6/13/2023 - msuwine wrote:

If Napa appellations were a party, Dr. Crane would be where it's at. To Kalon would be for the lookie-loos: those who want to see and be seen, striking a pose for folks driving by on 128. Piedras would be for the nerds: those who snort the soil and debate the dirt, oblivious to the suburban surroundings. Maybe some other vineyards would be vying for hipster status (e.g., riper, cooler, whatever), but Crane would be for the fun people. Setting aside the school and playground nearby, it is a place for pleasure, for those who eat the fruit at its ripest, or at least go down the slide head first.

Even within that setting, this wine goes one more. It's the guest who never wants the party to end, who passes out on your couch or barfs in your backyard. In other words: this wine is too much of a good thing. Dark red in color and full in body, it offers brandy-like aromas of blueberry pie, cherry liqueur, and milk chocolate. The flavors are similarly boozy, with notes of sour cherry and mocha-chino-something (as long as it's sweet), followed by a pleasant and lifted finish - a redeeming end to a debaucherous wine. 15.1% alcohol.

So, thumbs down for me. I say this with some sadness, as I was an ardent fan of Mike's wines at his own label and Carter in the period leading up to this vintage. Maybe it's me, or him, or the fluid, or the vintage, or the stars - but this wine seems more like Caymus than Crane, and it just doesn't taste that good, at least to me. Drink whenever, but count me out.

4/22/2021 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

As others have noted, this is a new wine from Arkenstone. Maybach also makes a wine from here, and it is right next to Vice Versa's new home vineyard in Calistoga. I sometimes think Maybach is over the top extracted, so I was excited to see what Sam could do with it. Turned out to be my favorite red poured during this tasting from Arkenstone.

Nicely fragrant nose of dark cherries, black currant, spring flowers, wet stone and hints of asian spice. Shows great concentration and nice balance, not going over the top with extracted fruit, but also displaying the freshness and purity of the vintage and vineyard. As always with Sam's wine, the tannin management and overall mouthfeel is impeccable, and the wine gains weight from the mid palate to a long finish. This is a great first effort for this vineyard. I have become more and more interested in the Arkenstone Estate Cab, and this now gives me a second wine to enjoy from them in a "Napa reasonable" price range. Just don't spend much time looking at the ridiculously bad labels they threw on these. :)