12/27/2023 - EMTAME wrote:

Easily bested a Tribute to Grace Granache that was opened alongside it. This was full of beautiful fruit, some complexity from what I believe was stem inclusion (just guessing), and a clean, elegant finish. Terrific wine.

7/24/2022 - EMTAME wrote:

We drank this several days ago, so I don’t have a detailed note to offer. However, I will say that my wife and I found it to be terrific. She thought it was the epitome of delicious Napa wine, and I have to agree. It’s definitely ready to go now, but can be enjoyed over the next several years - no rush.

Bobby Moy is doing some great work with Chiron, and high QPR wines like this will keep them on our radar for years to come.

12/3/2023 - EMTAME wrote:

I had this a few days ago and, sadly, didn’t make a note then. Just chiming in now to say this is in a great spot. I believe this is the last vintage I bought from DP and I’m not sure why. The wine is always good (sometimes quite good, as in this case) and the price is very fair for Napa cab. I need to get back into buying these annually.

11/13/2023 - EMTAME wrote:

Delicious nine year old Cabernet from Mike Smith. This shows the signature Kenefick Ranch fruit - heavy on the blues. The tannins are smooth and the wine is drinking terrifically at this point. Was a nice counterpoint to a 2014 Quivet Pellet Vineyard cab opened alongside it.

12/25/2018 - EMTAME wrote:

First had this as a barrel sample in 2014 and it was unbelievable then. Now several years in bottle, some of the stunning lushness has receded and a tart acidity has come along to balance the fruit for the long haul. Still very good, but I miss the velvety, juicy treasure this was pre-bottling. If you open it soon, give it 2-3 hours in the decanter so it can unfurl itself.

5/26/2023 - Franken Berry Likes this wine:

Tasted at the estate, bottle opened earlier in the day.
Typical Howell Mountain blue and black fruits, nose leads with cassis and wild flowers, on the palate, blueberries, plum and dark cherry, plum, cocoa, spice, forest floor, smooth tannins. Is drinking surprising well for a young Howell mountain, and I don’t see any reason not to try one sooner rather than later.
I don’t see the 98 score from JD, more in line with the 94 from Galloni

5/24/2023 - NickA Likes this wine:

Ian's Piedmont Extravaganza (Noize): We had a bottle of this last year, and a 2008, that both seemed a bit heat damaged, so I was relieved that this was completely clean. Intense on the nose, with some menthol, and more and more lift and florality with time in the glass. Subtle and elegant on the palate, and plenty of juicy red fruit. This was one of tonight's less powerful and demonstrative reds, and would probably have been even more appreciated if shared between 2-4 people over a longer period of time.

3/15/2023 - EMTAME wrote:

Second bottle of this and it’s very consistent with the bottle we opened in June 2021. What an enjoyable bottle of wine, on its own or with lighter fare. ‘Pretty’ is the term that comes to mind.

4/19/2023 - Max S. Likes this wine:

Blackberry, cassis, dark cherry, red licorice, earth. I'm hoping this bottle was off, but the 14.8% alcohol was very noticeable.

4/6/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Three hour slow ox. Deep dark electric magenta color. Black cherry, coffee cake, and subtle cinnamon graham cracker. Smooth, tongue drying palate. Firm, full, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish.

Despite being a touch Caymus-esque (i.e., slightly syrupy/extracted), this is pretty great for the money. Very reliable, easy drinker from TRB. Certainly built to drink young. I’m looking forward to trying the ‘21s.

4/1/2023 - EMTAME wrote:

This one felt significantly less ready than the 2020 Becklyn Napa cab we had recently. Lots of vanilla and very sweet fruit, with prominent oak spice on the back end. I always find the Becklyn cab to be an earlier drinking wine, so am not surprised it’s more approachable at this stage than this Quivet. As such, I’m going to hold the rest of my Quivet and Myriad 2020s for a few years to let them evolve from this very primary stage.

12/27/2022 - Nanda wrote:

A terrific bottle and the best 2004 we had this evening. Gorgeous red fruit, florals and spice (which was an exception among the more black fruited/closed 2004s). Showing at an early peak level of integration and approachability.

11/13/2022 - jpetty841 Likes this wine:

Really good

11/3/2022 - jonboy74 Likes this wine:

This is in an excellent spot. Despite the reputation of the 2017 vintage this wine us crushing it. No decant. Just some swirling in the glass and its fantastic. Need more of this!!! Great job Merrill!!!

3/22/2021 - EMTAME wrote:

Just at the front of its drinking window, but this is wonderful. One of my favorite Geyservilles at this age.

3/16/2021 - hintsOfTar wrote:

Very nice, my first Cab from Stellareese. Upon a sip right after popping the cork, I am not at all getting the vegetative qualities that another mentioned, but noticing it slightly after a few minutes, as it warms up perhaps. Some fruits and a nice body. But, it isn't completely well rounded -- little zing on the tongue. Let's see how it tastes on the 2nd evening...

1/13/2021 - Jonathan T Likes this wine:

I know I'll probably get flamed for giving this wine a higher score than everyone else. But in my defense, Antonio Galloni, a reviewer I respect for Italian wines, and has 1000% more knowledge about wine and Italy i than I will ever know, gave this a 95. Also, it is a little stylistic preference as this wine has a funky, mushroomy, truffly nose with hints of tobacco and charred rosemary that brings me to my knees, but might not be in everyone's wheelhouse. This super-tuscan wine clearly has its personality from sangiovese while the merlot and cabernet just give it some additional weight and structure. I think wild boar bolognese with a little shaved pecorino would be the perfect pairing for this wine.

1/23/2021 - EMTAME wrote:

So consistently delicious. Drinking very well on pop & pour, and improves a touch with 20-30 minutes of air. I don’t think there’s a better buy in red wine, given the case discount.

1/19/2021 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

PnP in good not great shape. I was hoping it might find some wind in its sails, but instead it remained fairly linear, if mildly pleasing. Not the best of corks, I suppose; should have shown better. NR

http://www.italianwine.blog

1/9/2021 - EMTAME wrote:

Great purple fruit and a nice tobacco note, with some black licorice showing up on the finish. Still on the young side for me, but destined to go good places.

12/19/2020 - ANWW89 Likes this wine:

smoky tobacco cigar box, char grill. dark fruit , orange peel. drinking well now but good life ahead.

6/25/2020 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:

Faded label had me worried this bottle had been mistreated, but pouring it in the decanter reveals an astonishingly youthful, healthy ruby hue and no-doubter, room-filling aromatics heavy on the cedar and cigar-box notes. The fruit comes across more bricked and crimson-toned on the palate than that ruby color indicated, but the real shocker here is the texture, as the tannins on this have been brutish in the past, but this time it was cashmere-like in refinement almost from the starting gate.

7/2/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine:

This is really moving forward, but needs extended time in the decanter, and as noted last time it really comes to life after 30 minutes in the glass. The taste profile is as per the last review, blackcurrant, plum, and tobacco with a touch of the barnyard, but cedar is starting to become prominent. It does have the tannic edge so typical of the year, but the balance with the fruit is exquisite. The palate is complex and multi layered, and the finish is pushing 60 seconds. My only criticism at this stage is that although lengthy, the finish lacks final depth. With a structure to ensure at least a couple of decades at this level, it has the potential to become the best pre millennial Ducru since the 1982, and I already just prefer it to the fabulous 1996.

11/29/2020 - dlduchon Likes this wine:

A wonderful bottle, just drinking so well. Delightful Bordeaux.

11/14/2020 - napasoutherner Likes this wine:

Had against and Chilean cab. Two very different wines. Bordeaux went more aligned with beef tenderloin with notes of ash and light cocoa. Long finish. Great vintage need more

12/6/2020 - Be.Lee Does not like this wine:

Tons of sediment, fruit gone missing. Despite attempt for revival with several hours of decanting, this one was a dud. Perhaps in dumb phase? will keep rest sleeping for a while.

10/16/2020 - EMTAME wrote:

Terrific wine that opened up with an hour or so in the decanter. As with my previous bottle, a year ago, it had lovely black fruits and a streak of minerality running through the palate to the backend. Beautiful bouquet, as well.

10/4/2020 - jcassi01 Likes this wine:

First bottle was a pop and pour, and that was a huge mistake. The nose was overwhelmingly stemmy, I couldn’t enjoy the wine

Next bottle I decanted about 30 hours and it was a different wine. The stemminess had blown off and the wine was very enjoyable. Bright red fruit with high acid. Midpalate is a little thin.

Bedrock wines can be enjoyable, but they require an overnight decant or a lot of bottle age. I don’t have to plan ahead with Ridge and Carlisle.

9/5/2020 - EMTAME wrote:

Opened a bottle yesterday for International Cabernet Day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Decanted for about an hour and it was ready to go. Very smooth, with everything in the right place. This will certainly hold for several more years, but is drinking really well at present.

8/20/2020 - Mattypoto57 wrote:

Don’t know about this one. It’s medium bodied to even light bodied. It’s to acidic for me. Don’t understand the rave reviews are over this. For the price I can get a bottle 10 times better than this.

7/24/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Drinking very well. Nice balance of dark fruit, soft tannins and acidity. Paired perfectly with veal stuffed ravioli al fungi in brown butter cream sauce

6/21/2020 - EMTAME wrote:

Way over the hill. Sadly, both of the wines I bought from Joel Peterson’s recent old Ravenswood offer were major disappointments.

4/24/2020 - benny-g Likes this wine:

Sitting on my roof terrace in the late afternoon spring sun, after a week of teleworking, sipping this Tuscan delight, I am realising I sold this one short in my first tasting note. It is, I repeat, a delight, a joy to smell and savour this excellently balanced and beautifully integrated sangiovese. Fruity and flowery aromas mixing with foresty and mineral tones all contribute to the experience in an intense way. 2016 must have been a good summer in Italy, since this has a lovely southern character. I am looking forward to combining this with the steak and asparagus the Flemish way that are on the menu this evening.

4/3/2020 - Badmonkey wrote:

Decided to revisit in light of Dunnuck’s recent 95 re-rating of this wine. Dark ruby fruit - currants/cassis, dark cherry, blackberry, and a little plum. Decent depth/concentration (medium/medium plus body), however, it came across a little tart and acidic. Popped/poured but drank out of a decanter for a couple hours. Improved a little with time but it never fully came around. Drank next to the 2013 Quivet Napa cab to see how they compared and the Quivet was a fairly similar profile - also a little tart/acidic. I loved this vintage young - probably my favorite vintage. I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because it appears to be in somewhat of an awkward stage and needs some time. 100% cab.

3/21/2020 - Jasonr1023 wrote:

Better after a day of air.

10/31/2019 - wilhelm.kurt wrote:

Fantastic. Decanted for two hours and served with lamb chops. Much more accessible than I expected. Nose was fantastic, lots of dark fruit, shoe leather. Long finish.

1/17/2019 - EMTAME wrote:

One of the better wines in a 2007 Tuscan tasting held about a week ago. The acidity in this one was a little more prominent than in the rest of the group, which made it stand out a bit and showed its Italian roots. I particularly enjoyed this one with food. The alcohol is in check at 13.5% and the finish is long and clean. I think this one has a little room for improvement, still.

9/15/2018 - EMTAME wrote:

Best with an hour of air, as it takes a bit for the bouquet to open up. The tannins are fairly well resolved at this point so, like most of the Cali ‘08s I’ve had in the past year, I’d say drink up vs. continue to hold.

8/25/2018 - BrunelloBob wrote:

Meh. I remain unimpressed by Bedrock wines.
Drank over three nights. just not a lot there.

6/3/2018 - SMHalps Likes this wine:

My last bottle of the 2010 Firebelle. Everything I would want in this wine was there. Just wish Larkmead had kept the price increases reasonable for the more recent vintages.

5/25/2018 - Kevnzworld wrote:

I decanted for two hours. The nose is nice, fruity floral and herbal. Upon tasting, the fruit is a mixture of berries, dark cherry with a hint of oregano. A good balance, mild acidity, slight but evident tannins but a little thin on the finish.
I have two bottles left, will give this some more time to develop, it’s still drinking slightly young, I hope it grows up!

6/26/2018 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Excellent, if a bit too young still. Decanted and left to breathe for 90 mins, then drank over the next 90 mins. Very balanced zin. Brambly, spicy, red and black fruit, hibiscus, touch of tea, great acidity. This will likely be spectacular in 3 more yrs or so.

6/18/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Smooth and balanced, nice fruit, not jammy. Not sure this will gain much in complexity to make it one of the great Geyservilles but it is a legit one and darn tasty. Superb with upscale bbq.

11/20/2015 - bitdrerik wrote:

Eðalklúbbur, vínsmakk #2 haust 2015 (Marbakkabraut 12): Meðaldökkur litur. Mjög fíngerður ilmur. Flókinn og fágaður. Jarðartónar, skógarbotn. Langflottasti ilmur kvöldsins. Í munni kröftugt, sólber, steinefni. Flott jafnvægi. Vín sem sýnir hversu góður 2010 árgangurinn er því þrátt fyrir að Tour Pibran sé ekkert sérstaklega hátt skrifað hús þá er hér þrusugott vín á ferðinni. Er líka á tiltölulega hagstæðu verði.

1/20/2017 - WineGold wrote:

More acidic than fruity. An awkward structure where the fruit plays second fiddle to the acid. Good with food but not what we expected having tasted previous vintages of this wine. We brought it to a restaraunt which is part of the problem, I think it needed more air than we were able to give it. Adding a point because the last glass was best. Blue fruit. Good structure. Kind of one dimensional though. A bit cutting, and more edgy than other vintages.

9/17/2017 - Gruner40 Does not like this wine:

One of the most overpriced wines I have had- don't think I would even pay $20 for this wine that sells for around $55. Not much depth or flavor. Add on to this a terrible wine visit at their winery/ very unfriendly staff and management( who contacted me afterwards)- enough good wineries in Napa- I will give my business elsewhere.

7/17/2017 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine:

15% abv. Medium purple ruby, expressive aromas. Intensely concentrated raspberry, red cherry, boysenberry, white pepper and Zin spice. Excellent depth and length. A really delicious effort from this great vineyard, it should continue to improve for years.

8/4/2017 - TheBosWineGuy wrote:

Marking this as flawed because it was so out of balance I can't imagine that it was fully intact. One dimensional fruit with some oak and a ton of alcohol on the finish. Unpleasant. One bottle left.

10/7/2016 - RN Likes this wine:

Big wine but all in harmony. Needs decanting to open. Lots of life left. Got better/more interesting the second night.

5/13/2016 - salil wrote:

Awful wine that made me wish I had gone with a cheap ale instead. (Thankfully, Todd was nice enough to open a bottle of Three Philosophers right after we both had a glass.) The aromatics are really ripe, showing a roasted, slightly jammy character to the cherry fruit, but there's also a more savoury earthy and herbal aspect to the nose. The palate is where it's a total mess. There's something here that vaguely resembles dark fruit, except it's more akin to the "fruit" flavour you get in a tub of cheap whey protein powder. Not the good stuff (ON Gold Whey), this is more like the house brand of protein powder at GNC that's always on discount - for good reason - with a bitter, drying finish. If this was a cheap grocery store wine, I wouldn't find it as offensive, but apparently this costs about 3x the tab of the Nigl Piri or the Baudry Grezeaux we drank before this, which is utterly ridiculous.