Bevan Tasting at Nos Caves Vin
Houston, TX
Tasted June 1, 2019 - June 2, 2019 by Geaux Tigers with 171 views
Introduction
Russell, Victoria and Pumpkin came down to Houston and showed us all a great time. Only the reds below were served. All were pop and pour or perhaps a bit of redneck decant in bottle. Russell walked us through each of the wines and his thoughts on the 17, 18 and early 19 vintages.
2017 — while known for the fires, the biggest problem was the heat spikes. Bevan used sprinklers and shade cloth to help alleviate the problem and the Wines sure indicate it worked. With the exception of the Merlot for Sugarloaf everything was in when the fires started. Sadly, the Merlot was tainted and despite his efforts, the Merlot could not be saved (“it tasted like an ashtray”). Unfortunately or fortunately, no 2017 Sugarloaf.
2018 — not a lot said other then it will be a good one, along the lines of 2012-2016.
2019 —- a lot of rain so far resulting in the need for cluster and canopy management because the vines are going crazy with all the extra water.
A great event which was a blast hearing Russell’s stories and drinking great wines. I’m cutting back on the 2017’s for a variety of reasons, but not cutting back on Bevan. If you like Bevan before, you won’t find much if any falloff with the ‘17s.
Flight 1 (5 notes)
Red
2017 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
Tasted with Bevan crew in Houston. Seemed to suffer from a bit of bottle shock after being bottled three weeks prior. Subdued nose but definitely red fruited, a smoked meat note would appear and disappear. Plum and dark red fruit with hints of spice on the palate, definitely agree on the comparison to Pritchard Hill profiles. Nice tannin management so will be drinkable now with air, but I think this one can go long. Will be interesting to see how this develops—93 as it drinks now, but the stuffing is there for a run up to 96-98
Red
2017 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Tasted with the Bevan crew in Houston. Bottled three weeks prior, so a bit of bottle shock. If you take any note from any prior vintage and post it here, the same applies, slightly muted. This one surprisingly hit all the lovely Eastern Oakville notes I love from Tench, black cherry, hints of black raspberry, faint iron, smoke (the good kind). Not as deep as ‘13 or focused as ‘16 but this is no slouch. If you liked the prior vintages you’ll like the ‘17–I see no drop off on this one.
Red
2017 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block
USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Tasted with the Bevan crew in Houston. This was my best in show and our group’s best in show and was a stunning wine. Did not seem to suffer from any bottle shock. Definitely reminded me of the barrel sample from last summer. Fine grained tannins, super dark purple. More darker fruit profile here, blackberry and blueberry. Showed less oak than the other wines. I think ‘17 Wildfoote may be better than the ‘16.
Red
2017 Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Tasted with the Bevan crew in Houston. This was the most subdued of the wines and seemed to suffer the most from bottle shock. This is generally one of my favorites in the lineup, but I think the ‘17 EE is definitely one that needs time to settle into place. Had a ‘15 a week ago that killed it. This had a similar red fruited and slightly floral profile, but the CS and CF, along with the coffee notes from the oak need time to integrate. I struggled whether to score or not...91 as it is now, but highly expect mid-high 90s later and I’m definitely a buyer.
Red
2017 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted with the Bevan crew in Houston. This was a pop and pour but it needed air. Coffee and hints of red fruit, with a pepper spice note on the back end. Bottle shock played a factor here. Later in the event a bottle was decanted and showed much more promise with the fruit emerging nicely. If drinking early, recommended a 60-90 decant. 90 for now but expect 93-94 once it settles down in bottle or gets the air it needs.
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