Herold Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Again the 2011 Napa cabs surprise me as they are drinking much better than critics predicted

Another 2011 that doesn't suck. Damn the luck!! This wine was waaaaaay better at 1 hr than at cork pop. This wine was a little green on the front initially and had the "dreaded green pepper" note until it started to reveal its own character. After an hour, nose was chocolate and Fig Newton. Hint of green pepper even after an hour, but not at the forefront. The entry was blackberry and fig, licorice density in the middle. There is still a rather unidentified note here in the middle. Herbal. The finish was peppery and almost had a little jalapeño fire. Tannin was medium. Wine overall was medium+ bodied.

I like the Herold much more. Mocha, coffee and raspberry on the nose. A big, yet more restrained palate exudes cassis and blackberry up front with well-integrated tannins leading to a long, mouthwatering finish. Well made Napa cab here. Also ageable, but great now too.

Lovely wines produces big smiles

Fun blind tasting of Napa Valley Cabernets, we decided to choose two from 2011 while my Dad selected two different vintages of Caymus Special Selection.

A lot better than last time with a couple hours in the decanter. Deep ruby with garnet edges. Lots of aged characteristics on the nose, mushrooms, forest floor, chalk, peppers, a touch floral and dark fruits. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium bodied. A touch of green pepper on the palate with quite a bit of oak notes. Woody, perfume, light blue and black fruits. Rounded and well integrated throughout. Medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2020. (92+)

Wednesday night and went to cellar and lately I have been digging into holes looking for wine I don't normally go to - why - well you bought it so you need to drink it - my wife is not happy with my judgement and craves her 9.4 and higher rated Napa cab - so that said as a qualifier I say this

Decanted 2 hours and first sip is not bad - actually I like it - but the normal posse (WNH) would never be served this in visiting for they would as I do not call this BiG BOLD BEAUTIFUL

What I call this -- color is nice and works with its dark reddish color - smell and taste is a little short of the goal but surprising in not trying to disguise with pepper - more black fruits and currants than you might expect - finish also surprised me and reminded me of the white label by Mark - it was at least a minute

I think all this is summed best by using @Antonio Galloni review which I restate as [91-93pts Vinous] The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Herold by Mark Herold is mostly about pure energy and tension at this stage. There is plenty of inner sweetness in the glass, so it will be interesting to see where the wine goes over the coming year. - [*Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2012*]

I know it is 2011 but suggest giving this a new try and I bet the rating might have improved

All said it is hump day according to a GEICO commercial with a camel which says "Mike Mike Mike' for it is Wednesday and this wine is leaving with a nice smile!!!! May the rest of your week be all smiles folks

This is showing really nicely this year..I know it could see a few more but I think it's damned good now. The tannins are firmly present but softened a bit (chewy, but not necessarily gripping, but still lingering), and the wine is still the definition of hedonistic. The nose is soft this year, ripe with rich baked black plum, boiled red apple skins, sandalwood, oiled leather, creme de cacao, and still ever so slightly hot on the nose. The pallet is chewy rich, but not cloying - bell pepper, wet crushed rocks, mocha, tobacco/cigarbox, blackberries, blueberries, and a dark chocolate covered pomegranate and nutmeg finish. I have to admit, @David L inspired me to open my '12 Brown Label after reading his review on the '13 White Label, but I figured why not, superbowl right?

Cheers!

The 2010 has probably peaked and is starting to slowly age downhill.

My word is this thing delicious. Pure hedonism at its best. It pours a dark red, almost black with legs unlike any wine I've seen in a while. The nose offers beautiful chocolate and violet aromas, with crushed black cherries, vanilla, and a whif of hickory smoke. The palate is rich, extracted, and pure pleasure, offering up mulled blueberries, raspberry jam, sweet chocolate, and a seamless texture with smooth tannins.. this bottle is roaring and ready to go even when young.. pure pleasure all the way around.

What a whopper of a wine this guy was! First off, they ship in boxes with the bottle upside down and Mark Herold loves a good ol' fashioned unfiltered wine, so you will find about an inch of sediment solid in the neck, which is a little annoying, so you'll need to filter it. Once that is out of the way, it needs a good decant due to the young vintage. It's very dark and powerful, and almost had an air about it similar to Diamond Mountain styles, showing earthy gravely notes, black olive, green bell pepper and loads of dark casis fruits and ripe black plum. The pallet is very rich and dark as well with brown baking spices, burnt espresso bean notes, vanilla, and a lingering dark chocolate finish. It's massive wine, for people who want in your face kinda Napa. Will definitely benefit from some age! #markherold