November 9, 2020 - This is just what you would hope a relatively obscure Cab from a great year and a great vineyard would taste like. Delicious, elegant and complex; fruit is still strong with fine tannins and a long finish. Followed over three hours and kept getting better, I'll decant my next bottle. No rush.
April 27, 2019 - 4th Saturday Brown Bagger (T&L's): Double blind. Really nice fruit- mostly dark- with cassis and black currant, though there are red elements as well. Has a subtle herbal undertone. Dark fruit on the palate with a long finish. Very nice.
August 19, 2015 - P/w 1 hr decant. Clear, deep/dark purple color. Intense Cab nose. Big, bold, clearly shows great fruit source, Beckstoffer/Rutherford. A testament to fine CA Cab, nothing like Claret. Seriously good stuff with perfect balance/integration, long tannins/finish and truly gorgeous drinking. Long legs, big body, wonderful stuff. Nothing off.
March 12, 2014 - Dinner at Cafe Lyon: Corked.
December 18, 2011 - Pull from the cellar, opened, aerated and decanted for 2 hours. First taste reminded me of dried fruit. This wine is about at the end of it's prime life. The wine certainly had very mellow and integrated tannins at this point. The wine ended up tasting more fresh and of baked black fruits and was a decent bottle of wine.
September 12, 2011 - great bottle
February 14, 2010 - drink now
February 6, 2010 - Popped and poured. Dark ruby red. Nose of oak, dark red and black fruit. Full mouthfeel, with dried red cherry, currants and toasted oak. Structure still firm with decent finish. a bit too much oak for me.
June 2, 2009 - Wow
September 17, 2008 - Great Cabernet. Merryvale is a very underappreciated winery in my opinion. They do great stuff. Bouquet of clover, anise, blackberry and strawberry and a bit of hay. The palate is a great sweet cedar, plum, blackberry and interesting orange zest flavors in the finish. Tannins are strong but yielding nicely. This wine still puckers you a bit. Good structure and should continue to mature nicely but very tempting at the moment.