Some day this is going to be a great, great wine. I think. But not now. After 5 hours in a decanter it became drinkable. The nose went from dead to hell-yeah. The front palate was magnificent. The mid palate was not bad. But from there we needed tweezers to get the splinters out of our tongues. 5 years til the next one
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24 Napa Reds: All tasted double blind. Brief impressions. The tasting was a competition of two groups about bringing “Napa wines which are in a very good drinking spot right now” with us blind tasters as jury. As there were a lot of wines, prolonged decanting was not an option. I was really surprised that somebody would bring a 2013 to such a tasting as I hardly ever had a 2013 which is remotely open and ready (confirmed with 4 out of the 24 wines being from 2013 and none of them being really ready). Relatively muted nose with mainly minerality peaking through but everything else hardly showing. Beautiful sweetness and freshness on the palate but not much else showing. Tannins are ripe but still noticeable. This would have been much better and more expressive with a solid 5+ hours decant.
Group score (23 participants): 93.8 Group rank: 17 out of 24 wines
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Napa battle (Napa Grill, Zurich): Tasted blind, double-decanted. Notes of barnyard and as a matter of fact a pretty Bordeaux-esque nose with dried herbs a mixed basket of berries. Palate with a notable acidic overhang and mouth-coating tannin.
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Medium plus nose has blackberry, cassis, graphite, coffee, black pepper, earth tones, nicely unique. High complexity at the onset, lots of dark fruit layers, and medium plus tannins are smooth. Very balanced and is spot on even with the huge layers. Leave it settle and specially at the price you want to drink it too soon.
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Still youthful and could use some time yet. As it opened in decanter the dark fruits and dry leather, granite and cassis came through. Another year or two will help
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The highest facing eastern mountain side vineyard in Napa. So when Heidi Barrett left Screaming Eagle she wanted to continue to producing something simmilar so this is apparently it I am being told.
And that, is easily the best Atlas Peak Cabernet I have ever had.
Biodynamic property and the vineyard is owned by the owner.
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with 4% Petit Verdot. From the Vaca mountains, highest East facing vineyard in Napa Valley. Medium plus nose has blackberry, cassis, graphite, coffee, something gamey or meaty, black pepper, earth tones, nicely unique. Palate hits with high complexity, lots of dark fruit layers, too many to name, appropriate power, medium plus tannins are smooth, balance is spot on even with the huge layers. Finish is mostly primary, I would hold this to let it develop, especially at the price point ($250?) you want to drink it not young.
From Heidi Barrett, this is her next project after Screaming Eagle.
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4/30/2023 - gjv115 wrote:
Some day this is going to be a great, great wine. I think. But not now. After 5 hours in a decanter it became drinkable. The nose went from dead to hell-yeah. The front palate was magnificent. The mid palate was not bad. But from there we needed tweezers to get the splinters out of our tongues. 5 years til the next one
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10/14/2020 - Cailles wrote: 90 Points
24 Napa Reds: All tasted double blind. Brief impressions. The tasting was a competition of two groups about bringing “Napa wines which are in a very good drinking spot right now” with us blind tasters as jury. As there were a lot of wines, prolonged decanting was not an option. I was really surprised that somebody would bring a 2013 to such a tasting as I hardly ever had a 2013 which is remotely open and ready (confirmed with 4 out of the 24 wines being from 2013 and none of them being really ready). Relatively muted nose with mainly minerality peaking through but everything else hardly showing. Beautiful sweetness and freshness on the palate but not much else showing. Tannins are ripe but still noticeable. This would have been much better and more expressive with a solid 5+ hours decant.
Group score (23 participants): 93.8
Group rank: 17 out of 24 wines
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10/1/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points
Napa battle (Napa Grill, Zurich): Tasted blind, double-decanted. Notes of barnyard and as a matter of fact a pretty Bordeaux-esque nose with dried herbs a mixed basket of berries. Palate with a notable acidic overhang and mouth-coating tannin.
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4/16/2019 - Tonythefish Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium plus nose has blackberry, cassis, graphite, coffee, black pepper, earth tones, nicely unique. High complexity at the onset, lots of dark fruit layers, and medium plus tannins are smooth. Very balanced and is spot on even with the huge layers. Leave it settle and specially at the price you want to drink it too soon.
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10/20/2018 - Tonythefish wrote:
Still youthful and could use some time yet. As it opened in decanter the dark fruits and dry leather, granite and cassis came through. Another year or two will help
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3/15/2018 - dotdog wrote: 93 Points
- Medium forming legs.
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10/25/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
The highest facing eastern mountain side vineyard in Napa. So when Heidi Barrett left Screaming Eagle she wanted to continue to producing something simmilar so this is apparently it I am being told.
And that, is easily the best Atlas Peak Cabernet I have ever had.
Biodynamic property and the vineyard is owned by the owner.
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9/8/2016 - GTFreek wrote:
with 4% Petit Verdot. From the Vaca mountains, highest East facing vineyard in Napa Valley. Medium plus nose has blackberry, cassis, graphite, coffee, something gamey or meaty, black pepper, earth tones, nicely unique. Palate hits with high complexity, lots of dark fruit layers, too many to name, appropriate power, medium plus tannins are smooth, balance is spot on even with the huge layers. Finish is mostly primary, I would hold this to let it develop, especially at the price point ($250?) you want to drink it not young.
From Heidi Barrett, this is her next project after Screaming Eagle.
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