2021 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (10) Avg Score: 98.3 points

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  4/21/2024 - #1Winelover Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Tasted with Alex and CTer friend AGelvis on a cold rainy day. That's okay as it was an incredible experience nonetheless. We walked the vineyards in the rain and learned about the history of Macdonald, Detert and To-Kalon in general, including the famed handshake between Robert Mondavi and Alex' family. Alex had a bottle ready for us which was double decanted for lots of hours.
  
  The 2021 version is typical Macdonald; very dark purple black with strong tannins. Fruits are blackberries and blueberries. I also tasted olives, iron and a little tar. It's a massive wine and quite frankly, hard to score because it's solely based on potential. Luckily, I have been collecting for a while so I understand what this will end up tasting like in 5-10 years.
  
  The tasting went so well, we were able to talk Alex into grabbing another bottle :). That was a PnP but we held our own and drank what was generously poured. It was great to watch AGelvis' first Macdonald experience. I know it won't be his last!
  
  Macdonald is one of my favorite wines year in and year out.

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  4/20/2024 - csimm wrote: 100 Points

  The best MACDONALD to date, without question. The refinement, polish, and sophistication that shines through in the 2021 vintage is no doubt a next-next level for what is already a storied legacy of wines from this producer.
  
  If I recall correctly, this had been double decanted the night before, but whatever acrobatics Alex was able to do before service (to which we decanted it even further for a few hours before it quickly disappeared), it was singing like a red-handed informant on The Wire. The profile was the familiar black cherry, black olive, and dark-black soil/mineral core, but this possessed a silky conveyance on the back end that really took it to a highfalutin Augusta Masters level performance. Super sleek and distinctive from previous vintages in its razor focus and honed flavor expansion. A perfumed floral element was icing on the cake.
  
  My advice: Buy this wine but don’t keep it. Don’t flip it, cuz that’s just insane lame behavior. Instead, Sally Struthers yourself into donating it to me; think of me as a mere caretaker of these little gems, like a docent at the Smithsonian, or a Walmart greeter. After all, giving is the real gift. …I mean, if you don’t already think these wines are 100 point artifacts, then best stick with your Barefoot berry-flavored Cabernet or your dad’s 1946 Mouton (after all, you can flip that trick for $7K) and let the rest of us (me) focus on building my mini empire of Macs in my humble cellar. Thank you in advance for your continued contribution… :)

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  4/14/2024 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 99 Points

  Approaching 100 pts today too. What is going on here? Was I being generous with scores this weekend or were there just so many good wines? Its seems like 2021 is putting out some bangers as the young kids like to say. Easy 99+

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  4/14/2024 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 100 Points

  Eyes Wide Shut - Day 2 (A quiet place): Nose: Intense dark red flowers and generous black lotuses (tap to add three mana of any one color), dark red and black fruits, damp earth and gentle and subtle tree bark with morning dew. Beautiful autumnal forest essence in the wake of everything.
  
  Palate: Dark red and black fruits with a velvety, soft, yet gently rich texture. A streak of dark graphite, shiny black minerals and tree bark surface on the finish, with of course, tasty black olives to top it off. A nice bitterness of cranberry skins provide nice contrast to the intense and ripe earthy fruits.
  
  So dark in the minerals and earth, yet so intense and giving in fruit. The softness amongst the dark profile makes this beautifully haunting. Decanted in advance for ~20 hrs.

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  4/14/2024 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Champers and Napa Cabs Blind - Fun Times! (Chateau Simms): The wine received ~20 hours of slo-O.
  
  This wine is stellar! One of the best reds I've had, and definitely the best Cabernet. One sip, and you can see why the MacDonalds are producing a wine that cannot meet demand. If you are fortunate enough to be on their list, consider yourself lucky. Not only is the wine one of the best wines in Napa Valley, but their wine is probably the best value in the world!
  
  The 2021 MacDonald is already singing, and no doubt will be flirting with perfection with some age. WARNING: This will be hard to keep your hands off of it as it ages. The nose is perfumed with lilac, cherry blossom, blackberry jam, licorice, tar and cedar notes. The palate was remarkable with plenty of red and black fruit coupled with layers of flavors that just keep smacking you in the face like ocean waves. The tannins are silky and the finish is long and wonderful. I would love to have a case of this in my cellar and follow its evolution! 97 out of 98 already! Thank you for sharing Alex!

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