12/29/2023 - Decanting Queen wrote:

A Wine Fueled Goodbye to 2023; 12/29/2023-12/31/2023 (College Station, TX): This might have been my best ever SQN to date. Hard to believe given my penchant for a little age and a 3 day decant.
In this case a 1 hour double decant and consumed over dinner with AGELVIS and our spouses. This wine just exploded with flavor, so much fruit but also ever changing complexity. See Ag’s review for all the crazy descriptors but I have to say I concur.
The other amazing thing was we were drinking from crappy restaurant glasses and the aromas were still jumping out of the glass.
Originally, I was just killing a baby for Ag’s benefit. But now I am in a quandry, should I drink them all this young?

11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote:

20 Vintages of Brane Cantenac: My limited experience with Brane has been mostly positive, and this tasting confirmed my initial thoughts: these days, Brane is A) usually quite accessible and charming, even young; B) the quality has steadily improved over the years, the wines are becoming more complex, precise and balanced; while vintages pre 2015 often seemed a bit simple, more recent vintages show better, C) the aromatics in recent vintages remind me of Ch. Margaux, with beautiful ripe red fruit core, as well as floral and coffee components; and D) the quality/price ratio is exceptionally good (not considered for the ratings). E) The best wine was the ethereal 2020 (96 points), followed by a superbly fresh 2010 (95 points). Although the quality is exceptional these days, the Chateau didn't fully nail every vintage, the 2019 (93pts) and, more surprisingly, the 2016 (93pts) were strong but a tad too ripe and sweet.

TN: Wow, this is a stunning wine. Yes, it is from a time when ripeness was pushed, yes, it was born in a hot vintage but in 2010, but the team at Brane Cantenac managed all this very well. The nose is expressive with intense fresh black and even fresher blue fruit, some coffee notes and minerality. Fascinating and all delivered with high precision. The same goes for the palate, which needed a bit of air to really shine. Quite layered with a wide range of well delineated fruit from black to blue with even some hints of red berries in there, coffee, herbs, minerality all wrapped around the fruit creating a beautiful aromatic balance. The structure is impeccable, with a wall of ripe, fine tannins, high acidity and a rather airy texture (especially compared to the denser, more slutty 2009 in the next glass). Quite complete and a lot of fun to drink.

Decanting: Not decanted. A short 1-2 hours should be enough.

6/6/2023 - msuwine wrote:

How many Russell Bevan Cabernets does one guy need? It’s a question I’ve asked myself over the past 10 years, as Bevan’s empire has grown not only within his namesake product (10+ vineyards and counting) but also as he conquers new labels as a winemaker (e.g., Carter, PerUs, Lerner). This question is more important because Russell's style is the opposite of shy: without a doubt, his wines will provide inky aromatics, big fruit, silky tannin, nice acidity… boozy within (some) limits…similar chords, no matter the site. I do not worship at the altar of dirt, but Bevan leaves a mark, as do others in the Valley (e.g., Mike Smith, Kirk Venge, TRB, Benoit). I like - and buy - many of these wines, but they bear the brand of their maker. To repeat the question, how many versions of the same thing do you need?

To test this proposition - in a very small way - I opened two bottles Russell Bevan made from the 2016 vintage, a PerUs Alessio and a Bevan SugarLoaf. Both were juicy, sweet, silky, and tasty. Both lacked notes that were savory, earthy, or non-confectionary. The Bevan was better (and cheaper), but both tasted, more or less, the same - not identical, but similar. In other words, Bevan's wines seem like Maroon 5’s songs: the lead voice is so distinctive, they all sound the same. If you like it, great - but there’s no need to buy (or listen to) more than a few.

- PerUs Alessio. Dark red in color; full in body; aromas of boysenberry tart, milk chocolate, and rock candy. Flavors of blueberry, mocha-chino, and black licorice, with a sweet finish that has enough acidity to go for awhile (but not enough tannin to keep things interesting).The label says that this $300 wine is “established by a group of passionate people with the belief that life is not defined by material possession, but by the relationships.” As I barf in my mouth about this HBS self-importance - do the “relationships” pay for the wine or is it the carried interest loophole? - I confess to seeing this bottle as being as soulless as it is confectionary. Blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cab Franc, and 15% Merlot. 15.2% alcohol. 90 right now, even if I ignore the label. First time - and last time - purchase.

- Bevan Sugarloaf. I loved this wine a few years ago (9/20 - 95 points), but tonight it seems like - and context is king - part of a Willy Wonka experience. Similarly dark in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blueberry pie, Hershey bar, and cocoa powder. The flavors sing the same tune (oompa?), with notes of cherry ice cream, fresh leather, and peppercorn, with a pleasant finish. The 55% Cab Franc provides ballast against the juiciness of this vintage, along with 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. 14.7% alcohol. 92+ right now, but I suspect it will be better in a few years.

To be a bit counter-intuitive, the point of my review here is less qualitative and more quantitative. These wines are tasty, within a certain category - but there is a rate of diminishing returns to buying wines made by the same guy with different labels. I do enjoy Russell Bevan wines, but I need about 6 per vintage… not 20. And, if I had to make a recommendation after tasting many in his portfolio over the years, I’d err towards his own label… and, even within that, go with the Ontogeny. At $100 of pure fruit goodness, you’re in pop music gold - Moves like Jagger, go with the flow, and don’t sweat the small stuff...

1/28/2023 - Yack Man Likes this wine:

As with the first bottle, this wine is very approachable right out of the bottle, I didn’t decant it was a Coravin pour and very good from the start. The color is a dark, intense purple-burgundy color with a nice floral nose. On the palate the approach is bold, there’s ripe dark fruits, blackberry and other dark fruits, some black cherry, some slight hints of cedar aroma. Nice concentration and graceful extraction, this 2019 is slightly improved but it will continue to evolve to a better place. 97 Points. A fantastic wine but is it worth the price of admission? You decide, but a good number of wines of this caliber are beginning to exceed my purchasing threshold.

1/3/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

PNP. Very deep dark electric ruby magenta color. Dark cocoa, plum, oleander, and subtle grilled lemon on the nose. Very smooth, dry, plush palate. Firm, full tannins on the longish finish.

I may have given the score a small increase for value. There are not many better bottles for $60ish.

11/2/2022 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

Well, this is certainly interesting. Let's start with the really impressive bottle and label. This is done in a SQN style, and I find it quite distinctive, being large, attractive and unique. I looked on the back and it says 13.4% alcohol. Now, I've never had an Andremily wine that didn't taste like around 20%, so that caught my attention. I'm saying no way.

Pnp, and yeah, this probably needs a nice decant but you know, sometimes that is the way it goes. Deep dehydrated pee yellow in the glass. This is definitely not going to be Chablis. Impressive rich nose that says "I am going to be super dense". Creme brûlée dominates, with butterscotch, embers, lemon curd, white flowers and hints of oak. On the palate, ummm yeah, if this is 13.4% alc then the world is flat (and yes, in the world we live in I am sure many actually think that now). Nevertheless, it carries the weight well, with super ripe, fine grained and integrated sweet tannin and a massive core of fruit and stone that is waiting to unfurl. It doesn't come across heavy or overbearing, thanks to some acidity and lift, but this clearly isn't going to be the hyper focused cutting white to pair with your favorite fish. Lots of room to develop, but shows great length and is certainly a fabulous effort for Andremily's first white. It is texturally brilliant but also putting off a bunch of alcohol right now. Honestly, I find this more compelling than the reds.

9/2/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Slow' ox'd most of the day by our hostess for the event, DQ along with another G2 entry from Turtle Rock, for comparison purposes.

When I first picked up my glass, beautiful, sweet, rich berry fruit hit me in the face. I swirled and it was gone, replaced by other elements, some faint herbs, some florals, especially. This is dark fruit with good weight and oh so silky going down. Unbelievably so.....I was fortunate to have had the '16 Mourvèdre earlier this year with another CT'er JimAronson and it is quite remarkable how similar the mouthfeel is with both wines across 2 diff vintages. I'm not the biggest Rhone guy but these entries from the Paso region are changing that! Thanks for opening these, DQ!

3/31/2022 - #1Winelover Likes this wine:

I wish I could select "I love it" that's how great this is!

For 2019, Mike Smith made the wine and then Carter Cellars and Russell Bevan blended the wine, which worked out perfectly. I never could quite figure out why Carter Cellars wines were a little different -- and better -- from all of the other Mike Smith bottlings and now I know. The bending is a very important component! This is a full-bodied yet strained representation from Las Piedras.

This '19 Las Piedras wine actually reminded me of Bevan's 100 point 2018 Dr. Crane wine with some obvious differences between the vineyards as well. It's that solid. Dark purple with blue and black coloring. Very strong smell; however with a small decant, this is ready to go. Refrigerated overnight and even better on day 2. Velvety tannins, translucent in the glass, perfect balance of acidity. It has energy and just a touch of minerality -- this is one of those WOW and memorable wine moments!

It was great after drinking quite a few over priced and highly rated wines that I struggled to enjoy -- and finish. Very happy to report that I was able to re-stock my cellar as I doubt that I will be purchasing their 2020, which they are producing.

Zalto decanter and Made-In stemware

3/21/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

Impression after 24 hrs of slow ox in the bottle.

This wine is sultry at this stage of development. Blueberry cobbler on the nose, plush and silky on the palate. Smooth with a long wave of flavors that coat the tongue and last for what feels like 30 seconds. Loved it best at cellar temp with a slight chill. A little heat at room temp.

95+

3/20/2022 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

Had this blind next to the 19 Turtle Rock G2, 19 Andremily G2 and 19 Paul Lato Il Padrino. This was neck and neck with the Turtle Rock, but came in second. I kept going back and forth on which I liked better.

This is a spectacular rhone. It was the outlier in this tasting since it was not syrah dominant. Nose of violets, black cherries, underbrush and rose petals. Shows exceptional freshness, extreme depth and layering plus well integrated but firm tannins. Very fresh, taut and pure, it's got a bottomless pit of energy that doesn't quit as it moves to a super long finish. The longer this was open, the better it got. Certainly young right now, but wow, so much potential.

3/20/2022 - Cristal2000 Does not like this wine:

Goo, what a colossal mess of a wine. I had this blind with 19 Saxum G2, 19 Turtle Rock G2 and 19 Paul Lato Il Padrino and for all 6 of us it was dead last. As a matter of fact I poured out what was left in my glass. Super disappointed, as I have had much better experiences with other Andremily wines.

Basically this was a massive vanilla, oak and sugar bomb that got worse the longer it was open. No acidity, extremely heavy, tasted like the Caymus of rhones, but even worse. Not much more to say. Disappointed to say the least. Won't rate but it was essentially undrinkable.

3/10/2022 - csimm wrote:

If you’ve been on a quest for an awesomesauce inoculation of huckleberry Hubba Bubba mainlined into your flavor muzzle, the Turtle Rock G2 may very well be the Forever 27 yurple drank syzzurp that’ll check all your new-world Rhone magic juice boxes. Smoked brisket, camphor, and green and black peppercorns provide the fuse for the fruit cannon that hurtles blueberry, blackberry, olallieberry, elderberry, gooseberry…whateverberry… all in a texturally saturated and vibrant kaboom that straddles richness and oomph with a super stylish and suave mouthfeel. It’s a for-reals serious and also fiendingly foxy Black Swan kind of experience, with a glide that manages to sail along the palate while simultaneously dropping deep into the mid without pausing too long to trigger any sort of overly dense stall. This beauty of a bacon-stuffed Syrah pie ultimately culminates on the back end in a gripping band of fruit, charcuterie, and creosote.

The key to all of this really coming together in proper fashion lies especially in the finish: focused and off-dry so as to proportionally apply the perfectly weighted balance and direction to the final crescendo, but also with an energetic push of ripe fruit to keep the tail wagging for over a minute. The silky tannin management here is also at 1,000-thread-count, adding to the refinement of the profile and delivery.

If you think there is no Van Halen without David Lee Roth, no Robocop without Paul Verhoeven, no Murtaugh without Riggs, or no Thing 1 without Thing 2, then you’ll also find true that there can be no Syrah without the Turtle Rock G2. It is a must for anyone who is looking for Paso Rhone absolution juice, offering 007 sophistication with Mr. Rogers merriment.

Find your Pikachu happy place and crack the crown on this disco berryade now, or better yet, hold a few years and brace for a hundo numeric around 2025+. 98-100 points.

3/4/2022 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Decanted for five hours. Ever since Papa in 2003, I have experienced every vintage of the Syrah from Sine Qua Non at a very young age. With that stated, this is without a doubt my favorite yet. Absolutely empyrean, the balance and depth are legendary, with this extra fathom that just draws you in. Crushed velvet tannins that end with a grainy presence. Blueberries, barbecue pit, fresh red fruit medley, smoked bacon, Kona coffee, freesia and crushed granite. Full and so lithe, this has the ability to age exceptionally well. There are not enough superlatives. Perfection with an illustrious texture. Drink 2025 -.

2/15/2022 - GrapeCrusader Likes this wine:

Finally got a chance to crack open a bottle of Falstaff, which I've been buying for a few vintages now without ever tasting it. Boy, did this not disappoint. I gave the wine a good 2.5 hour decant. Very powerful nose of cassis, vanilla and berry pie. In the mouth, wow! Full of flavor and an extraordinarily beautiful texture. Very silky and well-balanced for this style of Napa wine. Well-integrated alcohol, tannins and acid. Such a well-made wine. Sugar covered berries, blueberry pie, cherry, dark raspberry, bay leaf and allspice. Lingering finish. Think I need to start buying at least two bottles of Falstaff every year. Very sad this was my only bottle of the 16'.

12/25/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Where is the ‘I love it’ button?
This was absolutely delicious and I think the G2 vineyard might be my all time Cali favorite. Intense pure fruit aromas, boysenberries jumpy from the glass. Plenty of meaty savory fruity layers of everything but also put together so elegantly and perfectly. Nicely integrated but tannins are young.
This is going to get soooooooo much better. Score is for now.

2/11/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Brought to the tasting tonight by HMC....5 hour slow ox then an hour decant. This is probably the WOTN, given the beautiful sweet candied nose. Lots of big red juicy fruit with great acidity driving it along. Tons of milk chocolate over 2-3 hours of air time. This has soft, silky fruit and a great finish driven by the aforementioned acidity. Thanks, Jimbo!

12/5/2021 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

My third bottling from the 2019 TR lineup and so far these guys are three for three.

The Maturin from James Berry Vineyard is what you'd expect after seeing the reviews. It pushes the boundary in almost every which way without becoming a HOT mess. Alcohol clocks in at 15.9 but manages to walk the line after being pulled over for driving on the shoulder. Of the three so far I think this one might benefit from consumption in a singular setting.

11/12/2021 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

There's mounting evidence that 2019 in Paso may have been its best year ever. I haven't tasted every vintage, but this is the best one I've had without any doubt.

I'll take the mystery out of it - this wine is killer. It's stunning in nearly every way. The nose is a heavenly compilation of blackberry, herbs, mint, chargrill and violets which made me do a double take. I am not used to Paso wines smelling this fantastic. Remarkably, the palate takes it to another level. In my experience some vintages are more fresh, taut and energetic. Others are more extracted, opulent and fruit driven. Well somehow this vintage of this wine has put that all together. There's huge depth and concentration, but it's seamless and fresh, with waves of flavor that don't stop coming. Great mixture of fruit and earthy character, with fine grained sweet tannin. It's like a bottomless pit of flavor, with suave texture and a finish that goes on for over 1 min. Wow, this is a fantastic wine!

12/25/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

I feel like something must be wrong with me because I just did not have the same experience with this wine that everyone is reporting. Two disclaimers: 1). I have really enjoyed earlier vintages of this wine 2). It isn’t COVID—I had it and the accompany loss of taste/smell in March and I promise this is not it

On opening, beautiful fruity and floral aromas. I tried a sip and it was big and fruity. Left it decanting at cellar temp for the next 6 hours. Maybe I missed it? Tried a few times in between and nothing remarkable. Tried again before dinner and it was a big nice fruity wine, but very primary —not the complexity and layers of depth that others described. My husband agreed. It was a very enjoyable wine, but not anything like what I would expect from an Elysian, or for the price point. I honestly preferred the ‘17 (please don’t be mean in the comments!)

It could be that we drank too much champagne on the 24th and my palate was shot. So tried again now on day two and it is admittedly better. Fruit and mineral on the nose, grippy tannins, ripe fruit, a tad of spice and a longish finish. But still not up to expectations. I have 3 more and a magnum and I will HOLD. 92 or if generous a 93 for whatever’s that’s worth. An excellent score from me but nothing like the other scores so far.

3/2/2021 - awineo Likes this wine:

Torrin continues to produce some of the best wines in CA.
This one is a grenache blend with a little mourvedra.
It is extremely well integrated with big fruit forward style.
I recommend you try some of Scott's wines if you get the chance.

12/17/2020 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine:

Three Months Till Saint Patrick's Day!

What does that have to do with the wine for this post? Except for the name of the winey, O’Shaughnessy, probably very little. I just happened to notice that St Paddy’s Day is exactly 3 months away and with a name like O’Shaughnessy, I couldn’t help put the two together. No presumption whether the proprietors, Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls & Paul Woolls, even have ties to Irish heritage, but for fun and the sake of this post, let’s say they do.

Having vineyards from Oakville, Howell Mountain, and Mount Veeder, and brought to life from the winery’s inception by Sean Capiaux, President and Winemaker for O’Shaughnessy, they produce outstanding Cabernets (predominantly, but with a mix of other varietals) as well as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. For this post, I’m focused on the

O’Shaughnessy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

A blend of fruit from the winery’s 3 vineyards (Mount Veeder - 56%, Howell Mountain - 29%, and Oakville - 15%), it is composed of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 5% Malbec, aged in French oak for 22 months, with 70% being new oak; being bottled unfined and unfiltered to help fully express the characteristics of the wine.

And oh what lovely characteristics they are; aromas of fragrant and juicy fruit with just a hint of oak. To change my M.O. on drinking better wines across days, while I usually Coravin the wine, being a much younger wine, I decided to open the bottle and after, pump and refrigerate the bottle for tasting the next day. It confirmed what I suspected, the first day I noticed a slight ting of astringency and acid. Flavors of dark black fruit and a hint of plum and cherry also residing; medium tannins added to the depth of the wine, eventually finishing with nice spice notes on a medium to long finish. The following day the wine expressed itself with a softer mouthfeel with rounder balanced fruit.

This wine does need time, either in your cellar or with plenty of decanting time before enjoying. Given those parameters, you will find this an excellent example of mountain fruit from Napa. Should you like even bigger examples, don’t forget their Single Vineyard wines from Mount Veeder and Howell Mountain. Had ‘em, love ‘em!

Cheers

12/5/2020 - EpochMD Likes this wine:

Consumed over 3 days - Broodier than previous iterations, dark berry, some earth on the back end of it, long dark finish with some tar. Really big and structured, tannins definitely there. Blueberry and black cherry. On day 3 this seems to get a bit into its groove from a fruit standpoint with darker berry coming in with good poise but tannins more prominent - I think this is a hint of an excellent wine to be. Not to be the dissenting vote, but I have not enjoyed this as much as previous releases (at least early on) - it has structure but lacks that feel of specialness that I think was present on previous vintages. The fruit is more subdued and lacks the punch. Still represents a relative bargain with Realm but not quite the QPR maven it used to be. This deserves a really long decant or a hold for a few years - sending the rest of mine to slumber for a bit. 92 now - I do see a big upside however, maybe 95-96 in a few years.

12/6/2020 - Badmonkey wrote:

Get together with some friends for some good wine and music - hired the band Sponge for an acoustic show. Ended-up popping two bottles. The first bottle was from a shipment a couple days ago and it came across a little light, somewhat disjointed, and a little tannic/acidic. I had a similar issue with my first bottle of the 2018 Becklyn napa cab that didn’t show real well a couple days after shipment. However, the second bottle of Scarlett that was laying down in the cellar for around a month showed quite well - similar thoughts as the last bottle around a week ago. Once again, enjoyable at this stage (92/93 for me) but I believe another 3 to 6 months should be beneficial to let it soften/open-up some more. Drank next to the 2014 vintage and I would give a slight nod to the 2014 vintage (better integrated and longer finish) but they were pretty close. 98% cab and 2% petit verdot.

11/26/2020 - T.O.Wineaux Likes this wine:

Wondering what to drink on a Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving I turned to one of my favorite producers...SAXUM. I just can't say enough good things about this vineyard. Owned and operated by Justin Smith SAXUM is one of the founding wineries of Paso Robles and, no doubt, one of the finest in California. No price increases in more than 5 years, making a great wine from grapes disqualified from SAXUM's more popular labels and selling to to his mailing list for a lousy $10 (other wineries sell these kitchen sink wines for far more), helping his competition flourish (Epoch, Torrin, and others), and making fabulous wine year in and year out. Just an absolute pleasure whenever I open a bottle!

The 2014 James Berry Vineyard (JBV for short - maybe it should mean Justin' s Bountiful Vineyard) is a monster of a wine. This balanced GSM blend posses a highly perfumed aroma of dark berries and a bit of spice on the nose. The dark berry and mineral flavors glide across your palate with the seamless harmony of a Vienna symphony playing Beethoven's 5th! The finish sails on and on leaving you wanting for more. It's really tough staying away from my last bottle of the 2014 but I'll give it a couple more years to see if it can get even better. The 2014 JBV is truly a testament to the the great winemaking going on at SAXUM.

11/22/2020 - Yack Man Likes this wine:

This wine is on a good path to improvement when compared to the last bottle that I popped. The color is an intense dark ruby red garnet with a slightly purple blue effect. Palate wise, still youthful with energy that's a work in progress, gaining traction. The barrel sample was excellent and I'm certain that the path to improvement will continue. Dark cherry and berry fruits, black currants, some tobacco with some tannins. Bottle time should make this vintage a thing of beauty. 92+93 Points.

11/13/2020 - msuwine wrote:

This rich and powerful Cabernet obviously needs more time, and I clearly shouldn't have opened it... but... sometimes (though not usually) fortune favors the impatient. This is a mouthful of a wine, an onslaught of fruit, tannin, and acidity that is as subtle as a firehose. For those seeking something settled, integrated, and polite, look elsewhere, at least for now. This wine bursts with plushness, energy, and precision, in what I’m starting to think is a fantastic vintage (or at least one that drinks well early), and it should be remarkable in a few years.

Dark red in color, full in body, explosive aromas of chocolate covered cherry, espresso bean, graphite, and crushed rock. Surprisingly plush flavors of blueberry pie, worn leather, cocoa beans, and dried oregano. The finish starts out prickly and dry, but it gains a silky sweetness with air that makes it go down (oh so) smoothly. 14.6% alcohol. Clone 337. Decant three hours if drinking now, but a rational consumer would wait until 2022 or later.

Then again, a rational consumer didn’t open this wine tonight; instead, you’ve got me! Full disclosure, aside from being curious (and impatient), I appreciate young wine, not just for its potential but also for its raw exuberance, lightning in a bottle, all that. After tasting the 2012 RBS tonight as well, I trust the 2018 will shed its baby fat and eventually show more BTK elegance. Until then, though, this wine has a loud combination of density, complexity, and power that make it quite appealing, at least to me. 95 at the moment, with upside as the years go on.

11/9/2020 - msuwine wrote:

This ripe and explosive Cabernet blend offers incredible power, complexity, and energy, so much so that it's hard to assess right now. Still, the sheer exuberance of this wine reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about California: as author Carey McWilliams wrote in 1949, “Europeans have long marveled at the driving force, the ‘restless energy,’ of America; but it is only in California that this energy is coeval with statehood…. In California the lights went on all at once, in a blaze, and they have never dimmed.”

This is such a wine, with lights blazing all at once. Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers raw aromas of blueberry pie, black licorice, pencil shavings, and bay leaf. The flavors are more dense and savory, with notes of boysenberry, gravel, espresso, and baking spices, followed by a grainy and layered finish (read: teeth-coating tannins + explosive fruit + underlying acidity = all good, for a wine this young). Blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 4% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. 14.9% alcohol. Decant at least an hour if drinking now, but ideally wait until 2022 or later. 94-95 at the moment, but there's so much upside ahead.

10/27/2020 - T.O.Wineaux Likes this wine:

What a great value the Dehlinger Goldridge is....I think I paid around 40 bucks for this wine and it's just terrific with strawberry and cherry notes on the front end and a good bit of acidity. Finishes strong but light on its feet...This baby is ready to drink now but could hold for anther 5 years or so in my opinion!

Too bad this is my last bottle!!!

10/31/2020 - ffzhang Likes this wine:

Popped open the first of my six bottles. The aromas on this are amazing - lots of complex floral and herbal notes. The wine definitely needs time (as does most 2018s) since the alcohol seemed to be slightly protruding, especially as the wine sat in the decanter. It wasn’t unpleasant per se, but definitely more noticeable than I would prefer. The palate displayed exuberant minerality, classic of Dr Crane with immense structure and depth. Concentrated blue and black fruit intermingled with cocoa, cassis, earth and tobacco. Nice weight with well-integrated tannins and extended finish. 96+ for now.

10/27/2020 - cablover123 Likes this wine:

Ok...for those of you who do not like the 2017's...pm me as I will gladly accept your donations before you pour them down the drain. :)

PNP Showed best after two hours. Typical Carter nose of dark berries and tobacco. CSIMM stated it well very early..Blackberries and asphalt. Long delicious finish. Yack has pointed out that the 2017 Carter is underrated....I agree. I still believe that this will come around even more in the next 2-3 years. I still cannot believe that I opened this mid-week. It is a special wine.

8/15/2020 - cablover123 Likes this wine:

Decanted for two hours. Was best after an additional 1+ hours. There was still some heat on the edge. Beautiful deep and dark ruby in color. Nose of dark berries and a touch of tobacco. Dark cherries and spice. The finish is a bit thin and clipped. I really like TOR wines, but, the 2017 Vine Hill currently does not live up to the QPR. I will be interested to see how this comes together in the coming years. Tor is high on his 2018 Vine Hill.

10/27/2020 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

Well, this wine left no doubt who's king of the hill at Myriad. As good as the regular Crane is, this is on another level of texture, concentration and depth of flavor. I had it next to the 18 Empyrean and my only advice is - don't do that. The Empyrean was good, but totally overshadowed.

We had this PnP, and it took about 30 min to really come into its own. The reason we didn't decant is every 18 wine from Mike I've had so far starts to shut down after about 2 hours of air.

Starts with a gorgeous nose of violets, creme de cassis, fragrant earth and crushed rock. Wonderfully full bodied and deeply concentrated, this edition is chock full of decadence & minerality while layered to perfection. The tannins are super integrated and fine grained, and the purity is amazing. What I love about the 18 is the structure and spine of the wine keeps it from going over the edge on extraction, and should provide a longer life than many recent vintages. The finish is very long and fresh. Will be extremely interesting to see if this or 16 turns out the be the better wine. I am leaning toward this one. 99+

2/7/2018 - mflesh wrote:

This has to be one of the worst QPR wines I've ever had. But, I am rating the WINE here. Poured from Coravin and let sit for about an hour. I will tell you that I was excited initially, as the nose of this wine overpowered the grass fed beef burgers that were just cooked about 2 feet away from where the wine was being poured. DENSE blackberry and vanilla rolling out of the glass. The entry of this wine is silky, but also has that gritty Napa youthfulness. POWER. Fruit forward monster, ripe blackberry, graphite, mineral and spice rich middle with cherry blossom and finish with a very deep, dark core of blackberry, black pepper spice. The finish is where chocolate covered blackberries and minty notes come out, but the wine was still rather tannic. I blind tasted my wife on this one who guessed that it was a '13 William Harrison cab (vineyard is only 2 miles away as the crow flies, although Hall's is elevated 750 feet).

1/22/2017 - csimm wrote:

Pott Pickup Party (Pott Residence): I'd love to pretend that I found this wine to be merely agreeable and well crafted, but straight from a PnP, I found this wine to be utterly amazing. From the first sip, I was sold. This had a richness and viscosity that blasted across the palate. The only thing it lacked was just a tad less focus than, for example, the 2013 Kaliholmanok or 2012 Incubo. But its intensity and enveloping mouthfeel were just superb.

As AGEVERETT mentioned, the length is not "thunderous," but instead a lingering richness that never crossed the line into heavy or muddled. On the first sip, the blackberry, dark chocolate, and dark raspberry and black cherry liqueur flavors grabbed everyone's attention. It had a noteworthy spine that perfectly encompassed the core fruit. A wine that kept me coming back for more.

I'm sure it didn't hurt that I was chowing down on truffle salami, aged gouda, and a lovely pate to pair with this wine (full disclosure), but even as a stand-alone, this wine was near-perfect for me.

96-98+ points. Drink now or hold with confidence for a few years to see what some time on bottle brings out in this wine. It was very giving now even as a PnP.

9/11/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2013 Mostly cabs but some other stuff too (GHT): My first time trying this wine. It was my favorite of the flight and still my favorite of this flight going back later in the evening once it had opened. I believe this is made by TRB. The nose has cassis, cherries, roasted sage and tobacco. With air the sage is gone but a leather note comes out. On the palate, this is ripe but deep. Great texture. No idea where the wine comes from, but while ripe it is not opulent and the depth suggests mountain fruit to me. There are some tannins, but this is pretty accessible now. No hurry of course, but with some air, no harm. This bottle was open at 10AM and allowed to breathe.

5/11/2016 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Oh, what a wine! This has got to be the value wine of the Hall stable. The '11 was great, and so is this! Bloody, opaque black ruby stains the glass with big red rivulets. Rich, dark, cocoa-scented fruit leaps out of the glass. But that is only a prelude to what awaits on the palate: a rich, deep, full, complex flavor profile that is equal parts unctuous fruit, tannin, acid, and grip. Drinkable for its sheer power and exuberance now, it will surely get even better as the tannin melts away. That said, this is a thrill to drink right now. The flavors are thick, bold, classy and rich. Chocolate addicts, beware! Clearly a California classic, it might put off Francophiles looking for more nuance, but I (as an avowed Francophile) still love it. This hits all the right notes for me. Gonna get more of this! 2013 is THE year for cab in Cal! 5-13-18-9: 95/100.

7/12/2016 - HappyWineGuy Likes this wine:

Once again these wines have confused me. They were absolutely AWESOME in barrel but this is the 2nd bottle I've opened that was ordinary. It was a pop and pour and that may be the issue but I shared this with 4 others in the industry and they were not impressed.

3/16/2016 - csimm wrote:

PnP with notes of red and purple berry fruit, red and black currant, cocoa powder, and chalk. Not filling in much on the mid-palate and a bit of a bite on the finish. Into the decanter it went.

With some air, it rounded out a little. Maintained its more red fruit profile, with currant, dark dried cranberry, and cedar flavors. Fattened up a tad on the palate, but fell off on the back end. Complexity wasn't there, nor was any energetic "oomph."

Not a bad wine, but certainly nothing like the other Cliff Lede reds. This was good, but it tasted like the proverbial "standard" cabernet; like something I could get at BevMo.

This was what I would consider a "throw away bottle" as part of the recent wine club shipment from Cliff Lede (maybe they had an extra 100 cases of this wine and decided to throw a bottle of it in every allocation to off-load their inventory); I'm not a fan of moves like that.

In any event, if you have one, drink it over the next few years. It is medium-bodied and would pair ok with a pork loin or hamburger. If you don't have one, I say don't bother unless you find it on the secondary market for under $40.

90 points max.

12/22/2015 - Pcrage wrote:

First let me say that I am a big fan of Insignia and have a case vertical from 1997 though 2012. It is one of my favorite California blends and I always look forward to a special occasion to open this fine wine...except in the case of the 2011.

It pains me to say this but the 2011 is a real disappointment. Tasted out of bottle upon decant and it gave little indication of anything exciting. Aired for over an hour and then drank one glass (that's all I could take) over the next hour. Restrained nose, a bit of fruit up front then flat mid palate and nothing but a watery descent on the finish. This saddened me.

I realize this is a young wine but it has limited depth and tannin let alone fruit right now to hope for anything better.

I have had no less than 60 bottles of insignia over the years and this was a major bummer.

11/20/2014 - pauljr1121 Likes this wine:

Enjoyed at Favia private tasting. Very nuanced with beautiful notes of red fruit, mint and great minerality. The minerality often found in many Oakville wines really comes to life. Tannins were in good balance. One of the best 2011s I have had. The vegetal characteristics found in many of the 2011s are not present here.

11/10/2013 - wendyinwlv Likes this wine:

Probably the best cab. I've ever had! Rich and full bodied (it made another very good cab. we were also drinking taste like mud). Pure clean cab. flavors with multiple layers. After swallowing, even more flavors! The ONLY fault I can mention is that there is a slight (and I do mean slight) bit of tannin which will probably mellow out over time. Makes me wish I could afford to buy more!

2/7/2014 - T.O.Wineaux Likes this wine:

PnP and it was delicious. Bright red and black fruits on the nose with a smooth, lingering texture and mouthfeel. Looooooong finish leaving you wanting for more.

These are special wines from Shafer and should be enjoyed at multiple stages of their lifetime. Given the quality and breadth of their lineup Shafer should be in the discussion as one of the top producers in California if not the world!

2/7/2014 - T.O.Wineaux Does not like this wine:

An astringent and disjointed wine with very limited flavor and no texture or finish. Not sure what happened as everything else I've tasted from Keplinger has been very good to excellent.
While I realize 2011 was a challenging year if the product doesn't meet the winemakers standards why release it to your loyal customers? It makes me question the commitment of Keplinger to provide world class wine...