My stepfather visited this winery last month and enjoyed the cabernet so much that he picked up 6 bottles. Has anyone here also had this wine and care to agree or disagree as to the quality of it?

the last vintage i had of this wine was the 97. i thought it was a 90-91 point wine. the 97 was on the pricey side compared to the market. in the last two vintages i think they have priced themselves above the quality they deliver.

I had a 375mL of the '98 (I think, I know it wasn't '97 and I doubt it was '99) last March/April and was disappointed for what it cost ($95 in the restaurant?!)

I don't remember any specific TN's, other than it was huge at the time and overly tannic. Could have used significant decanting.

Doubt I'd buy it again in a bottle, but I'd probably taste a different year by the glass given the chance. Perhaps a different year would be better?

Doubtful - Staglin Cabs are always out of balance and excessively tannic. I had a 91 about two months ago and the thing was still way tannic but was dropping its fruit. Year in and year out, Staglin is a seriously overrated Cab.

I was looking through my tasting notes from this past August when I tried the 1999 Cabernet,
I gave it an 88 point rating, but found it very tannic, closed and expensive. I think by the time the tannins blow off (over the years) I'd be concerned with if there is any fruit left to appreciate.

I like the Staglin Cabs.....and there's a lot of Napa Cabs that start out tannic and seemingly out of balance, but others might see them as 'built to age'. Along the lines of Del Dotto.

-Vitis Vinifera

Del Dotto is another over rated producer - it receives high eighties rankings with the occasional 90 when it should receive mid eighties rankings at best.

"Tannic" does not equal out of balance. For example, Diamond Creek Cabs are very tannic but they have the fruit to be in balance and can age. For a wine to be "built to age" successfully, its individual components need to be in balance. Staglin's excessive and hard tannins will never age out successfully. Staglin wines just don't have the fruit to outlast their tannins.