Community Tasting Note
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MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 96 points
September 19, 2021 - Totally blown away by this bottle. Random cellar pull on a Sunday evening and I'm still thinking about this wine. I'm wishing I had more than one more left in the cellar. ugh!
Beautifully expressive nose with cool lifted blues on the palate. Long silky finish with some great structure to keep going. Time in the bottle has added the perfect amount of weight to this wine.
Damn this was good.4 people found this helpful 2,828 views
7 Comments
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sfwinelover1 commented:
9/20/21, 12:23 PM - Good TN, mjp. I'd not even heard of this bottling but will now seek it out. I'm usually deeply suspicious of New World grenaches (nosebleed price level wines like the SQN Upside Down notwithstanding), but Helen Keplinger is truly the Rhone Whisperer. If I'm stranded on a desert island, or in the Rockies or anywhere else for that matter, all I ask is for her Rhones, Andy Erickson's cabs, Mark Aubert's chards, reasonable means of storage and a corkscrew. If I have those, no one needs to be in a hurry to rescue me.
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Crunge commented:
9/21/21, 7:29 AM - MJP, thanks for the great tasting note. I've been impressed with the last several vintages of Basilisk. So impressed with the 2015 that I bought a 3L of the 2017 when it was available. Have yet to try any Basilisk 2017 so hoping they're as good. I am astounded that this is 100% Grenache; in a blind tasting I'd guess it had a significant amount of Syrah in it.
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MJP Hou TX commented:
9/21/21, 8:02 AM - SF- I loved your comment so much that I shared it with Helen. It was her birthday yesterday so I'm sure it was well received! Such a talented winemaker. This 16 Lithic bottle turned my head as I typically overlook it for Sumo Fuego Hangman's etc....
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MJP Hou TX commented:
9/21/21, 8:08 AM - Crunge- I have tasted the 17 and honestly I don't recall any specific notes. I typically overlook this bottling in the line up but now that I know what happens with bottle age I'll be buying more of this to Cellar. DJ (Helen's husband) comes to Houston often and we host a tasting party for their wines at our home. I'll be tasting 19's including the 18 OVR bottling next month. I'll make sure to share notes. Thanks for commenting.
Oh, and I'd say to pick up the 18 if you haven't yet. -
sfwinelover1 commented:
9/21/21, 8:10 AM - That's so kind, mjp! I'd love to meet her, if there's ever a chance when you're out here. I've enjoyed multiple vintages of the Lithic, as well as the Sumo, Diamond Bar, Mars and Caldera. At some point, I'll pop one of my Carte Blanche cabs, and I'm on the hunt for one of her own cabs at a fairly reasonable price.
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MJP Hou TX commented:
9/21/21, 8:15 AM - I hope to come out that way soon. It's been tough to pull the trigger with the treat of fires and smoke. More than likely I'll head that way in Nov for my annual tasting and Cork Oak acorn collection. That actually grow really well in Southeast Texas.
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sfwinelover1 commented:
9/21/21, 8:25 AM - That would be great! I'm doing a tasting this weekend with Aaron_Maxwell, csimm and some other CTers, and I'd be happy to put together a tasting when you're here, if you can give me some advance notice. Schedule permitting, to go up to Napa, too. Haven't been since January '20.