April 7, 2023 - A few days in Napa with fellow CT'r Cristal2000: Huh. This was… initially pretty perplexing. Round and uber-plush. Displayed pretty yummy black and blue fruit that was indeed tasty, but lacked the extra frame and tension to keep things moving and in full focus. This was from Coravin and wasn’t given any air. I mention this because I tapped the bottle five days later again and gave it a bunch of air. Surprisingly, it gained better direction and energy as it unwound. It doesn’t carry the concentration, depth, and overall structure of other vintages (which is something I have experienced in other 2014s – making that vintage a good-not-superb vintage in Napa for me overall). It’s a little hard to know what to do here, but for those holding bottles, I’d continue to do so. Call it a little awkward now. Call it making excuses for a wine that should be performing well above what it did, on the first night especially. Call it a modern of modern wines to the point that I should expect this kind of behavior at certain stages of evolution. However you slice it, this particular bottle was not in any mood to be on stage.
Note: I've been milking this bottle via Coravin a few times now and it continues to improve each time, especially with more and more air, which gives me a cautious sigh of relief that there is more potential lurking. Still, I do think 2014 is not as comparatively strong as others with this producer.
November 1, 2022 - Bordeaux tasting - with a few pirates: Opened at the end of the evening, which is almost always a mistake in terms of service, the Tusk wasn’t the total blowout like the SQN mighty Z cocktail, but it was clearly in need of about 3-5++ hours of decanting. The jam factor was prevalent, as was the booze. It displayed more brash power and angularity than the Materium, which had better contours but was syrupier and more saturated.
I know this wine is polarizing, and there are those who have written this producer off completely in search of more “refined” animals (I can’t necessarily blame anyone there, as I have had a wandering eye in this regard as well), but it’s a Melka Napa Cab type of experience that just needs more time, in my opinion. I wasn’t exactly singing the praises of this wine and its performance that night, but I can at least blame some of that on my PnP delivery of it. No excuses, however. So ya, it was too boozy for me at the time and should be a better showstopper with better service. Strong structure. Strong fruit. Finesse is missing here. I liked this better in 2019 (but again, service was much better then). I do wonder what sort of longevity this kind of wine has. I’ll hold remaining bottles for at least three more years. We shall see if it implodes or calms down.
October 29, 2022 - Bordeaux tasting with some Napa outsiders (The Embrace of Silence): Aromas of black fruits, deep and rich earth and more brooding fruits.
The palate showed similar notes from the nose of rich, black earth, matching black fruits, some tar (love this) and wonderfully bitter minerals that plays so well with the dark fruits.
Packed with tons of fruit and some tailing heat but all this just told me it needed some air time. This was opened at the end of the night which made me want to sleep over but I didn't wanna be "that guy." 96+
Decant for 2-5 hours and taste along to see when, or if, it really settles in and develop further. Another couple of years in the cellar would also do.
October 29, 2022 - Wine: the Gathering Old World, Bordeaux (Château de Chris et Melissa): Had this after a gluttonous night of tasting and drinking BDX. CSIMM is too generous. This wine was gobbled up fairly quickly right at the end of the evening, but not to my surprise as a huge chunk of the people left that evening are “Napa” palates. This was my jam, no pun intended. This was not as fruit driven as the 19 Materium that was slipped into the middle of a BDX tasting but it was wine that reminded us of why we love Napa. Lots of fruit and bordering on jammy, this may have shown better on another day and no after having so many wines from across the pond. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this wine.
October 6, 2022 - Rare that I pour out a glass of wine that's not totally corked or off in some way. I fundamentally do not understand why anyone could be hoodwinked by this plonk. The price point and the gross manipulation of fruit here is downright criminal.
March 3, 2022 - (at Bottega - Yountville) Honestly, this was a bit disappointing. Good wine for sure that was strong in fruit and structure. Lacked harmony and complexity. Someone said "polished" - agree, too polished. Grossly overpriced. Easy pass next time. (93)
May 27, 2021 - Decanted for 8+ hours. Very fragrant and soft after a long decant and excellent with dinner. This was my first experience with Tusk and I expected it to be over the top, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. I think these bottles will be much better in 5-10 years (for my taste preference) but it drinks well now with air.
October 17, 2020 - I've been blindly buying Tusk since the 14 vintage. I'm guilty of buying labels in my early going and I'm trying to refine my purchases now that I have a sense of what I like.
14 Tusk is a GREAT wine if you like the Melka silky, plush and polished. Lots of fruit with a long finish. I did like it best on day 3.
For the price I'm not blown away... today. I've had other Melka wines that I truly enjoyed more. 12 J.Daniel to name one. For my palate this will be something I will need revisit years from now. Hold 94+.
September 27, 2020 - Perplexed by the fascination and allure of this property, whose intent is creating a "lifestyle luxury brand" first and a wine second (though prepared to be amazed). Tawdry and manufactured, this Tusk on this night came across as a Frankenstein of over-extracted components riveted together. An unintegrated Dole fruit cup of syrupy wild berries, damn near tasted fortified. Calling it a dumb phase is a hard sell, more like Asperger's. Were all its adoring fans duped by the marketing or did I just have a bad bottle, dunno. Have affection for Napa cabs, though tend not to gravitate toward Philippe Melka projects, this reminds me why. The value is in the bottle and not its contents. Caveat emptor. A generous 88.
September 25, 2019 - What Csimm said although it opens up muted and tight. Open and give it air. Agree 2012 was a more elegant (not the right word but compared to 2014 works) than the 2014. Great wines- as good as other $500+ wines, jury is still out. Will hold my final opinion until then. Preferred 2014 to 2012. 2013 over both.