11/4/2023 - RayT Likes this wine:

Drank this at The Napa in Newport gala. I drank wine from 17 of the 45 participating wineries. Luc Morlet and his wife Judy poured this for me. This beautiful Oakville wine is from a vineyard right next to To Kalon but this was a very different animal in that it drank quite easy. I hesitate to call this an elegant wine as it had plenty of verve but it was exceptionally polished and balanced and it went down so smoooth!

This wine is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cab Franc. This had a lovely nose of lavender and violets layered over red and blue fruit. On the palate creme de cassis, blueberry, dark cherry liqueur, cedar, and tilled earth.

I drank 2 other Morlet wines that were quite good but this wine stood out as the best of the bunch. On a side note, I found Luc Morlet to be a soft spoken, gentleman. He was an incredibly gracious host and spent quite a bit of time with me explaining his wines. That was just icing on the cake while drinking great wine.

3/24/2024 - galewskj wrote:

Decanted 30 minutes. Consistent with previous note, a fantastic value at $40.

4/28/2016 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

WOW! This is some very spectacular stuff. This is a "Top 10 Lifetime" bottle for sure.

Dark ruby-red color. Aroma was spectacular. Very deep, rich and smooth. Taste mirrored it exactly. A very long finish. Even though it's 9 years old, there's a great balance of fruit, tannins and oak. Amazing stuff!

11/4/2023 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Damn, this is great. Big, dark, rich, & delicious. And I’m not normally a fan of this specific blend. But I sure am the way this winery did the blend! Hoping to get more, and lay them down.

9/2/2023 - Djwpar3 Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable, rich mouth filling with dark ruby color. Vanilla, mushrooms, oak on the nose after 1 hr decant.
Mouth filling, smooth with low tannin. Med long finish, dark berries, stone finish. Amazing for the price. Only 2 left, wish I had more.

7/20/2023 - wcf1946 Likes this wine:

I bought for $25 on WTSO. It's a fair QPR for that price. Pity those who pay $80 from the winery. I have learned from 38 years drinking wine that it's too good to be true when you buy a bottle 70% discounted. 90% of the time is hardly worth the discounted price. WTSO used to be more reliable for buying wine. I think it has become more of a dumping ground for wineries to unload wine that isn't good or isn't selling because is isn't very good. There are also few if any postings from CellarTracker for many of the wines sold now, unllike years ago. This is one example. No postings here since the 2016 vintage. ENOUGH OF MY EDITORIAL. It is a slightly better than average CAB in the $20 range. Day two was more open and better than day one. Flat nose. Medium-dark garnet color. Very smooth. Limited structure. Medium finish. Pleasant drinking, mostly berry fruit with a toich of chocolate. I do think it will improve with more bottle age and be worth $25, but probably no more.

4/20/2023 - Jsilbe wrote:

Buy again

9/4/2022 - kevrob822 wrote:

Bottle was fine, but it just didn't tickle my taste buds at all. I decanted for almost 90 minutes as well. Obviously no need to get more.

4/11/2022 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Another solid 92 Pointer. Have to say, I don’t believe this has “decades” ahead of it, but it does have “years” ahead of it. I’m down to my last bottle, so I may put it on my “do not drink” list. But that doesn’t mean shit! 😂

12/25/2022 - kevrob822 wrote:

Did a quick PnP, and it was very flat, bummer, not a good start. Decanted for 3 hours, and no real difference, or improvement. I’ve had this for 10+ years thinking it would/should be aging wonderfully. Boy, was I wrong. Five people tasted this and agreed 100%… actually one person thought it was corked, but the majority disagreed.

8/14/2021 - xyc Likes this wine:

Deep dark purple with a sheen. Flamboyant nose dark fruit preserves, dried roses, exotic spices. Ahh the first taste, pure silky entrance with mouth full of subtly concentrated, dark berry, dark loamy cocoa, hint of mint balanced by natural acid and pleasant tannins. This wine makes a big impression on the palate; the taste does not go away.

The winemaker is an expert.

One of the odd things about tasting wine: we become accustomed to unripe grapes, chemical acid and sugar additives, centrifuged juice. Then we taste a Cabernet made with ripe fruit, natural acids, correct tannins and it is a revelation.

6/7/2023 - kevrob822 wrote:

Did a quick PnP. An OK wine, pretty mediocre though, especially when considering the price point. Not a bad wine, not much in the way of any liabilities, just seems a bit unbalanced, and flat, currently. Will let it decant for a couple of hours before I get back to it. Right now thought, this is, at best, 89 points with a “Neutral” rating, and tempted to mark it as a “don’t like” actually.

We’ll see in a couple of hours.

1/30/2023 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Nice wine, but not a huge favorite. Initially decanted for 90 minutes, but it did improve as the night went on. Nice aroma. Deep dark fruit, light oak, dry with a nice balance, smooth tannins, acidity, and texture. A bit tart at the end. Unsure as to get more, probably wouldn’t be adverse though. Probably a good thing since I already have a couple of 2019 in the cellar. 😂

10/18/2021 - kevrob822 Does not like this wine:

I’ve now had 3 (of 4 🤦🏼‍♂️) bottles of this wine now, and they have all been terrible! Seriously, Absolutely Awful!

This is as flat-footed as any CS I think I’ve ever had. Aroma is “not there” and hot to boot. Flavor has some black fruit, but is just so unbalanced, one-dimensional and flat.

I’m going to repost this review twice more, so that it properly reflects (at least in my opinion!!!) the 3 bottles I’ve had. Honestly, I hadn’t posted any reviews before as I thought, “oh, it’s me”, or “awww, it’s just this bottle”, or “I know the next one will be better”… well, I’m done covering this shiz up. This is horrible! I don’t think 5+ years wil help this swill! It’s not even spaghetti sauce-worthy! More then happy to field any differing opinions on this waste of grapes!

#1 of 3 reviews.

4/15/2022 - kevrob822 wrote:

Ok, thought since this was my last bottle, I should (finally 🤷🏼‍♂️) try to provide some details to back up my somewhat mediocre reviews. This 3rd, and final, bottle was no different, so you can apply it to all the reviews.

Bottle was opened and decanted for about 90 minutes. Aroma was medium, lots of oak, and some tobacco. Taste was pretty smooth, and balanced, but the oak was overpowering. Tobacco was more prevalent later in the evening, after the wine sat. Normally I’m a fan of oak, but this didn’t all weave together, hence my Neutral 89 Point score. I think I’d have liked this more with more tobacco and less oak.

3/18/2022 - kevrob822 wrote:

OK, but nothing special. On opening, it was pretty tart and had a fair bit of heat (even though it's only 14.4%). An hour later, it had calmed down a bit, but was still not very smoothest, or balanced. For it's age, I was expecting more. No Need To Get More.

5/15/2021 - kevrob822 wrote:

Wow, pretty darn mediocre. And this is $150 at the winery?!?!? You’d think at that price (which is sadly becoming a pretty common price point for Napa CS!), there’d be something enlightened or elevated, or just special about this wine, but not really. Wow, big disappointment. Giving this 85 Points and a Terrible QPR. Obviously, no need to get more.

5/30/2021 - kevrob822 Does not like this wine:

Wow, I actually think the first bottle may have been better. 😁

1/5/2022 - tdskier Likes this wine:

This has been one of our all time favorites. Getting to last of my 2014. Sequoia is at the top of our list

1/15/2022 - CaroPalms wrote:

A little bit of a weird note, but I thought I would share. This was initially opened at my parent’s house for a NYE party that they always have. It was delicious as Groth’s usually are. There was a few bottles opened that night (Groth being the best caliber), but I left the party early since I have young kids. I came back to my parent’s house tonight, and they have 6 opened bottles in the garage left over from NYE (here in New England, it’s been cold so not a bad place to keep it). So I joked with my father that we’re having a tasting tonight (you only live once, why not try some two week old wine?) One of the opened bottles was the Groth so we finished the remaining half bottle. I must say, it really held up well - even my father who isn’t into wine admitted it was good. As good as day one? No. As good as day 2 perhaps decanted correctly? No. But fruit was still there and there was no indication of deterioration. I probably won’t have two week old Groth again, but was surprised so I figured I would share.

1/20/2022 - oldcabman Likes this wine:

What kevrob822 said!!!
If you see it, buy it!

10/29/2021 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

A nice bottle, but not quite sure I see the 93 Score that Wine Spectator gave it. Nice aroma, rich taste with some nice fruit and balanced oak. Had this with several other value-oriented CS and the winner was Sequoia Grove’s 2018. It was just a tad smoother, balanced and more drinkable. Both were about $34, but honestly, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to get more bottles of either one of these.

Additional Note: since the review of this one, I’ve gone back and gotten a case of the 2018 Sequoia Grove. No more of the Mount Veeder.

3/15/2021 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Yup, Broken Record... solid drinker. 👍🏻

1/5/2020 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

I love their Cabernet Sauvignon wines, both their Estate ($$) and Three D ($$$$) CS. First time I’ve had this one though. Bought 4 bottles of this Italian Blend and am kicking myself for not buying a Case! Aroma is black fruit. The taste follows the black fruit along with the addition of olive and black pepper spice. Smooth tannins with nice texture, structure and balance.

This was excellent with a Great QPR. Love to get more, but thinks it’s sold out. Bummer.

12/14/2021 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Coravin’d a Glass and let it sit for ~90 minutes. Nice wine, but a tad underwhelming, especially for the price paid (which was about $25 less then the Community Price).

Nice, deep aroma, lots of black & blue fruit, forest floor, with vanilla and tobacco at the end. Very nice body & texture, with minimal acidity, and smooth tannins. Actually a nice wine, just wanted more for the money. 🤷🏼‍♂️

5/18/2021 - TACSQUATCH Does not like this wine:

Finish is like what I’d expect 30 seconds after licking ass. Marginal subscription wine.

2/14/2021 - WineGold wrote:

Punches above its weight class. I tend to agree with the professional reviewer who said that if this were a Napa bottle, it would be 2-3x the cost. Over $100 for sure. This is focused with plenty of dark blue and black fruit, but also graphite, leather and tobacco notes. A bit on the masculine side, with no over-extraction or flab to worry about. 14.9% ABV. Well done bottle, and easy one to stock in the cellar for fun drinking any time! Many years of integration and improvement ahead, as well.

9/29/2021 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Amazing and Awesome! So much depth, dark fruit, oak, vanilla and tobacco, all while maintaining a great (rustic) balance, chewy tannings and body with medium acidity. Had this with a savory (wife made) homemade pea soup and some garlic toastettes! A Spectacular Pairing, or as I like to say A Damn Good Meal! 👍🏻

Over several purchases, I’ve bought a case of this at a great price and all were amazing. I wish I had another full case. Based on this last bottle, there’s several years left ahead of it!

10/26/2021 - kevrob822 wrote:

Flawed, just like last night’s bottle. Bummer, actually Double Pisser. The 1st bottle was so nice (post-decant). Hate it when a vintage has issues like this!!!

6/20/2021 - Jerry 3 Does not like this wine:

Decanted an hour + then enjoyed with a juicy veal porterhouse

Elegant with great fruit and full body

Sorry I only have one bottle same vintage leaf to enjoy later

7/27/2021 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Awesome! Just love this wine. I’ve had 50 bottles of it over the years! 👍🏻

2/3/2021 - Kentw wrote:

I have a different perspective from some of the drinking notes from which I decided to buy a few bottles from WTSO. It is medium plus weight, with a decent structure but lots of acidity throughout and a tart flavor profile. After an hour it showed somewhat a better balance but initial impression tends to linger. I would give it another few years before opening my next bottle.

6/14/2021 - kevrob822 wrote:

No Review... opened my last bottle (#3 of 4) and it was the most flawed of all the bottles. I can't help but think these got cooked while traveling across the US.

I updated my review of the one "decent" bottle I had as well. I decided it was also flawed, but just not as badly.

5/12/2021 - kevrob822 Does not like this wine:

I didn’t care for this at all. It was fairly flat & out of balance. Not up to WTSO‘s normal spectacular standards. Horrible QPR.

5/18/2021 - Rosey133 Likes this wine:

Amazed with how good this vintage is. Had a ‘16 a month ago and was nowhere close to being this well made. Let is air in the bottle for one hour before pouring it through an aerator. Long drawn out finish. Case worthy.

6/9/2021 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Much better then the two earlier bottles last night (both flawed 🤦🏼‍♂️). Tonight, after opening and seeing it was good, I decanted for ~2 hours, but even then, it continued to open up over the next 2+ hours of drinking. More time in the bottle would be good though.

Lots of deep dark black/blue fruit, plum, vanilla and oak with some acidity and tannins. Currently it’s a nice, quaffable wine, working best with food. No major liabilities, but nothing outstanding either. I’ve had some pretty exceptional wines lately, so my opinion may be colored by those bottles. I’d give this 89 Points, but that being said, for the price paid, this is still a Good QPR.

2/15/2021 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine:

C. Elizabeth Virtual Tasting: Translucent ruby/garnet with very appealing black cherry, red currant, plum, licorice violet, cigar box, and baking spice aromas. On the palate, it's medium-full-bodied seamless, and fresh with suave tannins and red currant, plum black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, and a kiss of dried herb flavor with a long finish.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rock Pit and Trailside blocks of teh Game Farm Vineyard. Raised in American Oak; 85% new, 15% neutral for 21 months. 14.5% abv|SRP - $150|212 cases produced

11/23/2020 - CCIABR wrote:

Mildew aroma ruined the wine.

5/3/2021 - Mattshank wrote:

Nose: Some red fruits present but a tad musty making me think this bottle was insipid corked (very subtle). Palate: Cherries and some raspberry with decent acids and little tannins. Decent cheapie at $12/bottle but still wonder about provenance on this bottle as it seems a touch off hence no score. Would score about 87 based on this. We’ll see on the next bottle.

3/14/2021 - Zhyve Belarus wrote:

I completely agree with NutmegNative. I plan on not touching these for at least a couple years. Once mature, I have no doubt it will warrant 92 points or more.

11/16/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote:

Ok, they did a fine job of putting this Cabernet together. It doesn’t totally suck, although I’d be hard pressed to spend $20+ retail on Castle Rock. Must be destined for upscale, casual on-premise, where people will spend $15 on a glass of anything Napa. Full-bodied, light tannin, black fruit, taut. Oak shows mildly on the finish.

8/31/2020 - elevwine Likes this wine:

The $12.99 price tag clearly influences this review. Bought several decent Napa cabs (e.g. Mica) and saw this wine. A “reserve” at this price? Worth a flyer. What you pay for a small snort of anything Napa at your local eatery. Waited a week because I thought it might just be a bad joke by my wine shop. It’s not. Really decent wine, dark fruit, moderate complexity, mocha and cedar notes, some dustiness, medium finish. Frankly a very serious wine at a ridiculously low price. Balance a bit off but still quite good. If you can find this sub-$20, buy lots of it and make it your weeknight wine

10/20/2020 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Yummy, another solid bottle! Didn’t have the ability to decant it, so it’s being poured and swirled glass, by glass. Very nice though. Having it tonight with a Hearst Ranch Beef Burger while watching the sunset in San Simeon at the hotel’s Chiminea (fire pit)… a Completely & Utterly Perfect night!

9/21/2020 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Really nice wine with an Excellent QPR (at least when on sale at Costco for $23!!!). Went back today and got 4 more, really glad as our Costco only had about 8 left!

Excellent. Smooth, ripe and balanced, but still very powerful with lots of black, blue and plum fruit. Two hours later, it was still a little acidic, but I’d still leave it at 91 Points. Still an Excellent QPR.

6/15/2020 - gamlingman Does not like this wine:

As this one goes I'll pass. Absolutely no depth or structure to be found. Dry and gritty without and complexity and a bitter aftertaste. Not quite sure what they are going for here but it was an epic failure.

4/20/2018 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Wow, I can’t remember when I had a wine evolve as much as this one. Initially, upon opening (a PnP), it was very flat, tight and a real ho-hum wine. I didn’t have a decanter, so I just poured some good size glasses and let it sit. After about 2 hours, it really got much better. It had a richer aroma and the taste was more balanced and smoother. Medium Tannins and Acidity. Taste was dark fruit, blackberries with vanilla and earth.

I was debating after the 2 hours of raising this to 90, but think it’s more of an 88/89. At opening, it was only about 85! Still though, with the price paid of $40, I’d still only give it a Good QPR. Was expecting a bit more, but this did get better... much better.

6/29/2020 - Franken Berry wrote:

This was my third go round with this wine. Not much has changed in six months. The wine opens with blueberries and plums on the nose, on the palate , medium bodied mixed red and blue fruits, minerals. Tannins are present but not obtrusive, but the wine finishes abruptly short. Again, was hoping for a bit more pizzazz. Would not put this on the same level as Beckstoffer Crane, despite the fact they are the closest of neighbors. More akin to a Pellet cab. Perhaps more time in the bottle would help the wine become more expressive

4/24/2020 - Omadobs wrote:

Absolutely beautiful juice; reminds me of The Prisoner in the early days when Phinney was making it and his rightful reputation as a blending magician. More dark fruit than red, but the cherry cobbler is definitely there at the end and balanced by the blue fruits at the front. Mouthwatering tannins linger in the 30-40 second finish. Possibly better on Day 2; have never had the patience to see Day 3. A crazy good deal from WTSO; wish I had bought another case as it's currently the go-to wine for us.

5/19/2020 - kevrob822 wrote:

Sorry can’t help it, lowering this 1 Point, to 89. Pretty damn low for Howell Mountain Fruit. No need to get more. I think PRV just doesn’t spend the effort on this 2nd label as they do on their primary label, which (full transparency) I’m not really much of a fan of either. LOL

Again, I like both Mountain and Valley fruit, but this is not at all similar to any other Howell Mountain fruit I’ve had.

I’m not excited or jazzed with my reviews here. I buy wine to drink and enjoy it. Love to see other responses/comments here. What did I miss in this wine?

5/17/2020 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

Very interesting wine. Bought this strictly because I liked the Revival offering that was offered earlier (bought it twice, but its now gone 😢). But this is its own wine.

Medium aroma with a great deal of fruit and oak, but also a touch of heat. The heat does not show up in the taste, which is lots of black/blue fruit, soft cherry and plum, but a very nice balance with tons of texture and nice mouthfeel with a long finish. Very nice.

Get more? Probably, but sorry to say it’s already gone! 😢