External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 20 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 12/20/2022 & rated 93 points: At Nizuc resort and Spa drank at Terranostra and the wine was on point. This wine even in 2017 vintage kicks ass of most other 2017s and most wines under $125. So well balanced, beautiful structure and a palate that goes so well with it without food. Damn this wine is a steal. Plenty of life left in this great window. (1482 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 8/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Man this is one of the better 2017s hands down- and a such a good wine regardless of vintage. ! I pulled this as a debate with other wine drinkers that have had a different experience than I have had with the 2016 La Pelle reserve that wasn’t purchased direct from winery.
This wine is fantastic - blackberries, dark chocolate,black currant, rock, medium finish. Long life ahead but great now! (1946 views) | | | Tasted by wdcwineguys on 12/7/2021 & rated 92 points: This wine is getting much better. Deep ruby. Medium body and finish. Black cherry, graphite and some oak. Nice pop of acidity. Medium tannins. (1072 views) | | | Tasted by Mtpisgah on 7/23/2021: Still a little tight, but coming along nicely. Very tasty. (1138 views) | | | Tasted by RKLSomm on 5/28/2021 & rated 91 points: Starting to open up. Should wait another year or two before opening the next bottle. (1137 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 5/5/2021 & rated 92 points: PnP and drank between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes in the glass. For four years of age, in a below average vintage, this wine is as fresh as if it was just released with great structure and freshness that explodes out of the glass unlike any $75 wine- and certainly unlike any in 2017. There is not the 2017 linear vintage markings that we are all accustomed to with muted fruit and uninteresting flavors and textures.
This wine is rocking and not ‘for the ‘17 vintage’ but for any vintage. If I was going to rate this against the vintage it would be 2-3 points additional. The wine is a cross between a modern Bordeaux and Napa delivering on all cylinders. This is not a big fruit wine nor an overly tannic hyper dry one either. Plays really well across all spectrums and no one should assume, if tasted blind, this is a wine from a below average vintage nor guess the correct price point.
Amazing nose of sweet black fruit, earth and deliciousness. The wine drinks full bodied blackberry, earth, anise, sprint of chocolate, some slate and minerals and an unreal long finish that keeps the mouth happy. There is no harm in pulling a cork now if you have multiples of you only have a couple might be worth waiting 6 months and then enjoy every sip! Great QPR (2127 views) | | | Tasted by wdcwineguys on 1/25/2021 & rated 92 points: This needed about 90 minutes to open up. Inky dark purple, grippy tannins, black pepper, granite, graphite and dense black fruit. The style is more old-world for Napa, with an earthiness that is more present than a blast of ripe fruit. Give it time to open up. This is not a PNP at this point. (1106 views) | | | Tasted by Mehul Desai on 12/11/2020 & rated 92 points: Tight tannins less than full bodied. Store for few years (896 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 11/14/2020 & rated 92 points: Hmm this one came off a little more fresh than the previous bottles and didn’t fully come around until the three - four hour mark. Very different experience and if I would have rated early it would have been a 90-91 but with air it does move back to the 92 range. Off bottle maybe? 91-92 (1724 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 8/22/2020 & rated 93 points: This is without a doubt the best 2017 Napa cabernet I have had to date. It has filled in even more creating a seamless onslaught of flavor and texture that very few $75 Napa wines can deliver, especially in such a challenging year (I would put this up against my favorite $100 - $150 wines in 2017 and this would be as good or better for my palate. This is not linear or uninteresting like nearly every other 2017 Cabernet to date rather 100% enjoyable right now and later! Well done Maayan, well done. 93+ (1804 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 2/17/2020 & rated 92 points: PnP which is a mistake this wine needs a load of time. More muted, best glass was the last one. Red fruited with chocolate nites throughout. We did a disservice on this wine because it needs more age or a lot more time. (2377 views) | | | Tasted by Papillon1112 on 1/16/2020 & rated 93 points: Makes me want to try the Reserve. (1254 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 12/28/2019 & rated 93 points: Wonderful Charity Event (Arizona): Blind flight 2017 La Pelle and 2016 Mending Wall Tournahu. Both decanted for two hours. While these were both too young even with the decant, the La Pelle, as it has done each time, tells you it has real potential if given time (which apparently I have trouble doing- bought another case based on the potential). The MW was a nice wine but will not become anything special which is a shame for TRB in a great vintage but the 2017 La Pelle was the clear winner here. Great depth, dark fruit and even a peppery component which was a crowd favorite. Hold for at least a year but preferably 2-3. Nice effort at a great QPR.
Mending Wall 91-92 with a bit of upside. (2269 views) | | | Tasted by MAXIMUM SATISFACTION on 12/19/2019 & rated 92 points: Starting to come around here. The texture and structure are top notch with semi sweet black fruit starting to poke through. Chalky cassis, dark chocolate, and damp earth still are up front. Still more that was the case with 2016 it leans toward traditional Napa Cabernet. Stylistically it leans more towards Cornell or Di Constanzo versus Bedrock or Arnot Roberts. Still needs plenty more time. (1266 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 12/18/2019 & rated 93 points: PnP right as usual (not that I thought 10 minutes would be different than a couple weeks ago.
1hr great nose but still tight
2 hours and the wine started to show something but as previous notes state it needs time. Left it and went to dinner and stored at cellar temp for sox hours (from initial opening).
6 hours in. The wine started to really show its stuff. Similar notes as before but the tannins started to round out the wine. Very excited how this will develop and bought another case (email out to anyway) based on this experience. Great QPR (1970 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 12/11/2019 & rated 93 points: PnP and then decanted for an hour. Well I lasted 3 months (sometimes I get confused with months vs years) and while should have given it more time- no harm done. May not have been at its peak but it’s good juice even now. Best within 15-30 minutes as it starts to close around 1hr for some reason.
Not a fruit bomb. Starts off with cassis followed by dark sour cherries a very slight hint of graphite. There is enough acid and tannin to suggest it will continue to improve. Try again in six months. Yummy (1835 views) | | | Tasted by MAXIMUM SATISFACTION on 10/6/2019 & rated 90 points: Drank over the course of two nights. Structured and full bodied but the fruit comes off green and borderline sour. Dark chocolate and cassis accompany. Not at the level of the 2016. Needs a few years. (1165 views) | | | Tasted by wdcwineguys on 9/25/2019 & rated 92 points: Tasted at Acme in St. Helena two weeks ago, just getting around to putting in my notes. Short decant. Saturated, deep purple. Nose of intense black fruit, gravel and earth. This wine is still young and I think needs a few years to settle down. Tannins were a bit tight, nice structure. Excellent quality and I think a great price for a quality Napa cabernet. I think it will improve greatly with a little more time. (871 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 9/6/2019 & rated 93 points: Tasting among Napa giants consisting of 58 wines. No notes as spitting was frowned upon with my group... even punishable. Top wines 2018 Keplinger Oakville and Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet, Tusk, 2016 Colgin Tychson Hill, 2016 Vine Hill Ranch, Maxem Pinot and Chardonnay (tied for top QPR with La Pelle), La Pelle SB & Cabernet, 2012 Del Dotto Beast. Runner ups 2018 Memento Mori SVDs, 2018 Vice Versa, 2018 Keplinger Sumo and Lithic, 2016 Dana Hershey, 2016 Colgin Cariad and IX Estate.
La Pelle stood out as one of the top QPR in Napa. They are doing great things at the right price. I am a tough grader and this wine shows at 50%+ above it’s asking price. Buying a case or two as it’s just that good already. Can’t imagine what 2018 will be if 2017 is this good. 93++ (1828 views) |
| La Pelle Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
|
