Community Tasting Note

• csimm wrote: 100 points

  February 8, 2018 - 3-Day Napa Cab Taste-Off: Vice Versa, B Cellars, Memento Mori, Alpha Omega, Purlieu, Janzen, Realm, Myriad, MACDONALD, Maybach, and more...; 2/7/2018-2/9/2018 (Napa): I remember when a 4.0 GPA actually meant a perfect "straight A" average. Now there's 4.5s, 4.8s, and even 5.0 GPAs?! A perfect of the perfect of the perfect?! Whatever a kid has to do to get into college these days I guess. Well, I'm a little old-school, and still believe not everything is a sliding scale, and not everybody gets a trophy. There are winners and losers, those who who get the job, and those who don't. Not everybody is perfect, and certainly not all of the time. However, in the case of Vice Versa, there truly are varying degrees of perfection...and well earned I might add! I scored the 2016 Vice Versa Magnificent 7 100 points. It was one of the best damn wines I've ever had. It was a 5.0 GPA and a perfect SAT score...with extra credit!
  
  So then, along comes the 2016 VV Crane BBS, and here we are presented with yet another version of perfection. One of the singular best versions (SVD-wise) of the Dr. Crane site I've ever had. This wine was a standout, with unreal, concentrated flavors of black cherry, black raspberry, blackberry compote, bitter chocolate, vanilla bean, charred oak, and violets. I cannot begin to effectively describe the drive this wine has, coming at you like a stormtrooper on ice skates, fast and intense on the attack, but utterly seamless and effortless on its glide across the mid-palate. The finish just won't shut up, constantly beckoning you, reminding you it's the best wine on the table. It almost wasn't fair to the other awesome wines in play.
  
  If you can find it, get it. If you can't afford it, have a garage sale get rid of all the other lame wines cluttering your closet and check this wine out. I'm all in. 100 points. Utter perfection. A special thanks to Patrice and Samantha for sharing some of the best wines on the planet.

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13 Comments

• Cristal2000 commented:

  2/19/18, 7:39 PM - Man, you really went all out on these reviews! Very nice! I guess the common theme if you read both of our notes is - you need to be drinking VV wine. :)

• csimm commented:

  2/19/18, 9:03 PM - I'd love to not sound like an infomercial for VV, but some of those wines Patrice and Samantha brought were pretty friggin' epic. Can't deny that!

• Cristal2000 commented:

  2/19/18, 9:29 PM - Nope, they managed to stand out in an all-star crowd. More power to 'em.

• ckokinawa commented:

  3/7/18, 5:15 PM - Hey CSIMM thanks for another amazing tasting note. The 2016 Crane BBS sounds beyond epic and out of this world! I am not sure if I can get my hands on any of the Vice Versa 2016's (but I will try) so it might be more of a theoretical question but you rated both the 2016 VV Cane and 2016 Crane BBS 100 points but obviously from your notes it seem like the BBS blew you away the most. Given roughly $125 price difference, in your opinion would you say that it is an absolute must buy over the VV 2016 Crane?
  
  I guess since I am on the topic I also saw you absolutely went nuts over the VV 2016 M7. Would you absolutely pick that one over the VV 2016 BBS Crane given the price difference isn't so steep?

• csimm commented:

  3/7/18, 11:02 PM - As mentioned in my notes, with some of those VV wines (the 2016 Cranes and M7 especially), it’s more just a matter of different levels of perfection and what one’s preference is. For me, if I had only one Vice Versa wine to buy, it would be the 2016 Magnificant 7. The 2016 BBS Crane is indeed a notch up from the standard Crane (a 110 point wine versus 100 points for the standard Crane - if you get what I mean). So in the end, the best VV wines are the 2016 M7 and then the BBS Crane, in that order for me (splitting hairs of course). Cristal2000 has experience with VV too. He might be able to offer some insight on this thread as well...

• joe40 commented:

  3/11/18, 12:41 AM - The BBS might be difficult to purchase since its so limited.

• csimm commented:

  3/11/18, 9:48 AM - Hi Joe. I would certainly think the BBS wines from VV will be the first to disappear on release, especially this Crane. At only 25 cases, it’s one to try to grab early if you can.

• ckokinawa commented:

  3/12/18, 10:14 PM - CSIMM thanks for your response. Yeah I guess since the Dr. Crane BBS is made from the best barrels of the Dr. Crane then one would stand to reason it would be a higher level of perfection. I did find it interesting in your note for M7 that blending the best juice from the best vineyards doesn't alway yield a mind blowing wine that is exponentially better than its individual components but sounds like Melka hit it out of the park with the 2016 M7. I think Realm has a similar idea in the Absurd and Carter does as well for the GTO (well same vineyard just different blocks). Wonder how the 2016 versions of those will be and how they will compare to the M7. Guess this is all just talk for fun as I am new to all these mailing lists so I probably won't even get the chance to blow all my money to try a few of these bottles.

• csimm commented:

  3/13/18, 10:41 AM - I’m not sure how VV allocates, but with yields up in 2016, I bet you have the opportunity to snag some form of BBS and/or M7. As far as Realm’s allocation system, don’t even get me started on that nonsense. Luckily Carter doesn’t do allocations; first come first served. They historically release early summer. I’m sure you’ll be able to get your hands on some good stuff!

• ckokinawa commented:

  3/15/18, 8:51 PM - I hope so. I can definitely count on Carter. It always amazes me that Carter isn't more well known given how good the wines are especially for its relative reasonable price. Yeah I have a buddy who was also not so happy with Realm's allocation system so maybe lucky I haven't gotten into them much. But yeah I'll keep my fingers crossed for VV!

• Jonathan T commented:

  3/27/18, 10:47 AM - Damn you guys!! I swore to cut back on spending this year, especially with expensive cabs but I had to break it today to buy some of this wine. I even promised myself never to spend more than the price of Shafer HSS, so failure there too. When should I open a bottle? 2030? Fantastic review, btw.

• csimm commented:

  3/27/18, 11:44 AM - Hi Jonathan. Well, welcome to the club of empty wallets and grape juice addiction! When I get my bottles in October, I intend on leaving these wines alone for about 2 years. That might be wishful thinking, but I especially think the BBS wines (though relatively accessible and opulent young) will really develop some sophistication with some short term time in bottle. You always sacrifice power and concentration the longer you wait, so I guess it depends on how you like your wines. Though they can seemingly go the distance, I don’t consider these VV wines to need the cellaring that a HSS needs, for example. 2021 is probably ideal, but my impatience may get the best of me. The 2016 vintage may very well rival the 2015...which I was doubtful was even possible. If the 2016 VV barrel samples we’ve had are even remotely close to how they’ll be once in bottle, they will be really special wines (in my opinion anyway).

• Jonathan T commented:

  3/27/18, 2:08 PM - Thanks for the comments! I am really excited to crack open one of these beauties in a few years.

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