Community Tasting Note

• msuwine wrote: 96 points

  February 18, 2020 - There is magic in this world - or at least in the early drinking stages of the 2017 vintage in Napa! This is a real-deal, knock-out, delicious, and complex wine. I was not enamored with the Memento Mori 2017 blend when I tasted it three months ago, but I am enamored with this single vineyard; earthy, ripe, layered, it is a spectacular wine - in this or any year.
  
  Dark purple, almost impenetrably black in color and medium in body, the wine's aromas pull you in and give the first real signal that this is special: ranging from the sweet (e.g., black cherry, boysenberry) to the savory (e.g., fresh leather, sautéed mushroom) to the earthy (graphite, cardamon), it's a wine that I could smell all day.
  
  The flavors are still sorting themselves out, but this has a depth I haven't tasted in any other 2017 so far (e.g., Carter, Vice Versa, Realm, Bevan). The flavors aren't as intense as a 2013 or as plush as a 2016, but they are compelling, even if they operate at a slightly higher register (i.e., more red fruit). Tonight, this offered dense notes of blueberry tart, raspberry, gravel, cedar, and anise, with a finish that starts silky but gets more tannic and dusty after two hours of air. Just singing on the second day, with a more muted nose but incredible integration and a more silky finish. 15.3% alcohol.
  
  I'm planning to wait to open another one until 2021 or later, but this wine clearly has the stuffing and structure to improve with age. I have no idea (yet) how this compares to the Crane or LPV selections from 2017, but the VHR is a promising and welcome newcomer to the MM portfolio. 95-96 for now, with upside in a year or two.

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7 Comments

• blarmston commented:

  2/18/20, 10:27 PM - Nice note as usual.
  
  This SVD was the only one of the three that I didn’t pull the trigger on. I’ll probably regret that decision but it is what it is.
  
  Curious about your experience with the blend- how long did you decant it for? I ask because I decanted a bottle for two hours and it didn’t wow me. But another hour and it was solid. The final sips were the best for sure. I think Sam delivered across the board for MM with this vintage.

• msuwine commented:

  2/19/20, 8:00 AM - Hi blarmston - Thanks for the comments. Yes, the VHR was the one I hesitated on, too, since Sam's take on LPV and Crane would be difficult to turn down in any vintage. I generally agree with the strategy of saving my pennies for 2018, but sometimes that's easier said than done.
  
  Anyway, this wine made me question my initial experience with the MM blend, so I've been wondering if I didn't decant it enough back then. If anything, I thought the blend would drink better early. My guess is that the MM blend didn't get enough air, or three months made a difference, or maybe I'll end up preferring the VHR's taste profile (more full, more round) this time around - hard to say.
  
  I do think the 2017 vintage may just take some time to settle in, with more (or at least different) bumps in the road compared to, say 2015 or 2016. Anyway, such is life, thanks for the comment.

• blarmston commented:

  2/19/20, 10:09 AM - well, at the end of the day, anything that Sam touches typically comes up Next Level.
  
  I will be up there the end of the month, tasting with Genevieve, so I will report back with my findings... Performing my "due diligence" is such tough work :)

• msuwine commented:

  2/19/20, 9:39 PM - Yes - it is nice work if you can get it! I don't know how they do their tastings, but I'd hope some single vineyard comparison would be in order. They're so darn expensive to open all at once, but I trust they're different. Look forward to reading about your, um, due diligence (and have fun!).

• vintage1949 commented:

  10/25/20, 4:09 AM - Greetings MSU,
  It may come as a surprise to you I never had a Memento Mori. However that will soon change as I am ordering their 2018 blend and all three 2018 SVD’s. You note makes my mouth water. Dave

• msuwine commented:

  10/25/20, 11:07 PM - Hey Dave - I hope you enjoy these wines as much as I have! The Memento wines were my introduction to Sam Kaplan, whom I've come to believe is one of the most exciting Napa winemakers out there right now (in my humble opinion) - not too extracted, not too earthy, just right down the middle New World goodness.
  
  Sam also has a few other Cabernet projects, with Arkenstone (Howell) and Vangone (eastern Oakville), along with some killer Chardonnays and Pinots (Maxem), but I think Memento is the best introduction to his style, coming from various (awesome) valley sites.
  
  If you like the more recent vintages, try to track down a 2012 or 2013 Memento, which are drinking awesome right now. Cheers!

• vintage1949 commented:

  10/26/20, 7:53 PM - Thanks for all the information MSU. Most appreciated. Dave

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