12/29/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This is a stunning and pure wine that is every bit as good as it was three years ago, when I tasted it during the early stages of the pandemic (3/20 - 95 points), back when we thought it would all be over by Spring Break (hey, at least I was right about the wine!). Tonight, this Coomsbville Cabernet made me think about how we treat the dichotomy between "Old World" and "New World." To be sure, this wine has a pure, savory, and integrated profile that is entirely of the Old - perhaps with a trace of California sunshine, but none of the woodsy and pushy sweetness that can characterize Napa (especially in 2015).

To explore this point, tonight we opened two other Napa 2015s, and the Di Costanzo wiped the floor with both of them. A Carter Three Kings seemed like a fruity concoction in comparison, and a Blankiet Paradise Hills, even with more glide than the Carter, still had a sugary finish. Sensing a rout, I opened a 2015 Latour Paulliac, which cut through the noise with a Zen-like precision (no sugar, no wood, just peace). Even compared to its (unlikely) brethren, though, the Di Costanzo was a touch more enjoyable, given its buoyancy and depth (without centuries of history, it does have to try harder).

And that brings me back to my original point. There is a real difference between Old World and New, but it's more than just a sum of its parts. Yes, the Old World has its adjectives - and for this wine it would be leather, olives, gravel, and blackberry - but there is something more than the descriptors. And, no, this is not a question of a dot on a map, or an ABV number, or a name on the label. This Old World wine came from the New World. Instead, it’s a matter of integration, purity, and class - things as hard to define as they are to create. And this wine has all those things, and it is exceptional.

11/16/2023 - msuwine wrote:

Kinsman has done it again. This wine is exceptional: elegant, complex, and delicious. I wasn't entirely sure how Nigel's style would translate to the world of white wines, but it's safe to say that the kids are going to be all right: this wine is both sophisticated and drinkable - nuanced enough to reward attention, but balanced enough not to demand it.

And, now, we interrupt this tasting note for a story about speakers.

Compulsive types migrate to areas that involve lots of precision (along with intricate hierarchies, disposable income, and verbosity, but I digress); safe to say, the worlds of vinofiles and audiophiles overlap. But what makes a speaker good? It's not just the ability to pump up the volume. No, it's the ability to provide clarity and range - to translate the breath in the trumpet, the brush on the drums, and the fingers on the piano. (I'm not listening to Birth of the Cool; you're listening to it.)

For the past few years, I've started to think domestic whites resemble Bose speakers - lots of bass, lots of treble, not much mid-range. This has particularly been true with domestic Sauvignon Blanc, where the extremes seem to rule: either it's a pungent hipster Kiwi-wannabe that takes the enamel off your teeth, or (more likely) it's a blowsy mix of citrus, wet-grass, and wood, with the only question being whether you're tasting cedar, oak, or pine bark. Aside from a few exceptions (e.g., Accendo, Massican, Spottswoode), I've given up on domestic SB. In a sensation familiar to many middle-age wine lovers, I've even started to feel an inner Frenchman coming to the fore, asking me to don a beret and condescend to my country for offering so much noise - and so little nuance.

Enter Aisana. Light yellow in color and medium in body, the wine offers inviting aromas of lemon rind, orange clementine (a/k/a Cuties), and white flowers. The flavors are fresh and integrated, with notes of lime zest, dried mango, and quince, followed by a lively and open-knit finish that glides more than it bites (really, your teeth and esophagus are safe; there are no acidic edges here). The balance is just remarkable: it's hard for any wine to be both understated and original (much less a SB from eastern Oakville), but this is both. 13.7% alcohol.

This wine is an unexpected delight. My only concern is that my bottles may not last through the end of the year, but this (like audio quality) is a first-world problem. Here’s hoping that all our holiday concerns are so enjoyable!

6/14/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This savory and dense interpretation of this vineyard is incredible, just starting to open up now - but with years to go before it sleeps. To me, you haven't tasted the Sleeping Lady Vineyard until you've tasted this wine. Working with a different clone (22) and more intense and layered than other wines from this site (e.g., Fait-Main, Ad Vivum), the Anjea is just starting to open up - but it's an absolute original.

Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers enveloping aromas of black cherry, fresh leather, baking spices, eucalyptus, and peppercorn. (And this list is not exhaustive, since the aromas shift and surprise as time goes on.) The flavors are more coiled, with notes of mountain blackberry (read: fruit + seeds), graphite, ground rosemary, and espresso bean, followed by a dusty and dense finish. 14.7% alcohol. Decant 2-3 hours if opening now, but ideally wait until 2025 or later (and open a 2016 Rhad or Accendo in the meantime).

With his work at his namesake label, not to mention Accendo, Bella Oaks, and others, Nigel is among my favorite winemakers working in Napa today. His wines are dense and ripe, but also savory and earthy, creating a tension and depth that are utterly compelling. (They remind me of Brad Grimes' work at Abreu, with perhaps a bit more polish, but that is the loftiest of company in my book.) After a proper decant, 95-96 right now, but the sky is the limit in a few years.

6/13/2023 - msuwine wrote:

If Napa appellations were a party, Dr. Crane would be where it's at. To Kalon would be for the lookie-loos: those who want to see and be seen, striking a pose for folks driving by on 128. Piedras would be for the nerds: those who snort the soil and debate the dirt, oblivious to the suburban surroundings. Maybe some other vineyards would be vying for hipster status (e.g., riper, cooler, whatever), but Crane would be for the fun people. Setting aside the school and playground nearby, it is a place for pleasure, for those who eat the fruit at its ripest, or at least go down the slide head first.

Even within that setting, this wine goes one more. It's the guest who never wants the party to end, who passes out on your couch or barfs in your backyard. In other words: this wine is too much of a good thing. Dark red in color and full in body, it offers brandy-like aromas of blueberry pie, cherry liqueur, and milk chocolate. The flavors are similarly boozy, with notes of sour cherry and mocha-chino-something (as long as it's sweet), followed by a pleasant and lifted finish - a redeeming end to a debaucherous wine. 15.1% alcohol.

So, thumbs down for me. I say this with some sadness, as I was an ardent fan of Mike's wines at his own label and Carter in the period leading up to this vintage. Maybe it's me, or him, or the fluid, or the vintage, or the stars - but this wine seems more like Caymus than Crane, and it just doesn't taste that good, at least to me. Drink whenever, but count me out.

6/13/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and savory second wine is drinking fine right now, but I won't seek it out again (even at the $100-ish price point). Dark red and medium in body, the wine offers glossy aromas of black cherry and cardamon (read: not much there there). The flavors are similarly competent and mundane (adjectives I often reach for, perhaps unfairly, when describing an Andy Erickson wine), with notes of blueberry, cocoa, and pepper, followed by a dusty and brief finish. I'd dislike this wine more if it were more expensive - so I guess that's a plus - but this bottle is, in a word, forgettable. Blend of 52% Cab Sauvignon, 39% Cab Franc, and 9% Petit Verdot. 14.4% alcohol.

6/12/2023 - msuwine wrote:

I'm plainly a CT outlier in loving this wine... but I love this wine. Yes, it's the value ($75 direct), the accessibility (imagine, a Veeder wine ready to drink before you die!), and the longevity (still going strong in the five-ish years since I tasted it last (11/18 - 94-95 points), with no sign of slowing down). More than anything else, though, it's the flavor ("what's in the glass," as the cliche goes): wild + generous, bright + rounded, peppery + ripe, this is a Napa mountaintop in all its glory.

Purple red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of sour cherry, peppercorn, pencil lead, and dried oregano. The flavors are more rounded, with notes of mountain boysenberry (read: fruits + seeds), coffee bean, and fresh leather, with a buoyant but earthy finish that bristles with acidity (and a pleasant note of trail dust). Blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc, and 3% Malbec. 14.5% alcohol.

I had the Lokoya version of this wine a few years ago, and it was slightly more impressive (but it was also 4 times more expensive). QPR math always gets fuzzy, but this wine provides a chance - at the fraction of the flagship price - to taste the same winemaker working for the same company in the same appellation. Although the Lokoya should be (and is) better, the Mt. Brave, humble as it might seem, is damn good... and, on this night, fantastic. I'll hold my other bottles until 2027 or later.

6/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

How many Russell Bevan Cabernets does one guy need? It’s a question I’ve asked myself over the past 10 years, as Bevan’s empire has grown not only within his namesake product (10+ vineyards and counting) but also as he conquers new labels as a winemaker (e.g., Carter, PerUs, Lerner). This question is more important because Russell's style is the opposite of shy: without a doubt, his wines will provide inky aromatics, big fruit, silky tannin, nice acidity… boozy within (some) limits…similar chords, no matter the site. I do not worship at the altar of dirt, but Bevan leaves a mark, as do others in the Valley (e.g., Mike Smith, Kirk Venge, TRB, Benoit). I like - and buy - many of these wines, but they bear the brand of their maker. To repeat the question, how many versions of the same thing do you need?

To test this proposition - in a very small way - I opened two bottles Russell Bevan made from the 2016 vintage, a PerUs Alessio and a Bevan SugarLoaf. Both were juicy, sweet, silky, and tasty. Both lacked notes that were savory, earthy, or non-confectionary. The Bevan was better (and cheaper), but both tasted, more or less, the same - not identical, but similar. In other words, Bevan's wines seem like Maroon 5’s songs: the lead voice is so distinctive, they all sound the same. If you like it, great - but there’s no need to buy (or listen to) more than a few.

- PerUs Alessio. Dark red in color; full in body; aromas of boysenberry tart, milk chocolate, and rock candy. Flavors of blueberry, mocha-chino, and black licorice, with a sweet finish that has enough acidity to go for awhile (but not enough tannin to keep things interesting).The label says that this $300 wine is “established by a group of passionate people with the belief that life is not defined by material possession, but by the relationships.” As I barf in my mouth about this HBS self-importance - do the “relationships” pay for the wine or is it the carried interest loophole? - I confess to seeing this bottle as being as soulless as it is confectionary. Blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cab Franc, and 15% Merlot. 15.2% alcohol. 90 right now, even if I ignore the label. First time - and last time - purchase.

- Bevan Sugarloaf. I loved this wine a few years ago (9/20 - 95 points), but tonight it seems like - and context is king - part of a Willy Wonka experience. Similarly dark in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry pie, Hershey bar, and cocoa powder. The flavors sing the same tune (oompa?), with notes of cherry ice cream, fresh leather, and peppercorn, with a pleasant finish. The 55% Cab Franc provides ballast against the juiciness of this vintage, along with 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. 14.7% alcohol. 92+ right now, but I suspect it will be better in a few years.

To be a bit counter-intuitive, the point of my review here is less qualitative and more quantitative. These wines are tasty, within a certain category - but there is a rate of diminishing returns to buying wines made by the same guy with different labels. I do enjoy Russell Bevan wines, but I need about 6 per vintage… not 20. And, if I had to make a recommendation after tasting many in his portfolio over the years, I’d err towards his own label… and, even within that, go with the Ontogeny. At $100 of pure fruit goodness, you’re in pop music gold - Moves like Jagger, go with the flow, and don’t sweat the small stuff...

6/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

How many Russell Bevan Cabernets does one guy need? It’s a question I’ve asked myself over the past 10 years, as Bevan’s empire has grown not only within his namesake product (10+ vineyards and counting) but also as he conquers new labels as a winemaker (e.g., Carter, PerUs, Lerner). This question is more important because Russell's style is the opposite of shy: without a doubt, his wines will provide inky aromatics, big fruit, silky tannin, nice acidity… boozy within (some) limits…similar chords, no matter the site. I do not worship at the altar of dirt, but Bevan leaves a mark, as do others in the Valley (e.g., Mike Smith, Kirk Venge, TRB, Benoit). I like - and buy - many of these wines, but they bear the brand of their maker. To repeat the question, how many versions of the same thing do you need?

To test this proposition - in a very small way - I opened two bottles Russell Bevan made from the 2016 vintage, a PerUs Alessio and a Bevan SugarLoaf. Both were juicy, sweet, silky, and tasty. Both lacked notes that were savory, earthy, or non-confectionary. The Bevan was better (and cheaper), but both tasted, more or less, the same - not identical, but similar. In other words, Bevan's wines seem like Maroon 5’s songs: the lead voice is so distinctive, they all sound the same. If you like it, great - but there’s no need to buy (or listen to) more than a few.

- PerUs Alessio. Dark red in color; full in body; aromas of boysenberry tart, milk chocolate, and rock candy. Flavors of blueberry, mocha-chino, and black licorice, with a sweet finish that has enough acidity to go for awhile (but not enough tannin to keep things interesting).The label says that this $300 wine is “established by a group of passionate people with the belief that life is not defined by material possession, but by the relationships.” As I barf in my mouth about this HBS self-importance - do the “relationships” pay for the wine or is it the carried interest loophole? - I confess to seeing this bottle as being as soulless as it is confectionary. Blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cab Franc, and 15% Merlot. 15.2% alcohol. 90 right now, even if I ignore the label. First time - and last time - purchase.

- Bevan Sugarloaf. I loved this wine a few years ago (9/20 - 95 points), but tonight it seems like - and context is king - part of a Willy Wonka experience. Similarly dark in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry pie, Hershey bar, and cocoa powder. The flavors sing the same tune (oompa?), with notes of cherry ice cream, fresh leather, and peppercorn, with a pleasant finish. The 55% Cab Franc provides ballast against the juiciness of this vintage, along with 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. 14.7% alcohol. 92+ right now, but I suspect it will be better in a few years.

The point of my review here is less qualitative than quantitative. These wines are tasty, within a certain category - but there is a rate of diminishing returns to buying wines made by the same guy with different labels. I do enjoy Russell Bevan wines, but I need about 6 per vintage… not 20. And, if I had to make a recommendation after tasting many in his portfolio over the years, I’d err towards his own label… and, even within that, go with the Ontogeny. At $100 of pure fruit goodness, you’re in pop music gold - Moves like Jagger, go with the flow, and don’t sweat the small stuff...

6/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This pleasant and plump Cabernet is still stuck in the Neverland of the 2016 vintage, where the fruit shines bright - and the wines never grow up. Maybe it's unfair to impugn this wine with my doubts about the 2016 vintage, but it bears them out. To sum up, this offers a pleasant - but far from profound - drinking experience at the $75 mark.

Cherry red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of maraschino cherry, strawberry shortcake, and tumbleweed. The flavors are similarly straightforward, with notes of blueberry pie, anise, and Turkish coffee, with a finish showing more sugar than tannin (though both are present). 14.9% alcohol. More simple and less energetic than in its youth (12/18 - 93+).

By way of context, this held its own with two 2016 Russell Bevan concoctions (PerUs and Sugarloaf), but the whole vintage tastes like a candy store to me at the moment. So, maybe the VV is the section with the peanut butter cups, and Bevan is in charge of the section with the Smarties... but the whole thing is just not my scene.

5/23/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This lively and layered mountain blend is drinking well right now, though I suspect a few more years will smooth its remaining edges. Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry, graphite, and dried pine needles. The flavors are more generous, with notes of black cherry, espresso, and bay leaf (and other baking spices), with a bright finish showing refreshing acidity and dusty tannin. Blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cab Franc, 3% Merlot, 2% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. 15% alcohol. Decant at least an hour if drinking now.

It's hard to drink this wine and not think of Howell Mountain (e.g., rustic but open-knit, with notes of trail dust and spice). This makes some sense given the elevation (1000+) and longitude (a few miles north and west, but still relatively landlocked and warm). Tonight I preferred a 2014 Morlet Passionement, which showed more roundness and depth (befitting the Oakville site from which it came), but this is a good vintage for Morlet all around. 95 at the moment, with upside in 2025 or later.

5/17/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This pleasant and ripe Pinot is less viscous than when I tasted it last year (1/22 - 92 points), but it still tastes candied and a bit straightforward - a Peter Pan of a wine that refuses to grow up. To my palate, this could be any Russian River Pinot (I know it's from SC, but its broad and fruity nature resembles the RRV) made by a decent producer (e.g., Williams-Selyem, Rivers-Marie). For $125 at the seven-year mark, though, I expected (much) more. Like a child of Lake Wobegon, this wine seems above average, if only slightly so.

Light cherry in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of sour cherry and raspberry, with perhaps a tertiary note of gravel if I smell hard enough (on second thought, nope, it's not there). The flavors include candied walnut, dried strawberry, and anise seeds, followed by a sweet and lifted finish. 14.1% alcohol. Like many domestic Pinots, this seems stuck in time, with bright fruit and little nuance... a beauty queen years after the pageant, still clinging to its past glory, having added nothing in the interim. Maybe wait a few years, but this isn't a wine I'll seek out again.

5/16/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This wine is miles ahead of its 2019 Eastside brethren (a wine I tasted yesterday and today), with the Hyde showing more precision, freshness, and energy in the early going. I’m not casting a verdict on both wines as to all time, but the Hyde is drinking better right now. Generous but tense, it’s a fantastic Chardonnay at the moment (and, I suspect, in the making).

Light gold in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of lime peel, hazelnut, and quince. The flavors are nervy but harmonic, with notes of orange marmalade, praline, and saline, with an energetic and integrated finish. 15.2% alcohol. From a cooler climate site in Carneros, this shows the precocity of youth: to quote Fitzgerald, it offers “only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” 96 right now, with upside in another few years.

5/15/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This tropical and viscous wine is delicious right now - in a how-high-can-you-jump kind of way - though I expect it will develop more precision with time. Hearkening back to ye olden days of stereo equalizers, this currently tastes like the teenager's impulse to turn all the knobs up all the way - more treble, more base... just more. The more mature listener recognizes the need to balance things out - higher here, lower there, a matter of balance. In other words, this wine will get there, but it's a noisy adolescent at the moment.

Light gold in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of cantaloupe, praline, and pear. The flavors are more impressionism than realism (read: broad but not precise), with notes of lemon meringue, almond cake, and vanillin. The finish has an acidic punch and coiled aftertaste that begs for another year or two. Right now it's like an impressive first draft that hasn't met the editor's pen, but time will surely make this draft sing. 15.1% alcohol. Decant two hours if drinking now, but ideally wait until 2025. 93-94 at the moment. More integrated and relaxed on second day.

5/9/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This full and sweet wine has lost the complexity and push it showed in its its youth (3/18 + 6/19 - 96 points). Was it the reviewer? Was it the moment? Was it the vintage? Yes... yes to all of that. Lately, I've often found disappointment in the 2015 vintage, however charming it was in its youth (especially to this, at the time, youthful reviewer, who realized enough discretionary income to start exploring the wide world of Napa Cabernet). As of the present - like some kind of adolescence that never ends - the elbows and cowlicks are showing, especially with this wine. It shares the edges and astringency of many of its 2015 brethren, but it adds that hint of TRB powdered sugar that makes it all, to me, less than exciting.

Dark purple in color and medium in body, the wine smells of black cherry, mocha, and black licorice. The flavors are similarly forward, with notes of blueberry pie, espresso, and anise. The finish shows the downside of "tannin management," since what seemed calibrated in its youth (zippy, starchy) is now flabby in its (premature) middle age - think Arnold on Venice Beach, and (on an accelerated time frame) Arnold now. 14.7% alcohol. The hopeful can wait a few more years, but I plan to serve this to friends who don't know any better. Whatever the reason(s), this wine no longer belongs near "the good stuff."

5/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This dense and primary mountain Cabernet still needs another few years in order to soften and integrate. It's tasty and complex - almost too much so at the moment - but it's too young to open right now. The Colgin was all elbows and potential, especially in comparison to a more seamless and integrated 2014 Harlan Maiden tasted on the same night.

Purplish black in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blackcurrant, espresso, and pencil lead. Flavors of boysenberry, coffee bean (more dark roast than light), and gravel, with a grainy and tannic finish. 15.2% alcohol. 94 at the moment, but this has three-digit potential at the 10-year mark. Give it (a lot of) time.

5/4/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This open-knit and citrusy mountain Chardonnay resembles an appellation-level Puligny Montrachet: no fireworks of flavor - it almost seems a bit reduced - but there is a tasty seamlessness. Like an agreeable but somewhat forgettable dinner guest (was he there that night?), this is pleasant but vague at the same time.

Light yellow in color; medium in body; aromas of lemon meringue, peach, and praline. Flavors of key lime, wet grass, and quartz, with a zippy and kind of watery finish. 12.1% alcohol. Drink now if you're looking for fruit (of which there is little); wait if you're looking for integration (towards which this wine is already heading). 92-93 at the moment.

4/28/2023 - msuwine wrote:

The kitchen-sink white blend is always hard to judge, especially when it’s made in the SQN style. Although I do not worship at the altar of typicity, I kept trying to compare this wine to something. At times, it tasted like an oaky Sauvignon Blanc (viscous but grassy) or a leaner Sauternes (sweet but nervy). As with any SQN, the adjectives come easy: this is thick, flavorful, nutty, energetic, and oily.

Is it good? Sort of, but it's quite messy, especially at this price point (and at the five-year mark). Set aside the rarity and reputation and whatever else: I'd rather spend this money on a Premier Cru Puligny-Montrachet or Aubert Lauren, something more fresh and elegant (as opposed to baked and clunky). Maybe this needs more time, but at the moment it just seems like a fifth-grade point guard dribbling in all directions - lots of motion, but little progress.

The wine is banana yellow in color with a mouthfeel that is half-and-half fulsome. The aromas are somewhat muted, with notes of honeydew, beeswax, and marzipan, and the flavors are integrated, offering apricot, buttered toast, peanut brittle, and lemon rind, with a briny and zingy finish (think orange juice). Blend of 38% Chardonnay, 25% Viognier, 22% Roussanne, 9% Muscat, and 6% Petit Manseng (with some unquantifiable % of WTF). 15.2% alcohol.

Tasty but idiosyncratic, this is less a wine than a cocktail (i.e., a blend of disparate pieces). Perhaps my palate is too small to taste the multitudes; perhaps I unfairly prefer purity over drama; perhaps this is Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3... but right now it sounds like a teenager banging on the piano. 91+ at the moment, but give it another few years.

4/21/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This wine is marvelous right now, with spicy and layered aromas, deep and subtle fruit, and an integrated and elegant finish. I loved it seven years ago (5/16 - 95 points), but this is even better now. I tasted this along with a 2009 Hundred Acre Deep Time - a sleek and compelling (though way more expensive) wine in its own right - but the Larkmead had the edge tonight, offering that old-time Napa religion... that is (more than) good enough for me.

Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blackberry, fresh leather, red pepper flakes, and pencil lead. If the bouquet leans back, the flavors lean forward, with delicious and mature notes of black cherry, espresso grounds, grilled zucchini, peppercorn, and gravel, followed by an integrated and spicy finish. 14.7% alcohol. Blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16% Malbec, and 5% Merlot (with the Cab Franc and Malbec showing through now, in a good way). Decant for an hour or two. Drink in next few years.

P.S. Hats off to SF, whose 2022 review convinced me to open my last bottle tonight. He's completely right about the "dash of salinity," the food-friendly nature of the wine, and the experience of tasting the wine as "completely compelling." I love the early-era Larkmead wines, with Andy Smith and Dan Petroski figuring things out, balancing Napa sunshine with Old World restraint.

3/21/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and generous Pinot hit its stride at the three-hour mark, with a warmth that was pleasant but not enchanting. Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, anise, and rhubarb. The flavors are less blowsy, with notes of ripe strawberry, raspberry, and bay leaf, with a finish that is neither sweet nor lengthy. 14.3% alcohol.

On another note: huh, what, aren't there supposed to be tertiary notes at the eight-year mark? I don’t think this has really developed or matured over eight years, but it shows no sign of falling apart, either. Serve this to folks who drink Kosta Browne, and they will love it (because it is better, while still being ripe). For me, this is more defined by what it isn't - it’s not confectionary, but it’s not nuanced, and it’s not worth it. Meh… defensible, but not exciting.

3/21/2023 - msuwine wrote:

Reviews of Burgundy often seem to abide by a librarian’s code: one must proceed in hushed tones with veiled descriptors, always treasuring the possible as opposed to the present. Should someone deign to quantify the experience, the score should never drop below 91 nor exceed 93, since weary condescension is welcome, but enthusiasm (much less joy) is not. At best, excitement is premature (pleasure always being better deferred than realized) or, at worst, immature (who are you to say this is good now, when maybe it might be better later, as foretold by the ancient blood lines of the owners of this sacred dirt and/or the price on the secondary market). When it comes to such reviews, whimpers are welcome; anything else is nouveau riche.

OK, now that I got that off my chest: this wine is fantastic. Light red in color and medium in body, it offers aromas of raspberry, dried strawberry, sandstone, and dried herbs. The flavors are similarly earthy and elegant, with notes of sour cherry, pomegranate, oregano, and rose petals, with a lifted and elegant finish (more Chambolle than Gevry, but I'm not complaining). Decant at least an hour. 13.5% alcohol. Drink whenever, but this seems to have opened up in a way that is incredible (yup, there goes the American with all those adjectives…).

3/13/2023 - msuwine wrote:

A Drive on Spring Mountain: Similarly dark in color and full in body as the 2006, the 2016 offers more lively aromas of boysenberry (seeds and all), fresh leather, and white flowers. The flavors are lively, with notes of sour cherry, underbrush, oregano, and bay leaf, followed by a grippy and lifted finish. 15% alcohol. 94-95 at the moment, but the best is yet to come: open in 2025 or later with confidence. If drinking now, decant at least two hours.

3/13/2023 - msuwine wrote:

A Drive on Spring Mountain: Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers settled aromas of black cherry, milk chocolate, and pencil lead. The flavors are integrated and rich, with notes of blueberry, espresso, and peppercorn, followed by a settled and round finish. 14.9% alcohol. 93+ at the moment, but I’d drink in the next few years. Decant about an hour.

3/13/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This integrated and minty Cabernet blend is a bit past its prime, but it's tasty and intriguing nonetheless. Like watching a familiar movie, I see certain landmarks - e.g., the dill from the American Oak, the damp and spicy notes from the Santa Cruz Mountains - but this wine deserves to be tasted as of this moment. Some wines get old; others mature: this has done both, but, as of right now, it's a wine worth drinking.

Pomegranate in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, eucalyptus, oregano, and tapenade. The flavors meld together, with seamless notes of dried blueberry, leather, and peppercorn, with a savory finish that has lost some of its verve. Blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cab Franc. 12.9% alcohol. Give it an hour or so to open up, and do mind the sediment. Drink in the next few years.

3/12/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and layered Cabernet is drinking beautifully in the early going, with the kind of restraint you don't find often find when Crane is on the label. I've tasted - and appreciated - the younger hands working with this vineyard (e.g., Smith, Bevan, Kaplan, Touquette), but Hobbs succeeds by going in a different direction: yes, the fruit shows through - but in an earthy, balanced, and structured kind of way. In other words, it's classy and kind of Old World... but still Dr. Crane delicious.

Dark cherry in color and full in body, the wine offers pungent aromas of blackberry, espresso, graphite, and gravel. The flavors are powerful but elegant, with notes of boysenberry, mocha, leather, and tapenade, with a grainy and lively finish (that bears none of the sweetness sometimes found in more modern interpretations).14.8% alcohol. I know this isn't a new wine or winery, but damn it's tasty. 95-96 at the moment, with upside in 2025 and later.

3/12/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This ripe but silky Cabernet is a good representative of the Hundred Acre style - this isn't billed as a second wine, but it bears more than a passing resemblance to the flagship Kayli Morgan (i.e., rich, airy, floral, goes down so easy, despite the 15.5% alcohol - Cabernet depth and flavor + Pinot aromatics and texture). This needs another few years, but it's not ridiculous (by Napa standards) at the $125 mark.

Magenta in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry peel, pencil lead, and violet. The flavors need a few hours to develop, with notes of black cherry, cocoa powder, and anise, followed by an elegant and lifted finish (a HA staple if there is one). Blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with other varietals. 93+ at the moment, but I expect it will develop more complexity by 2025 or so.

3/8/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This wine has still got it, but the "it" is different than when the wine topped out my scale five years ago (2/18 - 100 points). Has the wine changed? Yes, as it now seems more integrated but also more saturated. Have my expectations changed? Yes, as I hope for more development and nuance from a wine in its eighth year as opposed to its third. Have I changed? Yes, as I find myself (cliche alert!) looking for more purity and freshness, even in my valley floor Napa Cabernets. Should I stop asking myself questions and describe the wine? Yes, yes, indeed.

Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers heady aromas - so thick it's almost like a fog - with notes of blackberry, milk chocolate, cherry liqueur, and pencil lead. The flavors are similarly fulsome, tasting of black cherry, mocha, and cedar, with a sweet and viscous finish. 14.9% alcohol. Maybe wait another year or two, but - after having four of these over the years - I predict that this will be a full-throttle wine until the moment it turns into vinegar.

This wine has not broken down, but I'm not sure it's developed, either. It's almost like running into a good friend from high school who never left town: five years later, he is still nice and engaging, but he's still doing the same things in the same place. Like some kind of Peter Pan, this wine seems stuck in a youthful and joyous posture - fruit, power, repeat - but it is still quite tasty and quite impressive. Perhaps Neverland isn't so bad of a place to be after all…

3/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This layered and dense wine needs a few more years, but it is tasty nonetheless. More chiseled than a 2018 Leroux Vosne-Romanee tasted on the same night, this is a bit closed right now, but it is bursting with potential. Dark cherry in color; medium in body; aromas of raspberry, pomegranate, rose petals, and gravel. The flavors are elegant, especially after a few hours, with notes of dried strawberry, sour cherry, and rhubarb, followed by a wispy and lifted finish. 14% alcohol. 93-94 at the moment, but ideally wait to open until 2025 or later.

3/5/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This cool and gamey Cabernet blend is drinking fine right now, but I share the doubts of my CT brethren as to whether this will ever be a great wine. For many years, I was excited about this project - Cabernet in the Central Coast with a Napa pedigree - but I've bought and tasted plenty of these wines, with more disappointments than successes. I had an impressive 2005 Desafio at the 15-year mark, but this particular wine is rich, burnt, meh.

Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers meaty aromas of rosemary, espresso, and grilled lamb. The flavors are similarly dense and dark, with notes of boysenberry, ribeye, and dried eucalyptus, followed by a finish that is integrated but still damp (read: not acidic). Blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cab Franc. Jonata wines can be tannic young, but this tastes too ashen at the nine-year mark. It holds together, but not in a very exciting way (especially at $130+).

3/2/2023 - msuwine wrote:

Dante never drove a car (much less a Maybach!), but the Italian poet tells a story that might explain why I opened this bottle tonight. In the Inferno, Dante writes about a man climbing a mountain road, attacked by various beasts, each representing temptations in their turn: in youth, the challenge is lust (a leopard); in middle-age, pride (a tiger); in old age, security (a lion). I don't know where the Maybach half-bottle fits in the life cycle, but have no doubt: this is 375 milliliters of temptation all the same. And so we succumb...

As to the wine? It is delicious. Dark red in color and full in body, it smells of black cherry, graphite, and milk chocolate. The flavors are soft and integrated, with notes of blueberry peel, mocha, and bay leaf, followed by a viscous and silky finish. 14.6% alcohol. Drink sooner rather than later (given the sketchy vintage, carpe diem, and all that), since this is lovely (and smoke-free) at the moment. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, I can resist everything except temptation... and temptation surely includes, to me, a Maybach half bottle. 93-94 at the moment, but - as the future - dunno.

2/21/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and lively Cabernet needs a real decant (or preferably a few years) in order to calm down: it is saturated with flavors at the moment, but it lacks the nuance and precision I hoped for from this producer (and at this price). I confess to leaning towards the Pluribus in most vintages, but the Quella - grown on the eastern hills of Oakville - is a very tasty bottle that just got opened too early (by someone... um, me).

Dark red in color and medium in body, the wine offers a dense rush of primary aromas, including blueberry, cherry compote, graphite, and anise (read: the tertiary notes have yet to arrive). The flavors are similarly boisterous, offering up boysenberry (seeds and all), cocoa powder, graphite, and leather, with a grippy and polished finish. 14.8% alcohol. 94+ at the moment, but this should shine in 2026 or later.

2/19/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This is easily the best bottle of wine I've opened in the last year. Generous and nuanced, it has everything I could ever want in a Napa Cabernet. I loved the Accendo 2016 when I opened it last year, but this operates at another level: more complex, more open-knit, more graceful, and just way too tasty. This is a master-class in balancing richness, power, freshness, and class, everywhere all at once.

The wine is medium in body and dark purple in color, with welcoming aromas of black cherry, espresso bean, anise, and dried oregano, recreating all the nuance and envelopment of a well-tended herb garden in a Northern California summer. The flavors are layered but so integrated as to be almost seamless, with notes of fresh blueberry, pomegranate, gravel, and thyme, followed by a finish that is just the right mixture of acid, tannin, and fruit. 14.8% alcohol. Decant at least an hour.

I haven't tasted the 2016 Kinsman Eades Rhadamanthus in a few years, but this has similar (that is to say exceptional) purity and originality. This is my third Accendo PNV I've opened in the past year or so (all bought from a retailer - Belmont Wine Exchange; this particular writer has never been to a wine auction) - and each one has been a revelation. Just remarkable.

2/14/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and meaty Cabernet is enticing right now, with a little weight (both in terms of fruit and tannin) that prevents its from achieving true greatness. This wine reminds me of a training camp story where a basketball coach told an out-of-shape player that he needed to lose weight. The player protested that it made no difference, so the coach made him wear a 10-pound weight on his back.... and the weight made a difference.

Dark red in color and full in body, this wine contains the panoply of Napa aromas, including sour cherry, rosemary, fresh leather, and crushed oregano. The flavors are more burdened, with notes of black cherry, graphite, and cedar, with a pleasant finish that carries a scent of pine needles. 15% alcohol. Made by Marc Aubert, but bottled by Allison Tauziet after his departure (2/07). Maybe this is just a wine caught in the middle, but it paled in comparison to a Bryant 2006 (ironically, a wine Aubert bottled after his departure from Colgin... as the cult world turns, to be sure!). Decant a few hours, maybe wait another year or two.

2/3/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This refined and savory Cabernet is drinking beautifully as it passes the decade mark, with a power and freshness that are enchanting - and delicious. The fullness of the 2012 vintage shows through - sunshine, fruit, all the good things - but there is a wildness here that reaches another level. To search for comparisons, this seems more generous than a Dunn, more nimble than a Forman, and more precise than most of the valley floor (and a lot of the vintage). I kept thinking this was like a 2012 Promontory - classy, balanced, energetic, a bit raw, but entirely natural (in a pure sense of the word: you feel that California sun on your arms, standing in an herb garden with dust on your boots, or something).

Onto the adjectives: Scarlet in color and medium in body, the wine offers evocative aromas of black cherry, dried raspberry, sage, white flowers, and gravel. The flavors are energetic but layered, with notes of pomegranate, blackberry, espresso, oregano, and graphite, followed by a lifted and briary finish that softens after a few hours of air. 14.2% alcohol. Some 2012’s have started to lose definition, but this one has just finished sharpening its pencil - and it will write beautifully for quite a long time. Drink now or whenever. What a wine.

2/2/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This vibrant and layered Chardonnay is Puligny-Montrachet meets Willamette Valley. Yeah, yeah - I see you rolling your eyes about how everyone says a domestic Chardonnay is “Burgundian,” but here (at least to me) the shoe fits: this is open-knit but acidic, relaxed and still energetic, tasty without being loud. In other words: it’s damn good, as long as you appreciate an Old World inflection more than the New.

Pale yellow in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of lemon peel, quartz, and meringue. The flavors are more round, with notes of lime, cantaloupe, and almond, with a bright and lifted finish. 13.6% alcohol. This should be better in 2024 or later, but it is mighty satisfying right now. I’ve been a skeptic of many Oregon Chardonnays (read: too diluted and/or biting), but this seems to have that magic combination of complexity and balance.

1/26/2023 - msuwine wrote:

There is often an urgency to CA Chardonnay that is distinct from White Burgundy. CA leans forward in the mouth, in an energetic, look-at-me, pulsating kind of way. Viewed with derision, the wine is searching for a compliment; viewed with affection, it's deserving of one. I don't know which perspective is better (though I find myself gravitating towards Old World subtlety as I get older) - but make no mistake: this wine demands attention.

Is that attention rewarded? Mostly, but I didn't see the fireworks that others did at the moment (or, maybe I just thought the show was a little loud - and, by the way, get-off-my-lawn!). Light yellow in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of pear, cantaloupe, and vanilla bean. The flavors are dense, with notes of lemon peel, orange marmalade, and gooseberry, with a pungent finish that softens, a bit, after a few hours. 14% alcohol. 94 at the moment, but it should improve in another year or so (as have prior vintages of this wine).

1/19/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This wine is utterly everything: delicious, complex, layered, balanced, audacious, expensive, awesome. The adjectives are exhausting, but this wine is not: powerful but nimble, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is among the best I've tasted from this vintage. Generous but precise, this is all I could ask for from a Napa Cabernet... aside from time, since this probably needs until 2026 to begin to approach its apex.

Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers explosive aromas of blackberry, cherry compote, graphite, and cocoa shavings. This wine, whether in terms of aroma or flavor, will not go gently into that good night. It pulsates with flavors of blueberry, mocha, graphite, and underbrush, with a dense and layered finish that goes on and on. I loved the 2016 Bettina a few years ago, but this offers another level of purity and depth. A little blowsy on second day. 15.2% alcohol. Made by Marc Gagnon. 96-97 for now, with upside (to perfection and beyond) in 2025 and later.

1/19/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This journey back three decades yields a remarkably well-balanced and delicious wine that, though not as precise as is once might have been, is well worth drinking all the same. Garnet in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of dried plum, golden raisin, oregano, and sandalwood. The flavors are more lively, with notes of pomegranate seed, dried strawberry, tobacco, and leather, followed by a dry but rounded finish that shows a trace of crunchiness that evens out with air. Blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 3% Cab Franc. 13.5% alcohol.

These kinds of wines conjure up so much - snapshots of a time gone by (where were you in 1993? I was a freshman in high school who believed in Bill Clinton!); a meditation on the propulsion of time (we rise / and we fall / and we break); a fleeting moment, a walking shadow, signifying something (or nothing). Poetry aside, this solid wine has aged well and holds together - but should be opened soon.

But back to the poetry... no one said it better than Maya in her soliloquy in Sideways (which came out 11 years after this wine): “I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I’d opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it’s constantly evolving and gaining complexity.” Amen to all that!

1/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

This earthy and layered Cabernet is drinking well right now, with an incredible balance of depth and energy. Some of the more modern 2014s have since become dry and hollow, but this has filled in nicely, with the Old World class I associate with Cornell. Tasted on the same night as a 2014 Bond Pluribus, this held its own, offering a more wild and lithe - but still quite tasty - counterpoint to its (far more expensive) colleague.

Light red in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, sage, eucalyptus, and underbrush. The flavors offer a Bordeaux-ish profile, with notes of dried blueberry, tapenade, peppercorn, and gravel, followed by an integrated and grainy finish (that, to me, is dry in all the right ways). Blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. 14.5% alcohol. With this kind of balance, there is no rush, though I might open in the next 3-5 years. 94-95 at the moment.

12/14/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This ripe and fulsome is all kinds of Aubert goodness: if "rocky" and "subtle" are your watchwords for white wines, look elsewhere (but you probably already knew that). For the rest of us, this wine has fruit, acidity, depth, and energy galore. I think this probably needs another 1-2 years (and I'm sure others would recommend more), but there's no doubt that Powder House belongs among the Aubert lineup. It's not Lauren (though apparently the vineyard is next-door), and it reflects the round breadth of its clones (Wente and Mt. Eden)... but damn it's good.

Golden yellow in color and full in body (did you expect anything else at 15.1% alcohol?), the wine offers aromas of cantaloupe, lemon meringue, and honeycomb. To the nose, this might be any blowsy CA Chardonnay - but, in the mouth, the refinement is obvious. The flavors are luscious but defined, with notes of golden delicious apple, orange marmalade, almond peel, and creme brûlée (the crispy part on top), with a finish that goes on and on - almost like a well-executed full-court press in basketball, it's everywhere and energetic all at once. 94-95 right now, with upside in 2024 and later.

P.S. I tasted this on the same night as a 2019 Peter Michael Belle Cote, a pleasant mountain wine that could only hold a sparkler to the fireworks of the Aubert. I get it: Aubert might fly too close to the sun - entailing all the risks of ambition and imbalance and disaster - but, if you're able to find your way back to earth, the experience is worth it all: what a view, what a flight, what a wine...

12/6/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This sweet and lifted Pinot is drinking fine right now, but it shows a confectionary and saturated profile that is one-dimensional: after five years in bottle, the wine hasn't changed much. As with Yertle, so too with much modern domestic Pinot: it's fruit all the way down. I know there are exceptions (e.g., Wayfarer, Rhys), but this is a disappointing wine.

Bright red in color; medium in body; aromas of candied cherry, crushed pomegranate, and cranberry, with few tertiary notes. The flavors are similarly linear, with notes of strawberry pie, rhubarb, and anise, with a sugary and lingering finish. 14.9% alcohol. Followed over four hours, with little development.

P.S. I tasted this next to a 2017 Lafon Volnay, a cheaper wine that showed far more integration, class, and nuance. It wasn't just the sweetness - though it was there (i.e., the Lafon = Pellegrino, Morlet = Sprite) - it was the balance. Believe me, this isn't the figment of a Francophile imagination (I can't even pronounce a lot of the stuff on the label). The Volnay was way, way better: balance matters, and the Morlet - no matter how hard it tries - lacks it.

11/2/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This fresh and grassy Sauvignon Blanc blend is drinking beautifully right now, with impressive purity and lift. Light yellow, almost clear in color; medium in body; aromas of white flowers, ocean air, and lemon verbena. Flavors of gooseberry, key lime, and lemon rind, with a hint of praline (but only a hint - no malo here) on the way to a lively, layered, and integrated finish. Blend of 97% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Sémillon. 15.3% alcohol (though I never would have guessed it). Drink in next few years. This is a wine from PM that consistently overdelivers.

10/20/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This savory and spicy Merlot-based blend is standoffish at the moment, but it has the potential to become impressive in another few years. Deep red in color and medium in body, the wine offers stunning aromas of black cherry, sandalwood, pencil lead, and dried oregano. The flavors are more tannic than ripe, with notes of pine needles, allspice, and leather, followed by a grippy and astringent finish. Blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cab Franc. 14.9% alcohol. This is promising, but it's wild and unruly at the moment. 92-93 right now, but wait until 2025 or later to open.

10/20/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and brooding Cabernet needs several hours of air - or several more years of age - in order to show its considerable potential. Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of boysenberry, espresso, and peppercorn. The flavors are similarly dark and stormy, with notes of dark chocolate, fresh embers (of the non-smoke-taint variety), graphite, and black cherry, with a tannic and vibrant, almost pulsating finish. Blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. 14.6% alcohol.

Perhaps this is a grumpy stage for the vintage (can anyone say, "adolescence"?), but the 2018 is nowhere near as polished or agreeable as the 2014, 2015, or 2016 at their 3-4 year mark. My suspicion is that, ultimately, this is because the 2018 is better (more dense, layered, etc.), but it will definitely require more time to blossom. 93-94 at the moment, but ideally wait until 2024 (or later) to open.

9/26/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This citrusy and layered Chardonnay probably needs another 6-18 months, but it it fresh and lovely at the moment. Light yellow in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of lemon peel, green apple, and almond. The flavors are precise but generous, with notes of freshly squeezed lime, quince, and grapefruit, followed by a nervy finish that is energetic but not piercing. 14.2% alcohol.

9/24/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This rich but open-knit Cabernet blend is sophisticated and tasty, a pleasant surprise in the (shrinking) territory of Napa wines priced in the double digits. Cherry red in color; full in body; aromas of sour cherry, pomegranate seed, and dried herbs. Flavors of blueberry, baking chocolate, and gravel, with a dry and peppery finish. Blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, and 4% Malbec. 15.3% alcohol. This sometimes seems a little heady and rustic, but such imprecision can be forgiven at this price point. Decant an hour if drinking now. 93 at the moment, with upside in another few years.

9/24/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and layered Cabernet blend still needs a few years to approach its potential, but that is for another day; with a few hours of air, it is delicious right now. Cherry red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry, chocolate shavings, fresh rosemary, and graphite. The flavors are stunning in their depth, with notes of blackberry, raspberry, fresh leather, and gravel, with a tannic but lifted finish that shows the Merlot. Blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 12% Cab Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 15.9% alcohol (but no heat, at least to me). This is a California cult in the most agreeable sense: decadent but classy all at once. 96 at the moment, with the possibility of perfection in another 3-4 years.

9/19/2022 - msuwine wrote:

I am a fan of Wayfarer's Pinots, but their Chardonnay has always struck me as a bit middling - too terse at the outset or too honeyed after a few years, the wine gives Goldilocks only two options (too hot, too cold, then... nada). The 2018 continues this tradition, this time leaning away from freshness. Golden yellow in color; medium in body; aromas of honeydew melon, apricot, and butterscotch. Flavors of cantaloupe, lemon meringue, and almond, with a viscous and round finish. Tonight this couldn't keep pace with a 2018 Aubert Eastside, which was more expansive and tense. If CA Chardonnay is a balancing act, the Wayfarer wobbles on the tightrope. 14.4% alcohol. Drink in next year or so.

9/14/2022 - msuwine wrote:

I had been suspicious of Cirq's transition from two single vineyards (Treehouse and Bootlegger) to the general RRV appellation, but the 2017 seems to hit all the same marks as past vintages - ripe and nuanced, more fruity than savory, this is a solid and tasty CA Pinot. Dark cherry in color, medium in body, nose of raspberry, blackberry, and herbs de Provence. Flavors of pie cherry, dried strawberry, and ground anise, with a silky and lifted finish - like a Kosta Browne with (way) less sweetness. 14.5% alcohol. 93-94 at the moment. Drink in next few years.

9/13/2022 - msuwine wrote:

I've found many DuMOL Chardonnays to be a bit on the tart and terse end, but that (like many things) could just be operator error (or, err, impatience). At the four-year mark, this wine has settled into a compelling groove that is an open-knit as it is intense. At a time when most quality domestic Chardonnays are dancing near $100, this is a solid value in the $60-ish space.

Light yellow in color; medium in body; aromas of golden delicious apple, shaved pecans, marigold, and vanillin. The flavors are more focused, with notes of lemon, orange zest, almond, and, with a nervy finish that unfolds enough to approach gracefulness (it's like a JV player, who is just a few months from being called up to varsity). 14.1% alcohol. 94+ right now, but my hunch is that this will shine in 2023.

9/12/2022 - msuwine wrote:

This wine is rich and pungent - not in a fruity, boozy, juicy sense, but in an intense, tannic, briar-patch kind of way that makes me think this 100% Cabernet is just a little pissed off at the moment (or, perhaps, forevermore). Although my hunch is that this is a phase, there's no doubt this wine currently lacks the integration and polish of five years ago (10/17 - 97 points). This wine is not fading away, but where exactly it's slouching (and on what timetable) - I dunno. Adolescence has its own timetable.

Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of cocoa powder, boysenberry seeds, graphite, and oregano. The flavors soften with a few hours of air, but they still seem prickly, with notes of blackberry, Turkish coffee, cocoa beans, and gravel, with a tannic and dense finish. 14.7% alcohol. In the soft and agreeable 2012 vintage, this is the smart a-- in the back of the class - I'm betting he'll turn out OK, but it won't be until 2025 or later. Decant three hours if drinking now. 94 at the moment.