Etude, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford

Nose of cassis and ripe plum, palate of black fruit and licorice. Enjoyable but a bit rough around the edges. Tasted at Etude in Napa.

2020 vintage

My last bottle. We have opened this wine many times from very young through every stage of maturity, and this bottle at 24 years old out of magnum, was by far the best we’ve tasted. I don’t think it can improve from here, but it can still easily go several more years, certainly out of a magnum. Pale ruby color with orange on the edge. Lots of black fruits in the nose, black cherries, black currants and black raspberries complemented …

2001 vintage

Deep plum notes on the palate as well as black current. Moderate tannin well integrated could still use a few years to let the fruit shine more.

2020 vintage

1-hour decant; Cut 432; Cherry cola, cocoa and blackberry bramble nose with a subtle alcohol note; great undercarriage after 22 years: transparent tannins, soft, seamless and well-balanced classic Napa palate. A modest finish consistent with the nose that ends with a slight cinnamon citrus note. Drink up. )

2001 vintage

Pop n pour. Dark fruit mild sweetness resolved tannins

2001 vintage

consistent with my prior rating....wish I had more!

2001 vintage

Subsequent notes on this wine from over four years ago. Deep, dark garnet in color with slight hints of clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of blackberries, dark cherries & cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty, dark cocoa, cedar & tobacco notes, dried herbs, minerals, spices & some oak & vanilla in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of blackberries, dark …

2001 vintage

From 375ml, still alive. Dark fruit that's drying out, with a bit of earth & dry herb underneath. Probably has several years to go

2001 vintage

decanted 30 min, consumed over 2.5 hours. still quite deeply colored tho clear pale ruby at the rim; vintage typical opulent nose of very ripe black fruits, currant/cassis, loam, sweet oak notable as an emphasis; med-full body; suave & supple now, black fruits, mostly plum, black cherry & currant, subtle herbaceous note on the finish, moderate acids, tannins resolved. winemaker Tony Soter imprint is clear, always good aromatics & balance. because this was my last bottle, will suggest it was …

2001 vintage

Over the course of the Shelter in Place, we had four bottles of this wine. All of them were still in very good condition and after being aired satisfied our pallets. What I did notice on all four bottles was that the corks are close to letting oxygen into the bottle. So if you have any of the 2011 vintages in your cellar, drink it now.

2011 vintage

Consistent with prior note. Nice, typical cab nose, but palate dominated by acidity and tannins even after much air on night 2. Pretty typical of what I've experienced from valley, as opposed to mountain, cabs from '11, even those from (relatively) good houses. Ok+ with food, Ok- without. At least I just have one left.

2011 vintage

A bit bitter not much should have had earlier

2011 vintage

From half bottle. Very much alive, after one of these was off recently. Started out with mint & anise, which later turned toward eucalyptus. Always showed dark cherries that were quite vibrant, just a touch of dust showing the age. Faint tannins in a nice structure. Probably has a few years left but for my taste will drink my last one within 2020.

2001 vintage

Beautifully made California Cab. Fully mature but not raisiny, this needed a few hours in the decanter to really hit its stride. Blackberry, dark cherry, graphite, and that wonderful Rutherford dust. Medium body. More about finesse than power at this stage in its evolution.

2001 vintage

Just ok.

2011 vintage

Vinetasters: Is it ready? (Skokie, IL) : Served double blind. A little bit of dried dates on the nose here. Raisiny. This tastes a little like Amarone but not great. The palate is sweet and raisiny, with high alcohol and too much weight. Quite plummy. A bit of a brute, but in the grand scheme of things, drinkable. My 4th, group's 1st.

2001 vintage

Glad I held this...well made Napa Cab...opens in 30 mins. fruit forward and powerful...but in the mid and back palate has a bit of pencil, dust, sandalwood flavor that makes this a winner and shows subtle complexity that isn't always apparent in CA!

2001 vintage

Bottle 9 of a case bought about 4 years ago at a Friends & Family sale from Etude's parent company; I think that, at the time, the winery was claiming that the retail was about $85/bottle and I paid about $40 or a bit less. I had several bottles shortly after they arrived and was consistently disappointed; I found the wine to have the infirmities of many of the '11s, muted fruit and vegetal qualities. I then set the remaining …

2011 vintage

Black cherries, currants, blueberries, licorice, and earthiness in the nose. Black cherries, blackberries, and hints of mocha in the flavor. Full bodied wine with nice complexity and a long finish.

2001 vintage

Blind 2001/2002 Cab Tasting (Chez Hughes) : Double blind in an 01/02 Cali Cab flight. Aromas are faint -- darker fruit and tobacco. The palate is richly fruited and jammy. Without much cab character. Very soft tannin. Simple, fruit-filled and like a cocktail.

2001 vintage

California Cabernet 2001/2002 Blind Tasting (Hughes House - Chicago IL) : Double blind in 01/02 Cali Cab tasting. Sweet spice and spice that I found borderline jammy, helped by a more mineral-tinged finish. Correctly identified this as from '01 vintage. Not nearly as good as another bottle opened a year ago that I had also bought at release from Etude.

2001 vintage

From 375. Good wine, which showed a bit glossier fruit than the 01 Rutherford drank beside it. Good dark red fruits, hints of wood on the nose with a touch of green. Still fairly full in the mouth, probably drinking around peak...I'll be working through my other 375s in the next year or two.

2001 vintage

Good fruit, bright acid, soft tannin, still has life in a magnum. Seemed to fade after 5 about hours.

2001 vintage

Nice wine after about 90 minutes in decanter

2011 vintage

1-hour decant; black fruits, kirsch and vanilla on the nose; beautifully integrated blackberry, oak, cocoa and vanilla notes. Great structure underlying a well-balanced flavor profile - no hurry on these.

2001 vintage

Black cherry and plum, maturing gracefully. Anise and cigarbox notes. Very well balanced, very Bordeaux-like.

2001 vintage

Nice red cherry flavor on the verge of tasting stewed with some secondary flavors of leather and tobacco. Enough tannin and acid to drink with food. Edit: drinking well 2 days a day after the bottle was vacuum sealed. The nose has some slight prune notes but the secondary characteristics are much more developed and in balance with the fruit.

2001 vintage

Deep, dark garnet in color; almost opaque with little signs of aging. Full, forward & attractive nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of blackberries, dark cherries & cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty, dark cocoa, cedar & tobacco notes, dried herbs, minerals, spices & some oak & vanilla in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, still lush, ripe fruit flavors of blackberries, dark cherries & cassis with dark cocoa, herbs, minerals, earthy, …

2001 vintage

Delicious. Everything's working together. Great age.

2001 vintage

Had with some steaks and it paired well.

2011 vintage

Black currant and plum aromas with cedar and licorice. Emerging earthy hints on nose and palate with very good concentration and length. Well balanced.

2001 vintage

89-91 window imo , solid wine classic cab notes slightly short on the finish but overall good wine. Good bouquet solid mid, ok finish but way better than the prisoner Zinfandel prisoner that I tasted the same evening.

2011 vintage

Day 1: closed and boring. Basically PnP. Day 2: Really opened up. Savory, earthy, gravel, graphite, and red fruit. Medium acidity and tannins. I'm finding plenty of 2011 Napa cabs that I enjoy.

2011 vintage

Elegant and sophisticated red with bricking on the edges, and Bordeaux like nose. Dried fruits, toast points, and pipe tobacco are gracious and refined. Singed oak on the finish which is highlighted by coffee and a touch of chocolate. Drink

2001 vintage

Ripe, clean fruit. Oak is modest and integrated. the solid sturcture supports the ample fruit very well.

2001 vintage

open 30 minutes in the glass. Wonderful.

2001 vintage

Great wine! Very complex and balanced. Worth the $65

2011 vintage

Clear, deep ruby with purple hues. Very little rim variation. The nose is clean, youthful, medium (+) in intensity and redolent of ripe black fruit, dark chocolate, mint, dill, coconut, vanilla and alcohol. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins and alcohol (14.5%). The palate is consistent with the nose and quite tight, with a drying, hot, bitter chocolate finish. Overall, it seems a little monolithic and one-dimensional, despite the great care employed in making it. I …

2011 vintage

Garnet-red. Nose of strawberry and red liquorice. Bursting blueberry flavors, with notes of cedar, spice, mint and smoke. Firm tannins that melt into the prolonged finish. Refined structure and balance. This should age beautifully.

2011 vintage

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Etude, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford

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