Gandona, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Been about a year, time to revisit. 90 mins after decanting this continues to show great potential. From a standard cab stem this is approachable and enjoyable but shows very dry, much younger and in some ways partially closed. As previously seen, this is much more balanced from a Somm stem, adding wildflowers and lavender on the nose. While dry back-palate, the wine is softer with an elegance that reminds you this is mountain fruit. We’ll see how this continues …

Right out of the bottle of this had a Barossa-like, syrah-syrupy mouthfeel across the palate; blackberries, black cherries, and currants meld together nicely. After two hours slo ox the wine shows heavy dark fruit on a lush profile from standards stems. Heavy in weight, the finish lasts 30+ secs back-palate. It’s a bit more elegant from Sommelier stems; not nearly as lush, it’s still dominated by dark fruit, but you can pick up fine grained tannins. Tonight’s sampling makes me …

Been about a year since I last popped one of these, and ironically, we are cooking the same meal this evening, filet steaks over a wood fire. This initially started off with tons of cherry on the nose. After 90 minutes in the decanter there is dark fruit on the nose, blackberry and black cherry dominate the palate, which is softer than I recall from prior tastings (and softer than i prefer.)

Decanted half the bottle. Initial taste showed the need to give this a few mins, and it quickly opened up. Nose is dark with violets and blueberry over blackberries. With the air allowed the tannins are well-integrated but slightly dominant to the black fruit, pencil lead and stone dust. Solid and approachable, nothing is out-of-place and this shows finesse in the making. As said earlier, the nose is the star. Good on its own or with tonites oak-grilled filets. Three …

Gift from a very good friend whose palate I respect immensely. First time with this wine he has been talking about for a few years. This is a good one…a very good one. I have seen notes that the style is big and alcoholic. I don’t get that at all. In fact, the nose is complex with beautiful cassis fruit, licorice and spice that blend together seamlessly. The palate is medium to full bodied with excellent structure to create equalibrium. …

Screaming blue and black fruit when poured into the decanter. Right off the bat this showed rich fruit with dry, gritty tannins. 3 hrs later the nose has tightened up, but I can discern some graphite, stone and flowery notes. While the tannins have softened they still need time to fully integrate, and show some of the meat and espresso MSUWINE mentioned in his notes 18 mos back. Just poured MrsDavidandRose’s wine into a Somm stem and it makes a …

dark garnet, intense, meaty and saucy briary nose, savory powerful cabernet fruit-yet light on its feet, with mint and eucalyptis and A fine elegant finish. A complete wine. 94-96

This rich and intense Cabernet needs another 1-2 years to unfold, but there's so much density here that it's hard to know where to begin. The fruit is compact but incredible, with an underlying structure (i.e., tannin, acidity) that means nothing but good things for the years ahead. Compared to other Pritchard Hill wines, this has more fullness than a Nine Suns, more polish than a Continuum, and more accessibility than an Ovid (at least the 2016). In short, this …

Decanted half the bottle and let it rest for an hour before following the entire bottle over 2.5 hours. Wine definitely benefitted from decanting, and also gained heft and approachability out of Sommelier stems. Violets and raspberries on the nose, the wine hits the palate a bit softer than I'd expect from such a young wine. Very approachable and well-balanced though a tad soft/watery, there's black fruit, more flowers, faintly-toasted oak and cigar. Very easy to drink, whether on its …