Cornerstone Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga

Held up surprisingly well. Very mellow and a crowd pleaser. Drink ASAP.

2008 vintage

Drinking well at fifteen years, but quickly reaching maturity. Completely integrated black and red fruits, tannin, acid, and oak. Good balance, but not much complexity. Needs food. Drink now.

2008 vintage

Lots of structure in terms of tannin and acids. Deep, ruby color. Blackberry, black cherry, black plum, dark chocolate, and some rich dark compost. Full body and high alcohol. A slightly different impression from the prior bottle enjoyed in 2019. Drink now, unlikely to improve with further cellaring.

2008 vintage

Bouquet and flavor profile seem to be reaching maturity with the black fruits tasting slightly cooked / stewed and the acidity starting to fade. Celery, anise, mint, and sage add complexity. Medium finish. Not nearly as powerful as I remember from three years ago.

2008 vintage

Big bold, dark purple wine. Drinking very well right now. Nice acidity , big fruit , nice tannins. It is in a very good place right now. Has a chance to improve with some more time. I am very glad I have more bottles.

2008 vintage

Seems to be in a good place at this juncture with oak, tannin, acid , and fruit all in harmony. Decanted before dinner of leftover prime rib roast. Still full bodied weight, very dark purple color with a ruby hue at the rim. Opens with hints of sage, peppermint, cassis, blackberry and licorice. Good concentration and balance on the palate following through on a medium finish. Should drink well for another 5-7 years.

2008 vintage

PnP lots of milk chocolate and dark berry notes. Full-bodied and rich with a long chocolatey finish. Almost no tannins remaining. No secondary notes, but I'd drink sooner rather than later.

2008 vintage

Medium to full bodied, good scent and smooth finish. Wouldn't wait much longer as it is really drinking nice now.

2008 vintage

Oak, oak and more oak. Too young. Did get better over three days. Lots of fruit but the wood gets in the way. If you try to drink now, give lots of air and maybe try chocolate to tame it. Not pleasurable yet.

2008 vintage

Fairly consistent with first note. Drinks great the second you open. Blackberries on fire smell. Ripe, dark and well treated with what tastes like very expensive oak barrels. More a guilty pleasure than a true love but I have had these wines many times and always enjoyed them. Definitely at peak drinking because as the fruit stats to fade, that oak isnt going anywhere and it doesnt have the structure to come back full circle.

2004 vintage

Decent bottle. Exactly what I would expect from an entry level cab. Good fruit and nice nose.

2008 vintage

Drinking very well and was worth holding off as this cab opened up nicely and the recent scores reflect this. Deep, complex, long finish were all experienced and enjoyed. Decanted for an hour and was a little tight on the first night but two days later was over the top enjoyable. The only downside will be attempting to locate replacements.

2008 vintage

Really good wine for Cornerstone's entry level Cab. Great balance, solid backbone. Cassis, wet tobacco, leather, black raspberry. Best to open and let breath for at least an hour before drinking.

2008 vintage

Got this for just more than nothing. It was delicious for what I paid. I would run to $40 in cash money. Woody nose. Dark fruit. Very ripe but not unpleasantly so. Still fresh, I guess you might say. Black fruit. Lots of tannins but they're so ripe you can barely tell. Wish there was a big gob of Howell Mountain structure/soil on this but there doesnt seem to be. Finish is relatively long and the wine is clearly evolving. …

2004 vintage

Drinking beautifully now. Nice fruit, supple tannins and smooth finish

2004 vintage

LOVED IT

2008 vintage

Nice balance of fruit and tannin.

2008 vintage

Wonderful, full bodied cab. Balanced fruity supple, good depth and richness. Tannins have mellowed.

2004 vintage

Drinking beautifully now. Patience rewarded.

2004 vintage

Much better than my first bottle! I was actually looking at opening this bottle as a means to make more room in the cellar. Oh so glad I did, versus making it a gift or something! I had planned this to be a young wine night, along with a 2009 CDP and 2008 Pomerol (of which I have four bottles each), and lets just say that I was up for an experience, but not expecting too much. Well the 2009 …

2008 vintage

Unlike my first bottle of this, I liked this bottle. The cab is dark and concentrated, showing well for a mid-priced cab. Its nose is one of cherries, blackberries, herbs, and a bit of alcohol. On the palate it has sweet red and black fruits backed by a good amount of baking spice and a hint of cola. There are tannins but they are in balance and add rather than detract from the wine. Medium+ finish. I liked it.

2008 vintage

Similar profile to the last bottle, only a little better in each area. Mrs. Coupe really liked it...Too bad it was the last bottle

2008 vintage

Wow! a very nice and balanced wine out of Napa. This a combination of Howell Mountain and Napa Valley fruits. The wine maker is Celia Welch is the wine maker, she responsible for epic failures like Scarecrow, Revana, and Cora. This one is not of those caliber but extremely well structured. The nose make decent red fruits with a bit of dirt and cedar. In the mouth it's plenty of plums, cherry and fresh spices with decent tannin structure. Finsihes …

2004 vintage

This was really appreciated for its really nice dark fruit purity and could have scored higher if given more decant time. This is new world as it is ripe but nicely backed by ample structure. Nice length on the finish.

2004 vintage

Very good. Will soften nicely with some time...

2008 vintage

A bit crude to me. Sharp tannins and definitely not in balance. Good fruit. Probably could improve with time

2008 vintage

PnP and had with a grilled London broil. Dark fruit , liberal oak, smooth and lush on the attack, finishes with a slightly gritty tannin, pretty tasty. Solid bottle for the $20 I paid on Lot18...

2008 vintage

From 375mL. Black pepper and black tea on the nose... somewhat spicy. Dark fruit on the palate... I also got black tea. Very nice classic cabernet. Not as new world as I used to, but I like this a lot. Medium finish. Tannins present but mostly resolved. Smooth.

2004 vintage

Much too young at this point. Lots of tannin and oak, rough and needs to sit. I will not try another for at least a year

2008 vintage

Drank at Camelot Club in BR at LSA President's Dinner

2004 vintage

SF Vintners Market: 164 Wines Tasted (Fort Mason, San Francisco, California) : Black fruit, herbaceous nose; tight, black fruit, herbaceous, charcoal palate; medium finish

2008 vintage

Classic quality napa valley cabernet. 'textbook' nose, taste and mouthfeel. A joy to drink. drank in 375ml format.

2004 vintage

The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Cherry, and Black Pepper. The body is Full. The wine is textured Smooth. The wine finishes Long.

2004 vintage

Sweet fruits on the nose. Some cassis, some cardamom. the palate has black fruit leaning profile of pure currant, chocolate covers black cherries, creme de cassis, and hints of tar, lead pencil shavings and worn saddle leather. the mouth feel is of a medium weight. the tannins resolved. decent balance and structure, one that would make the clasic cab drinker smile, and the new world guy just wishing for a touch more 'show'. nice finish completes the package.

2004 vintage

Wow! The tannins are great and even got better with time. Still maintained a fruit forward attitude but drifted toward leather and tobacco through the evening.

2004 vintage

Novovino's spring portfolio : nose: very dark profile with a good amount of black fruits, black cherries, anise, and oak tones. Good depth, but not as expressive as the 05 was as there is a edge to this and a more pronounced oak influence taste: full bodied with big tannins and rich tones of black cherries, anise, and black fruits. Almost like a sledgehammer on the palate overall: extremely large and bold, but lacking the expressiveness that the other cornerstone's …

2004 vintage

I expected this to be more than just a one dimensional wine. While it's tasty, with nice spicy fruit, it lacks the nuances that would make it great.

2004 vintage

Are you sure?

Cornerstone Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews