Grgich Hills Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

A classically built Napa Cabernet that leans more on structure and savory depth than outright gloss. The nose opens with blackcurrant skin, graphite, dried bay leaf, and a faint cedar-and-tobacco frame rather than sweet oak. On the palate, dark plum and blackberry are firmed up by chewy, slightly dusty tannins, with notes of cocoa nib, crushed rock, and a gentle herbal edge that keeps things grounded. Medium-plus body, restrained ripeness, and a dry, structured finish. Superior in quality and value …

2020 vintage

Very typical Cabernet notes. Took some time to open up in the glass.

2020 vintage

Big fruit. Big acid and tannin. Comes alive with the right food. Steak and fries. Chocolate chip cookie too!

2020 vintage

Dense blackberry, cassis nose with background espresso powder and a chalky vitamin scent that translated to the finish. Inky. Not a flavor bomb.

2020 vintage

Young but drinking pretty nicely with some air

2020 vintage

Silky smooth. Classic cool year Napa Cab.

2010 vintage

Clear, deep ruby in color. On the nose, it's clean with pronounced primary and secondary aromas of cassis, blackberries, and graphite on the nose. On the palate, it's dry with high acidity, high tannins, high alcohol, full body, and pronounced primary and secondary flavors of black cherries, black currants, eucalyptus, tabacco, and wet gravel with a long finish. This wine is complex with enough fruit to balance the structure. Overall, I rate this wine as outstanding. Will pair wonderfully with …

2020 vintage

Smoky blackberry, medium bodied, lacks mid palate. Quite high acidity and prominent fine tannin. Medium length straightforward. Will be better in 5 years, then will drink over the following 15 years.

2020 vintage

Drinking beautifully right now. Needs little decanting still soft with a luscious mid palate and great balance.

2010 vintage

Not my style but I would wait on this a bit. Very juicy and tannic and out of balance right now

2020 vintage

Dark red. Subdued, balanced, young. Elegant structure.

2020 vintage

Deliciously smooth, very tame compared to it's younger self. Paired well with a rare ribeye.

2003 vintage

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (91%), Petit Verdot (5%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Merlot (1%) from organically dry-farmed vineyards mainly in Yountville, with some grapes sourced from Calistoga and Rutherford. Fermented and macerated with the skins for four weeks. Aged for 21 months in new (60%) and once used (40%) French oak barrels. 14,7% alcohol, 5,5 g/l acidity and pH 3,62. Total production 14,290 cases. Quite dense and more or less fully opaque blackish-red color with a somewhat translucent cherry-red …

2010 vintage

We had this bottle by mistake at a restaurant. We ordered the chardonnay and they opened this cab by mistake. I'm glad they made the mistake because this bottle was excellent. It had soft tannins and had all the great characteristics of a well aged Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Superb!!

2003 vintage

Excellent wine after 20 years in the bottle. Drinking amazing. Slight colour change.

2003 vintage

Mature now. Plums, tobacco with smooth tanins. Near peak.

2006 vintage

Very smooth. Cherry with some tobacco and leather notes on the palate. Long finish that moves into the black pepper area with a bit of a dusty note. Nose has nice red berry notes and the bottle had some sediment but wasn’t that much considering the age. Could have aged longer I guess

2010 vintage

Enjoyed over Christmas Eve with fondue. Both the Swiss fondue and Italian one paired well with this wine. Ready to drink now, had some spicy backdrop on the palate with a soft pepper start. Good for a special occasion.

2010 vintage

Lab BBQ. The cork totally crumbled as I tried to remove it, so had to decant/filter the wine. But this bottle was really singing. Super smooth and mature, but still with solid fruit. Was really excellent. Too bad it was my last.

2003 vintage

Very enjoyable, fruit is starting to fade a bit, but great mouthfeel, acid and tannin's. Drink up

2010 vintage

My bottle was a 1.5 L and I would say that JOEYA19’s comments back in 5/2020 hold true still today

2006 vintage

Enjoyable from start to finish. Great fruit, balance enjoyable up front as well as a long finish. Decant and let sit at least one hour. Happy I have one more!

2010 vintage

Wonderful earthy and red fruit.

2010 vintage

Opened after 15years and the wine was off. It was a nice color, but the taste was like old leather and petrol. Even after decanting and sitting for about 1 hour, the wine never got any better. Very disappointing since we are big fans on Grgich wines. The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like diesel. It tastes like diesel. The body is medium/full. The wine has leathery texture. …

2006 vintage

A big, brooding, old style, Napa Cabernet. Blackberry, black currant, coffee and some sweet oak highlights on the palate. Full bodied, plenty of depth. Tannins have diminished but not unpleasantly so. Served from a magnum so I would have expected this to be a bit more youthful but this was never the less, a wonderful Accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner.

2010 vintage

This underrated vintage continues to deliver. Slightly muted nose of dark fruit and oak, with a more pronounced, melded palate of black & blueberries, worn leather, mocha, with softening, silky tannins, and long finish.

2003 vintage

May have waited too long, but still drinking well. Enjoyable nose & palate of dark berries, pencil lead, and touches of expresso. Tannins are but a whisper, with a satisfying medium finish.

2006 vintage

So good

2010 vintage

Decanted 1 hour,, personally cellared 7.5 years, last bottle of five. This Napa cab was excellently balanced with currants, cassis, plums, chocolate dusty notes, toasty oak, fully integrated tannins, smooth medium finish. Paired this bottle with roasted rack of lamb.

2010 vintage

Very enjoyable, fruit is starting to fade a bit, but great mouthfeel, acid and tannin's. Drink up

2010 vintage

Not sure what others are tasting, faint hints of red berries but green bell pepper overwhelm.

2006 vintage

Great nose, fruit, young but you can taste the complexity and balance. Drinking well.

2010 vintage

Decanted 3 hours Great nose, smooth finish and no bite at all Enjoyed this wine with steaks Only comment not as bold and fruity ss expected Have another 2010 left and will drink within next few months

2010 vintage

Nice balance, lighter that what I was expecting but surprisingly well played.

2010 vintage

Drinking like it’s young🍷🍇

2010 vintage

Great wine!

2006 vintage

Enjoyable from start to finish. Great fruit, balance enjoyable up front as well as a long finish. Decant and let sit at least one hour.

2010 vintage

Drank 12/3/20. Cork in great shape. Very smooth.

2006 vintage

Very tasty - licorice and blackberries dominate. Background floral and vegetal elements. Seems like the fruit, alcohol (14.7% abv), and tannins have married well. Open window - probably through 2023. Update: open air for 3 hours. York peppermint patty. Ludens Black cherry throat drops. Increase from 4 to 4.5. Give this the decanting time it deserves.

2010 vintage

Enjoyable from start to finish. Great fruit, balance enjoyable up front as well as a long finish. In a wonderful place right now.

2010 vintage

Wow, this was a really nice surprise. This bottle was a recent gift from a friend's cellar, and I worried that it might be over the hill based on the TNs here. To the contrary, this bottle was in nice shape. The texture was silky smooth, the fruit was still pretty good, and it has enough acidity to keep it feeling pretty fresh. Paired very nicely with grilled NY strips. Have one more bottle and looking forward to it. If …

2003 vintage

Dark inky purple with hints of bricking, subtle nose of black cherry, cassis, black plum with undertones of tobacco leaf, and earth, plump juicy dark fruit on the attack followed by spice, earth and soft mild tannins, finishes a little dry with bright but dark fruit, sage, mint, tobacco, and earthy notes

2010 vintage

Wine showed some fruit but very earthy, with mild tannins and some light spices. Finish was 30-40 seconds. Color was medium to dark red

2010 vintage

Enjoyed this perhaps a year ago with a group of friends - a 3.0 liter, glass-etched bottle that I purchased at a silent auction many years ago. It was fantastic.

1999 vintage

Much better than I expected; drank over a few days. Deep/complex notes- mostly cherry, some spice. Doesn’t linger as long on palate as I would have liked; but for a ‘budget’ cellarable wine at this price point, I have few complaints. Tastes like it still has room, too. Maybe another 5+ years; or maybe I just got an exceptional bottle. 91+ I have one more from this ‘03 vintage in my cellar; I’ll be looking forward to it much more …

2003 vintage

Drank half on 6/4/2020 and the other half on 6/5/2020. The wine was still drinking well in spite of being well out of its theoretical drinking range. It was a deep purple color, full-bodied with black fruit and smooth tannins. Sorry I don't have more.

1996 vintage

Drinking beautifully right now, a bit of the leathery aged notes but it's subtle. Still lots of fresh fruit, particularly dark red cherries and a little spice. Full body, medium-long finish with persistent tannins (even at this age). I'd estimate it'd still be in peak drinking window for at least another 2-3 years, maybe 5.

2006 vintage

Dark purple colon, no brown yet. Musty and large fruit on the noes. oak and fruit on the palette. very long finish. drank this wine blind and it tied at 95pt with 2006 Far Niente. some time left in the bottle, but unlikely to improve.

2006 vintage

What a great bottle of wine. The nose at first was a little muted - but after 30 minutes of air this really started to open up. Earth, leather, dark berries, and hints of eucalyptus came through. The palate is full bodied, tannins are almost non existant at this point - its velvety, smooth, easy drinking, not too complex, but very good and easy drinking. That classic Rutherford dust profile is present at the tail end which adds a really …

2010 vintage

A nice wine with a little heat. It has a nice berry opening that is folllowed by a little vanilla. It finishes with a little spice that I can place but subtly smooth.

2010 vintage

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Grgich Hills Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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