2/11/2023 - zanzabar Likes this wine:

Opened and decanted about 6 hours before I tried it. First night this was ok, but so unremarkable that we poured it back in the bottle and went to bed after 1 glass each. Don't get me wrong this is a good wine, but for the price its nothing special.

Night 2 bumped this up a point or 2. Had with a pasta and sausage dish, things were more balanced. Weight and mouthfeel much improved. Some classic Howell Mountain notes trying to come through, but I still prefer some of the neighbors up on the mountain for the price point. Not sure ill seek this out again.

4/12/2022 - InVinjeVeritas wrote:

Coreked.

11/3/2021 - epiphany wrote:

Fantastic deal on a 10yr Napa Cab. This is a great bottle of wine. Fully balanced with secondary notes throughout.

9/15/2021 - midtownmac wrote:

Had a nice steak dinner planned...things went a little sideways with some tough family news. Honestly went to Eurocave and snagged something without thinking. I saw what I had grabbed and thought no way, a 2017??? but what the hell. Damn this was open and alive and it was fantastic. Man the fruit...the tannins and acid just electric tonight for a young legit cab that was popped n poured.

It was one of those nights when wine takes a distant backseat to life....yet you are overwhelmed by its simple pleasure.

Well done Kian, Karen and team.
2017 and smoke be Damned

3/24/2021 - midtownmac wrote:

Badly flawed. I ll dig around for another one.

3/9/2021 - munktun wrote:

Showing older than the age, wet wood and lemon custard on the nose. Body is full, seems weightier with all the oak. Could easily pass as a chard if not for the sour mango/underripe pineapple. Not sold on the structure or in your face oak

2/20/2020 - Badmonkey wrote:

Decided to revisit - thinking about buying more in light of the price increase for the 2016 vintage. Dark ruby fruit - currants/cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, and dark raspberry. Really smooth with a beautiful purity and nice depth/concentration. Nice vibrant/rich flavors of dark berries, baking spices/licorice, and a mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. WA anticipated maturity 2021 to 2040 which I can’t argue to let it soften/open-up some more, however, I found it quite enjoyable at this youthful stage. In my opinion, at the upper range of WA’s 93 to 95 rating - 95/96 for me. 100% cab.

5/8/2020 - kennyd wrote:

Not going to score this wine. It was almost as if it had completely turned. I realize it's a 2011, but I've had other nine plus year old Sojourn pinots that were absolutely holding their own. We have three more bottles left in our cellar, so I will try another one soon to see how it is.

12/11/2019 - Tylersavell wrote:

Both bottles I opened were effervescent, undergoing (I think) a secondary fermentation.

8/9/2019 - midtownmac wrote:

Tart, short finish. This bottle seems a bit off I think for the quality Keller normally shows.

8/30/2015 - midtownmac wrote:

Underwhelming. Maybe too young. Nice nose but palette fell way short seemed thin.

4/19/2017 - CranBurgundy Likes this wine:

Before getting started, I just wanted to say I am only committing this blatant infanticide for the betterment of CellarTracker.

..... plus, I wanted to be the first note on this wine, which I've eagerly anticipated since Karen & John told me about it last September at my Monday night Chop House wine club dinner showcasing their products.

Rich dark red and purple fruit aromas escaped out of the bottle immediately on the pull of the cork. Not overpowering, yet not exactly shy either. With most freshly released Cabs, you can detect the tannin on the nose due to youth. This, however, has a much more refined nose than the usual baby bottle and it beckons you to just enjoy the aroma for a while. The palate is more lavish than the nose alludes to, with purple and dark red berries coating your mouth. Tannins and oak are there.... but somehow not bothersome in the least (rare for a young Cab) and the medium acidity is perfectly embellishing the fruit. Mind you, this is all on the pop & pour!

Despite completing the first glass in 10 or 15 minutes, the finish hung on for a long time and started to give a hint of espresso. After an hour, I poured the second glass and found that (a) it seems even better when served slightly chilled and (b) the espresso hint is a wee bit stronger. After polishing off the second glass, I thought I'd better pour the wine back in the bottle from the decanter and come back to it tomorrow evening. Somehow, my palate instructed my hands to serve up another glass, as if my medulla oblongata had now taken over and it became an involuntary function like breathing. Considering how rare it is for me to have a 3rd glass of a Cab I'm evaluating during the first evening (the last was '95 Shafer Stag's Leap which received a 96), I think I might have to pay a visit to the JEC site and order this in quantity. Massive quantity.

As usual, I'll edit as necessary whilst I follow this over the next several nights and at some point give the score I believe it merits. The number will be high. Allow me to leave you with this for now: it is amazing!

Day 2 - The nose seemed to become just a little more reticent. The fruit shifted a smidge to the darker end of the spectrum, a minuscule vanilla note from oak has joined the fray, and the espresso became more expressive (espressive? hahaha!). In a strange twist, the fine tannins are slightly more noticeable tonight than last night. Overall, no major changes whatsoever; more like small refinements that only improved on an already sensational product.

I've never had a mountain Cab, especially a Veeder, be so perfectly drinkable this young. Pure refreshment - the baseball equivalent to hitting a home run in your first at bat. I sound like a JEC fanboy, don't I? Taste this and you'll know why. I rate at the moment and not on potential. This could possibly end up in the same league as the ethereal 2002 Lokoya Diamond Mtn (which was before my CT days, but I would have scored a 99). Where's the "I love this s#*t!" option?