January 6, 2023 - Dumbfounded. After poor showing earlier this year that I chalked up to bottle variation I decided to try again. 2 hour decant and drank over 3 hours. Love the 15 flagship but don’t see what all the hype is about with the Dr C. Tannins still a bit harsh, over oaked, overly sweet and a finish that just doesn’t go on for very long. Not sure what I’m missing here but just not great, especially compared to flagship.
February 20, 2022 - Must have been an off bottle (I hope). Had the ‘15 flagship blend earlier this year, and was blown away by how good it was so wanted to try the Dr C. Went head to head against a ‘14 Schrader LPV and the Schrader showed infinitely better. Day 1- 2 hour slow ox. Closed, over Oakes, just average. Day 2- all I got out of the bottle was oak and sweet caramel. As a huge MM fan, completely dumbfounded so assuming bad bottle.
May 14, 2021 - If the name of this wine is to remind us that we all die, it also reminds us that we have now died tasting an amazing wine. This is a rich cab blooming with fantastic tannins. I smell crushed violets, vanilla and blueberry pie. The finish is amazing and balanced on the tongue. If you love Crane cabs, you will love this wine.
October 18, 2020 - Had to test run to see how deep to hit the ‘18 MM Dr. Crane
Rich, inky, viscous, explosive nose, restrained palate. Wet rock, dried herbs, fresh cut flowers, definitely Crane. Easy drinking, but restrained palate, as if there was no acid, is it playing hide and seek? Turns out, yes.
At 2 hrs of air, this really exploded into greatness. One of the best renditions of Crane I’ve ever had. Juicy violets and fresh flowers and dark fruits, a sweet candidness on the nose. Crushed blueberries appeared, but disappeared as it warmed a bit. The acid has emerged with blueberries and purplish fruits exploding across the palate with a smooth mineral backbone. A jar full of various candied fruit kept running through my head. Enough tannins left to carry a long finish. As we approached the 3 hr mark, the candiness disappeared. This wine is Exhibit A for why I got into Napa. 99 for now, I think this still has room to run to an easy 100 in 3-5 yrs.
I worried I had opened too early, but this really shined with air. Sadly, my only bottle.
December 16, 2019 - Nothing more to add. Nose was as another taster noted "off the hook". Simply fantastic wine.
January 25, 2019 - Such a great bottle of wine...gave it a couple of hours to breathe (and have an OF) before getting into it. Layered nose of black cherry, pencil lead and dry aged beef. Super dark and inky purple. Gorgeous in the mouth, with loads of fruit and depth cascading over the palate. Nice long finish that lives up to MM and Beckstoffer Dr. Crane expectations and beyond. Really special.
June 9, 2018 - Had this blind with 5 other tasters next to a 2015 B Cellars Dr Crane, 2015 Caterwaul and what turned out to be a flawed 2015 Vice Versa BTK. This was the clear winner.
Very similar to my notes on 2/3/18. In comparison to its closest rival on the night, B Cellars Dr Crane, it displayed more purity, less manipulation and much better focus. All the typical Dr Crane elements were in play, with lovely fresh mineral driven flavors, dark fruit, embers, scorched earth etc. This wine wraps them all up in a very elegant and regal package, with exceptional depth of flavor and wonderful tannin management. This has a long life ahead of it.
February 3, 2018 - Blind Wine Tasting at the Lang's (Tustin CA): Served blind. OMG the nose on this wine is OFF THE HOOK. Just bursting out of the glass with amazing floral aromas, cassis, blackberries, blueberries, and forest floor. Incredible. Hits the pallet lightly at first and then just builds like an out of control locomotive heading downhill. Wow. All of the goodness of the Dr Crane site shows here. Beautiful interplay of scorched earth and embers with super deep and expressive black and blue fruit. So elegant yet so powerful. Finish is off the charts and has to be experienced to understand. This wine should age very well and probably needs a couple years to show its best. Likely perfect for me soon. 98-100.