July 24, 2023 - Pnp.....big, juicy Venge wine. Dark purple in the glass. Nose of big, sweet Cali dark red/black fruit. No hint of this being a Bdx blend early on. It's just a big Napa cab fruit bomb.....however.....1-2 hours in and subtle changes take place. A little more diverse fruit shows up to alter the cab profile....balanced, as so many of the Venge wines are. Great acidity on the back end carries the ending for a good 30-40 seconds. Perhaps a nuanced 92 by the end of the bottle?
April 29, 2023 - blown away by how yummy this is drinking. vibrant red fruit vanilla and white pepper well into mid palate followed by a long finish. Still fairly tannic so may even get better with bottle age, but it was so good now I wouldn't save it!
March 26, 2023 - Pnp, a bit disjointed. After 24 hours in the fridge it was much better. The typical Venge fruit was there in gobs but also some structure. I think it will improve some over the next few years. Some..
July 29, 2022 - Fruity musky nose. Nic fruit and chalky tannins.
February 16, 2021 - Delicious Bordeaux blend with flavorful jammy fruits on the palate and nice tannin balance.
February 2, 2021 - My only regret is only getting one bottle. It is very rich and full bodied. A Bordeaux blend that leads with Cab Franc. It should be decanted and allowed to open for 30 minutes to an hour to enjoy the changing complexity. This drinks beautifully now but would cellar very well.
September 13, 2020 - Tied for second WOTN for me. Rich, soft and drinkable very young wine. Loaded with dark fruit and soft tannins. Even better than last look in so I think this may end up point higher with bottle time. 93 HMC
August 21, 2020 - A little young. Nothing stands out but pleasant tasting.
June 13, 2020 - Pop and pour thru a powered aerator. Deep opaque eggplant color. Really nice nose of blackberries, plum, blueberry and strawberry. Yep, she’s got a fruity punch but there is depth and well balanced tannins and acidity to keep things in check. Notes of chocolate, graphite and cedar. Luscious mouthfeel. I’m impressed for such a young wine. About 93 with room to grow with age.
May 17, 2020 - Curious to try one of my first ‘18s and not surprisingly it was a lot of fruit! Very enjoyable, needs air—Mark was correct in his assessment of grapey out of the bottle but much more interesting fruits (cherry, red and black berries) at the three hour mark. Hedonistic, delicious, smooth. Not super complex right now because it is hard to get past the fruit so for me that limits the score. Probably upside with time