Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

Enjoying this wine a decade after I received it. Back then, it was too tight and harsh. With time, the fruit has really come to the forefront. Getting loads of sweet black fruit paired with bracing acidity but a body to even it out. Still a bit disjointed but with another decade or so this wine should be perfect.

Tight wine - short, hot finish for the first 40min, then everything changed for the better.

This performed better than I expected. Maybe the magnum format was the key.

After a nice decant, this wine brought traditional blackberry cassis, cedar, bay leaf, and dark chocolate notes. Very delicious and still had plenty of life in this bottle. Just beginning to show secondary notes. Good balance but tannins were still very chewy but softening. Paired with grilled sirloin with green peppercorn sauce.

Excellent Cultish Cab. Made by Philippe Melka, has the extract and fruit to compare to $100 bottles. Good cedar, earth backed fruit compote and licorice flavors. Could use a little more acidic balance to take it the long road but drinking well now with smooth silky tannins.

Short decant, all smiles.

Def old taste, 2006, really inky, prune Russian stout smell, but refined, great end grip, leather, inky, thick and purple, wish it had more fruit

Very tight upon opening. Decanted and became very expressive after about 30 mins, but unfortunately completely over opened and got flabby and uninteresting around the 2/2.5 hour mark. Would not decant. Just pull the cork about an 45mins to an hour before.

If only, I would drink this every night. It is everything you could ask for and more.

Certainly a good, solid wine, but I keep hoping for Cliff Lede to really wow me and they just haven't yet. I'm a huge SLD fan and they have such fantastic vineyards and a beautiful, pristine winery. Not sure what's missing.