December 23, 2021 - my last bottle of this vintage. picked up last year at a state store on closeout sale.
PNP and drunk over two hours. the dark, blue and black fruits here have picked up a raisin like quality suggesting to me that this wine has hit its peak. still has a bit of alcohol and tannins. has lost the acidity that has helped to balance this wine. Drink up if you have it.
March 6, 2021 - Surprisingly good. Didn’t expect much from their entry wine, but really liked it.
February 5, 2021 - Boom, not overwhelming but had it all well but together, multi-layers on the nose as well as on the palate, pretty spectacular I must say, wasn’t expecting this much.
December 2, 2020 - Excellent wine specially for the price point. Too bad that they are not making it any more, QPR is amazing! Vice Versa grapes indeed!...
June 2, 2020 - Great QPR. No formal notes, but just such a dynamite wine.
February 8, 2020 - drank for Steve jinks bday
November 9, 2019 - The perfect wine with steak. Decanted for an hour, it opened up with light floral aromatics, exploding on the palate with red cherry, spice and plum. Coated the mouth with black fruit and licorice through a nice finish.
January 21, 2019 - After pulling the '15 Carter Fortuna for a surprise pull on Saturday after originally planning this one, I decided enough was enough and opened on a Monday of all days. Big Sixers vs. Rockets game, not to mention some trashy reality shows which I will not reveal the names of, so why not enjoy a good bottle?
Enjoyed this with a cast iron grilled ribeye, with some sauteed mushrooms. Decanted about 2 hrs in advance. Make no mistake, this was open for business, but the air helped it a little. Long, silky legs. Ruby to crimson red - although I won't disagree with MSUWright's color assessment -almost pinot-like. Hints of blueberry, with resolved tannins.
In all the christmas celebrations and business of December, I somehow missed the '16 offering of the Petit - one of the better values in the Valley. Will be emailing VV to pick up a few.
July 30, 2018 - This 100% Cabernet is ridiculously good at this price point - rich, complex, intense, and structured, it has everything I could ask for (and perhaps more) from a $70-ish Napa Cabernet.
Cherry red in color, medium in body (almost looks like a Kosta Browne Pinot in the glass), nose of boysenberry, graphite, and rosemary. Lucious tastes of blueberry, dark chocolate, anise, and pine needles, with a lingering finish that carries dusty yet sweet tannins. 14.8% alcohol.
I thought this was better than a 2012 I had a few months ago, and it has an accessibility that the more expensive wines take time to develop. From the comments below, I understand this is the product of many hands (eg, Hobbs, Smith) - not to mention many vineyards - but the result is marvelous. This is up there with the Blankiet Prince of Hearts at this price point (and the VV is clearly better in 2014). Drink now or in next few years.
July 15, 2018 - This is a standout, at this price point. Drinking quite well at the moment. Darker fruits profile - plums, blueberries and a hint of mint. Medium in body, nice long finish, bit of alcohol but not hot. Tannins are well integrated. Yum