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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2013 The Mascot

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/16/2024 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 94 points

Milder structure and better balance since last bottle sampled a couple years ago. Short decant. Dark fruit and berries, chocolate and cedar. Rich and satisfying. Good acidity for steak. Great balance with integrated tannins and a long finish.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    4/17/2024 8:59:00 AM - Hi Mark1npt,

    I had planned to decant this for a few hours but got distracted and only got so far as to pull the cork a few hours ahead of dinner and then decanted for maybe one half hour. Per reviews below it seems most folks are calling for a long decant. I think this is hitting a good drinking window and doesn't need a long decant. It opened beautifully in the glass. I've got another 750ml bottle and a magnum tucked away to revisit in a couple years.
Red

2002 Renaissance Cabernet Sauvignon

 North Yuba more
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1/7/2024 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 93 points

Four hour decant. Fading garnet with slight edge bricking. First bottle consumed since my 2019 review. This has improved. More fragrant and very smooth with cherry, plum, leather and other secondary notes. Very well balanced. The fruit is showing little diminishment. Medium weight with purity and less minerality than many other Renaissance wines. I would even describe this as elegant, almost like a quality Pinot. It paired well with crab cakes and charcuterie. Tremendous value for $18.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    2/16/2024 3:34:00 PM - Yep. I started collecting in the early 80s before the Napa fruit bombs. Not long ago I drank up the last of my '78 Freemark Abbey and '78 Louis Martini cabernets. Delicious still. I purchased several assorted cases of Renaissance cabs and have enjoyed most of them. Love Ridge Monte Bello and have a vertical beginning 2013. I love Bdx and Rhone as well. However I quit buying Bordeaux after 2019 vintage per my age. I buy/keep some of the big, modern Napa wines around (Pritchard Hill and Oakville mostly) to keep company happy.
White

2017 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains

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2/12/2024 - mvande21 wrote: 93 points

One hour decant. Golden yellow. Pear, yellow apple, vanilla. Medium/full bodied and smooth with vivacious acidity. Paired well with shrimp pasta dish. I'll give longer decant next bottle.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    2/16/2024 9:05:00 AM - Thanks for the suggestion oldwines. I'm now a 'fan' as I see per your profile that I have several bottles that you show as your most memorable wines. Great minds..
Red

2019 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/8/2023 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 95 points

One hour decant. Deep purple. Fragrant. Black and red fruits, chocolate and cedar. Full bodied, layered and rich with a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Tamed tannins. Medium length finish. Paired well with meatloaf.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    9/9/2023 10:47:00 AM - I read your review prior to pulling the cork (and almost didn't). But I hadn't yet tried a Bevan Cellars wine and my curiosity won over. It didn't seem too early (or green) for me. Even my wife enjoyed it and she doesn't typically like a young, tannic wine. I have another bottle to hold for a year or so. Perhaps I'll notice a difference.
Red

2016 Xavier Vignon Côtes du Rhône Arcane VI Les Amoureux

 Grenache Blend, Grenache more
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6/26/2023 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 91 points

Red and black fruits/berries, garrigue, black pepper. Medium bodied. Balanced with smooth texture and fine grained tannins. Great QPR from Costco.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    6/28/2023 4:19:00 PM - I poured half the bottle into a decanter and within ten minutes into glasses. Minor elevated acidity diminished rather quickly for better balance and the aromas became somewhat more pronounced in subsequent glasses. Wife and I consumed the remainder directly from the bottle same evening with no discernable change.
Red

2010 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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4/11/2023 - mvande21 wrote: 91 points

Floral nose. Red berries, dried herbs, dusty earth, faint leather notes. Medium bodied, fresh with integrated tannins. Pnp. Should have given more air time. Last glass was best with more fuller body and flavor.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    4/11/2023 2:56:00 PM - Wife and I drank this from the bottle with pork loin medallions, spicy mashed potatoes and green beans. It matched the dinner fairly well. Last glass consumed post dinner maybe 2.5 hours after opening. I was expecting a bit more body/texture and that finally came around in the end.
Red

2019 Seven Apart Cabernet Sauvignon Expedition

 Napa Valley more
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2/22/2023 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 97 points

One hour decant though I'm not sure it was needed. Purple/black with violet nose. Black and blue fruits with chocolate notes. Rich, opulent and full bodied. Impeccably balanced. Grippy tannins and a long, long finish. This is a delicious well made Napa cabernet. Paired perfectly with a Delmonico steak. Considered buying more but I see the winery hiked the price to $185. Five bottles remaining 'till the 2021 vintage comes along.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    2/22/2023 11:56:00 AM - Thanks for the input Be.Lee. I do have a 2020 Expedition 3-pack. Sounds like I should give it a try!
Red

2018 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Juliet

 Napa Valley more
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10/5/2022 - mvande21 wrote: 93 points

Pnp. Muted nose. Black fruits, plum and pencil lead. Full bodied, balanced with grainy tannins and a long finish. Fairly typical BV Juliet but a notch below some of the better vintages under Ed's watch.

There's two different labels for this wine. One shows "Vineyard" on front label at the top. The other is "Signature Series" (Fayard). The rear label is also different. Anyone have a clue if there's any difference in the wine itself?

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    10/5/2022 9:02:00 PM - Seems there was a hand off from Venge to Fayard around that time. I wonder the impact, if any, regarding sourcing, blending, etc. BV pricing was all over the map around that time. My 2018 Juliet was $50 direct from BV and my 2018 Juliet Signature Series bought five months later was $78, again from BV. I was bummed upon realizing I had bought that same vintage earlier for less. If there's a profound quality improvement in the Signature Series I'll be humbled.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    10/11/2022 9:19:00 PM - Thanks for the follow up Franken Berry! Indeed I saw the sale today. I agree about the price for Juliet and picked up a couple more 2018s. I was too slow on the small supply of 2016 they had for only $35 I think. Didn't last long!
Red

2014 The Mascot

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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6/8/2022 - mvande21 wrote: 94 points

Dark purple. Blackberries, leather, dark chocolate. Full/medium dense body. Structured and balanced with good acidity. Smooth and mouth filling. Grippy tannins and a long finish. Paired well with ribeye.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    6/8/2022 4:33:00 PM - Mark1npt: I agree this needs a long decant. I drank half a glass straight from the bottle immediately after opening, quickly noting it needed a long decant. However I could only give it an hour of air prior to our steak dinner. The acidity cut through the ribeye beautifully, though the tannins were still grippy (not that I mind). Finished up the remaining third bottle this evening with my wife's homemade hamburger helper recipe and it was much smoother with diminished tannins and a bit more leather. Good call on the longer decant! Fortunately I've got a couple bottles remaining.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    6/8/2022 4:59:00 PM - Thanks for the decanting suggestions. I've still got a complete vertical of Mascot back to 2009. Most sampled vintages I gave more air time, but not always. The 2010 was great with a couple hours in the decanter. I'll let my wife know you got a kick out of her dinner! I must say it was a step above the boxed stuff, with added killer cheese and spices.
Red

2018 Seven Apart Cabernet Sauvignon Expedition

 Napa Valley more
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5/23/2021 - mvande21 wrote: 94 points

Inky dark purple. Violet nose. Black fruits, graphite, tobacco. Full bodied and balanced, though acidity/alcohol/tannins are elevated at this young age. Long finish. This is a well made Cab but too young for consumption without an extended decant. Paired with a porterhouse steak. My one hour decant not nearly long enough. Second day much better.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    8/12/2021 10:11:00 PM - The 2018 Expedition is similar to the 2016 BV Estate and also Ed's 2018 Cardano Owner's Reserve in many respects - aromatics, black fruits, graphite, tannin. However I think the Expedition is more structured, complex and slightly more massive. It's tight now and will be in better balance in a few years. That said, I really love the BV Estate and Reserve wines from that same vineyard. I'm sitting on quite a few and presently buying Cardano Reserves and Black Fruit wines. As far as the pricing issue, I actually expected the Expedition to hit at $250. At one point they hit my card for that amount, then refunded and moved the introduction out a year. I never heard $75 quoted. Hope this helps!
Red

2014 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Stags Ridge Vineyard

 Napa Valley more
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12/12/2020 - mvande21 wrote: 95 points

Dark purple. Aromatic black fruit and violets. Big wine with blackberry, vanilla and tobacco notes. Prominent fruit, balanced acidity. Smooth, mouth filling with integrated tannins and a long finish. Paired well with sirloin.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    12/12/2020 10:50:00 PM - I decanted half the bottle for two hours, the remaining consumed from the bottle. Last pours were the best. Generally save a bit more for the second day but the wife liked it too!
Red

2014 Shafer Relentless

 Napa Valley Syrah Blend, Syrah more
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11/25/2020 - mvande21 wrote: 94 points

Rich, bold, teeth staining. Black fruits, black cherry, spice. Great acidity and balance. Nice mouth feel. Structured with grippy tannins.

  • Comment posted by mvande21:

    11/26/2020 4:26:00 PM - This wine complimented seared and baked thick pork chops. Decanted half the bottle an hour ahead of the meal. I consumed a 2008 Relentless recently as well. It has held up fine with plenty of fruit and subdued tannins. Good stuff!

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