November 10, 2021 - Very nice, balanced wine, which was a bit of a surprise as many prior vintages have come across a bit heavy handed. Nose was rich with dark fruits, but the mouthfeel was more silky than velvety, with a balance of red and black fruit. Still in a youthful phase, this wine seems like it has a good life ahead of it.
January 26, 2021 - A very enjoyable full body wine with balanced tannins and acidity. Aromas of dark fruit and minerality with flavors about the same. Drinking very nicely now.
December 19, 2020 - Wine - what an interesting topic, particularly this one. It is so interesting how each vintage can vary and how each bottle can vary. The aromas of blackberry, cassis, forest slight leather work well together - flavors of earthy leather with balanced tannins and acidity make a fabulous combination with strong lasting finish. Debated about a little higher score, but that requires a little more smoothness and mellow when consumed. Drink now or within a year.
March 14, 2020 - Opened and decanted for about 30 minutes and consumed over a couple hours.
Was very approachable after the brief decant and drank well over dinner. Wonderful nose. In the glass it was still fairly youthful revealing notes of rich dark fruits, blackberry, and hints of tobacco leaf and cedar. Long finish and incredibly balanced wine. Texture is also off the charts, to say it is velvety almost seems like an understatement.
For me, this seemed to be a great time to open this wine. Still youthful enough to experience the excellent purity of fruit but integrated enough to provide a wonderfully balanced, smooth and velvety wine. It is fruit forward/dominated, but it is so delicious so I can’t say that I minded.
This should continue to cellar for a few years without any troubles but is drinking excellent right now with a short decant.
December 27, 2019 - Popped and poured; consumed over three days. Very much a ripe and rather lush example of Cabernet. Dark fruited; velvety texture; opulent. But the fruit seemed a tad over worked and it came across a touch hot for my liking. A good wine to be sure but not my favorite style. I was hoping for more freshness but that's a personal preference I guess. It never really gained anything over the three days we tried it and I would say, if anything, it started to become less interesting and tired. Drink now or over the next 3-5 years. Anything more could be asking too much.
May 29, 2019 - On the dry side. Very nice
July 23, 2018 - This bottle is an exercise in texture. Supple and sexy is the best way to describe the experience. Plenty of fruit and tobacco but instead of a stiff punch in the mouth, it’s presented in a glove of cashmere. A fun wine. Drink now, probably? A generous gift from the cellar of C. Medley.
March 8, 2018 - Drank at Pappas Bros Houston. Improved with air over the course of the night. Likely would benefit from 5 years in the bottle. Big tannins. Solid wine.
September 29, 2017 - Sam's Social Club (Calistoga): A much softer and more accessible representation of the 2013 vintage for Napa Cabernet. Purple and black fruit profile, with some nice cedar flecks on the back end. Not overly complex, but extremely balanced. This was probably the most giving of the wines we had (bested in that regard only by a 2008 Bevan Alexis Merlot - which was really amazing).
This is a drink-now type of Cabernet. It was served as a PnP and that was just fine. Additional air did not necessarily develop it any further. Good to go currently and over the next 3-5 years.
July 12, 2017 - Wednesday Wine - Special Edition (The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes.): A fantastic wine! Little air time probably impacted the nose, but in the glass this was bursting with flavors of black cherry, currant, dark fruits with a touch of mint. Wonderful mouth feel and a long, satisfying finish. This has years ahead of it. If scoring 93-95.