A pop of dark cherry fruit on the front end, with a higher register blast of bing cherry and alcohol rushing across the palate. Especially unresolved on the finish at this given juncture, the Fortuna will best be left alone for a couple of years minimum to enable it to better curtail its adolescence and improve the attention to detail in its delivery. Try again in 2021+.

Much like the Fortuna, but indeed richer and more intense mid-palate, the Bam karate kicks out a “Kiai!” (“Hi-yah” for the uninitiated) of red and black cherry fruit that thrusts across the palate with unsettled power. A bit more controlled than the Fortuna, but less focused than the Verdad, the Bam skirts over the mid-palate with abandon and sprints to a higher-toned finish. Rides high on the back end, with the red cherry notes repeating. In it’s current “I just got bottled so I’m a little wild” state, the Bam is all about fruit and vanillin alcohol, with any sense of minerality not yet ready to come to the party. Hold until 2023.

Black cherry, saccharine, bitter chocolate, fresh red and black licorice, and black rock steamroll onto the palate and deliver whopping gobs of fruit on the frontloaded attack. A bit overwhelming, but packed full of ripe fruit flavors, this version of Verdad has some exotic dancer mannerisms to shed before it can come to the parent’s house for dinner.

The Verdad indeed showed a deeper mid-palate than the Bam, especially on the second round of tasting it. Bitter pulverized rock and pencil lead provided some needed frame, but was overrun by a boozey alcohol finish when it was all said and done. A stallion in the making, the Verdad will need another 3-5 years before it starts really showing sophistication. For now, it’s in Animal House party mode. Backward and unresolved (especially compared to my experience with it as a barrel sample), it stands to be gorgeous juice with some years of sleep time in bottle to allow it to hone its seamlessness and focus. Shows good promise. Try again in 2023+.

Black cherry liqueur and licorice rule the roost here, with a kirshwasser note that ramped it up to a higher register profile, especially on the finish. The delivery was party-ready, but certainly not without some over the top wild arms flapping moments that begged for restraint and focus. A burst of alcohol on the finish heightened the sensation of upper tonalities overall. Full of spunk indeed, give this time to settle into itself and learn how to be a true King. It’ll get there; just give it time. Leave it be for a few years minimum.

Almost identical in profile to the Three Kings, but with more plush and somewhat rotund ripe fruit, the Grand Daddy was the most unresolved of the To Kalon offerings. True to its usual form, the Grand Daddy is all about the fruit…big pushes of red and black cherry and muddled raspberry. As with the other Carters, wait on this wine for another few years. 93-94 points for now.

On first sip, this OG was a sweeter and riper version of the barrel sample I had before. Rich black cherry starts off the race on the front end, pulsating out additional flavors of cassis, fresh black soil, and some wet rock. My favorite in the lineup, with a notable concentration mid-palate and a complex layering of flavors already starting to develop and peek through the initial blast of fruit on the front end. Notes of black cherry, cassis, and dark obsidian-inflected earth re-fire on the back end and carry through the finish. Deeper and more intense than its siblings. Hold for another 3+ years to best hone its sense of balance and seamlessness. 96+ (pushing 97) points, with certain upside after 2023+.

Composed and alluringly poised when mirrored to its 2017 counterparts, the GTO lets you know it is showing up to the ball with a touch of class. Less concentrated and intense than the OG, but carrying a superior balance when compared to its siblings, the GTO delivers the goods in both flavor and equilibrium. Black cherry, raspberry, cassis, and some red and black licorice dominate. Finishes the smoothest in the lineup. Time in bottle will likely add further refinement, as well as focused depth. Hold for 3-5 years.

Similar to how it behaved in barrel, the Weitz is sporting a super fruity profile of uber-ripe cherry syrup, cassis, char, and candied raspberry. Unresolved in its delivery and seemingly searching for its focus, the rambunctious Weitz will need to use its time wisely as it rests in bottle to best corral its current push of wild flavors. As with the other Carters, 3-5 years is advised. Goodness lurks here, but patience is needed young Jedi.