Bella Union, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Brian

2015 vintage

Decanted for about 20 minutes. Drinking very well at 10 years of age. Nice fruit profile up front however pretty unidimensional. Well made and tasty but not memorable. Just a very good Napa Valley cab. Drink up.

2015 vintage

I was concerned about this one being past its prime. It won’t get better but it’s still drinking well. Plenty of fruit (dark cherries and cassis), acid and a kiss of vanilla. The finish is not as long as expected, but classic Rutherford style is still showing. I had a six pack in the back of my cellar. Glad it’s still worth drinking.

2013 vintage

WS

2021 vintage

Good fruit. Has some softness to it that allows the fruit to shine but it’s not too juicy

2013 vintage

It has a weird, almost factory, made fruit complexity. It is rich, forward with good black fruits. But there is something almost synthetic about it.

2021 vintage

Youthful and very fresh. Lots of fruit and a great finish

2021 vintage

Hard not to like this wine. Round, plush and soft fruit. Lots of chocolatety oak mixed with pretty black and blue fruits. Some pretty red flowers in thee nose too.

2021 vintage

This '21 'Le Genie' from the Bella Oaks Vineyard was enjoyed at the estate alongside the Bella Oaks grand vin '17 & '21. Before diving into formal notes, I gotta say - this is an impressive second wine. Easily is it to go astray with the second label from a quality and pricing perspective but I applaud Bella Oaks for what they have here in 2021. As most second labels are in Napa Valley, this too provides a vitalized red …

2021 vintage

Excellent. Good complexity, med-to-full body.

2021 vintage

Restaurant by the glass, pnp from a fresh bottle after the first class seemed overly alcoholic. This shows blackberries, herbs and cardamom on the nose. Lots of dusty tannins across the palate Cover, restrained, dark fruit that just needs a bit of time to open up and come of age. Really not a bad wine overall, or for the price

2021 vintage

Decent approachable young cab. Needs some oxygen, so let it open up.

2021 vintage

Black fruits with slight tar finish! Medium tannins. Dark purple color: easy drinking by itself, but would go well with lamb or steak.

2021 vintage

Very good wine. Drank at grandview in San Jose.

2021 vintage

Really good cab

2021 vintage

Black fruit, blue fruit, pepper, tobacco, leather, structure, big tannins, well balanced. A- (93)

2021 vintage

pretty mediocre napa cab for the price point.... probably a bit past peak

2013 vintage

Very nice wine. The full Napa cab experience. Tannins and dark fruit.

2013 vintage

It was drinkable, but, especially for the price, that is about the best we can say. We almost always like to age our Cabernet's from Napa, but this wine tasted better when it was just bottled. We have seen the phrase used where people call wines from Napa "jammy" and "fruit bombs". I never knew what that meant. Until now. Completely without merit on day one, and even "jammier" and more of a fruit bomb on day 2.

2015 vintage

Jammy and fruit forward, yet still light on finish.

2015 vintage

Delicious. Fabulous value for the money. Needs 20 minute decant.

2015 vintage

Nice, but we drank it too fast… needs more time to open up… I’ll wait a while for next one and give it more air

2015 vintage

Still plenty of life left. Tannins still present, medium plus. Nose of strawberry, with plum and other dark berries present. On the palate, more strawberry noted than when another bottle was opened young. Subtle hints of new oak aging noted, however diminished since the other bottle was opened 5 years ago. Would be interested to see how this bottle ages in a few years, however opening the bottle younger provided a better overall tasting - more powerful.

2013 vintage

Great Bordeaux blend from Napa. really has aged nicely. wish i had more.

2015 vintage

Deep, Rick color. Complex deep taste. Smooth, no tannins. Robust.

2013 vintage

Loved it!

2013 vintage

Nice wine, but we've had better at the same price. Deep fruit extraction without being a fruit bomb. The Cabernet Sauvignon was very noticeable in the taste, but some of the other taste like the Petit Verdot were a bit muddy. Long legs, full mouth feel, a long finish.

2013 vintage

Needs to open up for 20 minutes but great Cab. Bold, fruit forward, and lots of leather on the finish.

2015 vintage

Cherry and tannins but somehow not a lot of depth especially for a cab. Realizing it may be a little young I’ll be interested to see how it pours tomorrow.

2015 vintage

Nice Cabernet. Fun.

2013 vintage

This wine has a beautiful deep color presenting incredible elegance at first sight. The nose includes a mild new leather with a hint of fruit. On the palette this wine comes alive for real. The flavors that strike me at first is lush cherry and spice with a hint of vanilla . The mouth feel is smooth and rich. The finish is long and exciting. The layers continue to reveal as they release over time. I love this wine.

2015 vintage

This wine a deep purple in color. The nose is clean with a pronounced intensity of aroma. I smell Strawberries, eucalyptus, a hint of leather, cream, redcurrant, raspberry, red cherry, prunes, tomato, cloves, coconut, game, and just a hint of white pepper. This wine is bone dry, with med- acidity, med+ tannin, full body, a pronounced intensity of flavor, and a long finish. The wine is complex, and the palate matches the nose. Overall, this wine is of very good-to-outstanding …

2015 vintage

good wine. Needs more time.

2013 vintage

Super rich and deep, but not too fruity. All the usual aromas and flavors of a good Napa Cabernet. Fortunately l, not too alcoholic, nice structure, tannins and acidity, medium length finish. Would be good to re-visit in 5 plus years.

2015 vintage

Appearance - Dark ruby color, clear @ edge, reflective, good body/legs - 3/3 Aroma/Bouquet - Blackberry, raspberry, vanilla, oak, some heat/alcohol, some dirt/minerality/earthy - 5.5/6 Taste - Black fruit, black currant, light tannins, oaky, slight heat/alcohol, herbaceous - 5/6 Aftertaste - Black fruit and light tannins continue, light spice, long finish - 2.5/3 Overall - Good complex wine, fruit, mineral, light tannins - 2/2 Note - This wine evaluation is based on the 20-point American Wine Society evaluation scale, then …

2015 vintage

Still needs a couple years to reach its peak. However, it drinks very nicely now. Dark cherry and medium tannins. Full mouth feel. Delivers what you expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon.

2013 vintage

Drinking beautifully. Hedonistic. Notes of ripe blueberry, dark cherries and vanilla. Excellent example of what Napa Cab can do.

2015 vintage

Excellent

2015 vintage

Good, but should have waited a few more years. Try 2021.

2015 vintage

a killer bottle by Bella Union. To be honest, I like this better than Far Niente. This is drinkable today. Great notes...Cheers

2013 vintage

Good taste. A little dry.

2013 vintage

Decadent and voluptuous, without an edge in the bottle. Big big dark fruit, coffee, a touch of bell pepper, chalk, light vanilla. Inoffensive tannins. A typical, big Californian but, like Arnold, difficult to dislike.

2015 vintage

Not bad

2015 vintage

Really enjoyed this bottle at Del Frisco's. Was a Sommelier special they were running for $150. Average QPR, looks like the bottle retails for $65-70. Still very young, but opened up nicely after an hour decant. Great with steak and rich sides.

2015 vintage

Ripe fruit and bramble spice, good structure, vibrant, mid palate is there but not fat, mineral back end for Napa Cabernet. Majority from Rutherford. Powerful stuff.

2015 vintage

Big fruit!

2015 vintage

Enjoyed it on Thanksgiving. Good but not memorable. Not much to it.

2013 vintage

Appearance - Dark garnet color, clear @ edge, good body/legs, reflective - 3/3 Aroma/Bouquet - Fruit forward w/ black and blue fruit, currant, slightly hot/alc on the nose - 5.5/6 Taste - Blackberry, slight tannin, black currant, hot/alc (14.5%), very slight minerality - 5/6 Aftertaste - Black/blue fruit continues for long finish, tannins subside quickly - 3/3 Overall - Good complex wine, fruit forward, light tannin - 2/2

2013 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours and still very astringent. Began to open up at hour 3 with syrupy cherry, chalky cassis, and extracted vanilla emerging. Needs 5 more years.

2013 vintage

A bit disappointed with this vintage. I expected much more considering how much I enjoyed the 2012. Perhaps it needs some more time in bottle, but there wasn't really much here. Yes, a nice nose of dark fruit, medium+ mid palate, but the tannins were still firing on all cylinders even with a two hour decant and drank over next 90 minutes. I have several more bottles in cellar and will wait at least three years before cracking another one...

2013 vintage

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Bella Union, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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