January 30, 2024 - If you want one word “IMPRESSIVE”
Sight: Dark almost black cork stain, in the glass heavy purple staining and deep color. The bottle was coated with sediment…. I’ve honestly very rarely seen bottles like this especially this young I drank a 06’ with less! (Andy Erickson “SevenApart” is the only other wine I saw throw sediment in the bottle like this and that’s at a significantly higher price point)
Nose: The nose commands your attention with Pure blackberry and dark plums having purple flower overtones. This has power with Cabernet Spices punching through with secondary notes of chocolate oak, vanilla, and a almost meaty/leather character I really enjoyed! I expected a big nose from a well aged Trefethen and this delivered.
Taste: The definition of a finely tuned Napa Valley Cabernet… This is drinking phenomenally atm I agree with other reviewers. The nose delivers what it teased you onto the palate and it’s quite a show with concentrated blackberry fruit and all the secondary notes in supporting roles. The tannins have a expected grip at the entry level wine but the oak/tannin management is clearly perfect here. The wine does come in a little hot (14.8%) I would say is my only complaint but with everything else going for it that was truly more of a after thought.
Overall: I tasted this next to a 2012 Heitz Cellars and a 2013 Trefethen Reserve which was quite cool! I was elated to show the stylistic differences of the two wines with everyone but the biggest surprise is how much better the regular 2013 Trefethen Cab drank over the reserve…. This wine was a clear demonstration of why you wait and when a wine is ready to drink; superlative example. On the other hand the 2013 Trefethen Reserve was very shut down and not open at all and everyone noticed and got to experience that so if you have any of the reserve I’d wait 5 more years without a doubt and drink these because they are killer right now! (But clearly show they can hold longer if you want to wait)
January 29, 2024 - 1.5 hour decant. This appears to be in a great drinking window.
November 21, 2023 - I’m loving this wine. Definitely more like a left bank Bordeaux, it even has some graphite and dusty leather. Good structure with resolved tannins and restraint on fruit. Could go longer (great finish). Delicious
January 20, 2023 - Going strong!
July 5, 2022 - Elegant, Old World notes of plums, cassis, currants, and garrigue. Mid-to-full bodied and deceptively complex, this shows tremendous poise, balance, and structure. A wine of place and restraint, and displays lots of future potential. My type of wine.
June 30, 2022 - Classic Bourdeaux nose, palate, and taste - more so than a modern Napa. Solid balance, great fruit cassis, black currants, some herbs, and a long finish in a silky medium bodied wine. Really nice. Great on day 1 and 2, not so great on day 3. This was all under Coravin/argon... not sure what happened on day 3.
November 15, 2021 - Was good but expected a little more from it. Was on the lighter side and wanted a bit more flavor and dryness to give that feeling of warmth that we love from older cabs
June 27, 2021 - This certainly wasn’t built to age, but I thought a few years in the cellar might add some complexity. Unfortunately, this has lost fruit and is now quite dry and moderately high in tannin. While ok with a ribeye, this is austere and lean. That said, it’s still an ok tipple. Drink now. 87
May 10, 2021 - Some nice dryness on the finish but I always struggle with the '13 Napa vintage - always feels congested to me.
March 13, 2021 - Quite tight still, needs time, but potential is there.