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

2016 Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Coup de Coeur

 Sonoma County more
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4/25/2024 - Cyclist Likes this wine: 99 points

Have heard about this wine for years. Touted as the best domestic US Chardonnay people have ever had. An absolute treat, this lives up to the talk, even with several years of age on it now. A beautiful, French-styled white that is so effortlessly balanced, while remaining quite bold at the same time. I would be glad to have more of these in my cellar.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    4/25/2024 4:22:00 PM - I may be out there later this year! Will let you know
Red

2018 Arrow & Branch Petit Verdot Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

 St. Helena more
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4/25/2024 - Cyclist Likes this wine: 97 points

Probably one of the most interesting “cab-like” wines coming out of Napa valley right now. This has all the hallmarks of a great Cabernet, yet has such an interesting backbone of other components with incredible acid and tannin structure that doesn’t bite, along with fresh plums and dark fruits that come out with a good amount of air.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    4/25/2024 7:41:00 AM - Yeah, this totally transformed, was very cool. Glad to be able to experience it with everyone. I wonder who brought this home, would love to hear how it changed over the next day!
Red

2021 Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Kodo

 Oakville more
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4/15/2024 - csimm wrote: 100 points

Punchline first: And ‘the Ks’ have it!! Kaannos and Kodo! I know I’m supposed to find beauty in all creatures great and small, and that love is discovered in all forms of doe-eyed unicorns and rainbows, but after sampling over 70 wines over the course of a three-day weekend, the Kaannos is THE BEST wine. It just is. If you dare take your in vogue flat leadership model and go old school vertical with it, then the Kaannos is on the top, like the very top. #1. Numero uno. The cat’s pajamas, and even the cat’s meow for that matter. The Kodo is… also… the best…!

Punchline #1 to the punchline: Kaannos TN – Not surprisingly, the first word in my notes just says, “perfect,” along with some hyphenated expletives that remind me this is, you guessed it, the best wine hands down. Dark fruit, but ever so balanced, with rays of succulent acidity (ya, that’s a thing), providing both elegance and speed. A nervy finish gives way to a second wave of flavor and energy. With air, it grabs ahold of more richness, akin to its Kodo brother. Darker, faster, even livelier with each sip. Block 4 powers, activate! The stamina here is worth waiting a few years, though Nigel puts it out at 8-12 years. But it’s a shakin good time right now without question.

Punchline #1(a) to the punchline: Kodo TN - And of course, because every kind of exception has an exception, I will confidently say that Kodo is also the best wine. But since I just made up a rule that says I have to choose (science and law and all that), the Kodo for me is the #1(a) to the Kaannos #1. Other Galloni sympathizers at the table pegged the Kodo for grand prize winner, not that I can blame them. But my iconoclastic side gave the Kaannos the edge. That is to say, they are both solid 100 point wines, but since GPAs these days are like 6.0 to get into community college (not sure what happened to 4.0, but I digress, again), I’ll go with the Kaannos at Harvard and the Kodo at Stanford. Kodo is a darker knight, with the depth of a thousand gallant chevaliers that parade through silky seas of dark chocolate and black cherries. Unctuous. Precise. Enveloping. Balanced, but with personality and attention-grabbing gothic gumption. The initiative here is fantastic, especially on the slowly building finish that envelops the back of the mouth. I feel like this is an earlier drinker than Kaannos.

I think I phonetic-a-sized my way through how to say Kodo, but I can’t for the life of me pronounce Kaannos, especially with all those little umlaut thingamajigs over every letter. I don’t know if it’s Kay-nohs, Ka-nos, Kaw-nohs, Can-os, or Ka’a-na-nah-na-nah-nah-nos. I know it means something to do with ‘translation’ in Finnish, but I can’t claim to know what the Fins have done to influence what I now consider the best 2021 wine I’ve had thus far out of Napa.

“Save the best for last” is typically prudent advice, and it’s normal decorum to build up to the ‘best’ wine when one is toured through various wine tasting experiences. However, in this case, the esteemed Nigel Kinsman simply said, “I like to jump around,” giving us novice geeks free rein to pick among the four glasses in front of us. A creature of habit, when I reached to my left and took a sip, not bothering to look at the name, the Kaannos hit me square in the jaw. Epic! There is a sliver of me that wants it not to be so amazing, like “here we go again, another fanboy tasting note from me on Kinsman.” I wanted to be neutral on these and just write a couple lame short tasting notes (and the crowd cheers). Better luck next time I guess. So, obviously, the Kaannos was completely rad! (not Rhad – but which is also rad, by the way). And the Kodo is also a mega hit-out-of-the-park showstopper.

… wishing Cellar Tracker had a word limit right about now…?… I don’t…. :)

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    4/16/2024 4:53:00 AM - All these changes CT is writing about and enacting are for you. The real reason CT had to change their whole pricing model and up their yearly charges is in order to support the backend for your note writing!
Red

2013 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Sacrashe Vineyard

 Rutherford more
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3/10/2024 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 95 points

Drank over two nights. Opened after coming home from the hospital with my first child (boy). While still exhausted, the wine was a great treat and had that trademark Sacrashe rutherford hills notes. Plush but not overdone, 2013s are still drinking well now and still have many years left. The fruit is still plenty there. Not worth the initial ticket price, but much better for the secondary price.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    3/12/2024 7:15:00 PM - Woo, congrats!
Red

2013 Futo Oakville

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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12/17/2023 - csimm wrote: 99 points

Ya, so, I don't want to like this wine at all, but there is no denying this is top shelf stuff right here, so much so that the only reason I'm not jumping to 100 is because I am in one of those moods where trying to imagine stomaching a credit card swipe for a few of these beauties is pretty much a root canal while crunching on tinfoil kind of scenario. But... if you have the means and it doesn't make you whimper every time you take a sip, it is for sure "worth" it in the sense that this delivers exactly what I want in a wine, especially one out of Napa these days: Dark black fruit and graphite profile, not overly sweet or ripe at all, framed and controlled without being angular, delivering the goods now but shows even more promise with a bit more time (the 2013 vintage works perfectly here), and a sense of power and weight without pummeling the palate or tiring out the taste buds. Great as a standalone and with food.

I recall having the 2016 version of this in a blind of 2016 Napa powerhouses and it too performed outstandingly. In fact, it tied for first place for me. Ugh...What..now I gotta throw Futo on my list and put some other Napa producer from my cellar out to pasture?! ...Cuz robbing Peter to pay Paul is the only way that's going to happen. Time for another garage sale.

With a bit of air, this really gets singing. The finish is super honed, and some might even find it slightly strict, but that's just the way I like it. Drink or hold. 99+ points (100 points if it was half the price).

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    12/20/2023 10:32:00 AM - I may or may not have a 2016 5500 sitting in the cellar ;)
    Had a 2015 5500 a couple years back, was very good, on par with others in the 200-600 price range, but not drastically outperforming some in the 200-300 range so tough to justify that price jump.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    12/21/2023 9:04:00 AM - I agree, 5500 fills that slot really well, but its getting harder and harder for me to justify opening a bottle haha. Hartwell was excellent but is now no more and the wines from that vineyard are now on par pricewise with 5500 (Realm...)!

    Personally, I like anything made from Steltzner Vineyard to fill the Stag's Leap gap for me. Nicholson Jones (Julien Fayard makes these), Vice Versa, and even Myriad produce great renditions. Nicholson Jones being in the lower 100s makes it really easy to open! But I agree, its tougher and tougher to find Stag's Leap estates that produce wine stylistically that I want to drink in that price range. Shafer is not bad, but their flagship wine is getting close to 400 now and isn't always a homerun for me. Cliff Lede Poetry and Songbook are usually very good too but hit or miss on the rest of their line-up for me. I really don't love their lower priced offerings. I have been really enjoying Coombsville though nearby, some really interesting producers there!

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    12/24/2023 3:36:00 PM - Come on out and join us for a dinner! I’ll open some pritchard fruit.
Red

2013 La Jota Cabernet Franc

 Howell Mountain more
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10/7/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 92 points

Fairly neutral experience with this bottle. I randomly picked up two bottles from BMG as I want to explore some CF and La Jota is a reputable producer. I liked it but did love it in comparison to a recent 2012 Hourglass CF that just blew me away.

Might be a dumb phase for all I know. 2013 is a tricky vintage.

92

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    10/8/2023 12:18:00 PM - I find Hourglass significantly better than La Jota in my opinion. Detert, Crocker & Starr, Covert, and Arrow & Branch are my current favorites. Coombsville AVA has had some awesome Cab Francs the last few vintages. Doing a CF dinner with a couple CT folk this week so look for some notes!
Red

2020 Turtle Rock Plum Orchard

 Paso Robles Red Rhone Blend more
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7/22/2023 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 92 points

First meetup with The Cyclist and our spouses for some shared plates and central coast reds. I gave this a splash decant and back into the bottle 2 hours ahead of our meal. I would agree with others that this was not a rich or complex compared with the 18 or 19, but it is still a delicious and fruit forward red that is well balanced.
The blend is 75% Grenache with smaller proportions of Syrah and Mourvèdre . Terrifc nose of ripe strawberries and raspberries, with wild flowers and some tobacco. All of these elements follow on the palate. There was a brief whiff of smoke when I first opened it, but this wasn't present later in the evening and I did not detect anything on the palate. Overall medium i body, balanced and elegant mouthfeel.

Such a pleasant summer evening of great wine and good conversation

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    7/23/2023 12:37:00 PM - A great night! I'm hoping the Andremily was even more delicious on night 2!

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    7/23/2023 2:48:00 PM - Excellent, glad it opened up a bit more!

    And yes, that sounds great, just let me know. I have some great cab francs and welcome an excuse to open them.
Red

2018 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Place

 St. Helena more
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6/12/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 95 points

Three hour decant. Deep dark magenta color. Blackberry, stewed plum, cotton candy, flax seed bread, rose petal, milk chocolate, and lemon zest. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with engaging, tongue coating acidity. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.

This has really opened up since I tasted it at the winery almost 18 months ago. Great complexity. Looking forward to see how this develops.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/14/2023 4:42:00 AM - For what it’s worth I love their 1 Post, which is their flagship Cab. Expensive as well but one of my favorites.

    Also, had a 2007 stone place last year which was absolutely stunning and in its prime.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/14/2023 4:43:00 AM - Also, never realized this but we are probably within walking/biking distance from each other Franken! I’m in the media area.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/14/2023 6:31:00 AM - I’d say it takes a bit more coaxing than the stone place, a decant usually helps. The 18 is definitely worth seeking out.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/15/2023 12:47:00 PM - Haha, honestly, sounds like fun!
Red

2013 Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il Margone

 Chianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese more
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5/20/2023 - sfwinelover1 wrote: 87 points

Second of 4 from LB about 2 years ago brought to dinner at Barry & Beth’s to accompany striped bass tacos. No advanced aeration, but dumped into a decanter and consumed over the better part of 2 hours. This was a bit all over the place when I had it in 8/21, but still a worthwhile experience (91), but the fruit was never there tonight, and while it’s possible it could have come out with more time—and I’ll give the next bottle that next time, since I still have 2 left—it didn’t give any indications it was getting to that point. The structure is intact and there are some interesting secondary notes, so, like the first time, this was better with food than without, but it still disappointed, which I hate when I bring a wine, even if the recipients aren’t serious wine lovers (B&B aren’t, and Barry in particular liked the wine). I had 2 disappointing bottles of the ‘13 Fonterutoli GS, then the third, which I likewise brought over to Barry’s, shone, so my hopes were up for this, particularly since the Tuscan ‘13s seem to be generally performing so well. This didn’t, keeping my batting average with chiantis at a disappointing level, especially when compared to their BdM and non-classified sangio peers. The TNs for this are all over the place, so I’m hoping for better luck with the last 2 bottles.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    5/20/2023 10:13:00 AM - Heading out to either Tuscany or Valpolicella for a couple days this Summer I think when I'm in Italy. Will have to catch up soon and pick your brain on if there's any must hits!
Red

2018 Tesseron Estate Pym Rae

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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3/12/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 97 points

At the Tesseron-Pontet/K&L Winemaker dinner at Mathilde (SF). It’s pretty much unprecedented that I’m the one writing the first TN for a wine, unless it’s some 20 case wine made by a friend of Cyclist’s. This was the first wine served as we walked in the door at K&L, with the ‘16 and ‘17 being served with dinner, and unlike the Pontets, all were similar in quality and qualities (and in light of that and, believe it or not, sfwl *does* have other things to do than write and respond to TNs, this note will have to stand in for the others). On the moderately potent nose and palate, blue and black berries, black and a slight hind of red currants, dark florals, rocky minerality, lavendar, graphite and a hint of tobacco. Dark purple, medium+ bodied, thick legs. Medium+ acidity and tannins, both well-balanced and fairly well integrated, no heat. VG++ complexity, VG+ persistence, VG intensity. With a suppleness, elegance and slight savoriness of BDX suffused with the sweetness, in a good way, of Napa fruit, these PR wines stood above, for me, the PCs, albeit at a 2x+ price. This was lovely to sip on its own, and its ‘16 and ‘17 siblings were great complements to the duck confit. I’m always trying to put wines I taste in the context of wines I’ve had previously, and these seem to come closest to the Verite Joies, although these were younger vintages, and, unlike in the case of the ‘06 of that bottling, this was just a half glass pour, rather than having the bottle in front of me for several glasses over multiple hours. Whatever Messr. Tesseron and his K&L friends did had all 3 of these wines drinking very well, with nothing sticking out and wonderful mouthfeel, and while underlying structure is clearly apparent, future iimprovement, at least if this is correctly decanted at present, will likely be more in the way of depth than balance. These wines were uniformly lovely, and after I failed to make the cut for 2022 Napapalooza, this producer has been on my list as one to try and certainly didn’t disappoint and outshone the PCs. But—and I know this is unfair since these are so young (by my standards), my tasting was small, over a short time, blah, blah, blah—these, at this point, didn’t have the density of Abreus, the litheness of Spottswoode or Promonotory, nor the intensity of the Ovids at price points at or above what I’ve paid for my Colgins or Abreus (although I did see the ‘17 at Chateau Costco for a bit under $300), so I’d be unlikely to be a buyer. But hey, that’s why BDX wine shops pour $100+ half glasses of the ‘00 Latour or I go to dinners like this, right? 96-97++, and if anyone wants to pop one of these in a decade and I’m still extant, I’d love to revisit my evaluation.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    3/15/2023 2:54:00 PM - Woo, here for the celebrity mention! Also, this dinner sounds awesome bummed again to be on the opposite coast these days…

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    3/16/2023 5:58:00 AM - Yes, definitely still there just haven’t got around to writing many notes recently. Will be in burgundy in 2 weeks though so we’ll see if I can get some stuff written there!
Red

2006 Zymé Harlequin

 Veneto IGT Corvina Blend, Corvina more
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11/21/2022 - Cyclist Likes this wine: 97 points

Opened and poured into a decanter at a dinner in Philly with a visiting SF at Sally (great dinner by the way, delicious place). This is a super interesting wine made in the style of Amarone (grapes air-dried etc.), but with a mixture of heritage and almost extinct Italian varietals (sometimes 15) from Zyme in the Veneto region. Really, really interesting and quite closed still at first sip. But as the dinner went on this opened up spectacularly in the decanter into some sweet coffee-like notes, along with some beautiful red cherry and mint that left a fresh and timely finish on the palate. As the wine opened up more there were jammy notes of berry and just an exquisite, yet powerful balance to each sip. Definitely will age into even more impressiveness in the next ~5 years I would think. Either decant for a couple hours now or hold for a few more years! Excellent and very unique wine.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    11/22/2022 5:39:00 AM - Yes, dinner was great, and the LPV was quite tasty as well! Enjoy the rest of your trip and see you soon hopefully.
Red

2020 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family

 Napa Valley more
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10/13/2022 - Cyclist wrote: 95 points

Purple for days. Incredible color on this from first sight. This was absolutely juicy and absolutely focused. A very unique combination of two attributes not usually able to coexist in any sort of harmonious entanglement. However, Mike has blended them into co-habitation here, and done so quite well. From pop and pour this was juicy and delicious, but not too revealing. Very interested to see where this goes in the next couple years.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    10/14/2022 5:46:00 AM - No decant on this, but I could see how it could help. I think this is pretty good and interesting at pnp, but a decant would probably open it up even more.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    10/14/2022 9:00:00 AM - It was pretty tasty, share your thoughts if you do!
Red

2015 Sinegal Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

 more
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9/22/2022 - Cyclist Likes this wine: 96 points

Been awhile since I’ve gotten around to writing something up so here’s two nights in one note for ya! Night 1 was with 2-3 hours of slow ox in bottle in the cellar. Great structure and fine tannins with an abundant, but approachable backbone of black berries and cigar. The door was ajar but I couldn’t quite fit through. Put the cork back in and bottle back in the cellar for a nice little nap.

Night 2 is where this Howell Mountain Cab really starting howling. Incredible upon reopening and ready to play with fig and dark, brooding balanced power and elegance. A real treat. Don’t drink much Sinegal but after this I will likely explore this estate some more!

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    10/3/2022 8:01:00 PM - SF, yes, I recently learned that as well, I actually had this at a virtual event with David Sinegal! Excited to see everyone at the end of the month. I have a bottle of their reserve Cabernet that I can bring to dinner if we want?
Red

2012 Harlan Estate

 Oakville Red Bordeaux Blend more
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6/27/2022 - csimm wrote: 97 points

Saturday get-together: This is my fourth time with this wine, so I’ll just mention some particulars that I think might be noteworthy. This presented as advertised and expected for the most part, with a rich and chewy presentation that speaks to quality black and blue fruit and alluring texture. On the initial pop of the cork, the expression was somewhat muted, and it took a ton of swirling to finally get it into 3rd gear. Once it began to show some of its personality, the flavors began to meld (and melt) in a way that added to an improved mouthfeel. On first pass, it was not especially inviting or in balance, with a prominent cassis note dominating the flavor landscape over the blacker berry, earth, and spice notes. The final sips were the best, but I have to admit that it never fully blew past the stratosphere in a way I have experienced with previous bottles. A small disappointment to be sure, but not a catastrophic one.

The day before this event I would have recommended consumption now and within the next 5-7 years. I’ll take a more conservative route due to this latest experience – where I was given pause due to my impression that this bottle just needed more time to open (and no, not to make excuses for the wine). Bottom line, it was not a perfect showing. It was a good showing, but I can’t help but wonder if rushed/end of the night service had something to do with that. All the parts were there, but for me, they didn’t fully amalgamate the way the could (and should) have. I’ll try to hold remaining bottles to see what 15 years from vintage looks like.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/27/2022 1:37:00 PM - Oh man, bummed to have missed this get together! Sounds like it was a great time!

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/27/2022 2:30:00 PM - I will likely be out in late October (mostly up in Napa/Sonoma/North Bay) for a week or so, perhaps we can try for something or some wine tasting then!

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    6/27/2022 5:16:00 PM - Will do.
Red

2020 Promontory

 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon more
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5/19/2022 - Cristal2000 wrote: NR

I have similar feelings to what I see in some notes here. Harlan is releasing a 2020 at all its properties it seems, which is an amazing risk. I can think of no other winery near its status doing so. If these wines end up with taint down the line, it will be ruinous for their reputation. No matter what anyone says, there was a ton of smoke in the valley well before harvest, even if by some stroke of luck they picked before the second fire (not sure how convinced I am of that either).

The barrel sample was thin, primal and really not indicative of this property. Did it overtly show taint? No, but the finish did end on a bitter note, which of course leads one to wonder. No matter how you look at it, this will be a loyalty test for their list, and I am afraid I will not pass. If rating, not good.

  • Comment posted by Cyclist:

    5/22/2022 5:34:00 AM - Great note and it’s a bit interested that a winery at this price point is releasing a 2020 with these barrel tasting qualities, I mean, they must taste the difference if it’s this stark?

    LITE, very interested in hearing your Burg recs if possible. I’m planning a trip out there in early 2021 and want to hit some of the more hidden but good places that aren’t a mortgage payment per bottle. We speak fluent French too so no worry about English speaking tourist issues!

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