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WINE REVIEWS & RATINGS
2005
2005 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/16/2010)
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. (94 pts.)
2005 Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Light purple
Nose: Dust, cherry, plum
Taste: Sour cherry, spices, plum, dust
Finish: Medium and not too tannic
Evaluation: One of the best Napa Cab values period 88 points
2005 Ferrari-Carano Prevail West Face Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, floral, cherry
Taste: Big wine with currants, spices, chocolate and oak
Finish: Medium and powerful
Evaluation: This wine should improve with age 90 points
2005 Chapellet Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Red Pepper, oak, plum, vanilla
Taste: Smooth with spice, oak, red pepper, cherry, plum, floral with mild tannins
Finish: Medium with oak, buttery notes, cherry, floral, plum. Very complex wine
Evaluation: Decant 2 hours or better yet cellar for 5 years. 93 points
2005 Cliff Lede Stag's Leap District Claret $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Super Concentration with Cherry, Plum, blackberry, Spice, tobacco, forest floor, unbelievable!!!
Taste: Rich, cherry, plum, spice, mineral, forest floor, oak, vanilla, cranberry, medium tannins
Finish: Long and packed with flavor!
Evaluation: This is the best wine I have had under $35 of all time! 95 points
2005 Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Earth, plum, cherry
Taste: Earth, plum, cherry
Finish: Solid taste and medium finish
Evaluation: Well made wine 87 points
2005 Coppola California Claret $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry and spice
Taste: Simple and fruity
Finish: Short
Evaluation: Simple wine 80 points
2005 Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, floral, mineral, blackberries
Taste: A bit bitter with floral, mineral, floral
Finish: A bit tannic but needs time in the cellar
Evaluation: 89 points
2005 Hahn Central Coast Cabernet $$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Cherry, plum
Taste: Cherry, plum, mineral, oak
Finish: Oak, spice, cherry, plum medium finish
Evaluation: Simple but worth the price. 85 points
2005 Hewitt Rutherford Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, blackberries, minerals
Taste: Bitter with spice, blackberries, minerals
Finish: Bitter and tannic this wine needs some cellaring
Evaluation: A little generous as I think this wine will improve 92 points
2005 William Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry, plum, tobacco
Taste: Smooth with cherry, plum, tobacco, and mild oak
Finish: Medium, balanced and smooth tannins
Evaluation: Great wine at $12.50 90 points
2005 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Earth, red meat
Taste: Earth and meaty with some fruit
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: Overall a nice wine 88 points
2005 Clos Robert North Coast Cabernet $$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, tannins
Taste: Spice, tannins
Finish: Earth with strong spices and mild earth tones
Evaluation: A good wine with an inexpensive steak. 86 points
2005 Kenwood Jack London Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spice and earth
Taste: Spice, earth and mild oak
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: Lacks fruit 86 points
2005 Miramont Estates Eclipse (Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah) $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spices, oak, vanilla
Taste: Spices, mineral, oak
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: 86 points
2005 Newton "The Puzzle" Spring Mountain District $$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Plum, cherry, earth
Taste: Good concentration with cherry, plum, oak, vanilla, earth
Finish: Long and intense
Evaluation: Well made wine from one of my favorite producers 93 points
2005 Nickel and Nickel C C Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, vanilla, oak, musty
Taste: Vanilla, spice, oak, shoe leather, tobacco
Finish: Bordeaux like and medium
Evaluation: Best of the 3 Nickel Wines sampled 90 points
2005 Nickel and Nickel Harris Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Plum, cherry, oak
Taste: Mild oak, cherry, plum, vanilla
Finish: Medium and complex
Evaluation: Solid wine but really expensive 89 points
2005 Nickel and Nickel Sullenger Vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, floral
Taste: Spice, floral
Finish: Medium and dominated by earth tones
Evaluation: 87 points
2005 Murphy Goode Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, plum, cherry
Taste: Spice, cherry, bit tannic
Finish: Medium and a little bitter
Evaluation: OK 85 points
2005 Sterling Vintners Collection Central Coast Cabernet $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spice, plum
Taste: Plum, spice
Finish: Smooth
Evaluation: Solid everyday Cab 85 points
2005 Trentadue Winery La Storia Meritage - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (4/6/2010)
Solid nose with cherry, spice, smoke and oak. Good concentration on this wine and plenty of tannins to age another decade. Medium finish and needs decanting. (89 pts.)
2005 Waterstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry, spice, bubble gum,
Taste: Spice, sour cherries, oak, vanilla, cinnamon
Finish: Medium and good acidity
Evaluation: This is a well made wine that I would encourage you to try 90 points
2005 Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/11/2010)
What a great value Cabernet. Medium red and aromas of dust, spice, cherry. The taste is great with spice, dust, cherry, and minerals. A strong finish and concentrated wine. The tannins are mellowing on this wine but I believe it could age another 5 years. Best Cab under $20 today. (92 pts.)
2006
2006 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (4/10/2010)
Aromas of forest floor, dust, cherry, and oak. On the palate firm tannins with cherry, dust, floral, oak and vanilla. Medium finish that picks up heavy spices. Cellar this wine but the least impressive of the line since 2000. (90 pts.)
2006 Beringer Knights Valley Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Cherry, floral, spice
Taste: Cherry, spice, mineral, good acid
Finish: Smooth tannins with mineral, spice, cherry
Evaluation: Good US Cab 87 points
2006 Calistoa Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Earth, mineral, raspberry
Taste: Light with earth, mineral, raspberry
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: Nice overall 89 points
2006 Joel Gott California Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Earth, herbs
Taste: Light wine with earth, herbs, some fruit
Finish: Light
Evaluation: Smooth drinking but not much there 83 points
2006 J Lohr Hilltop Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry, spice, plum
Taste: Fruit forward with a touch of spice and minerals
Finish: Smooth and drinking well
Evaluation: 90 points
2006 J Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Plum, cherry
Taste: Cherry, plum, spice
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: Usually good for the money 85 points
2006 Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon $
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Plum, floral, blackberries
Taste: Blackberries, spice, oak, floral
Finish: A little bitter with spice, oak, floral, cherries
Evaluation: A super bargain at $10 88 points
2006 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/12/2010)
Medium purple. Nose with cherries, oak, and vanilla. On the palate classic toasted oak, vanilla, cherry, plums, and spice. Tannins are well represented here and paired with steak it was perfect. Really nice finish and it adds a floral element. For $15.83 on a case purchase a non brainer to have as an everyday Cab. Only the Waterstone 05 is better for this price point in the last year for me. (91 pts.)
2006 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spice
Taste: Spice and bitter
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: What went wrong here? 79 points
2006 Ridge Monte Bello (USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains)
A powerful wine with oak, vanilla, spices and dark fruits. On the palate a bit too much oak hides the fruit but should settle down with time in the cellar. Medium finish and will rate this wine over time.
2006 Simi Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry, spice, vanilla and oak
Taste: Nice with spice, cherry, plum, oak and vanilla
Finish: Smooth and balanced
Evaluation: 90 points
2006 Steltzner Vineyards Claret - USA, California, Napa Valley (4/14/2010)
A little heat on the nose with spices, red fruits and pepper. Palate shows spices, pepper and dark fruit. A tannic wine that if it settles down could improve point wise. (85 pts.)
2007
2007 Castle Rock Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spice, vanilla
Taste: Spice, buttery notes, oak, vanilla
Finish: Medium
Evaluation: A cheap Napa without fruit 82 points
2007 Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Spice, cherry, blackberries, earth
Taste: Nice with black fruits, earth and oak
Finish: Medium and concentrated
Evaluation: A really nice wine 92 points
2007 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/16/2010)
Dark color. An intense nose of spice, cherry, plum and oak. The palate features dark fruits, vanilla, oak and spices. A medium finish and this is a balanced wine. No flaws evident. This is the best Caymus I have tasted in years. (93 pts.)
2007 Chappellet Vineyard Mountain Cuvée - USA, California, Napa Valley (4/6/2010)
Another winner from Chappellet. Nice fruit forward nose with cherry, plum and spices. On the palate is shows plenty of flavor without anything over the top. Some sweet tannins emerge on the finish. (89 pts.)
2007 Frog's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (4/6/2010)
Cherry, oak, vanilla and spice on the nose. A tannic wine at this time and needs some time to settle down. Much better then previous vintages and I can see it improving in 5 years time. (88 pts.)
2007 Ridge Monte Bello (USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains)
A nice wine with dark fruit, chocolate, herbs and oak on the nose. The palate is concentrated with a lot of oak currently along with blackberries, chocolate, vanilla and herbs. Long finish and this wine is really young. It needs five plus years in the cellar. Review should improve with time. (93 points)
2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled Chicken Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (3/23/2010)
Medium purple. Nose of cherry, dust, earth, oak and plum. On the palate dust, spices, floral, cherry and vanilla. Medium and concentrated finish. This is an amazing wine for the price point of $25. This wine review is on day 2. (92 pts.)
2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Cloud's Nest Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (3/23/2010)
Dark purple. Nose dust, minerals, charcoal, On the palate dust, cherry, blueberries, figs, charcoal, oak and floral. Medium and multi layered finish. Great acidity and this wine should improve a few points over the next five years. (93 pts.)
2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Mario's Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (3/23/2010)
Medium purple. Nose smoke, dust, blackberries, floral and oak. On the palate awesome concentration with blackberries, blueberries, smoke, dust leather and oak. Medium, mulit layered finish with some serious punch. This is a cellar selection wine. (94 pts.)
2007 Trinchero Family Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Central Park West Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (3/23/2010)
Medium purple. Nose of bacon, charcoal, tobacco, and spice. On the palate rich with cherry, bacon, charcoal, and earth. Medium finish. Since the recorded show I did on Trinchero wines this wine improved to a solid 91 point score. (91 pts.)
2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Cloud's Nest Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (3/25/2010)
Decanted 10 hours. Nose cherry, smoke, raspberries, cedar and dust. The palate shows sour cherry, dust, spices, cranberries and oak. Medium and smooth finish. Good structure and amazingly balanced. This is not a pop and pour wine! (94 pts.)
