David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The nose reveals, fragrant/floral, blue & purple fruits. Black raspberries, baked boysenberries, olallieberries, dark cherries, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum & creamed, baked raspberries. Savory meats notes, sweet tar, the core of anise, limestone minerals, black tea, vanillin, clove, dark mocha powder, just a touch of caramel, used expresso grounds, just a whiff of mint, olive tapenade, dry clay. herbaceous notes with fresh, purple flowers & lavender.

The body is full, velvety with dusty tannins. Still plenty of life left here. With only about a half hour decant, it had nice flavors but, had a hollow mid palate and was short on finish. An hour later, it’s put on a lot of weight & filled in nicely.

Black raspberries, baked boysenberries, olallieberries, dark cherries, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, creamed, baked raspberries with strawberries coming on late. Savory meat notes, sweet tar, the core of anise, dark spice with a little heat, limestone minerals, black tea, vanillin, clove, dark mocha powder, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, caramel, just a touch of caramel, used expresso grounds, mint, olive tapenade, dry clay, forest floor with leaves, dry stems, herbaceous notes, tree sap, fresh, dark red & purple flowers with lavender. The acidity is round and balances the shade of hot alcohol shows. The finish is, thick, weighty, lush, elegant with dry, dusty tannins that are persistent for several minutes.

Another 3 years of patience will be rewarded!

At around $40 for a stellar 2007 Napa/Sonoma vintage, this is a steal tonight.

Photos of; Lancaster Winery, cellar tasting room and hillside vineyard.

9.1 at the start. 9.3 after two hours in the decanter.

— 6 days ago

Andy Demaree

9.2

Gave this 3 hrs in the decanter, by which point it was open for business. As usual with EMH wines, this bottle was all about balance and a sense of finesse. The mature red fruit, at age 10, was an equal partner with the rounded tannins and supporting acidity that kept the package together and contributed to the long, clean finish. No tertiary notes just yet. This still appears to have several years of fine drinking ahead. — 3 days ago

Kirk Feyereisen

9.1

For me this is one of those wines you don’t want to love. You want to look at the price on the list, chuckle and move on to a diamond in the rough. Found a few of these for a great price however and wow was this bottle gone in a hurry. Quite enjoyable, especially on a Tuesday welcoming kids home from school for break. Cheers! — 2 days ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.5

I’ve been a fan of Fisher Vineyards wines for a while but have not had the privilege of having their Wedding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Right at first sip you knew that you had something special! Deep and dark, but not heavy. Fruit was blackberry and dark cherry and a sweet tannin. So good, we ordered a second bottle. 😃 — 2 days ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix . This week it's a fabulous one from
Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, black currants, vanilla, licorice, cedar, light earth, leather, coke, tobacco leaf, vinaigrette, chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, mocha and pencil lead.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cloves, cola, light vegetables, herbs, chocolates, earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Napa Cabernet is very enjoyable. Good by itself or with food. A good sipping wine too. Fruit forward with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly. Will be better in 5 to 10 years as more complexity will be introduced.

Delicious and yummy.

15.3% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$45. — 6 days ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

@Delectable Wine this wine was not in the database. A rather interesting Rosé... I will absolutely not disagree that point. On the first night, this one had some slightly unsettling characteristics. Was more on the Band-Aid side, and sort of a note similar to wet cardboard. I almost thought that this one was corked for a while. But the wine had some very delicate Floral and herbal characteristics on the palate. Nice sharp acidity with a rounded mouthfeel and texture. Finished with the same power and acidity, just not with much fruit and overwhelmingly elasticized. This one was recorked and enjoyed about 36 hours later. What a difference! Strawberry, pink rose, red cherry, herbs, bright acidity in the front and middle. Finished with bracing acidity and even fairly significant tannic grip. Almost seemed to have a dried almond somewhere in the middle. Hopefully this is going to be a new offering for Spoto in the upcoming years...just not sure of site and style, which will probably both change a bit to make this more approachable. Nice job, Stuart! — 10 days ago

Shay A

9.3

Always a reliable restaurant pick. My first ‘15 from any of Chappellet’s wines, and I was astounded at how approachable this was at pop and pour! Wow. The aromatics were just sensational...blueberry and blackberry medley, baked pie, very small hint of smoked meat, and plum. Extremely lush on the palate from start to finish...black cherry cordial, mixed berry, and cocoa dusted dates. Phenomenal value! — 4 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This 05 was a spectacular follow up bottle to the Rostaing. It’s right at the top of its peak and everything you want from a Napa Cabernet. It hit on all cylinders.

The body full, rich, lush and elegant. The tannins round and velvety. Still plenty of life left in this 2005.

Dark fruits of; blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries with subtle notes of strawberries. Warm and well layered baking spice; cinnamon, clove, nutmeg & vanillin. Soft, gentle dark spices, mocha chocolate & powder, rich semi-sweet earthiness, crushed rock powder, suede leather, tobacco, light graphite, dark withering flowers, round acidity and a big, rich, elegant, velvety polished finish that lasts minutes. — 4 days ago

with James and Christina

Mark Flesher

9.3

92.7, gladly rounding up to 93. This wine has appreciated since the last bottle enjoyed a couple of years ago. This wine poured dark to the glass. Slight violet hue. The nose on this wine is sweet dirty raspberry and cola. The entry of this wine is powerful and yet still quite youthful. Sweet cherry cola and herbal notes abound yet starting to show a hint of age. Towards the finish, chocolate covered raspberries and almonds hit the palate. Still rather tannic. Fine grit sediment with the final 50ml but wasn't about to leave the final few sips behind. This one has another 10 years left, but I think this one is probably 1 or 2 years away from being at the very top. — 8 days ago

Shay A

9.2

This was one of the featured bottles at Bob’s tonight, and a really nice value at $99 off a restaurant list. Obviously young, it benefitted from the decant we gave it as it needed more time than the Chappellet. This is more old school/traditional style with the cherry tobacco, bay leaf and underripe blackberry notes on the nose, with a streak of black cherry & crushed rock on the finish. Hold or give it a lengthy decant. — 4 days ago