April 18, 2024 - PnP
Steve pulled this out in his office after work while chatting with Carly about the legal profession and employment opportunities.
Purple hue in a black background. Black fruit aromas. Black currant and ripe blackberries. Mocha and very intriguing olive note. Very approachable, tannins are well represented but not obtrusive. Probably great with a steak but worthy of just sipping and enjoying on its own.
October 18, 2023 - This is a young Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Big, bold and in your face kind of wine.
Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn and coffee.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
Tangy and interesting. Will continue to a nice win the next 10 to 15 years.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.
Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime. Good by itself as a sipping wine.
Delicious.
14.8% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$150.
March 30, 2023 - Bold aromas of violets and lavender with notes of black cherry and raspberry. Silky tannins and a 20-second finish.
October 18, 2022 - What is it about Tuesdays? They are often stressful, but at the very least, like today, insanely busy. That’s when it’s time for something a little more directed at the pleasure center of the brain. There’s enough age on this one to tame the extremes, and bring it closer to my wheelhouse, but still express the ripe and rich side of Napa Cabernet. Ripe blackberry fruit with a dash of vanilla and baking spices is held in check by sneaky tannins that only hit at the finish. Fun but serious, and I wonder where it will go in several more years, except that I will likely drink it all up!
January 15, 2022 - This wine has the intense fruit and toasty oak I expect from a full-throttle TRB production, with an earthy undertone that is intriguing - it has the theft of a Maybach, but with less precision and lift. Dark purple in color; full in body; aromas of black cherry pie, milk chocolate, and licorice. The flavors are similarly juicy, with notes of blueberry, mocha, and blackberry, with a sweet and vanillin finish (a TRB sheen) that deepens after a few hours of air. 14.8% alcohol. 92-93 for now, but I'd wait another few years.
October 25, 2021 - This is drinking great and I found the wine approachable, too. I did splash decant it twice about 3 hours before we drank it. After the splash decant, I returned it to the bottle and sealed it back up (to take to the restaurant). I paired this with Coq au Vin, which was magic. Dark in the glass, the wine has a good profile of red and black fruit, with a chocolate-tinged finish that I assume is from the new wood. I'm not much of a oak guy anymore but the oak was manageable even for me. Overall, this is in a good place, provided you take note of my decant remarks.
October 9, 2021 - Versus Becklyn and Roy Piper this was easily the best
August 31, 2021 - Decanted for about 4 hours - whoa. Deep impenetrable purple in color, with a deep intoxicating and perfumed nose of violets, dark cherries, subtle graphite, more dark sweet fruit, come on - the nose just goes on forever. Fine polished tannins, very rich and full, but with impeccable balance and finesse. Fine, long finish, with some menthol making an appearance. Outstanding.
May 11, 2021 - Six hour decant. Deep dark eggplant color, with a hint of ruby. Black cherries jubilee, pound cake, pistachio, and subtle toffee on the nose. Dry, satiny, mouth coating palate, with nice, lingering acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish.
This would have been slightly better with a shorter decant (2-3 hours). Even so, it was a terrific bottle (my first from this winery).
April 19, 2021 - Exploring 2018s and 2019s in Napa - Spring 2021; 4/18/2021-4/22/2021 (Napa Valley, CA): Noticeable alcohol on the nose, but a lot of things going on for this wine, especially as time passed and the wine sat in glass. Flavors of hawthorne, blueberry, cassis, caramel, toffee, Serrano pepper, dried oregano, savory jerky, and a prominent iron minerality note. Showcased more earthiness than the Reserve 2017. Big, structured wine with chewy tannins and balanced acidity.