3/5/2024 - blarmston Likes this wine:

This is a solid wine, and this bottle showed much better than the one I drank 4 years ago.

It is fruit forward (and the dark black fruits are delicious), but there was a building mid palate and structure this time around that suggests that this simply needed a bit more time to develop in bottle.

Not a fruit bomb at all, with enough structure to keep me wanting to go back for another glass (I would have, but the wifey was eyeballing me to ensure I didn't take down the whole bottle. So... left a glass or two for tonight).

Would buy again if found at a decent price...

1/30/2024 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Still very primary at this point, but if you enjoy riper fruit (without being bombastic and in your face), then this wine is for you.

I would suggest giving this vintage a couple more years to develop a bit more complexity, but with an hour decant she is ready to go.

94 now with upside. Could be their best vintage yet (although I do love the '14 and '16 as well).

1/21/2024 - blarmston Likes this wine:

69? 70?

Not sure what rating scale the others below are using, but this is a solid bottle of champagne. Is it Salon or Selosse? No. But this is not a 2 star sparkling.

If you enjoy the house style of Bille, and like the caramel, vanilla notes that are subtle but present due to the ageing in oak barrels, then take this bottling for a spin.

While some may look down upon the non traditional nature of this wine, I'm a fan, and disparate opinions are what makes a market, right?

1/18/2024 - blarmston Likes this wine:

a nice wine. For sure on the lighter side as others have remarked. Reminded me of a CDP or Grenache.

Not my typical style of wine but nice to switch it up.

I wont be running out to buy more of this, but also wouldn't hesitate to purchase if I saw anything on auction at a good price point.

12/30/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Birthday wine, brought to Paradisea in La Jolla.

Decanted for an hour, back in bottle for 2 hours, decanted again at table. She was singing from the first sip, and still going strong at the last one.

For my palate, this is IT. Absolutely love this wine.

This has the stuffing to improve over the next several years so no rush to pop the corks.

98 with upside.

12/27/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

nice wine, and I agree with the TN below- she needs time in the cellar, but in a few years, it will be an amazing QPR wine.

12/21/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

got a six pack of this on K&L auction for a steal.

Decanted for 90 minutes before taking to Steak 48 in Del Mar.

This wine is clicking on all cylinders at this point. Full mouthfeel, deep dark fruit, resolved tannins, yet still backs a bit of punch with the 20% inclusion of Petite Syrah.

She will cruise in the cellar so no rush to start frantically popping corks, but its so good now with a bit of air, so why wait? Easy 95, could tick higher in the near future.

Drank alongside a 2013 Hundred Acre Ark, and while that bested the Kata, it wasnt 4X better. So for QPR purposes, Kata > HA

I LOVE this wine.

12/8/2023 - blarmston wrote:

Not a TN but a question to all of you who know this wine much better than I do.

I'm taking this to a French dinner this evening, and was wondering about decant time?

Some more recent TN's suggest 2 hours, others much longer. There aren't too many recent notes so thats why I'm here.

Any suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated, cheers...

11/2/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Rating is as of today, with a two hour decant.

Time to dust off my old cheesy analogy (or is it metaphor? I always confuse the two)- drinking this now is like driving a Ferrari stuck in first gear.

Everything here is typical Greer Goodness, but she needs time, like 5+ years time. Should be a high 90's bottling with some slumber time.

9/19/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Decided to pop the cork on one of these last evening, and while it showed very well, its best years are ahead of it.

If opening now, please decant for several hours (4+), as the last sips were the best. Classic Oakville flavor profile and that Sam Kaplan magic.

IMHO, this should be forgotten about for at least 3+ years.

96-97 now with upside.

7/20/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Year in, year out, this wine never fails to deliver the goodies.

Decanted for 2 hours before first glass. Initially dark purple in hue, and over the course of the evening began to exhibit more reddish fruit colors.

Perfectly balanced, integrated tannins, and of course that wonderful Maybach fruit.

Best sips were the last sips, so if you are opening one now I would recommend a long decant (3+ hours).

Fantastic bottle of juice, glad I have a couple more...

6/22/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Decided to pull my second bottle of this from the cellar after reading MSU's review of his experience recently.

This did seem to show less favorably since my first try a couple years ago.

Decanted for an hour, and at first taste it did seem a bit one dimensional with fruit leading and fruit finishing. Over the next two hours the wine did seem to develop a bit further, with tannins present but in no way over powering. Deep purple in glass, with black and blue fruit shining through.

I would say that the bottle left me a bit disappointed, as I thoroughly loved the first one. I would encourage those with multiple bottles to pop the cork and take it for a spin. Personally, I have one left and will be drinking it within the next year or so. This is not, IMO, a wine that will cruise for the next decade like so many other 2016's out there.

6/18/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Delicious now with a 90 minute decant, and will be much more delicious in a couple years.

I decided to pop the cork on one of these last evening, and it did not disappoint.

Made by Sam Kaplan of Memento Mori, MAXEM, Arkenstone, etc fame, and sourced from a couple top tier sites in Napa (To Kalon apparently one of them, and I for sure detected some Oakville goodness in this wine).

Dark purple in glass, nice acidity and not really any noticeable tannin.

Paired well with a wagyu NY strip.

Per Hayes and Sam from the winery, they think in 3 years or so this will be singing, and I cant disagree with them.

A VERY solid effort for their first vintage release, and from what Hayes was saying about their upcoming 2021's- do not miss them.

5/29/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Thought I grabbed a bottle of the Black Label from storage and when I got home it was, well, too late. All good, gave this a 2 hour decant and dove right in.

Such a well made wine that still has plenty of gas in the tank to go for years. Like others have noted, a more 'restrained' style of The Doctah, and for my palate its perfect.

Had a bit of remorse for popping the cork on my last one, but it is what it is. Saved 1.5 glasses for tonight and will report back with any further thoughts.

Paired well with a wagyu NY strip, scalloped potatoes and spanakopita. I know, the last one is an outlier, but the little lady was out of town and thats all that was in the fridge. Gotta get my greens in, right?

4/27/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Went to a Memento Mori/MAXEM dinner last evening at Bourbon Steak at Monarch Beach in Dana Point. 5 course wine paired dinner, great time. Hayes from MM and Sam Kaplan were there.

This was served with the first course of Spanish Octopus Carpaccio.

I normally NEVER drink Chardonnay, and more rarely do I actually like the varietal, but wow this was really good.

As Sam described, its the anti- Napa butter bomb, and made more in the white burgundian style. Very crisp with nice acidity and amazing fruit from the UV Vineyard in Sonoma. Apparently its a Grand Cru type site, and great to hear again the story of how we got his first allocation to the fruit.

I walked away with a purchase of 6 bottles, and cant wait to pop the corks this summer over some fish dishes. I cant remember if he said that this vintage had already been released, but my reco is to pounce on it if the email hasnt arrived.

4/25/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Two hour decant and she was ready to go.

Nicely balanced, fine tannins, an overall pleasure to drink.

I think this wine is fully in its drinking window, so if you've been waiting for the right time to pop a cork, make it happen because I dont think there is much benefit for further improvement from ageing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I really do love the 2014 vintage in Napa...

4/24/2023 - blarmston wrote:

This is a fantastic, next level type of wine.

Even though this is 8 years old, it will cruise in the cellar so no rush to drink up (even though the 2015 to me is an earlier drinking vintage).

Decanted for 2 hours before first sips, and continued to improve a bit as the evening wore on.

Having had many M'Etain's over the years, this was my first bottle of the Big Boy. Like others have notes, this carries a certain weightlessness to it that I kept thinking about. The purity of the fruit was evident, and nicely balanced.

The one thing I kept coming back to was the QPR on this. Was this 2.5X better than its baby brother? I'm not so sure, as a couple vintages of the Tin Man, in a blind tasting, could have come awfully close to this bottling.

In any event this is a wine to be celebrated as being among the best that Napa has to offer up.

4/4/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Decided to open this last night while watching my beloved UConn Huskies cut down the nets for the FIFTH time in the last 24 years. Try and name another program with those stats- you cant.

Wanted to sip on something special and this delivered (just like Adama Sanogo dropping another double double, game in game out).

This will be another classic Sam The Man creation down the road, but as you may expect she's not ready for primetime (unlike the fellas from Storrs who beat teams during the Madness by an average of 20 points).

Decanted for two hours before diving in, and the last sips were the best (but to be honest, my vision was a bit "blurry" by that point).

A sommelier buddy was over and his comment of "this is Napa Valley in the best way" pretty much summed it up.

So now, I will let my other three bottles marinate for the next 5+ years, or maybe I say fuck it and pop another one next year when the Huskies are back in Phoenix trying to climb that ladder again...

U C O N N UCONN UCONN UCONN!!!!!

3/12/2023 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Brought to La Bonne Table, the best French spot in all of San Diego.

Decanted for two hours at home, drank over next two.

I am PLEASANTLY surprised by this, as going in I wasn't expecting to be wowed due to vintage concerns.

Typical MM deliciousness with dark fruits, inviting nose, medium mid, and a decent not but great finish. Maybe the latter is due to its infancy, or due to the weather in 2020, but I do think it will lengthen out with a couple years under its belt.

And for those wondering- I did not detect any smoke issues on this night. Jury is still out of course on how this vintage could evolve (devolve?), but I for one will drink these over the next couple years. Maybe hang onto one bottle to keep the vertical going.

94 now but do see this ticking up a bit...

This paired nicely with steak frites, potato au gratin, and some good 'ol french onion soup.

Anyone local who hasnt been to this place needs to get on it, cheers...

2/9/2023 - blarmston wrote:

I'll circle back tomorrow morning with a TN, but for now a PSA- I just decanted this and there was a TON of sediment.

The most of any bottle that I can remember of late, so make sure you take that into account when popping the cork, cause this one left some dirt.

1/9/2023 - blarmston wrote:

Decided to check in one of my 750's to see where this has progressed since my last taste back in August '21.

Two hour decant before first sip. The nose is incredible on this, dark fruits, a bit of spice mocha. Full bodied with a lingering finish.

I think the drinking window has juuuust begun on this one, so no rush to pop the cork.

Next one in 2-3 years (if I can wait that long)

11/23/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

With a three hour decant, this was singing.

Benoit strikes again.

Easy 96-97 now with upside.

Mental note- stop sleeping on this bottling and just focusing on the SVD's in their portfolio- for the price point, this wine delivers...

10/29/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Whoa, such a good wine and only going to get better with time in the cellar.

Decanted for two hours and each sip was more delicious than the previous one. So glad I have many more of these, and I would guess that my Maggie could potentially be a 30 year wine...

LPB's TN below perfectly summarizes the notes in this one...

96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras explodes with vibrant scents of blackcurrant preserves, wild blueberries, candied violets and Indian spices, plus wafts of potpourri and tobacco leaf. The full-bodied palate is packed with rich, perfumed black fruit preserves flavors, framed by firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a whole array of mineral and exotic spice sparks. (LPB) 96+ " (11/2021)

10/22/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Drank from magnum, brought to dinner party.

Decanted for three hours before back in the Big Boy, between 6 of us actively drinking it, lasted about an hour.

Smooooooth, velvety with dark black and blue berries, some baking spice, a bit of mocha.

Paired really well with the chef's main entrée of Snake river Farms wagyu filet, and also with the lobster wontons (that was a surprise).

This was the wine hit of the evening, besting a 2016 Heitz Martha's Vineyard and a 2010 Opus.

I had kinda forgotten about Sodhani (I think this was my last bottle from them), but that bottle, coupled with the perfect timing of their 2019 release email that I saw this morning, and I'm back baby. Order in, AMEX hurting.

If you aren't familiar, its North Western Saint Helena fruit, valley floor but the estate pushes up against the base of the Mayacamas, Thomas Rivers Brown at the helm, and really nice people, Beverly and Arvind Sodhani.

96-97 now and in its drinking window.

10/17/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

This is a solid wine, especially for the price point.

Nice to see Las P at less than 2 bills a bottle.

Decanted for 4 hours while vegging on the couch watching highlights of Gang Green stomping all over the Pack at Lambeau, and the Jills vs Chiefs.

There is no rush on opening bottles of this as she will cruise for years in the cellar.

94-95 now with a bit of upside.

Well done Mike Smith, well done...

10/10/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Popped the cork on this last evening to anticipate celebrating the Mets winning the NLWC round, then on to LA to continue our way to a ticker tape parade...

WELP...

The wine was very good, but still years away from hitting its peak. Other TN's have done a good job with the descriptors so I wont add on there.

If you cant resist trying a bottle, give it a least an hour of air, but patience (think 3+ years) will be rewarding on this one.

LFGM

9/8/2022 - blarmston wrote:

This is not ready for primetime.

Decanted for two hours before sip. Immediately regretted opening this versus a 206 Brion Caldwell that was also in contention.

VERY fruit forward with not much else going on. Quality of fruit is there for sure, but this lacked any tension, balance, and tannins. Just not what I was expecting from a 2019.

As the evening wore on, it did improve a bit and begin to "fill out", but imo this needs several years to integrate and shed some baby fat.

91-92 now, and I can see potential improvement with some slumber in the cellar...

9/5/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

This is going to be a great wine- in several years.

Scott B from Realm had told me a couple weeks ago to forget about this bottling for at least 3+ years, but when I opened my wine fridge and saw this staring back at me, I couldnt resist.

Decanted starting around 2:30pm, then off to the beach to beat the 90+ heat here in San Diego. First sips around 6pm, followed over next 2.5 hours or so. Last sips were the best, suggesting this wine is like a blue chip prospect in Double A that just needs some developmental time to get ready for primetime under the big lights at Citi Field.

Dark black fruits, full bodied, and overall nice balance to it. The blend is 90% Cab Sauv with the rest Petite Syrah.

I have always loved this wine when Benoit made it under the Kata label. Bummed that I sacrificed my only bottle of this (my Kata allocation was MUCH larger than it is now at R), but life's short so whatevs.

For those who have several, give it a long decant and it begins to show its promise, but patience will be rewarded for sure with this one.

94-95 now with clear upside...

8/16/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Whoa, this is continuing to evolve.

Tasted this twice now, once in Feb '21 w/ Leah in Napa, and again in March '21. Decided to pop the cork on another bottle last night because I couldnt resist the temptation.

Decanted for 2 hours before first sip, and this continued to improve over the next three hours or so. Dark fruits, intense purity, nice balance and an overall pleasurable wine.

Paired this with Greek keftedes meatballs and spanakopita to get into the spirit for my upcoming trip to the Aegean (YES!), and while nice, this wine would've been amazing with a tasty NY strip.

If you have several I wouldn't hesitate to open one now with a 3+ hour decant, but this wine will cruise for the next 3-5 years, improving along the way imo.

Mike Smith nailed this wine. 96-97 now with upside...

8/2/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Opened a 375 of this last night, gave it about 2 hours of decant time.

I didn't sneak a sip upon opening, so not sure how much it evolved in those 120 minutes, but this seems to me to be in a bit of a shut down phase.

The nose never really showed up, and overall the flavor profile seemed a bit muted. Either Covid decided to make another appearance or this has decided to go for a little nap, I'll go with the latter.

I was going to open a '18 Amoenus tonight to celebrate The Return of DeGOAT to a MLB mound (THANK GOD, HE'S BACK!), but I will hold off.

7/21/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Brought to Rare Society in San Diego to share with a valued client.

Decanted at home for an hour before dinner, decanted again for about 45 minutes before first sip. A bit tight at first, but opened up throughout the evening.

Typically MM freshness, purity of fruit and overall seamless balance. Dark fruited, some plum and blackberry. I trued to identify some vineyard specific notes, detecting at times the Crane and Las Piedras. The Weitz, OR and VHR never really popped their heads out, but I trust that as this wine integrates over the next several years, all sites will display their goodness in time.

At this point in time, I will give a 94.5 but with some slumber I can see this easily pushing up towards the top of the charts.

Another great vintage from Sam Kaplan- the dude keeps on churning out hits...

7/18/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

What a nice wine, especially for the entry fee.

This being the Napa, its a mix of estate and if I recall, Coombsville fruit (Caldwell vineyard?). The Napa is an "earlier" drinker as the Howell Mountain designate typically needs more slumber time.

With about three hours in the decanter, this wine shines. Not a sharp edge to be found, nice youthfulness and some lingering tannins that add to the appeal.

To be candid, I have stopped buying Dunn in recent years, probably because I was drinking them waaay to early, but this vintage is just now entering the sweet spot.

Of this bottling alone, I will be reaching out to them to grab some more (and perhaps give the 16 and 18 a place in the collection).

94 with a bit of upside. Still has 5-10 years of great drinking ahead of it.

6/21/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

A nice wine, but I think its firmly in its window and should be drank in the next couple years. This wont be a 10+ year wine that's for sure.

Nice purity of primarily red fruits, but not much on the back end which suggests to me that its slowly losing its will to live.

Maybe its BT's style (to be drunk early), or perhaps the ripeness of the vintage, but I'm at peace with the fact that this was my last bottle.

Decanted for 2 hours, drank over following 2.

6/14/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Decided to open this to help numb the pain of a down 3.9% S&P day, and The Tin Man delivered some much needed reprieve. It didn't help that I was glancing at the Asian markets imploding on Bloomberg, but that's another thing.

This seems to be coming into its own, and is reminiscent of its older siblings. Red fruited, nicely balanced, some dust.

While a very nice effort, it hits a bit below its average of $250 as an entry fee. Loved M'Etain when it was a $175, not as much with the price increase.

Decanted for two hours, had half a bottle over the next two. Last sips were the best. Will report back tonight if there is a marked change.

Glad I have four more of these to follow over the next decade or so...

6/7/2022 - blarmston wrote:

this is not a TN, but just saw on Instagram that they are now making a SVD from the Cemetery site in Saint Helena, next to Las Piedras.

I for one am fired up because I loved the wine that Caterwaul and TRB were making from there.

They will apparently have 5 bottlings this year (the Estate, Cemetery, a site in Coombsville, To Kalon, and also the blend, Movement).

Good for me but horrible for my AMEX...

5/22/2022 - blarmston wrote:

Agree 100% with #1.

This is a solid wine, but it didn’t meet my expectations on this evening. I have had the 13, 14, and 16 at relatively early stages, and those wines showed much better than this iteration.

Based on AG and Jeb’s notes, I knew I was opening this early per their suggested drinking window, but I couldn’t help myself. Still riding high off City’s 4th Prem title in 5 years (suck it Reds fans 😉), I took a flyer on this.

Decanted for four hours before the first sip and it was very fruit forward, primary, and didn’t exhibit much of that tannic, mineral component and chalkiness that makes this vineyard a Top 5 for me.

As the evening wore on, those familiar notes began to emerge. It eventually did show the promise of greatness (kinda like when Erling Haaland and the Blues take 110 points next year, win the Quad, and hoist the Champions League trophy).

I will save my next bottle of this for say 2025- by then my boys from Manchester will be 5x defending PL champs and 3x CL
Winners. Hey, it’s gonna happen 😎.

94 now with extended air time, 96++ with slumber…

5/20/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Opened this wine for the first time last night.

First vintage for this blend, with CS, CF and some Malbec. I cannot confirm for sure, but I believe this is all fruit sourced from Coombsville.

Decanted for two hours and it needed several more. First sips were full of drying tannins, with dark fruits and a medium/lite mid palate. As the evening wore on, this wine developed some more fullness, with the tannin bite fading away. Last sips were the best. Saved about two glasses for tonight so I will report back in if there is a noticeable change.

Give this wine several years of slumber and I think the 93 score today will improve a couple ticks.

For those looking for an entrée into Rewa's wines, this would be a great place to start.

Celia Welch is winemaker.

5/19/2022 - blarmston wrote:

Not a TN but a question about the new release email today.

Looks like they are releasing a Block B and Block D bottling?

Does anyone have experience tasting these site within the site specific wines?

I have a three pack of the '18 Estate and am wondering whether there is a noticeable difference between the three wines.

CellarTrackers, round up!

4/28/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Super young with a two hour decant, but with a couple additional hours of air this wine started to really flex.

Dark fruits, nice structure and incredibly refined tannins at this early stage, this wine will benefit from a couple years in the cellar.

For those who may not now, Fe is a relatively new project up on Spring Mountain (an AVA that admittedly I haven't really explored as much as I probably should). This is the second wine, a BDX blend, and made by Aaron Pott of Greer, Seven Stones, Pott, etc fame).

93-94 now with a lengthy decant (4+ hours), but there is def upside with some age.

Worth seeking out at a buck twenty five per...

4/11/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

This is a very good wine, with upside potential in a couple years for sure.

MSU and MJP really nail the flavor profile and some individual notes, so I wont try and expand on that.

You can tell its a well made wine, with quality fruit that is built to be a relative early drinker compared to the flagship VHR bottling.

The QPR on this is solid as well.

I was trying to be good with my new wine purchases, but I had to go back in for another three pack.

94 moving towards 95-96 with some ZZZ's in the cellar.

Bravo Francoise, Bruce and Heather...

3/31/2022 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Decided to sacrifice one of these, all in the name of "due diligence". And to see if I wanted to buy some more before it disappears from my local wine store. I do.

Decanted for two hours and the best sips were the last. Typical Pertimali flavor profile that just needs more nap time.

This producer consistently delivers the goods, year in and year out, and I think many moons from now it could come close to rivaling the epic 2010. It wont, because that bottling is the best BdM that I have ever tasted, but it may get into the same ballpark.

Be confident in opening one today with some decant time, or lay down and enjoy down the road.

95 now with upside.

Paired nicely with lasagna bolognese.

1/11/2022 - blarmston wrote:

This isn't a TN, but I just got the Save The Date Email.

Does anyone know the price point for these wines?

Given its made by Nigel, I am thinking $225++, but was curious because I'm trying to budget out some big upcoming wine purchases.

Thanks in advance...

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: Agree with MJP's note from a couple weeks ago.

This is a great wine and will cruise in the cellar.

First time having this particular wine from A&B, and consider me a fan.

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: Agree 100% with Cristal's TN. I cant improve upon it, so I will save the ink with trying to.

This wine is right up there with a couple others for WOTW (weekend).

When this releases in early 2022, grab it while you can.

98 with upside.

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: of the wines we tasted, this was surprisingly my least favorite. Perhaps because the others were more ready to rock, and this wine clearly needs extended ZZZ's?

A well made wine, and I can see very high scores in its future.

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: Similar notes to a couple weeks ago.

This was barely bested by the Las Piedras that was chilling next to it.

Of the two Sleeping Lady wines that I tasted this weekend (the other a 2018 Brion SL), this was the winner for me. It would have been nice to taste similar vintages to remove the variability of the growing seasons, but it is what it is.

97 with upside of a couple points.

BT is doing big things with his FM label, and the news of them adding additional vineyards for the 2021 vintage got me fired up.

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: Run, don't walk, to secure your allocation of this.

Arguably the finest FM Las P to date. My buddy and I kept remarking at how well made this wine was. Everything is there, in spades.

98 for now, with upside in 3-5 years.

If you like/love Benoit's wines, and you like/love the Las Piedras vineyard, then this wine is for you.

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: Similar experience to a couple weeks ago.

Just seems a bit more muted, especially compared to the other offerings in the FM lineup. Not a bad wine at all, actually quite good, but I preferred the others on this day (and probably would every day)

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: JCampano nails the notes for this wine.

An amazing wine- full bodied but never overly blown out. Purity of fruit is off the charts. With a three hour decant this thing is singing in the rain, and it has the acidity and structure to continue cruising for the next decade+.

The only thing holding this back was that it was matched up against a 2018 MacDonald during dinner. That being said, this HA more than held its own...

11/28/2021 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Napa Last Weekend: Easily the best wine that I've had this year- hell it may be the best wine that I've ever had (Top 5 without a doubt).

I thought the 2016 Mac may have been the benchmark for which all other wines are to be compared, but this may the new standard.

I cant improve upon any of the other TN's already here for this wine, so I wont even try.

But simply put- this wine is STELLAR and the fact that Dominus got WS #1 and not this wine is utter bull$hit.