4/11/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Few hour slow ox. Very deep dark electric magenta color. Cantaloupe, raw pecan, candied blackberry, wild strawberry, and French toast. Dry, plush, slightly chalky palate, with tongue coating acidity. Full, medium intensity tannins on the medium long+ finish. 60% CS, 31% PS, 9% CF

This was better than it usually is.

4/11/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

PNP. Very deep dark magenta color. Raspberry, blueberry, chocolate, lavender, and shortbread. Dry, ultra plush, full bodied palate, with fine acidity. Voluptuous tannins on the longish finish.

Very fun time tasting this with Mr. Toquette and his lovely wife. Another winner for the F-M lineup and already accessible.

4/11/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Few hour slow ox. Deep dark intense magenta color. Butterscotch, cranberry compote, and subtle minerality. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with dusty acidity. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.

This is super youthful. It’s going to be terrific, but my score is just a placeholder.

4/7/2024 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine:

Tasted with Jack over some pre-dinner nibbles. Made by Graeme MacDonald from Ecotone vineyard (former Abreu thorevilos).

Just my opinion, but this wine will shine in 15-20 years. Right now it showed powerful fruit with profound structure and a notable savory earthen character. I would not say it straddles the line between new and old world—rather, it distinctly shows some new world qualities side by side old world qualities. Like one foot on each side of the door.

Wait 5 years on this one. It is a pretty unique wine that shows differently from majority of Napa wines I’ve tried.

4/2/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

PNP. Deep dark electric magenta color. Blackberry, blueberries, butter pecan ice cream with toffee chips, river rock, and baker’s chocolate. Dry, plush, full bodied palate. Firm, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish.

This is intensely decadent and really needs an hour decant to show its best. It’s a super easy drinker with legit structure. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as my last bottle due to lack of aeration.

3/24/2024 - Badmonkey wrote:

Curious in light of the 97 rating from Suckling. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, and dark raspberry. Smooth mid-palate with decent depth/concentration - medium/medium plus body. Nice flavors of cassis, some spice, oak, and a mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for five hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time. Revisited on day three and it was better as it opened-up further. Obviously really young and some improvement is expected with more time but I don’t see the 97 rating - hopefully more time proves me wrong. In my opinion, the 93+ and 94 ratings from Dunnuck and WE make more sense. According to Dunnuck, give it three to five years which I can’t argue due to the improvement on day three and the mountain fruit source on Atlas Peak. A solid cab at $79 in the secondary market but interesting price disparity with the Winery direct price. 100% cab.

3/25/2024 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

94 on day 1 and 96 on day 2. But it could be higher so I was generous.

This is a dark brooding wine that needs a healthy decant and/or should be put away for several years. It was tight on day 1 but still solid. It was very drinkable after I worked with it (decanted for a couple of hours). Dark black and blue in the glass with fruit to match. Teeth staining richness, full-bodied and full-flavored. Mocha mid to late palate with a nice mineral streak throughout.

This is the 1st single vineyard sourced from The Haas Vineyard - high up on Diamond Mountain. A great find, great wine, great location (sense of place), great people, great winemaker -- all with a solid QPR.

3/21/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Picked up at auction a month ago. I had no idea of this wine in spite of drinking Trespass for a while, now. First wine of the night with Agelvis in town!

This was double decanted for an hour then back into the bottle. What amazing viscosity. Twice that of the regular Trespass.....

Dark magenta in the glass. Nose of blue and red fruit, a hint of violets and cedar.

Palate of milk chocolate, red balanced fruit. Full bodied, well balanced and a great finish with perfect acidity which lengthens the finish quite well. Chalky smooth at the end of the bottle 3 more hours in.......

3/12/2024 - Badmonkey wrote:

Enjoyed the 2019 vintage and curious about this vintage - thinking about buying some to lay down but wanted to get an idea where it’s at first. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, dark cherry, and some plum. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth/concentration. Nice vibrant flavors of cassis, baking spices/herbs, cocoa, and a little graphite component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Slow ox during the day for around ten hours and decanted for a couple more. Enjoyable at this youthful stage but as expected I would give it a couple years to let it open-up/develop further. According to the Winery, approachable at an early age but expect an exquisite evolution over the next fifteen years. Sourced from Napa Valley vineyards including Sleeping Lady, Tench, and Rocca’s Collinetta Vineyard. 93/94 for me at this youthful stage. 98% cab sauvignon and 2% cab franc.

3/9/2024 - happy712 Likes this wine:

Needs an 8 hour decant. The difference between the 7th and 8th hour is night and day. Complicated integration of cream, soil, bell pepper, and smoke with a tart kick. Goes with lots of foods, including steak, lamb, Mexican, pizza, etc.

3/9/2024 - AGELVIS wrote:

PNP. Very deep magenta. Peppered raspberry, pomegranate, and old fashioned sour cream donut. Dry, slightly cottony, nearly full bodied palate, with nice, lingering acidity. Firm, medium intensity tannins on the medium long finish.

First ever New Zealand Syrah for me (I think). Enjoyed with crispy pork belly at nice restaurant on Hong Kong bay.

8/30/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Two hour decant. Very deep dark electric magenta color. Sautéed black cherry, dark plum, black walnut, yellow Twinkie, violet, and subtle mocha. Very smooth, slightly tongue drying palate, with nice, dusty acidity. Full tannins on the longish finish.

It’s been a year since my last bottle and this has improved ever so slightly. It can still handle a 3+ hour decant with no trouble. Wonderful overall texture. Same winemaker as Arkenstone (Sam Kaplan).

2/4/2024 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

Great time tasting 3 wines with Nigel Kinsman and agelvis over a very long dinner! Kodo is from a Southern site in Oakville that cannot be named right now but hopefully will be unveiled in a couple of weeks. I still have to research this and figure it out beforehand!

Opened at dinner with no label yet, and needed a healthy decant but it began to wake up as the night went on. Dark black, blue and red in the glass, black raspberry and blueberry fruits. Mineral streak throughout (opening, mid-palate and finish), dark chocolate and a very very long finish. This has a distinctive taste with the consistent Kinsman Eades style. It's a BIG wine and it will be better upon release.

Nigel told us that except for a few critics, agelvis and I were the 1st to try this gem. Very cool! I can't wait to try this once it's released.

3/2/2024 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine:

Nose: Beautifully ripened blackberries, black and red cherries, dark cranberries without any of its bright characteristics (in a good way), blueberries, and just a touch of earthy gooseberries. Dark and damp earth, with dark green herbs that has a gentle spice and roughness to it, like a sweet basil crossed with a perilla leaf. A hint of rubber tire on hot asphalt graces the fruits presence with some air.

Palate: Lots of dark berries with a punch of freshness and a dab of bitterness. Dried twigs snap and breaking the mid palate, bitter graphite, and a stony forest floor. This thing finishes on a note of high octane (15.8% alc.. might as well call it 16.5%) and graphite, with fresh bright cranberries.

Don’t do the sucking-air thing with your mouth - you will choke due to the high alcohol levels (you’re welcome). The labeling is also very fitting: biting into a hard candy and what appears to be a ball of cactus on a stem.. I know damn well that ain’t a dandelion (it most likely is but a ball of cactus on a stem makes much more sense). Also, serve this at room temp, the flavors seem to show better and the alcohol is more hidden. 94-95

2/28/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Splash double decant. Deep dark electric magenta color. Cassis, dark chocolate , and black cherry dominate the nose. No sign of pyrazines. Smooth , slightly chalky palate, with silty acidity. Firm, full tannins on the medium long+ finish.

There’s no better CF for the money IMHO. Great drinking for its youth.

2/27/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

90-minute decant. Ultra deep, bright magenta color. Black cherry, blueberry, powdered sugar, buttercup, and subtle basil. Dry, plush, medium bodied palate. Firm, full tannins on the medium long+ finish.

This is my first experience with Vine Hill Ranch’s “second label”. It’s better than I expected, but certainly not in the same league with its big brother. The decant helped quite a bit.

2/25/2024 - #1Winelover wrote:

91 is being generous. This has the coloring (dark purple). That's about it. From PnP is was kind of flat, light to medium-bodied. It does have a finish but not a finish for my profile. There is nothing wrong with this; just not anything good to better than good. Disappointing and i will open up something else and hope that this improves but I highly doubt it.

2/25/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

90-minute decant. Nearly opaque electric magenta color. Blueberry, black cherry, freeze dried raspberry, cinnamon maple scone, gardenia, and subtle Italian parsley. Dry, silty, full bodied palate, with nice, lingering acidity. Voluptuous tannins on the longish finish.

This is youthful and extremely fruit forward, but so inviting and mesmerizing at the same time. It will gain balance and complexity in the coming few years, but my score reflects how much I enjoyed it today. There’s an ever so slight nod to Bordeaux (In a good way). I’m looking forward to the evolution over the next few years. 96+ points right now (99+ in the future).

2/23/2024 - sean7711 Likes this wine:

Definitely a more old school style of wine being made in Napa. Ruby red, dusty tannins. Reminded me of a Di Costanzo, which is a compliment. I slow ox'ed this for about 3 hours and then poured into a decanter for the rest of the night. Well done!

2/21/2024 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is exceptional, truly the type of big brawny Cabernet you would expect of a Beckstoffer vineyard. Black fruits dominate and are so pervasive you can drink this now. But the backbone is there to make it for another 25 years. And it only costs a fraction of Hundred Acre.

2/20/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Three and a half hour decant. Very deep dark ruby magenta color. Blueberry, black cherry, tea-infused dark chocolate, peony, pistachio, butterscotch, and coffee. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with good, lingering acidity. Firm tannins on the long finish.

I think I over decanted this. It really only needs 1-2 hours. It’s simultaneously dark, brooding, decadent (in a restrained way), complex, and slightly savory. Very fun bottle.

1/7/2024 - iamandyc Likes this wine:

Very consistent with my prior notes. Awesome QPR. Sad it's my last bottle.

2/17/2024 - Badmonkey wrote:

Decided to revisit and couldn’t resist providing another note for this wine since it’s one of my favorite cabs over the past year for the money. Sourced from vineyards in Oakville (Vine Hill Ranch), St. Helena (Alluvium Vineyard), and Coombsville (Rocca’s Collinetta Vineyard). Slow ox during the day for around ten hours and drank out of a decanter for a couple more. Improved a little with time but drinking well after the slow ox. Once again, reminds me of a Beckstoffer Las Piedras cab in light of the flavor profile, purity, and mineral/graphite component. Although $139 isn’t cheap, I believe it’s a decent value when compared to the price of Beckstoffer Las Piedras cabs. 95/96. 100% cab.

12/5/2022 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

Napa Valley comes to Philly wine tasting at Lilah with Memento Mori, Covert/Nicholson Jones, Adamvs, Simon Family, William Cole, and Chappellet. I will offer a few notes on what stood out -- the highlights and lower lights. This was a really nice event that showcased different winemakers and different wines from all over Napa; including the valley floor and Vaca Mountains. I was able to meet and taste some of the wines with fellow CT'er sean7711 and Fiancé' as well!

From 3 sites; St. Helena, Coombsville and Oakville, and a great winemaker, Maayan Koschitzky. I did not know anything about this winery, which is always fun. It seems like their vineyard sources will change periodically, which is an interesting concept. The wine is big and it's very dark -- almost black in the glass. Lots of mineral which is from Alluvium Vineyard in St. Helena. It had a lot going on. My only issue with this was that it was served too cold. Had it been served at room temp, it would have been better.

94 points at the tasting but I bet it's closer to 96-97 points.

Update:
my wine arrived and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much better it was with a slight decant and at ~ 65 degrees. It was still dark, still had lots of mineral and graphite, but all of the additional nuances showed this time. Dark coloring, lots of mineral, black and blue fruit, a nice backbone dark chocolate mid-palate and a long finish.

As I thought, 96-97 points right now.

2/4/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Three and a half hour decant. Deep dark ruby magenta color. Blueberry, black cherry, black walnut brownie, cinnamon-dusted caramel custard, thyme, and gardenia. Dry, plush, slightly dusty palate. Firm, full, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish.

This is very nice, but probably even better with a shorter decant. More time in the cellar will also be beneficial. I hope to wait a year before having my next bottle.

2/7/2024 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

Visited Wallis Estate with AGelvis and then tasted with Ed and his Sales Director, Jenna in the valley later on.

Wallis Estate is stunning. Beautiful views across the Diamond Mountain AVA, including sweeping views of The Old Reverie Vineyard which was acquired recently by the owners of Rosewood. Interestingly, one of my favorite all time wines is Kinsman Eades Rhad, which is from The Old Reverie Vineyard -- how cool is that? The Estate property is small, beautiful, with an original castle, The Wallis current home, a pond, a barn/building and acres that are about to be planted to vines. This is what I wanted to experience on top of one of the mountains within Napa Valley. Ed was a gracious host and provided the history and sense of place to agelvis and me.

Now onto the wines...

2019 Wallis Estate, 2019 Wallis Denali and 2021 Wallis Estate:
2019 Wallis Estate is fruit from 2 vineyards, The Haas Vineyard and Constant Vineyard, both neighbors of Wallis. This wine is drinking great right now. It's dark purple, full-bodied and very well rounded. Mostly dark red and black fruit, choco notes, rich and with a lengthy finish. It has won gold medals and it is a go to for me. Thomas Brown is the winemaker.
96 Points with upside.
2019 Denali Vineyard. From St. Helena and only sourced from a few wineries, The Denali Vineyard has a typical St. Helena profile; dark, mineral driven, earth, blueberry and blackberry, and, sense of place. Similar yet different from 2019 Wallis Estate. Both excellent and both 96 points IMO.
96 Points with upside.
2021 Wallis Estate.
This version of Wallis Estate comes from The Haas Vineyard, which is across the street from the property. This is a dark brooding wine with pungent smells, a full-bodied masterpiece in the making and a unique profile. My palate has gravitated to unique wines from Napa, instead of the wines that all taste the same. Wallis falls into the unique category. it will be interesting to see how this develops.
95-97 points

The bottles are also very cool with gold inlay; however, as agelvis and I agree, it's what's in the bottle and not necessarily about the bottle. But they are cool...

2/2/2024 - AGELVIS wrote:

Thirty minutes in the glass before tasting. Very very deep magenta color. Black cherry and tobacco are the dominant notes. Tongue drying palate. Firm, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish.

Had a wonderful tasting here at Seavey, although most of the wines were not my style. All the reds lean toward Bordeaux. The property is beautiful, with a working farm. #1WineLover and I especially enjoyed meeting the baby goats.

2/1/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

One hour decant. Deep dark purplish magenta color. Chocolate toffee brittle, cassis, black cherry, and graphite. Dry, plush palate, with wonderful glide. Firm tannins on the longish finish.

100% CS that is mostly Fortuna fruit, with a little To Kalon. Mark Carter was doing the pouring for #1WineLover and I. Very cool.

2/1/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

One hour decant. Deep dark electric magenta color. Caramel, mocha, dark fruit, anise, and subtle bay leaf. Dry, satiny, dusty palate, with nice, pixelated acidity. Very firm, but lower intensity, tannins on the long finish.

The fruit is from the rows right next to VHR. This is really expressive, but the fruit is in the background. Needs time to resolve. Mark Carter was doing the pouring for #1WineLover and I.

1/31/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Thirty minute decant. Deep dark intense ruby color. Blueberry, cassis, orange-infused dark chocolate, and subtle graphite and coffee. Dry, dusty palate. Firm, yet satiny, tannins on the longish finish.

I think I over-decanted the last bottle of this I had a month ago. This is surprisingly good with less than an hour of air. Nigel Kinsman was very kind to bring this to dinner with #1WineLover and I (at Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa).

4/7/2023 - csimm wrote:

A few days in Napa with fellow CT'r Cristal2000: A new project by Jack Bittner, with Graeme Macdonald as winemaker, the 2019 001 (double-O[oh]-one) will be the inaugural wine from prime plots on the Ecotone site. Jack was gracious enough to meet us for lunch and bring along a bottle of this gem. It’s hard not to draw parallels to MACDONALD since knowing who is the consulting winemaker here, but the 001 has its own unique personality that I can only guess is an expression of the vineyard and Jack’s deft influence over the farming and ultimate production of the wine. It’s a stately and classically regal wine in the sense that it maintains outstanding poise and frame. The dark, asphalt-laced fruit is elevated and layered by flavors of purple plum skin, menthol, herbs de Provence, and gravel. This thing LOVES air, eating O2 like a 1-year-old in a face-full o’ mayonnaise. Allowing it to breathe is like allowing Elton John to play the piano. Expansiveness and succulence on the palate continues to unfold. The tune starts out unpretentious and austere, and then slowly builds and builds, bridging mineral with fruit, tension with accessibility, frame and body with weight and breadth. The finish is stoooopid long and especially refined.

Some new project is the last thing I need in my life, but gosh darn it if I can’t help but jump on the bandwagon and see what adventures lie around the corner with this wine. I’d feel lucky to be part of it, and recommend aficionados try to snatch this up when it makes its rounds; but of course, I’m shooting myself in the foot with hopes of nabbing a decent allocation by recommending others pile on. So, in that vein, don’t buy it. Forget about it. I’ll take it from here :)

In 5-7 (perhaps more like 10) years, this thing will be on fire. It is a wine for the patient indeed, but not without amazing promise right now with some coaxing. This is my kind of juice all day long and a wine that will likely earn an even higher score (perfect score?) down the road. 97-98+ points.

NOTE #1: It’s worth mentioning that we had the 2018 Abreu Thorevilos a few days later; that wine does share some striking similarities with the 2019 001, especially in the minerality department. The dark and cool asphalt profile of the 001 is akin to the Abreu, if but a bit more restrained and chiseled than the 2018 Thorevilos.

NOTE #2: Also worth mentioning, we had the 2019 Vice Versa Mysterons (Ecotone) a few days later as well (alongside the Abreu). To no surprise, Melka’s take on this site with Vice Versa is stylistically more flashy and opulent by comparison, but again, with a beautiful bead of minerality and black fruit that spoke a similar dialect to the Abreu and 001. The Mysterons is more party-ready than the others, so if you wanted to pop one of the three right now, the Vice Versa would be better suited in that regard.

2/1/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

One hour decant. Deep dark magenta color. Caramel corn, blackberry, boysenberry, and subtle minerality and black dirt. Dry, satiny palate. Firm, full, lower intensity tannins on the longish finish.

My score is just a placeholder. This will be great, but needs time to resolve. Think “iron fist in a velvet glove”. Mark Carter was kind enough to personally host the tasting for #1WineLover and I.

1/25/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Splash decant. Deep dark electric magenta color. Butter pecan ice cream, black cherry, dark plum, and graham cracker. Dry, creamy palate. Firm and very full tannins on the longish finish.

This is my second bottle of this bottling and it’s terrifically accessible. Very sultry, a bit moody, and very intense. Hard to fully articulate, but youth may be a contributing factor. Not sure where this goes in a few years, but my bottles won’t last beyond 2026.

1/11/2024 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine:

My first FM MH and damn this baby is so fine. This 2021 is firing already!
Think of a dark fruit pie exploding In your mouth releasing a supernova of flavors, coating every square millimeter of that palate!

And then adding chocolate ganache, vanilla puffs, fresh flowers, marvelous mocha, French roast coffee and hints of graphite.
Nice acid, big ripe tannins on long finish.

1/20/2024 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine:

Sipped within 4 hours. Vangone ‘19 is just so friggin tasty
Plentiful of toasted dark fruit, Lit tobacco, cedar, Blackberry liqueur, Melted black licorice and soft Tar.
Great structure, acid and tannins on long finish. Tasting this on the Vangone vineyard with Mark last October was heck of an experience as well. Cheers

1/20/2024 - Badmonkey wrote:

Considering buying more to lay down in light of the vintage and fact that this might be my last opportunity to buy a Benoit Beckstoffer cab under $200 but wanted to get an idea where it’s at first. In addition, I’m curious in light of the positive reviews so far. Dark ruby fruit - currants, blackberry, dark raspberry, and some blueberry. Smooth mid-palate with nice depth/concentration. Nice rich flavors of cassis, cocoa/mocha, some spice, and a graphite component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for five hours and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time but drinking well after the decant despite its youth. I look forward to drinking this cab next to the 2021 Carter Missouri Hopper cab in a couple years - both are really nice wines. 100% cab.

1/16/2024 - Badmonkey wrote:

Thinking about buying more to lay down in light of the 94 rating from IWR and Dunnuck but wanted to get an idea where it’s at first. Purple fruit - currants, blackberry, dark cherry, and a little blueberry. Smooth mid-palate with solid depth/concentration. Nice rich flavors of cassis, some spice, and a little graphite component. Decent finish but not overly long nor deep. Slow ox during the day for around ten hours and drank out of a decanter for a couple more. Also revisited on day two and it was better as it opened-up more. 93 for me on day two but I believe the 94 rating makes sense in another year or two as it opens-up/develops further. 93% cab and 7% merlot - the cab mostly from the Fortuna Vineyard and the merlot from the Hossfeld Vineyard.

1/18/2024 - KingsleyZissou Likes this wine:

Tasted on property and fell in love. 21 is going to be a special vintage.

Consistently amazed by TRB’s ability to lend his wines such a clear signature. And at the price, this punches way way above its weight class.

Nose already was a gorgeous kaleidoscope of complexity, with a balance of decadence and restraint. Wealth of black currant, plum and cranberry, interspersed with sourdough, loam, peppermint chocolate, and flint.

The palate is always where these wines seem to shine the most — amazing concentration creates a voluptuous mouthfeel but with pillow-soft velvety tannins. Powerful but incredibly plush.

To use a cliche I’ve heard applied to TRB projects, an iron fist in a velvet glove. Will love to come back to this in a few years. Potential abounds.

1/16/2024 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Three hour decant. Very very deep intense magenta color. Blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry, Spanish basque cake, thyme, and subtle dark chocolate. Dry, satiny palate. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.

This is still holding back ever so slightly. I hope to wait a year before my next bottle. This will absolutely improve and it’s already quite fun to drink.

1/15/2024 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

A tale of two wines.......

Pnp with a 30 min slow ox for our tasting tonight. Dark opaque purple in the glass. Nose of candied bubble gum and sweet blueberry compote. Palate of vanilla and spice from the new French oak.

Over 2-3 hours it remains the same but then makes a turn to the darker, fleshier side. 3-4 hours in and it's full of graphite on the nose. No more candied elements. Palate of rich cassis, full of energy/acidity. I hate to admit it but I think I'm losing my palate for the young-ish Napa fruit bombs. To me this was much better 4 hours in. 92 early on in its candied state.....95 by the end of the bottle 4 hours later.

1/5/2024 - Decanting Queen Does not like this wine:

Tasted over 2 nights at various stages of decanting with little to no change. This wine is still hot and closed and not integrated. Possibly worse than my last bottle which I rated for potential, and maybe influenced by my expectations that this should be drinking better now. Should never have pulled this from the offsite, it needs a long time and even then I don’t know…

1/6/2024 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

This is awesome with a slow ox. Maybe I had a bad bottle of Dr. Crane? Anyway, this was just awesome. It was a complete bottle of wine; structure, fruit, mineral, typical To-Kalon notes, etc.

1/6/2024 - Badmonkey wrote:

Came across some bottles at a nice price that I’m thinking about buying but wanted to revisit first. Let it slow ox for two days and decanted for a couple more hours but still fairly closed/not overly expressive. Revisited on day three and it improved but was still a little closed. Once again, the owner of the winery said to hold this vintage until 2024, however, it clearly needs at least a couple more years in my opinion. There’s a fairly prominent mineral/graphite component that needs time to soften/open-up. 93 on day three. 100% cab.

12/31/2023 - sean7711 Likes this wine:

Drinking amazingly well in its youth! Double decanted for about 3 hours before NYE. Amazing, pure fruit, chocolate, coffee liqueur (reminded me of coffee milk, for those Rhode Islanders). So good!

11/19/2023 - Badmonkey wrote:

Dark ruby fruit - currants, dark cherry, and dark raspberry. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity and solid depth/concentration. Nice rich/vibrant flavors of cassis, baking spices/licorice, and a little graphite component. Fairly long finish. Slow ox during the day for around eight hours and drank out of a decanter for a couple more. Improved a little with time but drinking well after the slow ox despite its youth. Another nice vintage of this wine which isn’t a surprise after recently tasting the 2021 Quivet Kenefick Ranch cab. Sourced from the Kenefick Ranch and Pellet vineyards. 100% cab.

12/12/2023 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

Really nice rendition from The Lewelling Vineyard. I guess others in Napa have decided to make SVDs from this historic site, which makes sense. Lewelling is on the southwestern side in St. Helena; vineyards beginning on the bottom slopes of Mayacamas and ending at Route 29.

This was better on day 2 as it had a little heat and that dissipated. Dark purple, red and blue in the glass with matching fruit. Full-bodied, very smooth, subtle chocolate notes and a long finish. this had energy and it was well balanced. The only thing puzzle was the slight mineral notes - usually, they are more pronounced from St. Helena.

12/7/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Pnp'd into a decanter for 1-2 hours for family in town for my other son's wedding. Sampled the first hour and it's as follows:

Dark purple in the glass, nose notes of sweet cassis, dark blackberry fruit and a palate that is dense and powerful and smooth yet with a touch of tightness/astringency. 94 then....

By hour 2, this blossoms into a real beauty. I really can't add much to all those who've recently noted the benefits to popping one of these. This turns so very smooth at hours 2-3, the astringency leaves, the fruit deepens further, just yummy! Really enjoyed by three of us and gone far too soon. 96+/97 at the end.

11/28/2023 - csimm wrote:

Ripe. Sweet. …And ripe.

Harvested December 14, 2015. :)

12/1/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Second bottle of my '21 Ehrlich stash. Reporting on it again as it's already showing a little different than it did just 3 months ago.

Pnp'd a glass to enjoy before dinner. Dark purple in the glass, not quite fully opaque. Initial nose of black raspberry, a hint of brown sugar/molasses and a whiff of the 15.5% alc.

Initial palate of black raspberry liqueur, classic BCellars acidity, soft, mildly astringent tannins on the tongue, oak and a certain saline component that adds a nice touch of complexity on the finish that I don't remember experiencing with prior vintages but maybe one other time? The salinity seems to wane a bit after about 60 min of air. I'm sure it's just a byproduct of the stage it's currently in.

2-3 hours in a little graphite and forest floor shows up on the blackberry nose, and this bottle deepens, darkens on the palate. Still some end of palate astringency but it's mild. The acidity ensures a nice medium length ending. This bottle 1 point better than the last. Still young, still needs time, but if you want to pop one early you won't be disappointed.

11/30/2023 - Yack Man Likes this wine:

A pleasant surprise entry level Cabernet. In the glass, the color is a dark purplish-blue that trends to a reddish crimson approaching the rim. The nose is softly fragrant. On the palate, this Cab is bold and intensely flavored. Medium to full bodied, this wine is fruity yet dry with good structure, an elegant profile with smooth tannins and some acidity. Dark berry fruits, black and blueberry, black cherry, cassis, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that sourced from the valley floor to hillside heights. An impressive wine for the money, definitely worth the price of admission. 93+/ 94 points. Give it some air and enjoy.