3/8/2023 - Badmonkey wrote:

This wine has continued to improve as it has softened further over the past couple months. Dark ruby fruit - blackberry, currants, dark cherry, and plum. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity and solid depth/concentration. Nice rich/vibrant flavors of baking spices, cocoa, cassis, and plum. Fairly long finish. Popped/poured but drank out of a decanter for a couple hours. Not much improvement with time but drinking quite well at this youthful stage. Once again, I’m amazed what Mike Smith has done with his 2020 entry level cabs in light of all the questions/concerns in regards to the vintage. 93/94. 100% cab.

9/1/2022 - ageverett Likes this wine:

From magnum. Got to breathe for about 3 hours. Drank over two days.

Just a gorgeous expression of Rutherford. Dark red fruit. Long, lingering finish that just sings. Might have been even better on Day 2.

While this is going to cellar nicely, no problems accessing right now.

11/7/2015 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Took to a party. It got about 30 minutes of air before I got into it. This is probably my favorite Mike Smith pinot to date. Has some good depth. Super drinkable. Great smooth finish. Will be interesting to see what the other two vineyards from this label are like.

8/13/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Let breathe under cork for about 2.5 hours. Also opened a 2015 Scarecrow.

The Greer was fantastic - great balance to this wine. Little more purple fruited than the Scarecrow (which trended more red). But still very much a Rutherford wine in the style I love. Tannins not quite as refined as the Scarecrow yet.

Very impressed that this stood toe to toe with it's neighbor. Two great wines on a great night.

8/13/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Got about 2.5 hours of air under cork. Also opened a 2015 Greer.

The Scarecrow was more plush, open knit and red fruited. Plenty of fruit and super smooth on the palate and the finish. Could drink this wine all day and with most any food (or none at all).

The Greer came across with a little more purple fruit and more lithe on the body.

These are both fantastic wines; really impressed that the Greer stood up so well to the Scarecrow.

6/16/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Great stuff. Also popped a 2018 M. Etain and this Carter was the preferred wine. More depth and intrigue . . . had some real "guts" to it.

Fantastic with a Jorge ribeye from Flannery.

5/4/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Splash decant. Opened right up into a stunning wine. Good candidate for an early peak.

11/23/2019 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Continues to be a very special wine. Consistent with my notes from Sept. 2017. Drinking in a great spot.

12/3/2020 - ageverett wrote:

Agree that this really needs some time. Even on Day 2, this hadn't truly come around for us. Patience . . .

1/3/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Stood up for an hour. Got some air under cork for another hour.

Just a stunner. Bright, gorgeous purple fruit. Great balance and finish that left you wanting more. Well paired with filet mignon. Can lay down for a bit, but lovely right now. Exceeded expectations (which were high!).

9/1/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Slow ox for 3 hours. Also had a 2015 Carter Grand Daddy open.

The girls unanimously preferred the Carter. I also slightly preferred it, but think its best days are still ahead.

The Schrader was great and a tick more balanced, although a little less power. A good friend that has been drinking Schrader for years told me a while back that his biggest compliment to Schrader was that he found you could pop one after 2 months, 2 years or 10 years and it would still be on point. As I drink more Schraders (although still pretty rarely), I see where he is coming from. These are gorgeous, and always balanced.

Splitting hairs. Both were great.

11/9/2020 - msuwine wrote:

This ripe and explosive Cabernet blend offers incredible power, complexity, and energy, so much so that it's hard to assess right now. Still, the sheer exuberance of this wine reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about California: as author Carey McWilliams wrote in 1949, “Europeans have long marveled at the driving force, the ‘restless energy,’ of America; but it is only in California that this energy is coeval with statehood…. In California the lights went on all at once, in a blaze, and they have never dimmed.”

This is such a wine, with lights blazing all at once. Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers raw aromas of blueberry pie, black licorice, pencil shavings, and bay leaf. The flavors are more dense and savory, with notes of boysenberry, gravel, espresso, and baking spices, followed by a grainy and layered finish (read: teeth-coating tannins + explosive fruit + underlying acidity = all good, for a wine this young). Blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 4% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. 14.9% alcohol. Decant at least an hour if drinking now, but ideally wait until 2022 or later. 94-95 at the moment, but there's so much upside ahead.

12/12/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Incredible stuff. Stood up for an hour, let breathe under cork for another two hours. Also opened a 2017 Vangone, which is from a neighboring vineyard (but obviously different vintage).

This wine was hitting on all cylinders. Full throttle, but wonderful, harmonious balance on the back end. Fruit was dark red, and some black. Amazing. Went great with a dry aged ribeye.

10/15/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

This is real good stuff. I walked in the door this evening and saw my wife had this open on the counter and said "oh sh**". She apparently thought this was a daily drinker . . . . c'est la vie.

I dumped it into a decanter and opened a CDP while we let this breathe until dinner.

I can only say I wish I had bought more of this when I had the chance. It's great stuff, and will certainly get better. If opening now, give it some air. But in general would wait a couple of years . . . if you can keep your wife/fam/friends from cracking it!!

11/3/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Very nice juice that needs some more time to really round into form. Also opened a 2017 Myriad Elysian Dr. Crane, which opened up quicker and was the slightly preferred wine.

Drank the remaining half + of this bottle on Day 2 and it had opened a little further.

10/2/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

having popped a few of these over the past several weeks, would say this vintage just isn't as "on point" as prior iterations of this wine.

It's good, but not the great value that it has been to us in the past. At this price point, prefer Myriad NV, Pott NV, Quivet NV, Becklyn, etc.

9/11/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Also popped a 2016 vintage of this wine.

The 2017 was a tick more approachable. Didn't need the ribeye as much as the 2016 did. Both were incredible. Not scared to pop another one of these in the near future.

8/15/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

This has arrived at a great spot. Glad we had patience with this bottle. Still has plenty of life in it, but entering maturity window for me.

7/31/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Decanted about 2 hours. Drank over 2 hours.

A skyscraper of a wine. Dark mountain fruit, and has that "scorched Earth" note that I love and have seen in this wine in prior vintages. I'm sure it can cellar for quite some time, but very happy to have taken an early peek. Yum.

6/20/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

One of my favorites, and certainly didn't disappoint in this vintage! Dark red and some black fruit; Rutherford Dust; what's not to love? Gave it a little time to breathe (probably 90 minutes) and it was rocking.

5/15/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

2017 LPV taste off. Memento Mori, Carter "La Verdad," Fait Main and Vice Versa.

This Memento Mori was the WOTN. Most expressive nose, best depth on the palate, smoothest finish. Fabulous wine that was in a great spot. Surely can cellar for a while if desired but really drank well on this night.

5/22/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

2017 LPV taste off. Memento Mori, Carter "La Verdad," Fait Main and Vice Versa.

This Carter and the Fait Main were 2a and 2b. Both big wines that needed food right now. Not as open right now as the MM, which disappeared on Day 1. Carter was certainly better on Day 2 at this stage. See this being better in a few years. That said, great glass with a NY strip right now.

1/1/2020 - msuwine wrote:

This rich, layered, and graceful wine achieves the rare feat of being both incredibly tasty and incredibly unique. I've never tasted a wine like it: there is so much flavor, complexity, and precision - but there is also a rusticity, earthiness, and wildness that are just electric. I enjoyed the 2013 Promontory, but this operates on another level.

Garnet in color and medium in body, the wine explodes with aromas of black cherry, cardamon, lavender, eucalyptus, and dried pine needles. (Really, the nose draws you in: you could be hiking in any leafy and sunny hillside in northern California, and these smells would be there.) If the nose is spicy and herbal, the flavors are more generous, with the rich notes I love in Napa Cabernet (i.e., dense notes of blueberry tart, boysenberry, espresso, graphite) along with an earthy undertone that keeps things - um, kind of literally - grounded (i.e., savory notes of gravel, peppercorn, bay leaf). The finish is lifted and elegant, with fine-grained tannins and a sweet aftertaste (anise?) that goes on and on. 14.8% alcohol.

Call me a caveman, but I enjoy Napa Cabernets that push - but don't exceed - the limits, whether through ripeness, extraction, or power (e.g., Maybach, Bevan). That said, I'm intrigued by those taking the more restrained route - some leaning forward with gusto (e.g., Di Costanzo, Larkmead), some leaning back with asceticism (e.g., Mayacamas, Arnot-Roberts). Like many wines in the Harlan portfolio, Promontory seeks a modern middle ground, but it adds something I've never tasted in a Harlan or Bond: ample fruit, real structure, proper acidity, yes to all that, but there is an unruly underbelly that underlines that you are drinking the result of something that grew somewhere, in the dirt, under the sun, across the seasons.

Of the 1,595 wines I have reviewed over the past five years (?!), only two have received a three-digit score. This is undoubtedly the third. I considered docking this a point for the price, but this is the kind of crazy, ambitious, "off the map" project that is expensive and risky and worthwhile - and because this wine is just that good. I think this has 5-15 years ahead of it, but it is ready to go now. Although my "perfect" wine may be different than yours, I have no doubt that this wine is exceptional. On this night, with this bottle, for this person, it couldn't have been better. Bravo!

3/30/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Just a glorious wine. Gave it a couple of hours to breathe - it was ready for prime time at that point.

While this is a big wine that no doubt can age for years (maybe decades), there is a restraint that makes it very special and even more drinkable. LOVE this stuff.

3/26/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Think I killed a baby here - big wine that deserved more time to breathe. Also had a 2017 Becklyn Napa Valley cab open, which was more accessible. This was powerful, and needed the porterhouse steaks! If popping soon, certainly let it get a few hours of air.

3/6/2020 - sirpat00 wrote:

What an unexpected beast! Ripe red cherry and raspberry, pepper mint, menthol, (sweet) spices and herbs abound preparing you for a round, sweet and sexy, layered, silky nectar and captivatingly spicy palate. Again ripe and multi-dimensional. After a while espresso, roasted coffee beans and black chocolate notes complete the picture. Dense and concentrated, reminded me at times of candy pastilles. I always thought Blankiet Rive Droite at the top of the Napa Merlot league - I stand corrected. Such incredible complexity already for a 2016? I had to smack myself to see if I‘m really awake.

Scrolling now through the peer comments before me I discover that I am well ahead of the pack with my score. Well, it seems everybody else is wrong. But then again I have to admit this was bottle number 4 or so for two of us... maybe I got carried away. Ever one should know the old adage: Tempest in your glass today, tempest in your head tomorrow.

3/14/2020 - sean7711 Likes this wine:

A wine label/brand name I thought was appropriate given this last week.

Opened for 5 hrs and double decanted back into bottle. On night 1, this was still a bit tightly wound, but really shined on night 2 with my last remaining 2 glasses. On night 1, a 2016 Greer outshined this, but that's not to say this wasn't a great wine.

Dark purple fruit (Greer was more ruby red/cherry), intense mouthfeel, nice complexity, a slight minerality streak. Holding my next bottle for 3-5 years and will check in then. Will be hard to resist!

3/15/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine:

Delicious ripe blackberry, cassis, oak, and spice on the nose and silky palate with refreshing tannins on the long finish. Paired well with rib roast.

2/27/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Slow ox for two hours. Also had a 2016 MacDonald and a 2013 William Cole - Oakville Small Lot Series open.

The Scarecrow was just sexy. Mostly red fruit. Baking spices. Rutherford Dust. Classic.

We drank this mostly before dinner; the MacDonald was the big boy that paired best with the ribeyes. Returned to the last half of this bottle after dinner. I wouldn't say it opened up more - but certainly didn't fall off either.

If we didn't also have the MacDonald open, this might have been a 100 for me.

11/1/2019 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote:

Opened in the bottle for 3-5 hours and I thought this killed it from the start. Silky smooth, lighter and more elegant than 12-16. Also higher acidity with a prominent mineral/earth component to it. Obviously still a Myriad so yes it’s packed full off ultra ripe and luxurious fruit. Depth is provided by the usual attack of extracted vanilla, cherry syrup, cassis liqueur, and molten milk chocolate. Like the 2017 Myriad George III this is a major success for the vintage. Needs some time to mellow out but this was hard to put down and only got better with time.

8/18/2019 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Soft decant for an hour. I have had some poor experiences with Caymus in recent vintages (2012-2014) and have stayed away from them. But credit where it's due, this was a good bottle of wine. Got even better after it had been open about 2 hours.

8/31/2019 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Got maybe two hours of air. Went great with steaks.

11/16/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Stood up for an hour. Into duck decanter for about an hour. Drank over 2.5 hours.

This is an interesting wine. The "older" parts of it (that spent extended time in barrel) show through with the oak and sandalwood. And provide for a creamy weight on the palate. The younger parts provide the purple fruit, with a little red.

Was good to have food with this wine. Solid finish that evolved through the night. Overall, while quality juice, just a little off balance.

Certainly unique. Hard to say it was worth the tariff, but something interesting for a one-off experience. Packaging, etc. positions it for a nice gift. But if buying a bottle of wine for myself, I would spend 3 bills on something different.

4/14/2019 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Slow ox for 6 hours. Drank most (5/8) on first night; rest on day 2. Also had 2015 Realm Absurd open.

The Absurd sort of blew us away, so this was a FINE second place finisher. Maybe a little more tight - i can see this getting truly better in a few years. But damn, all of us loved this wine too.

We also had a friend pass from this mortal plane way too young this week (37 years young), but not before he reminded us to Remember to Live. This one is for you, Will. Cheers.

3/25/2019 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Got maybe 30 minutes of air before we dove in. Drank over 3 hours.

We enjoyed this wine - but it's just not as interesting or "excellent" as Realm's other offerings. Or what this wine used to be in past vintages.

This is solid juice that is coming from great vineyards, and in great hands with the Realm team. Maybe it just needs time to "come together" but right now it's just a solid 92-93 wine.

I will likely try another one in the relative near future, and (i) give it more air and (ii) open another wine for direct comparison purposes.

12/25/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine:

A year later, and this guy is even a tick better!

Also had 2016 Carter OG and a 2015 Bevan Wildfoote open.

This was the WOTN. Damn near perfect, and think it can be in the future. What can you say? Delivers on nose (black fruit; graphite); depth, finish, balance. Food also helps, but this will get your attention in any setting.

Was in another class from the Bevan, and a tick better (just more balanced right now) than the 2016 OG.

11/17/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Pretty much pop and pour. Also had 2015 LPVs from Quivet and Carter La Bam open.

This was the preferred wine by myself as well as others. Fruit was more expressive and explosive right out of the chute. Big rush of dark purple fruit and lots of charisma on the nose and palate. Have to also say this had the most well composed finish.

There were a few of us imbibing and this was gone pretty quick. I would not be too scared to open another one in near future, although no doubt this can cellar for a while too.

11/24/2018 - Yack Man Likes this wine:

Grabbed a bottle of 2014 Myriad Cab off the rack, what I thought was a Georges The Third, popped and oops, oh well! This experience started with a captivating dark purple color a fragrant lavender nose. On the pallet, nice ripe blue and blackberry fruit intensity, really nice fruit purity, cream de cassis, opulent with smooth tannins. This is a quality Cab that is at a very good drinking point and that is sure to impress those who like a big, fruit forward, contemporary in style Napa Valley Cabernet. 96.6 points, and perhaps a solid 97 points with a decanting.

5/18/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Quick double decant. Drank over a couple of hours.

Immediately a beautiful wine, vibrant purple fruits and crushed gravel. Love the balance and acidity here - went smashingly with steak frites and a peppercorn sauce.

Wouldn't be too scared to open another one of these in the near term, this showed quite nicely.

5/29/2018 - jviz wrote:

Showed great tonight. A little blackberry pie with cocoa finish, some pencil lead. Nice plush texture that shines through after maybe an hour from opening. This was really good but I think I favor Rivers Marie for $20 less

8/1/2018 - bubbachumps wrote:

I had 2 so popped one on my birthday. Ridiculous wine and hard to put into words. Decanted 10 hours and consumed immediately. Incredible notes of blueberries, violets, cassis and a touch of charcoal. Amazing texture in the mouth and one of my favorite aspects to this wine. Incredible purity, sophistication and seamless-ness. Hard to believe this can get any better, but it will. One of the 2 best wines that I have had all year, the other was 2013 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard.

8/5/2018 - csimm wrote:

Bevan 2017 barrel samples and 2016 wines: Barrel sample. The Sage Canyon “lot 27” Cabernet Sauvignon sample was packed with gorgeous red and purple plum, baking spices, and black and red raspberry flavors that completely coated the palate with an unctuous mouthfeel; a textural dream, already showing a seamlessness akin to the 2017 Wildfoote. This may have the ability to perform well shortly after it reaches bottle. Promising stuff.

95-96++ points

8/4/2018 - csimm wrote:

Sine Qua Non (SQN) Magnum Extravaganza + Bevan, Mike Smith, Sparkling/Champagne, and others (Calistoga): Funky yellow citrus, quince, chalk, seaweed, bruised lemon rind, and some wet hay. An interesting display of flavors across the palate, offering a unique complexity certainly not seen with domestic sparklers. The finish was almost like walking along a foggy shoreline when the tide has gone out. It’s a cool and saline-driven experience, but with a little funk from the receding seawater.

This is certainly not the slap of yellow lemon juice the way some local BdBs can present themselves. Thankfully, this is a little bit of a departure from the usual. I’m not necessarily sold on this wine as the second coming of Christ just yet, but I did enjoy it quite a bit. This was firing-off more generously than the 2012 Ultramarine served beside it.

The 2010 is drinking fine now, but another year could prove beneficial. 93-94+? points.

8/3/2018 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

From my favorite vineyard, one of my favorite labels, one of my favorite winemakers and certainly the best buy in Napa. My 1st taste of Quivet's first venture with Las Piedras Vineyard from 2012. I remember Mike Smith telling me that there was very little of this made, and I have been on the hunt for some bottles in the secondary market ever since.

Purple, red and black in the glass, with really nice smell of red, black and blue fruit. Vanilla and mineral notes throughout, very well made, integrated tannins and a backbone that has a very long finish. For anyone who has this, it is drinking beautifully right now.

7/30/2018 - csimm wrote:

This seems to have lost quite a bit of drive since I last recall. Displayed some nice saturated red raspberry, ripe red/black cherry, and citrus rind notes, but there was nothing to propel the flavors forward. It was kind of an “all dressed up and nowhere to go” experience... A gaggle of Vegas-bound gals with spray-painted skirts whose limo never showed up to take ‘em to the strip.

Drink now, before it totally muddles-out.

7/30/2018 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

Woah, this is quite a wine. The biggest, baddest Grenache I have ever tasted. Hugely concentrated mostly red fruit hits you in waves as soon as it touches the pallet. Tons of raspberry, strawberry, black cherry and asian spices and a bit of black tar. This one seems to go on forever, with nicely integrated tannins and big time structure. This will last a long time. Don't think this varietal can get much better.

8/1/2018 - csimm wrote:

Refer to my previous novellas I’ve written regarding this wine, as they still apply here for the most part.

I had the 2014 “standard” Myriad Crane the day before. This Elysian was more elevated in terms of complexity and concentration. Consumed over two days. The second day was richer and displayed some chocolate chunk flavors I hadn’t really experienced before with this wine. Nice!

Like the other Crane, this Elysian could use to hang out in bottle another year or two before I plan on taking it for another spin. I’ll try to hold until after 2020/2021. 96++ points.

7/24/2018 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine:

This is summer in a glass. Sensational for this 100degree TX heat! What a wonderful medley of sweet fruits from peach & nectarine to mango & guava with a rich mid palate lifted by the Riesling (more dry style). Gives it a nice limestone note. The nose and palate actually reminded me of some of the high quality TX SauvBlancs, with just a more rich and full mid palate.

6/20/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Quick double decant then dove right in. Drank over about an hour.

For the first time with an M. Etain, I was not elated. It's good juice, just not in line with prior vintages for me. I think I've had every vintage going back to 2009, and pretty much always 94-96 for me (even in their infancy). This fell a little short of the mark.

Palate was not as velvety; came across more thin. Couldn't really pick up the typical Rutherford Dust. Tannins really need some time to resolve - left your mouth super dry.

Think I probably killed a baby here, and will leave other bottle of this vintage in the cellar for several years.

1/29/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine:

Opened to celebrate the first trip around the sun with our beautiful daughter, Alexandra.

Really a lovely champagne. Super fine bubbles and very creamy texture. Brioche. Touch of vanilla, but not sweet at all. Disappeared quickly and thoroughly enjoyed.