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jaye's Review:

Decanted" for 6.5 hours. Nose is overwhelmingly coffee beans. with green pepper, blackberries and black peppercorns mixed in. I also get some cedar plank; but coffee is the primary aroma. Mouth-feel was very smooth. Cherry cough syrup, coffee, a little tobacco, a little strawberry. Strong, warming (alcoholic) finish that the mid-palate (though quite nice) simply cannot compete with. It is a nice-tasting wine, if a bit out of balance. It would benefit tremendously from 3-4 years of cellaring, but I don't know if the alcohol will integrate enough. I actually liked this wine a lot - despite the off-balance finish, so I will score it 91 for the flavor profile and mouthfeel, then take off 2 points for the overly hot finish. Final score = 89 points = very good/excellent. [89]

jaye's Review:

Nose of plums, blackberries, blueberries, cherry wood, maybe a little sugar cake. Cherry wood flavor with a little dirt and tar. Tannins are still quite prominent. This wine still has quite a bit of life left in it. Matched very well with Bracciole dinner.

jaye's Review:

<p><b>2001 Blackford Cabernet Sauvignon</b><i> - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/12/2007)</i><br>GREAT NOSE! Sweet cassis, blueberry, a little tobacco, and maybe a little Szechuan pepper. Taste (immediately after opening) is cherry, tobacco, rosehips -- I can tell this will continue to evolve! The 14.5% alcohol is well integrated. Nice, drying tannins. This is drinking beautifully now! On day 2 this wine was even better. After comparing to other CA cabs at this price point, this one has to be rated Outstanding! <i><b>(93 pts.)</b></i></p><p><i>Posted from <a target='_new' href='http://www.cellartracker.com'>CellarTracker</a></i></p>

jaye's Review:

Decanted for an hour. Nose was sour and awkward. Flavor was cherries and smoked wood. Pleasant drying tannins on finish and nice mouth feel. This is best as a food wine in my opinion. Enjoy with grilled and barbecued meats for best pairing. [87]

jaye's Review:

Huge nose of Grape Bubble Yum and grape juice with rose hips and spice. Nice mouthfeel with Black Cherry and Black Pepper notes popping through, but strong alcohol component. Very nice finish. Flavors need to come together. Will put away for 24 hours and retaste. Day 2: Nose is still vibrant, though not as "in your face" as on Day 1. The flavors have integrated into the alcohol base and are much nicer now. Flavors of dirt and tobacco have now intermingled with the cherry and pepper for a well-rounded drink. [NR]

jaye's Review:

Nose of cherry cough syrup, plum, cedar and cigar box. Flavor of plum and tobacco. Acidity not yet integrated, but this also helps make this an outstanding food wine when coupled with beef and/or tomato-based dishes; it actually improves the taste of your food. Drunk by itself the wine is not as pleasurable. [89]

jaye's Review:

Rich, balanced -- strong plum notes. Decanted. Flavor showed full and best development one hour after opening. Stongly recommended. [95]

jaye's Review:

Extraordinarily smooth going down. How I wish I had had more than one bottle! Enjoyed with a meal of Bracciole. Opened bottle 1/2 hour before decanting. Allowed to breathe 15 minutes before pouring for diners. Fruit was subdued, but there was zero harshness. Lovely, lovely wine. [94]

jaye's Review:

Opened based on Parker vintage recommendation, and comments here. Upon opening and a few minutes of occasional swirl, enjoyed lovely strawberry/cherry/blacberry fruit combination -- quite lovely and very ripe; along with typical cigar box and smoke. Color is a medium rusty burgundy with no obvious bricking. Almost no seepage in to the cork. Very well bottled - could have sat another decade. Taste was mild and dry with sweet tannis. Not much fruit showing initially, tobacco was primary flavor through mid-palate. Finish lasts a good 40 seconds or more. Mouthfeel is good, but not as much glycerin as in better vintages. Will put away for a day and try again. Tasted again on 8/25 and 8/27. On 2nd day, nose was gone, but fruit that was apparent in nose had transferred somewhat to the palate, making it more interesting. My third tasting showed the most balance of all with fruit flavors mingling with the tobacco -- but only while the wine was a bit cooler than room temperature. Once the wine reached room temperature tobacco was the overwhelming flavor. This wine tasted best when accompanying a meal -- it is not a "drink-alone" wine. [88]

jaye's Review:

Deep, dark syrupy black cherries on the nose along with cassis and blackberry. Really nice nose. Well rounded cab flavor too with the tastes echoing the aromas along with a little green pepper in the mid palate and a nice light-oak finish. Nicely balanced -- maybe a little tarry on the end, but that might improve as this sits open a little longer. Great QPR. [87]