started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Minty nose, still got plenty of inky concentration, very fragrant with plenty of woodsy notes, sweet on the palate. Smoke, cassis, ripe and alluring.
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started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Very ripe and sweet on the nose, highly extracted and a little sharp and alcoholic. Very fragrant and woodsy, minty, eucalyptus. Massively concentrated and still got tannins here.
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I’ve had a handful of these, especially this vintage, over the last year or so. Not getting better, and I think these were a tad better a year ago than they are now. Loved our visit to Arietta (at Chateau Boswell) earlier this year...lucky that they moved out to Hudson’s facility before Boswell burned down.
Quite Bordeaux like. Abundance of flowers, tar, charcoal, aged black cherries and mocha aromatics. More of the same on the palate with added pipe tobacco, some tangy rhubarb, and black pepper at the finish. This is fairly 2006 in profile where the secondary notes dominate yet you are shocked by the tannin left. Slightly backwards in style? At this point, I think it’s time to drink now and enjoy.
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Medium red color with older golden ring. The wine opened up over 45 minutes in the glass. Low amounts of fruit but medium baking spices, mushrooms and old leather. 20-30 second finish. Recommend drinking soon but has aged beautifully
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Double decanted and brought to us by a new friend. Very easy drinking and delicious but balanced. Medium to dark garnet color. Black fruited nose with licorice and baking spices, perhaps some slightly herbal elements. Almost fully integrated tannins with medium acidity. Medium to long finish. Fairly well layered and complex on the palate with blackberry, cassis, a little graphite and spice that seems like it will evolve to tobacco and cedar with a little more bottle age. Very enjoyable even without food. Probably best over the next 5 years or so.
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Still plenty of stuffing left. Violets and leather and dark fruit on the nose and palate. Nicely structured still and well-balanced, but curious how much longer the fruit will last.
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A wine for the Trump era - it is HUGE!! Rich and flavorful. Very enjoyable but can tire the palette, viscous and chewy with leather, tobacco and some smoky tones. You could hold off for a couple of years to let it integrate further but absolutely gorgeous right now. Memorable. Suggest at least 30 min decant. Enjoy!
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Upon opening its very tight and closed. The finish has a smoked bacon flavor that lasts 60+ seconds. The smoked bacon bits flavor blew off after an hour or so. Wine was disjointed with some off flavors throughout. We didn't care for this at all.
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Nose had notes of red berries, spice and palate had firm tannins. Seemed to lack structure and elegance on the finish. Might be in a "closed" faze but could also be on the decline. Drink soon. LO
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Without food to offset it, this had a firm backbone that was quite mouth drying, albeit with wonderful & complex aromatics. Once the prime rib au jus hit the table, the velvety feel and flavors started singing. As others have mentioned this could use some more time vis-a-vis the strong tannins, but I worry about changes to all the other elements working so well right now. I suggest that if you want an alternative to the typical big Cali cabs to go with a hunk of red meat, this will work well now.
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(A) Dense, dark, and smooth. Blue fruit, caramel, vanilla. Still young, but not tight. Very much looking forward to following the evolution of this wine.
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(A) Phenomenal. Lush, velvety, and hints at the complexity that will come with age. Blueberries, chocolate, burnt sugar, and vanilla. The new oak is rather prominent now, as is a bit of heat in the back palate, but there is no doubt this will evolve into a fantastic wine. Recheck in 3-5 years.
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This was a great wine. Paired with pig roasted at an island pig roast. Followed an outstanding Pride Cab Franc, and really showed its stuff. Great wine making. Wonderful rich Cali Cab fruit with some underlying sweetness. Yummy!!
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well made, it just gets lost in the shuffle, especially at the price point. a bulky wine with plenty of tannin which needs a year or two to shake out. above average fruit.
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7/21/2023 - jsmadsen wrote: 92 Points
Smoky, strong fruit, still young. Benefits from a decant—would benefit more from 10 more years in the cellar. Californian wine—no question.
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6/28/2023 - Hamersly wrote: 95 Points
Ethereal and lush following a two hour decant
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5/21/2022 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Minty nose, still got plenty of inky concentration, very fragrant with plenty of woodsy notes, sweet on the palate. Smoke, cassis, ripe and alluring.
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3/1/2022 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Very ripe and sweet on the nose, highly extracted and a little sharp and alcoholic. Very fragrant and woodsy, minty, eucalyptus. Massively concentrated and still got tannins here.
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12/24/2021 - Peech Likes this wine: 91 Points
drank 2 hours after decanting. Smoky grilled meats, more ripe, almost jammy, and slightly metallic.
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11/5/2020 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine: 92 Points
I’ve had a handful of these, especially this vintage, over the last year or so. Not getting better, and I think these were a tad better a year ago than they are now. Loved our visit to Arietta (at Chateau Boswell) earlier this year...lucky that they moved out to Hudson’s facility before Boswell burned down.
Quite Bordeaux like. Abundance of flowers, tar, charcoal, aged black cherries and mocha aromatics. More of the same on the palate with added pipe tobacco, some tangy rhubarb, and black pepper at the finish. This is fairly 2006 in profile where the secondary notes dominate yet you are shocked by the tannin left. Slightly backwards in style? At this point, I think it’s time to drink now and enjoy.
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5/24/2020 - Tonythefish wrote: 93 Points
Medium red color with older golden ring. The wine opened up over 45 minutes in the glass. Low amounts of fruit but medium baking spices, mushrooms and old leather. 20-30 second finish. Recommend drinking soon but has aged beautifully
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5/6/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted and brought to us by a new friend. Very easy drinking and delicious but balanced. Medium to dark garnet color. Black fruited nose with licorice and baking spices, perhaps some slightly herbal elements. Almost fully integrated tannins with medium acidity. Medium to long finish. Fairly well layered and complex on the palate with blackberry, cassis, a little graphite and spice that seems like it will evolve to tobacco and cedar with a little more bottle age. Very enjoyable even without food. Probably best over the next 5 years or so.
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11/11/2017 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still plenty of stuffing left. Violets and leather and dark fruit on the nose and palate. Nicely structured still and well-balanced, but curious how much longer the fruit will last.
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4/7/2017 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit, leather, smoke, and herbs on the nose. Well integrated tannins with dried plum and black berries on the palate. Very nice finish.
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1/18/2017 - vinomex wrote: 95 Points
A wine for the Trump era - it is HUGE!! Rich and flavorful. Very enjoyable but can tire the palette, viscous and chewy with leather, tobacco and some smoky tones. You could hold off for a couple of years to let it integrate further but absolutely gorgeous right now. Memorable. Suggest at least 30 min decant. Enjoy!
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8/3/2016 - Mmealy wrote: 88 Points
Might be heading down, not off yet, but not the expected great Arietta taste...
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6/15/2016 - Silveradoup wrote: 95 Points
This wine has a lot of life left in it!
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12/12/2015 - floridawinedrkr Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Upon opening its very tight and closed. The finish has a smoked bacon flavor that lasts 60+ seconds. The smoked bacon bits flavor blew off after an hour or so. Wine was disjointed with some off flavors throughout. We didn't care for this at all.
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7/11/2015 - Meneley wrote:
Nose had notes of red berries, spice and palate had firm tannins. Seemed to lack structure and elegance on the finish. Might be in a "closed" faze but could also be on the decline. Drink soon. LO
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12/28/2014 - andrewdl wrote: 95 Points
Awesome. Just awesome.
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11/9/2014 - JJN wrote: 94 Points
Complex and chewy. Drinking great already
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7/18/2014 - andrewdl wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic, as always, Fritz and Caren!
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12/25/2013 - millerarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Without food to offset it, this had a firm backbone that was quite mouth drying, albeit with wonderful & complex aromatics. Once the prime rib au jus hit the table, the velvety feel and flavors started singing. As others have mentioned this could use some more time vis-a-vis the strong tannins, but I worry about changes to all the other elements working so well right now. I suggest that if you want an alternative to the typical big Cali cabs to go with a hunk of red meat, this will work well now.
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8/9/2012 - grapist wrote:
Should have had more patience. This was wonderful, but needed air time and cellar time to really show its stuff. Will be fabulous in five years.
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12/26/2011 - prettydeceextrap wrote: 92 Points
(A) Dense, dark, and smooth. Blue fruit, caramel, vanilla. Still young, but not tight. Very much looking forward to following the evolution of this wine.
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4/9/2011 - grantsi wrote:
Drank at Mastro's in Chicago following 2 bottles of the 1998 ... nice bottle but needs a few more years.
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1/23/2011 - prettydeceextrap wrote: 94 Points
(A) Phenomenal. Lush, velvety, and hints at the complexity that will come with age. Blueberries, chocolate, burnt sugar, and vanilla. The new oak is rather prominent now, as is a bit of heat in the back palate, but there is no doubt this will evolve into a fantastic wine. Recheck in 3-5 years.
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7/4/2010 - A&C wrote: 95 Points
This was a great wine. Paired with pig roasted at an island pig roast. Followed an outstanding Pride Cab Franc, and really showed its stuff. Great wine making. Wonderful rich Cali Cab fruit with some underlying sweetness. Yummy!!
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3/19/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
well made, it just gets lost in the shuffle, especially at the price point. a bulky wine with plenty of tannin which needs a year or two to shake out. above average fruit.
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