December 26, 2023 - In a Christmas Eve cab lineup which included 2004 Rocca Yountville, 2016 Carter The O.G. and 2012 VHR. 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.
A stunning complete wine and the best of this lineup. Needed the longest decant (8 hours - no slow ox) to open up and integrate its components. This had the best nose of the bunch. it had tremendous energy on the palate and on the very very long finish. Depth of dark fruit was awesome. I believe that with age this could approach perfection with some additional complexity (there are earthy notes as well as bitter chocolate) and some additional harmonization of the energy the wine emits at this stage.
October 15, 2023 - No formal notes. Just impressions. H2H with Vice Versa Dr. Crane. Judging purely off of which one got consumed the earliest, Vice Versa was the more popular wine tonight. That being said, both were phenomenal and both bottles were out before the steaks were finished by the habachi guy who came for a friend's 40th birthday. In terms of treatment prior to drinking, the VV was ready to go out the shoot while the MM needed a 2 hour double decant back into bottle prior to the dinner. I cheated and coravin poured myself an ounce to make sure the wine was good and to determine if any needed additional decanting, etc.
May 28, 2022 - Aromas of fresh violets, wet stone, blueberries, and olive tapenade. Pure and precise, this wine is showing great focus from a vineyard known for its expressive and expansive fruit. Medium to full bodied with amazing blue fruit, it is wonderfully balanced and fresh with fine grained sweet tannin and a finish for days.
March 3, 2022 - Dr. Crane showdown between the 2018 MM and the 2019 Vice Versa. The VV showed a bit better, but the MM is no slouch. Both were decanted about 3 hours at ~62° before serving and drank closer to room temperature throughout the night.
Ruby colored, a bit of spicy oak (to borrow a descriptor from WBW), this was a great wine. Give it some air and it's in a nice place. Nose was sweet dark cherries, cassis, and vanilla.
Glad I have 1 more bottle of this!
August 22, 2021 - Nose: [58°+] A blend of sweet black fruit and forest floor, fresh clean bare oak like felling a tree and leaving its trunk, beautiful perfume of flowers planted near a river with a bunch of stone and pebbles. Over the 6 hour mark, the nose shows the crushed and macerated dark purple and black fruits I love so much. [°]
Palate: [58°-62°] A dark sweetness from black and dark blue fruits with a deep damp earthy component, spiced oak (eventually calms with lots of air time), black mulch and pleasantly sweet fruited steeped tea and soft minerals on the finish.
Attributes: Clear dark ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grainy, chewy tannin. Medium body with medium to medium-plus acidity. Good finish of at least 18 seconds.
Thoughts: Eureka! Shout out to the wine gods for giving me this opportunity to see what all the hype is about for MM. I can't say the same for the last two night's bottlings but most likely those just need time is all (I know, duh moment - I see a bunch of you with your arms crossed, slowly shaking your heads at me.. please don't judge me). What makes this good is that the flavors are almost concentrated but not heavy which is nice. The LPV and blend I had the previous nights seems like it was going for that but it's just not quite there yet, but will probably get there with time. This needs plenty of air time if you're trying to enjoy this now, otherwise wait for another 4-5 years. Happily killed this bottle. 97 tonight and this will definitely get better with time.
Other notes: Bordeaux glass. Emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° for 4 hours before serving, continued to decant while consumed over another 5 hours (total 9hrs). Recommend serving ~62°-64° with a decant of at least 6 hours at cellar temp if opening now or cellar for 4-5 years.
May 14, 2021 - Well, well...this wine has been staring at me for a while from the cellar window. I have previously looked the other way, not giving into its sultry stare, but tonight I felt the time was right to indulge.
I popped the cork, decanted and then back in the bottle about 4 hours before dinner. At dinner, I had some and it was still tight. About 30 mins later it started to unfurl in the glass.
Heavenly nose of blackberries, anise, violets and cassis fruit. The palate is hitting all the right notes right now: gorgeous pure mostly blue fruit, seamless pixilated tannins, excellent acidity and significant structure frame a very well integrated young wine. This is firm, not the least bit too forward and comes across in the most lovely fresh way, with the interplay of fruit, crushed stone and mineral driven flavors interchanging from the front to mid to finish. There is very good concentration, but nothing at all heavy about it. A fabulous effort that will continue to get better for a number of years. This will easily compete with the 16.
December 7, 2019 - Sam Kaplan - Arkenstone, Mememto Mori, Maxem, Vangone #3: If the VHR wasn’t enough to slap me silly with the possession of a thousand fun-filled flavors, the Crane offered little help in the exorcism from the continuing onslaught of savor-the-flavor palate sensory overload. Continuing to hit new heights, this 2018 Memento Mori Crane sample had so much blue and blackberry pie in the face that I could barely keep from closing my ear-to-ear purple grin in order to take the next sip…And I wanted ANOTHER sip. The mid and back ends here are extraordinary. A completely full mouthfeel with awesome concentration. This is the kind of wine that immediately gets stuck in your teeth if you’re wearing braces. (And really, if you’re wearing braces at this stage in your life, that…..uh….kinda sucks). Anyway, plan for a rollercoaster ride with this crazy monkey. It’ll rival the 2016 without question. 98-99+ points.
September 5, 2019 - Tasting among Napa giants consisting of 58 wines. No notes as spitting was frowned upon with my group... even punishable. Top wines 2018 Keplinger Oakville and Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet, Tusk, 2016 Colgin Tychson Hill, 2016 Vine Hill Ranch, Maxem Pinot and Chardonnay (tied for top QPR with La Pelle), La Pelle SB & Cabernet, 2012 Del Dotto Beast. Runner ups 2018 Memento Mori SVDs, 2018 Vice Versa, 2018 Keplinger Sumo and Lithic, 2016 Dana Hershey, 2016 Colgin Cariad and IX Estate.
Ugh why can’t I go to a tasting and be under impressed and declare No More $200 Wines! Well for starters I have zero self control and an all-in personality. Second, these SVDs are shaping up to be killers. Will this be the vintage of the decade, century or before dinosaurs walked the earth- no clue but I can tell you the ones I have been fortunate enough to taste seem to have a step up on others at this very stage.
Preface: I am typically not a red and/or higher acid profile fan unless they are absolutely killer so my intention was to go in from an educational purpose with the hopes of not really loving the wine (translate save money).
Now what’s interesting to me (wine enthusiast or is it dork?) is the opportunity to taste the 2016 VHR within the same weekend as the 2018 Keplinger VHR and 2018 Memento Mori VHR. Since I am not as familiar with VHR except for maybe Bond’s Vecina (limited tastings) I was really looking forward to this learning experience and what better way than to go to the source, VHR with Bruce and then try three different wine making approaches to the wines with the wine makers themselves. A bit out of order we tried MM VHR, VHR itself and then Keplinger.
Bored yet? Read on you will be. Wait what am I even talking about?
Unfortunately man plans and g-d laughs. This barrel sample that is not even a year in barrel demanded you to take notice. It didn’t just have the calm red fruits with acid ending- it had it all. It was like your blind date showing up in a big sweater and puffy ski coat because it’s VT in the dead of winter. You waive good by to your roommate giving him the reminder signal should you need to be pulled out mid dinner, only to find out once the 57 layers are removed, you are sitting across the table from Brooke Shields. She is not the slutty deep dark brooding big Napa Cabernet rather knockout gorgeous wine that you will begin to appreciate right away but over time will knock your socks off. This wine has everything going for it (at least at this stage) from black and red fruits, to the depth and complexity you would expect from Sam’s wines. Of the three VHRs, in their current stage, and I reserve the right to change, I would put this at number 2 of VHRs and #2 of the three barrel samples but just barely. Keep in mind all three are insanely good, simply having to choose between fractions of each other. This will be a full allocation purchase in the future. Well done. 95-98++
Should my fingers really start cramping up from a tasting note? Must be because I am sober. Anyway the LPV came across very different as if it didn’t want to come out and play and therefore hid behind its shell of minerals protecting the core of black and dark red fruit. Didn’t have time to tease this out over hours, and don’t get me wrong this is still a compelling beast, but it will take the longest to open up and join its brother and sisters. This is a bit locked but based on an amazing vintage, a site I love and an incredible wine maker I will buy for sure. 95-97+. This was #3 for me that night.
Damnit Jim, I am a doctor not a... ok over used but The Doctor was definitely in the House that night. MM 2016 Dr Crane is a favorite so I may have been like a kid in a candy store after hours waiting to taste the Dr (very good experience with 2018 VV Dr Crane as well) and it did not disappoint. Already had amazing viscous feel with the mineral driven dark fruits that are already deftly integrated (for this stage anyway) what will hopeful become further complimented by the mocha/chocolate I have come to enjoy from this wine. This wine stole the show and has the most immediate drinking potential but will also last in the cellar. #1 wine of the flight. 95-98++
February 8, 2019 - Sam Kaplan - Arkenstone, Mememto Mori, Maxem, Vangone: Barrel sample. Much in line with the 2016, the 2018 Memento Mori Crane seems to be headed on a trajectory that highlights gorgeous, dark black and red core fruit, most especially in regards to elevated purity and sophistication. The mouthfeel and texture are generously round, but with a verve and tension that keep the core locked in step. A wine slated to perform in the 97-100 point arena. My personal favorite amongst the fledgling 2018s from Memento Mori.
February 8, 2019 - Was fortunate to sample many of the 2018 wines from barrel from Memento Mori. The broad takeaway is WOW, these are going to be stunning. 2018 seems to be similar to the quality and characteristics of 2016, which is just fantastic.
MM has added two blocks of Vine Hill Ranch to their lineup in this vintage (and 2017), and I believe it will not only be added to the blend, but also used as an SVD. Tasting those two blocks, they are extremely different from each other and show how amazingly unique each block in the same vineyard can be. The first sample was black, deep, rich and showed scorched earth elements similar to LPV. It was lights out. Just awesome. The second sample was way higher toned and hit you right in the face. Fruit seemed redder, the profile was more acidic and rode way higher on the pallet. Reminded me much more of a VHR wine. It will be interesting to see how they blend these together. It is very promising. 95-98.
The 2018 Dr Crane was again for me the star of the show. Shows that wonderful and amazing nose of blueberry compote, scorched earth and white flowers that is so intoxicating. Already expressive and opulent on the pallet, it is super concentrated, round, dense and chock full of pure fruit backed by lots of mineral driven and wet stone flavors. This is killer. 98-100
The 2018 LPV was super dense, dark and black in the glass. Scorched earth, embers, mineral driven flavors and great blackberry fruit throughout. Dense and drying on the pallet at the moment. Big structure and quite long. Super young, but tons of promise. 96-98