Brought to a restaurant, decanted for a half hour. Scrumptious; could go for some years more, much like its 2005 siblings in Bordeaux. Tertiary flavors in with the mellow fruit, but this might develop a bit more. Delicious right now though.
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Part of an odds and ends event for my wine group. All the wines were opened, but not decanted for at least 45 minutes before serving. My next to last bottle of this vintage and it's been a few years since my previous bottle. Time has been kind to this wine, and I have bumped up my score a point. Tied for my favorite wine of the night, with the 2011 Quilceda Creek Galitzine.
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From Magnum. Opened 3 hours ahead. Spice, dark fruits, cedar and herbs on the nose. Medium bodied with a good balance of primary red and dark fruits along with secondary flavors of earth and spices. Still a solid core of acid and smooth tannins with a medium plus finish. From magnum this should remain on plateau for several years. 93 points
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Poured glasses just after opening. Rich colour and very full bodied. Initially it had a port like quality - that sort of richness. With time the dark fruit profile came through. The wine became more fresh, well balanced and delicious. I wish I had a lot more.
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Opened, but not decanted for about an hour before pouring, as part of a Napa Cabernet night at a steakhouse with my wine group. Very good, but somehow it seemed a little less impressive than the other 3 Cabs (which were 2005 Dunn Napa, 2012 Lewelling Wight, and 2012 O'Shaughnessy Howell). In comparison to the other wines, it seemed slightly oxidized, and a little less lively.
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Very complex and balanced. Fruity nose, full-bodied with oak, mineral, blackberry and cherry notes. Finishes so long and so smooth. I've been holding on to this one for quite a long time. Very much worth the wait.
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Nice wine. Drank it back to back with a 2006 Brunello Montalcino Corte Pavone. This wine is in a good place. Muted nose of cassis, right out of the bottle there was a distinct mustiness to this wine that disappeared after an hour - hour and one half.. From there distinct aromas of dark fruit, black cassis, and cooked meat appeared. In the glass this wine was dark in color with medium to full body. The sediment was present and I believe added to the character and longevity of this wine. Flavors of dark cherries and chocolate were present, albeit, more one note than I would have hoped for in a reserve bottling. Tannins were well integrated. Drink up. This wine has some life left, but, I think will start its decline in the next year, or so.
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Drinking on its own. Deep with cherry. Tons of swirling licorice, berries, coffee, herbs, abd chocolate. The nose a little floral. Beautiful juicy acidity bringing up the rear. Tannins get a little rough especially drinking in the cold.
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Now deep-to-opaque garnet in color, the 2005 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve continues to impress. This particular bottle was purchased upon release and cellared under ideal conditions. After decanting off of its sediment, it was serially sampled over the ensuing 3-4 hours. Shortly after decanting, the wine becomes effusive of fig, dark bramble fruits, bittersweet chocolate, lavender, licorice and dried herbs. Full-bodied and with medium acidity, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose and stays solid on the middle palate. The alcohol (listed as 15.1%) is silent and the wine's residual tannins are silky smooth. With a finish that lingers beautifully, this Cab is in a good spot. Comparably cellared bottles should easily reach their twentieth birthday, and I would not rule out an even longer lifespan. Drink now-2025.
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- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of strawberry and black currant with a medium/full body. Angular texture with a long finish.
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I have loved this wine. That is why I kept this, the last bottle I had — perhaps too long. Tasted; nice flavor, but kind of bitter, biting. Decanted for 30 minutes. Better, but still not good. Bad bottle? Too old? Oh well.
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I have never found this vintage of the Conn Valley Cab to be particularly interesting. The aromas are fairly anonymous dark fruit, with just a hint of green peppercorn in the background to let you know it's actually Cabernet. The palate has round fruit of medium weight and acidity, but the presentation is just kind of monolithic. Little complexity from age. Will this get any more interesting? I'm not confident.
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Nose of dark cherry and plum. Cherry dominate the palate not flabby but bright and there are notes of alluvial and minerality. Cola characteristics and chocolate on mid palate. Very long finish of muted tannins. Can last another five years but drinking beautifully now.
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In terrific shape. Soft and elegant at first, but with a deep mid palette and strong finish. Decent backbone yet, and starting to blend typical ACV red fruit with blue. Such a great value
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, strawberry, red currant and strawberry jam. It tastes like strawberry, blackberry and gooseberry. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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Day 1: 2 hour decant. Cherry, exotic spices, oak, plum and dark chocolate. Picks up a roasted nut quality on the long, intense finish. 94 points Day 2: excellent and more integrated. Subtle wood, cherry, black licorice, spice and earth. Long finish. Classic Napa Cabernet. One of the best values. 95 points
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Fourth of July Weekend (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 2 hours. 2 oz pour over 40 minutes plus. Tart cherry and black currants, comes off a bit flat and disjointed, showing alcohol on the finish with more blackberry liqueur to tthe palate. Dense, tart dark fruits. I'm a big fan of ACV and this was one of the wines I was most looking forward to, but it was nowhere near what I expected from it. I'm wondering if the air was an issue. 89-90pts.
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Not quite as good as last time tried 3 years ago, but still very nice. Soft, smooth and balanced flavored of blackberry, cedar, lead pencil and minerals. Ready to drink. Slightly less fruit this time.
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Wine of the year candidate. Had at Mother's Day Early Dinner at Jenson's Super Club. Integrated wine with cassis, pencil lead, mocha, cherry and mild oak. Complex, multilayered long finish. Drinking window sweet spot on this wine. Drink now to 2022.
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P & P. This followed a 2008 Penche Napa Cab, and the two were remarkably similar in profile. The Anderson is 15.1 abv and the Penche is 14.8; the transition from the first bottle the second was seamless. No signs of flagging in either bottle.
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- Garnet color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, strawberry and raspberry with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish - Wonderful nose on this wine.
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We could bring anything to a very special steak night and this was it. A perfectly proportioned wine in the early years of a long Long plateau. Drink for the next ten years easy -2028.
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In a great window. Decanted one hour and consumed over 2. Atypical napa notes of rich cassis, some blackberry and a touch of earthy leather. Smooth and silky on the palate. Rich and well-balanced fruit, a very nice package.
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(Decanted for one hour.) Three years ago I hid my remaining stash of this wine to keep from drinking it too quickly. The wine continues to wow me. The color is still very dark, almost purple, with no discernible edge-lightening. On the nose it is taking on a fragrant earthy note that perfectly complements the dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate and tobacco elements. In the mouth the fruit is still bright and fresh, though mature notes of mushroom and forest floor are emerging. And the tannins are even smoother than I remember. This lovely wine is certainly open for business but will become even more harmonious over the next few years. Lastly, its complexity and flavor are reminiscent of the delicious 2001 and 2002, while its size, density and persistence compare well with the stunning 2007 and 2008. Overall, a damn fine bottle of wine! Once again, 96 points.
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Drinking beautifully right now. Baked dark fruits with some spices. Some hints of dark chocolate with cherry cordial. Elegant and long finish with muted tannins. Drank unpaired but would complement any red meat.
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Very nice. Very closed upon opening but opened quickly. A little less bold than expected but a very nice cab. Medium body and a 10 second finish. Softy tannins
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Completely outclassed a range of other reds tonight. Great texture; medium weight but densely woven. No rush on this but I'm also not sure it's a wine that would be better if it ever reached an age of complexity. Definitely drink now with a decant, and probably at this level for the next 8-10 years.
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Endowed with rich, ripe, lush fruit, but surprisingly lacking in complexity & identifiabe tertiary flavors. Also much softer than I expected. At same time, there is great depth, concentration and texture.
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Fragrant perfumed nose in a classic cab with a touch of old world funk although a bit one dimensional. Plenty of fruit with sweet tannins contribute to a satisfying finish.
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Beautiful nose, fruit, performe and secondary notes, the age is coming through with notes of leather. The palate was a bit scattered unfortunately, very enjoyable but I was hoping for more.
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I solid napa cab, al-be-it rather monolithic in terms of its fruit palette. Did not see any improvement since the last bottle tried, and have reduced my score a little as this time I found it pleasant but uninteresting.
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Beautifully mature CA cab. Still with a lot of room to run, but drinking really well now. I like this wine as although fairly smooth, it has a gritty roughness to it as well, which I find attractive. Medium finish.
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The wine is purple colored with forest floor, mushroom, blackberry and black currant (cassis) notes. There was just a trace of bell pepper. This full bodied wine went on and on.
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Purple Pium in color. Cherry, earth and floral elements on a very nice nose. Shines on the palate with loads of black and red fruits with hints of charcoal and earth. no tannin and drinking beautifully with much more time to come. Delicious!
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- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's in total harmony with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a long finish - The nose on this wine is nothing short of amazing. Loaded with fruit. Red raspberry, black cherry, strawberry to name a few. The tannins have mellowed beautifully and a wine to really enjoy.
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Phenomenal. This wine has aged superbly - tannins as smooth as silk, earthy aroma on the front, rich blackberry and cherry on the palate and a long finish.
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94+. Wow. A great balance of fruit and tannin that explodes in the mouth with raspberry and tobacco and earth and honey. Just luscious and perfect with rib roast and flourless chocolate cake.
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This was an intense red juicy cherry and red raspberry wine with lots of sweet tannins and acidity. It was fresh, supple with a long clean finish. Some blood orange notes and some minerality. Tasted young and somewhat primary to me but delicious and a great food wine.
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A better showing than the last bottle. This was sweet and ripe with great balance. Again currant and cherry fruit, but with a nice sweet ripeness and mellow tannins on the back end.
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This was absolutely delicious. I am adding notes a couple of weeks after the fact. I opened and poured through a Vinturi. My wife and daughter both said that they would only have a little taste and weren't in the mood for wine. Ha!! We finished the bottle over grilled steaks and could not stop talking about how delicious it was. There is a neat core of fruit and heady aromas of blackberry, raspberry and forest floor. It is a rich wine and consistent with all the great ACVV I have had.
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From a magnum. One-hour decant. Rusty red color. Not much nose at first but when it opened up after 45 minutes or so it began to strut its stuff. Certainly not blown away like I have been with other ACV's but, all in all, a good, not great, bottle. Will drink the second half of the bottle tomorrow hoping for some improvement.
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Couldn't keep hands off another bottle of this after last month's great showing. Enjoyed next to a seriously endowed single-vineyard Peju cab of the same vintage against which this--I'd say the lesser wine despite many similar characteristics--was thinner, more bordeaulaise in bouquet and flavor profile, and more evenly distributed in the shape of its flavors.
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Popped and poured with overpowering tannin. Needed a few hours of air to open up. But when it did it sang beautifully. A big bold spicy chewy Cali cab with a finish that went on and on.
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(Decanted for one hour.) I last had this wine over a year ago. Why did I wait so long? It remains one of my favorite ACV reserve cabernets and is currently firing on all cylinders: a gorgeous dark color, a rich flavor profile of ripe dark fruits, chocolate, herbs and soil, and an ultra-smooth long finish. Yes, it is big in its Californian way; but it is also very stylish and complex. It is not fading at all and I suspect another ten years (at least) of development ahead. And it is a perfect accompaniment to rare beef! Who could ask for anything more? 96 points.
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Deep and dark ruby red. Essence of toast, licorice, pencil lead, blueberries and riasens. Layers of coffee, toast, pepper, casis and mint. Very well integrated tannins which supports a pleasantly long finish. Very impressive wine.
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Decanted three hours. Dark garnet color in the glass. Nose of green peppers, vegetables, earth, and the slightest hint of dark fruit. The palate consisted primarily of green pepper. Once heavily aerated in the glass, the green pepper subsided a bit and you could get a sense for the dark fruit and 22 months in barrel.
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Had along side a 2001 Grace Family Cabernet. Two completely different wines. Grace was more depth, bordeaux style, with an amazing bouquet. Conn Valley was a deep, rich, napa cab. Notes of chocolate and spices this wine was very pleasurable with steak. Long finish.
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1.5 hour decant. Dark red. Much more evolved than I expected. Plum, cherry, graphite, road tar, and earth. Elegant style. Drinking really well just now.
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In an excellent place with cherry, plum, spice, subtle oak and a hint of vanilla on the finish. I could see this going another decade this is one of the most consistent Napa wines one will find for under $60 on a regular basis. Well done Todd!
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Nose: There is a lushness, but with excellent balanced along with dark red cherries, herbs, cassis, bell pepper, spice, currants. While there is an intensity to the fruit, it is far from overdone.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and sneaky tannins. There is a plushness to the feel, but well balanced with dark red cherries, red fruits, bell pepper, currants, and some bits of herbs on the back end.
Overall: This is drinking very well if you want some more fruit. The structure is still very much there and this does feel like another couple of years will do it some good.
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Decanted and then drank over two hours. Initially, stewed fruit, herbs, espresso. Full bodied, long finish with a pucker at the end. Drank this with dinner. After dinner was glass 2. Wow, just wow. It had changed into leather, roasted herbs, dark chocolate, dark berry, pepper. Full bodied, minute long, seamless finish with silky smooth tannins. This is what I hold wine for, the wow factor. And I have 4 more of the case. Awesome!
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Lovely nose that has a little of the sweet fruit-bomb tendency of a napa cab but quickly balances it with a more earth and subtle and deeper bordeaux quality. Slightly acidic, but in a positive way. Drinking well now, and will probably get better. Got noticeably better in the after 2 hours of being open.
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Night one the wine was very tight and had hints of herbs and unripened fruit. It had good structure, decent balance, but not entirely impresses ... which was disappointing because Anderson Coon Valley Reserve is one of my favorites. (90)
Night two ... this wine was awesome. The air really did it justice. Pretty nose of cassis and herbs. Fantastic mouth feel. Good, integrated tannin structure. And a very long, enjoyable finish. (95)
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Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis), oak and vanilla. The body is medium/full. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. David's wine.
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You could tell this was quality wine, but there was a musty note (TCA?) that never blew off after multi-hour decant. Was also a hot/tart streak that never smoothed out. Fine tannins and mouthfeel. Dark fruit, but nose was muted. I expected a better experience give the multitude of 92-94 ratings.
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poured via aerator. Consistent with previous-herbs, tobacco, started to show up. developed very well. I expect that another hour would have been fantastic.
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Popped and poured. Very nice nose of sour cherry, tobacco, cranberry and dirt. On the palate, cranberry, sour cherry, tobacco, blackberry, spicy oak,. Dry finish with soft tannins. A great wine that was outshone by the 04 Beringer.
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Didn't mean to open another one so soon after my last bottle, but it is hard to resist. This bottle was more developed than previous bottles. Subtle nose of tertiary aromas of cassis, spice and leather. Medium-weight with perfect balance and an elegant mouthfeel. Medium, fruity finish. Complexity, weight and texture are more like a bordeaux than a California cab.
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Six weeks ago I popped and poured this wine and thought it was great. I decanted another bottle for two hours last night and thought it was even better. The color is dark, brooding and rich. A very classic cabernet nose: cassis, vanilla, tobacco, soil, menthol and saddle leather. It smells right and expensive. This is a big yet elegant wine in the mouth. Stylish, I kept thinking. It has ripe raspberry, cherry and currant flavors underscored by dark chocolate, moist soil and just a suggestion of mushroom. The underlying acidity makes these flavors ring clear and true and the smooth tannins keep everything in check. And perfect balance: Bordeaux restraint meets California ripeness. This really is an impressive wine, and it has room to grow. My new go-to California cab too? 96 points.
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This was an INCREDIBLE wine. Didn't even see this one coming and didn't remember I had it. Beautiful bordeaux style wine. Cedar, floral, notes red and chocolate notes, long finish. Need more!
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This bottle was quite spectacular. Rich, ripe, complex, powerful, lush and deep. Gobs (that is the only word that describes it) of cassis along with oak/vanilla, leather. earth and herbs. Full-bodied and massively concentrated with a very rich, lush texture. Big, fruity finish. In spite of all the rich, sweet fruit, it somehow reminds me of a bordeaux. Somewhat restrained (i.e. not overdone), elegant and complex with near perfect balance.. Not yet fully mature, but drinking very well. Conn Valley has become my "go to" cab and this is another example of why. 94-95
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Still young, this rich, concentrated, juicy, round wine offers ripe blackberries, licorice, vanilla, earth and forest floor aromas. The wine hits all the right spots ending with a blast of ripe, sweet fruits. The wines from Conn Valley remain some of the best values for price, quality and style in Napa Valley.
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Deep ruby with a hint of garnet at the edge. Classic and subdued cabernet nose of cassis, smoke, leather, herbs and cigar box is very satisfying. Full-bodied in the mouth, with ample fruit mid-palate. Sweet berry flavors are very clean (not overripe) and combine with rich tobacco, chocolate and Bordeaux-like earthiness. The tannins are very smooth and the acid is just right. The overall effect is that of an elegant, sophisticated, first-rate wine. Contrary to some reviews, this superbly balanced effort still seems fairly young. It will get slightly better over the next 10 or so years as the secondary aromas come forefront. It may even merit another point. 95 points.
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There's really nothing not to like about this wine. It's plenty of fruit and oak for those who like that, but with enough subtlety to please the more Old World purists. Lots of currant but tobacco and leather as well. I thought it would need more time and more decanting, but it's drinking well now, with only a brief decant.
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A rewarding cab that brings forth some restraint amidst so many that go over the top. Captivating notes of leather, herbs, currant, and tobacco. An elegant wine to be enjoyed with a meal or on its own.
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Notes after slow-O'ing for 24 hrs. Dark hazy garnet color, about 80% opaque, very slow, lightly stained legs. Average sediment. Generous nose features olive tapenade, blackcurrant, raspberry liqueur, herbs, and fennel. Full grown palate with easy tannins and a clean saline backbone. Fruit is dry and persistent. Balance is outstanding. Now showing secondary character and probably reaching it's peak window. Not sure I would count on it going as long as the CT avg date of 2026. 4+12+18+7 = 91
Decanted through a Vinturi two hours prior to tasting. A strongly herbaceous nose follows through to the palate. Soft and mid-weight, the sage, bay, and underbrush are too persistent for the struggling fruit to emerge. Turns out to be the little train who couldn't, but still, a nicely made and enjoyable bottle.
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Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Still some tannins that need to resolve themselves, but with two hours of air, this is an amazing wine. No detailed notes as this was consumed a few nights ago. Will hold my last bottle for several more years to see where this goes.
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I drank this magnum at my 60th birthday party at Di Fara's Pizza in Brooklyn. I probably should have opened this first, before the '10 Schrader Old Sparky. The Schrader overpowered the ACV. After drinking near perfection, this wine (ACV) never had a fair chance. It tasted weak and limpy by comparison. I will say that there's no rush to drink the '05. I probably would have rated this higher if the Schrader wasn't in play.
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Paired with lamb chops and heavy hors. Fruit bomb, fabulous. Great legs. Wonderful nose - could have just smelled it all night if it didn't taste so good. Hit of the party.
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Still a big bold black fruit driven wine. Liqueur berries, rocks, dark pencil shavings and char coal. Bigger and robust. Dark coffee grounds, some plump rhubarb, pepper spice, burnt caramel, dark roasted nuts. Clean and silky mouth feel. Big finish but on day 2 the alcohol and tannins settled in nicely.
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Big blast of rich, ripe cassis aromas filled the room on opening. Aromas of cedar and charcoal along with the cassis on the nose. Big and rich with a massive body, amazing concentration and huge structure. Tannins are still rough and somewhat dry, but also well matched to all the concentrated fruit. Long, long fruity finish. Very different from a bottle I had about a year and a half ago and much more typical of other vintages of Conn Valley Reserve that I have had. While very drinkable, it is still a bit young and rough. This will undoubtedly mellow and improve with more time. A terrific example of a big California cab.
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Dark plummy fruit and a clear hint of green pepper in the background give this varietal correctness, but the aromas still seem young and undeveloped. The palate has a solid, mid-plus weight feel to it, with the fruit not displaying the obnoxious sweetness of a recent '02. The savory aspect is much more in play, and there's a respectable level of acidity as well, even if it's lower than some might prefer. The tannins are grippy and chalky still. This needs time, and I hope it will repay the patience.
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Not sure how this winery stays below radar, but glad it does--price wise at least. One of the best Cali Cab values....nay, one of the best Cab values period.
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Subtle but nice nose of black licorice, herbs and a little soy sauce. The palate shows bright red berries with lots of acid and again the hint of soy. A food wine with medium weight and almost fully integrated tannins. Good.
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Second bottle of the night after 2009 Caymus Cab. Decanted and poured. This is the second bottle of the case, first one drunk in July 2011. What a difference 6 months made. The tannins have resolved into a well balanced, lively, full bodied wine. Black cherry, dark chocolate, some leather, coffee notes. Good acidic backbone and strong finish. Still young and should continue to age well. For me, not sure if the secondary notes it will pick up will be better than the fruit core it has now. Happy I went for the case back when.
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Very deep, dark ruby-black color. Popped and poured. On the nose I get pine bark, dark cherry and milk chocolate. The palate is a very tightly wound core of dark fruit, with maybe some charcoal or burned wood notes. While there's great concentration, this is still very young and primary -- not decanting was a bad mistake. We'll see how it opens up when I consume the second half the bottle tomorrow...
Opened up quite nicely on night two, which portends well for the future. Great fruit and structure -- I could kick the score up a point or two as a result...
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This was a little closed. The fruit was in the background, the palate was very oaky. Dark fruits, lots of cedary oak. Medium-full palate. I rushed it out, I think it would do better with a couple of hours in the decanter.
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Agree with other notes that this has plenty of structure and good acidity. A little less sweet to balance than I was expecting. It has nice blackcurrant and cherry but begins to turn a little dried herb and brush like on the nose and finish. Overall very good, but not quite the depth or polish I was looking for.
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Started purple, minimal nose, minimal tannins, a bit thin and flat (rating a 86). Then significantly improved after 30 minutes. Herbs, tobacco, started to show up. developed very well. I expect that another hour would have been fantastic.
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Decanted for 1/2 hour and drank over 4. It took a while to open up to dark fruit, herbs, espresso, dark chocolate. Full bodied, good finish. The tannins had still not resolved after 4 hours to my taste. This should really come together with some more cellar time.
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In a mix of wonderful wines, this one stood out tremendously. VERY darkly concentrated with a finish that last for 30+ seconds. Dark berry, big fruit, rich comforting tannin (not bitter), a black hole of delish
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This was a wonderful wine. Plenty of structure and still young, but great nose of fruit and perhaps a bit of mineral/graphite. Rich, yet well balanced with not only tannin but also some acid. Improved (even with 2 hours decanting) as others have noted. WE notice others liked, but actually few comments about the palate. We thought there was plenty of dark fruit, but with tannins--it will hold up well. Also the mineral/graphite in the mouth--not really European in style, but not the anticipated fruit-forward CA cabernet. It was the wine of the night, including an Insignia.
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Opened for 6 hours before consumption. Should have decanted it. Still had a small pucker from the tannins on the end. First taste and mid-palate smooth and good dard berry flavors. I will wait another 2 yearss to try another one.
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Marked development from earlier tastings since release. Robust Cabernet nose on first pour. Rich, multilayered palate. Youthful hard edges mostly burnished. More masculine than sublime. A very solid standby at a reasonable price point. Ready now and built to last. 94+
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As with other posters, I opened about 2-3 hrs before drinking and was rewarded. My guests commented that it just kept getting better as the night continued. Paired with porterhouse and wasn't disappointed.
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Aromas of sweet blackberry with a touch of minerality and a floral component. Soft mouthfeel with medium body. Nice cassis fruit on the palate with a bit of cedar on the med-long finish. Tannins have softened up quite a bit since the last time I tried this wine (01/2009).
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Textbook Napa Cab with ripe black cherries, a generous dose of chocolate and a hint of menthol/eucalyptus. Very nice flavor profile. Tannins are present but reasonably soft and enjoyable as you'd expect of a wine this age.
I think the label could stand a redesign. To my eye it looks cluttered and cheap, which doesn't align with the product in the bottle.
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This wine changed pretty dramatically during the course of about 3 hours. Started out a bit soft and flabby, then took on a lot of structure and finally turned a bit soft again. Big nose of rich, ripe concentrated blackberry and cassis with a good dose of oak. Massively concentrated, very fruit forward and somewhat overripe with vegetal notes emerging over time. Overall this was basically a giant fruit bomb (albeit a tasty one), and not really typical of Conn Valley Reserve. I will not score as I think it was either an off bottle or slightly corked.
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Had my first bottle of this in Dec'08 and one each year for what is now the 3rd year and just loved watching this wine blossom into a fantastic experience. Started out at a 91 rating 2 years ago and this year its drinking fantastic.
When I poured it I thought it was going to be a bust because it literally smelled like kool-aid but in the next half hour it put out fantastic fruit and blossom aromas and screamed cabernet. No better than medium bodied at first, within an hour it had gained substantial weight and personality and by two hours it was get-outa-here superb. Round and smooth on the palate, absolutely nothing out of place. Perfectly integrated, smooth tannins with just a touch of sweetness that served to further fill out the picture. The nose was great but even better was the long, antoxicating finish that first wound its way upwards from the palate thru the nose then captured the taste buds and held them for more than a minute. Damn this is a good wine.
We typically have a half bottle then cork it and cellar it for the 2nd night but this time we sipped and sipped and sipped until it there was no more. It was impossible to put down until suddenly it was gone.
This wine is outstanding and is really drinking well right now! Blue and red fruit mixed with dark chocolate. A touch of toasted oak (just a touch). Firm, mouth coating tannins and a finish that goes on and on. Almost makes me feel guilty that I opened this without my wife. ;-)
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Similiar to prior notes... Color: Dark Purple Aroma: Earth, plum Taste: More plum like now with a dash of vanilla and oak. Underlying, a layer of coffee. I still think this has time in the bottle. The tannins are nicely integrated now, but still has a bit of an edge.
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Delicious. Very fruit forward on palate w/ nice complexity. Some initial funk on the nose that blew off after a bit. Nose was fruity but subdued. Decanted for 2+ hours before drinking. Quite drinkable now. Had one of the better (perhaps the best?) showings of several 2005 Cali Cabs we tried that evening, handily beating a pretty closed 2005 BV Georges Latour (although the Latour had a better nose).
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Big dark wine. Dark fruits, spices, vanilla, oak. Full bodied. Concentrated new world fruit with sweet tannins and a long finish. Outstanding value. My rating will very likely rise after some aging, but it's very approachable already. Definitely seek this wine out.
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Ehh. Decanted for a solid hour. Enjoyed over the next hour. It was a fine cabernet -- no flaws, well balanced, etc -- but lacking the flavor and nose I was hoping for and expecting.
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Drank with Jeff & Judy for Denise's 40th. Great wine but really needs more time. Decanted for about 3 hours and it could've used 3 more. Probably won't open another for 3 more years.
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This is a wonderful wine. Riper than the 2002, but not quite as integrated. Nose of cassis, bell pepper, and dust. Some vanilla notes on the nose too, but far from overbearing. Medium bodied with a solid core of fruit. Opened up over the night with decanting. Tannins are well balanced with the fruit. I bet this will improve over several years.
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Had this wine to celebrate my birthday - though we didn't have time to decant, the wine was very smooth upon taste - nice dark ruby color, sharper scent (relative to an Opus One we also had) - we thought this wine was great - full flavor, smooth finish (relative to slightly more heat in the Opus, also less "oakey" flavor as well). Would highly recomemend.
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Double aerated and left in decanter for a couple hours. Deep ruby color almost opaque at the rim. Complete agree with Parker, a ringer for a top notch Pauillac in terms of aroma profile. Lots of nice creme de cassis, tobacco, leather and agreed, a hint of smoke. More layers of well extracted dark cherries, fig, and pleasantly charred oak in which it spent 22 months. A big wine on the finish. Pure and persistent the alcohol doesn't come across at it's whopping 15.1%. Nice acidity is showing in this bottling and there is some serious potential for long term aging. Approachable now, this wine shows the extraction and fruit drive of a new world wine with the finesse and terroir shown in left bank Bordeaux. Profound.
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Dark color. Nose shows off an array of aromas with cherry, smoke, oak, plum, spices and vanilla. Big wine with the palate showing off a mix of dark fruits and earth characters. Long and concentrated finish and big tannins. This is a cellar selection and again the best $50 Napa Cab.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Nose of pipe tobacco, vanilla and slight oak - very old-world style cab. Structured, layered fruit of plum and blackberry. Very fine, velvety tannins. Finish went on for 50 + seconds. A serious cab, one that would rate with others 2-3 times the price. Drinking well now but could cellar for a handful of years. Will be on the lookout for the '07.
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1/2 bottle - rather earthy with some chocolate notes. Quite young and tannic but there is nothing about this that makes me want to buy it and wait. Good blackberry fruit but it tastes a little muddy to me. I've never thought this wine was anywhere near the best that Napa has to offer and this bottle is confirmation of that.
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Incredible Cali Cab at this fairly entry-level price. Solid without being thick, powerfull without being overwrought, this red fruited beauty sings in the glass with a modern sensibility. Full bodied and smooth with delicious vanilla, coffee and spice flavors. This is the wine that all those $10-$20 dollar cali-catastrophies are trying to emulate.
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popped and poured. Initial nose of fresh cut grass, cherry liquor and vanilla. On palate it had massive black fruits, vanilla, sweet oak (in balance), and smokey flavors. The tannins were very harsh, as expected, with a herbal bite. After 90 mins the tannins has mellowed quite a bit. Very nice wine that should hit stride in another 3-5 years meriting 2-3 higher pts.
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Initial funk on nose burned off eventually. Alcoholic (15.1%) but less evident on palate. Glyceric mouth feel and sturdy legs. Still decidedly tannic. Creme de cassis predominates. Despite negatives, exhibits major potential for long term improvement which is reflected in the score.
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Puissant, avec une richesse de fruit supportée par des tanins très présents. Un style moins exubérant que les Cabernet de Larkmead, et voué selon moi à une garde plus longue.
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Ripe, smooth and harmonious, showing complex layers of currant, cedar, coffee, dust and blackberry, this outstanding California red unfolds to reveal a supple texture, then firms up nicely on the finish.
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Color: Dark Purple Aroma: Earth, plum Taste: Cherries, currents with vanilla, graphite and a touch of oak It had a lingering finish, though not as long as I expected. This wine is a little young. A few more years, and I would expect it will have aged nicely.
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What a great bottle. Dark ruby red color. Huge fruity nose with blackberry, black currant, plum, sweet tobacco, and a slight floral aromatic. Medium-full body with beautiful, clean fruit. The palate is a cascade of fruit. Great balance with sweet, mellow tannins. Long, delicious finish.
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I gave this a 94 for what it will be... it is a little young as evidenced by the amount of air time it requires to open up right now. Still, very complex, earthy full-nosed Cab.
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This is a good value wine, but not a 96 pointer. Opens after about 30 minutes of air time. On the nose a little Rhone-like barnyard, blackberry and vanilla. On the palate, blackberry, brown sugar, molasses and cinnamon. Big tannins provide a long, dry finish, and the cinnamon on the palate lasts a little too long, literally minutes. I gave the '94 Harlan from last night 97 points, and that wine was more than 1 point better than this Conn Valley. This wine will improve with age, but I would guess 92 points at max. I prefer the '05 Eloge. The Parker Palate Premium strikes again.
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Great bottle nice nose with black current and blueberry, cherry on the back, smokey, even a hint of a sweet spice maybe cinnamon with nice oak. This is straight up cal cab good tannins off and on with a med to long finish. Drink now through 2016
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Will score higher when it comes together. While it drinks well now, it is slightly out of sorts. Needs some time to gain some weight and secondary character. Well put together in a more traditional style (e.g. not overextracted, fruit bomb).
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Wonderful black/violet color. Rich bouquet of tobacco, dark fruit and leather. On the palate this needed serious air-time to come together. For the first several hours in the decanter I was disappointed; the flavors seemed disjointed with the leather-tobacco flavors joining the charcoaly acidity and dominating the fruit in a way I found lacking, hedonistically speaking ... Soon enough the fruit came to the fore and the richness of the total package was just heavenly. For 50 bucks (or less if you're savvy) a total steal!
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Opaque (black) robe. Very intense nose of assorted black fruits (currants, cherries and berries), vanilla and cardamom. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, big ripe tannins, medium oak and ripe black fruit flavors which mirror the nose. The middle palate is full and the finish is long. This will not be mistaken for Bordeaux, but it is a crowd-pleaser and a wine which typifies how nice Napa Cabernet can be. Short-term cellaring will likely be rewarded. Thereafter, the wine has the structure to drink nicely for at least a decade. Drink 1/11-12/21.
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Decanted for 1 hour. Med-dark purple color. Somewhat alcoholic nose with graphite, blackberry and hint of earth. Medium body. Flavor of oak, some cassis and anise, hint of green pepper. Medium tannins with long, dry finish. Agree that this wine is a combo of new/old world styles ( just what I've been looking for). Awesome wine for the price that will certainly improve with time.
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wine is very dark purple and very concentrated with cassis dark cherry and black fruit. The wine is extremely tannic and very closed. It hurt its score but I think this one needs to lay asleep for about 6-8 yrs and then I bet it gets a seriously good score. Dont fret..........this is a good wine that one can tell is extremely balanced and concentrated. It needs time to hit its stride.
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Sophisticated smoked cherry truffle bouquet with a practically endless tail of fresh, wok fried, and roasted currant, cherry, and sweet peach pit, all made magical by just the faintest hint of charred green pepper. Seductive and thrilling.
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This is rocking at the moment, and is the best Napa Cabernet I have had in a while and is a fantastic bargain at $50. Consumed over two nights, this wine was consistent both nights with fantastic complexity excellent balance. It needs at least 1-2 hours of decanting to really open up, but once it has the aromas and flavors singing harmoniously with cherries, black currant, star anise, coffee, violet, vanilla, and little cedar (everything I desire in a Cabernet). Great mouthful with fine tannins that are well balanced by the fruit and acidity.
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seamless wine with powerful black furit of a cali, sweet and round tannins, casis and chocolate. Secondary aromas and flavors are still developing. excellent lenght
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Terrific, classic Napa cab. Beautiful nose of blackberry, black currants, cedar, vanilla and some earth. Full bodied on the palate with with plenty of fine, sweet and well integrated tannins. Superb, long finish. Perfect with grilled ribeye steaks on Christmas day.
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From Double Magnum. Decanted three hours and drinking gorgeously! Spiced perfume. Dark, sweet fruit with beautifully integrated acidity and wood. Concentrated and interesting flavors. A hint of candy and smoke.
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Very good cali cab. Had this at the Legend's party so no detailed notes but it was very well received by the group. A few folks said it came close to being over-oaked for thier palates.
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Very nice wine - but still young. Good on the nose. Decanted for about 5 hours before drinking and couold still tell that it needs to age a bit more (just my preference). Wonderful flavors on the palate and very smooth on the finish. This wine should get much better with time. Glad I have 6 more bottles to test down the road. Anticipate the score will rise with time.
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($68) Napa-Noma, May 2008: Deeply colored. Cedar and black currant nose. Nice concentration. Seamless with subtle secondary flavors. Good. This is way better than Pride's 2005 Cab.
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Popped and poured. Very nice nose of sour cherry, tobacco, cranberry and dirt. On the palate, cranberry, sour cherry, tobacco, blackberry, spicy oak,. Dry finish with soft tannins. This wine cries for food. Great mouthfeel, lots of structure, decent upside. Acceptable value.
Night 2 - Nothing much has changed since last night, still has that long bone dry finish. This is a long term ager, glad I have a few. Drink again in 3-4 years. 92 for now, definitely has room to move up.
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taste: very nice smooth mouth. Cranberry just attacks your pallate and then moves on into the rest leaving some tobbacco secondary flavors with hints of blackberry and cherry
overall: real good old/new world style wine that toes the line just right and is a lot of fun to drink. It leaves a real nice quality finish
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9/20/2023 - prism wrote: 93 Points
Brought to a restaurant, decanted for a half hour. Scrumptious; could go for some years more, much like its 2005 siblings in Bordeaux. Tertiary flavors in with the mellow fruit, but this might develop a bit more. Delicious right now though.
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5/29/2023 - sam_rosato@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still drinking beautifully
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5/26/2023 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 94 Points
Part of an odds and ends event for my wine group. All the wines were opened, but not decanted for at least 45 minutes before serving. My next to last bottle of this vintage and it's been a few years since my previous bottle. Time has been kind to this wine, and I have bumped up my score a point. Tied for my favorite wine of the night, with the 2011 Quilceda Creek Galitzine.
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4/27/2023 - sastewart wrote: 93 Points
From Magnum. Opened 3 hours ahead. Spice, dark fruits, cedar and herbs on the nose. Medium bodied with a good balance of primary red and dark fruits along with secondary flavors of earth and spices. Still a solid core of acid and smooth tannins with a medium plus finish. From magnum this should remain on plateau for several years. 93 points
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3/21/2023 - LuckyLars Likes this wine: 93 Points
Poured glasses just after opening. Rich colour and very full bodied. Initially it had a port like quality - that sort of richness. With time the dark fruit profile came through. The wine became more fresh, well balanced and delicious. I wish I had a lot more.
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6/8/2022 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Drinking beautifully, ripe and delicious red fruit, currant and just a hint of earth, anise and tobacco flavors.
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5/27/2022 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened, but not decanted for about an hour before pouring, as part of a Napa Cabernet night at a steakhouse with my wine group. Very good, but somehow it seemed a little less impressive than the other 3 Cabs (which were 2005 Dunn Napa, 2012 Lewelling Wight, and 2012 O'Shaughnessy Howell). In comparison to the other wines, it seemed slightly oxidized, and a little less lively.
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5/17/2022 - SacramentoCharlie wrote: 93 Points
Hitting on all cylinders. Long finish and layers of napa cab goodness.
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1/10/2022 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ready to go. Great aged cab profile and mild tannins.
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12/25/2021 - Jolayne0 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very complex and balanced. Fruity nose, full-bodied with oak, mineral, blackberry and cherry notes. Finishes so long and so smooth. I've been holding on to this one for quite a long time. Very much worth the wait.
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9/26/2021 - winelover1986 Likes this wine:
Maybe a touch off where the last bottle was, but still excellent.
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5/1/2021 - Haroldz7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice wine. Drank it back to back with a 2006 Brunello Montalcino Corte Pavone. This wine is in a good place. Muted nose of cassis, right out of the bottle there was a distinct mustiness to this wine that disappeared after an hour - hour and one half.. From there distinct aromas of dark fruit, black cassis, and cooked meat appeared. In the glass this wine was dark in color with medium to full body. The sediment was present and I believe added to the character and longevity of this wine. Flavors of dark cherries and chocolate were present, albeit, more one note than I would have hoped for in a reserve bottling. Tannins were well integrated. Drink up. This wine has some life left, but, I think will start its decline in the next year, or so.
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4/1/2021 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully, with cherry, earth and mineral flavors. Excellent balance. Delicious.
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2/28/2021 - bluedog wrote: 89 Points
A little funk.
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12/26/2020 - Rollerball wrote:
Drinking on its own. Deep with cherry. Tons of swirling licorice, berries, coffee, herbs, abd chocolate. The nose a little floral. Beautiful juicy acidity bringing up the rear. Tannins get a little rough especially drinking in the cold.
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12/25/2020 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
Now deep-to-opaque garnet in color, the 2005 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve continues to impress. This particular bottle was purchased upon release and cellared under ideal conditions. After decanting off of its sediment, it was serially sampled over the ensuing 3-4 hours. Shortly after decanting, the wine becomes effusive of fig, dark bramble fruits, bittersweet chocolate, lavender, licorice and dried herbs. Full-bodied and with medium acidity, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose and stays solid on the middle palate. The alcohol (listed as 15.1%) is silent and the wine's residual tannins are silky smooth. With a finish that lingers beautifully, this Cab is in a good spot. Comparably cellared bottles should easily reach their twentieth birthday, and I would not rule out an even longer lifespan. Drink now-2025.
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8/8/2020 - jsander Likes this wine: 91 Points
Classic Cali cab. Give it an hour of air to sing in your palette.
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4/20/2020 - Marc S wrote: 92 Points
- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of strawberry and black currant with a medium/full body. Angular texture with a long finish.
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2/1/2020 - Ed B wrote: 88 Points
I have loved this wine. That is why I kept this, the last bottle I had — perhaps too long. Tasted; nice flavor, but kind of bitter, biting. Decanted for 30 minutes. Better, but still not good. Bad bottle? Too old? Oh well.
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1/18/2020 - jlm wrote:
I have never found this vintage of the Conn Valley Cab to be particularly interesting. The aromas are fairly anonymous dark fruit, with just a hint of green peppercorn in the background to let you know it's actually Cabernet. The palate has round fruit of medium weight and acidity, but the presentation is just kind of monolithic. Little complexity from age. Will this get any more interesting? I'm not confident.
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1/16/2020 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of dark cherry and plum. Cherry dominate the palate not flabby but bright and there are notes of alluvial and minerality. Cola characteristics and chocolate on mid palate. Very long finish of muted tannins. Can last another five years but drinking beautifully now.
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12/23/2019 - JGinMO wrote: 93 Points
In terrific shape. Soft and elegant at first, but with a deep mid palette and strong finish. Decent backbone yet, and starting to blend typical ACV red fruit with blue. Such a great value
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8/29/2019 - DVMT Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mellow, uneventful. Very approachable.
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8/22/2019 - Marc S Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, strawberry, red currant and strawberry jam. It tastes like strawberry, blackberry and gooseberry. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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7/7/2019 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 95 Points
Day 1: 2 hour decant. Cherry, exotic spices, oak, plum and dark chocolate. Picks up a roasted nut quality on the long, intense finish. 94 points
Day 2: excellent and more integrated. Subtle wood, cherry, black licorice, spice and earth. Long finish. Classic Napa Cabernet. One of the best values. 95 points
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7/6/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Fourth of July Weekend (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 2 hours. 2 oz pour over 40 minutes plus. Tart cherry and black currants, comes off a bit flat and disjointed, showing alcohol on the finish with more blackberry liqueur to tthe palate. Dense, tart dark fruits. I'm a big fan of ACV and this was one of the wines I was most looking forward to, but it was nowhere near what I expected from it. I'm wondering if the air was an issue. 89-90pts.
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6/22/2019 - cos82 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not quite as good as last time tried 3 years ago, but still very nice. Soft, smooth and balanced flavored of blackberry, cedar, lead pencil and minerals. Ready to drink. Slightly less fruit this time.
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5/12/2019 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 96 Points
Wine of the year candidate. Had at Mother's Day Early Dinner at Jenson's Super Club. Integrated wine with cassis, pencil lead, mocha, cherry and mild oak. Complex, multilayered long finish. Drinking window sweet spot on this wine. Drink now to 2022.
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4/28/2019 - prism wrote: 92 Points
P & P. This followed a 2008 Penche Napa Cab, and the two were remarkably similar in profile. The Anderson is 15.1 abv and the Penche is 14.8; the transition from the first bottle the second was seamless. No signs of flagging in either bottle.
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4/21/2019 - MattB72 wrote: 94 Points
excellent. Probably in the perfect drinking window
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1/27/2019 - Marc S wrote: 90 Points
- Garnet color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, strawberry and raspberry with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a medium finish - Wonderful nose on this wine.
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11/4/2018 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great aroma of oak, dark fruit and herbs. Smooth as silk with a long finish with taste of mocha and subtle black fruit.
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11/3/2018 - jsander Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful Cali Cab. Perfect
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10/15/2018 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
We could bring anything to a very special steak night and this was it. A perfectly proportioned wine in the early years of a long Long plateau. Drink for the next ten years easy -2028.
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10/1/2018 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 89 Points
May be a tad past it’s prime but a true Cali Cab. Big and brawny, still showing its tannins and a dark rich with restrained fruit.
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5/10/2018 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious, right in its sweet spot for drinking, really in a great place right now.
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4/28/2018 - bubbachumps wrote: 95 Points
In a great window. Decanted one hour and consumed over 2. Atypical napa notes of rich cassis, some blackberry and a touch of earthy leather. Smooth and silky on the palate. Rich and well-balanced fruit, a very nice package.
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2/7/2018 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 96 Points
(Decanted for one hour.) Three years ago I hid my remaining stash of this wine to keep from drinking it too quickly. The wine continues to wow me. The color is still very dark, almost purple, with no discernible edge-lightening. On the nose it is taking on a fragrant earthy note that perfectly complements the dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate and tobacco elements. In the mouth the fruit is still bright and fresh, though mature notes of mushroom and forest floor are emerging. And the tannins are even smoother than I remember. This lovely wine is certainly open for business but will become even more harmonious over the next few years. Lastly, its complexity and flavor are reminiscent of the delicious 2001 and 2002, while its size, density and persistence compare well with the stunning 2007 and 2008. Overall, a damn fine bottle of wine! Once again, 96 points.
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2/1/2018 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully right now. Baked dark fruits with some spices. Some hints of dark chocolate with cherry cordial. Elegant and long finish with muted tannins. Drank unpaired but would complement any red meat.
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12/24/2017 - Birddog29 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice. Very closed upon opening but opened quickly. A little less bold than expected but a very nice cab. Medium body and a 10 second finish. Softy tannins
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12/18/2017 - Rollerball wrote: 93 Points
Completely outclassed a range of other reds tonight. Great texture; medium weight but densely woven. No rush on this but I'm also not sure it's a wine that would be better if it ever reached an age of complexity. Definitely drink now with a decant, and probably at this level for the next 8-10 years.
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12/18/2017 - rickspicks wrote: 92 Points
Endowed with rich, ripe, lush fruit, but surprisingly lacking in complexity & identifiabe tertiary flavors. Also much softer than I expected. At same time, there is great depth, concentration and texture.
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12/3/2017 - mouton45 wrote: 93 Points
Delicious with grilled ribeye. Looking forward to opening the 750s and magnums of this excellent wine
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11/16/2017 - cigar52 Likes this wine: 89 Points
potential... I was surprised this still needs a little time... developed after 2 hours, but think a few more years will be beneficial
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10/21/2017 - patatty Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fruity bouquet; soft tannins, medium-long finish
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10/8/2017 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great on the nose - fruit, oak and some earthiness. Rich Red fruit and chocolate on the tongue, round full bodied layered and complex
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7/10/2017 - Rollerball wrote: 93 Points
Great with wood-fired new york strips.
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5/27/2017 - WKW57 Likes this wine: 90 Points
After five hours of being decanted, the 2005 cab has a fine elegant and velvety finish. Delicious light fruit taste for such a full bodied wine.
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4/16/2017 - csklsc Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fragrant perfumed nose in a classic cab with a touch of old world funk although a bit one dimensional. Plenty of fruit with sweet tannins contribute to a satisfying finish.
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1/22/2017 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful nose, fruit, performe and secondary notes, the age is coming through with notes of leather. The palate was a bit scattered unfortunately, very enjoyable but I was hoping for more.
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1/21/2017 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine: 90 Points
I solid napa cab, al-be-it rather monolithic in terms of its fruit palette. Did not see any improvement since the last bottle tried, and have reduced my score a little as this time I found it pleasant but uninteresting.
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8/24/2016 - Mike V wrote: 92 Points
Perfect ringer for modern Bordeaux.
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7/4/2016 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautifully mature CA cab. Still with a lot of room to run, but drinking really well now. I like this wine as although fairly smooth, it has a gritty roughness to it as well, which I find attractive. Medium finish.
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4/29/2016 - rmanza@comcast.net Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine is purple colored with forest floor, mushroom, blackberry and black currant (cassis) notes. There was just a trace of bell pepper. This full bodied wine went on and on.
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4/2/2016 - cos82 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purple Pium in color. Cherry, earth and floral elements on a very nice nose. Shines on the palate with loads of black and red fruits with hints of charcoal and earth. no tannin and drinking beautifully with much more time to come. Delicious!
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2/17/2016 - Marc S wrote: 93 Points
- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's in total harmony with a medium/full body. Silky texture with a long finish - The nose on this wine is nothing short of amazing. Loaded with fruit. Red raspberry, black cherry, strawberry to name a few. The tannins have mellowed beautifully and a wine to really enjoy.
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1/8/2016 - dasper wrote: 89 Points
May be past peak. A lot of alcohol when first opened. Mellowed and showed more fruit 1 hour after decanting.
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12/29/2015 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Phenomenal. This wine has aged superbly - tannins as smooth as silk, earthy aroma on the front, rich blackberry and cherry on the palate and a long finish.
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12/26/2015 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 94 Points
94+. Wow. A great balance of fruit and tannin that explodes in the mouth with raspberry and tobacco and earth and honey. Just luscious and perfect with rib roast and flourless chocolate cake.
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12/17/2015 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was an intense red juicy cherry and red raspberry wine with lots of sweet tannins and acidity. It was fresh, supple with a long clean finish. Some blood orange notes and some minerality. Tasted young and somewhat primary to me but delicious and a great food wine.
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11/26/2015 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cigar box and dark fruit. Delicious
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9/20/2015 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted. Fine but nothing fantastic. Give it another few years. 15.1%
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8/30/2015 - Don and Pam Likes this wine: 93 Points
tasting very nice right now and has many years left to be enjoyed. smooth from the start and a nice long finish
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8/16/2015 - gejohnston Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank along side a 2002 Rubicon. This was far superior.
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7/26/2015 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
A better showing than the last bottle. This was sweet and ripe with great balance. Again currant and cherry fruit, but with a nice sweet ripeness and mellow tannins on the back end.
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6/12/2015 - SMagowan wrote: 94 Points
This was absolutely delicious. I am adding notes a couple of weeks after the fact. I opened and poured through a Vinturi. My wife and daughter both said that they would only have a little taste and weren't in the mood for wine. Ha!! We finished the bottle over grilled steaks and could not stop talking about how delicious it was. There is a neat core of fruit and heady aromas of blackberry, raspberry and forest floor. It is a rich wine and consistent with all the great ACVV I have had.
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5/23/2015 - fredman wrote: 90 Points
From a magnum. One-hour decant. Rusty red color. Not much nose at first but when it opened up after 45 minutes or so it began to strut its stuff. Certainly not blown away like I have been with other ACV's but, all in all, a good, not great, bottle.
Will drink the second half of the bottle tomorrow hoping for some improvement.
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4/23/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Couldn't keep hands off another bottle of this after last month's great showing. Enjoyed next to a seriously endowed single-vineyard Peju cab of the same vintage against which this--I'd say the lesser wine despite many similar characteristics--was thinner, more bordeaulaise in bouquet and flavor profile, and more evenly distributed in the shape of its flavors.
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4/11/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
A sick intense beautifully involved wine.
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2/16/2015 - PSUSteve wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour. Nose is cassis and black fruit. Palate is somewhat restrained with plum and dark fruit.
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1/28/2015 - jsander Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured with overpowering tannin. Needed a few hours of air to open up. But when it did it sang beautifully. A big bold spicy chewy Cali cab with a finish that went on and on.
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1/25/2015 - Don and Pam Likes this wine: 92 Points
very nice
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1/18/2015 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 96 Points
(Decanted for one hour.) I last had this wine over a year ago. Why did I wait so long? It remains one of my favorite ACV reserve cabernets and is currently firing on all cylinders: a gorgeous dark color, a rich flavor profile of ripe dark fruits, chocolate, herbs and soil, and an ultra-smooth long finish. Yes, it is big in its Californian way; but it is also very stylish and complex. It is not fading at all and I suspect another ten years (at least) of development ahead. And it is a perfect accompaniment to rare beef! Who could ask for anything more? 96 points.
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1/13/2015 - Snag One Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep and dark ruby red. Essence of toast, licorice, pencil lead, blueberries and riasens. Layers of coffee, toast, pepper, casis and mint. Very well integrated tannins which supports a pleasantly long finish. Very impressive wine.
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1/10/2015 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich and opulent California Cabernet
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1/9/2015 - HOS wrote: 96 Points
Decanted and immediately started drinking. Absolutely wonderful and consistent with my June 2014 note.
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11/23/2014 - Siebs Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great structure. Restrained fruit. Enhanced by decanting.
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10/31/2014 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich, supple wine with nice layers of depth and finish. The last of my bottles. Nose of blackberries.
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10/25/2014 - cawineaux wrote: 91 Points
Decanted three hours. Dark garnet color in the glass. Nose of green peppers, vegetables, earth, and the slightest hint of dark fruit. The palate consisted primarily of green pepper. Once heavily aerated in the glass, the green pepper subsided a bit and you could get a sense for the dark fruit and 22 months in barrel.
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8/30/2014 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had along side a 2001 Grace Family Cabernet. Two completely different wines. Grace was more depth, bordeaux style, with an amazing bouquet. Conn Valley was a deep, rich, napa cab. Notes of chocolate and spices this wine was very pleasurable with steak. Long finish.
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7/19/2014 - chanukha Does not like this wine:
Did not know Anderson's was a fruit bomb.
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6/12/2014 - mgstull Likes this wine: 92 Points
1.5 hour decant. Dark red. Much more evolved than I expected. Plum, cherry, graphite, road tar, and earth. Elegant style. Drinking really well just now.
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6/8/2014 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 93 Points
In an excellent place with cherry, plum, spice, subtle oak and a hint of vanilla on the finish. I could see this going another decade this is one of the most consistent Napa wines one will find for under $60 on a regular basis. Well done Todd!
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5/25/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Nose: There is a lushness, but with excellent balanced along with dark red cherries, herbs, cassis, bell pepper, spice, currants. While there is an intensity to the fruit, it is far from overdone.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and sneaky tannins. There is a plushness to the feel, but well balanced with dark red cherries, red fruits, bell pepper, currants, and some bits of herbs on the back end.
Overall: This is drinking very well if you want some more fruit. The structure is still very much there and this does feel like another couple of years will do it some good.
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4/4/2014 - HOS Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted and then drank over two hours. Initially, stewed fruit, herbs, espresso. Full bodied, long finish with a pucker at the end. Drank this with dinner. After dinner was glass 2. Wow, just wow. It had changed into leather, roasted herbs, dark chocolate, dark berry, pepper. Full bodied, minute long, seamless finish with silky smooth tannins. This is what I hold wine for, the wow factor. And I have 4 more of the case. Awesome!
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3/19/2014 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well -- great balance of acid and tannin and fruit. Held its own against a fillet.
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2/28/2014 - ddingley Does not like this wine: 81 Points
Weak and thin, I think well past its prime
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2/13/2014 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely nose that has a little of the sweet fruit-bomb tendency of a napa cab but quickly balances it with a more earth and subtle and deeper bordeaux quality. Slightly acidic, but in a positive way. Drinking well now, and will probably get better. Got noticeably better in the after 2 hours of being open.
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2/13/2014 - ipp Likes this wine: 93 Points
I drank this cab over two nights.
Night one the wine was very tight and had hints of herbs and unripened fruit. It had good structure, decent balance, but not entirely impresses ... which was disappointing because Anderson Coon Valley Reserve is one of my favorites. (90)
Night two ... this wine was awesome. The air really did it justice. Pretty nose of cassis and herbs. Fantastic mouth feel. Good, integrated tannin structure. And a very long, enjoyable finish. (95)
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1/28/2014 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis), oak and vanilla. The body is medium/full. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. David's wine.
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1/1/2014 - EvanRose wrote:
Very good but may improve with age or perhaps decanting. Drk fruit, medium finish
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12/26/2013 - chapel hill wino wrote:
developing nicely, good acidity, was perfect with tenderloin dinner
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12/25/2013 - tigerpaw75 wrote: 87 Points
You could tell this was quality wine, but there was a musty note (TCA?) that never blew off after multi-hour decant. Was also a hot/tart streak that never smoothed out. Fine tannins and mouthfeel. Dark fruit, but nose was muted. I expected a better experience give the multitude of 92-94 ratings.
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12/19/2013 - WDK wrote: 90 Points
Opaque purple/ruby. Expressive nose, medium body. Flavors of currant and cherry. Decent palate, but a little soft and hollow.
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11/23/2013 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had late night after a long dinner and lots of wine. Great nose and hints of cocoa. Always a fan of this wine
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11/18/2013 - The Bouncer Likes this wine: 96 Points
Like "butter" deliciously smooth taste.
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11/17/2013 - gwkozar wrote: 92 Points
poured via aerator. Consistent with previous-herbs, tobacco, started to show up. developed very well. I expect that another hour would have been fantastic.
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11/16/2013 - The Bouncer wrote: 96 Points
Like "butter" absolutely the smoothness of taste. Deliciously yummy.
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11/16/2013 - lslayton@me.com wrote: 91 Points
Peppery with blackberry overtones, full bodied with a long finish!
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11/12/2013 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 96 Points
I cannot say much more than I have in my two previous notes: when decanted a couple of hours it unfolds into a really superb wine. 96 points.
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10/15/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Very nice nose of sour cherry, tobacco, cranberry and dirt. On the palate, cranberry, sour cherry, tobacco, blackberry, spicy oak,. Dry finish with soft tannins. A great wine that was outshone by the 04 Beringer.
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10/13/2013 - rickspicks wrote: 93 Points
Didn't mean to open another one so soon after my last bottle, but it is hard to resist. This bottle was more developed than previous bottles. Subtle nose of tertiary aromas of cassis, spice and leather. Medium-weight with perfect balance and an elegant mouthfeel. Medium, fruity finish. Complexity, weight and texture are more like a bordeaux than a California cab.
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10/5/2013 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very full and rich. Coats the glass extremely well. Lacked the normal powerful finish we've noted in other bottles. Still a champ..
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9/21/2013 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 96 Points
Six weeks ago I popped and poured this wine and thought it was great. I decanted another bottle for two hours last night and thought it was even better. The color is dark, brooding and rich. A very classic cabernet nose: cassis, vanilla, tobacco, soil, menthol and saddle leather. It smells right and expensive. This is a big yet elegant wine in the mouth. Stylish, I kept thinking. It has ripe raspberry, cherry and currant flavors underscored by dark chocolate, moist soil and just a suggestion of mushroom. The underlying acidity makes these flavors ring clear and true and the smooth tannins keep everything in check. And perfect balance: Bordeaux restraint meets California ripeness. This really is an impressive wine, and it has room to grow. My new go-to California cab too? 96 points.
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9/20/2013 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 96 Points
This was an INCREDIBLE wine. Didn't even see this one coming and didn't remember I had it. Beautiful bordeaux style wine. Cedar, floral, notes red and chocolate notes, long finish. Need more!
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8/30/2013 - rickspicks wrote: 95 Points
This bottle was quite spectacular. Rich, ripe, complex, powerful, lush and deep. Gobs (that is the only word that describes it) of cassis along with oak/vanilla, leather. earth and herbs. Full-bodied and massively concentrated with a very rich, lush texture. Big, fruity finish. In spite of all the rich, sweet fruit, it somehow reminds me of a bordeaux. Somewhat restrained (i.e. not overdone), elegant and complex with near perfect balance.. Not yet fully mature, but drinking very well. Conn Valley has become my "go to" cab and this is another example of why. 94-95
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8/25/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Still young, this rich, concentrated, juicy, round wine offers ripe blackberries, licorice, vanilla, earth and forest floor aromas. The wine hits all the right spots ending with a blast of ripe, sweet fruits. The wines from Conn Valley remain some of the best values for price, quality and style in Napa Valley.
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7/30/2013 - Wine Fool Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep ruby with a hint of garnet at the edge. Classic and subdued cabernet nose of cassis, smoke, leather, herbs and cigar box is very satisfying. Full-bodied in the mouth, with ample fruit mid-palate. Sweet berry flavors are very clean (not overripe) and combine with rich tobacco, chocolate and Bordeaux-like earthiness. The tannins are very smooth and the acid is just right. The overall effect is that of an elegant, sophisticated, first-rate wine. Contrary to some reviews, this superbly balanced effort still seems fairly young. It will get slightly better over the next 10 or so years as the secondary aromas come forefront. It may even merit another point. 95 points.
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7/28/2013 - christyspring Likes this wine: 94 Points
There's really nothing not to like about this wine. It's plenty of fruit and oak for those who like that, but with enough subtlety to please the more Old World purists. Lots of currant but tobacco and leather as well. I thought it would need more time and more decanting, but it's drinking well now, with only a brief decant.
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7/27/2013 - bigredPA Likes this wine: 93 Points
A rewarding cab that brings forth some restraint amidst so many that go over the top. Captivating notes of leather, herbs, currant, and tobacco. An elegant wine to be enjoyed with a meal or on its own.
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6/4/2013 - HOS Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured with new neighbors. Black cherry, leather, herbs, smoke. Full bodied and good finish.
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5/25/2013 - fingers wrote: 91 Points
Notes after slow-O'ing for 24 hrs. Dark hazy garnet color, about 80% opaque, very slow, lightly stained legs. Average sediment. Generous nose features olive tapenade, blackcurrant, raspberry liqueur, herbs, and fennel. Full grown palate with easy tannins and a clean saline backbone. Fruit is dry and persistent. Balance is outstanding. Now showing secondary character and probably reaching it's peak window. Not sure I would count on it going as long as the CT avg date of 2026. 4+12+18+7 = 91
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4/20/2013 - jeagle wrote: 91 Points
Decanted through a Vinturi two hours prior to tasting. A strongly herbaceous nose follows through to the palate. Soft and mid-weight, the sage, bay, and underbrush are too persistent for the struggling fruit to emerge. Turns out to be the little train who couldn't, but still, a nicely made and enjoyable bottle.
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4/7/2013 - flwinos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Still some tannins that need to resolve themselves, but with two hours of air, this is an amazing wine. No detailed notes as this was consumed a few nights ago. Will hold my last bottle for several more years to see where this goes.
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4/5/2013 - dhammer53 wrote: 90 Points
I drank this magnum at my 60th birthday party at Di Fara's Pizza in Brooklyn. I probably should have opened this first, before the '10 Schrader Old Sparky. The Schrader overpowered the ACV. After drinking near perfection, this wine (ACV) never had a fair chance. It tasted weak and limpy by comparison. I will say that there's no rush to drink the '05. I probably would have rated this higher if the Schrader wasn't in play.
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1/18/2013 - JavaMonkey Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good bottle. Nice, clean dark fruit. Medium weight palate, velvety mouthfeel. Could use a little more backbone. Delicious.
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12/14/2012 - garrigue65 wrote: 94 Points
dark fruit with alluvial notes on nose. beautifully well balanced surprisingly not strong alcohol for 15%. drinking well right now.
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12/7/2012 - gpatramanis wrote: 95 Points
Paired with lamb chops and heavy hors. Fruit bomb, fabulous. Great legs. Wonderful nose - could have just smelled it all night if it didn't taste so good. Hit of the party.
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12/1/2012 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great fruit...deep red and velvety...even better day two
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11/21/2012 - jonphillips wrote: 93 Points
Great pure flavor. Totally drinkable, but could sit for a little bit.
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11/6/2012 - 1800kidney wrote: 92 Points
classic
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10/1/2012 - awineo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle. Good fruit and solid tannins.
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8/22/2012 - awineo Likes this wine: 94 Points
A slamming big cab. Todd makes some of the best wines (and most expensive) in Napa. If you have not had it you owe it to yourself to at least try one.
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7/28/2012 - drgrape wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Great nose and color. Bight fruit. Hint of oak.
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5/22/2012 - awineo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great Cab. Big fruit and big balanced tannins. Always a winner.
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5/16/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Still a big bold black fruit driven wine. Liqueur berries, rocks, dark pencil shavings and char coal.
Bigger and robust. Dark coffee grounds, some plump rhubarb, pepper spice, burnt caramel, dark roasted nuts.
Clean and silky mouth feel. Big finish but on day 2 the alcohol and tannins settled in nicely.
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5/9/2012 - rickspicks wrote: 94 Points
Big blast of rich, ripe cassis aromas filled the room on opening. Aromas of cedar and charcoal along with the cassis on the nose. Big and rich with a massive body, amazing concentration and huge structure. Tannins are still rough and somewhat dry, but also well matched to all the concentrated fruit. Long, long fruity finish. Very different from a bottle I had about a year and a half ago and much more typical of other vintages of Conn Valley Reserve that I have had. While very drinkable, it is still a bit young and rough. This will undoubtedly mellow and improve with more time. A terrific example of a big California cab.
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5/5/2012 - PSUSteve wrote: 91 Points
Opened and let sit for 30 minutes then decided to decant and drink. Palate was restrained, balanced and layered but with limited fruit.
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4/12/2012 - jlm wrote:
Dark plummy fruit and a clear hint of green pepper in the background give this varietal correctness, but the aromas still seem young and undeveloped. The palate has a solid, mid-plus weight feel to it, with the fruit not displaying the obnoxious sweetness of a recent '02. The savory aspect is much more in play, and there's a respectable level of acidity as well, even if it's lower than some might prefer. The tannins are grippy and chalky still. This needs time, and I hope it will repay the patience.
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4/8/2012 - smokie wrote: 93 Points
Not sure how this winery stays below radar, but glad it does--price wise at least. One of the best Cali Cab values....nay, one of the best Cab values period.
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3/23/2012 - Uglypinga wrote:
Subtle but nice nose of black licorice, herbs and a little soy sauce. The palate shows bright red berries with lots of acid and again the hint of soy. A food wine with medium weight and almost fully integrated tannins. Good.
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1/29/2012 - chateaunoname wrote: 93 Points
I didn't wait the year since the last bottle. Opened for 4 hours and it was smoooooooth from start to finish.
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1/20/2012 - Vince92673 Likes this wine: 92 Points
fruity, maybe beginning to turn...
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1/8/2012 - HOS Likes this wine: 95 Points
Second bottle of the night after 2009 Caymus Cab. Decanted and poured. This is the second bottle of the case, first one drunk in July 2011. What a difference 6 months made. The tannins have resolved into a well balanced, lively, full bodied wine. Black cherry, dark chocolate, some leather, coffee notes. Good acidic backbone and strong finish. Still young and should continue to age well. For me, not sure if the secondary notes it will pick up will be better than the fruit core it has now. Happy I went for the case back when.
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1/7/2012 - brich wrote: 93 Points
Just keeps getting better and better. This was an absolute steal and I am dreading the day I run out. It is balanced and wonderful.
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12/30/2011 - gondrik wrote: 95 Points
Lots of fruit but balanced with tannin. Evolving nicely but years ahead of it. Once this was opened, nothing else was consumed until it was gone!
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12/26/2011 - KevinS wrote: 92 Points
Very deep, dark ruby-black color. Popped and poured. On the nose I get pine bark, dark cherry and milk chocolate. The palate is a very tightly wound core of dark fruit, with maybe some charcoal or burned wood notes. While there's great concentration, this is still very young and primary -- not decanting was a bad mistake. We'll see how it opens up when I consume the second half the bottle tomorrow...
Opened up quite nicely on night two, which portends well for the future. Great fruit and structure -- I could kick the score up a point or two as a result...
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12/21/2011 - JavaMonkey wrote: 88 Points
This was a little closed. The fruit was in the background, the palate was very oaky. Dark fruits, lots of cedary oak. Medium-full palate. I rushed it out, I think it would do better with a couple of hours in the decanter.
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12/2/2011 - thebonnydooner wrote: 90 Points
Agree with other notes that this has plenty of structure and good acidity. A little less sweet to balance than I was expecting. It has nice blackcurrant and cherry but begins to turn a little dried herb and brush like on the nose and finish. Overall very good, but not quite the depth or polish I was looking for.
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11/19/2011 - jtinto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent. Previous notes. Drink.
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10/13/2011 - awineo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this wine. A big cab with lots of black fruit and a good balance of tannins.
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10/12/2011 - Ed B wrote: 91 Points
Drank at The Bank in Wheaton IL. Half off bottles on Tuesdays. $110-$55. It is drinking very well. Ready now but still has plenty left.
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10/1/2011 - gwkozar wrote: 91 Points
Started purple, minimal nose, minimal tannins, a bit thin and flat (rating a 86). Then significantly improved after 30 minutes. Herbs, tobacco, started to show up. developed very well. I expect that another hour would have been fantastic.
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7/31/2011 - HOS wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 1/2 hour and drank over 4. It took a while to open up to dark fruit, herbs, espresso, dark chocolate. Full bodied, good finish. The tannins had still not resolved after 4 hours to my taste. This should really come together with some more cellar time.
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7/19/2011 - Kingvino wrote: 96 Points
In a mix of wonderful wines, this one stood out tremendously. VERY darkly concentrated with a finish that last for 30+ seconds. Dark berry, big fruit, rich comforting tannin (not bitter), a black hole of delish
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6/26/2011 - Nomadirish wrote: 90 Points
Nice, subtle wine - not overpowering but this bottle tasted a little "flat" relative to others I've had
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6/2/2011 - amred wrote: 94 Points
This was a wonderful wine. Plenty of structure and still young, but great nose of fruit and perhaps a bit of mineral/graphite. Rich, yet well balanced with not only tannin but also some acid. Improved (even with 2 hours decanting) as others have noted. WE notice others liked, but actually few comments about the palate. We thought there was plenty of dark fruit, but with tannins--it will hold up well. Also the mineral/graphite in the mouth--not really European in style, but not the anticipated fruit-forward CA cabernet. It was the wine of the night, including an Insignia.
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4/9/2011 - chateaunoname wrote: 93 Points
Opened for 6 hours before consumption. Should have decanted it. Still had a small pucker from the tannins on the end. First taste and mid-palate smooth and good dard berry flavors.
I will wait another 2 yearss to try another one.
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4/3/2011 - brich wrote: 92 Points
Brought to Cornell
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4/1/2011 - edrender wrote: 94 Points
Excellent representation of a Napa cab; perfect nose, complex, simply a treat.
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2/28/2011 - jtinto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent. Previous notes.
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2/28/2011 - elbosco wrote: 94 Points
Marked development from earlier tastings since release. Robust Cabernet nose on first pour. Rich, multilayered palate. Youthful hard edges mostly burnished. More masculine than sublime. A very solid standby at a reasonable price point. Ready now and built to last. 94+
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2/17/2011 - drewsand wrote: 91 Points
This wine took about an hour to open. Very good value
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2/14/2011 - phatteus wrote: 93 Points
As with other posters, I opened about 2-3 hrs before drinking and was rewarded. My guests commented that it just kept getting better as the night continued. Paired with porterhouse and wasn't disappointed.
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2/12/2011 - Surfdoc wrote: 93 Points
Aromas of sweet blackberry with a touch of minerality and a floral component. Soft mouthfeel with medium body. Nice cassis fruit on the palate with a bit of cedar on the med-long finish. Tannins have softened up quite a bit since the last time I tried this wine (01/2009).
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2/3/2011 - jtinto Likes this wine: 93 Points
In this bottle I noticed the density of flavor and the minerality. Long finish.
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1/22/2011 - Rcorbett wrote: 93 Points
opened over 3 hours, just a fantastic wine that will improve with additional age. Long finish.
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1/22/2011 - Rmcorb33 wrote: 95 Points
This bottle will get better with age. Decanted for 3 hours and was outstanding, but will only benefit from additional aging.
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1/9/2011 - ghobby wrote: 94 Points
Continue to enjoy the wines from this winemaker; great balance; not too fruit forward as others have commented; great finish
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12/22/2010 - jmprusko Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jean loved it!
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12/15/2010 - RobertDwyer wrote: 93 Points
Textbook Napa Cab with ripe black cherries, a generous dose of chocolate and a hint of menthol/eucalyptus. Very nice flavor profile. Tannins are present but reasonably soft and enjoyable as you'd expect of a wine this age.
I think the label could stand a redesign. To my eye it looks cluttered and cheap, which doesn't align with the product in the bottle.
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12/14/2010 - jtinto Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet fruit with vanilla and chocolate. Tannins really smooth even though pop and pour. No need to wait on this if you like your fruit up front.
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11/25/2010 - dchorton wrote: 87 Points
Did not enjoy as much the second time - almost past its prime, despite being an '05. Almost bland. Wanted to like it more than I did.
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11/19/2010 - rickspicks wrote:
This wine changed pretty dramatically during the course of about 3 hours. Started out a bit soft and flabby, then took on a lot of structure and finally turned a bit soft again. Big nose of rich, ripe concentrated blackberry and cassis with a good dose of oak. Massively concentrated, very fruit forward and somewhat overripe with vegetal notes emerging over time. Overall this was basically a giant fruit bomb (albeit a tasty one), and not really typical of Conn Valley Reserve. I will not score as I think it was either an off bottle or slightly corked.
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10/26/2010 - calicabnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had my first bottle of this in Dec'08 and one each year for what is now the 3rd year and just loved watching this wine blossom into a fantastic experience. Started out at a 91 rating 2 years ago and this year its drinking fantastic.
When I poured it I thought it was going to be a bust because it literally smelled like kool-aid but in the next half hour it put out fantastic fruit and blossom aromas and screamed cabernet. No better than medium bodied at first, within an hour it had gained substantial weight and personality and by two hours it was get-outa-here superb. Round and smooth on the palate, absolutely nothing out of place. Perfectly integrated, smooth tannins with just a touch of sweetness that served to further fill out the picture. The nose was great but even better was the long, antoxicating finish that first wound its way upwards from the palate thru the nose then captured the taste buds and held them for more than a minute. Damn this is a good wine.
We typically have a half bottle then cork it and cellar it for the 2nd night but this time we sipped and sipped and sipped until it there was no more. It was impossible to put down until suddenly it was gone.
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10/6/2010 - pkbackman wrote: 93 Points
This wine is outstanding and is really drinking well right now! Blue and red fruit mixed with dark chocolate. A touch of toasted oak (just a touch). Firm, mouth coating tannins and a finish that goes on and on. Almost makes me feel guilty that I opened this without my wife. ;-)
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8/21/2010 - smahk wrote: 92 Points
Similiar to prior notes...
Color: Dark Purple
Aroma: Earth, plum
Taste: More plum like now with a dash of vanilla and oak. Underlying, a layer of coffee.
I still think this has time in the bottle. The tannins are nicely integrated now, but still has a bit of an edge.
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7/17/2010 - wendellgee28 wrote: flawed
Corked
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6/25/2010 - SacramentoCharlie wrote: 92 Points
Delayed notes but recall this was delicious with a good long finish.
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6/5/2010 - Sijan wrote: 92 Points
Delicious. Very fruit forward on palate w/ nice complexity. Some initial funk on the nose that blew off after a bit. Nose was fruity but subdued. Decanted for 2+ hours before drinking. Quite drinkable now. Had one of the better (perhaps the best?) showings of several 2005 Cali Cabs we tried that evening, handily beating a pretty closed 2005 BV Georges Latour (although the Latour had a better nose).
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5/12/2010 - jtinto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big dark wine. Dark fruits, spices, vanilla, oak. Full bodied. Concentrated new world fruit with sweet tannins and a long finish. Outstanding value. My rating will very likely rise after some aging, but it's very approachable already. Definitely seek this wine out.
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5/10/2010 - gwkozar wrote: 92 Points
menthol/pine notes
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5/7/2010 - drgrape wrote: 91 Points
Medium nose. Smooth and balanced. Drinking well right now. May not last too much longer.
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4/30/2010 - davidwhitedc wrote: 87 Points
Ehh. Decanted for a solid hour. Enjoyed over the next hour. It was a fine cabernet -- no flaws, well balanced, etc -- but lacking the flavor and nose I was hoping for and expecting.
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4/26/2010 - rossnross wrote: 93 Points
Drank with Jeff & Judy for Denise's 40th. Great wine but really needs more time. Decanted for about 3 hours and it could've used 3 more. Probably won't open another for 3 more years.
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4/21/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 93 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club does US Cabs; 4/18/2010-4/21/2010 (Shari's House): Nose of spice, oak, vanilla, smoke and cherry. What a powerhouse wine on the palate and shows a tremedous upside down the road. While I enjoyed Conn Valley wines young they certainly get better with age.
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4/15/2010 - suthersm wrote: 93 Points
This is a wonderful wine. Riper than the 2002, but not quite as integrated. Nose of cassis, bell pepper, and dust. Some vanilla notes on the nose too, but far from overbearing. Medium bodied with a solid core of fruit. Opened up over the night with decanting. Tannins are well balanced with the fruit. I bet this will improve over several years.
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4/12/2010 - dacomovi wrote: 90 Points
Decanting is critical....opens into a wonderful smooth taste with time....
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3/28/2010 - flwinos wrote: 93 Points
Great wine at this price point. No details as it was drank a few nights ago.
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2/19/2010 - Nomadirish wrote: 92 Points
Had this wine to celebrate my birthday - though we didn't have time to decant, the wine was very smooth upon taste - nice dark ruby color, sharper scent (relative to an Opus One we also had) - we thought this wine was great - full flavor, smooth finish (relative to slightly more heat in the Opus, also less "oakey" flavor as well). Would highly recomemend.
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2/16/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Double aerated and left in decanter for a couple hours. Deep ruby color almost opaque at the rim. Complete agree with Parker, a ringer for a top notch Pauillac in terms of aroma profile. Lots of nice creme de cassis, tobacco, leather and agreed, a hint of smoke. More layers of well extracted dark cherries, fig, and pleasantly charred oak in which it spent 22 months. A big wine on the finish. Pure and persistent the alcohol doesn't come across at it's whopping 15.1%. Nice acidity is showing in this bottling and there is some serious potential for long term aging. Approachable now, this wine shows the extraction and fruit drive of a new world wine with the finesse and terroir shown in left bank Bordeaux. Profound.
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2/16/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Dark color. Nose shows off an array of aromas with cherry, smoke, oak, plum, spices and vanilla. Big wine with the palate showing off a mix of dark fruits and earth characters. Long and concentrated finish and big tannins. This is a cellar selection and again the best $50 Napa Cab.
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1/17/2010 - raydawgone wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Nose of pipe tobacco, vanilla and slight oak - very old-world style cab. Structured, layered fruit of plum and blackberry. Very fine, velvety tannins. Finish went on for 50 + seconds. A serious cab, one that would rate with others 2-3 times the price. Drinking well now but could cellar for a handful of years. Will be on the lookout for the '07.
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1/16/2010 - dream wrote: 83 Points
1/2 bottle - rather earthy with some chocolate notes. Quite young and tannic but there is nothing about this that makes me want to buy it and wait. Good blackberry fruit but it tastes a little muddy to me. I've never thought this wine was anywhere near the best that Napa has to offer and this bottle is confirmation of that.
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1/14/2010 - moben wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic!!! Dark chocolate and espresso. Very balanced with long finish.
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12/5/2009 - Zinny wrote: 93 Points
Incredible Cali Cab at this fairly entry-level price. Solid without being thick, powerfull without being overwrought, this red fruited beauty sings in the glass with a modern sensibility. Full bodied and smooth with delicious vanilla, coffee and spice flavors. This is the wine that all those $10-$20 dollar cali-catastrophies are trying to emulate.
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11/28/2009 - bmarshall wrote: 92 Points
Similar to may last notes... beautiful wine that went well with Thanksgiving meal.
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11/1/2009 - G Kapoor wrote: 91 Points
popped and poured. Initial nose of fresh cut grass, cherry liquor and vanilla. On palate it had massive black fruits, vanilla, sweet oak (in balance), and smokey flavors. The tannins were very harsh, as expected, with a herbal bite. After 90 mins the tannins has mellowed quite a bit. Very nice wine that should hit stride in another 3-5 years meriting 2-3 higher pts.
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9/27/2009 - elbosco wrote: 93 Points
Initial funk on nose burned off eventually. Alcoholic (15.1%) but less evident on palate. Glyceric mouth feel and sturdy legs. Still decidedly tannic. Creme de cassis predominates. Despite negatives, exhibits major potential for long term improvement which is reflected in the score.
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9/21/2009 - jonphillips wrote: 92 Points
a little sweet this time around.
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8/15/2009 - 11mcraig wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured...dark, rich color. Dark berries on the nose, sweet on the tongue, nice finish. Very nice cab, does not disappoint!!!
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7/16/2009 - ludwigbpm wrote: 91 Points
Puissant, avec une richesse de fruit supportée par des tanins très présents. Un style moins exubérant que les Cabernet de Larkmead, et voué selon moi à une garde plus longue.
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6/21/2009 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 93 Points
Deep garnet. Rich young Cal Cab nose of black fruits. Taste was rich, slightly sweet, black and red fruits, touch oaky spiciness. Very good.
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6/14/2009 - LeechDogg wrote:
Nice standard Napa Cabernet; ripe, slightly bretty, drinking nice.
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6/7/2009 - drgrape wrote: 95 Points
This had a big smokey nose and flavor that got with it immediately. Wonderful tannins and long finish.
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5/31/2009 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 94 Points
Ripe, smooth and harmonious, showing complex layers of currant, cedar, coffee, dust and blackberry, this outstanding California red unfolds to reveal a supple texture, then firms up nicely on the finish.
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3/30/2009 - smahk wrote: 93 Points
Color: Dark Purple
Aroma: Earth, plum
Taste: Cherries, currents with vanilla, graphite and a touch of oak
It had a lingering finish, though not as long as I expected.
This wine is a little young. A few more years, and I would expect it will have aged nicely.
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3/25/2009 - JavaMonkey wrote: 92 Points
What a great bottle. Dark ruby red color. Huge fruity nose with blackberry, black currant, plum, sweet tobacco, and a slight floral aromatic. Medium-full body with beautiful, clean fruit. The palate is a cascade of fruit. Great balance with sweet, mellow tannins. Long, delicious finish.
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3/10/2009 - jrf wrote: 91 Points
very nice cab nose, price point is right, good mouthfeel with dark fruit flavors
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3/8/2009 - brich wrote: 94 Points
I gave this a 94 for what it will be... it is a little young as evidenced by the amount of air time it requires to open up right now. Still, very complex, earthy full-nosed Cab.
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2/28/2009 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Tasted blind.
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2/27/2009 - JJL wrote: 89 Points
This is a good value wine, but not a 96 pointer. Opens after about 30 minutes of air time. On the nose a little Rhone-like barnyard, blackberry and vanilla. On the palate, blackberry, brown sugar, molasses and cinnamon. Big tannins provide a long, dry finish, and the cinnamon on the palate lasts a little too long, literally minutes. I gave the '94 Harlan from last night 97 points, and that wine was more than 1 point better than this Conn Valley. This wine will improve with age, but I would guess 92 points at max. I prefer the '05 Eloge. The Parker Palate Premium strikes again.
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2/23/2009 - moonmanvegas wrote: 93 Points
Great bottle nice nose with black current and blueberry, cherry on the back, smokey, even a hint of a sweet spice maybe cinnamon with nice oak. This is straight up cal cab good tannins off and on with a med to long finish. Drink now through 2016
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2/10/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 93 Points
Will score higher when it comes together. While it drinks well now, it is slightly out of sorts. Needs some time to gain some weight and secondary character. Well put together in a more traditional style (e.g. not overextracted, fruit bomb).
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2/5/2009 - AdamWallstein wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful black/violet color. Rich bouquet of tobacco, dark fruit and leather. On the palate this needed serious air-time to come together. For the first several hours in the decanter I was disappointed; the flavors seemed disjointed with the leather-tobacco flavors joining the charcoaly acidity and dominating the fruit in a way I found lacking, hedonistically speaking ... Soon enough the fruit came to the fore and the richness of the total package was just heavenly. For 50 bucks (or less if you're savvy) a total steal!
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2/2/2009 - matro wrote: 94 Points
Great Cabernet nose from the start. On the palate, very balanced, not overwhelming like some other cabs. This one is great right now.
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1/30/2009 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Opaque (black) robe. Very intense nose of assorted black fruits (currants, cherries and berries), vanilla and cardamom. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, big ripe tannins, medium oak and ripe black fruit flavors which mirror the nose. The middle palate is full and the finish is long. This will not be mistaken for Bordeaux, but it is a crowd-pleaser and a wine which typifies how nice Napa Cabernet can be. Short-term cellaring will likely be rewarded. Thereafter, the wine has the structure to drink nicely for at least a decade. Drink 1/11-12/21.
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1/20/2009 - Surfdoc wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Med-dark purple color. Somewhat alcoholic nose with graphite, blackberry and hint of earth. Medium body. Flavor of oak, some cassis and anise, hint of green pepper. Medium tannins with long, dry finish. Agree that this wine is a combo of new/old world styles ( just what I've been looking for). Awesome wine for the price that will certainly improve with time.
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1/13/2009 - drgrape wrote: 93 Points
cherries, special dark chocolate, smooth tanins. Decanted for 2 hours.
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1/10/2009 - Pavie Princess wrote: 89 Points
wine is very dark purple and very concentrated with cassis dark cherry and black fruit. The wine is extremely tannic and very closed. It hurt its score but I think this one needs to lay asleep for about 6-8 yrs and then I bet it gets a seriously good score. Dont fret..........this is a good wine that one can tell is extremely balanced and concentrated. It needs time to hit its stride.
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1/9/2009 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Sophisticated smoked cherry truffle bouquet with a practically endless tail of fresh, wok fried, and roasted currant, cherry, and sweet peach pit, all made magical by just the faintest hint of charred green pepper. Seductive and thrilling.
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1/8/2009 - rlysecky wrote: 96 Points
This is rocking at the moment, and is the best Napa Cabernet I have had in a while and is a fantastic bargain at $50. Consumed over two nights, this wine was consistent both nights with fantastic complexity excellent balance. It needs at least 1-2 hours of decanting to really open up, but once it has the aromas and flavors singing harmoniously with cherries, black currant, star anise, coffee, violet, vanilla, and little cedar (everything I desire in a Cabernet). Great mouthful with fine tannins that are well balanced by the fruit and acidity.
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12/27/2008 - G Kapoor wrote: 93 Points
seamless wine with powerful black furit of a cali, sweet and round tannins, casis and chocolate. Secondary aromas and flavors are still developing. excellent lenght
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12/26/2008 - bmarshall wrote: 94 Points
Terrific, classic Napa cab. Beautiful nose of blackberry, black currants, cedar, vanilla and some earth. Full bodied on the palate with with plenty of fine, sweet and well integrated tannins. Superb, long finish. Perfect with grilled ribeye steaks on Christmas day.
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10/24/2008 - Bomba wrote: 94 Points
Dusty basement, Vegatal wine. Great integration of fruit. Outstanding Cab for 50 bucks.
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10/18/2008 - snic_124 wrote: 96 Points
8 hour decant. Gorgeous fruit. Smooth as silk. Should be phenomenal in 2 years.
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10/3/2008 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
From Double Magnum. Decanted three hours and drinking gorgeously! Spiced perfume. Dark, sweet fruit with beautifully integrated acidity and wood. Concentrated and interesting flavors. A hint of candy and smoke.
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9/28/2008 - ipp wrote: 93 Points
good structure and balance ... dark berries with a little bit of green
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8/30/2008 - Zinny wrote:
Very good cali cab. Had this at the Legend's party so no detailed notes but it was very well received by the group. A few folks said it came close to being over-oaked for thier palates.
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7/11/2008 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
Great complexity of some tea, coffee, chocolate and some subtle dark fruit. The more it opened the more oak developed unfortunately.
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5/21/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 92 Points
Tasted by vinoblm on 4/3/2008--with the notes of a typical outstanding California cabernet.
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5/17/2008 - snic_124 wrote: 92 Points
Very nice wine - but still young. Good on the nose. Decanted for about 5 hours before drinking and couold still tell that it needs to age a bit more (just my preference). Wonderful flavors on the palate and very smooth on the finish. This wine should get much better with time. Glad I have 6 more bottles to test down the road. Anticipate the score will rise with time.
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5/12/2008 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($68) Napa-Noma, May 2008: Deeply colored. Cedar and black currant nose. Nice concentration. Seamless with subtle secondary flavors. Good. This is way better than Pride's 2005 Cab.
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4/15/2008 - GalvezGuy wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Very nice nose of sour cherry, tobacco, cranberry and dirt. On the palate, cranberry, sour cherry, tobacco, blackberry, spicy oak,. Dry finish with soft tannins. This wine cries for food. Great mouthfeel, lots of structure, decent upside. Acceptable value.
Night 2 - Nothing much has changed since last night, still has that long bone dry finish. This is a long term ager, glad I have a few. Drink again in 3-4 years. 92 for now, definitely has room to move up.
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1/19/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Served at a tasting at the Wine Club SF. Quick notes: musty fruit, dark, dry tight and tannic. Fair to Good.
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11/29/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Binny's California Night (Highland Park): nose: nice reserved nose with tobbacco, cranberry, cherry, and dirt on it. Real mix between old and new world
taste: very nice smooth mouth. Cranberry just attacks your pallate and then moves on into the rest leaving some tobbacco secondary flavors with hints of blackberry and cherry
overall: real good old/new world style wine that toes the line just right and is a lot of fun to drink. It leaves a real nice quality finish
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