Community Tasting Note

• MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 98 points

  November 4, 2023 - Our groups last night at Blackberry Farms was capped off by two wines in which I had been thinking about for awhile.
  
  19 Kinsman wines I've been told are approachable early so this bottle made the trip to Tennessee. So well in advance of dinner, Rhadamanthus was prepared by the sommeliers with a double splash decant and held at cellar temp along side the 2nd largest private collection in the country.
  
  Rhadamanthus was presented along side another selection, this time off the restaurants list. 2001 Martha's Vineyard.
  
  I got to say I have a love hate relationship with Napa. I love to taste them now but only like to drink them with significant age. I'm fortunate enough to have these in the cellar but "god willing" I'll drink these in a window with secondary and tertiary flavors. Nigel's wines have some of the most compelling fruit from the best terroirs in the Valley. The balance, structure and energy are all there to reward those with the cellar space to store these for the long haul.
  
  As a side note, even the 2001 Martha's was young. In fact AG's recent 2022 review marks the drinking window as 2021-2041 and I totally agree.
  
  98+
  
  19 Bedrock Cuvee Karatas
  19 Kinsman Eades Rhadamanthus
  01 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard
  21 Sadie Family Kokerboom

  6 people found this helpful 3,606 views

12 Comments

• Cristal2000 commented:

  11/6/23, 2:41 PM - I see you've been on another rough trip. Not sure how you do it. :)

• Decanting Queen commented:

  11/7/23, 4:31 AM - Glad you had a great trip. That place is unbelievable. So you still give it a 98 even though feeling isn’t ready? I am also like you with my Napa preferences, but planning to pull one of these later this year.

• MJP Hou TX commented:

  11/7/23, 4:57 AM - The food and setting was just incredible. I was able to find some great wines on the list yet brought most of what we drank with us.
  
  With regards to Rhadamanthus. I would typically skip scoring young wines but in this case the KE showed wonderfully with the proper decant. As for palates that enjoy young Napa, this might be WOTY from them. For me, the best days are at least a decade in the future.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  11/8/23, 4:54 AM - Thanks MJP. I am going to share this with someone later this year who has a young palate—it’s a good excuse because I am really curious although more like you in terms of preference.

• gymnastpro commented:

  11/9/23, 8:32 PM - I don't plan on touching any KE cab for at least 10 years. Maybe 15 tbh. After tasting with them in 2021, these wines obviously need age.

• MJP Hou TX commented:

  11/10/23, 11:11 AM - Bottle age will be a friend of these wines in my opinion. Hide them deep in the cellar or offsite.

• gymnastpro commented:

  11/10/23, 11:25 AM - Yep I definitely have. Keep a few out just to "look" at haha.

• MJP Hou TX commented:

  11/10/23, 11:38 AM - Don't even look at it. Go on, get out. You heard me. Don't look at me, either.

• gymnastpro commented:

  11/10/23, 12:19 PM - Haha I won't!

• MJP Hou TX commented:

  11/10/23, 1:47 PM - It's a line from the hangover. Just in case anyone reads this and wonders what's wrong with me! Haha..

• Decanting Queen commented:

  11/11/23, 7:32 AM - 🤣🤣

• gymnastpro commented:

  11/12/23, 1:50 AM - Haha fair enough. I won't look at these until I'm dead hehe

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