Vanessa

8.9

Anise and molasses on the nose, mulberry and leather on the palate. Heavy mouthfeel. Noticeable acidity, slightly tight. Will try decanting longer, but lovely in any case. — 7 years ago

with Deked1

Aravind A

9.0

Poured into a wide-bottom decanter. Nose of smoke, mulberry and plum; very dark with some toasty notes. On the palate, a little less open, very dark red and black fruit, but still very juicy with nice acidity. Needs some time to expand. — 8 years ago

Matt

9.7

This is effing delicious. Day 1: Heady on the nose, layers of raspberry/strawberry confiture, mulberry, sous bois, lavender, roasted fig, sweet spices, potpourri and rocks. Palate is so dense, layer upon layer of berries, garrigue, spices, mocha, licorice, black minerals, and crushed flowers. Like drinking velvet, opulent and sexy, crazy long finish. Day 2: the textural richness of this wines grew with air. Even more richness and posh on the palate. Nose unraveled, aromas of animal, leather, savory earth, sarsaparilla, and rich umami accents popped up. On the palate the wine shed some of its alcoholic edge and began to express those rich notes of coffee, cocoa, leather, and the deep layers of fruit grew. A purely hedonistic experience for S. Rhône drinkers. — 9 years ago

Corinne desampaio

9.1

Lovely cab. — 9 years ago

Dr.Meandor

9.0

Tasted 13/07/2016

Ample, velvety, smooth, elegant Saint-Julien from one of the largest properties in the Médoc. 57/33/10 CS/Merlot/PV. Long ageing in oak (50-60% new).

Dark cherry red, orangey/bricky rim.
Delicate and enjoyable bouquet of ripe plums, prunes, black currant jam, violets, mulberry, underbrush, wet earth.
Supple and complex medium+ bodied palate, with ripe but salient tannins and fine acidity. Flavors of blackthorn, wooden bark, black/red currant, cherry.
Smooth & lasting finish.
Pair: cheese&meat plate. — 9 years ago

Larry Frierson

9.2

Like many 1988s. Is starting to open up. Got that Palmer mulberry Merlot quality. Lacks refinement compared to the better Palmer vintages. — 10 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

Smells of leather and dried flowers with a hint of funk. Gorgeous silky cherry, mulberry and leather flavors. Killer stuff. — 11 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose, ripe, ruby, fruits of; mulberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries, blueberries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets.

The body is rich, ripe & full. The tannins are a little sticky but well softened, round and a touch chewy. The structure, tension, length, balance, tension and balance are very close to perfect and harmonious. Fruits are; mulberry, huckleberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets. The acidity is round and rains like a waterfall perfectly over the palate. The very long, ruby, rich, well balance lasts minutes and is absolutely heavenly. Gorgeous, elegant, stunning wine.

Photos of; the vertical tasting we attended of all Hendricks Cabernets; 04, 05, 09 & 12 at the time w/ one of our favorite paintings in the background, Charles Hendricks working in the cellar, very old rootstock from the Stag’s Leap Vineyard where the fruit to make this wine normally comes from and a wide shot of the Stag’s Leap Vineyard.

Producer notes and history...Hendricks Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently sourced from a few of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. In those near perfect vintages, Charles only makes a small production wine of around 250-300 cases. Charles only produces it when he has exception fruit. He’s made Hendricks Cabernet in; 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 & 2014. Notice he didn’t make Hendricks Cabernet in a great vintage year like 2013. He wasn’t happy enough with his fruit in 2013 to put his name on it. That says a lot and maybe all you need to know about his standard for quality. I do know what wine his 13 fruit made as I’ve had and it’s an unbelievable wine for far less money.

Charles also makes a fantastic Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands that is really quite amazing. Especially, if you give it 5 or 6 years in bottle. All his wines are sold exclusively through the Hope & Grace tasting room in Yountville as he is also the Hope & Grace Winemaker.

Charles graduated in 1982 from UC Davis in viticulture. He was also able to tailor his own curriculum and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the basis for his well-rounded winemaking.

Over the years Charles has worked in both Napa and Sonoma Counties, gaining hands on experience in all aspects of winemaking. He has a strong reputation for excellence. In his career, he’s been a consulting winemaker for many wineries; Viader, Barnett Vineyards, Paoletti Vineyards, Regusci Winery, James Cole, T-Vine and Tamayo family Vineyard.

I asked Charles, “how does he make wines that are amazingly good in their youth but will age effortlessly for 15-20 years?” His answer was simply this, “its not that hard, you just have to know the perfect time to harvest fruit.” I would agree with that to a degree. But, you also have to know how to gently guide fruit onto it’s path into the barrel and not get in the wine’s way or overwork the process. — 8 years ago

Ash Sinclair

9.0

Love this wine. Cracking minerality, great acid backbone driving the vibrant cherry and mulberry fruit notes. Generous tannin which is levelled out beautifully when paired with some great Italian dishes — 9 years ago

with Megan

Conrad Green

9.7

What a nose. Mulberry, iodene, blood and iron. Gorgeous rounded deliciousness. Absolutely delicious fruit and balance. Still so young. Crazy length- blue and blueberry. Just great. Will this ever get old? — 9 years ago

with Howard, Walker and 3 others

Lewis Chester

9.5

1989 vintage. Smokey, luscious and deep. Cedar, leather, cinnamon and mulberry - plum and cherry. On the palate, medium plus body and acidity, great tannic structure - integrated. Good concentration and long finish. Epic and big while still moreish. At its peak. NB: with air, very floral. I suspect this particular bottle was underperforming compared to other bottles from this producer and vintage. — 10 years ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.1

I bought 6 of these and wish I had bought more. Deeply colored, nearly enough to permanently stain whatever you spill it on. Brambley, licorice mulberry. Quite complex for the price. Unique. — 11 years ago

Matt

8.9

Tired and a little faded. Still fresh, still silky tannin, just lacking presence on the nose. Very soft spoken. Not my favorite vintage I’ve had from VT but it’s hard to complain. These wines are great and I’m always a fan. Comes across on the palate more, dark dried fruits, savory spices, loads of stony minerality, smoke, and white pepper. Given the vintage and the more elegant style these wines have I’m thinking this would’ve been stellar 5 years ago. Day 2: more cherry and mulberry compote, roast plum, garrigue, tapenade, mid-palate gaining more weight and presence. — 8 years ago

Richard Lewis

9.3

Mulberry, cranberry, and pomegranate - in youth, the fruit is coming in acidic. Medium bodied, tannins not too aggressive. Look forward to revisiting with age. — 8 years ago

with Lynne

Lee Lightfoot

9.2

Mulberry jam tobacco on the nose. Easily still fresh and primary in 20 years — 9 years ago

Sergio Licea

9.7

Mulberry, blueberry compote, white pepper, game, violets, balsamic, sun dried tomatoes, rust, dried mint. Rounded acid/minimal smooth velvet tannin balance, medium bodied, juicy-silky texture, long fruity-floral finish. Gamay-like in aromatics, fruit forward midpalate with enough structure to handle red meats while not overpowering seafood or white meats. Quaffable in its youth, gains texture and finesse with age. — 9 years ago

Marcus Lancaster

9.2

We just love this fantastic mouth field of Mulberry… With great balance and finish. We give it higher ratings this time because it's paired with an exquisite roasted pumpkin and sausage risotto with Sage a match made in heaven — 9 years ago

ChadnPolina Little

9.3

Red currant, tobacco, mulberry, light, yet long - just everything I want it to be. Delicious — 10 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.0

Wonderfully tangy and mulberry and leather and a hint of farmyard. Great acidity and a very spicy finish. — 10 years ago

Justin S

9.5

Beautiful berry sent. Strong taste but smooth. Nice easy after taste. Love this wine — 13 years ago