2012 Levy & McClellan Et Al

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 93.7 points

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  4/14/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  First of 2 ($135@) from online clearinghouse #2. On the nose and palate, red and black cherries, red currants, mixed dark berries, wet soil, dark chocolate, coffee, anise, forest floor and a note of sherry. Medium dark purple, full bodied, thick legs. Medium+ tannins, medium acidity, a touch of heat. VG complexity, persistence and intensity. I’d probably get a “D” in Napa wine history—knowing who made what wines when—and I had only a vague knowledge of the principals and this winery (mostly that it was very expensive, from following auctions) when these wines were offered, and without any kind of pro reviews, relied fairly heavily on CT friend QL in my purchase, although when I looked up the principals’ backgrounds, I was impressed, even if I’ve had few, if any of their wines. This came out of the bottle good to go, mouth-filling, fulsome and delicious, a straight down the middle classic Napa Cab. It’s stayed pretty constant over 2 nights, perhaps deepening ever so slightly, but what you see is pretty much what you get. Concur with both reviewers: this wine probably works best as a cocktail wine, and was mostly a non-factor with pizza, neither adding nor detracting much. Drinking well now without air but holding up over 2 nights, I suspect that this is pretty much at peak, and while I’d expect it to hold that for 5+ years (God knows, it should at this price point), any improvement would likely be very incremental. As enjoyable as this wine is, I’m left with a feeling similar to KVS, that at this price point, let alone full retail of just under $300, this is a bit of an underwhelming showing, that I’d expect the complexity and structure I’d find in a LMV or a QC or Flac (all of which I’ve paid about the same for as what I paid for this), without even thinking that the WS price is close to what I’ve paid for my Abreus and Colgins. 93+

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  1/1/2023 - kvswine wrote: 92 Points

  I expected more from this based on its price tag. That said it is a marvelous wine with a delightful soft
  T finish

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  3/10/2021 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Pop and pour. Deep and dense with dark chocolate and espresso notes, chewy tannins, noticeable alcohol and fierce tannins. Super as a cocktail wine right now. This is a club wine produced by Levy & McClellan.

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