1998 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake Hill

Community Tasting Notes (8) Avg Score: 91.3 points

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  7/5/2016 - tribble Likes this wine: 94 Points

  On occasion I get to open a wine when it's in a special place. At first, the wine confirmed my expectations -- slightly tired, hints of prune, but backed by delicious secondary notes of black pepper, tobacco, and smoke.
  
  Then, the tired notes faded. The fruit held steady in the background, dark fruit. Blackberry? Cassis? Pepper still in the forefront, with hints of graphite, tobacco, and and vanilla. Tannins rounded and slightly firm.
  
  Paired with bone-in Ribeye.

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  7/17/2015 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Upon opening, the nose is complex and beguiling. Winegr has given a great survey of this wine over a few years, and my perspective is very similar to his most recent tastes. I think this is a great wine and and an object lesson in the 1997 vs 1998 debate. Supremely entertaining.

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  5/9/2011 - winegr wrote: 93 Points

  This was outstanding. Still needed a bit of time to open up. Balanced, with big acidity and a lot of complexity. THis is old school at 13.8% ABV and solid acidity. This has notes of tobacco, earth, bitter chocolate, coffee, dark red fruit, licorice. Evolves with air. My last bottle and too bad, this bottle was in superb shape and would go for several more years. Not many cabs are made like this any longer. Too bad.

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  2/18/2009 - winegr wrote: 93 Points

  92-93. No decanting required. Peak drinking. No reason to wait, but will hold another year or two at peak. Very compelling and interesting, became a bit more sweet and flabby after a few hours. At first, some metallic notes and olive and minerals in a good way along with a little chocolate. Great complexity. Very ripe fruit for the vintage. Somehow despite the ripeness, it retains balance, espcecially for the first few hours. Drink now or hold another year or two if you have too. The fruit is definitely not fading, although the tannins have mellowed and are fading a bit.

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  4/6/2008 - winegr wrote: 91 Points

  91-92 points. Nice wine, very herbal with some minerality and menthol. Nice complexity, decent fruit, definitely not a fruit bomb. Not really typical for napa these days where fruit bombs and very fruit forward wines tend to dominate. This is medium-full bodied with a lot of secondary nuances like you find in more old world bordeauxs sometimes. Wood, menthol, herbs, leather, olives, etc. I like this style. For an off vintage this is pretty good and holding up well, although i would definitely drink soon. Not a style everyone will like, but this is definitely a well-made wine with substantial complexity.

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