2008 Hall "Kathryn Hall" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

SKU #1076326 96 points Wine Spectator

(Ranked #2 on the Top 100 of 2011) Rich, savory and full-bodied, showing direct, potent young Cabernet flavors built around blackberry and dark berry fruit, with touches of spice, black licorice, mineral and toasty wood. Very impressive for its purity, finesse and graceful finish. Best from 2012 through 2022. (8/ 2011)

94 points Wine Enthusiast

This is a best of barrels blend from Hall’s various vineyards, including the famous Sacrashe. The wine itself is lovely. It has a firm structure thanks to dusty tannins and a dry minerality, while bright acidity makes the cherry, blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark chocolate fruit sing. Drink now and through 2014. (10/ 2011)

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is quite closed compared to the other wines and needs 3-4 years of bottle age. It should keep for two decades, as most of the others will. Full-bodied, showing notes of minerality and more dusty, loamy scents intermixed with crushed rock, black currants and herbs, it is a deep, full-bodied wine. (12/ 2010)

92 points Connoisseurs Guide

There is simply no getting around the fact that this very tough youngster is presently hard as nails, but there is also so much richness and sheer fruity depth to be had that we have unquestioned faith in its future. It is ripe. It is weighty. It is built with a spine of ten-year tannins, and it will test the patience of any who cellar it away. It is, nonetheless, a wonderfully stuffed wine whose firm varietal grasp is clear even now, and it comes with high recommendation for those willing to wait for another decade or so. (8/ 2011)

92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Bright ruby-red. Currant, bitter chocolate and seductive oak on the nose, complicated by loamy soil tones. Sweet, pliant and fine-grained, with cassis, espresso and mocha flavors that come across as higher-pitched than those of the basic Napa Valley bottling. At once sweet and nicely delineated; this really fills the mouth. This very firmly built cabernet finishes with superb mouth-dusting tannins and excellent length. (6/ 2011)