Napa
Tasted Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - Sunday, November 21, 2021 by Ecbatana with 187 views
Wish I had taken notes on the other wines
(11/18/2021)
Fruit forward, big time cherry, chalky tannins (which characterized all three O'Shaughnessy cabs), lush and accessible though. Integration and better drinking to come in a few years
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(11/18/2021)
Austere, chalky tannins, muscular. Howell Mtn fruit needing more time than valley floor, and even fruit from Mt. Veeder. However, clear components of an excellent wine. Even though open for 60+ min, could have used more time for best showing, will play more nicely in a couple of years.
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(11/18/2021)
Somewhat vegetal. Forest loam, crushed gravel, tart and tannic. Weirdly like some recent St. Emilion experiences if based on nose alone. A little thin on palate juxtaposed a still big, bold profile. A little less floral and drier than the Howell Mtn and Napa cab. Still accessible and drinkable now
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(11/18/2021)
Been a fan of Capiaux's merlot from this property for a while. This 2018 was no different. Tell-tale candied cherries. Some barnyard and straw on the nose, decent tannins. Easy drinker, complex but not a deep thinker, decent QPR
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(11/18/2021)
Refreshing, big time citrus, but not too big. Not my favorite white. Didn't have any other notes because, frankly, I was waiting for the reds
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(11/18/2021)
PB&J sandwich-in-a-glass. Not as sweet or jammy (or Caymus-like, thank god) as previous vintages...but still sweet. Best SH to date and solid daily drinker
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(11/18/2021)
Tend not to favor Syrah, score skewed accordingly. But like other entries from 2019 which offered stellar fruit coupled with Kirk's move to drier wines, this is a huge leap forward and my favorite of this label so far. Smells just like port, plum puree presents itself on the palate. Nice spiciness and acid kept it from coming across flabby.
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(11/18/2021)
My favorite Silencieux to date, taking the honor from the excellent 2015. Have always thought this bottle punches way above its weight and at ~$50 is one of the best QPR in the valley. The 2019 manages to take it up a notch with depth, complexity and roundness usually found in labels well above $100
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(11/18/2021)
Consistent with notes and score from a couple of weeks ago. Similar to the Venge Boneash cab but from younger 15 yr old vines with a tad less complexity and dimension. Tannins still pronounced and overshadowing at the moment. Couple years gestation will fix that. Long decant a must if drinking today.
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(11/18/2021)
Igneous but older vines at ~30 years. More depth, more complexity and more weight. Bone Ash has always seemed (probably unfairly) a red headed step child to the Family Reserve
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(11/18/2021)
Adore this wine. Dialed in and hitting all the right notes. Rich cassis and Chambord, blackberry reduction, thick and lush, cinnamon apple pie, middle eastern spice and pipe tobacco. Enormous on the palate. As epic as I remember already, can only get better
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(11/18/2021)
80% cab, the rest is merlot. Would have guessed a mix of varietals in the remaining 20%. Picked up more flora in this one than the others. Damp earth, some asphalt and a little spice. Not dominant, but there.
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(11/18/2021)
Nice bright acidity, fruit forward but not a fruit bomb, floral bouquet. Identified Petit Verdot as the added varietal, almost bullseyed the percentage (off by half a percent). Figured I would gravitate to the To Kalon bottles - and I did, though this Fortuna presented itself very well, real joy to drink now. Very good QPR
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(11/18/2021)
Love the amalgamation of multi-vineyard sources. Antithesis of the single vineyard, single clone, single block trend. A Hossfeld, Turnbull, Las Peidras, Weitz, 3 Kings combo. Some good barrels from some good vineyards. Doesn't always mean more complexity and depth, but in Mark’s hands it sure does
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(11/18/2021)
Bold vanilla, velvety, quality oak, custard and apple pie crust. Powerful tannins...and a little more oak. Baking spices on the nose then silk-like on the palate. Distinct from the other offerings (at least from the 6 tried today). New addition to the Carter Cellars stable.
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(11/18/2021)
Likely only reason to withhold more praise is due to placement in lineup next to Grand Daddy which overshadowed it... but not by much. Three Kings is also 100% clone 7 which seem to take a little longer to ramp up, so a little shy compared to his clone 4 brother on this day. Nonetheless, big floral bouquet, hits all corners on palate. Need to tuck this one a way for 3 or so years.
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(11/18/2021)
Candy corn, crème brule, butterscotch, sugar and spice and everything nice. Utterly smooth, utterly drinkable...just a lot of utters. Richness of unsmoked pipe tobacco, some new leather, autumn baking spices and epic fruit. Huge bouquet then just hits the palate singing. Grand Daddy is all clone 4 and more approachable early but will still go the distance. This will be a 99+ wine in a couple of years. My favorite pour on this trip and heir apparent to WOTY. Excellent!
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(11/19/2021)
Did NOT do it for me. No oak, tart and astringent. No wood at all is the extreme in the other direction. Just a glass full of harshness
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(11/19/2021)
Noticeably unsweet nose, sharp acidic bite and fairly tannic. Dunno about this one
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(11/19/2021)
One dimensional, lacks complexity. Disheartened by the representation here and does not reflect previous - though limited - experience
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(11/19/2021)
Finally, the closer is brought to the mound. Beautiful nose of brown sugar, molasses, not overly sweet and mouth filling. Double the price, but double the wine among the tasting group
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(11/19/2021)
Wonderful nose, similar to its Plumpjack stablemate showing brown sugar, some cola and root beer and maybe a little Asian dumpling sauce. Somewhat pruney and overcooked on the palate though. Tannic, but that is to be expected
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Love the property, beautiful spot and always take good care of you
(11/20/2021)
Tropical fruits and Granny Smith apples, light use of oak but still there, refreshing acidity. Easy drinker with respectable finish. Not much more to say
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(11/20/2021)
150 cases produced of this little wonder. Completely took me by surprise. Syrah with some viognier. Flat out strawberry parade on the nose. Bright acidity and peppery. Big palate presence but also light and lithe. Just a fun, easy drinker. Loved it
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(11/20/2021)
Love wines whose dominant grape are of the lesser known varietals. In this case an 86% Petite Sirah with the rest Zin. Not the stately powerhouse a Napa cab delivers, but that's not always the point. Nor as tart or acidic as one would expect, also not as complex. A very approachable quaff I could see pairing well with lots of food options
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(11/20/2021)
James Cole's franchise player. My experience has been hit or near miss. The 2018 is solid but not stellar, represents the property well. Merlot and Malbec make up the last 8% or so and add a little somethin', somethin'. Some chocolate covered espresso beans and stewed black fruits. A quality sub-$100 wine.
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(11/20/2021)
Have owned and tried pretty much all other James Cole offerings to date - except Suede - until now. 2016 is a great vintage to make the introduction. A worthy counterpart to Umbral. Rich stewed cherries with some plums, but not pruney, definitely a hint of port along with root beer essence and some Asian spice. Linear and focused, fingers crossed it will gain additional complexity. Pleasure to drink now though. Fruit sourced from Spring Mountain and Coombsville. A mere 128 cases produced.
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(11/20/2021)
2/3 cab, the rest your typical Napa valley varietals. Not sure if it was the company it was in or other factors but on this day was less impressed. A capable wine, but not its best showing
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2019 Alpha Omega Era 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
(11/17/2021)
Big surprise, and a big wine. No prejudice or bias coming in, as if tasting blind. Fruit sourced from a cornucopia of vineyards, brought together and galvanized into a stalwart, inky wine. Rich raspberry and blackberry coulis. Deserves time in cellar or a long decant if drinking now
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