Del Dotto Barrels & Beasts 2017

Barrels & Beasts is a truly epic event. I easily tasted more than 25+ wines (probably twice as many offered throughout the evening); this event is always a wonderfully wild, dizzying experience. If Caesar's Palace Vegas, Chateau Haut-Brion, and Luciano Pavarotti had a trifecta love child, it would be Del Dotto's Barrels & Beasts. David Del Dotto even hired performers from the SF opera to walk around and sing during the meal. The food was outstanding (prepared by ex-French Laundry Chef Joshua Schwartz). A blast of an evening!

The 2015 barrel tastings were very rich and extracted as a whole, showcasing some monster wines. Some hits, some misses. Overall, it's a great time and an educational experience. You can't come in to this kind of event too stiff. You gotta just relax and enjoy the show that you find yourself in the middle of. I'm extremely fortunate to have friends who have invited us the last two years. Great times!

• 2016 Del Dotto Sauvignon Blanc 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  Resembling a comparatively lighter, less tropical version of the domestic varietal, this wine exhibited fairly typical yellow and white stone fruit notes. An agreeable SB, but not one that necessarily leapt forward as anything beyond average. Served a little warmer than I'd prefer given the somewhat flat flavor profile.

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• 2016 Del Dotto Pinot Noir Rosé 86 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  Much like the Sauvignon Blanc, the Rose (which was also offered upon entry to the winery) would have been at least a decent sipper. But again, it was served at near-room temperature. No bueno when it's 102°F outside.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Mountain 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  We started off the barrel tastings jumping right into the back of the caves with this big boy Cabernet. Huge, ripe, blue and black fruits. Mid-palate was immediately rushed with heavy fruit flavors to the extent that I had trouble discerning anything else as part of the wine's profile. The fruit seemed to be of quality, but bordering on displaying late harvest characteristics.
  
  Surprisingly, this was even riper and more jammy than the 2014 version BT I had of this wine last year at Barrels & Beasts. Overall, this 2015 was fairly overblown, with a raisiny, grape jelly flavor that muddled the attack a bit. I worry this will end up overly extracted and prune-ridden by the time it gets to bottle. Time will tell.
  
  I much preferred the 887 versions of these wines in the 2015 vintage (in contrast, my preference veered toward the St. Helena Mountain wines in 2013 and 2014).

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs' Series Centre Sylvain Family Reserve St Helena Mountain Block 2 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  A bit less blown out by the heavy extracted fruit displayed by the standard 2015 St. Helena Mountain Family Reserve, but this Centre Sylvain still kicked out a bevy of predominantly black fruit flavors (some blue) that pummeled the palate almost immediately on the attack. The back end was just as much of a bruiser. Again, quality fruit to be sure, but almost as though it had been picked way late. Super ripe. Super extracted. A bit too much for even me (who can get down with big, hedonistic Napa Cabernets).
  
  The 887 wines still carried big fruit, but also provided more of a frame to better house the extracted flavors.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Orion French Oak South Vineyard 887 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  My favorite of all the Cabernets we had at Barrels & Beasts, the 887 Orion South struck a nice balance between big black fruit (and hints of deep blue and red) and a nice frame of vanilla-laced oak and spice. The French oak played well here with the fruit, elevating the flavors rather than just imparting more sweetness. This is a big wine indeed, but one that I believe with round out the best once it is in bottle. Seemingly low acid (like with all of the 2015 BT Cabernets), which unfortunately adds to the extracted feeling of many of the wines. This was luckily the least extracted by comparison, but still a monster of a wine. The finish went on for 60 seconds. 95-96+ points.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak Vineyard 887 St. Helena 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  This was another 887 that displayed very nicely overall. I preferred the 887 Orion South a little more, but this North/Front 887 had a similar profile, but had just a little less depth mid-palate when compared to the 887 Family Reserve. Blue, black fruit, creamy vanilla, and hints of quality wood and spice. 93-94 points at the moment.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseur's Series Mo/Fo Blend Vineyard 887 St. Helena 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  My least favorite of the three 2015 887 BTs. Ripe and rich, but missing some focus on the mid-palate. Came off a little heavier on the back end than the 887 Orion and Colbert.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak U-Stave north 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Try as I might, I just couldn't jump on the bandwagon with the American Oak wines. The wood imparted a lightly burnt caramel flavor on the attack that distracted from the fruit flavors. Lacked the creamy smoothness that the French Oak offered with some of the other wines. For me it was in the mid/low 80s point-wise, but others really seemed to like the American Oak influence (granted, those folks were more baked than a can of BBQ beans by the time we got around to these wines - so their assessment might have been a bit, uh, "questionable").

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak Carved & Grooved Family Reserve Alain Fouquet South Oakville 85 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  It was an unfortunate pass for me on the American Oak wines. As with the U-Stave North, this Alain Fouquet suffered from the same caramel-laced flavor that distracted from the core fruit. I couldn't get past it. It was as if bourbon had been introduced into the wine (which maybe it had given the cooperage). I recall this being an issue for me last year with the 2014 American Oak BTs as well. Chalk it up as a profile preference I suppose.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Estate Family Reserve 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  Similar to the 2014 BT version of this wine from last year. Hints of wood to balance out the extracted fruit, but overall it was a bit forgettable. The 887 wines were much more interesting (and broad shouldered) than this Rutherford. Lacking layers or complexity at this stage. 91+ points for me.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon The Beast 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  You can essentially cut/paste my notes from last year on the 2014 Beast, except this 2015 seemed even more extracted and lacked much of the finesse or frame found in the 887 wines. It showed me that sometimes taking the best of all of your ingredients doesn't automatically equate to a "better" wine.
  
  Plush, ripe, round, and rich; dark black fruit. Of course, everyone freaked out when they had this wine, but it seemed more from the build-up for some to have a chance to try this wine than what the wine actually delivered. It was a "fine" wine; it was a seemingly well-crafted wine. But it came off as too much. $350 for the price of admission? Nope...not by a long shot unfortunately.
  
  I much preferred the 2015 Villa del Lago over the 2015 Beast. 92-93+? points.

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• 2015 Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A very good wine. Close to one of my favorites of the entire evening. This Villa Del Lago, the Orion South Reserve 887, and the 2012 St. Helena Mountain (from a 12 Liter!) were the stars of the show when it came to Cabernet Sauvignon. Really nice dark black and red fruit; decidedly focused, even with the richness of the fruit pushing through. Displayed some Christmas fruit cake and deep red currant notes that elevated the overall profile.
  
  My only issue with this wine is that it lacked some of that Pritchard Hill terroir; like with the 2014 version of this wine (and a number of other wines in the Del Dotto lineup), trying to identify particular characteristics of site/place can be challenging simply because the fruit is so extracted and rich. You get fruit, fruit, and more fruit...And I love me some fruit, but there has to be some sense of direction in the wine to ultimately hold interest and provide flavor references beyond just FRUIT. In any event, this Villa Del Lago suffered less of that issue than some of the others, but because it was a Pritchard Hill reference, I found myself still searching for something that helped with that particular identity in this wine.
  
  94++ points for now, with certain upside once it hits bottle and has time to settle in. However, at $350 a bottle, the QPR is rough.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cave Blend 84 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The 36% Merlot component of this wine really jumped to the front of the line when it came to core fruit flavors. Blackberry and milk chocolate dominated, with some cedar notes. Round and fat, but then falling off on the back end. Lacked acid and frame. A tough wine to follow some of the more robust Cabernet Sauvignons before it. Quality and purity of fruit also seemed of lesser caliber than the higher end Cabs.

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• NV Del Dotto Red Dessert Wine 79 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Infused with brandy. Rich, heavy, heady, and super, super extracted. Motor oil, blackberry molasses syrup, and moonshine.
  
  ...Would work great on a '67 Chevy Impala...

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• 2016 Del Dotto Pinot Noir Cinghiale Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  This seemed a ways away from coming into any sort of optimum consumption window at this point. Once in bottle with a year of sleep, this may come into better form. The 2014 (served later in the evening) had more focus and flavor. This 2016 had a bitter clamp on the back end and a raw, cedar/mulch-laced red cranberry attack. Tasted a bit like it had twigs, brush, and unripe red fruit mixed in with alcohol. Definitely has some sorting out to do. If the 2014 is any indicator of where this is headed, then patience is key; it should hopefully turn out "fine" once it has a couple of years.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Chardonnay Cinghiale Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  A very well done domestic Chardonnay. I much preferred this to the 2014 version I had last year. This 2015 was ripe and voluptuous, with signature yellow fruit, popcorn, vanilla, and lemon curd notes. Maintained frame and focus, even as it warmed up in the glass. QPR is a bit high, but it holds its own among other top-tier Chardonnays from other local producers. A lesser version of an Aubert Chardonnay, for example.
  
  The 2015 Reserve Chardonnay was served alongside this. The Reserve had more focus, but wasn't exhibiting as much flavor. At $85 versus $125, I ultimately preferred the lesser-priced standard Chardonnay (especially when factoring in QPR). The standard Chardonnay offered more immediate gratification. Drink now and over the next few years.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Chardonnay Family Reserve Cinghiale Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  Similar to the standard 2015 Chardonnay except that the Reserve showed more focus and direction. A little less giving than the standard Chardonnay, with more restrained fruit flavors; some white peach notes to compliment the yellow fruit and lemon curd core. Both the standard and Reserve were fine examples of domestic Chardonnay. The Reserve will likely outlive the standard, but the standard offered more immediate gratification and a fuller flavor profile.
  
  94+ points for the Reserve. QPR is punishing at $125.

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• 2014 Del Dotto Pinot Noir Cinghiale Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  A decent Pinot that exhibited some nice dark red cranberry, raspberry, bramble, cedar, and sassafras notes. Not terribly interesting, but had a notable frame and acidic structure that was a welcome profile considering so many of Del Dotto's wines came off overly extracted, lower in acid, and (in some cases) lacking some spine and a bit muddled.
  
  90-ish points. I much preferred this to the 2016 BT version we had earlier. Drink this 2014 now and over the next couple of years.

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• 2014 Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Similar to my notes on this wine from last year when it was a barrel sample, except that this time around (from bottle) it exhibited a heavy cedar note that distracted a bit from the red and black core fruit. Not much concentration or overall complexity to speak of. 88-90 points. It paired decently with a traditional meat ravioli in marinara sauce.

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• 2013 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 887 St. Helena 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Same as last year. Tasted at the bar. This had medium concentration and depth; average display of core fruit. Decent frame, but fell off a bit on the back end. The 2014 version was a little more interesting (though a touch sweeter).

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• 2014 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 887 St. Helena 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  This was served after I had the 2013 version at the bar. I preferred this 2014 to the 2013 mainly because it displayed some nice blue and black fruit and had a touch more concentration. Not necessarily captivating or compelling in terms of depth and complexity, but it worked well with the final steak dish.

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• 2014 Del Dotto The David Napa Valley 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Same as last year. Soft, round, and somewhat inviting, but not displaying any interesting levels of complexity or concentration. This was much sweeter than the 2015 David. Extraction was a bit high, even by Del Dotto's comparative standards.

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• 2015 Del Dotto The David Napa Valley 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Similar to the 2014 David except that this was less overt in the sweet department. A little more blue fruit from the 2014, but the 2015 seemed to house its core a little better than the 2014. I typically love Howell Mountain fruit, but I found the Merlot component of this blend to be pushed a little too far in the front in terms of balance at the moment. Round and soft like the 2014. I was missing some of the Cabernet Sauvignon's power in this wine. Hopefully time will help.

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• 2015 Del Dotto Cabernet Franc Seven Rows 83 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  I just couldn't get into this wine. Thin, lacking character, and throwing out some odd high-toned fruit flavors.

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• 2012 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak St. Helena Mountain 96 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  This was served from a massive 12 Liter bottle. A really nice showing considering it was served toward to end of a lengthy evening full of huge Cabernets over the course of four hours. By this time, I figured my palate would be significantly blasted and shot. However, the flavors and nuances of this wine were able to push through beautifully.
  
  This was a big, rich, dark chocolaty wine, with a dark fruit core. Some cacao, earth, and subtle baking spices rounded out the finish. One of my favorites of the evening. Drinking great now (from 12L at least).

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