September 9, 2021 - BLIND REDS - Bordeaux varietals (mostly Napa and BDX) - Over/Under $100: A powerfully ripe showing, with chewy blackberry and super ripe black raspberry flavors sloshing and washing through the mouth, finishing with absolute authority. Some alcohol on the tail adds to the force of the delivery. This is a wine I have certainly appreciated in the past, but it is definitely a big wine that will likely always be a big wine. I prefer the 2014 for its comparatively less explicit and fervent showing.
Perhaps a wine best served with Naga chilis and widower’s curry meatballs with a canister of pepper spray.
April 2, 2021 - Friday Night Uptown Brown Bagger (R&D's): Double blind. Dark color with notes of incense, black and blue fruit, vanilla, plum and chocolate. The palate follows the bouquet with black fruit and incense tones, adding a brown sugar element as well. Full-bodied and youthfully tannic. My 2nd favorite of the flight. (R&D)
October 9, 2020 - Theme was Cali Cab. This fir me was WOTN. Approachable young, it has great balance, plenty of fruit. Finesse describes it best.
February 10, 2020 - This rich and creamy full-bodied wine is drinking really well right now. Dark purple in the glass and nice strong smells. It was just as good on day 2 as it was on day 1. I will have to check out more wines from Julien Fayard.
May 8, 2019 - It’s been over a year since I last sampled this vintage of Teucer. As expected, this has progressed nicely, with unctuous but not overbearing flavors of dark berry fruit, dark chocolate, and black soil/earth. Less hot and bombastic than the 2016 in its current state, and a bit more chiseled than the 2014. A little chewy on the back end, adding texture and weight. A faint floral note quickly comes and goes on the tail, adding lift. Drink now if you’re’ feeling indulgent, or ideally hold for another year to help smooth everything out from start to finish on the overall execution. 96+
August 16, 2018 - This wine is the real deal folks. I am typically more inclined to enjoy Northern Napa wines for their more fruit driven character (Oakville, St Helena, etc), but this is just incredibly good and well crafted. Dark and night in the glass, this initially showed some funk on the nose but it blew off almost immediately to display powerful aromas of plums, black cherry, spice box, dark licorice, forest floor and dank earth. This is super structured and build like a brick house, yet it shows tremendously integrated and refined tannins, exceptional layering and a wonderful mouthfeel. As time goes on, the wine peels off layer after layer to unleash waves of dark fruit and deep minerality. Super complex already, this will survive your cellar for a long time and I'd expect it to get better and better over the next 5-7 years. The finish is penetrating and lasts over 1min. Easily the best 2015 Purlieu, including the BTK.
February 7, 2018 - 3-Day Napa Cab Taste-Off: Vice Versa, B Cellars, Memento Mori, Alpha Omega, Purlieu, Janzen, Realm, Myriad, MACDONALD, Maybach, and more...; 2/7/2018-2/9/2018 (Napa): Much like the 2014 version of this wine, the 2015 Teucer explodes with dark, rich berry fruit and earth flavors. A full-frontal, velvet glove type of attack, with blackberry, black raspberry, red and black currant, blueberry, black soil, black licorice, wet sedimentary rock, whole clove, allspice, and hints of anise. A slight, fleeting whisper of a floral note provided a curious lift; but then the dark earth and fruit notes came rushing back over the palate ...kinda like shoveling fresh topsoil over a bed of violets.
My favorite of the Purlieu wines we tasted, even besting the BTK. I absolutely love the 2014 Teucer, and this 2015 is a worthy follow-up. It has the power and structure to go some additional distance; so it may even eclipse the 2014 at some point. For now, the 2014 is displaying much more upfront gratification and complexity. The 2015 is still holding some of its youthful cards back, which was most noticible on the back end, but not noticible enough to detract from the overall awesomeness of consumption. The 2014’s finish is just so super looooooong. The 2015 is just missing a couple of extra “o’s” in its less looong finish (splitting hairs here of course).
95-96+ points. I’d love to say I’ll revisit this in a year or so, but we all know I’m popping a cork on another one of these before then. Stupid ADHD.
February 7, 2018 - Whirlwind Winter Tasting in the Valley; 2/7/2018-2/10/2018 (Napa Valley, CA): Really nice, dark and earthy wine. Perfumed nose of spring flowers, licorice and minerals. Nicely textured, with well integrated but strong tannins and a linear, building power that is awash with mineral and earthy elements. Some deep black fruit as well. Definitely a cooler vineyard site, which has elements of Napa and BDX style. Very long finish. This is big and interesting. 96+