The standout in a flight of K and Betz wines, and the only one that if blind I would have struggled to say was not a French wine. It features a complex bouquet and taste profile of hoisin, fig and date cake, guava paste, blackstrap molasses, tar, charcuterie, herbs, and minerals. The wine changes inflection, offering incalculable nuance. Tremendous substance and a powerful frame bode well for extended aging, and it is likely to evolve. It should enter its wheelhouse by 2021 - 2025. Spectacular!
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Thanksgiving Weekend!!: I have had this wine twice in the last year, so for the sake of keeping down score inflation, I have included both in the same note. The wine was tasted on 05/27 and 11/27 of this year.
05/27 - Pop and poured and followed over the course of 3 or so hours. Still youthful and vibrant, although there was not as much funk as I had anticipated coming from the Armada vineyard. No matter, this wine was killer. Medium to full bodied with notes of violet, blueberry compote, ripe blackberry, dark strawberry and moderate brambly complexity on the back end with just the faintest hint of meaty funk. It is still a bit unruly on the back with a bit of heat poking out, but it settled a bit by the last glass. If you have a few bottles open now with a moderate to long decant or wait a year or two. This wine will definitely improve and will be a stunner down the road. It is pretty damn close right now - 93.
11/27 - This was the best wine consumed all Thanksgiving weekend. Where the last bottle only showed glimpses of the famed 'rocks funk', for this bottle the funk was front and center with meat driven notes of smoked olive and liquid rock in addition to all of the fantastic fruit complexity highlighted in my previous note. It showed best after being open for hours and is on the early side of it's drinking window. I will be holding my other bottle a year, if I can keep my hands off - 93+.
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decanted three hours. I was prepared to wait. Tasting every hour to see how it was evolving. Dark sweet cherry fruit. Very enjoyable. Nice medium to long finish.
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The boy is loaded with black cherry jam, raspberry, sweet currant, blueberry compote, olive, rosemary, and scorched earth. Light color but massive in body. I love the blend of new world power and old southern Rhone like finesse. This wine is delicious. (Best 2013-2020)
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Definitely started to become richer and fuller the longer it was open. Strawberry and licorice, with a great acidic richness and mouth-coating feel. Unfortunately this wine was killed after only 90 minutes, so the progression over longer period of time will have to be done at a later date with another bottle. If I must.
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Love how the Cayuse funk comes through on the nose. Very big compared to the GOK from Cayuse. This is still an amazing Grenache. Spice, tar, red fruit, lavender, white pepper, and strawberry. Will continue to buy this on a yearly basis.
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Much better than the last one. Complex nose of meat, violets, used coffee grounds, boysenberry, strawberry, smoke, and earth. Dark fruit, meat, bitter herbs, and spice on the palate. Very long finish. A little noticeable heat. Acidity is present, but I wish there was more, as this is pretty big and dark and needs a little freshness. More structure would be nice in general. Overall, this is complex, interesting, and well-made, but maybe not my cup of tea. 90-91
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Brought to Rye in Brooklyn and paid corkage. No formal notes, but remember this being big and decidedly fruit-forward but not over the top. Very much new world and happily so. Peppery dark fruit with great concentration. Very enjoyable, but I would like a little more structure and elegance at this price point.
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Maybe in a closed period...the nose gave off very faint blueberry and blackberry, even after several hours of air. Later there was a small amount of jerky and a little brown spice. The palate on the other hand, was fairly rich and big with dark fruit, a little coffee, some green veggies, and some spice. Good finish. Decent acidity. Overall, very good quality, but a hair boring right now. The lack of aroma hurts this wine a bit. 88-90
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Maybe just a little young, but doesn't seem quite up to snuff with the previous vintage. The black fruits became richer with time in the air, and the finish got longer -- so maybe all that's needed is another 6 months or a longer decant.
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9/15/2018 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark raspberry, kir and earth with great finish
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6/30/2018 - juneau bob wrote: 91 Points
Brownish garnet. Dark cherry and candied fruit flavor. It has a long chocolate covered cherry finish. Very good.
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12/6/2016 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
The standout in a flight of K and Betz wines, and the only one that if blind I would have struggled to say was not a French wine. It features a complex bouquet and taste profile of hoisin, fig and date cake, guava paste, blackstrap molasses, tar, charcuterie, herbs, and minerals. The wine changes inflection, offering incalculable nuance. Tremendous substance and a powerful frame bode well for extended aging, and it is likely to evolve. It should enter its wheelhouse by 2021 - 2025. Spectacular!
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12/5/2014 - junglejuice wrote: 93 Points
Thanksgiving Weekend!!: I have had this wine twice in the last year, so for the sake of keeping down score inflation, I have included both in the same note. The wine was tasted on 05/27 and 11/27 of this year.
05/27 - Pop and poured and followed over the course of 3 or so hours. Still youthful and vibrant, although there was not as much funk as I had anticipated coming from the Armada vineyard. No matter, this wine was killer. Medium to full bodied with notes of violet, blueberry compote, ripe blackberry, dark strawberry and moderate brambly complexity on the back end with just the faintest hint of meaty funk. It is still a bit unruly on the back with a bit of heat poking out, but it settled a bit by the last glass. If you have a few bottles open now with a moderate to long decant or wait a year or two. This wine will definitely improve and will be a stunner down the road. It is pretty damn close right now - 93.
11/27 - This was the best wine consumed all Thanksgiving weekend. Where the last bottle only showed glimpses of the famed 'rocks funk', for this bottle the funk was front and center with meat driven notes of smoked olive and liquid rock in addition to all of the fantastic fruit complexity highlighted in my previous note. It showed best after being open for hours and is on the early side of it's drinking window. I will be holding my other bottle a year, if I can keep my hands off - 93+.
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6/9/2013 - Brownvino wrote: 92 Points
decanted three hours. I was prepared to wait. Tasting every hour to see how it was evolving. Dark sweet cherry fruit. Very enjoyable. Nice medium to long finish.
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1/3/2013 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 93 Points
The boy is loaded with black cherry jam, raspberry, sweet currant, blueberry compote, olive, rosemary, and scorched earth. Light color but massive in body. I love the blend of new world power and old southern Rhone like finesse. This wine is delicious. (Best 2013-2020)
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11/11/2012 - circadumonde wrote: 92 Points
Definitely started to become richer and fuller the longer it was open. Strawberry and licorice, with a great acidic richness and mouth-coating feel. Unfortunately this wine was killed after only 90 minutes, so the progression over longer period of time will have to be done at a later date with another bottle. If I must.
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5/5/2012 - emdub wrote: 92 Points
Love how the Cayuse funk comes through on the nose. Very big compared to the GOK from Cayuse. This is still an amazing Grenache. Spice, tar, red fruit, lavender, white pepper, and strawberry. Will continue to buy this on a yearly basis.
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12/27/2011 - winelover1 wrote: 92 Points
I loved this Grenache blend. Excellent fruit and a super smooth finish.
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12/20/2011 - rmh66 wrote: 91 Points
Much better than the last one. Complex nose of meat, violets, used coffee grounds, boysenberry, strawberry, smoke, and earth. Dark fruit, meat, bitter herbs, and spice on the palate. Very long finish. A little noticeable heat. Acidity is present, but I wish there was more, as this is pretty big and dark and needs a little freshness. More structure would be nice in general. Overall, this is complex, interesting, and well-made, but maybe not my cup of tea. 90-91
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5/12/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine: 89 Points
Brought to Rye in Brooklyn and paid corkage. No formal notes, but remember this being big and decidedly fruit-forward but not over the top. Very much new world and happily so. Peppery dark fruit with great concentration. Very enjoyable, but I would like a little more structure and elegance at this price point.
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4/15/2011 - rmh66 wrote: 88 Points
Maybe in a closed period...the nose gave off very faint blueberry and blackberry, even after several hours of air. Later there was a small amount of jerky and a little brown spice. The palate on the other hand, was fairly rich and big with dark fruit, a little coffee, some green veggies, and some spice. Good finish. Decent acidity. Overall, very good quality, but a hair boring right now. The lack of aroma hurts this wine a bit. 88-90
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4/1/2011 - curtispomeroy wrote: 91 Points
Classic Cayuse funk on the nose. Was a little too bold on day one but on night two it all came into balance and was really quite impressive.
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1/5/2011 - Jared wrote: 90 Points
Very mellow wine. Soft and pretty. Velvety in the mouth. Very well made but nothing to make it stand out. 90 pts.
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1/2/2011 - spretzer wrote: 91 Points
I really enjoyed this wine a bit green with a nice acidity. It was still going strong on day 2 so should have a nice life to it.
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9/25/2010 - mreinitz wrote: 90 Points
Maybe just a little young, but doesn't seem quite up to snuff with the previous vintage. The black fruits became richer with time in the air, and the finish got longer -- so maybe all that's needed is another 6 months or a longer decant.
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