April 5, 2024 - lots of strength, and depth, comes across as strong. aromatic, vanilla, and tannins but not overly strong tannins. this is a big wine, that should be paired with something equally strong in flavor.
December 26, 2023 - In a Christmas Eve cab lineup which included 2004 Rocca Yountville, 2012 VHR. and 2018 Memento Mori Dr. Crane. All these wines were so different but each amazing in their own way -- all required 2-8 hours of double decanting to reach their max potential on this night.
The Carter The OG is the ultimate Napa pleasure bomb (for what I can afford to buy). Blows me away with endless layers and depth of favor, mouthfeel that is dense yet glides over the palate, dusty fine tannins, minerality and long smooth complex finish with chocolate, espresso, tobacco and so may other notes. Hits the right notes for me when a special occasion calls for such a guilty pleasure!
August 2, 2023 - Decanted for a couple hours and consumed over the course of an evening.
It is immediately clear on the nose and then on the palate that this isn't your average Napa Valley Cabernet. The quality of fruit and barrel treatment are spectacular. But despite that, at least for me, it did not reach the critical acclaim.
It is a big wine with mouth coating fruit, a lingering finish, and a hefty dose of alcohol. It is also very round with no harsh edges whatsoever. In a word, gulpable. A perfect cocktail wine if you want to sit by the fire.
But it was a little too big and did not have enough acid and grip to make it food friendly or provide any indication that it should be aged longer.
In fairness, my palate has shifted more classic in recent years. So I am sure for many this wine will still fulfill its prophecy. For others like myself, you might want to consider when and where to drink this. Preferably sooner rather than later and without food.
December 18, 2022 - What a spectacular wine, loved it
September 27, 2022 - This bottle was just amazing, dark brooding fruit with hint of red on the corners, great espresso and chocolate notes, wish I had paid more attention to the wine, but was catching up in conversation over dinner and just was going down so smooth with the steak the bottle was gone in no time!!
This seems to have the stuffing to go the distance, and think with a bit more bottle time, and possibly a longer decant, this could pop another point maybe two. Drank over 3 hours and decanted at the table.
July 16, 2022 - First time I have rated a wine 100. Just WOW!
March 10, 2022 - Pulled the cork for a dinner. Drank alongside a 96' Whitehall Lane Private Reserve which was clearly showing old Napa. I left in the glass for about a 1/2 hour. Great fruit, still primary in the beginning but it started to show so cocoa and espresso about 1-2 hours in glass. Surprisingly, the 15% alcohol was subdued in this and definitely not like the 19' Carters I tried last year, which put a smile on my face because my wife liked the 19's and so we ended up with a small haul of their wines that day. To be honest, this might have been the wrong venue to bring this wine as half the group I do not think appreciated the wine for what it is. While I was sipping, smelling, smelling some more and in essence, babysitting the wine throughout the night, a couple other people had gulped this lovely elixir without a thought. Darn...lesson learned.
In my opinion, this can be drunk now with a little air and speaks to what I have heard in the past about Carter wines in that they are more early drinkers than other wines in its class. This lacked a little on the nose for me and maybe slightly on the finish, hence the 97.
December 24, 2021 - They should rename this wine OMG! This bottle was as amazing as my last one on Christmas 2018 and like that year, bested a MacDonald (2012 this time). Hit its stride with about 2 hours of decanting and kept improving in the glass until the end. It just has everything -- nose, glorious mouthfeel, dense yet weightless body, multifaceted fruit, layers of flavors, dusty minerals, beautifully integrated tannin/acid, long finish... Just keeps changing and makes me smile on each sip. Glorious. Saving a 100 point rating just in case I ever taste something better but hard to imagine. Only one left 😬
September 29, 2021 - ‘all I know is this is 100 points’ -the birthday girl
August 30, 2021 - Midnight in Oakville: This is my perennial favorite of the Carter wines, offering so much class and precision (at least in earlier vintages). The 2016 is a ripe and fulsome addition to this tradition, but I was surprised how sweet it seemed at the five-year mark. Dark purple in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of boysenberry, rock candy, and licorice, with that menthol-laden smell that comes with a full inhale of a modern wine pushing the envelope. The flavors are similarly forward, with notes of blueberry pie, cherry pie, mocha, and gravel, with a sweet and silky finish. 14.9% alcohol.
I expressed my concerns about the 2016 Carter vintage in early 2020, when several wines came across as too syrupy and forward. It’s been another year, and my concern remains: I worry, at least in this vintage, that Icarus flew too close to the sun. No doubt, there is a core here, but there is also a lot of sugar here - which one wins, only time will tell. 93+ at the moment, but this is wine that might (might) reward the long game. Open in 2023 or later.