Cardinale, Napa Valley

This wine is underrated in my view. At 29 years, you�d never know it on the pour - dark and youthful. Tannins are fully resolved, and rich ripe fruit still abundant.

1996 vintage

This wine is underrated in my view. At 29 years, you’d never know it on the pour - dark and youthful. Tannins are fully resolved, and rich ripe fruit still abundant.

1996 vintage

!

2017 vintage

This will be a great wine and it does defy its vintage, but I think it needs more time.

2017 vintage

Needed some time (about an hour) to decant…dried fruit, tobacco, cedar, quite tertiary

2005 vintage

No decant, PnP, complex nose of blackberries, figs, licorice, cedar, camphor, vanilla. Palate is very supple, black and blue fruits, chocolate, mocha with balance acidity and fine sweet tannic backbone that is nearly resolved. Lengthy finish. Awesome stuff.

2006 vintage

May be a little past its peak. Mild dark fruits with burnt oak and wet gravel. Still a lovely wine.

1999 vintage

Peaking. Drink now. May have 5-10 left but I believe it’s at its height. Tannins are perfectly integrated. Black fruit but a hint of red fruit as well on the palette. Seems to be a mix of American as well as French Oak (may be mistaken). Great wine.

1999 vintage

My first two bottles from my auction lot were not a complete bust, but pretty close. This last bottle was bussin. Very consistent flavor profile to other top 2002s I’ve tried recently. Like those, this bottle held its glory for an hour or two. Can taste the To Kalon influence, very balanced with the Veeder. Ever so slight bricking around the rim. Dark, slightly stewed cherry on the nose with an ever so slight hint of oak. Essence of toasted …

2002 vintage

Bought on Winebid. Skeptical of provenance, as most folks are having good experiences with an ‘02 Cardinale. Strong raisin/prune notes upon opening. Same with taste initially. Mellowed somewhat after an hour or two. I gave it time. There was still some wonderful underlying structure there, but I expect the wine was exposed to excessive heat/poor storage. Couldn’t get over the excessive stewed fruit. We will see how the other bottles from this lot fare.

2002 vintage

Deep garnet. BlackBerry, pencil lead. Rich and almost unctuous. Mouth filling with a very long finish. Stood up to Greek style roast leg of lamb. Big for someone who prefers favours Burgundy, but still was a joy to drink!

2006 vintage

Beautiful wine. Luxurious and silky on the palate. Very elegant wine. This seems to have lost some of the power I remember this wine having 10 years ago, but it has definitely gained a lot of complexity and nuance while still retaining plenty of primary fruit. Really enjoyed this. Can't see this improving much more but should hold for a while.

2006 vintage

Pleasing, seductive nose. Delicious mixed berry and cherry blend. Drinking well. Wish I had more. Part of 3 vintage vertical. None were bad 5, 6 &7!

2006 vintage

Nice nose of dark/red fruit, mushroom and forest floor. Beautiful garnet with little oxidation change. Taste was still a bit tannic and showing signs of toeing over - maybe 2-3 years past it’s prime. Still lovely, complex tertiary notes of tobacco, roasted beef and tree bark. Paired beautifully with a thick smoked bacon app and filet of beef with sides. Last bottle of this in the cellar.

1999 vintage

Vertical tasting with 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013. For me, this finished in second to last place ahead of the 2005. Tannins still present. Likely in prime. Would benefit from a 3 hour decant still. Overshadowed by the 2007, better structure than 2011 and not as polished at 2013. Will drink well for another 5 years

2006 vintage

Deep ruby, slightly sweet berry nose. Very tight at first sip, softened somewhat as it sat. Could probably have used hour decant.

2005 vintage

Vertical tasting with 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013. This has the least amount of up front fruit and a bit thinner mid way through. An enjoyable wine that finished last in this tastings. A wine in its prime that should be considered. Drink within next 5 years.

2005 vintage

Fantastic example of CA juice at 16 years old. PNP and left on the counter to hang out. Dark purple with a tinge of crimson on the edge. Lots of young fruit still present with blueberry compote and a hint of cigar box behind to let you know it wasn't a baby. Very soft and succulent midway the expanded and took up a lot of space in your mouth. Tannins not intrusive but the wine was well structured. Excellent all …

2006 vintage

Decanted for 5 hours...and the end result was fantastic. The second I put my nose in the glass, I knew it would be a memorable experience. Served at 16C, it was close to perfection. Extremely fragrant and very complex on the nose with explosions of cassis, blueberries, incense, cedar, aromatic herbs and dark chocolate...it was just fantastic. The palate is almost as impressive with a deep, layered, structured, but velvety mouthfeel. Even though this is a BIG wine, the acidity …

2017 vintage

Liked but not as much as I hoped for the $

2006 vintage

Consumed at a Spire Collection tasting. Higher end tasting of wines with this being the capstone. And capstone it was !!! Large round and filled with lush fruit. Opened for maybe 1-2 hours, ...... the wine is aromatic, viscous in mouth, and fruit forward. Yet it is elegant and more liike a left bank wine. Bravo to Chris Carpenter as this wine represents the best of an otherwise challenged 17' due to the fires . This wine is big, very …

2017 vintage

For a wine that is 23 years old, the tannins are extremely firm and strong, almost like a 3 year old wine. It almost needs 10 more years for these tannins to soften. The fruit is medium, complexity is good, and acidity is high. For a highly rated brand of wine (with a very fancy bottle), it is just okay. I think if the tannins were more approachable, I would have rated it more highly, but I was shocked as …

1998 vintage

This plush and layered 2017 drinks like it’s from another vintage - something I mean as a genuine compliment. Dark red in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry, cardamon, trail dust, and fresh rosemary. Flavors of elderberry, black cherry, graphite, and mocha, with a silky and full finish (a rare combination in the 2017 vintage, at least in the early going). Blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. 14.5% alcohol. Decant at least an …

2017 vintage

My WOTN against 1982 Palmer and 2013 Verite le Desir. All primary fruit flavors but in the best of windows: pure, balanced, rich and deep. If you have this, I heavily encourage drinking some now before it turns and becomes secondary. Its current phase is perhaps the peak of primary flavors. Delicious!

2006 vintage

Had to decant because the cork broke and I am glad that I did. A little menthol in the nose on opening but blew off pretty quick. An amazingly smooth and sumptuous wine. The finish lasted for minutes and had so many subtleties. Don’t see it getting any better.

2006 vintage

Mixed samples for the holidays : Deep purple color. The nose shows waves of fresh, deep, tangy black currants and cherries, tossed with warm clay, tobacco, potting soil, roasted chestnut, oregano and hot chocolate – it’s a fascinating, diverse, shifting display of aromas. On the palate, this is full but fresh, structured but smooth tannins, and the acidity keeps it fresh and balanced. Plums, cherries, currants, deep but vibrant fruit laced with tobacco, mint, anise, cigar box, tobacco and coffee. …

2017 vintage

Almost mute on the nose. A touch of green but pretty much closed for business; big chunky frame here. Fruit is quite hidden. Very oaky and tannic finish. A bit hollow in the middle on this showing. Not in a happy place right now

2017 vintage

No decant, dinner in the desert at Pacifica. A good dinner wine from prior experience with no decant. Still alive with good Cab flavors mixed with some secondary flavors. Drinks older, but in a good way. A little stewed and pruny as it opened up. This is in its eighth inning and slightly out of its best drinking window but overall was enjoyable

2002 vintage

On the nose it is a spicy wine, with black fruit and the essence of violet water. In the mouth it is somewhat heavy but ripe and with quite resolved tannins. A bottle for the medium term. En nariz es un vino especiado, con fruta negra y esencia de agua de violetas. En boca es algo pesada pero madura y de taninos bastante resueltos. Una botella para el término medio.

2017 vintage

This wine is past its peak - but not by as much as I expected. Instead, this bottle has aged beautifully, with incredible flavors and a silky mouthfeel, all with both nuance and balance. I drank this shortly after a 2012, which showed more fullness and tension (though each wine had a similar class and depth). Opening this 21-year old wine started off as a bit of an experiment, but it ended up being a genuine pleasure. Light red in …

1999 vintage

Part of a Chris Carpenter tasting. We had opened and decanted this prob 6 hours in advance and drank it over the course of the following 6 hours. And it needs all that time and more (one couple had decanted the night before and that might have been the better approach). The '17 was an interesting Cardinale. Less wine than in previous vintages, but also sounds like it was a bit more focused away from the mountains (where the grapes …

2017 vintage

Didn’t love this bottle

2006 vintage

Purchased from the vineyard in 2016. Fresh Fruit bomb out of the bottle - wow! Blackberry nose with tons of red fruit and a touch of Tabasco or bbq smoke. Medium plus tannins that rounds out the wine. Beautiful long finish. As it opens up you get beautiful notes of dried fruit as the tannins soften. It has less than stellar holding power over the couple hours we enjoyed the bottle. I think the marked drinking window on this wine …

2006 vintage

Pnp dinner at Viale . Drank against a 2005 Vineyard 29 Cab. The Cardinale has a beautiful nose. Wood, cedar and berries with a slight bit of orange peel. Medium bodied but lacking somewhat in concentration ..( versus the vineyard 29). Time open helps this wine, a decant is appropriate. Still has enough tannin to age more but the question is what fades first, fruit or tannin given the lack of concentration. I’ve got 7 more bottles so time will …

2006 vintage

Just wonderful, and even better on day two. Wow Just opened a second bottle and I’m upping my rating.

1996 vintage

Just wonderful, and even better on day two. Wow Just opened a second bottle and I�m upping my rating.

1996 vintage

A good aged Cabernet. Initial nose of blueberry and other dark berries. . The fruit is definitely still there with multi layered flavors of current, blueberries, and prune with a nice hint of orange peel earthy leather and cigar. Good complexity and depth This has developed into a really nice wine but in the later innings of its drinking life imo

2005 vintage

This was probably the Best bottle of this that I�ve had. Needed every bit of a 2 hour decant. Just great balance and fruit and the fruit is very subtle with a hint of Bordeaux spice box. In prime but easily another decade of life left.

1996 vintage

This was probably the Best bottle of this that I’ve had. Needed every bit of a 2 hour decant. Just great balance and fruit and the fruit is very subtle with a hint of Bordeaux spice box. In prime but easily another decade of life left.

1996 vintage

Disappointing. Strangely subdued. Nose never really opened up, and overall just a lack of flavor and complexity. I am a big fan of Cardinale wine but this bottle had no real personality. Perfectly nice but nothing memorable for a "special" bottle I have been cellaring for some time.

2006 vintage

This wine (and if not misakeni believe there is only 1 cuvee) is a cabernet blend. in '02 12%merlot rest cabernet sauvignon, mostly Mt. Veeder. tasted out of sleek bottle brought by the score whore who is undoubtely impressed. Side effect of that mania is that I get to taste it. powerful and smooth wine. On the parallel CT definition I see it likened to Cos, which I can see. Its a powerful wine at age 16. It's smooth, big, …

2002 vintage

Nose bursting of red berries, barbequed meats and cedar smoke. Big, bold mouthfeel of bellpeppers. Earthy finish with a balanced dry end. Very drinkable but will improve over at least the next 5 years.

2006 vintage

Very smooth although big!

2006 vintage

Nice color, great aroma with incredible acid, red and blue fruit, balance and medium finish. Elegant wine drinking very well and at it’s peak.

2002 vintage

This integrated and polished Cabernet is wonderfully beautifully right now, with an incredible amount of fruit, structure, and life to it - impressive at half its age, and stunning at the 12-year mark. Compared to my other favorite Cardinales (e.g., 2008, 2012), this has a silkiness that is downright beguiling. Garnet in color and full in body, the wine has an enticing nose of black cherry, peppercorn, charcoal, and fresh-baked pie (you choose the fruit, but the toasty warmth of …

2006 vintage

Hezi's 65th Birthday Celebration (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL) : I opened this alongside the 1997. Nicely mature with lots of mature black fruit with slightly sweet spice and tobacco hints. Clearly still in its peak drinking window, but probably better a year or three ago. While I preferred the 1997, which is brighter and more structured, I can understand why half the tasters preferred this 1996.

1996 vintage

Beautiful bottle! Red fruit, cassis, perfectly integrated cedar and tannins. In a fantastic place right now, enjoyed by all at dinner. Doesn't need much decant. Dark purple with a beautiful nose and taste profile. A great vintage of this wine.

2005 vintage

Deep color, minimal bricking. Moderate nose, less aromatic than when first had at release. Tastes of dark red/blue fruits. Mild notes of tobacco. Moderate silky texture. Would prefer a little more acidity. Tannin almost resolved. This bottle was my first "splurge" bottle of wine (which is still fairly rare) when we first started getting into Napa cabs. When I eagerly anticipate something the actual experience can end up anti-climatic. In spite of that, I think this bottle exceeded my expectations. …

2006 vintage

A well balanced, mature wine. Black current, with notes of cedar and tobacco on the finish. The tannin's have aged out of this wine, creating a mellow, slightly earthy finish. While at the end of it's drinking window, it is still drinking well, but I wouldn't wait much longer.

1999 vintage

Slow-o'd for two hours, then decanted. Very little sediment. Good deep ruby color. Blackberry, black currant (cassis), clove and chocolate on the nose. On the palate, concentrated blackberry, red and black currants. Medium body, round and juicy. Medium length to the finish, with low to medium acidity. Completely New World profile; this could not pass for a Bordeaux, but why should it? Super-approachable and scrumptious, lacking only in grip. Drinking beautifully now, and I don't see how this could improve. …

1996 vintage

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Cardinale, Napa Valley

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