March 20, 2024 - Pop and pour which is so sad for this wine but it showed well but definitely got better in the glass. Very good wine
December 2, 2023 - Drinking beautifully with many years ahead of it.
November 17, 2023 - 2018 and 2019 side by side. The 2018 is all wood chips and bitter tannins. “Leave these alone,” is the best advice I can give here. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit concerned about the direction of this wine. I see a lot of good reviews by good people here, so I’ll defer to you all in that regard. I’ve had a decent amount of experience with Greer over the years and have had some hit/miss experiences. I can hear it already… “This was clearly an off bottle.” All I can say is the 2019, though comparatively an improvement, wasn’t much different. I’m very familiar with the winemaker’s style here, and even still, this came off incredibly strict and bitter. Here’s hoping your mileage will vary.
November 2, 2023 - Rating is as of today, with a two hour decant.
Time to dust off my old cheesy analogy (or is it metaphor? I always confuse the two)- drinking this now is like driving a Ferrari stuck in first gear.
Everything here is typical Greer Goodness, but she needs time, like 5+ years time. Should be a high 90's bottling with some slumber time.
March 14, 2022 - A phenomenal wine from one of my favorite producers. Opaque purple, visibly rich. The nose is instantly alluring with aromas of creme de cassis, muddled mint, griotte cherry pastille, brioche. The youthfulness of the wine is most evident on the palate, which centers on vibrant, tangy fruit framed by very soft, tactile tannins. Endless finish. Currently 94, but could peak at 97-99 in twelve to fifteen years. I’ll rate it 97 for the time being.
January 21, 2022 - I agree with the recent tasting notes which are spot on. I double decanted this for 5 hours prior to tasting, kept at cellar temp 61 degrees until drinking over the course of a few hours.
I preferred this next to a 2018 Seaver GTS tasted next to it, but my girlfriend preferred that. It's a nice wine now, well made, good structure. But needs another 3-5 years. So if you are holding 3 or 6, do yourself a favor and wait on this.
November 25, 2021 - Thanksgiving Napa tasting (Napa Grill (Zurich)): Pretty herbal with a really nice spicey overlay, red currant, some pencil shavings. Pretty intense. Nice fruit with a dense texture and a good amount of power behind.
November 19, 2021 - Tasted this vintage with Rob several months ago and again today weeks after shipment. These wines are the poster child for Rutherford potential. Leathery red fruit, dark chocolate, dusty earth and a touch of game. High acid that needs time to calm. Decanted three plus hours but needs years in the cellar. Like MacDonald this is the style Napa should be focusing on. Blind this is no doubt St. Julien to me (thinking the 2016 Léoville Poyferré from last week).
October 22, 2021 - Nose: [56°-64°+] Initially a bit of black mulch encased in tree bark, heavily steeped black tea and bright fruits. The fruit eventually darkens, earth softens a bit and has nice florals along with undergrowth. Also a stern but softly spiced tobacco leaf. With time and higher temps brings an earthy chocolate note.
Palate: [56°-67°+] A wall of tannin blocks my way but rays of light behind it still shine through. Dark red fruit, dark plums with purple flesh, deep black earth/dusty earth, strong and pleasantly bitter graphite and a finish of spiced oak and a touch of tar.
Attributes: Clear dark medium ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grainy tannin. Medium to medium-plus body with medium-plus acidity. Great finish of about 20-22 seconds.
Thoughts: Needs time; too young and unsettled at the moment. There were moments where the wine showed what its made of but there is just a large shadowy figure made of tannin and oak that stands in the way. However, everything that makes this a quality wine is there. Patience will be rewarded here - give it at least 4-6 years. 95+
Serving notes: Bordeaux glass. Emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° for 4 hours before serving, continued to decant while consumed over another 5.5 hours (total 9.5 hrs). Recommend serving ~64° with a decant of at least 7-8 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
May 3, 2021 - Napa - All my COVID finds; 4/29/2021-5/5/2021 (Napa): The 2018 was a beautiful representation of Rutherford with impeccable balance and minerality in the mid palate. Like a lot of 2018's, it certainly needs some time to add depth.