Hawkes, Stone Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

Poured straight from the bottle and is just as good as it was, if not better than 2021. Good fruit flavors without any sign of being past its prime. At this point, I wish I had more stored away.

2012 vintage

This is a winner! Still drinking quite fine.

2007 vintage

Not as good as the one from the same vintage that we had a year ago.

2012 vintage

Cab drinking nicely w/fruit still there for this cooler single vineyard in Alexander Valley. Paired well w/filets.

2012 vintage

Very similar notes to my May 2020 review here. Slightly less nuance in the nose and palate but it is so well integrated. Still enough tannin and acid to pair well with stir fried steak. Beautiful long finish. Definitely at the end of its intended drinking window but I don’t think this will necessarily crash hard any time soon.

2012 vintage

Still drinking fantastically. Wonder who comes up with the "drink by" dates on Cellar Tracker?

2007 vintage

Drink now, it's starting to go the old newspaper route.

2007 vintage

From (winery-decorated) magnum. A notable green or stemmy note on the nose and palate. Plenty of dark fruit and sweet oak to balance the herbal overtones. 15-20 second finish, easily another 2-3 years of peak drinking. Will revisit 2nd half of this bottle on Day 2. Day 2. Specific black cherry fruit, overt green notes present on nose only. Beautifully soft mouthfeel yields to slight grip on finish without being dry.

2012 vintage

Great balance of fruit and mineral notes. This has evolved well and it could have a bit more to go. Still pretty lively on the finish with some black pepper and med/long finish.

2007 vintage

Has improved since 2018, aging very well.

2012 vintage

Dark fruit, red fruit, cassis, anise, graphite, tobacco on the nose. Palate leans towards the red fruits, sour cherry, a hint of cocoa and spice. Quite tannic still. Good acidity. Nice long finish. This is drinking beautifully now. I will sit on my last bottle for a couple more years. I think there may still see a bit of improvement.

2012 vintage

Excellence in so many ways... Color is beautiful. Bouquet of saddle leather and jam, smooth tannins. Rich flavors of red berry jam, medium dry mouthfeel and good balance of spice. Finish is long with good lingering red berry flavors.

2007 vintage

This is tasting great now. Smooth tannins, great medium dry mouthfeel, and the balance is right on. Jammy dark fruit with an hint of mineral/wet stone to keep things in check.

2007 vintage

Similar to previous notes. My favorite vintage from Hawkes.

2012 vintage

Wish I had more of this vintage. Probably my favorite from Hawkes. Hopefully later vintages will also settle like this with some bottle age. This is very expressive and elegant. Bright red fruit, but there's a relaxed reservedness too. Didn't hold up quite as well on the 2nd day.

2012 vintage

I've had about three vintages of each of the Hawkes single vineyard cabs and its other wines too and this is the best I've tried - I originally tried it at the winery and realized I had to find more of it. This is firing on all cylinders - delicious big and rich red fruit sour cherry. This is just dialed in more than its other wines. The extra year or so of bottle age likely has helped too. 93+pts.

2012 vintage

Spice and dark fruit, followed by plum, spice and mocha. Getting better, and should continue to improve.

2012 vintage

Consistent with previous notes. Supple and round, with the fruit at the front. Can’t imagine it drinking any better than it is now.

2007 vintage

Drank our 1.5L Stone this evening with friends and a big Italian dinner. Paired well with every course, from sauté prawns, to lobster Ravi, pasta carbonara and finally rack of lamb. Nose of dark fruit, with whiffs of spice, licorand hints of flora. Smooth and supple, with soft tannins. Fruit shone thru mid-palate, and a nice (albeit short) finish. Easy drinking wine, that made the dinner more enjoyable, and the large format seemed to elevate the occasion.

2007 vintage

PnP. Deep and dark. Moderate fruit and some alcohol on the nose. Black currant with a bit of red fruit. Slight tannins give way to a smooth and moderately long finish. Having seen Stone vintages develop fruit notes later in life, I'll save my other bottle for a few years.

2012 vintage

A medium-bodied northern California cabernet, the Hawke Stone is now fully mature. On opening the wine is strikingly floral, with a nose almost dominated by lavender and black berry aromas. Air tamed the perfume notes, and one then finds walnuts and forest loam. On the palate, very balanced, quite an impressive mineral scaffolding here, touch of surmaturite and maybe a hint of that surmature element shifting towards madierization. In its zone now, and I don't imagine it holding there forever... …

2007 vintage

a solid Cab (I don't recall the details)

2007 vintage

Dark dark fruit and cassis nose. Dark fruit dominates the palate though there is a hint of cherry underneath. Strength up front dissipates pleasantly as it crosses the tongue. Very well balanced and integrated. Nice length on the finish. I really really want to score this wine higher because of its structure but it is so one dimensional in flavor that I struggle rating higher than I did.

2012 vintage

Drinking great now. PnP paired with ribs, buffalo wings, and EAGLES SUPERBOWL VICTORY!!!

2007 vintage

Delicious crushed Blackberry and red currants with an espresso and mocha. Good Balance and a nice Alexander Valley minerality and full body. Persistent dark cherry and dark berry finish.

2007 vintage

In a great spot right now. Rich, bright fruit and lovely soft tannins. Decant or aerate and this will not disappoint.

2007 vintage

Nice minerality and a iron like character which very solid structure and viscosity which compliments the dark currant fruit. Excellent balance and a very satisfying finish.

2007 vintage

Very nice. Opened up as night went on and went well with food. Not as good as the pyramid.

2012 vintage

Another wonderful cab from Hawkes. Rather muted aroma with spice and graphite. Smooth and full-bodied on the palate with current, leather, and licorice. Very complex tannin structure with a long, warm finish.

2012 vintage

Big, ripe fruits of plum and cherry with a touch of coffee (or cocoa?). At this point the tannins are nicely integrated, and the fruit is really coming through. Opens up nicely - decant, aerate or just keep swirling in the glass. Smooth and supple. A great, great wine. Drinking very well, but nice tannic structure will allow this one to age and mature.

2007 vintage

Hi everyone! 2012 was by far the best year in the area and will be a blockbuster wine year for most everything from the region. I just spent a little more time catching up with the winemakers in the area and all say the same thing: hold on to these bottles and enjoy over time- they're going to get better and better over time - yay us! :)

2012 vintage

Might need more time in the bottle

2007 vintage

Tremendous. Outstanding. Makes the world a better place to live.

2007 vintage

Popped and poured. Took about an hour to open up. On the first day, cherry fruit with a woody and slightly tannic finish. By the next day the fruit had gained depth and sweetness but still had a type of dusty/austerity on the finish. Decent bottle. At the beginning of its drinking window - has a couple years.

2007 vintage

Blackberry nose, big dark fruit flavors with light but pleasant tannins. The texture seems to be on the delicate side despite the big flavors. The wine is nicely balanced, it is just quite tasty.

2007 vintage

A pleasant wine but had a short finish and never hit a "wow" note. It was a pop and pour so that might have been part of the problem.

2007 vintage

powerful cab that loves the cellar; not wine for the faint of heart; from a single vineyard

2007 vintage

100% cab;

2007 vintage

Corked. Not terribly tainted but can't fairly evaluate wine.

2007 vintage

More concentrated than the 2006 and more jammy fruit. Cassis on the nose and palate with jammy currants & berries. Mocha & vanilla notes on the finish. More complex than the '06.

2007 vintage

This is the first of the 2007s from our cellar and we are going to enjoy all of them. The nose is a bit musty with earth, no musty flavors though. Really good flavors of dark fruit, spice (cinnamon ) and oak. Great, almost creamy mouth feel. Decanted for about 45 minutes, still improved with a little swirling in the glass. This is a big powerful wine and I think it will continue to improve over the next couple of …

2007 vintage

Lushious Cabernet. Soft tannins, but present. Not too sweet, not too fruity. Ripe fruit flavor, and also some considerable toasty oak/vanilla. Tastes like a Sonoma Cabernet, duh!, due to soft mouthfeel but no lack of typical Cabernet profile. Paid $65 at Sonoma tasting room (which could/should have been a better experience, for sure...but bought out of obligation). Good wine. There are better out there at this price, but I'd gladly drink again (if someone else foots the bill! I won't …

2007 vintage

The winery advertises this as their cool weather vineyard - more subtle. It certainly lives up to its reputation. Pretty dark purple in the glass. Very soft fruit and cola (?). Not an in your face fruitbomb. Highly enjoyable.

2007 vintage

Really good expression of what kind of cabernet Alexander Valley can produce. Lots of dark and red berries, spice, and chocolate on the nose and palate. Perfect amount of ripeness without being over the top. Balanced at this point in time, but shows potential for ageing.

2007 vintage

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Hawkes, Stone Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

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