Robmcl920
Member #464,683 signed up 5/27/2016 and last accessed 5/22/2024
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2014 Mayacamas Vineyards Merlot
5/22/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 91 Points
The '14 Mayacamas Merlot is beautiful, but I think would ideally be aged a few more years, as it seemed a bit reticent especially on opening. With a decant and on day two, the wine improved. As with the '14 Cabernet at Mayacamas which I recently tasted, the '14 Merlot is more of a Mayacamas wine than a Napa Merlot...the signatures here are very unique.
On the nose, I found blood orange, red berry fruit, red florals, mint, anise, and a hint of bell pepper. On the palate, the wine is medium to light in body, with some tannic heft at the back end but pretty silky and smooth for a Napa wine. I found the flavor profile pretty reticent here, but it showed a similar profile of red berry fruit, mint, and red floral tones, showing a flavor profile I associate more with burgundy or Barolo than a Napa wine.
The concern I have with this wine, and same with a lot of Mayacamas wines, is that it's unclear if this will ever be wide open / expressive and a wine that's really pleasurable to drink. It's nice today, but feels like it's holding something back.
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2020 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo
5/19/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted alongside the rest of the 2020 Burlotto lineup.
The '20 is a good vintage for the base Barolo from Burlotto. The core of the wine is a textbook Barolo in terms of flavor profile, adding a touch of herbal and spice notes that I find in almost all wines from this producer.
On the nose, I found bright red cherry fruit, red floral tones, a touch of mint, spice, and fresh herbal / medicinal notes. On the palate, the wine is light in body but not diluted, with a beautiful core of sweet red fruit and florals. Acidity is medium to high, while there is quite a bit of tannin relative to the light frame of the wine that emerges on the back end. I find the tannin quality here to be good but not great, with the tannins a touch grainy, but it didn't detract much from the experience for me and I think it's a good wine for its level.
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2020 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Cannubi
5/19/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted side by side with the rest of the 2020 Burlotto lineup.
The '20 Cannubi is a promising young Barolo but is going to need a lot of time for the fierce tannins to soften. Within the lineup of 2020s from Burlotto, the Cannubi stands out as the most concentrated and by far the most tannic wine - tasting it was like getting smacked in the face after sipping the light and slightly diluted Castelletto, and the ethereal Monvigliero.
On the nose, the Cannubi is classic Burlotto Cannubi, and by that I mean a wine that is dark fruited and spicy, very different from the textbook Cannubi Barolo that I think of as a pretty, red fruited and red floral wine. The fruit expression here seems quite similar to the 2019. I found black cherry fruit, licorice, dark floral tones, and sweet spices. On the palate, the Cannubi is medium plus in body, quite concentrated for a 2020 Barolo, with a similar expression of dark fruit, sweet spice, and exotic dark floral notes. On the finish, the taster is hit with a wave of searing tannins that dry the palate, suggesting a wine that is in need of a lot of time to come together. While I recall the '19 being quite tannic, the '20 seems less finessed in texture than the '19, or perhaps because the wine is a touch lighter in body, the tannins stick out more. The good news is the wine has high acidity like all the '20s I tasted, which keeps the wine vibrant despite the big tannins.
The '20 Cannubi is a solid Barolo that I would be comfortable aging for quite some time, whereas I'd suggest drinking the rest of the '20s from Burlotto in the near to medium term. But the amount of tannin and the quality of the tannin concerns me a bit, and I am not completely sure if there's enough material here to outlive the tannins - this may always remain a slightly rustic wine in terms of texture.
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