On the nose; dark cassis in a slight candied or syrupy style. Hint of smoke, nicely soft layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, light clove & star anise. Boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums and plums with violets, lavender, and dark fresh florals.
The body is medium full. The tannins are soft and round. Boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums and plum, hint of smoke, nicely soft layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, light clove. Star anise, dark medium spices dry crushed rocks, limestone, suede leather, violets, lavender, and dark fresh florals. The acidity is beautiful. The long finish is juicy, balanced, well polished, elegant and last minutes. Very easy to drink now but, 5-7 years patience will be rewarded.
Purlieu means, “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.”
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This is amazing juice. I love it. Tasted it at the wine thief in Napa and tonight's impression is just as great. First, it's great young and that's ok. I'm sure it has years ahead but it's hard to argue with now. Ripe, velvety, blackberry and currant. Milk chocolate finish that goes on. It's in my mouth right now and I don't want to swallow. Get this.
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Purple fruit - blackberry, dark currants, and a little dark plum. Smooth mid-palate, however, I expected a little bigger/fuller fruit after recently having their entry level Le Pich cab. Nice flavors of dark berries, chocolate, and a little spice. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time but I believe this vintage needs another year or two for the fruit to hopefully fill-out some. Initially I was a little surprised to see that WA rated this wine 93 and their Le Pich cab 92 with the Le Pich cab at around half the price. After having both cabs I can't argue WA's assessment - at least at this stage.
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Previous notes apply. I prefer the 2014 version of this wine at the moment. This vintage may eclipse the 2014 at some point, but I have my doubts. This 2015 displayed a linearity that I think will be a little tough to come out from underneath. Not surprisingly, the most “plain” and simple of the Purlieu lineup.
Best advice is to hold for a year and see if it can fatten up some. 91+ points.
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I tried this wine at Covert Estates, but I tasted through so many wines at that tasting, my head was spinning so I waited to review this until I got home and opened this up. (BTW - try the Empreinte Grenache which is a stunning example of what a winemaker can do with that grape. 96 points).
On my home turf, brought to a dinner party and everyone was very impressed. One of my friends said, "wow - I really really like this." And she is a tough critic. Another friend said, "this is excellent so let's open up one of my Hall Exzellenz." Which he did.
The Purlieu comes from 3 sites (Sugarloaf, Caldwell, and Sleeping Lady) and it is a great representation of an entry level wine. It's so easy to drink. Dark purple to the rim, lots of sweet but not too sweet black and blueberries, silky tannins and a nice finish. Medium to full-bodied. Drink up!
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This is an elegant, soft and relatively round cabernet. The nose is fairly reserved, with notes of spring flowers, forest floor, cassis fruit and hints of chocolate. Light to medium bodied pallet, with nice balance and good acid lift. Very easy to drink, but lacks to the concentration, purity, complexity and structure of the Missouri Hopper from Purlieu I had a little while back. The finish is pretty short at the moment. This is not a bad wine, but it's not worth $100/bottle by any measure. A bit generic. I expected more after loving the MH. 90-92.
Opened the night before, gassed, re-corked, and tasted at 11AM the next day. Accessible with medium-bodied, purple and black core fruit. Good flavor overall and a friendly display of round and a fairly plush glide of smooth fruit and subtle spice. Missing the complexity, concentration, and depth of Purlieu's SVD's wines (to no surprise - at half the price of the SVDs), but a decent showing overall. Not something I'd necessarily go back to; I'd personally rather focus on the SVDs.
91+? points. For those holding bottles, let this sit for another 6-12 months. Should provide immediate enjoyment for those looking for a mid-consumer level wine.
10/16/2022 - kenneyry wrote:
Buy a case. Delicious $100 bottle
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9/5/2021 - Asmiller Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great vino!
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12/27/2020 - robertpaulmay wrote:
Full body. Low tannin. Easy to drink.
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7/24/2020 - TGLeroy Likes this wine:
Not the type of wine we drink on a regular basis, but how can you not enjoy this, mostly with a nice filet? Yummy, pushes all the hedonistic buttons.
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2/9/2019 - twain Likes this wine: 94 Points
Another stellar bottle, full of currant, chocolate, bit of mint, full velvety and delicious
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10/9/2018 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the nose; dark cassis in a slight candied or syrupy style. Hint of smoke, nicely soft layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, light clove & star anise. Boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums and plums with violets, lavender, and dark fresh florals.
The body is medium full. The tannins are soft and round. Boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums and plum, hint of smoke, nicely soft layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, light clove. Star anise, dark medium spices dry crushed rocks, limestone, suede leather, violets, lavender, and dark fresh florals. The acidity is beautiful. The long finish is juicy, balanced, well polished, elegant and last minutes. Very easy to drink now but, 5-7 years patience will be rewarded.
Purlieu means, “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.”
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9/16/2018 - twain Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is amazing juice. I love it. Tasted it at the wine thief in Napa and tonight's impression is just as great. First, it's great young and that's ok. I'm sure it has years ahead but it's hard to argue with now. Ripe, velvety, blackberry and currant. Milk chocolate finish that goes on. It's in my mouth right now and I don't want to swallow. Get this.
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5/13/2018 - Badmonkey wrote: 92 Points
Purple fruit - blackberry, dark currants, and a little dark plum. Smooth mid-palate, however, I expected a little bigger/fuller fruit after recently having their entry level Le Pich cab. Nice flavors of dark berries, chocolate, and a little spice. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time but I believe this vintage needs another year or two for the fruit to hopefully fill-out some. Initially I was a little surprised to see that WA rated this wine 93 and their Le Pich cab 92 with the Le Pich cab at around half the price. After having both cabs I can't argue WA's assessment - at least at this stage.
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4/7/2018 - csimm wrote: 91 Points
Previous notes apply. I prefer the 2014 version of this wine at the moment. This vintage may eclipse the 2014 at some point, but I have my doubts. This 2015 displayed a linearity that I think will be a little tough to come out from underneath. Not surprisingly, the most “plain” and simple of the Purlieu lineup.
Best advice is to hold for a year and see if it can fatten up some. 91+ points.
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2/13/2018 - #1Winelover Likes this wine: 94 Points
I tried this wine at Covert Estates, but I tasted through so many wines at that tasting, my head was spinning so I waited to review this until I got home and opened this up. (BTW - try the Empreinte Grenache which is a stunning example of what a winemaker can do with that grape. 96 points).
On my home turf, brought to a dinner party and everyone was very impressed. One of my friends said, "wow - I really really like this." And she is a tough critic. Another friend said, "this is excellent so let's open up one of my Hall Exzellenz." Which he did.
The Purlieu comes from 3 sites (Sugarloaf, Caldwell, and Sleeping Lady) and it is a great representation of an entry level wine. It's so easy to drink. Dark purple to the rim, lots of sweet but not too sweet black and blueberries, silky tannins and a nice finish. Medium to full-bodied. Drink up!
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1/24/2018 - Cristal2000 wrote: 91 Points
This is an elegant, soft and relatively round cabernet. The nose is fairly reserved, with notes of spring flowers, forest floor, cassis fruit and hints of chocolate. Light to medium bodied pallet, with nice balance and good acid lift. Very easy to drink, but lacks to the concentration, purity, complexity and structure of the Missouri Hopper from Purlieu I had a little while back. The finish is pretty short at the moment. This is not a bad wine, but it's not worth $100/bottle by any measure. A bit generic. I expected more after loving the MH. 90-92.
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12/15/2017 - csimm wrote: 91 Points
Opened the night before, gassed, re-corked, and tasted at 11AM the next day. Accessible with medium-bodied, purple and black core fruit. Good flavor overall and a friendly display of round and a fairly plush glide of smooth fruit and subtle spice. Missing the complexity, concentration, and depth of Purlieu's SVD's wines (to no surprise - at half the price of the SVDs), but a decent showing overall. Not something I'd necessarily go back to; I'd personally rather focus on the SVDs.
91+? points. For those holding bottles, let this sit for another 6-12 months. Should provide immediate enjoyment for those looking for a mid-consumer level wine.
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