Lots of hype around these wines and the new Jasud release. I look forward to hearing how Jasud differs from Beta.
Not sure how to score this, so I won’t. Polarizing. From a unique and different take on Napa cab, it’s really intriguing. For scratching the typical Napa cab itch, this won’t do it. Depending which side you trend towards, you’ll either love this or have no desire to finish the bottle.
Purposefully pop and poured so that this could be followed for 3-4hrs out of the decanter to see the profile. Translucent purple in the glass. 12.7ABV! All the fruit here is underripe (black cherry, black currant) with a hint of pyrazines, black tea. On the palate, it has ripping acidity, especially for a Napa cab. Sour red and black fruits with a finish that is remarkably similar to a cherry Jolly Rancher. Odd.
I’d say double decant this for 24hrs, but I also think it is what it is right now until it’s had 20+ years of sleep.
Slow ox’d for 3 hours then decanted for 3.5 hours. Aromas of cherry blackberry, hint of leather and currant. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and hi t of earth. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with cherry notes. These wines are tough because they don’t give up much in their youth but waiting for the payoff with bottle age. Unfortunately it leads to the question of whether you should continue to buy them when there are no older bottles as a basis of comparison like say Ridge.
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Decanted off moderate fine sediment. Drank over several hours. Red currant and black currant, black tea. Nice concentration, but very light on its feet. Chewy tannins, bright acidity. 12.7 ABV.
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Blind, no way this is picked as a CA Cab. Red fruit, tart, seems more like Grenache than Cab. Not bad, but not expected. All things considered, and putting preconceptions aside, the biggest problem is that the wine does nothing to distinguish itself.
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Clearly not my style of wine. Saw some other reviewers had the same reaction I did. It’s not flawed. But there is a sour note on the finish that just doesn’t work for me. Wife and friends didn’t enjoy it either. Gave it a few hours to open up but it was always there.
Loved this. Decanted for a couple of hours before dinner. Holy cherry! Bright cherry notes, mid weight, lots of acidity. Much more approachable than the ‘15 which was darker and much more shut down at this stage.
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Second bottle and clearly not my style. PnP, then decanted 2 hours, didn't seem to change. Not flawed. Some black fruit but over whelmed by herbal and seemed overly acidic/sour. This is consistent with the last bottle. Have read many positive reviews, but not for me. Purchased for 1 year and glad to leave more for those who like this wine. I love old style wines like Montelena, Ridge Monte Bello and others, but this clearly is not for me. First bottle, my wife took one sip and dumped. I had more hope, but not to be.
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Napa cab wearing a Santa Cruz leisure suit and wearing it very well indeed. If you are looking for or crave a bold napa cab, look elsewhere friend. This is all about understated elegance at this stage in its life, which to be clear is very early on indeed. Intense violets & cassis on the nose which is accentuated by some slightly bitter cherry on the palate. Almost feels like you're popping tiny little grape clusters in your mouth as you drink it, forcing you to focus on the nuance of each sip. And really at the end of the day that's what this wine is all about: nuance. It lingers....a slowly fading snapshot of a bygone California winemaking era for those who care about such things.....and I do. Really enjoyed this wine! Bravo Ketan!
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The nose is a deep black cherry and plum with underlying cocoa. The palate echoes the nose adding a lean mouth-coating blackberry, camphor, and lingering lavender on the finish. Drink 2020 – 2032.
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12.7% abv. Plum color, clear. Nice aromatics, red and blue berry fruit, crushed rocks, licorice. Despite low alcohol still shows slow, clear legs. Bright, striking level of acid, turns plummy, sour cherry, tobacco and dusty spice finish. Med - weight, med - mouthfeel, med + length, juicy and pleasantly lingering. Not for everyone, needs focus and an open mind, which is what I believe KM wants from his buyers. At this level of alcohol and early pick, I would assume this is best opened in 30 years; unsure of the balance of wine’s chemistry, however, I’m willing to give the deep sleep a try.
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Decided to open one of these with the release coming up this week. Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of blackberry, iron, lead pencil, mint, earth and hint of current. Flavors of blackberry, sour cherry, raspberry, currant and earth. Ends with a 30+ second finish with lingering berry and blackberry notes. Made in a different style more in line with Ridge. That being said this needs some time develop in the bottle in my opinion. Got better with each sip.
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Aromatic with sour cherry, black fruit, anise, light spice and green pepper notes. Lighter body, higher acidity. While there is sour cherry black fruit, cassis, cedar, the green pepper nearly overwhelms the palate. soft finish with minimal tannin. While many may enjoy this wine, this is clearly picked early and not my style of cabernet. Don't expect my other bottles to improve, but time will tell.
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Really light on its feet, with sour red cherry, fresh acidity, clearly early picking with minimal oak influence. Still with some structure from the skins. Based on what I'm used to, this would be hard to identify as cab blind, as it doesn't conform to typically styled valley floor expressions. To summarize, it's fresh, red-fruited, and really doesn't have any peers that I know of.
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Sample served blind and followed over 2 nights. Minimal change. very red fruited, mostly cherry with a floral aromatic character. Fine tannins and acidity, very pleasant wine--like it doesn't want to upset you. Finishes a bit tart and chalky. Minimal oak influence and I didn't get any pyrazines at all. Guess new world Merlot blind, as the structure is rather mild. Was pretty surprised this was cab.
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sb Fairly deep ruby purple Not opaque Fresh red fruit, raspberry with a more tart cherry finish. Avoids any excess heat, or heaviness. Rather elegant and lifted. A delight to drink.
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Subtle aroma of dried blackberry, black cherry, cassis, cedar, and smoke. Medium-bodied and silky on the palate, with fine tannic structure and good acidity. There is some dried black fruit and cedar notes, but the flavors at this time are muted. Clearly this wine needs time, the potential is there.
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A relaxing, satisfying drink that's more classically styled than most of what's coming out of Bordeaux these days. The hue in the glass, a magenta-tinted ruby, makes it look more primary than it actually turns out being. It's contoured with zero baby fat and the fruit is restrained to a point that's about as close as California ever gets to making something in the old "British palate" claret style. It's a study in all the classic features of cabernet: the red-currant snap, a little streak of bell pepper adding succulence and bite, and a figure that's slender without being lean. The next day the fruit appears to have ratcheted up its gloss and sweetness without gaining anything on the waistline.
One hour decant. Compared to the Beta 2014 Sonoma, this was very disappointing. Mid-weight or lighter, metallic on the palate, medium cassis and cherry on the nose, this just was not showing much. Is it tight? I'm not sure. Will try again tomorrow but not the best showing.
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Ketan made two Cabernets in 2014. The Vare is a midweight wine with an alluring nose showcasing spice and floral notes, forest loam, hints of cedar. On the palate, however, the wine comes off as tightly wound and in need of time. This said, the wine is in a light style and should come around within a few years in the cellar, with the potential to hit 90-91pts. If you do drink it now, decant and give it two or three hours to open up. The wine softens and opens quite a bit and it really pays off.
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1/18/2024 - blarmston Likes this wine: 92 Points
a nice wine. For sure on the lighter side as others have remarked. Reminded me of a CDP or Grenache.
Not my typical style of wine but nice to switch it up.
I wont be running out to buy more of this, but also wouldn't hesitate to purchase if I saw anything on auction at a good price point.
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12/3/2023 - Shay.Aldriedge wrote:
Lots of hype around these wines and the new Jasud release. I look forward to hearing how Jasud differs from Beta.
Not sure how to score this, so I won’t. Polarizing. From a unique and different take on Napa cab, it’s really intriguing. For scratching the typical Napa cab itch, this won’t do it. Depending which side you trend towards, you’ll either love this or have no desire to finish the bottle.
Purposefully pop and poured so that this could be followed for 3-4hrs out of the decanter to see the profile. Translucent purple in the glass. 12.7ABV! All the fruit here is underripe (black cherry, black currant) with a hint of pyrazines, black tea. On the palate, it has ripping acidity, especially for a Napa cab. Sour red and black fruits with a finish that is remarkably similar to a cherry Jolly Rancher. Odd.
I’d say double decant this for 24hrs, but I also think it is what it is right now until it’s had 20+ years of sleep.
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10/15/2023 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slow ox’d for 3 hours then decanted for 3.5 hours. Aromas of cherry blackberry, hint of leather and currant. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and hi t of earth. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with cherry notes. These wines are tough because they don’t give up much in their youth but waiting for the payoff with bottle age. Unfortunately it leads to the question of whether you should continue to buy them when there are no older bottles as a basis of comparison like say Ridge.
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5/13/2023 - Maphill01 wrote:
Decanted off moderate fine sediment. Drank over several hours. Red currant and black currant, black tea. Nice concentration, but very light on its feet. Chewy tannins, bright acidity. 12.7 ABV.
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4/16/2022 - Cow Town wrote: 85 Points
Blind, no way this is picked as a CA Cab. Red fruit, tart, seems more like Grenache than Cab. Not bad, but not expected. All things considered, and putting preconceptions aside, the biggest problem is that the wine does nothing to distinguish itself.
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10/9/2021 - haldolugr wrote: 85 Points
Clearly not my style of wine. Saw some other reviewers had the same reaction I did. It’s not flawed. But there is a sour note on the finish that just doesn’t work for me. Wife and friends didn’t enjoy it either. Gave it a few hours to open up but it was always there.
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9/18/2021 - domco wrote:
Loved this. Decanted for a couple of hours before dinner. Holy cherry! Bright cherry notes, mid weight, lots of acidity. Much more approachable than the ‘15 which was darker and much more shut down at this stage.
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8/29/2021 - gharter Does not like this wine:
Second bottle and clearly not my style. PnP, then decanted 2 hours, didn't seem to change. Not flawed. Some black fruit but over whelmed by herbal and seemed overly acidic/sour. This is consistent with the last bottle. Have read many positive reviews, but not for me. Purchased for 1 year and glad to leave more for those who like this wine. I love old style wines like Montelena, Ridge Monte Bello and others, but this clearly is not for me. First bottle, my wife took one sip and dumped. I had more hope, but not to be.
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6/5/2021 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Old Skool
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5/10/2021 - DaButtah Likes this wine: 93 Points
Napa cab wearing a Santa Cruz leisure suit and wearing it very well indeed.
If you are looking for or crave a bold napa cab, look elsewhere friend. This is all about understated elegance at this stage in its life, which to be clear is very early on indeed. Intense violets & cassis on the nose which is accentuated by some slightly bitter cherry on the palate. Almost feels like you're popping tiny little grape clusters in your mouth as you drink it, forcing you to focus on the nuance of each sip. And really at the end of the day that's what this wine is all about: nuance. It lingers....a slowly fading snapshot of a bygone California winemaking era for those who care about such things.....and I do. Really enjoyed this wine! Bravo Ketan!
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4/21/2021 - purely wrote: 94 Points
The nose is a deep black cherry and plum with underlying cocoa. The palate echoes the nose adding a lean mouth-coating blackberry, camphor, and lingering lavender on the finish. Drink 2020 – 2032.
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4/6/2021 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 92 Points
12.7% abv. Plum color, clear. Nice aromatics, red and blue berry fruit, crushed rocks, licorice. Despite low alcohol still shows slow, clear legs. Bright, striking level of acid, turns plummy, sour cherry, tobacco and dusty spice finish. Med - weight, med - mouthfeel, med + length, juicy and pleasantly lingering. Not for everyone, needs focus and an open mind, which is what I believe KM wants from his buyers. At this level of alcohol and early pick, I would assume this is best opened in 30 years; unsure of the balance of wine’s chemistry, however, I’m willing to give the deep sleep a try.
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3/7/2021 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decided to open one of these with the release coming up this week. Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of blackberry, iron, lead pencil, mint, earth and hint of current. Flavors of blackberry, sour cherry, raspberry, currant and earth. Ends with a 30+ second finish with lingering berry and blackberry notes. Made in a different style more in line with Ridge. That being said this needs some time develop in the bottle in my opinion. Got better with each sip.
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3/5/2021 - gharter wrote: 86 Points
Aromatic with sour cherry, black fruit, anise, light spice and green pepper notes. Lighter body, higher acidity. While there is sour cherry black fruit, cassis, cedar, the green pepper nearly overwhelms the palate. soft finish with minimal tannin. While many may enjoy this wine, this is clearly picked early and not my style of cabernet. Don't expect my other bottles to improve, but time will tell.
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3/1/2021 - jviz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really light on its feet, with sour red cherry, fresh acidity, clearly early picking with minimal oak influence. Still with some structure from the skins. Based on what I'm used to, this would be hard to identify as cab blind, as it doesn't conform to typically styled valley floor expressions. To summarize, it's fresh, red-fruited, and really doesn't have any peers that I know of.
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2/28/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sample served blind and followed over 2 nights. Minimal change. very red fruited, mostly cherry with a floral aromatic character. Fine tannins and acidity, very pleasant wine--like it doesn't want to upset you. Finishes a bit tart and chalky. Minimal oak influence and I didn't get any pyrazines at all. Guess new world Merlot blind, as the structure is rather mild. Was pretty surprised this was cab.
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2/28/2021 - cos65 Likes this wine: 91 Points
sb
Fairly deep ruby purple
Not opaque
Fresh red fruit, raspberry with a more tart cherry finish. Avoids any excess heat, or heaviness. Rather elegant and lifted. A delight to drink.
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2/17/2021 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Almost-ripe blackberry, redcurrant, cedar. Fine tannin, lifted acidity, long
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12/30/2020 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine: 92 Points
Subtle aroma of dried blackberry, black cherry, cassis, cedar, and smoke. Medium-bodied and silky on the palate, with fine tannic structure and good acidity. There is some dried black fruit and cedar notes, but the flavors at this time are muted. Clearly this wine needs time, the potential is there.
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12/23/2020 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
A relaxing, satisfying drink that's more classically styled than most of what's coming out of Bordeaux these days. The hue in the glass, a magenta-tinted ruby, makes it look more primary than it actually turns out being. It's contoured with zero baby fat and the fruit is restrained to a point that's about as close as California ever gets to making something in the old "British palate" claret style. It's a study in all the classic features of cabernet: the red-currant snap, a little streak of bell pepper adding succulence and bite, and a figure that's slender without being lean. The next day the fruit appears to have ratcheted up its gloss and sweetness without gaining anything on the waistline.
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12/18/2020 - Richard P Howden wrote: 87 Points
One hour decant. Compared to the Beta 2014 Sonoma, this was very disappointing. Mid-weight or lighter, metallic on the palate, medium cassis and cherry on the nose, this just was not showing much. Is it tight? I'm not sure. Will try again tomorrow but not the best showing.
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12/17/2020 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lifted mineral red fruited. Nice perfume. Drink now or over the next 10 years.
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11/25/2020 - KPB wrote: 89 Points
Ketan made two Cabernets in 2014. The Vare is a midweight wine with an alluring nose showcasing spice and floral notes, forest loam, hints of cedar. On the palate, however, the wine comes off as tightly wound and in need of time. This said, the wine is in a light style and should come around within a few years in the cellar, with the potential to hit 90-91pts. If you do drink it now, decant and give it two or three hours to open up. The wine softens and opens quite a bit and it really pays off.
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