Posts Tagged ‘sonoma’
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
89 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 24 Sep 2008
Dark ruby (almost black) core with a brighter ruby rim. Lots of leather, earth and charred oak aromas over sweet cherry and cassis, with a hint of soy sauce. Smooth, easy entry onto the palate. Medium body and well balanced acidity. Ripe red cherry and blackberry fruits are backed by flavors of coffee, vanilla and a touch of earth. Cherries and fresh cream linger on the finish. Very fine grained tannins make this pleasant to drink now, but will also allow the wine to age for another 3 - 5 years.
This is a great value for Cabernet Sauvignon coming from Sonoma - and it has fortunately stayed largely out of the spotlight of the major critics…until now. Cab of this quality can easily run you up $40 or more, so finding this wine at half that price is a steal. There is plenty of body and fruit to satisfy all you monster Cab fans, yet the wine remains balanced and elegant enough to go very well with a meal. Just enough oak in the winemaking adds great complexity of flavors (coffee, soy sauce) that complement the fruit in the wine. This is a great bottle to pull if you are meeting your date’s parents for the first time. Everyone respects a good Cab, and this one clearly fits the bill.
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Tags: 2005, blackberry, cabernet, california, cassis, char, cherry, Coast, coffee, cream, earth, estate, kunde, leather, North, oak, red, red wine, ruby, sauce, sauvignon, sonoma, soy, sweet, vanilla, wine
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
93 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 17 Nov 2008
Medium bright ruby core surrounded by a lighter pink and ruby rim. Initial aromas of fresh toasty oak quickly yield to sweet cherry and wet earth, all surrounded by cool fresh mint and dark black raspberry. Sweet and lush on the front palate leading to a dark, rich mid-palate. Round and full in the mouth with hints of smoky game surrounding the dark cherry and earth flavors. This is young and just hinting at the complexity that will come with some time. Despite the youth, it is an impressively balanced and elegant wine with a very long, smooth finish.
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Tags: 2007, black, california, cherry, Coast, earth, fresh, game, maritime, mint, noir, North, oak, pink, pinot, raspberry, red, red wine, ruby, smith, smoke, sonoma, sweet, toast, w.h.smith, wine
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
92 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 17 Nov 2008
Medium ruby core with a touch of garnet to the rim. Complex, heady aromas. Light floral notes quickly yield to spicy fresh anise, earth and white truffles all surrounding a dark core of wild blackberry and strawberry. Very fruity on the front palate followed quickly by darker earth and truffle flavors. Creamy vanilla over black cherry in the mid palate leads to a long, lingering cream and spice finish underscored by dark scorched earth. Balanced and delicious.
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Tags: 2007, anise, black, blackberry, california, cherry, Coast, cream, eareth, earth, estate, floral, garnet, marimar, noir, North, pinot, red, red wine, scorched, smith, sonoma, spice, strawberry, truffle, vanilla, Vineyard, w.h.smith, white, wild, wine
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
91 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 17 Nov 2008
Dark ruby and purple core with a bright ruby rim. Toasted oak surrounds aromas of dark earth and black cherry with cool cola and spicy herbs. Great entry on the palate; round and soft with nice acid behind it. Good intensity of fruit with hints of baking spices. Well balanced through the finish, leading to lingering vanilla and cherry flavors.
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Tags: 2007, baking, black, california, cherry, Coast, cola, earth, herb, noir, North, oak, pinot, purple, red, red wine, ruby, smith, sonoma, spice, toast, umino, vanilla, Vineyard, w.h.smith, wine
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
91 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 17 Nov 2008
Bright ruby core with a vibrant rim. Lots of violets and roses float over earth, caramel and ripe cherry aromas. Restrained and elegant on palate entry. Solid core of acidity from front to back. Strawberry with a hint of orange zest is followed by scorched earth and lingering vanilla oak. Smooth and fresh with a long, bright finish.
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Tags: 2007, california, caramel, cherry, Coast, earth, hellenthal, noir, North, oak, orange, pinot, red, red wine, rose, ruby, scorch, smith, sonoma, strawberry, vanilla, Vineyard, violet, w.h.smith, wine, zest
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
90 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 17 Nov 2008
Medium ruby core with a lighter rim. Ripe black cherry and wild strawberry fruit aromas all surrounded by cooler notes of wet earth and spicy cola. Very round on the entry into the mouth; smooth and silky. Hints of game surround tons of ripe strawberry with a touch of charcoal and dark earth on the finish. Great balance making this an easy drinking, smooth Pinot all the way down.
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Tags: 2007, black, california, charcoal, cherry, Coast, cola, earth, game, noir, North, pinot, red, red wine, ripe, ruby, silk, smith, sonoma, spice, strawberry, w.h.smith, wild, wine
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 20 Nov 2008
Dark purple and ruby core with a lighter, bright rim. Rich aromas of plum, black cherry and raspberry with wild, raw honeycomb accents. Very fruit forward with plum and raspberry dominating the flavors. Full bodied with very nice acid keeps it from getting too heavy. The finish lingers with lighter touches of violets and vanilla spice.
The intense flavors are a result of the grapes growing on 125 year old vines. Older vines produce smaller berries with more concentrated juice.
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Tags: 2005, black, california, Cellars, cherry, church, Coast, honeycomb, North, old, peter, peters, plum, purple, raspberry, raw, red, red wine, Rosenblum, ruby, saint, sonoma, spice, vanilla, vine, Vineyard, violet, wild, wine, Zinfandel
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Sunday, January 25th, 2009
87 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 18 Mar 2008
Light ruby core with a faint pink rim. Cooler climate Pinot notes of earth and herbal fruits. Red cherry on the palate. Soft and round with nice acid on the finish.
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Tags: 2006, acid, california, cherry, Coast, cooker, Cosentino, County, earth, fruit, herb, light, noir, North, pink, pinot, red wine, soft, sonoma, USA
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
88 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 15 Jan 2008
Bright lemon yellow core, getting paler towards the rim. Very toasty aromas up front. Myer Lemon curd with a touch of butter, toasted almonds and a hint of slate. Very good acidity on the palate, and a good balance of fruit and oak. Bid lemon lollipop flavors with a touch of lime and yellow apple lingering into the creamy finish.
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Tags: 2004, Add new tag, california, chardonnay, Coast, Gallo, Laguna, North, Ranch, River, Russian, sonoma, valley, Vineyard, White wine
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
88 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 10 Jan 2008
Thick purple with ruby notes. The bold blackberry and black cherry aromas are surrounded by a nice gamy brown sugar ham quality, followed by spicy white pepper. Red currants and blackberries on the front palate are followed by the brown sugar ham in the middle. Black licorice swarms around the fruit. Medium-full bodied with very ripe tannins and a thick, dark, sweet lingering finish. 14.6% ABV.
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Tags: 2005, black, blackberry, brown, california, Cellars, cherry, Coast, currant, fruit, game, Hillside, licorice, North, pepper, purple, red wine, Rosenblum, sonoma, spice, sugar, sweet, Syrah, Vineyard, white
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