January 18, 2024 - a nice wine. For sure on the lighter side as others have remarked. Reminded me of a CDP or Grenache.
Not my typical style of wine but nice to switch it up.
I wont be running out to buy more of this, but also wouldn't hesitate to purchase if I saw anything on auction at a good price point.
December 3, 2023 - Lots of hype around these wines and the new Jasud release. I look forward to hearing how Jasud differs from Beta.
Not sure how to score this, so I won’t. Polarizing. From a unique and different take on Napa cab, it’s really intriguing. For scratching the typical Napa cab itch, this won’t do it. Depending which side you trend towards, you’ll either love this or have no desire to finish the bottle.
Purposefully pop and poured so that this could be followed for 3-4hrs out of the decanter to see the profile. Translucent purple in the glass. 12.7ABV! All the fruit here is underripe (black cherry, black currant) with a hint of pyrazines, black tea. On the palate, it has ripping acidity, especially for a Napa cab. Sour red and black fruits with a finish that is remarkably similar to a cherry Jolly Rancher. Odd.
I’d say double decant this for 24hrs, but I also think it is what it is right now until it’s had 20+ years of sleep.
October 15, 2023 - Slow ox’d for 3 hours then decanted for 3.5 hours. Aromas of cherry blackberry, hint of leather and currant. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and hi t of earth. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with cherry notes. These wines are tough because they don’t give up much in their youth but waiting for the payoff with bottle age. Unfortunately it leads to the question of whether you should continue to buy them when there are no older bottles as a basis of comparison like say Ridge.
May 13, 2023 - Decanted off moderate fine sediment. Drank over several hours. Red currant and black currant, black tea. Nice concentration, but very light on its feet. Chewy tannins, bright acidity. 12.7 ABV.
April 16, 2022 - Blind, no way this is picked as a CA Cab. Red fruit, tart, seems more like Grenache than Cab. Not bad, but not expected. All things considered, and putting preconceptions aside, the biggest problem is that the wine does nothing to distinguish itself.
October 9, 2021 - Clearly not my style of wine. Saw some other reviewers had the same reaction I did. It’s not flawed. But there is a sour note on the finish that just doesn’t work for me. Wife and friends didn’t enjoy it either. Gave it a few hours to open up but it was always there.
September 18, 2021 - Loved this. Decanted for a couple of hours before dinner. Holy cherry! Bright cherry notes, mid weight, lots of acidity. Much more approachable than the ‘15 which was darker and much more shut down at this stage.
August 29, 2021 - Second bottle and clearly not my style. PnP, then decanted 2 hours, didn't seem to change. Not flawed. Some black fruit but over whelmed by herbal and seemed overly acidic/sour. This is consistent with the last bottle. Have read many positive reviews, but not for me. Purchased for 1 year and glad to leave more for those who like this wine. I love old style wines like Montelena, Ridge Monte Bello and others, but this clearly is not for me. First bottle, my wife took one sip and dumped. I had more hope, but not to be.
June 5, 2021 - Old Skool
May 10, 2021 - Napa cab wearing a Santa Cruz leisure suit and wearing it very well indeed.
If you are looking for or crave a bold napa cab, look elsewhere friend. This is all about understated elegance at this stage in its life, which to be clear is very early on indeed. Intense violets & cassis on the nose which is accentuated by some slightly bitter cherry on the palate. Almost feels like you're popping tiny little grape clusters in your mouth as you drink it, forcing you to focus on the nuance of each sip. And really at the end of the day that's what this wine is all about: nuance. It lingers....a slowly fading snapshot of a bygone California winemaking era for those who care about such things.....and I do. Really enjoyed this wine! Bravo Ketan!