Community Tasting Note

• Mark1npt Likes this wine: 96 points

  February 22, 2022 - Pnp'd and had every intention of letting it sit as Agelvis has recommended for the full 6 hour decant.....but it just didn't work out. I started in at 2.5 hours and enjoyed most of it at hour 4, with dinner, but the tannins were much more prevalent in the early going. Kept a glass to enjoy after dinner. Beautiful slightly sweet, dark red/black fruit, some cassis and chalky minerality. In the first 4 hours the tannins are a bit grainy which eventually resolves and smooths out, but keeps some of its astringency intact. The fruit loses some of its rambunctiousness and settles in nicely. Throughout the first 4 hours there is a nice redwood/forest floor nose and feeling to the wine...kind of like when I first walked into the great redwood forests of northern Cali on one of my very first visits to wine country.
  
  Fast forward two hours later after dinner, so now a full 6 hour decant and the fruit really settles in further, gets deeper/darker. Some tobacco, a little dark chocolate, maybe a tad of light coffee grounds. I can agree that this is a more masculine wine at this stage, but I am curious how it would evolve over another 10-20 years. It does get softer/silkier over the 6 hours of drinking and the balance to this young wine is actually pretty incredible. I was with Carol early on at 94. She never got to try again after dinner. But this is an easy 96 with 6 hours of air. Going to hold my remaining bottles and parse them out over the next decade+. I know that's wayyyy too long for my pal, Agelvis and his palate, but I feel these will only get better with time as even more depth and more character/complexities develop.

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19 Comments

• I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine commented:

  2/22/22, 7:39 PM - Nice review Mark! I probably should have picked up some of these, especially 14, 16 and 18's.....as well as Maiden.....oh well....I guess they are not much more than release on the secondary market, but have too other wines to drink....what to do!?

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/22/22, 7:47 PM - Thanks Jason! As I've said before here many times, I'm not a hostage to chasing those 99-100 pt wines. Not at the prices they command today. I'll never spring for this one's big brothers, the qpr with this is just too good to pass up. You can still get many vintages of this wine in the secondary market. I've had good luck with buying my older bottles that way.

• I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine commented:

  2/22/22, 8:25 PM - I know....I am pretty fortunate to have their oldest brother, and I do have 2 bottles of 2014 Mascot.....will try one someday! I did have an older Maiden, and it was pretty darn good!

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/22/22, 8:43 PM - They usually hold these wines in bottle for 5 years before releasing them. The exception was this past fall when they released the '17 after just 4 years. I suspect the '18 will be released some time in late '22, but am not sure. Many CA wineries are scrambling for cash flow given the losses taken in '17 and '20. Many are selling out to new buyers altogether.
  
  ps....drink one of your '14s now, 24 hour decant!

• I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine commented:

  2/22/22, 9:00 PM - Yeah....I remember yours and AG's posts on that.....I think I would prefer drinking them with a little more age and a little less decant. :)

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/22/22, 9:13 PM - Don't let those notes scare you off.. The '14 is not over the top with alcohol, or jammy or syrupy.....it just needs the decant to fully evolve and come together as a great balanced drinker. It is high quality fruit and winemaking on display and would go so well with a nice steak!

• I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine commented:

  2/22/22, 9:15 PM - We will see....maybe I will give it a try.....I just have quite a few older wines that are already ready to drink, so why drink this when it sounds like it will keep and improve for quite a while?

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/23/22, 3:49 AM - Good point! I personally like to mix them up, rather than always drinking my older ones, but that's just me.

• AGELVIS commented:

  2/23/22, 5:10 AM - Love the notes (or thesis?). Cheers Mark!

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/23/22, 5:53 AM - Ag.....when you are retired YOUR notes will look like this!
  
  Ps......I'm working on my honorary doctorate in wine reviewing!

• sfbikeguy commented:

  2/27/22, 10:19 PM - Agree. I’m in the 23 hour decant category. Not all the time, but the Mascots are enjoyable aafter the extra airtime.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  2/28/22, 4:34 AM - I seem to be the only one on the planet (together with the rest of my household) that did not like this wine. Were we drinking the same thing? Maybe I should try again!

• AGELVIS commented:

  2/28/22, 4:37 AM - The decant is critical. I don’t think it’s as good as the ‘15, but it’s decent.

• I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine commented:

  2/28/22, 7:38 AM - LOL Jennifer....I must be the only one on the planet who has not tasted this wine! I am a little surprised by the comments though considering how well most of the 2014s were drinking in December when I visited Napa....I would think this would be drinking well right out of the gait (although I find most Harlan family wines need quite a bit of age to really shine). I have been curious about this wine because it is the only one I know of that blends Harlan, Bond and Promontory vineyards.

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/28/22, 2:23 PM - Ag, it is critical.......and the '16 is wayyyy more than decent!

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/28/22, 2:24 PM - Jen, maybe you got the bad bottle this time???

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/28/22, 2:25 PM - Jason, they most certainly do need time. They usually hold these for release until year 5 where most Napa cabs are released after 2 years.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  2/28/22, 5:07 PM - We might need to palooza the next one. Let me know if I need to source

• Mark1npt commented:

  2/28/22, 6:16 PM - Jen, I gotcha covered!

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