May 10, 2024 - Motivated by Vinous new article on 2012 & 13 Napa revisited, I pulled a bottle to check in.
13 has always been a bit of an oddball for Rive Droite. Lighter and bit more pinot in depth than any other vintage. I find it very enjoyable if looking for something on the lighter side of delivery.
I think this has a little more runway than Galloni.
Drink or hold
93+
June 3, 2023 - Not sure what to make of this wine right now. A year ago this tasted like PN but now it's completely different. A bit of a chameleon considering it's Merlot. Small pour left for to revisit. Will report back if anything profound happens.
Hold
June 22, 2022 - At PNP on the nose this was a dead ringer for new world PN and on the palate as well. Medium in body with licorice, cherry and spice. If I had blind tasted this I would have thought it was The Haven by Littoria. Day two the wine was showing a heavy amount of oxidation and became a bit more jammy with preserves and a film of sediment around the glass. This specific bottle was purchased from Total Wine so I'm not 100% sure of storage or head related exposure.
Very similar notes to Geaux Tigers so I'm thinking this is just vintage. Not the typical experience with regards to Blankiet Merlot.
93+ at PNP
91 on day two.
December 29, 2021 - Tight and a bit shut down initially, but then opened up in lovely manner. Sweet copious fruit, fine glycerin. Medium bodied, should age nicely for a Calif merlot.
January 2, 2021 - Straight into a wide body decanter. For the first 30 min, this was light bodied, with coffee and toffee dominating. Thought this might need 5 years.
At 45 min, this blossomed and gained weight into a medium bodied beauty, although the nose was seemingly a Pinot. Palate developed in roses, chocolate, dark chocolate, sweet cherries. No metallic notes I usually find in Merlot. Hid the 14.5% AC wonderfully, so much so that I checked to see if this was below 13%. Complimented Flannery hangers nicely.
Will give my other bottles 2 years. Great wine.
September 18, 2020 - Decanted a couple hours. Surprisingly soft (for what I expected from a 2013 at this stage). Sweet, red fruits with a touch of spicy vanilla on the finish. Delicious but for me lacking the layer of herbaceous complexity that I find in Bordeaux. I have 3 left and would likely drink over the next couple years. Cheers
April 12, 2019 - Very interesting wine, it appeared to be much older (visually) but it smelled and tasted youthful. We all guessed Merlot at our Couples Wine Group but most of us got very wrong the year. The body is medium+, the finish is good, very well balanced and rarely mixture of dark fruits, cocoa, peaches and cherries.
December 31, 2018 - Soft Merlot based wine. Blueberry and red fruits. Balanced and ample fruit to hold for a couple of years. I think the 8 year mark would be perfect. Right now the wine showed clarity, but not as complex as what is yet to come. However, I have no reservations opening up the bottle now.
September 26, 2017 - This elegant and layered Merlot-based blend is drinking well right now, though it will probably improve in another year or two. Cherry red in color, medium in body, nose of blackberry pie, leather, and baking spices. Tastes of boysenberry, tart cherry, rosemary, and fresh-cut cedar, with a layered and somewhat tart (e.g., cranberry) finish. 14.5% alcohol. Blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. This wine has a lot of class, and I think it will unfold better in 2018 or 2019.
The purity of fruit here is impressive, but there was a tartness that was a bit distracting - something I think will subside with time. At the moment, I prefer the 2012, which had more fruit, more depth, and more balance (probably consistent with the vintages). I drank this the night after having a 2013 Prince of Hearts, and the wines both had a freshness that was appealing (with the Prince of Hearts performing above its price point - and this one performing a bit below, at least at the moment). Give this one a year or two, and I think it will reward the patience.
November 30, 2016 - Wine is vibrant and full of intense blueberry and dark cherry. There is a small amount of spice and the during a four hour period the wine remained full of fruit and spice without settling down. I expect on day two that the wine would be more resolved and this is a bottle that can easily be held for five years. I will wait three years before trying another bottle although if you prefer the fruit forward intensity of young California Merlot then drink one now and enjoy.