Philly CT Meetup

Pumpkin BYOB
Tasted Tuesday, September 12, 2023 by sean7711 with 104 views

Introduction

Finally organized a get together of Philly CTers including #1winelover (in from Pittsburgh), iamandyc, cyclist, Frankenberry.

Flight 1 - Vangone (4 Notes)

Mark was very generous, shipping out 5 bottles of these 4 wines to Andy. Andy handle decanting and opening these wines in advance.

  • 2021 Vangone Marsanne 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    Never tried the Marsanne before. Light, dry, reminded me a bit of Sauvignon Blanc. Nice wine, but $100 is a bit steep!

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  • 2019 Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Block D 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    Big potential on this wine. 92 for now. Being released soon. Mark bottles the B and D blocks separately, ages for 30 months. The estate is a combination roughly 60/40 of B & D respectively. They are changing the aging process to be shorter (18-20 months) going forward. I preferred the Estate blend right now. Still tannic and closed down.

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  • 2019 Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    95, bordering on 96. I love this wine. Glad I have 2 more in the cellar and would buy a 3 pack of this over the block designates at the current moment. Curious to see what Mark increases the price on these and the block wines...

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  • 2014 Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    Loved this bottle but limited notes. I agree with FrankenBerry that the 2014s are underrated (and often cheaper than their '13, '15, '16 counterparts) on the secondary market. For me, really nice to see how Vangone ages.

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Flight 2 - Frias Family (3 Notes)

Thanks Fern for sharing your wines. The price point is refreshing and intriguing in the days of increasing prices in Napa.

  • 2021 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Block 5 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    Agree with Frankenberry. This comes from a block across from To Kalon in Oakville. I had not had any previous experience with Frias before, and came away impressed by their wines. This was $135/bottle and I may be emailing Fern to pick up a 3 pack. Definitely still young.

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  • 2021 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Prado 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    I loved this wine. From eastern oakville (Fortuna vineyard). I love my Fortunas from Carter and this was no different. $175/bottle in 3 pack.

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  • 2021 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Vangone Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    No formal notes, as it was getting deep into the tasting! I remember being impressed, and FrankenBerry is more eloquent than I am. My only gripe is... at $250/bottle, I'd go regular Vangone w/ Kaplan any day. But that's just my 2 cents!

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Flight 3 - Other Wines (2 Notes)

Others not rated due to palate fatigue include

2016 Christopher Tynan Judge Family Syrah
2018 Fulldraw Touriga
2020 Fingers Crossed White
Maybe a few others...?

  • 2019 Next of Kyn No~13 Cumulus Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    My contribution to the night. Double decanted for about 4 hours prior to dinner. I had a small glass upon opening, and definitely benefited from the air and time spent in bottle at dinner. While this was later in the night, I still got nice notes of spice, chocolate, tobacco. GSMs are normally not my thing, but this was an exquisite representation. 16% alcohol! I'd give this another 5+ years before my next bottle.

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  • 2013 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville

    9/12/23 Philly Cellar Tracker Meetup
    #1winelover, iamandyc, cyclist, franken berry + others
    Vangone and Frias tasting + other bottles

    #1winelover's contribution to the tasting. I think we kept this bottle in secret at our end of the table since it was so good. I've never had Fait Main before the 2016 vintage, and this was truly singing. What a great bottle.

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