5/17/2024 - CobraCommander Likes this wine:

JD gave this 95-97. It definitely has the potential to get there. While this appellation designate was intended to drink young to allow the single vineyard bottles to age a bit, I drank this extremely young. I planned to gift a bottle and I was curious to see if it would be suitable. Simply speaking, this is not ready. I sipped on this over 3 days and it did start to open up on day 2 and the tannins softened a little bit. Still, it was still not that well integrated on day 3. Bouquet has all of the hallmark Cabernet Sauvignon notes. It's plush and mouth coating. Finish is still a bit alcoholic. Nevertheless, it's 93+ for me, a nobody.

4/13/2024 - travelme Likes this wine:

Cabfrancophile and I enjoyed the exact same bottle. His note is exactly what I thought about the wine expressed even better than I could have done. Great wine and I believe my lone bottle of this vintage.

4/5/2024 - travelme Likes this wine:

This was an amazing bottle. Thinking there could be some bottle variation here because this bottle was marvelous.

1/12/2024 - travelme Likes this wine:

The three previous reviews nailed some of the notes. Exceptional nose and the palate was even better. The wine revealed black fruit and a great mid palate filled with tension that had a long finish and great profile that made you want to drink more. Went great with the steak we enjoyed tonight. Loved the food, wine 🍷, and the company. Exceptional and glad I have more. These 2014 Beckstoffer wines I have been having recently are show stoppers.

4/25/2021 - travelme Likes this wine:

Opened at a Big Boy Night dinner and this was excellent. Dark purple with a slight reddish hue in the glass. It had notes of cedar, chocolate, and vanilla. A slightly dry palate knocked it down just a few points in my eyes but this was another exceptional wine. Sad to see it go. I still have a 6L and one more bottle that I bought for my daughter to have one day (birth year wine). Can’t wait to try it again.

11/11/2023 - travelme wrote:

Wow….😮 great wine and had integrated tannins and acidity. A well balanced amazing Cabernet that was a privilege to drink. My last bottle of Hourglass. Might have to look to acquire more since it aged so well

7/14/2023 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine:

Had an '18 Myriad Dr Crane alongside a '19 Arrow & Branch Dr Crane. Both wines were double decanted and slow ox'd for 3 hours before taking to restaurant. This was a great matchup.

The A&B came out of the gates fast, and stayed in the lead most of the evening. It was more full throttled, had bigger fruit with a longer finish than the Myriad. But at about the 2 hour mark at the restuarant (we had many courses and made an evening out of it) the A&B started to get loose in the turns (to stay with my NASCAR racing analogy). This is a special wine. Worth trying one now if you have several. But the best for this is yet to come. I recommend drinking 2025 - 2030. I think in another 2-3 years, the A&B might score 99...maybe even a 100 (I do not give out many 100s).

The Myriad DC was a little more subdued at first. To continue with my racing analogy, I think this wine was "saving it's tires" for the final leg of the race. Because just as the A&B was getting a little loose in the turns, this wine seemed to gain laser focus. And what I described as being subdued earlier in the evening turned out to be hidden nuance that just needed time to show its stuff. Dark fruits, with a controlled brooding backbone, and a deep nasily finish that helped to show up what this wine has below the hood - a turbo charged 358 cubic inch, 750 HP engine that pushes you back in your seat when you step on the gas. I do not think this wine has the upside of the A&B, but not sure you can ask for more than the score I am already giving this one. I do recommend 3-4 decant minimum at this stage. But I recommend drinking in next 3 years to get the most out it.

In the end, my wife and I had to go to photo finish as these wines were neck and neck at the end of meal. In fact, we could not pick a winner. Both were equally excellent for different reasons. I score both wines: 97

10/22/2023 - travelme Likes this wine:

Bottle was smooth as silk. Tannins nicely integrated. Great nose and wonderful Mt Veeder dark fruit profile. Loved it. Can’t wait until my next bottle. Drink soon to enjoy at peak unless you like tertiary wine flavor.

5/14/2023 - travelme Likes this wine:

As others stated, this wine is still showing lots of vibrancy and tasted great. Balanced but had a little hint of vanilla still from the oak leading me like others to believe this would have been even better in ten more years. Still a great bottle but sadly my lone bottle of this vintage. Purchased on close out from a local wine shop. They had just a few bottles of this brand (this label and the Chardonnay) left and were selling them at an unbelievable price so I scooped up what they had. Great QPR and wish I would have listened to others and waited a tad longer. All in all a great wine getting better.

4/27/2023 - travelme Likes this wine:

This bottle was outstanding. A great wine shared with friends. Held up well to a single vineyard Aubert. Beautiful nose, fruit, and acid made this wine incredibly balanced and complex. I loved it!

2/10/2023 - Vwwife Likes this wine:

Wow. I picked this one up as a mystery bottle deal and it is a steal. I’m so glad I took a chance. Drinks perfectly right now. We had flank steak with a caper salsa verde and This was perfect with it.

12/2/2022 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

It's been a couple years since I opened one of these and it has progressed nicely. Pop and pour with a perfect balance of tannins and fruit . It continued to improve over the hour it was open (big group). I think it's in the perfect drinking window now but will continue to age well.

6/7/2022 - travelme Likes this wine:

Another great bottle from Sherwin Family. A Cabernet that exuded black and a dark red fruit profile. Wonderful notes of chocolate and Spring Mtn (earthy notes) on the finish. This was a great Cabernet brought to a Ruth Chris wine dinner knowing how excellent and consistent Sherwin Family makes their wines. Never had a bad bottle from the Sherwin Family. Donna who runs there tasting experiences and is the primary customer point of contact truly is the best of the best in the wine industry. Hope to visit them again soon.

1/1/2022 - travelme wrote:

Had this the day after having the same vintage of the Whole Cluster which was the more revered wine by the critics. I preferred this bottle ever so slightly. Had nice dark cherry note with some spices and a slight hint of orange zest on the finish. I really loved it and sad that I only purchased one from the winery a few years ago. Sad to see this program with Carter and Mike Smith come to a close. Most of the wines they produced together both pinots and the Carter Cabs truly were of magnificent quality.

11/25/2021 - travelme wrote:

BobMilton nailed the notes but I had it a point lower if scoring. Bought on auction and wish I had bought more. Floral nose with a nice finish. Paired extremely well with spices. My only bottle and really glad I got to try it. Highly recommend to drink them soon if you have them to taste at or near peak. Great QPR on this and a great expression of the varietal.

4/2/2021 - travelme Likes this wine:

A significant amount of sediment in this bottle and I didn’t have a strainer but this was outright delicious. Acquired a six pack through unusual means (trade) just about a week ago so I wanted to test drive one. Great nose with some floral notes in my Grassl glass. Cherry, spice box, black currents, and acidic balance. Bottle was shared amongst four and disappeared quickly. Glad I have a few more to try again. I have a small vertical and will look to try these again soon.

11/5/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Gifted this bottle by Jen, and we're not really Rose people. I gave it a 92. Carol wanted to give it a 94! I must say, the delicate strawberry here is just wonderful. The most amazing color in the glass, completely gold colored, except for the light peach/watermelon rim extending 1/2 inch into the center of the glass and some faint watermelon on the palate. I simply have never had a Rose comparable to this experience. Ok, I'm upping my score to 93. Ty so much for this wonderful treat, Jen....I owe you!

10/23/2021 - jcampano Likes this wine:

This is a magnificent CS. Howell Mountain fruit with bold floral and black fruit aromas. Blackberry, black cherry, licorice, cedar and spice on the palate. Grippy tannins and a 20-second finish. At $100, I don’t know a wine that can beat it.

7/10/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Absolutely different take on Cali chard. Gently chilled it drinks much differently (very tart apple grapefruit, sauvignon blancy if you will) than when it's really cold (more stony fruited, steely feel) from the fridge. Pnp drinks very differently (again like a SBlanc) than when it has an hour+ air in the glass (with nice florals and less SBlanc-like). The quality of this winemaking is Aubert-like but make no mistake, it is NOT an Aubert in any flavor profile way. Just clean and beautiful...I seem to want to score it like an Olympic Ice Dancing competition....marks for technicals, marks for degree of difficulty and marks for performance, too. I can see this gaining 2-3 points with more time. A very nice wine......glad I have a stash for later!

6/10/2021 - wlcoleman wrote:

Drank with the Shy Society while watching Theron Shaub’s magic show. Magic was awesome and so was this rose. Very chilled for patio drinking on a hot night but just a great minerality and soft strawberry on the nose and palet. Super fun drinker. Will buy more next year.

4/23/2021 - Jazz Nut wrote:

This is sadly my last bottle, but shared with a close friend of 25 years, over good conversation, grilled ribeyes, and vegetables. We started the evening with a 2020 Bedrock Sauvignon Blanc, which was very nice. I talked to Will Segui and he strongly recommended checking in on this 2016, and he was right!

Onto the tasting notes:

I opened the wine and did a 2 hour slow ox. The wine has really come together since the last time I had it, on the nose it displayed dark cherry, floral, and a deep cassis/blueberry note. On the palate the tannins are present but seem to have melted into the fruit, and integrated nicely into a silken weave. The mouthfeel is medium-plus and velvety. Such a classy and expressive wine. The finish is medium/medium long, but again--I think this wine is drinking so well right now. After about 2 hours, the last sips were getting slightly tart/acidic--so perhaps just a pop and pour if you like to evolve over consumption. We finished the night with a 2018 Rivers-Marie Napa Cab, which needs some more time to come together to match the silky and rich William & Mary Cabernet. Bravo Will! I'll be looking to open a 2018 perhaps in the fall.

4/25/2021 - travelme Likes this wine:

My last wine of the evening. Opened and this disappeared so quickly. What a beautiful well made wine. Super smooth and a beautiful nose inviting you to taste the wine. On the palate, I got red cherries, black currants, and hints of olives, oak, and spices that lingered on a beautiful finish. This was exceptional. Glad I have a few more to age for a little.

2/15/2021 - JJB007 Likes this wine:

we really like this wine, but are not ordering more

2/8/2021 - dbay Likes this wine:

Medium ruby. On the nose medium + intensity aromas of blackcurrant, cranberries, black pepper, toast, black cherries, red plums. The wine is dry with medium + acidity, medium + tannins, fine and ripe, medium alcohol, and medium + body. The flavor intensity is medium + with blackcurrant, cranberries, black pepper, toast, black cherries, red plums as well as a distinct mineral note (noted as briny by a prior taster). Interesting, complex, balanced wine. A bit short on the finish. This wine right now seems a bit thin mid palate- but may just a need a few hours to open up.

12/31/2020 - travelme wrote:

This was a wonderful wine in a perfect albeit younger drinking window. I got blackberry and spices amidst a lingering and long finish that lasted a bit. This was an outstanding bottle and sad that it was the only bottle of Upchurch I have ever purchased. Based on this wine's performance, I will look to seek more of this producers wines.

10/3/2020 - travelme Likes this wine:

KennyD nailed the notes and the score although I thought this bottle was absolutely outstanding and ranked it one point higher. A really great friend was kind enough to bestow a bottle upon me for a favor and it was fabulous. My first bottle of Ridgetop and I really enjoyed this bottle. I will seek out additional bottles. Deep cherry flavor profiles with a pronounced long finish.

6/14/2020 - travelme Likes this wine:

From a 375ml, an excellent bottle and still young. I have four more of the 375's and a couple 750's so this was more of a check in. See previous notes. Will try again in two years.

4/3/2020 - Philasinger wrote:

Good but difficult to recommend at the price point at then this time. Maybe a little tight. I have one glass more in the bottle to have with dinner tonight to see how it’s evolving with more air. Certainly seems like it could last for a good deal longer. I’ll save my other bottle for many years in the future.

10/30/2019 - stokeme wrote:

Clearly waited too long to consume 1 of 2. First Bedrock to display almost no fruit on the nose, just muted warm vanillin notes. As it opened there was some low key darker berry & cherry fruit flavors. Nothing overdone anywhere just muted. Some lingering heat, plush palate, soft tannins. Harder to recognize as Zinfandel, more a melange field blend. My take today anyway. Much different with no complexity compared to a recent 2012

8/4/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This drinks at 1.5-2x its price.

8/3/2019 - ledwards wrote:

Rubber on nose. Some sour milk and wet cardboard which all settled down but would not drink or buy another bottle of this for a few years. Likely like an off bottle.

7/2/2019 - fitchbuck wrote:

Decant, pour. Extremely plain-jane as a solo drinker. Then put to the test with a spicy dish ... the true staple of any zin. Again it was mediocre. Don't get the hype here, this is boringly average & over-priced. 86
Night #2: still no nose, and very little fruit or bramble, but a bit of mellowing has turned this into a decent drinker. 88

5/12/2019 - jmull Likes this wine:

Initially a little sweet, but an hour of airtime made a huge difference. Gorgeous red fruit and lively acidity; blind, I might have guessed Tuscany. But it has that varietal spiciness and it finishes with a but of chocolatey oak. My first Bedrock, and I am seriously impressed by this $25 bottle.

3/18/2019 - travelme wrote:

Best bottle so far. Terrific QPR. I have been on a Bedrock Sauv Blanc kick and Rivers-Marie pinot kick. Nice nose with cherry cola, spice box, and a smooth and relaxed finish. No heat at all. Really great wine I opened at a party. Amazing producer and highly recommend all of their wines. Truly exceptional for the price! Looking forward to drinking more of these.

3/7/2019 - COWineLover wrote:

First bottle consumed from a climate controlled cellar at 55 degrees and stored for 7 years. Opened a bottle to try, as I was thinking of gifting a bottle to someone who is retiring. Aromatically this held great promise. Vanilla, creme de cassis, plum, clove, and black raspberry.

On the palate this did not match the aromas. A very tired Cabernet with limp acidity, sour cherry, dried wood, and not much else going on. This finishes with charcoal and iron. Overall a very disappointing wine and a poor value.

Three more bottles remain. After tasting, I would not gift this wine.

1/25/2019 - DoubleD1969 Does not like this wine:

My friend, g-man, have never had Scarecrow (neither have I) and wanted to see what the big deal was.

Good Lord. If I were to drink this blind, I would have guessed an average-below average Amarone. Clearly, there are loads of fruit which seems to appeal to everyone, including myself. But what were off-putting were the excessive vanilla extract and not enough acidity to balance it and the fruit. Bad pairing with ribeye and most other food probably unless you are having panna cotta.

1/22/2019 - mgl wrote:

Delicious. I don't give high ratings easily, but this one is right up there. My husband made most of the comments we had for our wines here on Cellar Tracker. This Scarecrow, was incredibly smooth, full bodied and complex; wish I could remember more of what I felt at the moment. My husband just passed away and I broke this out and had at a luncheon we had for him at his favorite local restaurant to celebrate his life right after services. I did not want to keep waiting to have it. He would have totally approved. Here is to you Honey!

8/22/2017 - travelme Likes this wine:

A beautiful bottle of CA Bordeaux that was super smooth and ready to drink. Really enjoyed this one and glad I have another four to get to over the next 2-4 years. It was excellent. Nice hints of dark fruit, chocolate, and spice box.

8/22/2017 - travelme wrote:

PNP from a 375 on Monday with a few friends to share a quick glass of what I thought would be a wonderful and ready to drink wine. It was beautiful straight out of the bottle for the first ten minutes but then became a little astringent over the next hour. Not sure if it was the 375 talking but this was a slight disappointment overall. Consumed and gone. One of the few bottles I have had over the past year that I would not repurchase. My lone bottle of this producers cabernet that I have tried so I will try another from a 750 to give it a fairer assessment.

7/28/2016 - travelme Likes this wine:

A high quality Syrah consumed a bit early in the evolutionary scale. Beautiful nose with a tad of green on the palate. I think this needs another year or two to be at peak performance as most Syrahs by Bedrock need time. Sad to say it was my only bottle.

8/5/2012 - travelme wrote:

A load of fruit up front on the palate with a heavy dose of cherry and blackberry socking you in the face. Fantastic wine and just can't believe they blend the leftovers to make this wine. Just wonderful wine. Highly recommended and has plenty of legs to last a little longer in my opinion. I don't have any left but recommend it to those who do.

8/1/2013 - travelme Likes this wine:

Popped and poured through Vinturi. Decided to open a half bottle. As another poster mentioned, this was a last minute addition to dinner that was pulled from the cellar after a busy and seemingly never ending work week. This needed some time to open up but after it did it was excellent. You can taste the dark fruit structure (blackberry, cherry, along with hints of molasses and chocolate that add a little sweetness to this one.

Softer tannins than I expected and it was extremely smooth throughout my bottle experience. A nice lengthy pronounced finish that leaves you wanting more of it. Another outstanding Kathryn Hall. One of my favorite cabs....still love the 06 and 08 better than this one but it is darn good. Highly recommended as usual.

Just wish the price had not skyrocketed over the past few years on these since they used to be around $65 for club members before the iconic 08 WS 96 but now sell for $100+ almost everywhere and the 2010 vintage will be $125. All in all though a great wine.