1/2/24, 11:17 PM - Also on the table were a 2009 BV Georges de Latour - very, very good, but I actually preferred the Rafanelli; a 2011 Adelaida Viking cabernet - very good, but definitely different from the Napa and Sonoma cabs; a 2018 Herman Story "Nuts & Bolts" - also very good! Bottom line... it was a fabulous evening!
8/5/23, 7:51 PM - We drank a 2104 Rafanelli cab last weekend and it was spectacular!
8/5/23, 6:56 PM - So good - on all accounts! 🍷👍😊
8/5/23, 6:54 PM - It was indeed quite nice on a warm afternoon!
6/20/23, 5:13 PM - @MateusPetrus - I see your tasting notes fairly often when I am looking at wines in my cellar. It would seem that we are both members at Ecluse Wines. I opened their 2016 "Insider" a few nights ago and was essentially underwhelmed. I guess I've been a member with Ecluse for about a decade. I still enjoy their wines and I think they are usually a good value, but I may be looking to spend my limited wine budget around at other producers in the future. Cheers! - Jack
6/10/23, 11:48 AM - Greetings from San Diego CA. I am just curious as to what you paid for this bottle? I get mine through the Neal Wine Club and paid $45 per bottle of these 2016 Napa Valley cabs when I purchased them.
6/10/23, 2:35 PM - I will admit that I have a bias in favor of the wines that Mark Neal makes. I have met him and had the privilege of attending his "Cellar Depletion Dinner" fundraiser. I just find his entry level Napa Valley cabs to be a very good value. I have tasted Napa cabs from other producers that were priced higher than the Neal Family Napa Valley cab (I'm thinking specifically of the Caymus Napa Valley cab and the Round Pond Estate cab) and I prefer the Neal. Then again, there is great joy in finding new wines to like! Cheers! - Jack
4/29/23, 6:51 AM - Too funny! The whacky, wonderful world of wine! I will be interested to hear your impressions of the two wines. Cheers! - Jack
8/12/22, 7:29 PM - Just curious… you have this tasting rated at 88 and a tasting from 2017 rated at 92. Were the two bottles purchased at the same time. I am just really intrigued as to what created the disparity. Thnx! -Jack
8/15/22, 10:36 AM - Thanks! Fascinating, though more likely just disappointing for you!
7/23/22, 2:08 PM - So what's your sense? If planning to drink it now (tonight), 4 hour decant? 6 hour decant (Yeah... I'm already too late for that one!)? Or should I leave it alone for another year or more? Thnx! - Jack
7/23/22, 2:16 PM - THANK YOU! Will enjoy a '17 Dolinsek or Pagani instead.
5/4/22, 12:18 PM - Did you really mean to score this at 78? Just curious.
11/20/21, 9:43 PM - Tasted this at the winery last week. It was a no-brainer purchase. Outstanding!
8/22/21, 8:50 AM - Absolutely agree! This is a fabulous "entry level" blend from the Carlisle team!!
4/27/21, 4:54 PM - Just curious - as I am considering taking this wine to the first gathering of three couples since March of 2020 - you had this wine in December of 2020 and again in March of 2021. I get a clear sense that it is quite enjoyable right now. I ask because you also stated in your 12/13/20 tasting notes that it would be better in 3 to 6 years. I only have this one bottle. What's your sense... enjoy it now with dear friends or hold on to it for another few years? Thanks & Cheers! - Jack
4/27/21, 7:56 PM - Thanks!
4/3/21, 1:17 PM - @Mark1npt - The bison was excellent, though my wife did not enjoy it as much as the other three of us did. It is amazingly lean! The Heitz came from our very gracious hosts who have a much deeper cellar than I do.
12/27/20, 5:18 PM - Thanks for the notes on this wine (and the 2010), but more importantly thanks for the admonition to drop the "social" distancing! 'Physical distancing is so much more accurate and appropriate! Cheers from San Diego - just about as far away from you as one can get in the continental US.
12/20/20, 9:51 PM - I found it 'earthy,' especially on the nose. I suspect the mourvedre provided that aroma. I get your sense that it was 'sour,' but for me it was more of a sense of 'dark and brooding.' But then, I like the earthiness of mourvedre. I also found that it was better on the second night, better balanced. It would seem that it benefits from quite a bit of air. Got mine at SD Wine Co. Yours?
8/10/20, 10:17 AM - @jenmermaidia - My good friend who brought the wine and I both agree that as long as the wine is stored properly, it should be just fine in four years for your daughter's 21st birthday! Happy Birthday to her!!
6/1/20, 7:09 AM - Just curious...In looking through your tasting notes, you drink a lot more rosés than I do. I readily admit that my experience with rosés is not as extensive as yours. I also see that we share an affinity for Central Coast wines! But I am curious about your 100 point score for this Epoch rosé. I imagine [I don't know because I have never had the privilege!] a 100 point wine as a mind-blowing experience; as an OMG! moment. Was this wine that OMG! moment for you?I love the wines that Epoch makes - though I can't afford too many of them - but none of their wines I have ever tasted would score higher than my OMG! wine to date which was a 1990 Chateau Angelus that was shared with me by a dear friend with much deeper pockets and cellar.Again, just curious. Cheers! - Jack
3/3/20, 8:43 AM - Oops! That word continues to befuddle me!
12/20/19, 2:09 PM - @jjlgd - You may be onto something there! I hope so as I have always loved Tensley wines!
9/18/19, 8:47 PM - I am wondering if you feel that there was something "off" in the first bottle? I have liked everything I have ever had from Booker and your initial note gave me concern. Did your second bottle restore your faith?
8/22/19, 9:06 AM - If I am reading across multiple open windows of tasting notes, you have also tasted the 2016 Carlisle Papera. I am wondering if you can recall how the Bedrock and the Carlisle compare? I am considering doing a side-by-side tasting of the two at a gathering this Saturday evening and would love to hear your insights! Cheers! - Jack
8/22/19, 10:20 AM - Mike - Thanks for the input! I still haven't decided. Whatever we end up with, it is likely to be good! Cheers. - Jack
8/10/19, 7:58 AM - @vintage1949Dave - It is definitely drinking well. This note is from last August and I have to believe that it has only gotten better! Cheers!! - Jack
7/5/19, 1:37 PM - @ex-sommelier - Excellent point! The puzzlement for me is that I tend to think of additional bottle age as something that usually improves the wine - especially when they are relatively young, as these two are. Yet the additional year did not seem to give any advantage to the 2015. I guess that means I need to run more "tasting experiments"! :-) - Jack
6/9/19, 10:13 PM - I have found the Dolinseks to be one of the few wines from Morgan and Chris that is approachable early in its life. So many of their other wines require patience (and storage that I don't have!).
6/9/19, 10:06 PM - >michigan dogs - Another trio I am looking forward to tasting all in one sitting (big party!) are the Pagani Ranch bottlings from Bedrock, Carlisle, and Ridge. At this point I only have the 2016 vintage from all three producers. Cheers! - Jack
5/30/19, 6:35 AM - Mark1npt - I really wanted to like this wine because I have very much enjoyed Doug Shafer's podcast entitled "The Taste." I will continue to listen to the podcast, but I doubt I will be buying another bottle of TD-9. Cheers! - Jack
3/18/19, 7:19 PM - Thank you for your wonderfully detailed TN!! I'm curious... Would you give it a numeric rating, or is that something you simply choose not to do? Whatever the case, I am soooo looking forward to enjoying my bottles!! - Jack
3/19/19, 9:14 AM - Thanks for the explanation and the insight on the wine! - Jack
3/18/19, 7:10 PM - Thanks for your very detailed TN! The last thing you say is that this should best be enjoyed from 2023 to 2033. Is your suggestion that this wine will not truly hit its stride after 2023 and we should hold off until then? I ask because I'm not sure I can wait that long - and I know I don't have the storage space. If I can't wait 4 more years, what did you do to allow it to open up? Thanks! - Jack
3/18/19, 8:59 PM - Well okay then!! I will try to wait!!Thnx!!
1/20/19, 8:26 PM - I love the folks at San Diego Wine Co., but Vintage Wines [just east of SD Wine Co on Miramar Road] has had this wine for $20 a bottle for at least the last month.
12/7/18, 7:07 PM - Sure hope you were able to capitalize on the $59.95! They now list this wine for $79.95.
12/8/18, 9:15 AM - I am in San Diego! I did not see that price at Vintage Wines or i would likely have been all over it! The only reason I was looking for My Fav neighbor on CT was because a wonderful friend just gave me a bottle as a gift! What Vintage does still have (or at least had earlier this week) that is an incredible value is the 2016 Limerick Lane RRV Sonoma County zinfandel for $20 a bottle. I went in with friends last week and we bought a case! Cheers! - Jack
11/4/18, 6:28 AM - It looks like you have done something I am seeking to do at some point - taste the Pagani from Bedrock and Carlisle side by side! My plan is to go one step further and add the Ridge Pagani Ranch into the mix and make it a trio. So much wine... So little time!
10/5/18, 7:53 PM - I know that I am 2.5 years after the fact, but what a fabulous trio for tastings!! Envious!
1/22/17, 9:42 PM - I know this is an older tasting note, but I am wondering if you have had any of the AC Grenache Blanc since this bottle? I ask because this is one of our favorite summer white wines and every bottle we have had has been excellent!
8/3/15, 7:16 AM - Wilypod - Yes. It is very drinkable right now! Will it get better with another year in the bottle? Most likely, but I went for it and was very impressed!
4/25/15, 10:09 AM - Yeah... could have been slightly corked. It did not have the mustiness that I usually associate with a corked bottle, but it certainly did not have the vibrant nose I expected from this blend and it did not compare to the wine I tasted at Herman Story last fall when I purchased this bottle.
2/8/14, 5:46 PM - I would strongly suggest you contact Joey Tensley. They have always been very approachable and helpful to us, though we have never had a problem with bottles being less than what we expected. http://www.tensleywines.com/
1/10/11, 9:38 AM - Wow! Do I ever feel like a thief! I purchased my 2 bottles for $20 each!! Drank one of them about a year and a half ago and loved it. Trying to save my other (last!) bottle for a special event.
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