I definitely caught the Rhubarb on the nose as a few others have noted. For the taste I caught quiet notes of cedar and menthol mixed with an understated dash of red fruit that I would say is closer to strawberries. The mouthfeel has a light cream feel but overall this was thinner and lighter than I expected. Overall I just did not think this drank up to its price point, nothing really stood out as unique for me. It’s fine, but there are wines that vastly exceed this bottle.
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Opened and immediately went through screen/aeration funnel into the decanter. Lots of sediment in the screen plus finer sediment in the bottle. After 30 minutes poured off a glass and rest went back in the bottle with no stopper for some slow ox. After 90 minutes first taste. Red fruits on nose and some in the glass. More dark fruit though and some vegetation/herbs, plus some baking chocolate. Super nice mouthfeel- a little creamy, but also a little grip. Two hours, smoothing out. Nose is fun now, like rhubarb and strawberry, and the palate has a little brightness, but turning darker and maybe even elegant (or a little closed off?) surprising for mountain fruit. 2.5 hours ok now this is a window, I like this. Pedigree showing now, the Howell mountain and TRB beaming through. More rounded, vegetation receded, fruits across the spectrum. In the end, very good and I enjoyed the trip! Maybe needs to decant longer. Very enjoyable but I don’t know if it’s got much more to go.
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Pulled this on a whim. Heavy sediment from laying on its side. If pulling this to drink I recommend standing up for 12-24 hours to let it settle. Even with a 2 hour double decant, still a touch hot. Best sips were the last.
Blue/dark fruit nose, chocolate shavings, cassis. Thoroughly enjoyable, still have one bottle left.
Two hour decant (one would have been enough). Electric magenta color, with a nearly opaque core. Blackberry, strawberry shortcake, granite, meringue, milk chocolate shavings, and bay leaf. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with nice, throbbing acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish.
This is a muscular, fruit forward Cab, yet there’s no extraction. Very nice complexity. May improve a bit more in the coming year or two. This was a very nice gift from MJP HOU. Cheers my friend!
Initially the wine starts with cherry and aromatics to match. In mouth the wine is acidic after a PnP. I let sit for 1 hour (no more than that) and this wine magically became creamy with blackberry fruit, tobacco leaf spice, vanilla which emerges in the mid palette (hard to believe). Once again like some past notes it starts with bright cherry, and when let sit turns to dark fruit bomb. Finish includes some vegetable, alongside oregano, green olive, with that backbone of blackberry fruit and vanilla creaminess.
You know.....I tried to give this one every benefit of a doubt.
Had a bottle with HMC, Aronson and my son Andrew, just a few weeks ago, (a 96 if I remember correctly) and was a little underwhelmed with it. Is this really a 100 pt wine? Was planning on holding my last bottle for a few years to see if it EVER got to that point. Was planning to bring a NV on this trip, but packed this one instead. After having a '16 Arkenstone yesterday that was every bit of a 98 pt wine. I decided to open this one today and treated this one exactly the same today. Afterall, they are both '16s and both off of Howell Mtn. One costs $195 and the other $175.
I treated this True cab the exact same way as the Arkenstone yesterday. Popped the cork in the morning and started in drinking about 4pm after a 6+ hour slow ox and it was probably at its best 96. Cont'd trying it out til finishing as I write this note at 10pm with a total of 12 hours of air and it's a bitter fruited 92. At NO time through the day or evening, did this wine even begin to get close to the Arkenstone. It lacked nose and taste profile as well as complexity/layers. In fact, I feel this bottle was a good 1-2 points LESS than the bottle I had a few weeks ago. Disappointing to say the least. Disappointing because it's a TRB wine first off, secondly disappointing because it's a '16 and more troubling yet because it's supposed to be a 100 pointer. Based on these last two bottles, I just don't see any way it gets there.......not even close.
No better than a 96 at this point.....and I mean from the pnp to 6-7 hours of air. It's very good, but it's no where near a 100 pt wine. Great mountain fruit, balanced acidity and tannins, but it's not 100 points. Maybe it gets there with another 3-5 years of waiting, but not right now. At 6 hours of air I thought it had a chance but it sort of stumbled and didn't go any further with more air. None left to try a 2nd day. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good wine, great mountain fruit and winemaking on display. I am not disappointed for opening. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wish I knew WHEN it would be 100 points.
This is going to be an exceptional bottle, and if scoring right now would give 95, but it needs much more time in bottle, as it is mostly primary at the moment with a bit of a shorter than expected finish.
Great dark fruit, mostly black and purple but just didnt have the complexity and mouthfeel I have come to expect from this bottling.
In its defense, should have given it much more time to decant as it only had 2-3 hours, with an aggressive double decant prior and drank over 3 hours.
Wow! Really great wine! Very well balanced with great tension. Nose of dark fruit, dark chocolate, subtle cassis and tobacco. Smooth tannins and integrated palate with nice mouth feel and finish.
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Prune, fig, marionberry and sweet tar. Only thing holding it down from a triple digit score is time in the bottle. It will most likely get there in 5-10 years
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Great night with new friends and a diverse lineup of wines. Thanks MJP for the introduction into True Vineyards which is one I have never had the opportunity to taste before (nor Outpost in general). Line up 2014 sparkling Soter Rose, 2016 Outpost True Vineyards Cabernet, 2014 Outpost True Vineyards Immigrant, 2013 Accendo and 2000 Vieux Chateau Certan. All wines were tasted upon PnP and we drank over five hours (slow ox) while allowing specific glasses to decant while we drank from others).
My first introduction to Outpost was at this tasting and I wasn’t disappointed. This wine was pleasant on first pull but needs more time to fill out and fatten up. with beautiful floral and dark fruits. This wine has the most potential of the group. Evan a the wine opened throughout the night, it stayed coying demanding more sleep time. It wasn’t overly tannic or acidic rather a very well made wine that simply wasn’t ready for prime time. Since I am not familiar with the wine or vineyard, I won’t guess on future scoring but would love another taste down the road. If this was in my cellar, I wouldn’t touch for another 2-3 years to see if it will begin to show all its feathers. NR as it wouldn’t be fair for me to rate such a well made wine that I have no experience with.
Sedona rendezvous with LiteItOnFire. On deck the 2000 VCC, 2013 Accendo, 2014 Soter Brut Rose, 2014 Outpost TV Immigrant & 2016 Outpost TV.
PNP- Opulent blue mountain fruit locked up tight and not showing as well as I would have liked at this stage in development. Stuffing is in the bottle just not ready to shine. Little bit of heat on day two. 94+
Black purple in the glass. Nose of stewed black fruits and some alcohol with wood chips. This is a big wine even thought the ABV sits at a reasonable 14.75%. After a 2 hour aeration/decant wine is drinking great - with the typical mountain acidity that braces the wine and allows for longer aging than floor fruit. I find it to be in balance with excellent fruit and a solid finish. will improve with 2-3 more years in bottle.
Dark red and black fruits, blackberry, ripe raspberry, dark chocolate, licorice, cinnamon, clove, burnt toast, great balance and ready to go now as a PnP but can last another 10 years easy with the structure. There is some sediment at the end so beware.
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A skyscraper of a wine. Dark mountain fruit, and has that "scorched Earth" note that I love and have seen in this wine in prior vintages. I'm sure it can cellar for quite some time, but very happy to have taken an early peek. Yum.
Notes from 24 hours later same wine since first opened.
More creamy now than yesterday (hard to believe). Once again like yesterday it starts with violets on the nose and a distinct black cherry fruit smell. On the palette the fruits are blackberry, strawberry, blueberry alongside oregano, green olive, tobacco leaf, and leather. Again well balanced with that backbone of vanilla creaminess.
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What an amazing wine. Starts with violets on the nose and a distinct black cherry fruit smell. On the palette the fruits are blackberry, strawberry, blueberry alongside oregano, green olive, tobacco leaf, and leather.
The wine is just so well balanced and presents itself with a backbone of vanilla bean creaminess, some fresh cedar wood, and a finish of fresh berry. So complex with layers of fruits and also layered in the complexities described above.
It also has a long finish of lingering dark berries. this wine may be worth waiting for (as in 10-15 years).
This was one of the favs of the day, plenty of tannins, very astringent, dry, blue fruits, cocoa, herbs. Full body, excellent finish and the best days are still to come.
To me 96++
Hold until 2025...
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Double blind Cab based wine tasting (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): Explosive nose displaying intense black fruit crème de cassis, blackberry liqueur, blueberry pie, licorice, milk chocolate, a hint of lead pencil, clove, sweet spices and earth. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated ripe black fruit, dense and unctuous yet silky, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, tannins are masked by opulent concentrated fruit, and a long concentrated black fruit driven finish with dark milk chocolate and clove at the end. This taste like a big Napa cult cab, clearly more stuff here than the next two wines. If you are a fan of Napa cult cab, this may be a great QPR wine for you.
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Served double blind and really stood out in a flight that showcased bigger cabs with blue/black fruit dominant wines. Extremely good right now, some noted it was heavy on the oak initially but with enough air it improved greatly for them.
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Decanted for 3 hours then back into the bottle a few more. Certainly soft and silky on the initial approach but the finish is still brutally young and prickly. Deep/dark black blue fruit with chalky cassis, anise, vanilla and a touch of mint. Like all Thomas Brown wines it's extracted with a nice streak of ultra ripe red fruit running through. Tasty but too young. Even in all its flashiness and extraction it needs 5 plus years.
Fantastic wine that can be enjoyed in it's youth or over the long hall. Dark purple in color with a beautiful nose of dark fruit. Once the Howell Mountain tannis settle and the earth minerals show up this will be off the charts good. Tasted along side the following wines in Mountain Village Telluride @ 10,000'
Amazing wine. Tied for my favorite of 2019 with the Kinsman Rhadamanthus.
Decanted for 3 hours. Dark purple, mountain fruit, velvet, perfectly in balance, the quality is all over this wine. The tannins have already begun to soften, making this immediately accessible. The nose I could smell all night. This is a 100 point wine in the next 1-2 years.
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Epiphany wine for me in 2019. Upon opening, 94-95 pts. 24 hours later, a solid 98 points. Silky, powerful, balanced, with an extended finish. A little beyond words. Can only get better with some bottle age.
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Dark red and blue fruits, massive cassis, cinnamon, plum, velvety texture and perfect balance. Not sure if this has the complexity for the upper 90’s, but it’s very good now and as most ‘16’s it’s drinkable now.
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Stunning floral notes on the nose. Spring flowers, violets and a hint of rose petals just soar from the glass. These aromas are complemented by blackberries, blueberries, licorice, spice box and forest floor. For this mountain wine, which at times can be insanely coiled up (see 2013 vintage), this vintage is rather accessible early. Nicely concentrated but with great delineation here, really showing the nuance, complexity and tremendous structure of the vineyard. This is fresh and lively on the pallet, with fine grained but very prominent tannins. The purity is exceptional and this is deftly balanced and totally focused. One of the more precise wines I have had so far this year. It finishes super long at over 1 min. A bit of alcohol showing but should easily dissipate with a bit more time. Clearly no hurry here as this is going to last a long time, but unlike with some other vintages, you can get at it early. I decanted for only an hour and it showed quite well (assuming you are not an old world wine guy/gal, and if so wait...and wait some more).
We finished day one in Napa at Outpost. I had to speed take notes on the True. We were about 10-15 minutes late and I could sense our host was ready to go home. Seven wines do take a little time. Especially, with me taking notes. I wished I had more time to be as detailed as I like. Some of these wines were quite good and deserved some more time & focus.
On the nose; jammy dark cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, plum, creamy black raspberries, strawberries.
Same fruits on the palate. Dark soils, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, berry cola, leather, wood plank, black pepper, violets, and purple flowers. Acidity is excellent and the polished, balanced finish goes on and on. Beautiful wine!
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Barrel tasting at Outpost. Very generous of their winemaker who was capping off the barrel, got a pitcher and poured us a terrific sampling of what's to come. Very dark - mostly black. Everything is there; including black, purple and blue fruit, silky smooth tannins and a long finish. Outpost continues its winning streak and offers up one of the best values in all of Napa. 95-97 points.
1/26/2024 - Bryanb2002 wrote: 91 Points
I definitely caught the Rhubarb on the nose as a few others have noted. For the taste I caught quiet notes of cedar and menthol mixed with an understated dash of red fruit that I would say is closer to strawberries. The mouthfeel has a light cream feel but overall this was thinner and lighter than I expected. Overall I just did not think this drank up to its price point, nothing really stood out as unique for me. It’s fine, but there are wines that vastly exceed this bottle.
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1/20/2024 - lundmc Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened and immediately went through screen/aeration funnel into the decanter. Lots of sediment in the screen plus finer sediment in the bottle. After 30 minutes poured off a glass and rest went back in the bottle with no stopper for some slow ox.
After 90 minutes first taste. Red fruits on nose and some in the glass. More dark fruit though and some vegetation/herbs, plus some baking chocolate. Super nice mouthfeel- a little creamy, but also a little grip.
Two hours, smoothing out. Nose is fun now, like rhubarb and strawberry, and the palate has a little brightness, but turning darker and maybe even elegant (or a little closed off?) surprising for mountain fruit.
2.5 hours ok now this is a window, I like this. Pedigree showing now, the Howell mountain and TRB beaming through. More rounded, vegetation receded, fruits across the spectrum.
In the end, very good and I enjoyed the trip! Maybe needs to decant longer. Very enjoyable but I don’t know if it’s got much more to go.
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11/17/2023 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Pulled this on a whim. Heavy sediment from laying on its side. If pulling this to drink I recommend standing up for 12-24 hours to let it settle. Even with a 2 hour double decant, still a touch hot. Best sips were the last.
Blue/dark fruit nose, chocolate shavings, cassis. Thoroughly enjoyable, still have one bottle left.
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10/21/2023 - tomoem Likes this wine: 96 Points
Similar notes to past tastings. Just a very welll produced wine and consistent year after year. Find some.
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9/14/2023 - rosey Likes this wine: 100 Points
Wonderful as good as it gets
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3/23/2023 - Indywinefan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nice aroma and great wine. I would not think it is a 100 point wine.
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3/11/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 95 Points
Two hour decant (one would have been enough). Electric magenta color, with a nearly opaque core. Blackberry, strawberry shortcake, granite, meringue, milk chocolate shavings, and bay leaf. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with nice, throbbing acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish.
This is a muscular, fruit forward Cab, yet there’s no extraction. Very nice complexity. May improve a bit more in the coming year or two. This was a very nice gift from MJP HOU. Cheers my friend!
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8/23/2022 - tomoem Likes this wine: 96 Points
Initially the wine starts with cherry and aromatics to match. In mouth the wine is acidic after a PnP. I let sit for 1 hour (no more than that) and this wine magically became creamy with blackberry fruit, tobacco leaf spice, vanilla which emerges in the mid palette (hard to believe). Once again like some past notes it starts with bright cherry, and when let sit turns to dark fruit bomb. Finish includes some vegetable, alongside oregano, green olive, with that backbone of blackberry fruit and vanilla creaminess.
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5/14/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points
You know.....I tried to give this one every benefit of a doubt.
Had a bottle with HMC, Aronson and my son Andrew, just a few weeks ago, (a 96 if I remember correctly) and was a little underwhelmed with it. Is this really a 100 pt wine? Was planning on holding my last bottle for a few years to see if it EVER got to that point. Was planning to bring a NV on this trip, but packed this one instead. After having a '16 Arkenstone yesterday that was every bit of a 98 pt wine. I decided to open this one today and treated this one exactly the same today. Afterall, they are both '16s and both off of Howell Mtn. One costs $195 and the other $175.
I treated this True cab the exact same way as the Arkenstone yesterday. Popped the cork in the morning and started in drinking about 4pm after a 6+ hour slow ox and it was probably at its best 96. Cont'd trying it out til finishing as I write this note at 10pm with a total of 12 hours of air and it's a bitter fruited 92. At NO time through the day or evening, did this wine even begin to get close to the Arkenstone. It lacked nose and taste profile as well as complexity/layers. In fact, I feel this bottle was a good 1-2 points LESS than the bottle I had a few weeks ago. Disappointing to say the least. Disappointing because it's a TRB wine first off, secondly disappointing because it's a '16 and more troubling yet because it's supposed to be a 100 pointer. Based on these last two bottles, I just don't see any way it gets there.......not even close.
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4/27/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 96 Points
No better than a 96 at this point.....and I mean from the pnp to 6-7 hours of air. It's very good, but it's no where near a 100 pt wine. Great mountain fruit, balanced acidity and tannins, but it's not 100 points. Maybe it gets there with another 3-5 years of waiting, but not right now. At 6 hours of air I thought it had a chance but it sort of stumbled and didn't go any further with more air. None left to try a 2nd day. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good wine, great mountain fruit and winemaking on display. I am not disappointed for opening. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wish I knew WHEN it would be 100 points.
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1/20/2022 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine:
This is going to be an exceptional bottle, and if scoring right now would give 95, but it needs much more time in bottle, as it is mostly primary at the moment with a bit of a shorter than expected finish.
Great dark fruit, mostly black and purple but just didnt have the complexity and mouthfeel I have come to expect from this bottling.
In its defense, should have given it much more time to decant as it only had 2-3 hours, with an aggressive double decant prior and drank over 3 hours.
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10/3/2021 - dlcass Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wow! Really great wine! Very well balanced with great tension. Nose of dark fruit, dark chocolate, subtle cassis and tobacco. Smooth tannins and integrated palate with nice mouth feel and finish.
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10/2/2021 - YankeeRobio Likes this wine: 98 Points
Prune, fig, marionberry and sweet tar. Only thing holding it down from a triple digit score is time in the bottle. It will most likely get there in 5-10 years
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3/21/2021 - LiteItOnFire wrote:
Great night with new friends and a diverse lineup of wines. Thanks MJP for the introduction into True Vineyards which is one I have never had the opportunity to taste before (nor Outpost in general). Line up 2014 sparkling Soter Rose, 2016 Outpost True Vineyards Cabernet, 2014 Outpost True Vineyards Immigrant, 2013 Accendo and 2000 Vieux Chateau Certan. All wines were tasted upon PnP and we drank over five hours (slow ox) while allowing specific glasses to decant while we drank from others).
My first introduction to Outpost was at this tasting and I wasn’t disappointed. This wine was pleasant on first pull but needs more time to fill out and fatten up. with beautiful floral and dark fruits. This wine has the most potential of the group. Evan a the wine opened throughout the night, it stayed coying demanding more sleep time. It wasn’t overly tannic or acidic rather a very well made wine that simply wasn’t ready for prime time. Since I am not familiar with the wine or vineyard, I won’t guess on future scoring but would love another taste down the road. If this was in my cellar, I wouldn’t touch for another 2-3 years to see if it will begin to show all its feathers. NR as it wouldn’t be fair for me to rate such a well made wine that I have no experience with.
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3/19/2021 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 96 Points
Updated Score on day two.
Sedona rendezvous with LiteItOnFire. On deck the 2000 VCC, 2013 Accendo, 2014 Soter Brut Rose, 2014 Outpost TV Immigrant & 2016 Outpost TV.
PNP- Opulent blue mountain fruit locked up tight and not showing as well as I would have liked at this stage in development. Stuffing is in the bottle just not ready to shine. Little bit of heat on day two. 94+
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1/27/2021 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 94 Points
Black purple in the glass. Nose of stewed black fruits and some alcohol with wood chips. This is a big wine even thought the ABV sits at a reasonable 14.75%. After a 2 hour aeration/decant wine is drinking great - with the typical mountain acidity that braces the wine and allows for longer aging than floor fruit. I find it to be in balance with excellent fruit and a solid finish. will improve with 2-3 more years in bottle.
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10/10/2020 - traderspartan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Needs a few more years
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8/1/2020 - pakabear Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dark red and black fruits, blackberry, ripe raspberry, dark chocolate, licorice, cinnamon, clove, burnt toast, great balance and ready to go now as a PnP but can last another 10 years easy with the structure. There is some sediment at the end so beware.
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7/31/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted about 2 hours. Drank over 2 hours.
A skyscraper of a wine. Dark mountain fruit, and has that "scorched Earth" note that I love and have seen in this wine in prior vintages. I'm sure it can cellar for quite some time, but very happy to have taken an early peek. Yum.
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7/7/2020 - tomoem Likes this wine: 96 Points
Notes from 24 hours later same wine since first opened.
More creamy now than yesterday (hard to believe). Once again like yesterday it starts with violets on the nose and a distinct black cherry fruit smell. On the palette the fruits are blackberry, strawberry, blueberry alongside oregano, green olive, tobacco leaf, and leather. Again well balanced with that backbone of vanilla creaminess.
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7/6/2020 - tomoem Likes this wine: 96 Points
What an amazing wine. Starts with violets on the nose and a distinct black cherry fruit smell. On the palette the fruits are blackberry, strawberry, blueberry alongside oregano, green olive, tobacco leaf, and leather.
The wine is just so well balanced and presents itself with a backbone of vanilla bean creaminess, some fresh cedar wood, and a finish of fresh berry. So complex with layers of fruits and also layered in the complexities described above.
It also has a long finish of lingering dark berries. this wine may be worth waiting for (as in 10-15 years).
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2/1/2020 - chhubbar wrote: 94 Points
Very earthy
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1/26/2020 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was one of the favs of the day, plenty of tannins, very astringent, dry, blue fruits, cocoa, herbs. Full body, excellent finish and the best days are still to come.
To me 96++
Hold until 2025...
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11/15/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine:
Update, day two had even more sweet red fruit and vanilla notes, not really a change in my score.
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11/14/2019 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Double blind Cab based wine tasting (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): Explosive nose displaying intense black fruit crème de cassis, blackberry liqueur, blueberry pie, licorice, milk chocolate, a hint of lead pencil, clove, sweet spices and earth. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated ripe black fruit, dense and unctuous yet silky, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, tannins are masked by opulent concentrated fruit, and a long concentrated black fruit driven finish with dark milk chocolate and clove at the end. This taste like a big Napa cult cab, clearly more stuff here than the next two wines. If you are a fan of Napa cult cab, this may be a great QPR wine for you.
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11/14/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine: 97 Points
Served double blind and really stood out in a flight that showcased bigger cabs with blue/black fruit dominant wines. Extremely good right now, some noted it was heavy on the oak initially but with enough air it improved greatly for them.
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8/24/2019 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 3 hours then back into the bottle a few more. Certainly soft and silky on the initial approach but the finish is still brutally young and prickly. Deep/dark black blue fruit with chalky cassis, anise, vanilla and a touch of mint. Like all Thomas Brown wines it's extracted with a nice streak of ultra ripe red fruit running through. Tasty but too young. Even in all its flashiness and extraction it needs 5 plus years.
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8/7/2019 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fantastic wine that can be enjoyed in it's youth or over the long hall. Dark purple in color with a beautiful nose of dark fruit. Once the Howell Mountain tannis settle and the earth minerals show up this will be off the charts good.
Tasted along side the following wines in Mountain Village Telluride @ 10,000'
15 Keplinger Oakville
13 Dakota Shy
12 Odette Reserve
12 Blankiet Rive Droite
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7/14/2019 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Amazing wine. Tied for my favorite of 2019 with the Kinsman Rhadamanthus.
Decanted for 3 hours. Dark purple, mountain fruit, velvet, perfectly in balance, the quality is all over this wine. The tannins have already begun to soften, making this immediately accessible. The nose I could smell all night. This is a 100 point wine in the next 1-2 years.
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6/2/2019 - csklsc Likes this wine: 98 Points
Epiphany wine for me in 2019. Upon opening, 94-95 pts. 24 hours later, a solid 98 points. Silky, powerful, balanced, with an extended finish. A little beyond words. Can only get better with some bottle age.
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4/6/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark red and blue fruits, massive cassis, cinnamon, plum, velvety texture and perfect balance. Not sure if this has the complexity for the upper 90’s, but it’s very good now and as most ‘16’s it’s drinkable now.
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3/2/2019 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Stunning floral notes on the nose. Spring flowers, violets and a hint of rose petals just soar from the glass. These aromas are complemented by blackberries, blueberries, licorice, spice box and forest floor. For this mountain wine, which at times can be insanely coiled up (see 2013 vintage), this vintage is rather accessible early. Nicely concentrated but with great delineation here, really showing the nuance, complexity and tremendous structure of the vineyard. This is fresh and lively on the pallet, with fine grained but very prominent tannins. The purity is exceptional and this is deftly balanced and totally focused. One of the more precise wines I have had so far this year. It finishes super long at over 1 min. A bit of alcohol showing but should easily dissipate with a bit more time. Clearly no hurry here as this is going to last a long time, but unlike with some other vintages, you can get at it early. I decanted for only an hour and it showed quite well (assuming you are not an old world wine guy/gal, and if so wait...and wait some more).
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1/18/2019 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 96 Points
We finished day one in Napa at Outpost. I had to speed take notes on the True. We were about 10-15 minutes late and I could sense our host was ready to go home. Seven wines do take a little time. Especially, with me taking notes. I wished I had more time to be as detailed as I like. Some of these wines were quite good and deserved some more time & focus.
On the nose; jammy dark cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, plum, creamy black raspberries, strawberries.
Same fruits on the palate. Dark soils, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, berry cola, leather, wood plank, black pepper, violets, and purple flowers. Acidity is excellent and the polished, balanced finish goes on and on. Beautiful wine!
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2/6/2018 - #1Winelover Likes this wine: 96 Points
Barrel tasting at Outpost. Very generous of their winemaker who was capping off the barrel, got a pitcher and poured us a terrific sampling of what's to come. Very dark - mostly black. Everything is there; including black, purple and blue fruit, silky smooth tannins and a long finish. Outpost continues its winning streak and offers up one of the best values in all of Napa. 95-97 points.
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