2006 Ghost Horse Cabernet Sauvignon Shadow- USA, California, Napa Valley (11/12/2010)
Opened for 90 minutes before first sip. Deep dark color in the glass, and the first thing that hits you is the nose. Tons of creamy coconut/vanilla dominate the nose here. To quote the Widespread Panic song “Coconuts,” this “smelled like ladies lying in the sun!” It was crazy, and I have never smelled anything like that. Aside from this, you had some rich red fruits as well, with creamy currants and crème de cassis. Some raspberry and blackberry rounded out the nose, along with some blueberry and a bit of mocha. I didn’t get much oak on the nose at all, and I am guessing that this is where the coconut and vanilla came from. On the palate, this wine was HUGE! The palate was silky smooth with some raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, currants, and strawberry, with just enough spice to notice, and some hints of mocha. To my palate, the alcohol was nicely integrated, along with the tannins, and the finish lingered for nearly a minute. This was hands down my wine of the night, narrowly beating out a 2001 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, as well as a 1997 Insignia. You can tell that Todd puts some heart into this wine, and he is truly a remarkable winemaker. This was a superb wine, and I look forward to drinking this a few more times! Kudos to “The Todd! This very well could be the best $100 wine out there. (94 pts.)
I tend to agree with Mark on this one. I don’t know if I would say it’s the best $100 wine out there, but that gets into a different discussion about wine in general. I do think it needs another year or two in the bottle, though.
Mike - I usually agree with your wine assessments, so I would be interested in reading your TN on this one.
And it’s really only a $50 wine because the bottle alone costs $50! At least, that’s the price at which they were selling empty bottles at the winery when we visited.
Well they advertise them as “dummies” in that they’re made to look full. The idea is that so you can put the dummies in a display case on the mantle while keeping the real bottles in your cellar. No less douchey though.
The wine is great but the whole GH concept is pretty bizarre. I’d say it’s an intentional parody of the Napa cult cab phenomenon, except that when you talk to “The Todd” there’s not a trace of irony.
Is that the definition? What, then, is the definition of hubris? Seems like it takes two to tango on that score if you ask me. (PS, the counter-arguments of: “but he’s a good guy,” and “if someone will pay it” are already a matter of public record from the vast generalized GH pricing discussions, so no recap necessary, I just found this pretty amazing)
I asked Todd what he thought and he said it will be approachable on release, and drink well for 10 to 15 years. I bought a decent amount from Carrie and plan on drinking one this week and will most likely lay the others down for a few years.
![[basic-smile.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/83717c74df9b0ce202453063bc4f11baf0ee6b8a.gif "smile"){kind=small}
