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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 96.7 pts. and median of 97 pts. in 22 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Tym4wine on 9/16/2022 & rated 95 points: Wonderfully fragrant. Amazing nose. Soft supple tannins with restrained acidity. Dark black crushed fruit delights. Wonderfully structured. Finish is long and memorable. Unbelievably terrific. Love this fruit. (1130 views) | | | Tasted by franinnyc on 9/2/2022 & rated 94 points: Almost sweet. (770 views) | | | Tasted by SAS54 on 8/25/2022 & rated 97 points: Drank half one day, half the next, just got better. (933 views) | | | Tasted by yeti575rider on 2/15/2019 & rated 92 points: Took to Charlie Palmer Steak DC (who has the best corkage policy btw). First Las Piedras from any winery and I hate to be the dissenter but i was not in love with this. First sip was excellent with a crisp blackberry on the attack and then the gravelly and earthy notes kick in to initially create a balance. However the more I drank this the more muddled it became to me. Shifted to overly earthy and ended with a slightly bitter coffee note. Not sure what to make of it on the whole. Still a well made wine with some nice moments but far from something I'd drink over the TO-Kalon's. I'll give the 2016 Verdad a shot at redemption in 2 or 3 years ... (2923 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 1/16/2019 & rated 96 points: For more than 170 years, the vineyard of little pebbles has been patiently waiting for this CellarTracker moment. (OK, probably not, but work with me here…) In one corner is Mike Smith, the American protege of Thomas Rivers Brown, working for the Carter label. In the other corner is Benoit Touquette, the French protege of Michel Rolland, working for his own label, Fait-Main. In the arena? The 2014 vintage of the Las Piedras vineyard. The question? Who made the best wine. The answer? Fait-Main.
I’ve had both wines in the past, but never side-by-side, which made tonight interesting (perhaps for no one else but me, but - hey - it’s still interesting to me!). Each wine presented as ripe, gravelly, intense, and delicious in a way that puts them among the best of this vineyard I have tasted. To my surprise, though, the Fait-Main pulled away, with a more floral, integrated, and polished profile. Although the wines are more similar than different, the Fait-Main had more lift and nuance, with just as much power as the Carter. There is no wrong answer here, but I was surprised that the Fait-Main tasted a little more right.
- Fait-Main: Inky red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, graphite, rosemary, and white flowers. The tastes are luscious and integrated: blueberry, milk chocolate, pencil lead, and warm gravel, with a silky and lingering finish. There were very few rough edges with this wine - iron fist, velvet glove, all that. 14.1% alcohol. Decant at least an hour. 97+ for now (better than 9/17), with upside in a year or two.
- Carter: Similarly blackish red in color and full in body, the wine offers more raw aromas of blackberry, burnt toast, black licorice, and pine needles. The tastes are a bit more pungent: boysenberry, cocoa powder, crushed rock, and cedar, with a chalky and somewhat dry finish. 14.9% alcohol. This presented as more rustic than the Fait Main - it’s not quite a bruiser, but it’s the more extracted (and less nuanced) of the two wines. Decant at least two hours. 96 for now (similar to 10/18), with upside in 2-4 years.
Even though I prefer the Fait-Main, I can see the two wines boiling down to personal preference. If you want a more burgeoning, powerful, and raw wine, the Carter is for you. If you want a more integrated, ethereal, and polished wine, the Fait-Main is the one. The surprise for me is that the Fait-Main matches the Carter in terms of power and ripeness; these are both unmistakably modern (and beautiful) wines of the Napa Valley. The difference, in my opinion, is that the Fait-Main has a finesse and class that takes the wine to another level.
P.S. Bonus sports analogy! You’ve now read down to the seventh paragraph of an amateur wine review (and, no judgment, I won’t ask why you’ve read this far, if you don’t ask why I’ve written this much). So, here’s a gratuitous, random, admittedly Bay Area-focused sports analogy. Drinking these two wines is like watching Klay Thompson and Steph Curry each make a three pointer. Each has great form, hits nothing but net, and is a fantastic shooter. Still, I root for one of them more, whether it’s because of his smaller stature, incredible speed, or likable personality. Even though each makes the shot, Thompson is great, and Curry... well, Curry belongs to the ages. Tonight, the Fait-Main was such a wine. (3961 views) | | | Tasted by Tym4wine on 12/28/2018 & rated 97 points: This is an absolutely fantastic wine. Dark black/purple, bramble nose, soft smooth tannins coat the mouth and having dark, pronounced fruit flavors. One of the best representations of LPV. Simply sublime. (1941 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 10/13/2018 & rated 96 points: This dark and complex Cabernet is completely fantastic: ripe, layered, floral, and lively - this wine has it all. Be sure to decant at least an hour, since it started off quite prickly but evolved (by hour two) into something plush and silky, while still retaining that gravelly, almost grainy undertone that makes LPV so unique.
Inky red in color and full in body, the wine welcomes you in with aromas of blackberry, charcoal, anise, and graphite. The tastes of the wine are bright and energetic: blueberry, mocha, fresh rosemary, crushed rock, and cedar. The finish offers incredible length, integrated tannins, and a silky aftertaste - all characteristics that define great Napa Cabernet (at least to me). 14.9% alcohol. Drink in next 3-5 years.
Compared to the 2015 Verdad, this is a touch more dark and rustic. For what it gives up in polish, though, it provides in depth and integration. I know Andy Beckstoffer’s name is on the vineyard designation, but sometimes I think Mike Smith owns Las Piedras (at least in the metaphorical sense!) - just so good. (3465 views) | | | Tasted by #1Winelover on 6/6/2018 & rated 98 points: When all of us are focusing on the ‘15 (and even '16) LPV offerings, along comes its older sibling, the ‘14 LPV which is great on every level; color, smell, and taste.
Dark black, blue and purple with a little red on the rim Nice charcoal, tar, wet stone. Beautiful smell of fresh cut flowers, black and blue berries, Nice acidity. Strong pronounced backbone and finish. Great correlation of the wine and the vineyard.
Kudos to Mike Smith for building a brick shithouse that will last for years to come and get better with time. (4123 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 5/12/2018 & rated 97 points: Mike Smith Tasting and Wine Dinner PART #2: This wine laid waste to the 2014 Schrader and 2014 Colesworthy served beside it. The concentration of the Carter slapped the Schraders into absolute orbit, especially on the front end and through the mid-palate. The Schraders seemed watery (of all things) and thin. I personally think this speaks more toward the Carter’s awesome, complex tiered flavor profile, and less about the Schraders’ inability to deliver depth-wise. The Schraders were not “watery” on their own, but insert one badass 2014 Carter LPV, and the others became its beeotches almost instantly.
The 2014 ain’t no Verdad, but it’s pretty damn close. Previous notes from two months ago on the 2014 Carter LPV still apply. Striking black minerality coupled with a swirling interplay of black, red, and some blue berry fruit made for a great showing. Drink now or hold for a few years if you feel like it.
Note: I had this the next day, and it still held up nicely. Missing some of the broad strokes from the previous day, but the flavors and depth persisted. This has some stuffing to last through some short-term cellaring without any issues. Great stuff. (3957 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 3/6/2018 & rated 98 points: Update from my previous note on 3/4/18 on a Coravin pour of this wine. The remainder of this bottle was consumed as a PnP, and without the 2015 Verdad alongside it. As a stand-alone, this 2014 really highlights the perfect harmony of deeply sophisticated and pure core fruit with beautifully interwoven minerality. A compelling example of the site and an especially great accomplishment in the 2014 vintage (which showed a tendency to have produced some overtly fruity, even clumsy wines in a number of cases). No soggy plushness here...This 2014 Carter LPV is all class. (3579 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 3/4/2018 & rated 98 points: Previous notes apply. Coravin pour; this was smooth and singing with just a few minutes of swirling in the glass. Black asphalt and gravel led the attack, with astoundingly pure black, purple, and dark red fruit washing over the mineral elements and engulfing the palate. Smooth on the back end, with an inviting finish that beckons you back for another sip.
I served this 2014 side-by-side with its younger sibling, the 2015 Carter La Verdad., whose DNA was just a little more concentrated and intense than the 2014. I favored the 2015 for those reasons, as its core is just so compelling and full of complexity and depth, it’s hard to beat. That said, my girl favored this 2014 for its fascinating gravelly scaffolding and more comparatively harnessed delivery of fruit (“harnessed” by Carter standards at least).
97-98+ points for the 2014. Drinking great now with just a little air. Hold with confidence for another year or so if you feel like it. 100 points for the 2015 La Verdad. Great juice all around. (3952 views) | | | Tasted by jaxpaj on 12/19/2017 & rated 98 points: A wonderful wine! Everything I look for in a napa cab. Rich and bold wine! Perfectly ripened fruit, toasted oak, touches of caramel/vanilla/cotton candy (this kept it from 99/100pts), with a nice complex finish where the touches of earth/mineral arrive. If the hints of sweetness fade and more of the mineral/earth strengthen, this has a chance at 99-100! (2014 views) | | | Tasted by Cristal2000 on 12/11/2017 & rated 97 points: This is an exceptional wine, and one of the better 2014's I've had. Drank at dinner next to an astounding 2015 Memento Mori LPV that managed to best it, but the competition was fierce and the MM is a better vintage IMO.
The Carter started out as the better wine. Amazing blackberry and blueberry fruit, cassis, anise, wet earth and stone on the nose. Really silky texture that initially set it apart from the MM. Just glides across the pallet. Nice deep and rich flavors, with good balance and significant structure. In the middle of the evening it seemed to shut down some for a bit, with acid and tannin taking over, but then came back to life a little while later. This has a tremendous spectrum of flavors, and integrates nice earth driven notes with that luscious black/blue fruit. Built for the long run, but easy to enjoy now. Long and fabulous finish. Needs a good 3-4 hour decant.
Overall, not quite a layered or deep as the Memento Mori, but that was one of a handful of the best wines I've had over the past year. Would be interesting to have the MM next to the 15 Carter La Verdad LPV, which I think is also a 99-100 point wine. (2905 views) | | | Tasted by Badmonkey on 9/30/2017 & rated 98 points: Get together for my father's birthday: 2014 Carter Beckstoffer Las Piedras, 2014 Carter Beckstoffer Grand Daddy, 2014 Barnett Rattlesnake, 2014 Janzen Cloudy's, 2015 Scarlett cab, 2014 Scarlett cab, and 2013 Lewelling cab.
I thought this was the wine of the night, however, everyone else selected the Barnett Rattlesnake. Clearly the biggest wine and maybe the biggest Carter cab that I've had. Purple fruit - blackberry, blueberry, currants, and dark raspberry. Smooth mid-palate coupled with really nice depth. Nice flavors of dark berries and a little mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time. Although young, I'm really impressed with how well the 2014 Carter cabs are drinking right now with a decent decant. (3133 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 6/22/2017 & rated 98 points: It's been over a year since I last had this wine. Specific previous descriptors apply. In fact, last year I wrote, "full spectrum of purple, blue, black, and red berry fruit notes, blueberry and black raspberry liqueur, awesome river rock/minerality, and hints of red licorice." This was exactly the case this time around as well.
PnP was gushing with red and purple berry fruit notes and that signature 2014 electric purple kiss of sweetness. (Not to worry, this was definitely NOT that snow cone sugar rush that some 2014 Cabs are displaying). The river rock components hurried up on the attack and kept the core fruit in check almost immediately. I actually enjoyed this more closer to PnP (after just a few minutes of air).
After about two hours in the decanter, the black cherry and black raspberry liqueur notes crept up on the back end with anise and a hint of alcohol (almost giving it a unique absinthe-like finish). It was a warm evening, so the more it warmed up in the glass, the more the alcohol showed.
97-98 points for the first hour of consumption.
Best when cooler. I've definitely become more sensitive to temperature lately, believing that big Napa Cabernets like this should be served and consumed at a cooler cellar temperature (54 degrees) if possible, especially those Cabs that are so giving in the fruit department. Too cold and it mutes the flavors; but too warm and the focus seems to become compromised and the identifiability of flavors gets seemingly muddled. Nevertheless, not the case here, but the temperature and air did alter the profile a bit toward the end. Cooling it back down in the cellar did it well and brought it close to its original form when revisited on the final sips.
To me, the 2014 Carter LPV is really smooth and giving now. I'm sure a little time in bottle might help, but it's pretty darn tasty at the moment with just a bit of air. It is certainly more accessible than the 2014 Quivet LPV which still seems to need a little more time to find its glide. Comparatively, the 2015 Carter LPV is a little more concentrated and powerful than the 2014; the 2014 carries a little hint of sweetness that I didn't necessarily notice in the 2015. The 2015 probably needs another year+ just to find its true form (though I thought the 2015 was/is/will be a 100 point wine). (4106 views) | | | Tasted by Badmonkey on 6/4/2017 & rated 97 points: Looking for something somewhat special for the Juventus/Real Madrid game so I decided to finally pop a bottle. Purple fruit - blueberry, blackberry, currants, and dark raspberry. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth and a nice purity. Vibrant flavors of dark wild berries and a little mineral component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for two hours and drank over another three. Improved quite a bit with time and ideally needs to lay down longer as expected - it took around three hours to open-up. In all, it's a beautiful wine and no surprise that Parker rated it 98 points but it needs time. Going to try and lay the other bottles down for another year. The winemaker did recommend laying this vintage down for at least one to two years from the release date. (4033 views) | | | Tasted by #1Winelover on 6/2/2017 & rated 98 points: WOTN and it sure was an interesting tasting: Carter's '14 LPV, Chat du Pape '10 (100 points), Continuum '08 and a 1st growth Grand Cru Bordeaux from 1985. I listed these in order of preference for both of us (a good friend).
The Carter LPV needed 2 hours in a wide bodied decanter and it was just awesome. It tasted like a Carter/Mike Smith/Las Piedras Vineyard wine. 1st off, the bottle was very heavy :). 2nd, the wine was awesome. Typical LPV notes of dark purple and blue/red fruits, lots of minerality and charcoal and chocolate on the finish. Mike did a really nice job with this wine. It's 98 now, but it could go higher as it really needed more than 2 hours of a decant. It's ready, but will be better in a year or three. Enjoy it -- I am very confidant that you will! (3875 views) | | | Tasted by ageverett on 12/25/2016 & rated 96 points: Slow ox for 4 hours. Also had LPV's from Schrader and Quivet.
This was a combo of the power of the Quivet and the velvety tones of the Schrader. More explosive than the Schrader on the palate, but not quite as smooth. Tannins pretty present on the finish. Really good right now, and will get better with some bottle time. Got better the longer it was open. (3107 views) | | | Tasted by #1Winelover on 11/6/2016 & rated 98 points: What a wine and what a journey! Mike Smith told me to try the LPV or Three Twins 1st, so I opened up this monster. When I 1st poured it (I had to have a taste) it was too primary. After a 2 hour decant, it began coming together. Dark blue and black fruits, tannins in the background and a very long finish. The wine got better as the night went on. I saved 1 glass for day 2, and it was amazing. I'm giving it a plus rating because it might be perfection, it just needs some more time. (3158 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 6/4/2016 & rated 98 points: 2014 Carter Cellars Lineup (Carter Cellars (Envy Wines) - Calistoga): Holy Mary Mother of God. If you’ve loved previous LPVs from Carter, you’re gonna freak out over this wine. If this shakes out right, I can see this wine following its 2013 older brother and becoming another three-digit scorer after a few years in bottle. Seems to have the stuffing to kick out the full spectrum of purple, blue, black, and red berry fruit notes, blueberry and black raspberry liqueur, awesome river rock/minerality, and hints of red licorice. A phenomenal example of purity of fruit and sweet tannic structure. Full-bodied all the way around. Regardless of any score, this wine is a force to be reckoned with; one of the best LPVs I’ve had from any producer. Though I know I should wait for a few years, it will be hard not to play around with this wine every few months just to see what it’s doing. 97-98++ points. (4656 views) |
| By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Carter Cellars: 1998-2018 (5/14/2023)
(Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard) Login and sign up and see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (5/5/2017)
(Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, United States) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Napa Valley Trilogy: 2014, 2015 & 2016-Part1 (Dec 2016) (12/1/2016)
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NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JebDunnuck.com and JamesSuckling.com and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Carter Cellars 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 |
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