Acclaim for Cabernet Sauvignon

Ratings

Vintage 2005:

91 points - Robert Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate

“A better bet is the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of licorice, tobacco leaf, blackberries, and vanillin. It should drink nicely for a decade or more.”
90 points - International Wine Cellar

"Good red-ruby. Musky, smoky aromas of black cherry, meat, minerals, licorice, mocha and earth... clarity of flavor and lift in the mouth. Finishes with suaver tannins and lingering notes of brown spices and mocha."

Source: http://www.wineaccess.com/tanzer

Vintage 2004:

Vintage 2003:

90 points - Robert Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate

"..possesses excellent sweetness, plumpness, fat and flesh along with beautiful structure."

Vintage 2000:

90 - Wine Spectator - Oct 31, 2003

Firm, intense and focused on a center of earthy currant, mineral, dusty oak and spice notes. Long, rich, detailed aftertaste. Finishes with solid, gritty tannins, giving it a slight rustic edge. Best from 2004 through 2012. 2,500 cases made.
87 - Wine Advocate - Dec 2003

The 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (which tips the scales at 14.8% alcohol) exhibits a dark ruby/plum color in addition to aromas of cassis, figs, and resiny characteristics offered in a medium to full-bodied, monolithic but chewy, big, spicy style. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.

Vintage 1999:

Certainly the richest and most dramatic Saddleback Chardonnay produced to date. Prominent toasty, leesy, vanilla aromas jump from the glass... Very complex, round and fleshy considering this was produced without malolactic fermentation. A surprising release...

Bob Cranston - The Wine Authority

Vintage 1997:

Needless to say, this is the first of many terrific 1997 Cab's produced by Nils. Exotic blackberry and spice aromas open on the palate where fruit and oak explode from one end to the other. juicy, jammy, and velvet soft with well integrated layers of fruit and oak. Round, lush and expansive, this should continue to improve over the next 10 or 15 years, but it is also enjoyable now. As always, try this beauty with lamb, beef, or venison.

Bob Cranston - The Wine Authority - April 2000

Vintage 1996:

Complex aromas of cherry, cedar, tobacco and spice. Rich, ripe, full and sweet with exotic layers of cinnamon and clove; a very dense and concentrated wine. Full-bodied and muscular with juicy tannins that will benefit from 5-6 years of bottle age.

Bob Cranston, The Wine Authority
...chewy, full-bodied, and thick. Not yet complex, it is super-concentrated, with gobs of toasty oak (about 40% American oak is utilized in the wine's upbringing), and a low acid, chunky, heavyweight style..." (tasting of a barrel sample on 8 September 1998) Anticipated maturity: 2001-2015.

Robert Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate

Vintage 1995:

91 - Robert M Parker, Jr, The Wine Advocate

The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is potentially a point or two superior to the 1994. The wine reveals a superb cassis and blueberry-like nose, round, soft tannin, outstanding purity and ripeness, and a long, silky-textured finish. It is an impressive example of California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Very spicy and assertive with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cassis in the nose. Ripe, generous and full with plummy flavors and a dense meaty texture. Tremendous depth, weight and intensity; excellent tannin integration and mouthfeel. This is a sensational Cabernet from an outstanding vintage that should continue to develop...

Bob Cranston, The Wine Authority
I'd love to put it up against some of these wines selling for $75 to $100 a bottle -- I think it would stand right up to them. Intense, deep color. Rich, luscious quality of berries. Has a sort of a leathery overtone on the nose, with a briar background. It's a real mouthful of wine. The oak shows a perfect but full balance. It's a delicious full fruit and certainly a long-lived wine. The long, lingering flavors are soft and full, both at the same time.

Narsai David, KCBS Radio - 10/98

Vintage 1994:

90 - The Wine Advocate - Robert Parker, Jr. - 12/96

The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is reminiscent of the Groth Cabernets produced in the mid-eighties. The wine exhibits plenty of chocolatey, cassis fruit, a nice touch of toasty oak, a thick, chewy texture, and mouthfilling extract and richness. The tannin is obscured by the wine's ripe fruit. The 1994 should drink well for 12-15 years.

Vintage 1993:

90 - The Wine Advocate - 12-95

Robert Parker
The Wine Authority - 1-96
92 - The Wine Spectator - 1996
Nils Venge started this winery as a side venture while he was the winemaker at Groth. If this Cabernet is any indication of what he can do consistently, give us more.

The Wine Spectator

Vintage 1989:

Vintage 2005:

Vintage 2004: