PHILLY CT GATHERING - DR CRANE this wine stood out amongst the other Cranes, as the most beguiling - intense aromas of kirsch, lilacs and pepper. Dense, rich black fruits - cassis, blackberries, hints of mocha, expresso and anise with touches of raw tobacco. tremendous purity of fruit layered with sublime minerality. maybe only a point or two better than the crowd, but standing out, amongst its peers, is impressive - thanks Andy!
In a Christmas Eve cab lineup which included 2004 Rocca Yountville, 2016 Carter The O.G. and 2012 VHR. All these wines were so different but each amazing in their own way -- all required 2-8 hours of double decanting to reach their max potential on this night. A stunning complete wine and the best of this lineup. Needed the longest decant (8 hours - no slow ox) to open up and integrate its components. This had the best nose of the bunch. it had tremendous energy on the palate and on the very very long finish. Depth of dark fruit was awesome. I believe that with age this could approach perfection with some additional complexity (there are earthy notes as well as bitter chocolate) and some additional harmonization of the energy the wine emits at this stage.
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No formal notes. Just impressions. H2H with Vice Versa Dr. Crane. Judging purely off of which one got consumed the earliest, Vice Versa was the more popular wine tonight. That being said, both were phenomenal and both bottles were out before the steaks were finished by the habachi guy who came for a friend's 40th birthday. In terms of treatment prior to drinking, the VV was ready to go out the shoot while the MM needed a 2 hour double decant back into bottle prior to the dinner. I cheated and coravin poured myself an ounce to make sure the wine was good and to determine if any needed additional decanting, etc.
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Aromas of fresh violets, wet stone, blueberries, and olive tapenade. Pure and precise, this wine is showing great focus from a vineyard known for its expressive and expansive fruit. Medium to full bodied with amazing blue fruit, it is wonderfully balanced and fresh with fine grained sweet tannin and a finish for days.
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Dr. Crane showdown between the 2018 MM and the 2019 Vice Versa. The VV showed a bit better, but the MM is no slouch. Both were decanted about 3 hours at ~62° before serving and drank closer to room temperature throughout the night.
Ruby colored, a bit of spicy oak (to borrow a descriptor from WBW), this was a great wine. Give it some air and it's in a nice place. Nose was sweet dark cherries, cassis, and vanilla.
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4/25/2024 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 96 Points
PHILLY CT GATHERING - DR CRANE
this wine stood out amongst the other Cranes, as the most beguiling - intense aromas of kirsch, lilacs and pepper. Dense, rich black fruits - cassis, blackberries, hints of mocha, expresso and anise with touches of raw tobacco. tremendous purity of fruit layered with sublime minerality. maybe only a point or two better than the crowd, but standing out, amongst its peers, is impressive - thanks Andy!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/26/2023 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 98 Points
In a Christmas Eve cab lineup which included 2004 Rocca Yountville, 2016 Carter The O.G. and 2012 VHR. All these wines were so different but each amazing in their own way -- all required 2-8 hours of double decanting to reach their max potential on this night.
A stunning complete wine and the best of this lineup. Needed the longest decant (8 hours - no slow ox) to open up and integrate its components. This had the best nose of the bunch. it had tremendous energy on the palate and on the very very long finish. Depth of dark fruit was awesome. I believe that with age this could approach perfection with some additional complexity (there are earthy notes as well as bitter chocolate) and some additional harmonization of the energy the wine emits at this stage.
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10/15/2023 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 96 Points
No formal notes. Just impressions. H2H with Vice Versa Dr. Crane. Judging purely off of which one got consumed the earliest, Vice Versa was the more popular wine tonight. That being said, both were phenomenal and both bottles were out before the steaks were finished by the habachi guy who came for a friend's 40th birthday. In terms of treatment prior to drinking, the VV was ready to go out the shoot while the MM needed a 2 hour double decant back into bottle prior to the dinner. I cheated and coravin poured myself an ounce to make sure the wine was good and to determine if any needed additional decanting, etc.
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5/28/2022 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Aromas of fresh violets, wet stone, blueberries, and olive tapenade. Pure and precise, this wine is showing great focus from a vineyard known for its expressive and expansive fruit. Medium to full bodied with amazing blue fruit, it is wonderfully balanced and fresh with fine grained sweet tannin and a finish for days.
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3/3/2022 - sean7711 wrote: 96 Points
Dr. Crane showdown between the 2018 MM and the 2019 Vice Versa. The VV showed a bit better, but the MM is no slouch. Both were decanted about 3 hours at ~62° before serving and drank closer to room temperature throughout the night.
Ruby colored, a bit of spicy oak (to borrow a descriptor from WBW), this was a great wine. Give it some air and it's in a nice place. Nose was sweet dark cherries, cassis, and vanilla.
Glad I have 1 more bottle of this!
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