March 23, 2024 - Ditto from November 2023 … smoking good!
November 20, 2023 - Wow! This wine is drinking beautifully … front to back starting with gourgous bouquet that Barbara pointed out from the moment I poured the glass. Followed by sweet blackberries and from front to back of tongue just wonderful full-bodied with refined tannins that are just Yummy!
Had first bottle over a year ago and wasn’t impressed so this has come a long way in the bottle! It’s going to be hard not to open a second bottle during the Eagles vs. Chiefs football game Monday night.
March 5, 2023 - Hadn’t touched my small stash of Black Fruit since I purchased it from the winery. Short decant and it seemed ready to go. Blue and black fruits, violets and cassis on the nose. Fairly rich, smooth, chalky finish with integrated tannins. Nice finish, Drinking well at this stage, considering the vintage. Well done, minds me of the 2014 Juliet.
December 29, 2022 - Pnp. Nose of violets. Black and blue fruits, chocolate, charcoal and plum. Full bodied, rich, balanced and smooth. Fine tannins and a long finish. Bolder than the Chappellet and Sequoia Grove consumed alongside it, but just as good.
December 23, 2022 - Continues to slowly mature and improve. I think there is a lot of potential but doesn't put it all together for me yet. Clearly best on second day. Muscle still overwhelming the fruit for me. Good tension and lively finish. Will hold off on my last bottle for at least a year to see if I can catch the peak.
October 9, 2022 - Needs a lot more time.
November 25, 2021 - A touch better than my previous bottle earlier this year - still too young. Did get much fuller and riper with 2 hours in the decanter -- nicer yet on day #2. Definitely tobacco and herbs show up but the fruit is front and center. Hoping layers of flavor and nuance show up in the years ahead.
August 17, 2021 - An appealing name but a wine that is lacking for now. This wine is good and probably too young but special, probably not. Like many 2018's it's not quite ready right now. Perhaps it will gain some traction, but the wine is not revealing very much at this point. Dark purple blue color with an nose that offers little aroma. Blue and blackberry fruit that shows on the soft side palate wise, and some plum. At this point, uneventful and underdeveloped. After a couple hours of air, slightly better (from about 89-90 to 91 Points and that's maybe too generous. For my money, there are better options to peruse, perhaps time will prove me wrong?
Day 2: Some modest improvement, but not really meeting what I would have expect for wine titled 'Black Fruit' 90+/ 91
January 22, 2021 - Coravined the glass and followed over 4 hours. This wine evolved a bit with air but really never opened up. Its dense, and has ample black fruit which moves toward plum with air and is subdued at this young stage. It really didn't yield much on the nose but what was there was floral, wild berry and mineral. This wine really reminds me of Beau Vigne, the owners previous label. A wine with potential. 92 now but could gain as much as 3 points with a few years in the bottle. HMC
January 21, 2021 - Young and a bit rough around the edges at this stage. Mellowed out some with hours of air. Dark fruit, lots of tannins and acidity. Mouthfeel is a touch gritty at this stage. I see a lot of potential as it ages. Will be interesting to follow over the upcoming years.