November 15, 2023 - From the coravin. Might need a decant. Nose is a bit closed. Red fruit, Smokey but not smoke taint. So far not enjoying this as much as the 2010. The fruit is more restrained, and the balance is less than perfect. Oak dominates a bit. It’s fresh, the tannins are fairly resolved. A nice finish. Just wish the fruit was a bit more… there. A solid wine and tasty… just expected a bit more.
November 11, 2023 - Gorgeous full fruit, balance and poise. Complex and just opened.
November 12, 2022 - Opaque, inky purple w/ dark garnet edge in color. Nose of creme de cassis w/ a backnote of garrigue. On the palate: dark berries w/ five spice powder. Tannins on gums were still grippy on day one after a two hour decant. Medium length finish of dark berry and pyrazines. Drank over three days in which it did not change significantly except to soften slightly. I believe the wine was in a dumb phase or it was simply way too young. Easily can see this scoring multiple points higher, but it just didn't show itself this time around.
September 26, 2021 - Still really young and needs a long decant. Really opens up with a long finish
July 22, 2021 - Notes of red cherries, raspberries and cedar with firm tannins that lead to a 10-second finish.
January 16, 2021 - Long finish, high acid, gnarly tannins, lots of dark fruit
April 19, 2020 - Had it blind side by side with the 2005 vintage and I thought this one was the older one, even though they tasted and looked very similar. Medium plus body, nice acidity and fair finish. Good but not great. I think this wine is made for the long haul...
92+
February 7, 2020 - Excellent with pasta. Clean with well balanced fruit.
January 6, 2019 - A decent wine but not my style. Despite a long overnight slow ox, this wine never really showed up. Decent nose, the color was a translucent along the edges of the glass and pretty thin looking overall (on the light to medium bodied side). On the palate, dark berry fruit, currents, some tobacco, oak, tannins, some acidity and the wine showed some bitterness on the back end. The wine was tightly coiled and the fruit was suppressed. This is a backward, more of an old World Napa style. Not for me especially for the money, 90+ at best. I may show better with more bottle age, but I will never know. A bit disappointing by my standards.
November 5, 2016 - A very fruit forward wine with an abundance of blackcurrant and plums but also some tobacco and vanilla from oak. The palate has a rather fresh acidity and nice fruit behind all the oak and we get some rather chewy tannins. The alcohol also comes through on the palate together with ink, cedar and some menthol that adds a little freshness. The finish gets rather dominated by oak.