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2016 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Bettinelli Sleeping Lady Vineyard
9/10/2019 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid Cab but needs time. Decanted for about 3 hours and it was still a bit tight. Very chewy tannins but did have wonderful expressions of blueberry compote, pipe tobacco and a little bark. Was solid from nose to finish, but was a bit underwhelming for what I was expecting at this price point. Will hold bottles for a few years and try again.
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2015 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
6/21/2019 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Had at Sir Winston's with Chateaubriand tonight. For such a young wine with such a short 1 hour decant, this showed beautifully. I have gravitated toward Bevan CS the past few years because my wife and I both prefer fruit-forward wines. Not alcoholic fruit bombs, but 10 pounds of fruit shoved into a one-pound bag. This wine delivered that in spades. If you give it about 4-5 hours and you like fruit, then this will do it for you.
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2007 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
3/2/2019 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is prob 97+, maybe 98, which would make it nudge out the 2007 Schrader CCS we had 5 years ago or so. Once again, special anniversary dinner at Craft in Los Angeles.
The bottle threw about 3 oz of the finest sediment I've ever seen from a CS. And boy were they glorious on their own!
But on to the main event: We had 12-hour braised short ribs, hen of the woods, yukon gold puree, wheat sourdough bread, salads and some garlic-driven pasta. The amazing thing is that this wine played nicely with every element of the meal. It was like a member of the orchestra, never overpowering any other member, but perfectly melding into the symphony.
The nose is everything you want in a Schrader CS, esp a Sparky. Nose of blueberry pie filling, vanilla, Saigon cinnamon, even bruleed brown sugar. It almost smelled over-ripe on initial opening but calmed down considerably over the 5-hour decant. The mouth was definitely still tannic, so small molecules here, but super ripe once again and just bursting at the seams with black and blue fruits. Almost veered again into stewed plum, but then brought it back from the edge. I have been cellaring this bottle since release a decade ago, so while hopeful I still had plenty to worry about. My worry proved unfounded.
The finish was a magnificent melding of creme de cassis and more fall-seasoned pie crust. Cherry pipe-tobacco shows up about 15 seconds in, then espresso and then 70% dark cocoa powder. It just keeps reverberating on my palate and retronasal cavity. Yep, it was amazing. What a blessing and privilege to share this with our friend Ruthie. Too bad Jimmy don't drink wine foo!
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