Reviews : J. Davies
93 points / 2008 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Advocate
"The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is a beauty of elegance and power, revealing a dense ruby/purple color as well as lovely black currant fruit intermixed with black cherries, loamy soil and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied and elegant as well as authoritatively flavored and rich, this blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot has tamed the mountain rusticity and offers rich fruit and floral flavors that have more in common with the Stags Leap appellation." (Dec. 2010)
92 points / 2008 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Spectator Insider
"Dark, intense and structured, at points supple and graceful, with ripe currant, wild berry, plum and savory herb notes that are well-focused, persistent and compelling, only drying on the long finish. Best from 2012 through 2022." (Sept. 2011)
90 points / 2008 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Enthusiast
"Enormously rich in blackberries,
cherries, chocolate and roasted almonds, with
lots of smoky, sweet caramelized new oak. Almost like
granola candy now. The tannins are firm, as befits a Diamond
Mountain wine, but refined and velvety...." (Dec. 2011)
90 points / 2008 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"Nicely focused, fairly deep, curranty fruit serves as the confident centerpiece of this well-crafted wine, and, if still a bit backward and nascent, it teases with complexing elements of briar and spice and neatly placed oak. While not overly tough, the wine is far from being ready any time soon, and its sense of solidity and seriousness tags it as one for the cellar." (Dec. 2011)
94 points / 2007 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - The Tasting Panel
"Dark, dense, rich and
plummy with spice; velvety, lush, ripe and
spiced with black plum and cassis, cherry;
lush, long, balanced." (Dec. 2010)
94 points / 2007 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Advocate
"Layered and evolving, the concentrated boysenberry and blackberry fruit aromas
combine with nuances of cocoa, cinnamon and sandalwood. The palate is bold, complex
and rich; with wild berry compote and black cherry dancing with touches of vanilla cream
and clove. Silky tannins give structure and balance, affording a long and luxurious finish." (Dec. 2009)
91 points / 2007 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Enthusiast
"Very lush and rip in blackberry, cherry, currant and cassis flavors, with an oaky overlay, and there's a minerality toward the end that smacks of the soil. With an acidic jamminess and fierce tannins, the wine feels austere and remote. Give it 6 or 7 years in the cellar to come around. Cellar Selection" (Dec. 2010)
94 points / 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Enthusiast
"This ’06 continues the winery’s recent successes
in Cabernet. It’s a lush, opulent wine. In its youth
the smoky oak stars, along with waves of blackberries,
black currants, plums and a spicy, meaty
note suggesting bacon. Beautiful now, although
tight in tannins, it should develop bottle aromatics
and complexities for at least the next six years." (Dec. 2009)
92 points / 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine Advocate
"The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, and 6% Petit Verdot) is a refined, gracious, elegant effort displaying loads of black and red currants intermixed with licorice, mountain flora, and underbrush characteristics. Medium to full-bodied with superb concentration, sweet tannin (especially for a 2006 mountain wine), and good acidity as well as purity, this terrific wine has a Bordeaux-like weight along with the beautiful ripeness and purity of a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades." (Dec. 2009)
92 points / 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine News
"Excellent color; purple to the rim. Rich cherry-chocolate scents with notes of oak and dark honey. Compact and crisp with fruit flavors of cherry and blackberry. Youthful, promising cherry-chocolate finish accented by oak." (Fall 2009)
4-Stars, Highly Recommended / 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Decanter California Guide
"Voluptuous juicy briary wild berry fruit. Gentle herbal leafiness, cedar, graphite and liquorice. Long velvety finish." (September 2009)
91 points, First Place, Very Highly Recommended / 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - California Grapevine
"Mediurn-dark ruby; very attractive, forward, intense, fragrant, spicy, cassis and black cherry fruit aroma with hints of mint and vanilla; medium-full to full body; rich, plummy, textured, ripe black cherry fruit flavors with a velvety mouthfeel; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Precociously enjoyable to drink now." (Aug./Sept. 2009)
90 points / 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"Deep, well-defined fruit and a fine sense of winemaking polish
win this mannerly, well-crafted bottling high recommendation,
and, if not among the more dramatic Cabernets to be had, it is
as precise and as well-focused as any. Ample, yet never in the
least way heavy, and fit with temperate tannins, it is the picture
of class from beginning to end and will age handsomely owing to style rather than brawn." (April 2010)
