Community Tasting Note

• Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 points

  November 24, 2022 - Picked this up at auction a few months ago, and it is still a strong cellar entry. Pnp'd into a decanter at the HMCs this afternoon, black as black can be with quite some sediment. Nose is muted to start but improves over 1-2 hours of air in the decanter. Black fruit turns to red with time and the acidity tells me there's quite a bit more time for this one. It's energetic, but not as energetic as a fresh new release. The fruit is teetering between light prune and candied, chocolate raisin. It's a beautiful wine that I would drink now and not let get too much older, but that may be, just me........well worth the $114 I paid for it at auction.

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8 Comments

• Decanting Queen commented:

  11/27/22, 8:30 AM - So what is the verdict on aging B Cellars? Drink young? 0r save a few for the long haul?

• Mark1npt commented:

  11/27/22, 9:45 AM - Tough one to answer DQ, since I didn't get to experience this one younger. Like all the other big fruited Cali cabs, there is probably a 5-7 year sweet spot if you want it all! This one def had those secondary and maybe even a hint of tertiary characteristics showing up. Many pure Cali fruit ho's won't like that. It was interesting to see the energy still there at 10 yo, if just a tad lesser in punch and the fruit has faded only a tad. I liked it but generally am not as big a fan on aging of the Napa '12s. BTW, this was the first time I've ever experienced any sediment in any BCellars bottle and there was a fair amount of it. I may look around for an even older bottle to try, if I can even find one.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  11/29/22, 4:43 AM - So hard to say given the peculiarities of ‘12? To me they often seem overly mature. But I wonder how long a BCellars ‘16 could hold. We know and ‘18 can be 25 years, but that’s probably any ‘18 😂

• Mark1npt commented:

  11/29/22, 9:32 AM - Yes, this is a peculiar vintage. This bottle did not have all the 'stewed' taste profile that so many other '12s do, but you can surely taste the fruit evolving. My fear with these big fruited Cali wines, is that as the fruit thins out, the alc remains high and comes further to the forefront and you are left with 'thin fruity gasoline'. I was just thinking today about this wine and others from Napa and how when they are young they are full 'meals in themselves' vs Bdx or other locales who normally produce wines that are not good to have young, but get oh so good with food down the road. Hence, going back to my comment about these wines being their best and having it all within that initial 5-7 year drinking window. I know Yack and a few others on here, hold that same feeling particularly with the Smith wines, too. The '18s are maybe the only vintage that will hold up long term as the phenolics were given such a record length of time to develop in those grapes before harvest. I'm curious as to how the modern sweeter, more ready now Bdx wines ('16-'19), mature and drink down the road.......they have proven to be very good young, but still are holding back a little in reserve. They are very nice, but not the same full 'meals in themselves' that the Napa wines are, IMO.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  12/1/22, 3:15 AM - I suspect most of the classic Bdx, even from the warmer more accessible vintages will continue to age well. Look at 03, it is drinking better than ever IMO and I’m not sure it has the backbone of 15/16/19 so I think those will go longer. I just hope a few of the Napa will surprise us too.

• Mark1npt commented:

  12/1/22, 6:48 AM - In total agreement with your last post, especially on the '03s. I'm extremely curious to see how these more modern higher alc Bdx vintages age. Bdx while a little bigger and fruitier recently, certainly hasn't gone whole hog over the top like so many of the Napa ZTPs have with their recipes and formulas. I've really enjoyed those '03s over the past 5 years, so have been rewarded with them at age 14-19. Looking ahead, those '15, '16, '19 will take me out to 2038 probably, which makes me 80 yo then.....I hope to God I'm still drinking and enjoying wine by then!

• Decanting Queen commented:

  12/3/22, 7:13 AM - Mark, see my note on the Lerner project. Sadly confirms that some of these wines won’t hold. Ugh

• Mark1npt commented:

  12/3/22, 8:53 AM - Will look after the market!

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