Initially (and understandably) a bit tight and unforgiving in terms of fruit, but with some swirling in the glass and a revisit of this wine about an hour later, it started to unwind a bit a deliver some nice dark red and purple berry fruit, black raspberry, and just the slightest hint of blueberry. Vanilla and alcohol were somewhat prominent mid-palate and on the back end, cloaking some of the fruit, giving it a thinner impression in terms of texture and overall mouthfeel.
Still, some really nice flavors ultimately pushed though. Fairly smooth (if not just a tad boozy at the moment) given its youth. Presently, I much prefer this 2014 to how the 2013 is currently drinking. The 2014 is a bit more accessible, though I would imagine it might shut down for a bit and need to lie fallow for 6-12 months.
The 12C wines are sometimes a little hit-or-miss for me, so I'm struggling to gauge what's actually in store for this 2014. I picked up a couple of bottles, so it will be interesting to see what time does for this wine.
Nowhere near the interest for me when this is compared to the much more fascinating and hedonistic 2014 Myriad Cabernets. I did, however, prefer the 12C when side-by-side to with the 2014 Bench Circa 64 (one of Mike Smith's other ventures). The 12C had better delineation of flavors, while the Bench became a little plumy and muddled on the back end.
A decent showing given the price-point (around $50+ bucks), with notes of dark red currant, black raspberry, purple berries, wood (cedar), and some earth. Mid-palate was ok, but missing some meatiness overall; a rounded and medium-length finish.
A wine that does pretty well at concealing the fact that it is a "cheaper" wine than others tasted next to it. Nowhere near the complexity as the upper-level Saunter Cabernet, but the Swagger would do fine as a medium-bodied, back porch sipper on a cold winter evening. A wine for those who are just trying to have a nice red wine for dinner; nothing too much more.
No real harsh criticisms in the end, but nothing to seek out or go wild over either. 90-91 points max in my opinion.
Like the Swagger, this was a "fine" wine, with some decent dark red and purple berry notes. A nice bottle of wine that would do well amongst those who don't think too much about wine. A good pass-around bottle at a run-of-the-mill steak dinner, but that's about the best I think it will ultimately deliver.
Given Celia Welch's credentials, I wanted more from this wine. There was nothing "ultra-premium" (as touted by the owners) about this wine. I'm not bad about it, but there's nothing that really makes me excited about it.
89-90 points tops for me. Not horrible scores, and of course not undrinkable; just "meh" in my opinion.
The inaugural release of this project, with winemakers Mike Smith and Bob Pepi. An interesting wine to be sure, but one that came off like it was struggling to find an identity at the moment. It was initially plump and round, with some decent plum, blackberry, red raspberry notes, as well as a bit of alcohol.
Finish became somewhat disjointed, as though the Petit Verdot and Malbec were competing with each other. The grip of what seemed to be the PV with the overtly plumy and muddled black cherry notes of the Malbec buried any trace of the Cabernet Sauvignon. A bit of a confusing wine for me. I wanted to "get it," but I just couldn't fully grasp what the wine was trying to be exactly.
In fairness, this was just released last month, but it definitely has some working out to do if it is going to be able to compete with other wines in its class. 87-90? point potential?
2014 12c Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
Initially (and understandably) a bit tight and unforgiving in terms of fruit, but with some swirling in the glass and a revisit of this wine about an hour later, it started to unwind a bit a deliver some nice dark red and purple berry fruit, black raspberry, and just the slightest hint of blueberry. Vanilla and alcohol were somewhat prominent mid-palate and on the back end, cloaking some of the fruit, giving it a thinner impression in terms of texture and overall mouthfeel.
Still, some really nice flavors ultimately pushed though. Fairly smooth (if not just a tad boozy at the moment) given its youth. Presently, I much prefer this 2014 to how the 2013 is currently drinking. The 2014 is a bit more accessible, though I would imagine it might shut down for a bit and need to lie fallow for 6-12 months.
The 12C wines are sometimes a little hit-or-miss for me, so I'm struggling to gauge what's actually in store for this 2014. I picked up a couple of bottles, so it will be interesting to see what time does for this wine.
Nowhere near the interest for me when this is compared to the much more fascinating and hedonistic 2014 Myriad Cabernets. I did, however, prefer the 12C when side-by-side to with the 2014 Bench Circa 64 (one of Mike Smith's other ventures). The 12C had better delineation of flavors, while the Bench became a little plumy and muddled on the back end.
91-92+ point potential on the 2014 12C for now.
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