Community Tasting Notes 5

• Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 95 points

  December 9, 2022 - Absolutely beautiful and in a perfect spot right now. Alcohol is totally integrated and the wine is perfectly balanced. I would say the only knock is this probably doesn’t have the structure to make it another decade. In a wonderful spot now, so no need to wait. This was a library bottle from the winery, so perfect provenance. Very pleased with this bottle.

  Comment

• msuwine wrote: 89 points

  March 20, 2020 - This wine has faded in the 18 months since I tasted it last (9/18 - 94 points), but it still has some energy and intrigue. As might be expected for a Merlot of this age, this wine has been visited by the dreaded plum monster (the grim reaper of modern wines) - erasing what was nuance with diffuse grape juiciness. The wine still has some life, but it's like the guy about to die in a bad movie: he'll survive long enough to say a few final words, but the music is starting to play - and it's time to say goodbye.
  
  Dark purple in color; full in body; nose of prunes, worn leather, and forest floor (read: damp, with a hint of fungi, funky but not flawed). Flavors of plum, dried raspberry, dried herbs, gravel, and graphite, with a spicy and chalky finish that offers some potpourri intrigue - but freshness has long since left the building. Blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.9% alcohol. Drink yesterday.

  Comment

• msuwine wrote: 94 points

  September 20, 2018 - This Merlot is drinking surprisingly well at the 13-year mark, with a compelling mixture of sweet and savory flavors. If it didn't have such a plum note, it could pass for a well-aged Cabernet, but it's maintained admirable balance, complexity, and energy. I approached drinking the wine as a bit of an experiment, but it turned into a real pleasure.
  
  Medium in body and black cherry in color, with clear variation on the edges (raspberry in color), the wine has a beguiling nose of plum, sawdust, fig, tar, and cloves. Tastes of black currant, dried strawberry, prune, tree bark, and gravel, with a dusty and wispy finish. 14.9% alcohol. Drank well after opening, so no decant necessary. Blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. (And please do forgive all the adjectives; the wine, as with a lot of good aged wines, threw off a variety of flavors, a good sign in my book.)
  
  The flavors are more dried than fresh fruit, but the wine's acidity and tannin have integrated enough to make the wine seem lively. Compared to more recent La Jota Merlots, this is downright light in body, most likely a function of age (apparently 2005 was the first full vintage at the winery for Chris Carpenter). I'm sure this had more energy and power in its youth, but it now has that ethereal and misty quality that quality aged wines can acquire (whether through objective or subjective means, who knows). Drink now.

  Comment

• vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 92 points

  November 28, 2017 - A bit of bottle variation in how it's aging. One I'd tasted from prior was much more lively and fresh yet. This one was a tad more tired, focused on dried/stewed fruits and earthy notes taking prominence. Still, a well balanced and nicely constructed wine.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2005
• Type Red
• Producer La Jota
• Varietal Merlot
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Howell Mountain

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 35 (34%)
• Consumed 67 (66%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine