Lancaster Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

High minus acidity, high alcohol content, medium body, medium dry, soft tannins

2019 vintage

No good. Continually cellared but way gone.

2003 vintage

Pleasantly surprised. Let it breathe for 30 minutes

2003 vintage

Was not that impressed with this wine when I got the case a few years ago, but it has aged incredibly well in the bottle and now I am sad that I only have 3 bottles left. Still very drinkable, and very pleased with how it has developed in the rack.

2003 vintage

Wow. Very terroir.

2003 vintage

This is my first revisit to the 2003 vintage Cab and surprisingly far better than expected. Dark ruby in the glass with distinct bricking on the rim. Bouquet of dark berries, flowers, spice with hints of chocolate; far less complex aromatics than the last time I opened this over a decade ago but quite lovely. Once you sip, this becomes quite interesting - velvety smooth with perfectly integrated tannins that leave a glycerin coating long after the taste. Predominantly blue …

2003 vintage

Serious transition since 2009 when I last had this wine. Much more subtle fruits, gentler tannins, and a whole lot more cigar and cedar.

2003 vintage

No sign of bricking, still ample fruit, nicely balanced tannins. Very enjoyable.

2003 vintage

Dark ruby with hint of brick at the edge. Dark Cabernet fruit, still some tannins but mostly integrated. Moderate finish. Drinking very well and will hold. If I recall correctly, was about $23... very good value.

2003 vintage

Dark Purple, slight sediment. Full bodied wine with slight acidity and tannins had integrated well. Dark fruit on the nose with hints of cedar/spice. Very good traditional CA Cab with primarily rich dark fruit, ripe plum and berries. Went well with steak tartare.

2003 vintage

Popped and poured with steak. Unfortunately this wine is past it's prime, at least this bottle was. The fruit has faded and although the tannins and acidity are in check, they dominate over the fruit. Not a bad experience but given what a great bid bad cab this was back in the day, it's disappointing. If you've got it, drink it.

2003 vintage

A remarkably good bottle that orginally cost $25. Not terribly complex but solid and a wonderful accompaniment to a family steak dinner.

2003 vintage

Cork extracted nicely, barely stained. Initial aroma of grilled steak. Soft tannins and rich fruit. Would wish for a touch more acidity, but certainly a nice bottle for the money.

2003 vintage

Opened one hour before pairing with grilled tri-tip steaks, and to make up for yet another flawed 1990 L'Evangile Pomerol. A dark violet-hued ruby in the glass with slightly thinning edges, the nose features a melange of black fruits and cassis, high-grade oak and hints of spice and vanilla. Still moderately strong but juicy tannins, this exhibits very nice intensity and drive through the mid-palate and into a slightly clipped finish. I would judge this to be at peak now, …

2003 vintage

In drinkable

2003 vintage

Drank with meat lasagna and salad. Decent match. Nice notes of cherry, blueberry, and blackberry. The tannins were quite strong and I think it would be even better in 3-5 years.

2003 vintage

Best of the four I've had so far. Not as flabby as the previous ones, showing wonderful acidity that's backed up by a bit of fruit and richness. Some round and well-integrated tannins. A touch too much oak blows the nose, but otherwise showing rather well.

2003 vintage

A Bordeaux style that has held up well. Nothing over-the-top, but worked well with a venison shepards pie. Drank well over a 4-hour dinner.

2003 vintage

Drank this wine past its prime, beautiful berry colors. Surprised with the slight lemon aroma when first opened. Decanted well, second glass better than the first. Delicious w grilled steak and asparagus risotto.

2003 vintage

On the decline. Still some nice fruit but sour finish

2003 vintage

This was the last of four bottles. 1st night- Nice fruity nose. PAP. It was drunk without food and seemed disjointed. 2nd night, the nose seemed to have diminshed slightly. Consumed with a NY strip and was an excellent complement. Here, it seemed rounder and better balanced.

2003 vintage

Let this one breathe for about an hour. Amazing.

2003 vintage

Expected to open up more given its age. Nice, but nothing special.

2003 vintage

I held this wine to eight years old based on my experience with an earlier vintage. The 2003 could easily have aged another 4-5 years. I like mature wines. It was very full0bodied and smooth with no rough edges. Myh partner has not had much experience with high end wines, so she was really impressed by it. I will look for more from this winery.

2003 vintage

Enjoyable. Nothing special. Not very complex.

2003 vintage

Dark ruby/black color. Pungent nose of smoky blackberry with lighter tones of red currant. Ha a faint salt cured dried meat element. Interesting. Medium lush entry of mineral driven black currant flavors that have a tart red fruit edge. Turns mildly tannic & slightly bitter on the finish which is punctuated by very dusty, mouthcoating tannins. OK because of the nose.

2003 vintage

Wine poured into a glass and tight at first but didn't take long to open up. Nose was traffic jam of chocolate mocha java covered blackberries, blueberries and creamy vanilla creamsicle. Nose not real cali cabernet. no cedar or olives or green or anything herbaceous. Tasted of blueberries and ripe berries with soft tannins and lean acidity. A little saddle leather. Tasty enough I guess, nothing to write home about, but better than I expected.

2003 vintage

Strangely floral, relatively smooth, nice fruit on the finish, not much oak. Tannins are well integrated, drinking well now.

2003 vintage

This was a great, nicely-cellared cab. Smooth, plus, nice finish. Everything played well together. This is in it's prime. Looking forward to the other bottles.

2003 vintage

Wonderful cab.

2003 vintage

As always this is a near perfect cab experience. Subtle but complex. No shouting: 'Look at me'. delivers a good mix of fruit, light tannin, oak.

2003 vintage

I think this is a good wine with some nice characteristics but loosing some body and steam over the years. Nice nose of lead pencil, licorice, berry fruits and vanilla. Palate is a bit thin and lacking body from a wine I would expect to have at only 7 years old. Nice and balanced with good acids and tannin structure. I would say drink up at this point.

2003 vintage

Rather meaty redition of cabernet on the nose. This label isn't quite as bad as the vinalia. Very tight still for a 2003. Maybe very violety on the nose. I really hate to say this but the label kills the wine.

2003 vintage

I think this wine has lost some luster in the past 24 months because it certainly isn't as big as I remember it. Paired it a lamb shrank with vinegar glaze. I was afraid the wine would overpower the meat but it was quite the opposite. The nose is explosive with ripe cherries and plum with lots of cedar and a bit of tobacco, everything you expect from a big CA cab sauv. More cherries in the mouth with raspberries …

2003 vintage

opened drank over 2hrs. very nice. good structure. smooth tannis and dark, spice notes with some leather and velvet. not as impressed as everyone else but it still nice but jeez...95pts?

2003 vintage

Explosive, full bodied delight. Big cherries, still a few years till its prime. Decanting opens this up nicely.

2003 vintage

This was my 2nd bottle of this wine and one that I simply am compelled to return to, time and time again. I first tasted the '05 in barrel and was blown away but thought that the price point was a tad optimistic...I no longer feel that way, as this is by far my favorite Alexander Valley Cab - being the most AVA typical and IMHO, the benchmark for this under-rated area east of Russian River & Dry Creek Valleys. …

2003 vintage

Good fruit on the palate, dominated by black currants and black rasberries. Seemed a little hot and the finish was very short.

2003 vintage

I would have ranked the wine much lower after the first day, started very smooth, nice fruit, mild tannins, but over the next hour or two it seemed to lose something. Second day it was drinking great, didn't notice tannins, smooth.

2003 vintage

Nice wine for the money. I had a glass of this Lancaster Cabernet Sauvignon at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. The bottle was opened new at my table and poured right away. This wine was balanced right away, The color was a light to medium purple. It had a hint of bright red around the edges. The nose was soft and velvety with spices, oak and dark fruits and more blueberries. The palate was velvet throughout. Good fruit on …

2003 vintage

Medium color. Soft and velvety. Nose has lots of blueberry and oak. Well balanced wine but a touch harsh on the finish. Velvet thought. the start and mid lingers ok but the finish is short with a medium body. Hints of black olives on the finish.

2003 vintage

For some reason, this bottle seemed to be a little more tight and closed up then the previous two were. In fact, back in April I thought that the wine had integrated a little more from the first bottle but this time around it had a sharp, but not overly unpleasant, tannic bite on the finish. Fruit and oak levels are both equally pleasing but they were mostly pushed into the background by the tannins. Perhaps a little bottle variation? …

2003 vintage

quite good

2003 vintage

Very good. Consistent with other notes.

2003 vintage

I have had the good fortune of sampling several bottles of this. Aromas of violets, blue and black fruit, coffee, currant, and menthol smack you in the face the moment the cork pops. Velvety and glycerin-like mouthfeel coats the palate with layer upon layer of fruit. At the same time, very herbal and pleasing. Long gorgeous finish makes this a seamless wine in my opinion. And by far the best value at 25$. Great stuff! Unfortunately, I've only got one …

2003 vintage

Dark purple color. Great sweet nose of blue/black fruit and vanilla. Big blueberry flavor with some light spice and a little vegetal notes. Great mouthfeel and finish. We had also heard that this was the pressed juice from the fruit that made the 2003 Quilceda Creek Cab. What a great value this bottle would be if there were any more out there.

2003 vintage

When first opened this showed deep, fat black and blue fruit but was most distinguished by hard assaultive tannins on the plate and finish, The tannin and oak conflicted with everything we were eating - even some cheeses. I thought that this might be a flawed bottle. Thankfully the wine was much improved on the second night. The harsh objectionable sensation was gone leaving deep dark fruit, smoky oak and some chocolate sensations. I still believe this was a good …

2003 vintage

A deep wine which is pretty good. However, I am beginning to think this is slightly more vegetal than I prefer. I will look for other ways to spend my $20/bottle as I think there are many possiblities in that price range.

2003 vintage

Smooth and tasty, but lacks the complexity of a really good cabernet. An excellent value.

2003 vintage

This is very very nice with currant, blackberry, spicy oak and chocolate on the nose and palate. The wine is bright and intense with a great smooth feel. Concentrated black fruit and ripe tannins linger on the finish. A great buy at around $20 and only time will tell the true value of it's famous lineage.

2003 vintage

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Lancaster Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

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