TN: 2016 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis

  • 2016 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis - USA, California, Napa Valley (8/3/2020)
    This is one of those wines that brought me out of my almost exclusive natural wine kick about 2 years back. It reminded me of all the great things about what a good Napa Cab can be and I realized I had missed some of that refinement and elegance. Inky dark, with a very expressive and fruity nose. As you wade into it, open arms, in surrounds you in dark fruit, very well integrated and smooth tannins and a huge long finish. There’s oak of course, but it’s very elegantly implemented. Acid is on point. If I can fault it at all, it’s just a bit too sweet. Had it just been a little less of that going on, it would have been a 94-95pts wine for me. Classic stuff. (92 pts.)

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Never been a big fan of Napa Cabs (since we don’t see much if any of the good stuff around here), but I’ve always found Stag’s Leap Cabs very enjoyable. Those few Artemis bottles I’ve had have been really nice.

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And very reasonably priced.

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This was my go-to at the United Club which they would sell it for $15 a glass and $5 off if you used your United CC. Some decent stuff for free too but this hard to pass up for the price.

Opened my last bottle of this, and although I still think it’s a great wine, the slight sweetness bothers me more now 3 years later than it did last time I reviewed it. In all that wonderful complexity, I keep getting those amarone/ripasso hints that take me out of it a bit, but no doubt it’s still a wonderful wine. Great length and mouthfeel.

Same score and good value for money, I just realize it’s probably time for me to move on.

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