Decanted and tasted throughout the day. Total decant time on my last glass was about 6 hours and it really came into its own in that time. I wouldn't touch this before at least a 4 hour decant in the future as it still has plenty of life left as the cork was barely even touched when pulled out with a Durand.
In the glass, it shows very, very dark purple and almost black. On the nose, I am getting some leather, tobacco, baking spices, black and blue fruits, and a touch of cedar. On the palate, I get similar flavors with an additional flavor of licorice, anise, and chocolate.
This wine's best days are still ahead of it and it is still an absolute powerhouse right now. Wish I had another bottle to revisit in about 5 years. I would hold any if you still have it, but make sure to do a LONG decant if you're going to drink it anytime soon!
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This wine is really starting to come into it's prime drinking window and I believe will stay there for another 5-7 years. It has a terrific nose and a very clean palate. If opening now....decant for 1 hour.
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Started a little flat but after about an hour it started to really get some energy. Typical Mike Smith dark fruit with good balance. Still had a lot of life left in it but I think this wine is ready to drink now.
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My first bottle of this was amazing and garnered a 99. This one was slow-oxed for four hours. I should have decanted it. It was a little closed down and tasted hot. After an hour in the glass it opened up and I regretted not decanting it.
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Hillside, Pride, Myriad, Montelena, Rhys, Peter Michael, Yquem (Cleveland Heights): Boom. The nose hits big after the 01 Montelena. But in a good way. :-) Tons of ripe cassis but also some mocha and a slight char. Very clean. On the palate, this is certainly ripe but there is a lot going on. Drinking very young despite being at age 9. I wonder if it just woke up from a nap or has always been this vibrant. Good acidity. Lots of cassis fruit. Plenty of tannins left. A bit of mocha and other oak. long finish. This is just a delicious wine right now. For many (like my wife), the perfect time to open. If that is not your style, this wine has a decade or more of life to develop and mature.
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Bottle Condition: cork finished; heavy but slight crusty precipitation.
Appearance: Rich purple-red, with clear transparency. Meniscus water-white to withn 2 mm of edge.
Nose: Full but delicate nose, with great depth and focus into several layer of flavor. Includes wet stone, finely lacy purple fruits, such as blackcurrant, red raspberry, blackberry, ripe damson plum juce. Vanilla and fine Scottish tea reveal the aging regimen this juice saw.
Creamy texture. Fruit on entry is of ripe plums and blackcurrants, with perfectly balanced acidity.Beginning to reveal its leather underneath and a slight tarriness. A great length but a very delicate aftertaste.
Drinkable now, will improve for another five years, and hold for perhaps 20 years. 99/100. Incredibly expressive with a Mozartian laciness; which the playful tannins add to..
With Max and Muriel at their home, to which we were invited for a real Scottish lamb dinner. Also we tasted 12 year old Macallan; also with 2012 Merlot from Mondavi Central Coast; also Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old 110 proof, and 1949 Banyuls Hors D'age Grand Cru Vin Doux Naturel from the cooperative.
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Decanted for about 30-45 minutes and followed over a couple of hours. Beautiful, velvety texture. In a really good place right now. Pencil, cedar shavings, black currant, smoke. Still some unresolved tannins, so if I had another, I would hold for another 3 years.
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Expected a little more from a RP 97 pointer. Hopefully it will improve with time. Very little if any tannins - of some concern arguing against a long cellar life. Will revisit in 3-5 more years.
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Wow. What a great bottling from this classic Cabernet site in Napa. So much going on. Just a taste from a finished bottle at Chicago Cut but I got the complexity. Big and bold wine. Great black and blue fruit, creamy berries, fresh leather. Cult Cabernet done right. This could be sold for double the price. So much fruit and caramel, rock, earth, fig and flowers but not over the top. Fantastic wine making.
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Excellent. A big, rich black fruited wine. Thick viscosity and very dark in the glass, but this is definitely resolving a bit. Obviously 2007 is a full-throttle vintage, but I think Mike Smith kept it under control with this wine.
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This was chocolate malted squared. Red fruits masked with some gobbiness and a bit messy overall. Difficult to get a good read on this one tonight. 2007 Cabs have not been kind to me. Not sure what else I can say.
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A virtually perfect wine. Had it at STK with my babe of a wife for Valentines Day. Big, bold with notes of blackberry, plum, toast, spice and a never ending finish. The best wine I have ever had.
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Decanted 90 minutes. Black with a hint of purple at the rim. There is a sweet cherry note on the nose. Dark rich fruits and a touch of dark chocolate and a bit of green pepper flavors. It is still tight and could use a few years to come together. Perhaps it is lacking a little in acidity, but only a touch. I can see this being great in a few years.
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Lush and ready to go. Rich and showy roasted cassis fruit, yet maintains balance and restraint. This is as forward as the 06 Spring Mtn is backward. A fabulous contrast in style. Most notable for it's rich, butter and toasted coconut notes. Loaded with cedary spicebox and cream. Heavy malolactic and barrel influence, but not in any pejorative sense as this is spectacular oak. Very pleasurable to smell and drink. Finishes with long sweet powdery tannin. Delicious.
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An attractive young wine that drank better on days 2 and 3. This wine needs to be aged 10+ years. It has all the components to become something special. Nose of spice and plum. Finish of cinnamon, plum, graham cracker, mineral, and a tiny bit of chocolate. Lovely wine.
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1st night, very good nose, well integrated flavors classic valley floor. 2nd night great viscosity and still tight 2nd glass poured through a Vinturi and it integrated everything. This is outstanding now should benefit from a few more years in the bottle. Mike Smith makes consistently outstanding wines!
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12/25/2022 - pbenn001 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and tasted throughout the day. Total decant time on my last glass was about 6 hours and it really came into its own in that time. I wouldn't touch this before at least a 4 hour decant in the future as it still has plenty of life left as the cork was barely even touched when pulled out with a Durand.
In the glass, it shows very, very dark purple and almost black. On the nose, I am getting some leather, tobacco, baking spices, black and blue fruits, and a touch of cedar. On the palate, I get similar flavors with an additional flavor of licorice, anise, and chocolate.
This wine's best days are still ahead of it and it is still an absolute powerhouse right now. Wish I had another bottle to revisit in about 5 years. I would hold any if you still have it, but make sure to do a LONG decant if you're going to drink it anytime soon!
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1/5/2018 - wcooper Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine is really starting to come into it's prime drinking window and I believe will stay there for another 5-7 years. It has a terrific nose and a very clean palate. If opening now....decant for 1 hour.
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11/15/2017 - WestUAg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Started a little flat but after about an hour it started to really get some energy. Typical Mike Smith dark fruit with good balance. Still had a lot of life left in it but I think this wine is ready to drink now.
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10/8/2017 - bruce61 wrote: 90 Points
My first bottle of this was amazing and garnered a 99. This one was slow-oxed for four hours. I should have decanted it. It was a little closed down and tasted hot. After an hour in the glass it opened up and I regretted not decanting it.
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9/17/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 97 Points
Hillside, Pride, Myriad, Montelena, Rhys, Peter Michael, Yquem (Cleveland Heights): Boom. The nose hits big after the 01 Montelena. But in a good way. :-) Tons of ripe cassis but also some mocha and a slight char. Very clean. On the palate, this is certainly ripe but there is a lot going on. Drinking very young despite being at age 9. I wonder if it just woke up from a nap or has always been this vibrant. Good acidity. Lots of cassis fruit. Plenty of tannins left. A bit of mocha and other oak. long finish. This is just a delicious wine right now. For many (like my wife), the perfect time to open. If that is not your style, this wine has a decade or more of life to develop and mature.
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6/16/2016 - Luke Woods Likes this wine: 97 Points
Popped and poured. Dark and bold. Went well with lamb.
Tasting very well right now. WOTY for now.
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5/22/2016 - Sugarb wrote: 90 Points
Remarkably flat on this bottle. So unlike a Mike Smith Cab that SHOULD be in its prime.
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4/11/2016 - JTobin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking well after a one hour decant
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6/22/2015 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good, not as good a pairing with lamb ragu as a Casa Piena. Think it needed more decanting.
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5/23/2014 - sweetstuff wrote: 99 Points
$145/750 ml at Rare Wine Company, Sonoma, CA.
Bottle Condition: cork finished; heavy but slight crusty precipitation.
Appearance: Rich purple-red, with clear transparency. Meniscus water-white to withn 2 mm of edge.
Nose: Full but delicate nose, with great depth and focus into several layer of flavor. Includes wet stone, finely lacy purple fruits, such as blackcurrant, red raspberry, blackberry, ripe damson plum juce. Vanilla and fine Scottish tea reveal the aging regimen this juice saw.
Creamy texture. Fruit on entry is of ripe plums and blackcurrants, with perfectly balanced acidity.Beginning to reveal its leather underneath and a slight tarriness. A great length but a very delicate aftertaste.
Drinkable now, will improve for another five years, and hold for perhaps 20 years. 99/100. Incredibly expressive with a Mozartian laciness; which the playful tannins add to..
With Max and Muriel at their home, to which we were invited for a real Scottish lamb dinner. Also we tasted 12 year old Macallan; also with 2012 Merlot from Mondavi Central Coast; also Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old 110 proof, and 1949 Banyuls Hors D'age Grand Cru Vin Doux Naturel from the cooperative.
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12/13/2013 - ruddy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for about 30-45 minutes and followed over a couple of hours. Beautiful, velvety texture. In a really good place right now. Pencil, cedar shavings, black currant, smoke. Still some unresolved tannins, so if I had another, I would hold for another 3 years.
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4/8/2013 - sweetstuff wrote:
GifT to j Trombley 4/13
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4/7/2013 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still a little arly to drink. Friends thought t the best of 5 we drank for the night.
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5/26/2012 - Rcorrao wrote: 97 Points
I've had this before. Big and bold. Dark and rich fruit with soft tannins. 3 hr decant.
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5/25/2012 - Old Vino wrote: 92 Points
Expected a little more from a RP 97 pointer. Hopefully it will improve with time. Very little if any tannins - of some concern arguing against a long cellar life. Will revisit in 3-5 more years.
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5/14/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Wow. What a great bottling from this classic Cabernet site in Napa.
So much going on. Just a taste from a finished bottle at Chicago Cut but I got the complexity.
Big and bold wine. Great black and blue fruit, creamy berries, fresh leather. Cult Cabernet done right.
This could be sold for double the price. So much fruit and caramel, rock, earth, fig and flowers but not over the top.
Fantastic wine making.
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5/2/2012 - jaylew1 wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. A big, rich black fruited wine. Thick viscosity and very dark in the glass, but this is definitely resolving a bit. Obviously 2007 is a full-throttle vintage, but I think Mike Smith kept it under control with this wine.
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9/20/2011 - mattsix wrote:
Disappointing. Closed nose with some milk choc and buttered popcorn. Tight in glass with some prunes and more chocolate.
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9/14/2011 - King Cab wrote:
This was chocolate malted squared. Red fruits masked with some gobbiness and a bit messy overall. Difficult to get a good read on this one tonight. 2007 Cabs have not been kind to me. Not sure what else I can say.
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2/14/2011 - bruce61 wrote: 99 Points
A virtually perfect wine. Had it at STK with my babe of a wife for Valentines Day. Big, bold with notes of blackberry, plum, toast, spice and a never ending finish. The best wine I have ever had.
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11/8/2010 - Schwiering wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 90 minutes. Black with a hint of purple at the rim. There is a sweet cherry note on the nose. Dark rich fruits and a touch of dark chocolate and a bit of green pepper flavors. It is still tight and could use a few years to come together. Perhaps it is lacking a little in acidity, but only a touch. I can see this being great in a few years.
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4/24/2010 - Jody Smith wrote:
Lush and ready to go. Rich and showy roasted cassis fruit, yet maintains balance and restraint. This is as forward as the 06 Spring Mtn is backward. A fabulous contrast in style. Most notable for it's rich, butter and toasted coconut notes. Loaded with cedary spicebox and cream. Heavy malolactic and barrel influence, but not in any pejorative sense as this is spectacular oak. Very pleasurable to smell and drink. Finishes with long sweet powdery tannin. Delicious.
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3/27/2010 - winedrinker77 wrote: 96 Points
An attractive young wine that drank better on days 2 and 3. This wine needs to be aged 10+ years. It has all the components to become something special. Nose of spice and plum. Finish of cinnamon, plum, graham cracker, mineral, and a tiny bit of chocolate. Lovely wine.
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3/27/2010 - Slvrfish wrote: 94 Points
Excellent, well made
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2/24/2010 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Rich nose
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1/22/2010 - Slvrfish wrote: 92 Points
1st night, very good nose, well integrated flavors classic valley floor. 2nd night great viscosity and still tight 2nd glass poured through a Vinturi and it integrated everything. This is outstanding now should benefit from a few more years in the bottle. Mike Smith makes consistently outstanding wines!
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