This wine is massive and extravagant. Packed with elegant crème de cassis blackberry brandy with Boysenberry and Serviceberry. The level of cabernet sauvignon extraction is beyond belief. I can only imagine what the sorting table process was like. Like all Carter bottlings, these low-yielding To Kalon parcels have been brought to perfection. This 5 year bottling tastes as fresh as the day we sampled it at Carter, which leads me to think these wines might literally have decades in front of them.
That said... This wine is too much. It's not food friendly, or if it is, not sure what you would serve this with. These wines are so decadent, so enjoyable, so over the top, YET in balance, it's just remarkable, but wine should be enjoyed with food, and this wine, just simply makes any pairing very difficult. 94-98
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Enjoyed last night alongside a ‘15 Addax Tench and ‘16 Hundred Acre. Edged both because of its long drawn finish. Great now and a lot of cellaring time left if so inclined.
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Gave 1.5 hrs decant while lamb roasted, well needed. Rich boysenberry bouquet, soft and expressive mid-palate and finish, nicely balanced between power and elegance.
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Enjoyed an early Christmas with Aubert CIX Chardonnay, Kathryn Hall Cab and then the Three Kings. I wish I could have this lineup everyday.
Decanted three hours. Tough act to follow as last time I tried was with Mark Carter. This wine is incredible! Deep red crimson in color. Blackberries, earth and a touch of floral on the nose. The palate is mesmerizing. Black berries, black cherries and some sweetness that lingers for a full minute. I can only hope that the OG and GTO are developing this way. This is a label that should offer all you can drink. :)
Mike Smith Tasting and Wine Dinner PART #2: Red and black fruit, with some grippy earth and rock notes. Subtle dark spice helped to deepen the overall profile even further. The front of the attack started out more red-fruited, but it then showed some more of that Oakville BTK soil flavoring. Smooth and authoritative at the same time. The frame is present, but it has a nice malleable quality about it that allows the flavors to interweave gorgeously. It coats the mouth, but does so in a very focused and chiseled way.
This is a wine to hold for a couple more years. It had a similar structural personality to the 2013 GD. 2020+ for this wine, with nice promise in the next two years.
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Stood up for an hour, then decanted for an hour. Drank over about 90 minutes.
Certainly dark in color, but maybe not quite as dark as other Carters? Not that I had anything else open to compare it to, just an observation. Dark red and black in fruit, with some real depth on the nose. Smells like Oakville. Beautiful on the palate, and really presentable at this young stage. Finishes very smoothly, with fine tannins and nice length.
Really impressed how well this showed at such an early stage. Stood up well to a wagyu ribeye, but not to dark and coiled. Seems a good candidate if looking for To Kalon juice that will show well in its youth.
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This beautiful Cabernet confirms the joyful ridiculousness of the Carter 2015's in the early-going: lush, complex, accessible, and delicious, these wines are fantastic, and this is no exception. Based on tasting these individually over the past few months, I think this has a bit more sweetness than the La Verdad, a bit more accessibility than the Weitz, and a bit more depth than the Carter, but these are just details. I’m most confident in my conclusion: this wine is wonderful.
Cherry red in color, full in body, effusive nose of blueberry pie, pencil lead, and candied walnuts, with a hint of a newly-planted garden in Spring (read: fresh flowers and fresh dirt). Glorious, luscious tastes of fruit (e.g., blackberry, cherry, mountain strawberry) take center stage, with the necessary (and well-integrated) supporting pillars of graphite, crushed gravel, licorice, and cedar, along with a finish that goes on and on. 14.9% alcohol. This seemed ready to go after opening, but it gained depth after a few hours.
This is the kind of bottle you wish was bottomless - you just never want it to stop. The sweetness on the back end should subside with time, which makes me eager to drink this in another year or two. It reminded me most of a 2015 Maybach Materium, with similar fruit but a bit more depth and structure. My first of Carter's BTK trio in 2015, I absolutely loved this wine. 97+.
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Decided to pop a bottle because I'm considering buying more but wanted to see where this vintage is at first. Purple fruit - blackberry, currants, blueberry, and dark cherry. Fruit forward but really smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth/concentration and a nice purity. Full/rich flavors of dark berries and some spice. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Improved a little with time but drinking quite well after the decant. Initially I was surprised that Lisa Perotti-Brown of WA recently rated the 2015 Carter Beckstoffer 3 Kings and 2015 Carter Beckstoffer OG the same at 97 - in my opinion the OG has clearly been the better wine over the past couple vintages and I expected the same with this vintage. I would still give a slight nod to the OG, however, this is probably my favorite vintage of the 3 Kings. In all, I would say the 3Kings is a little more feminine (softer and a little richer/sweeter) than the 2015 Carter OG which shows a little more depth/concentration but both are great.
Had this wine five months ago and it was the most reserved and reticent of the lineup. This time around, it was roaring and ready to go. Really a seamless wine with great purity, layering and length. Concentrated, but not on the almost outrageous level of the OG and Grand Daddy (to a lesser extend). It was a bit more elegant, but still delivered the goods. My favorite of the tasting aside from the Verdad. Note that we didn't taste the OG or GTO.
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Carter (Carter Cellars (Envy Wines) - Calistoga): This was really showing its capacity to deliver an amazing array of complex flavors. Last time I had the Three Kings, I favored the Grand Daddy served alongside it. This time, the Three Kings came out of nowhere and really stepped up with its beautifully balanced and layered pure fruit. Great energy and push, but still maintaining a superb concentration.
My previous specific tastings notes on this wine apply, except for the fact that this showing was the best yet, shadowed only by La Verdad's comparative perfection. Hold until after 2019+ in expectation that a couple of years in bottle will really get this wine into its most optimal drinking window. 96-97+ points.
As Cristal2000 mentioned, we did not have the GTO or OG directly alongside the other Carters to compare to the other BTK wines. I still favor the GTO above them all (if memory serves), but I've always liked the OG's concentration when compared to the 3 Kings and GD. #1Winelover generously sacrificed a 2015 OG later on at dinner during a predominantly BTK taste-off at Farmstead (notes to follow). Though the OG was clearly young, I did like it very much during our dinner.
Visited last week and Dan had the lineup ready to roll. Unfortunately, I was late to the Valley this year and missed the opportunity to try the OG and Las PLV. Not too bummed, as I scored a few of each at release. As we went through the lineup, by the time we hit the Weitz I had a big smile. Once we tasted the The Three Kings, we're giving high fives! This wine was so awesome!! Even though the Grand Daddy was incredible, having more fruit and slightly more depth, The Three Kings always seems to deliver this special sensation that is different from all of their other wines. Not only was it my favorite at Carter among the wines we tried, but it was the favorite of the trip!
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We had the opportunity to have a tasting with Mark Carter while at Envy. Such a gracious host and with tremendous stories. No surprise, the 2015 Carter wines are fantastic. We decided to take a bottle of Three Kings with us for dinner the next night. Decanted for an hour and drank over another 2 hours. While young, it did not disappoint. Fruit forward with some spice. Long finish. This should start singing in 3-5 years.
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I had this wine served from 2 separate bottles (2 separate ways): Multiple Coravin 3-day old bottle and a fresh PnP.
The fresh PnP was loaded with energetic red/purple/black fruit. I typically experience the Kings as being the fruitiest of the BTK Carters, and this was no exception. Gobs of primarily red and purple fruit, surrounded by cassis and some spice. I preferred the PnP version over the bottle that had been Coravined multiple times over the course of a few days.
The Coravin bottle was a little more round and accessible, but lacked a little bit of the drive that the PnP bottle displayed.
95+ points at the moment, with some upside in a year. I'm sure the flavors will deepen over time, but my guess is this will likely remain the most fruit-forward of the BTK lineup.
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Really great wine that suffered from being compared to it's two siblings from BTK. A little more overtly fruity without quite as much complexity and structure as the OG and Grand Daddy. Nevertheless, a wonderful effort, with beautiful pure fruit, great intensity and wonderful taste throughout. Again, without the relative comparison, I would probably rate this even higher.
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Showing great strength right out of the gate as it always has in my experience. In many ways this 'Three Kings' reminds me of the O.G. Big and fruit driven (black and blueberry fruit, cassis) with the slight nuances common to this wine. It will be interesting to follow the evolution of this wine and like its predecessors from 2014, and 2013, we will see where this wine goes... to a very good place I'm sure. 96+ Points.
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3/22/2024 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 95 Points
Could use more time or at least a 2 hours decant. Floral nose, quite a bit of oak. Good wine.
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2/24/2024 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 95 Points
Open and youthful for the age. Lots of fruit and oak notes.
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5/22/2021 - wendyinwlv wrote: 98 Points
One terrific wine! Jammy, soft tannins with a hint of mint on the nose.
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10/25/2020 - cbuhlman wrote:
This wine is massive and extravagant. Packed with elegant crème de cassis blackberry brandy with Boysenberry and Serviceberry. The level of cabernet sauvignon extraction is beyond belief. I can only imagine what the sorting table process was like. Like all Carter bottlings, these low-yielding To Kalon parcels have been brought to perfection.
This 5 year bottling tastes as fresh as the day we sampled it at Carter, which leads me to think these wines might literally have decades in front of them.
That said...
This wine is too much. It's not food friendly, or if it is, not sure what you would serve this with. These wines are so decadent, so enjoyable, so over the top, YET in balance, it's just remarkable, but wine should be enjoyed with food, and this wine, just simply makes any pairing very difficult.
94-98
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10/17/2020 - One Percenter Likes this wine: 97 Points
Enjoyed last night alongside a ‘15 Addax Tench and ‘16 Hundred Acre. Edged both because of its long drawn finish. Great now and a lot of cellaring time left if so inclined.
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4/13/2020 - Gnieboer Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gave 1.5 hrs decant while lamb roasted, well needed. Rich boysenberry bouquet, soft and expressive mid-palate and finish, nicely balanced between power and elegance.
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12/21/2019 - cablover123 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Enjoyed an early Christmas with Aubert CIX Chardonnay, Kathryn Hall Cab and then the Three Kings. I wish I could have this lineup everyday.
Decanted three hours. Tough act to follow as last time I tried was with Mark Carter. This wine is incredible! Deep red crimson in color. Blackberries, earth and a touch of floral on the nose. The palate is mesmerizing. Black berries, black cherries and some sweetness that lingers for a full minute. I can only hope that the OG and GTO are developing this way. This is a label that should offer all you can drink. :)
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5/12/2018 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
Mike Smith Tasting and Wine Dinner PART #2: Red and black fruit, with some grippy earth and rock notes. Subtle dark spice helped to deepen the overall profile even further. The front of the attack started out more red-fruited, but it then showed some more of that Oakville BTK soil flavoring. Smooth and authoritative at the same time. The frame is present, but it has a nice malleable quality about it that allows the flavors to interweave gorgeously. It coats the mouth, but does so in a very focused and chiseled way.
This is a wine to hold for a couple more years. It had a similar structural personality to the 2013 GD. 2020+ for this wine, with nice promise in the next two years.
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4/25/2018 - ageverett Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stood up for an hour, then decanted for an hour. Drank over about 90 minutes.
Certainly dark in color, but maybe not quite as dark as other Carters? Not that I had anything else open to compare it to, just an observation. Dark red and black in fruit, with some real depth on the nose. Smells like Oakville. Beautiful on the palate, and really presentable at this young stage. Finishes very smoothly, with fine tannins and nice length.
Really impressed how well this showed at such an early stage. Stood up well to a wagyu ribeye, but not to dark and coiled. Seems a good candidate if looking for To Kalon juice that will show well in its youth.
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4/8/2018 - msuwine Likes this wine: 97 Points
This beautiful Cabernet confirms the joyful ridiculousness of the Carter 2015's in the early-going: lush, complex, accessible, and delicious, these wines are fantastic, and this is no exception. Based on tasting these individually over the past few months, I think this has a bit more sweetness than the La Verdad, a bit more accessibility than the Weitz, and a bit more depth than the Carter, but these are just details. I’m most confident in my conclusion: this wine is wonderful.
Cherry red in color, full in body, effusive nose of blueberry pie, pencil lead, and candied walnuts, with a hint of a newly-planted garden in Spring (read: fresh flowers and fresh dirt). Glorious, luscious tastes of fruit (e.g., blackberry, cherry, mountain strawberry) take center stage, with the necessary (and well-integrated) supporting pillars of graphite, crushed gravel, licorice, and cedar, along with a finish that goes on and on. 14.9% alcohol. This seemed ready to go after opening, but it gained depth after a few hours.
This is the kind of bottle you wish was bottomless - you just never want it to stop. The sweetness on the back end should subside with time, which makes me eager to drink this in another year or two. It reminded me most of a 2015 Maybach Materium, with similar fruit but a bit more depth and structure. My first of Carter's BTK trio in 2015, I absolutely loved this wine. 97+.
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12/31/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 97 Points
Decided to pop a bottle because I'm considering buying more but wanted to see where this vintage is at first. Purple fruit - blackberry, currants, blueberry, and dark cherry. Fruit forward but really smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth/concentration and a nice purity. Full/rich flavors of dark berries and some spice. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another three. Improved a little with time but drinking quite well after the decant. Initially I was surprised that Lisa Perotti-Brown of WA recently rated the 2015 Carter Beckstoffer 3 Kings and 2015 Carter Beckstoffer OG the same at 97 - in my opinion the OG has clearly been the better wine over the past couple vintages and I expected the same with this vintage. I would still give a slight nod to the OG, however, this is probably my favorite vintage of the 3 Kings. In all, I would say the 3Kings is a little more feminine (softer and a little richer/sweeter) than the 2015 Carter OG which shows a little more depth/concentration but both are great.
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10/5/2017 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Had this wine five months ago and it was the most reserved and reticent of the lineup. This time around, it was roaring and ready to go. Really a seamless wine with great purity, layering and length. Concentrated, but not on the almost outrageous level of the OG and Grand Daddy (to a lesser extend). It was a bit more elegant, but still delivered the goods. My favorite of the tasting aside from the Verdad. Note that we didn't taste the OG or GTO.
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10/4/2017 - csimm wrote: 97 Points
Carter (Carter Cellars (Envy Wines) - Calistoga): This was really showing its capacity to deliver an amazing array of complex flavors. Last time I had the Three Kings, I favored the Grand Daddy served alongside it. This time, the Three Kings came out of nowhere and really stepped up with its beautifully balanced and layered pure fruit. Great energy and push, but still maintaining a superb concentration.
My previous specific tastings notes on this wine apply, except for the fact that this showing was the best yet, shadowed only by La Verdad's comparative perfection. Hold until after 2019+ in expectation that a couple of years in bottle will really get this wine into its most optimal drinking window. 96-97+ points.
As Cristal2000 mentioned, we did not have the GTO or OG directly alongside the other Carters to compare to the other BTK wines. I still favor the GTO above them all (if memory serves), but I've always liked the OG's concentration when compared to the 3 Kings and GD. #1Winelover generously sacrificed a 2015 OG later on at dinner during a predominantly BTK taste-off at Farmstead (notes to follow). Though the OG was clearly young, I did like it very much during our dinner.
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9/14/2017 - JEP007 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Visited last week and Dan had the lineup ready to roll. Unfortunately, I was late to the Valley this year and missed the opportunity to try the OG and Las PLV. Not too bummed, as I scored a few of each at release. As we went through the lineup, by the time we hit the Weitz I had a big smile. Once we tasted the The Three Kings, we're giving high fives! This wine was so awesome!! Even though the Grand Daddy was incredible, having more fruit and slightly more depth, The Three Kings always seems to deliver this special sensation that is different from all of their other wines. Not only was it my favorite at Carter among the wines we tried, but it was the favorite of the trip!
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8/27/2017 - cablover123 Likes this wine: 96 Points
We had the opportunity to have a tasting with Mark Carter while at Envy. Such a gracious host and with tremendous stories. No surprise, the 2015 Carter wines are fantastic. We decided to take a bottle of Three Kings with us for dinner the next night. Decanted for an hour and drank over another 2 hours. While young, it did not disappoint. Fruit forward with some spice. Long finish. This should start singing in 3-5 years.
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6/17/2017 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
I had this wine served from 2 separate bottles (2 separate ways): Multiple Coravin 3-day old bottle and a fresh PnP.
The fresh PnP was loaded with energetic red/purple/black fruit. I typically experience the Kings as being the fruitiest of the BTK Carters, and this was no exception. Gobs of primarily red and purple fruit, surrounded by cassis and some spice. I preferred the PnP version over the bottle that had been Coravined multiple times over the course of a few days.
The Coravin bottle was a little more round and accessible, but lacked a little bit of the drive that the PnP bottle displayed.
95+ points at the moment, with some upside in a year. I'm sure the flavors will deepen over time, but my guess is this will likely remain the most fruit-forward of the BTK lineup.
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5/29/2017 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really great wine that suffered from being compared to it's two siblings from BTK. A little more overtly fruity without quite as much complexity and structure as the OG and Grand Daddy. Nevertheless, a wonderful effort, with beautiful pure fruit, great intensity and wonderful taste throughout. Again, without the relative comparison, I would probably rate this even higher.
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5/28/2017 - Yack Man Likes this wine: 96 Points
Showing great strength right out of the gate as it always has in my experience. In many ways this 'Three Kings' reminds me of the O.G. Big and fruit driven (black and blueberry fruit, cassis) with the slight nuances common to this wine. It will be interesting to follow the evolution of this wine and like its predecessors from 2014, and 2013, we will see where this wine goes... to a very good place I'm sure. 96+ Points.
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