Good floral nose and dark fruits on the palate, but the tannins and acidity are both a touch short at this point. I think this is one to consume now vs. cellar further.
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This bottle was hitting on all cylinders tonight, was singing with tons of core blue fruit and black mixed in. With a great mouth and tongue coating mid pallet and a better than average finish. I always love Mike’s Napas, but this might be my favorite to date with both Myriad & Quivet Napa bottlings.
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A good wine that I drank over 3 days. Great color, dark purple ruby color with ripeness and noticeable raisin on the nose. On the palate, dark fruits: Blackberry, dark sour cherry, currants, plums and some cranberry. Although good, this vintage appears to have made a turn, showing more acidic and tart at this stage. This wine made a grand appearance upon release, but I have concluded that these are early bloomers that show much better while young. Despite the detour that it’s taken, this wine shows much better than most of the wines in its peer group. 92+/ 93 Points. My conclusion, drink them young.
Fruit bomb. Another typical Napa Cab overloaded with sweetness. Paired well with a grilled porterhouse, but can’t see this being too enjoyable without some fat to cut through it.
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Was a little hesitant on popping this bad boy in reading some previous CT notes from a year ago, and my own from 7/2018...but decided to ‘take one for the team’.. and glad I did!
Definitely appears to have come outta hibernation some, though unfortunately wasn’t able to take any formal notes... in reading MD notes from 6-‘19, seemed to be pretty spot on.
Was a PnP & Drank over 1-2 hours, & was a crowd favorite, though the ‘85 Spottswood was the WOTN...
This Quivet showed definite signs of new life and think it would have popped a point had it been decanted, as the last sips were definitely the best.
I would say plenty more years of enjoyment on these, but wouldn’t hesitate opening up another!
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Decided to finally revisit from around a year ago because I’m thinking about buying more in the secondary market. Unfortunately similar thoughts as the last tasting. Dark ruby fruit - blackberry, currants/cassis, cherry, and a little dark raspberry. Decent depth/concentration especially for the price point, however, the fruit came across a little tannic and somewhat tart. Tried to pop/pour but I didn’t care for how it was drinking and threw it in a decanter for around one hour. A little improvement but it never fully came around. I loved this wine really young (in the first year or so) but it’s not in the best place right now. Once again, I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because it clearly needs some time. I’m going to let the other bottles lay down for another year. 100% cab.
Deep purplish ruby red. Perfumed nose with blackberries, woody notes, cinnamon, baking spices and dark minerality. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Dark and rich palate with tons of oak influence, blackberries, rawness and some sweet spices. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029.
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Dark plum color in the glass. Dark fruit on the nose, although, with a hint of alcohol. As expected lots of black fruit on the tip of the tongue--cassis and blackberry, most notably. Leather, and, maybe, tobacco mid-palate. Very nice, sturdy tannins.
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Best on night 3. Oak finally integrated. Big dark sappy fruit with milk chocolate finish. Has plenty of tannin and acidity. A big wine but stays fresh.
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Deep ruby red. Perfumed nose with blueberries, black cherries, oak and some spices. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Lush palate with tons of oak, blackberries, black cherries and some sweet spices. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029. (92+)
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This was my last bottle of the 2014 NV, hit the spot pre-xmas eve party. Having had a couple bottles of each over the last few weeks, I definitely prefer the 2014 Myriad NV over the Quivet.
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2 hour decant in the cellar. Deep purple. Nose of berries, licorice and alcohol. Tastes of fruit, chocolate and a touch of bitterness. Medium long finish. Pretty good bottle tonight.
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Similar to last bottle (2017) but integrated better with about 2 hours of air. Great QPR. Fell apart a bit overnight which is troubling. Drink up with some decanting.
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Great wine, ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit, hints of oak, vanilla and a bit of acidity has risen since my last experience. I will hold off for a bit on my remaining bottles (if I can help it) as it appears to be in a bit of a holding pattern at this point. 92.6 Points
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Have to agree with BM, held off from rating this, just think its in a "phase",
It definitely tasted like, at least with my limited palate, all the components are there, its just got some sorting out to do.
I would say that recommendation of 6-12 months is a safe bet for a 'retry' period, so gonna let the babies rest & will drink some of Mikes older stuff in the mean time.
I do believe, if when they come around that 92-93 score will be back again!!
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A friend brought this over to watch the World Cup. Like the 2014 Myriad Beckstoffer Georges cab and 2014 Quivet Kenefick cab which I've also had recently, this wine is not in the best place right now. Dark ruby fruit - currants, dark cherry, and a little dark raspberry. Decent depth especially for the price point but the fruit came across a little tart and tannic/acidic. Fairly long finish but also a little tart and tannic/acidic. Popped/poured but we didn't care for how it was showing so threw it in a decanter for around one hour. A little improvement with time. I'll refrain from rating it because it's not in the best place right now but low 90s if rating. Once again, going to try and lay Mike's 2014 cabs down until at least the end of the year. Drank next to the 2015 vintage which I thought was quite a bit better - bigger/fuller fruit, really smooth, more flavorful, deeper/longer finish, and simply put at a much better drinking point.
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Beautiful floral and fruit on the nose. Tannins and oak have integrated nicely and this beauty drank nicely upon PnP. The palate was more restrained than the nose, with the fruit somewhat hidden or maybe just paled in comparison to the 14 Bard. Another 12 mos and this should hit prime time.
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Pop and pour and tasted on its own, and then with food (cod in a miso glaze, with a bok choy and broccoli stir fry, with forbidden rice, in case you were wondering). Dark purple color. Nose of black cherry, some cherry liqueur, vanilla and chocolate notes. Big and rich, with ripe dark fruits, and showing a touch of sweetness. The sweetness is countered by the tannins. There is sufficient acidity to keep the wine inviting. Enjoyable. Poured half into a 375ml bottle, recorked and refrigerated and will update the note if there is any considerable change. Retasted the following day. Still shows good dark fruits, with a nice licorice note.
I'm considering buying a couple more bottles in the secondary market so I decided to revisit. The tannins have softened from earlier in the year so it's not showing the same depth. In addition, it comes across richer/sweeter without that depth and also a little tart - in my opinion the Pellet fruit appears to be more or less dominating at this stage. Popped and poured but I didn't care for how it was drinking so I threw it in a decanter for a couple hours. A little improvement with time. Like many 2014 cabs that I've had lately this vintage appears to be in a transition phase and isn't showing as well. I'm going to lay the other bottles down for at least 6 months before I'll revisit again.
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Pop and pour and tasted without food, and then with food (a hearty lentil and turkey soup, in case you were wondering). Dark purple color. Good clarity. Nose of black fruits. Initial taste is licorice, black cherries and some fresh tobacco leaf. Flavors fan out to include some brown spice along with the black cherry. Chocolate covered cherries with that hint of cherry liqueur. Sufficient acidity; this wine, however, leans tomthe fruit and rich side without any herbal or underipe green notes. Enjoyable.
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Haven't had Quivet NV in a while and decided to pull this bottle tonight. I love this wine and it's incredible QPR, but it's a little bitter sweet because as I drink this bottle many of my very good friends and acquaintances in Napa/Sonoma are in a battling this year's Napa fires.
The wine is a little darker and with stronger licorice notes than I remember but the nose is as expressive as ever the palate is round, the the tannins have soften some and the finish is a little shorter and slightly more acidic than I remember, but now I'm nitpicking.
In summary, beautiful wine, amazing QPR, and should have bought a case instead of a 3pack.
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PnP......last wine of the night so notes not great... My impression was that it was a bit sweet and not as complex as I would have wanted.... Will be a more diligent taster with the next bottle
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Same as my notes from 8 months ago. Black cherry and plum liqueur dominated for the first three hours (slowly draining the bottle between our two glasses - no decant). Showed especially beautiful and seamless after that. Hold for another year or give it some air to blow off the liqueur/alcohol on the front end and better allow for the core flavors to show on the attack. Started to show some blacker earth and clove notes on the final sips.
An impressive NV wine with a QPR that is stupid good. In a Disneyland of wine-celebrity posturing and investment banker branding, where $125 wines become $225 overnight, it's refreshing to find wines that both satisfy with quality and don't smack the crap out of a lowly consumer's credit card.
Drinking quite nicely right now, this blend from the Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga and the Pellet Vineyard in St. Helena is ready to go. For my taste, the sum is better than its parts and because of it's QPR, that's just great news. Drink up!
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Similar to my last note / experience...so nicely done at this price point. Hard pressed to find a better QPR IMO. Decanted for 2 hrs before consuming...but this went to a really great place about 3 1/2 hrs in. Luscious dark and red high quality fruit perfectly balanced out with the appropriate level of alcohol and acidity to keep it in check. Best part about this affordable Napa cab is the spicy zin like finish that goes on and on. Kudos to Mike & Leah!
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Man, this was pretty darn hedonistic from the get go! Had a LOT of everything going on, and that was with a PnP, can only imagine if we had the willpower to give it some time to really open up.
An explosion of mostly blue fruit, and some black notes, and even some glimmers of red poking around a bit. Mouth feel was amazing both on the entry, mid and a decent finish.
Was a little sweet, not that it wasn't dry, but think it still has a little sorting out to do, so gonna hold off for 3-6 months before popping the next or at min give a good vigorous decant.
Mike hit another Standard Napa Cab out of the park, and would easily put this bottle up against some of the bigger hitters at 2 or 3xs the price.
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Amazing QPR with stunning complexity at this price point. Still young and was more balanced and integrated on 2nd day. Great dark red and black fruit with wonderful earthy, chocolate, graphite and tobacco flavors on a long finish. Tannins were a bit edgy on first day but integrated much better on day #2 and the fruit softened and became more lush. Pretty terrific Mike!!
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Had this side by side with a '14 Ch. du Retout. This Quivet is sweet and primary and not as structured by comparison. I will open a '14 Kenefick Ranch this year to compare to the Napa. This wine did not excite me as much as so many other reviewers on CT.
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This wine really rocks...dark, smooth, sweet The wine looks purple colored. It tastes like coffee and black pepper. The body is full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. This wine will only get better with age, but its really terrific right now
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Slow ox for 6 hours. Drank most on Day 1, and about a third on Day 2. Also had the new 2014 Pott NV open.
This was the better wine at first. Much better body, more velvet on the palate, strong finish.
Fast forward 6 hours, and the Pott was showing much better -- even a tick better than the Quivet. The Pott was still a leaner profile, but we enjoyed the minerality and the purple fruits. Not to slight the Quivet - but it went from being easily preferred to being in a dogfight.
That said, this remains a lovely wine and amazing QPR.
Day 2, this didn't fall off a bit and might have even improved a smidge.
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Classic Napa Cab, Blue and Red fruits, blueberry, cherry, cassis, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, lots of oak on the finish. As it opens a bit of licorice comes out. Very good balance. At 60 it's not an amazing deal, but probably priced about right, there are tons of Napa cabs at this price point that taste about the same, not many that taste better though.
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The next release is coming May 9th. I wanted to try this again and make sure of my purchase. Well, I am sure. to be honest though this wine needs a mother year or two in bottle. A little bitter back end but a lot of flavor. $60 Palease. Don't tell Leah and Mike though, I like the price point here.
I really like this but I think it could be stunning in a few more years. Unfortunately, I don't have any more.
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Just couldn't resist - popped another one of these guys. Ran through a Vinturi for a quick decant. Drank over a couple of hours.
Consistent with most recent note. Additional observance was that this wine really performed better/best with food (in this case, beef tenderloin). Before and after dinner, some rough edges could be observed; but this really shined with dinner.
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This wine has smoothed out a little on the back end since the last time we opened one. Very nice showing on this night. It was the universally preferred wine over the 2014 Becklyn Reserve that we had open.
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Man oh man, this is a solid performer that today is showing better than the day before. What a wine for it's class. Is the 2014 Quivet as good or better than the 2013 vintage? Maybe I should compare the two in a taste test?
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Wow, this wine has really opened-up. Tried to revisit a 2013 Reynvaan cab on day two and I wasn't impressed so I decided to pop a bottle. Let this slow ox for around one hour. Similar notes as previous bottles but the fruit has really opened-up. Really nice full flavors, solid depth, fairly long finish, etc.. Only drawback is that it's a little richer than I tend to prefer but really impressive all around nonetheless. Great QPR. Once again, I'm glad I loaded-up on this cab.
Big, ripe dark berry fruit extraction and delicious, there is a lot of good things going on with this wine NV Cab. Yes this wine tends to show on the sweet side but for me, that's okay, I like it. I would venture to guess that if you let this wine age, the sweetness will subside to some degree. That has been my experience with many of the wines of this label, they do evolve over time and generally, they won't have much of a chance to age for too long in my case, they will be long gone.
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So, my tastes are changing. This is excellent, obviously extremely well-made wine. We've tasted with Mike Smith, the winemaker. I have a lot of his wine in the cellar. I appreciate his work and his rather prolific accomplishments.
That said, this was sweet before my tastes started changing. And now, it basically tastes chocolate sweet to me. Mike's wines are the sweetest non-desert wines in my cellar. My wife loves his style and I generally still enjoy it, but it's less for me than it used to be.
Big, rich, voluptuous, decadent. Mike described it as pillowy. It's soft not muscular. But there are layers and structure, it is just soft. And SWEET.
When I asked Mike why he makes wines with this approach, he answered, simply "because I think that's what people want." I get that completely.
I'm not going to score this, because it's not his (or the wine's) fault I've taken great interest in Pinot and white wines, and have started to enjoy grace and elegance and understatement. They are not mutually exclusive of course, but this particular wine has become a bit too much for me.
Pretty much a pop and pour. I preferred this over the 2014 Scarlett that we had open -- was more expressive and had a little more spine. Finish still needs to round/smooth out.
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This 2014 Quivet is a real beauty in it's class and a shear joy to drink. Of all of the Mike Smith standard Napa Cabs that he produced for 2014 (Myriad, Scarlett, 12C and Becklyn) the 14 Quivet is the best in my opinion. The only slight negative would be that its borders on being a bit sweet side. 94+ Points.
Similar notes as before. This is just a pleasure to drink! Purple and dark red color, lots in in your face fruit, including blueberry, cherry and blackberry. This is a rich and semi-sweet wine, in the style of Mike Smith. A great value. I want to see what it's like on day 2.
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Deep dark inky purple in color. The nose is a mix of plumb and blackberries. On the palate this is a huge mouthful of a wine, strong extracted fruit with a buttery roundness to it. Very savory taste. Long smooth finish. Just a great wine.
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PnP with some alcohol-laced fruit liqueur flavors and a sweet, clipped finish. Uh oh; the Quivet conundrum rears its head again?! This needed about 2+ hours to mellow out a bit, and then...It was totally smoooooooth sailing from there. It developed some nice black licorice and dust nuances that beautifully framed out the blackberry, black and red currant, purple plum, and pulverized granite notes.
This is a fruit-driven wine (not surprisingly), but it held its frame nicely throughout a total of four hours of consumption. I would actually have to say this might be one of the best Quivets I've had so far. In a really good place after just a little bit of air. Another year would probably do it well, but with a little pre-planning, it can be opened now with confidence. A fantastic 2014 Cabernet.
Thanks to other CT reviews for nudging me to open one of my bottles. A good wine for sure, and an even better QPR. Wish I had gone deeper on these bottles.
94 points is probably about right. Possibly some upside, but I'm guessing this will remain in that mid-nineties range throughout its life. Well done for an appellation Cabernet. Just when I started having some doubts about the Quivet label, this bugger comes along and reminds me why I'm a Mike Smith fan through and through. Good juice!
I drank this over two days. Purple fruit - blueberry, blackberry, dark cherry, and a little plum. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth especially for the price point. A little rich - richer than the 2013 vintage. Fairly long/deep finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Improved some with time but drinking quite well after the one hour decant.
Day two, lost some vibrance as usual and the fruit came across quite a bit sweeter. Like the 2014 Myriad Beckstoffer Georges cab, I believe this vintage is going to drink better fairly young at least for my preference in cabs because I can see it getting even sweeter with more time as the tannins continue to soften.
Incredible. Gave it 3 hours to open up. Incredible black and blue fruits. It's got a unique quality that I cannot put my finger on. Mike makes incredible wines that always find a way to stand above the rest!
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Deep purplish red with an almost blue core. Jam packed with fruits on the nose, we love it. Jammy, fatty (not flabby), heavy blue and black fruits such as blueberries, blackberries. Definite oak influence with vanilla and cinnamon which carries into the palate. Moderate tannins (6/10) and balanced acidity. Full bodied layered in blue and black fruits as well as cocoa leaves, cinnamon and a silky texture from start to finish. Very long finish that doesn't seem to want to let go. Delicious right now but time will only build up the structure and additional complexity. Drink till 2026. (92+)
When it came down to guessing there were two things that gave this wine away. It had a tons of fruit, like jam packed, which did not fit in line with what we remembered of the Georges III. So we thought 2014, it shared this similarity with wine #3. Additionally, it did not have the same structure as wines #2 and #3. Making us think that this was the odd wine out and not one of the two Myriad wines. So we guessed 2014 Quivet Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Slow ox for 3 hrs followed by short decant on night 1. Very nice but high alcohol overwhelms a bit. Much better on night 2. Long finish. Outperforms it's pricepoint.
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Sumptuous dark berry fruit, dark purple color transitioning into a dark red ruby color on the rim and on the palate sheer delight (see previous notes). This is a great bottle of wine for the money, really nice. 94.7 Points
Given 4hrs of air. Not much to say other than this was delicious. I don't seek this style often, but when I have the itch the Mike Smith wines scratch it well. Expressive deep nose of back currants, berry liquor, and vanilla spice. Palate is smooth, polished, with ripe but not over ripe fruit, and fine tannins and just enough acidity (probably a bit brighter than '12 but never had side by side). Lengthy berry and vanilla driven nose. Despite the oak notes they were carried well by the fruit, which was fresh despite the scale. Very well done. These will be hard not to drink young.
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Popped and poured. No formal notes. Pretty similar to prior experience, and (unsurprisingly) not as open. Preferred the 2014 12c GIII on Day 1, mainly because it was smoother on the palate and through the finish.
This was noticeably better on Day 2.
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Gave this bottle a 3hr slow ox. Blue/Black fruit showing in the glass, with big expressive notes of licorice, cassis, blueberry and oak. Very forward and extracted, with a full mid pallet feel that still shows some strong tannins. Not a terribly complex wine, and the extraction takes away from overall balance. Some would definitely find this overdone. The finish is quite long, but I'm not particularly enjoying the jammy closure. I've read in other reviews here that may go away on day 2, so we shall see. At this point, it is definitely a crowd pleaser and certainly a powerful entry level wine that doesn't require significant aging. Enjoyable at the price point, but I'm coming away feeling its too monolithic at the moment. Hopefully more air will change that.
Day 2: It's definitely a better wine with more air. The jammy notes are much less apparent on the finish (more akin to sweet tannins at this point) and there is better integration. Very rich and plush with a nice long finish. I'd suggest laying these down for another six months. The Myriad NV seems more ready to drink at this stage if you have both in your cellar. I'm with WINEGOLD here in bumping it a point (92 to 93).
This is my second bottle of Mike Smith wine; the next will be the 2014 Scarlett.
This wine is dark reddish purple on the glass. The nose is full of cassis, blueberry, hints of licorice. Fruit is up front in the attack but surprisingly we get hints of plums and cherries to complement the cassis, blueberry and licorice. This is a pretty big wine but nicely balance; the big fruit and slight sweetness is nicely balanced with big oak and fruit tannins and a nice mid palate acid lift. The finish is nice and long with tart black cherry and Expresso flavors.
This wine fits my preferred profile better than the Myriad Napa Valley and I have a feeling this wine has the chance of continuous evolution for the next 10 years. Hands down this is one of the best, if not the best $50 dollar Napa wine in the market.
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Big extracted Mike Smith wine. Many similarities with Myriad Napa Valley for the obvious reasons. On the nose, cassis, plums and black licorice -- sweet and extracted. On the palate, blue fruit mostly with some touches of black fruit. Smooth on the palate and a lasting finish of 20 seconds or so. Very nice wine.
On Day 2 -- adding a point (93 original day 1 score). Integrated beautifully. Gorgeous wine. The sweet jaminess has blown off, leaving behind big fruit with softer tannin support in the backbone. Excellent.
Drank next to a 2014 Rivers Marie Corona Vineyard Cabernet, which was less extracted, featured more red fruit, more oak and tannin. It was slightly more up our alley. Both are excellent.
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Ran through Vinturi into decanter and let breathe for about 90 minutes. Drank over 3 hours.
Dark in color, but not super dark. Nose is deep and interesting and changed quite a bit throughout the evening. Palate has a lot going on - seemed to run in different directions. It was a big wine on the palate, and went better with food than in isolation. Finish has some strong push, but also a little disjointed. Probably needs a little more time in the bottle.
All that said, this drinks better as a baby than the 2013 version did for me. Will probably try one again soon.
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A very nice cab but on the ripe/lush side for my tastes. Not quite the same refinement and balance as the base Myriad cab at this stage in the game but will likely mellow out with time.
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Pop and pour. Drank half the bottle over about 3 hours (was not really in any rush). It took about 90 minutes to really come together, and boy did it. As good on day two.
Long finish, soft mouthfeel, and loads of blue fruit. Very enjoyable and will get significantly better in my opinon.
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Pop and pour and served without food. Opened on the day of its arrival after a cross-country journey. Big, rich nose of dark fruits, some primary grape notes and a hint of oak. As to the taste: Wonderful richness of ripe fruit, mostly black cherries and touch of Concord grape. There is sufficient acidity that helps carry the sweetness of the fruit. Good finish with a vanilla component but otherwise no obtrusive oak presence. Very enjoyable.
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PnP'ed and it is fabulous! I have this open next to a Progeny '08 and the '08 still needs quite a bit of time. Very smooth, fruit forward, vanilla overtunes and really well intergated. Amazing! I might rate it higher. Would love to know where the fruit is from (in case my cellartracker friends know). happy halloween!
As others have said... dark ripe fruits it's almost riding on being a tad too sweet but balances out nicely. Dark chocolate, dark chocolate, dark chocolate! A very nice nose resembling a wide spectrum of blue and black fruits.
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Very ripe and extracted, not for the faint of heart but I love it! As I have express before, this wine is showing much like the 2013 Scarlett (which I adore), it was on the sweet extracted side to start. Many months later, Scarlett became a 1st class winner and I expect the same for this 2014 Quivet. A ripe, dark, a voluptuous beauty. Enough said for now. 94+ Points.
The 2014 Quivet is my favorite compared to the 2014 Myriad. Although still young and both are beautiful example of a great cabernet vintage, the Quivet is showing more depth and intensity than the Myriad. 94+ points.
Popped and poured and ooh boy! Ripe dark berry fruit, blackberry, blueberry, dark currants and ripe dark red berry fruit. Rich purple color with nice legs and a translucent rim. This Cab has a captivating nose and it’s intense, full-bodied and full throttled. This 2014 is a special wine for the money. It reminds me in many ways of the 2013 Scarlett Cabernet. It young, a little amped up and on the sweet side for now but is showing striking depth and intensity for a standard Cab. I can see this Quivet settling down with some aging and (much like the 13 Scarlett) all the great elements that make up this wine coming together. I recommend this standard Napa Cab that DOES NOT drink like one. 94+ Points out of the gate.
Day 2: Has settled down a bit and has improved. There are lot of beautiful element and intricacies to this Napa Cab that will become manifest with bottle time. There will be more say about this wine, as I work on depleting my allocation.
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A stunning standard Mike didn’t miss a beat on this 2014 Quivet Napa Cab! A stunning standard Napa Valley Cabernet that does not drink that way. This is a yet another remarkable wine for the price point. A nose of violets with a color that is deep dark reddish purple. On the pallet, its big and full bodied. Sweet dark fruit showing a touch of a tart note, dark berries, sweet anise, spice with a nice tannic backbone and good balance. This wine is a powerful, full bodied and ready to go right now!
9/4/2023 - Yack Man wrote: 92 Points
91/ 92 Points and a slightly acidic but decent, non the less. Drink them now.
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2/4/2023 - shapida wrote:
CORKED! Bummer
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8/1/2022 - EMTAME wrote: 90 Points
Good floral nose and dark fruits on the palate, but the tannins and acidity are both a touch short at this point. I think this is one to consume now vs. cellar further.
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2/7/2022 - Cabernet4me2 wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was hitting on all cylinders tonight, was singing with tons of core blue fruit and black mixed in. With a great mouth and tongue coating mid pallet and a better than average finish. I always love Mike’s Napas, but this might be my favorite to date with both Myriad & Quivet Napa bottlings.
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11/11/2021 - Stevethebeav wrote: 89 Points
Too much fruit up front.
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7/13/2021 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 93 Points
A good wine that I drank over 3 days. Great color, dark purple ruby color with ripeness and noticeable raisin on the nose. On the palate, dark fruits: Blackberry, dark sour cherry, currants, plums and some cranberry. Although good, this vintage appears to have made a turn, showing more acidic and tart at this stage. This wine made a grand appearance upon release, but I have concluded that these are early bloomers that show much better while young. Despite the detour that it’s taken, this wine shows much better than most of the wines in its peer group. 92+/ 93 Points. My conclusion, drink them young.
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1/22/2021 - kkoshkin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice wine. Surprisingly balanced. This is drinking great right now and may still improve a bit.
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12/20/2020 - jyensan wrote: 90 Points
Fruit bomb. Another typical Napa Cab overloaded with sweetness. Paired well with a grilled porterhouse, but can’t see this being too enjoyable without some fat to cut through it.
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10/3/2020 - KJD45$ wrote: flawed
Corked
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8/21/2020 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Was a little hesitant on popping this bad boy in reading some previous CT notes from a year ago, and my own from 7/2018...but decided to ‘take one for the team’.. and glad I did!
Definitely appears to have come outta hibernation some, though unfortunately wasn’t able to take any formal notes... in reading MD notes from 6-‘19, seemed to be pretty spot on.
Was a PnP & Drank over 1-2 hours, & was a crowd favorite, though the ‘85 Spottswood was the WOTN...
This Quivet showed definite signs of new life and think it would have popped a point had it been decanted, as the last sips were definitely the best.
I would say plenty more years of enjoyment on these, but wouldn’t hesitate opening up another!
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2/3/2020 - jaylew1 wrote: 93 Points
A terrific value. Purple fruit. Still wound pretty tight.
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6/12/2019 - Badmonkey wrote:
Decided to finally revisit from around a year ago because I’m thinking about buying more in the secondary market. Unfortunately similar thoughts as the last tasting. Dark ruby fruit - blackberry, currants/cassis, cherry, and a little dark raspberry. Decent depth/concentration especially for the price point, however, the fruit came across a little tannic and somewhat tart. Tried to pop/pour but I didn’t care for how it was drinking and threw it in a decanter for around one hour. A little improvement but it never fully came around. I loved this wine really young (in the first year or so) but it’s not in the best place right now. Once again, I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because it clearly needs some time. I’m going to let the other bottles lay down for another year. 100% cab.
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6/10/2019 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 93 Points
Deep purplish ruby red. Perfumed nose with blackberries, woody notes, cinnamon, baking spices and dark minerality. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Dark and rich palate with tons of oak influence, blackberries, rawness and some sweet spices. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029.
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5/30/2019 - EMark Likes this wine:
Dark plum color in the glass. Dark fruit on the nose, although, with a hint of alcohol. As expected lots of black fruit on the tip of the tongue--cassis and blackberry, most notably. Leather, and, maybe, tobacco mid-palate. Very nice, sturdy tannins.
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4/1/2019 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Best on night 3. Oak finally integrated. Big dark sappy fruit with milk chocolate finish. Has plenty of tannin and acidity. A big wine but stays fresh.
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1/11/2019 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby red. Perfumed nose with blueberries, black cherries, oak and some spices. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Lush palate with tons of oak, blackberries, black cherries and some sweet spices. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029. (92+)
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12/24/2018 - Jarndyce wrote: 92 Points
This was my last bottle of the 2014 NV, hit the spot pre-xmas eve party. Having had a couple bottles of each over the last few weeks, I definitely prefer the 2014 Myriad NV over the Quivet.
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12/9/2018 - Jarndyce wrote: 93 Points
2 hour decant in the cellar. Deep purple. Nose of berries, licorice and alcohol. Tastes of fruit, chocolate and a touch of bitterness. Medium long finish. Pretty good bottle tonight.
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12/6/2018 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to last bottle (2017) but integrated better with about 2 hours of air. Great QPR. Fell apart a bit overnight which is troubling. Drink up with some decanting.
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8/19/2018 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine, ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit, hints of oak, vanilla and a bit of acidity has risen since my last experience. I will hold off for a bit on my remaining bottles (if I can help it) as it appears to be in a bit of a holding pattern at this point. 92.6 Points
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7/18/2018 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 93 Points
My last from this vintage. Thought it was in a great place.
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7/11/2018 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine:
Have to agree with BM, held off from rating this, just think its in a "phase",
It definitely tasted like, at least with my limited palate, all the components are there, its just got some sorting out to do.
I would say that recommendation of 6-12 months is a safe bet for a 'retry' period, so gonna let the babies rest & will drink some of Mikes older stuff in the mean time.
I do believe, if when they come around that 92-93 score will be back again!!
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6/19/2018 - Badmonkey wrote:
A friend brought this over to watch the World Cup. Like the 2014 Myriad Beckstoffer Georges cab and 2014 Quivet Kenefick cab which I've also had recently, this wine is not in the best place right now. Dark ruby fruit - currants, dark cherry, and a little dark raspberry. Decent depth especially for the price point but the fruit came across a little tart and tannic/acidic. Fairly long finish but also a little tart and tannic/acidic. Popped/poured but we didn't care for how it was showing so threw it in a decanter for around one hour. A little improvement with time. I'll refrain from rating it because it's not in the best place right now but low 90s if rating. Once again, going to try and lay Mike's 2014 cabs down until at least the end of the year. Drank next to the 2015 vintage which I thought was quite a bit better - bigger/fuller fruit, really smooth, more flavorful, deeper/longer finish, and simply put at a much better drinking point.
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6/15/2018 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful floral and fruit on the nose. Tannins and oak have integrated nicely and this beauty drank nicely upon PnP. The palate was more restrained than the nose, with the fruit somewhat hidden or maybe just paled in comparison to the 14 Bard. Another 12 mos and this should hit prime time.
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6/3/2018 - csklsc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking great now as a pnp and also over the following 2 days. Slight preference to the Quivet NV over the Myriad NV.
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1/30/2018 - t_moderne wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour and tasted on its own, and then with food (cod in a miso glaze, with a bok choy and broccoli stir fry, with forbidden rice, in case you were wondering).
Dark purple color.
Nose of black cherry, some cherry liqueur, vanilla and chocolate notes.
Big and rich, with ripe dark fruits, and showing a touch of sweetness. The sweetness is countered by the tannins. There is sufficient acidity to keep the wine inviting.
Enjoyable.
Poured half into a 375ml bottle, recorked and refrigerated and will update the note if there is any considerable change.
Retasted the following day. Still shows good dark fruits, with a nice licorice note.
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11/29/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 92 Points
I'm considering buying a couple more bottles in the secondary market so I decided to revisit. The tannins have softened from earlier in the year so it's not showing the same depth. In addition, it comes across richer/sweeter without that depth and also a little tart - in my opinion the Pellet fruit appears to be more or less dominating at this stage. Popped and poured but I didn't care for how it was drinking so I threw it in a decanter for a couple hours. A little improvement with time. Like many 2014 cabs that I've had lately this vintage appears to be in a transition phase and isn't showing as well. I'm going to lay the other bottles down for at least 6 months before I'll revisit again.
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11/25/2017 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour and tasted without food, and then with food (a hearty lentil and turkey soup, in case you were wondering).
Dark purple color. Good clarity.
Nose of black fruits.
Initial taste is licorice, black cherries and some fresh tobacco leaf. Flavors fan out to include some brown spice along with the black cherry. Chocolate covered cherries with that hint of cherry liqueur.
Sufficient acidity; this wine, however, leans tomthe fruit and rich side without any herbal or underipe green notes.
Enjoyable.
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11/18/2017 - Yack Man wrote: 94 Points
Love it!
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10/9/2017 - amauryc1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Haven't had Quivet NV in a while and decided to pull this bottle tonight. I love this wine and it's incredible QPR, but it's a little bitter sweet because as I drink this bottle many of my very good friends and acquaintances in Napa/Sonoma are in a battling this year's Napa fires.
The wine is a little darker and with stronger licorice notes than I remember but the nose is as expressive as ever the palate is round, the the tannins have soften some and the finish is a little shorter and slightly more acidic than I remember, but now I'm nitpicking.
In summary, beautiful wine, amazing QPR, and should have bought a case instead of a 3pack.
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10/8/2017 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP......last wine of the night so notes not great...
My impression was that it was a bit sweet and not as complex as I would have wanted....
Will be a more diligent taster with the next bottle
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9/15/2017 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Same as my notes from 8 months ago. Black cherry and plum liqueur dominated for the first three hours (slowly draining the bottle between our two glasses - no decant). Showed especially beautiful and seamless after that. Hold for another year or give it some air to blow off the liqueur/alcohol on the front end and better allow for the core flavors to show on the attack. Started to show some blacker earth and clove notes on the final sips.
An impressive NV wine with a QPR that is stupid good. In a Disneyland of wine-celebrity posturing and investment banker branding, where $125 wines become $225 overnight, it's refreshing to find wines that both satisfy with quality and don't smack the crap out of a lowly consumer's credit card.
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9/1/2017 - #1Winelover Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking quite nicely right now, this blend from the Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga and the Pellet Vineyard in St. Helena is ready to go. For my taste, the sum is better than its parts and because of it's QPR, that's just great news. Drink up!
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8/24/2017 - City Squirrel Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to my last note / experience...so nicely done at this price point. Hard pressed to find a better QPR IMO. Decanted for 2 hrs before consuming...but this went to a really great place about 3 1/2 hrs in. Luscious dark and red high quality fruit perfectly balanced out with the appropriate level of alcohol and acidity to keep it in check. Best part about this affordable Napa cab is the spicy zin like finish that goes on and on. Kudos to Mike & Leah!
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8/23/2017 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Man, this was pretty darn hedonistic from the get go! Had a LOT of everything going on, and that was with a PnP, can only imagine if we had the willpower to give it some time to really open up.
An explosion of mostly blue fruit, and some black notes, and even some glimmers of red poking around a bit. Mouth feel was amazing both on the entry, mid and a decent finish.
Was a little sweet, not that it wasn't dry, but think it still has a little sorting out to do, so gonna hold off for 3-6 months before popping the next or at min give a good vigorous decant.
Mike hit another Standard Napa Cab out of the park, and would easily put this bottle up against some of the bigger hitters at 2 or 3xs the price.
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7/15/2017 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazing QPR with stunning complexity at this price point. Still young and was more balanced and integrated on 2nd day. Great dark red and black fruit with wonderful earthy, chocolate, graphite and tobacco flavors on a long finish. Tannins were a bit edgy on first day but integrated much better on day #2 and the fruit softened and became more lush. Pretty terrific Mike!!
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7/12/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not your ever day Napa Cab... I wish that half of the standard Napa Cabs out there drank as well as this one. Yummy!
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7/5/2017 - FlyPig Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sensational napa cab, got better over two days. Bravo.
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6/14/2017 - Yack Man wrote: 94 Points
A Delicious Cab!
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6/13/2017 - Dagman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Young but shows promise.
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6/12/2017 - wineotim wrote: 92 Points
Had this side by side with a '14 Ch. du Retout. This Quivet is sweet and primary and not as structured by comparison. I will open a '14 Kenefick Ranch this year to compare to the Napa. This wine did not excite me as much as so many other reviewers on CT.
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5/11/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine drinks like a Cab twice its price, Very Nice.
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5/7/2017 - Spanjersberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine really rocks...dark, smooth, sweet
The wine looks purple colored. It tastes like coffee and black pepper. The body is full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. This wine will only get better with age, but its really terrific right now
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5/2/2017 - Jdwinedrinker wrote:
Drinking well. Even better on day 2
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5/1/2017 - kkoshkin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Better on day 2 and with food (filet mignon) than on day 1 by itself. Lovely finish. Will improve further but enjoyable now.
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4/29/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slow ox for 6 hours. Drank most on Day 1, and about a third on Day 2. Also had the new 2014 Pott NV open.
This was the better wine at first. Much better body, more velvet on the palate, strong finish.
Fast forward 6 hours, and the Pott was showing much better -- even a tick better than the Quivet. The Pott was still a leaner profile, but we enjoyed the minerality and the purple fruits. Not to slight the Quivet - but it went from being easily preferred to being in a dogfight.
That said, this remains a lovely wine and amazing QPR.
Day 2, this didn't fall off a bit and might have even improved a smidge.
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4/28/2017 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Napa Cab, Blue and Red fruits, blueberry, cherry, cassis, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, lots of oak on the finish. As it opens a bit of licorice comes out. Very good balance. At 60 it's not an amazing deal, but probably priced about right, there are tons of Napa cabs at this price point that taste about the same, not many that taste better though.
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4/28/2017 - Rktekt3 wrote: 93 Points
The next release is coming May 9th. I wanted to try this again and make sure of my purchase. Well, I am sure. to be honest though this wine needs a mother year or two in bottle. A little bitter back end but a lot of flavor. $60 Palease. Don't tell Leah and Mike though, I like the price point here.
I really like this but I think it could be stunning in a few more years. Unfortunately, I don't have any more.
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4/23/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just couldn't resist - popped another one of these guys. Ran through a Vinturi for a quick decant. Drank over a couple of hours.
Consistent with most recent note. Additional observance was that this wine really performed better/best with food (in this case, beef tenderloin). Before and after dinner, some rough edges could be observed; but this really shined with dinner.
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4/10/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 94 Points
Thanks Leah and Mike...... Delicious!
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4/8/2017 - ElSol Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not much to add. Delicious.
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4/1/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slow ox for 6 hours. Drank over an hour.
This wine has smoothed out a little on the back end since the last time we opened one. Very nice showing on this night. It was the universally preferred wine over the 2014 Becklyn Reserve that we had open.
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3/21/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 95 Points
Man oh man, this is a solid performer that today is showing better than the day before. What a wine for it's class. Is the 2014 Quivet as good or better than the 2013 vintage? Maybe I should compare the two in a taste test?
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3/13/2017 - thatrick wrote: 90 Points
A little too sweet for my taste. I like the Myriad Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley better.
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3/7/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 95 Points
Wow, this wine has really opened-up. Tried to revisit a 2013 Reynvaan cab on day two and I wasn't impressed so I decided to pop a bottle. Let this slow ox for around one hour. Similar notes as previous bottles but the fruit has really opened-up. Really nice full flavors, solid depth, fairly long finish, etc.. Only drawback is that it's a little richer than I tend to prefer but really impressive all around nonetheless. Great QPR. Once again, I'm glad I loaded-up on this cab.
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3/6/2017 - Yack Man wrote: 95 Points
Big, ripe dark berry fruit extraction and delicious, there is a lot of good things going on with this wine NV Cab. Yes this wine tends to show on the sweet side but for me, that's okay, I like it. I would venture to guess that if you let this wine age, the sweetness will subside to some degree. That has been my experience with many of the wines of this label, they do evolve over time and generally, they won't have much of a chance to age for too long in my case, they will be long gone.
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2/20/2017 - WineGold wrote:
So, my tastes are changing. This is excellent, obviously extremely well-made wine. We've tasted with Mike Smith, the winemaker. I have a lot of his wine in the cellar. I appreciate his work and his rather prolific accomplishments.
That said, this was sweet before my tastes started changing. And now, it basically tastes chocolate sweet to me. Mike's wines are the sweetest non-desert wines in my cellar. My wife loves his style and I generally still enjoy it, but it's less for me than it used to be.
Big, rich, voluptuous, decadent. Mike described it as pillowy. It's soft not muscular. But there are layers and structure, it is just soft. And SWEET.
When I asked Mike why he makes wines with this approach, he answered, simply "because I think that's what people want." I get that completely.
I'm not going to score this, because it's not his (or the wine's) fault I've taken great interest in Pinot and white wines, and have started to enjoy grace and elegance and understatement. They are not mutually exclusive of course, but this particular wine has become a bit too much for me.
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2/14/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty much a pop and pour. I preferred this over the 2014 Scarlett that we had open -- was more expressive and had a little more spine. Finish still needs to round/smooth out.
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2/13/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 94 Points
This 2014 Quivet is a real beauty in it's class and a shear joy to drink. Of all of the Mike Smith standard Napa Cabs that he produced for 2014 (Myriad, Scarlett, 12C and Becklyn) the 14 Quivet is the best in my opinion. The only slight negative would be that its borders on being a bit sweet side. 94+ Points.
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2/4/2017 - #1Winelover Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar notes as before. This is just a pleasure to drink! Purple and dark red color, lots in in your face fruit, including blueberry, cherry and blackberry. This is a rich and semi-sweet wine, in the style of Mike Smith. A great value. I want to see what it's like on day 2.
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1/31/2017 - jnocera Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark inky purple in color. The nose is a mix of plumb and blackberries. On the palate this is a huge mouthful of a wine, strong extracted fruit with a buttery roundness to it. Very savory taste. Long smooth finish. Just a great wine.
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1/28/2017 - Rktekt3 wrote: 94 Points
Right in my wheelhouse.
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1/20/2017 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
PnP with some alcohol-laced fruit liqueur flavors and a sweet, clipped finish. Uh oh; the Quivet conundrum rears its head again?! This needed about 2+ hours to mellow out a bit, and then...It was totally smoooooooth sailing from there. It developed some nice black licorice and dust nuances that beautifully framed out the blackberry, black and red currant, purple plum, and pulverized granite notes.
This is a fruit-driven wine (not surprisingly), but it held its frame nicely throughout a total of four hours of consumption. I would actually have to say this might be one of the best Quivets I've had so far. In a really good place after just a little bit of air. Another year would probably do it well, but with a little pre-planning, it can be opened now with confidence. A fantastic 2014 Cabernet.
Thanks to other CT reviews for nudging me to open one of my bottles. A good wine for sure, and an even better QPR. Wish I had gone deeper on these bottles.
94 points is probably about right. Possibly some upside, but I'm guessing this will remain in that mid-nineties range throughout its life. Well done for an appellation Cabernet. Just when I started having some doubts about the Quivet label, this bugger comes along and reminds me why I'm a Mike Smith fan through and through. Good juice!
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1/20/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 94 Points
Day 1: Popped, poured... 94 points.
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1/17/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 94 Points
I drank this over two days. Purple fruit - blueberry, blackberry, dark cherry, and a little plum. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth especially for the price point. A little rich - richer than the 2013 vintage. Fairly long/deep finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Improved some with time but drinking quite well after the one hour decant.
Day two, lost some vibrance as usual and the fruit came across quite a bit sweeter. Like the 2014 Myriad Beckstoffer Georges cab, I believe this vintage is going to drink better fairly young at least for my preference in cabs because I can see it getting even sweeter with more time as the tannins continue to soften.
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1/13/2017 - Tvall13 wrote: 93 Points
Incredible. Gave it 3 hours to open up. Incredible black and blue fruits. It's got a unique quality that I cannot put my finger on. Mike makes incredible wines that always find a way to stand above the rest!
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12/28/2016 - Millennial Drinkers Likes this wine: 92 Points
December Themed Tastings; 12/22/2016-12/29/2016 (At Home): First of the Mike Smith tasting and tasted blind. Decanted for four hours.
Deep purplish red with an almost blue core. Jam packed with fruits on the nose, we love it. Jammy, fatty (not flabby), heavy blue and black fruits such as blueberries, blackberries. Definite oak influence with vanilla and cinnamon which carries into the palate. Moderate tannins (6/10) and balanced acidity. Full bodied layered in blue and black fruits as well as cocoa leaves, cinnamon and a silky texture from start to finish. Very long finish that doesn't seem to want to let go. Delicious right now but time will only build up the structure and additional complexity. Drink till 2026. (92+)
When it came down to guessing there were two things that gave this wine away. It had a tons of fruit, like jam packed, which did not fit in line with what we remembered of the Georges III. So we thought 2014, it shared this similarity with wine #3. Additionally, it did not have the same structure as wines #2 and #3. Making us think that this was the odd wine out and not one of the two Myriad wines. So we guessed 2014 Quivet Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
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12/26/2016 - Cohenb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slow ox for 3 hrs followed by short decant on night 1. Very nice but high alcohol overwhelms a bit. Much better on night 2. Long finish. Outperforms it's pricepoint.
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12/25/2016 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sumptuous dark berry fruit, dark purple color transitioning into a dark red ruby color on the rim and on the palate sheer delight (see previous notes). This is a great bottle of wine for the money, really nice. 94.7 Points
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12/11/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Given 4hrs of air. Not much to say other than this was delicious. I don't seek this style often, but when I have the itch the Mike Smith wines scratch it well. Expressive deep nose of back currants, berry liquor, and vanilla spice. Palate is smooth, polished, with ripe but not over ripe fruit, and fine tannins and just enough acidity (probably a bit brighter than '12 but never had side by side). Lengthy berry and vanilla driven nose. Despite the oak notes they were carried well by the fruit, which was fresh despite the scale. Very well done. These will be hard not to drink young.
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12/3/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. No formal notes. Pretty similar to prior experience, and (unsurprisingly) not as open. Preferred the 2014 12c GIII on Day 1, mainly because it was smoother on the palate and through the finish.
This was noticeably better on Day 2.
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12/1/2016 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gave this bottle a 3hr slow ox. Blue/Black fruit showing in the glass, with big expressive notes of licorice, cassis, blueberry and oak. Very forward and extracted, with a full mid pallet feel that still shows some strong tannins. Not a terribly complex wine, and the extraction takes away from overall balance. Some would definitely find this overdone. The finish is quite long, but I'm not particularly enjoying the jammy closure. I've read in other reviews here that may go away on day 2, so we shall see. At this point, it is definitely a crowd pleaser and certainly a powerful entry level wine that doesn't require significant aging. Enjoyable at the price point, but I'm coming away feeling its too monolithic at the moment. Hopefully more air will change that.
Day 2: It's definitely a better wine with more air. The jammy notes are much less apparent on the finish (more akin to sweet tannins at this point) and there is better integration. Very rich and plush with a nice long finish. I'd suggest laying these down for another six months. The Myriad NV seems more ready to drink at this stage if you have both in your cellar. I'm with WINEGOLD here in bumping it a point (92 to 93).
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11/29/2016 - amauryc1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is my second bottle of Mike Smith wine; the next will be the 2014 Scarlett.
This wine is dark reddish purple on the glass. The nose is full of cassis, blueberry, hints of licorice. Fruit is up front in the attack but surprisingly we get hints of plums and cherries to complement the cassis, blueberry and licorice. This is a pretty big wine but nicely balance; the big fruit and slight sweetness is nicely balanced with big oak and fruit tannins and a nice mid palate acid lift. The finish is nice and long with tart black cherry and Expresso flavors.
This wine fits my preferred profile better than the Myriad Napa Valley and I have a feeling this wine has the chance of continuous evolution for the next 10 years. Hands down this is one of the best, if not the best $50 dollar Napa wine in the market.
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11/27/2016 - WineGold wrote: 94 Points
Big extracted Mike Smith wine. Many similarities with Myriad Napa Valley for the obvious reasons. On the nose, cassis, plums and black licorice -- sweet and extracted. On the palate, blue fruit mostly with some touches of black fruit. Smooth on the palate and a lasting finish of 20 seconds or so. Very nice wine.
On Day 2 -- adding a point (93 original day 1 score). Integrated beautifully. Gorgeous wine. The sweet jaminess has blown off, leaving behind big fruit with softer tannin support in the backbone. Excellent.
Drank next to a 2014 Rivers Marie Corona Vineyard Cabernet, which was less extracted, featured more red fruit, more oak and tannin. It was slightly more up our alley. Both are excellent.
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11/25/2016 - Rktekt3 wrote: 93 Points
I will be staying on this list and buying more of these. So nice.
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11/24/2016 - Shaun Mondavi wrote: 92 Points
Great at this price point, drinking well with a decant.
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11/15/2016 - Yack Man wrote: 94 Points
Seems to be smoothing and not as amped as the last bottle I enjoyed. Great wine, 93.5 Points
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11/10/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ran through Vinturi into decanter and let breathe for about 90 minutes. Drank over 3 hours.
Dark in color, but not super dark. Nose is deep and interesting and changed quite a bit throughout the evening. Palate has a lot going on - seemed to run in different directions. It was a big wine on the palate, and went better with food than in isolation. Finish has some strong push, but also a little disjointed. Probably needs a little more time in the bottle.
All that said, this drinks better as a baby than the 2013 version did for me. Will probably try one again soon.
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11/9/2016 - doctornoah wrote: 91 Points
A very nice cab but on the ripe/lush side for my tastes. Not quite the same refinement and balance as the base Myriad cab at this stage in the game but will likely mellow out with time.
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11/6/2016 - kkoshkin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pop and pour. Drank half the bottle over about 3 hours (was not really in any rush). It took about 90 minutes to really come together, and boy did it. As good on day two.
Long finish, soft mouthfeel, and loads of blue fruit. Very enjoyable and will get significantly better in my opinon.
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11/1/2016 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour and served without food.
Opened on the day of its arrival after a cross-country journey.
Big, rich nose of dark fruits, some primary grape notes and a hint of oak.
As to the taste: Wonderful richness of ripe fruit, mostly black cherries and touch of Concord grape. There is sufficient acidity that helps carry the sweetness of the fruit. Good finish with a vanilla component but otherwise no obtrusive oak presence.
Very enjoyable.
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10/31/2016 - #1Winelover wrote: 95 Points
PnP'ed and it is fabulous! I have this open next to a Progeny '08 and the '08 still needs quite a bit of time. Very smooth, fruit forward, vanilla overtunes and really well intergated. Amazing! I might rate it higher. Would love to know where the fruit is from (in case my cellartracker friends know). happy halloween!
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10/29/2016 - raek Likes this wine: 93 Points
As others have said... dark ripe fruits it's almost riding on being a tad too sweet but balances out nicely. Dark chocolate, dark chocolate, dark chocolate! A very nice nose resembling a wide spectrum of blue and black fruits.
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10/25/2016 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very ripe and extracted, not for the faint of heart but I love it! As I have express before, this wine is showing much like the 2013 Scarlett (which I adore), it was on the sweet extracted side to start. Many months later, Scarlett became a 1st class winner and I expect the same for this 2014 Quivet. A ripe, dark, a voluptuous beauty. Enough said for now. 94+ Points.
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9/20/2016 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 95 Points
The 2014 Quivet is my favorite compared to the 2014 Myriad. Although still young and both are beautiful example of a great cabernet vintage, the Quivet is showing more depth and intensity than the Myriad. 94+ points.
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9/5/2016 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured and ooh boy! Ripe dark berry fruit, blackberry, blueberry, dark currants and ripe dark red berry fruit. Rich purple color with nice legs and a translucent rim. This Cab has a captivating nose and it’s intense, full-bodied and full throttled. This 2014 is a special wine for the money. It reminds me in many ways of the 2013 Scarlett Cabernet. It young, a little amped up and on the sweet side for now but is showing striking depth and intensity for a standard Cab. I can see this Quivet settling down with some aging and (much like the 13 Scarlett) all the great elements that make up this wine coming together. I recommend this standard Napa Cab that DOES NOT drink like one. 94+ Points out of the gate.
Day 2: Has settled down a bit and has improved. There are lot of beautiful element and intricacies to this Napa Cab that will become manifest with bottle time. There will be more say about this wine, as I work on depleting my allocation.
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8/9/2016 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 96 Points
A stunning standard Mike didn’t miss a beat on this 2014 Quivet Napa Cab! A stunning standard Napa Valley Cabernet that does not drink that way. This is a yet another remarkable wine for the price point. A nose of violets with a color that is deep dark reddish purple. On the pallet, its big and full bodied. Sweet dark fruit showing a touch of a tart note, dark berries, sweet anise, spice with a nice tannic backbone and good balance. This wine is a powerful, full bodied and ready to go right now!
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7/3/2016 - tcarter Likes this wine: 97 Points
Insanely good QPR.
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