Great nose of scorched earth, figs, prunes, mixed berries , smoke, cedar, sandlewood, some vanilla and almond on the back end. Great balance between the hefty fruit, slightly dry tannins and acidity. They all are there but none dominate. Substantial but elegant. Beautiful deep color as well. My initial reaction is to buy a bunch of this because it should be fantastic in a few years. 93Pts on potential.
I'm going to decant for a couple of hours to see what happens. After 2 Hours decant: Now I'm getting some black licorice in the nose and taste and a bitter chocolate taste at the end. The nose has gotten a little more restrained with some alcohol on it. Very dark in the glass. The fruit is still deep and rich but has also closed down a bit. Liked it better before decanting. Needs more bottle age to open up and work out the bitterness.
After 3 hours: getting more floral notes on the nose and palate and alot of cherries and chocolate/wood. The bitterness is subsiding and getting lots of sweeter chocolate.Would wait a year or more for the next one. Very well made.
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3/1/2008 - lano wrote: 92 Points
Color was inky purple with a fairly closed nose on day one. Palate showed tight dark fruit. Amazingly concentrated and focused. I was immediately impressed with the overall quality. Day two showed softened tannins and had smooth overall character. Very, very good, and glad I have another to sit on for a couple of years.
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1/13/2008 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 92 Points
Dark violet hue, dark fruits, cardamom, cinnamon and white pepper in the mouth with a well structured finish. great QPR on the wine list at Vigilucci's La Jolla.
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1/13/2008 - ClassicWater wrote: 92 Points
This is all I ask for in Cabernet. Balanced, complex, wonderful with food, just as nice on its own. Nothing sticks out as being out of place. It all fits so well together right now. Give this about 90 minutes in the decanter then let it rip. Drink now thru 2012.
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1/7/2008 - scott davis wrote: 91 Points
Dark, inky purple color. Subdued nose of plum and cassis, with a rich palate of dark berries, cedar, spice, vanilla, and tilled soil. Proper, integrated oak with appropriately noticeable acidity and drying tannins. Medium-long finish. A very nice wine, but still somewhat introverted at this point. The best is yet to show. Acquire.
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12/30/2007 - JLL wrote: 91 Points
great relative value for NV....decanted for 2 hours and consumed over 5......well integrated tannins, cassis, spice and tangy oak......this was at it's peak with 1-3 hours of air.....i will buy more......
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12/18/2007 - Red Mountain Man wrote: 91 Points
Very nice cabernet for the money. A little oaky at first, and a touch too sweet for my palate, but on day two the oak and sweetness were gone, and what was left was a beautifully balanced wine showing dark fruits, vanilla and raspberries. If your a tannin hog like me, drink now. Otherwise wait off a few years.
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12/18/2007 - kanjimoti wrote: 91 Points
I must admit I was a bit tipsy by the time I arrived at Cliff Lede after a couple of glasses of Chianti for lunch, but this wine absolutely blew me away. I was in Napa for a little bit of road biking(my other passion) and stopped into Cliff Lede to taste one of my favorite Napa cabs. It was the day of their release party for the '05 Stag's Leap District cabernet and the tasting fee was $25 which went towards the purchase of wine as long as you bought three or more bottles. After tasting the '05 SLD Cab, three bottles was no problem, wish I could afford an entire case as I'm sure this will age wonderfully over the next twelve years.
On the nose the wine smells like a classy stew of high-quality oak, an exotic aroma of figs and violets, earth, and deep dark fruits like blackberries and blueberry liqueur. I'll say I'm a big Bordeaux fan but there are times when I crave something just a little bit fuller-bodied and not have to pay $150 for it the way you would for a Bordeaux of equal strength, for example a St. Emilion the likes of Angelus. Anyway, I will say that the SLD cab from Cliff Lede is one of the finest values in Napa today at $50. Highly recommended.
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12/15/2007 - HurrahSyrah wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. This wine exhibited a dark garnet/purple color. On the nose, aromas of blackberries, kirsch liquor and blueberries jumped out of the glass and were followed by hints of vanilla, spice and floral notes. On the palate, flavors of sweet dark berries were complemented by dark chocolate notes followed by hints of spice and vanilla on the finish. Great, lush mouthfeel with a wonderful beginning, middle and finish. A very solidly constructed Cabernet and look forward to trying one with a bit more age on it. HS93
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12/14/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 93 Points
Has firmed up a bit since my last bottle. Big black cherry and blackberry flavors with a soft midpalate extending into building tannins. A little less approachable and may be closing down.
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12/11/2007 - gotapex wrote: 90 Points
I've never had a wine change so much over a few days. Wide green streak just dominated on the first day, almost undrinkable (from someone who thinks not many wines are undrinkably bad). However, it blew off by the second day, revealing a cedar box nose, good structure, dark fruit, and a medium finish. Worth cellaring for a few years.
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12/10/2007 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
very nice bottle of cab for the money -- no formal note, but the tannins were well integrated and smooth over the tongue, there were lots of diverse flavors (red, black fruit, coffee) and the finish lasted for a little while. Will pick up more.
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12/1/2007 - 6831 wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with last bottle.
Shy aromatics but very exhuberant with ripe flavors of blackberry, coffee, pepper and kirsch within a medium-full frame.
Tasted blind, I'm not sure I'd guess this was Cal Cab. More like syrah.
Nevertheless, this is a well made effort.
Not sure how ageworthy this will be, but it drank well tonight.
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11/27/2007 - PerfectVintage wrote: 95 Points
Soft subtle aromas of red currants evolving over the next hour to include flowers & vanilla. Complex & elegantly coordinated flavors of black cherry & raspberry, followed by a sweet touch of oak & blackberry. What really stands out is how easy going the tannins are for such a young wine. This is the best Cliff Lede Cabernet to date and probably the best release yet of any wine by this fine producer. Fantastic effort & great Q.P.R.
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11/27/2007 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
After having one very good and one ok bottle I had to pop one more just to see what was going on. This one is very good and consistent with my first note. 93+ Plenty of acid calls for a piece of meat if you drink it now. Hopefully this will balance out and improve with time in the cellar.
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11/26/2007 - hifiwine wrote: 95 Points
big hit
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11/23/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 95 Points
Had this at fish fry and I did not have but everyone there loved it.
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11/22/2007 - bubbachumps wrote: 91 Points
First sip after pop and pour. Vibrant and young, primary in nature. No complexity showing but tasty. 4 hours in the decanter down the road, wine has shut down. Overbearing tannins and showing lots of heat. This wine needs time, but has the potential for greatness in 5-7 years.
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11/19/2007 - Jack wrote:
This one acted completely different (a different case also) from the first. This one was almost undrinkable for the first two hours. It then sofened up, gained focus and was very good. Maybe 90pts. Saved quite a bit for tomorrow. Day 2 has settled things down a little but this is young and unruley and the wife still doesn't like it. Day 3 - Different wine gives hope for the future??? Wife likes it.
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11/18/2007 - hifiwine wrote: 96 Points
and again
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11/18/2007 - J-Sho wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple color. On the nose picked up hints of cassis, cedar, plum, and brown sugar. Complex and soft on the palate with nice length. Still a bit austere and young. From 03-05 this is the lowest scorer but still nice. Lede is definitely bang for your buck and and up and comer to keep your eye on.
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11/17/2007 - 6831 wrote: 91 Points
Deeply colored with ruby edge. Shy nose.
Broad flavors of sweet cassis, brambly red fruits, black pepper and other spices.
Very nicely structured with good mouthfeel.
Finishes with nice length and modest complexity. A good value. 91+
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11/13/2007 - kstoddard wrote:
Too much toasted french oak treatment. Bing and black cherry. Bitter tannic, finish. Syrupy mess.
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11/9/2007 - hifiwine wrote: 96 Points
had to try it again to confirm
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11/7/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 96 Points
You can't say enough about these guys. For them to still be charging what they charge and have the first class operation they have this must be an expensive hobby for Cliff because he ca'nt be making money. Anyway this blew me away. The best Cliff Lede yet. Red fruits and a touch of alchohol on the nose. Pure silk in the mouth. Red and black berry flavors expand in the mouth while the fruit continues to pour in while overwhelming the sweet building tannins. This tasted like a Caymus Special Select from a top vintage. Truly an amzing wine.
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11/7/2007 - hifiwine wrote: 96 Points
I think we found a blockbuster here. I've been collecting this wine from the start and the 05' is the best so far. previous tasting notes are right on
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11/6/2007 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Very dark color, toasty fruit and some serious but sweet tannin. Over 2 hours the wine opened up considerably with some creamy chocolate notes. A little time should allow the oak to integrate.Plenty of fruit to offset the tannins. On day 2 the wine shows some mint. Still very rich. This is a good one.
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11/2/2007 - PVCC wrote: 90 Points
Most accessible for a 2005 Napa Cab. Smooth tannins, good fruit.
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10/24/2007 - LACERS wrote: 97 Points
Decanted 45 minutes. Absolutely beautiful aromas of cherries, blueberries, cassis, allspice, vanilla with nice floral scents. I spent 10 minutes relishing these aromas and had me tweaking my rating scale to make aromas more of a factor. Perfect balance of tannins, dryness, fruit tempo, acidity, and very elegant. Tops in fruit concentration and richness, this wine is not restrained at all, and to me was as good, if not better than the Flora Springs 25th Aniversary Cab, and blew away Turnbull 05 Cab which both I tried prior to this. Tons of blackberries, cherries, cassis, raspberries along with a nice streak of allspice, chocolate, and perfect amount of oak. Pre-ordered 4 cases from winery at $35 a bottle, Wine Club price. A wine that makes the 05 Turnbull Cab almost seem like 2 buck chuck!
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