2013 Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

Community Tasting Note

ageverett Likes this wine:

98 Points

Monday, August 22, 2016 - Slow ox for about an hour. Then another hour or so in the decanter. Drank over next 2 hours.

Really echo a lot of what CSIMM said in his note. This has the "wow" factor. Nose seemed to reveal different notes at every turn. This wine literally makes your palate shudder with satisfaction.

So well composed. Had a 2013 M Etain the previous night. While that one didn't get quite as much air, it was certainly more tight and tough to penetrate. The Arsenal is a better wine right now.

Stood up well to Wagyu strips, but frankly enjoyed this more in isolation (before and after dinner).

A stunning wine. 98 easy points right now, pushing 99.

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7 comments have been posted

Comment posted by csimm:

8/23/2016 8:01:00 AM - A 2013 Pott Arsenal and Wagyu strips, eh?!... Doesn't get much better than that!

Really is a shame Aaron Pott won't be using the Greer vineyard for this wine any longer. The Arsenal and the Kaliholmanok continue to be some of my favorite wines of all time. I was surprised how accessible the 2013 Arsenal was; clearly it needs more time, but I sometimes feel like Pott's wines usually take a number of years to unfurl. Thanks for the great note as usual! Glad to know I didn't just have my head in the clouds that day when I tried this wine.
Comment posted by ageverett:

8/23/2016 8:08:00 AM - Yeah, happy birthday to me!

I agree; sad this is the last vintage of the Arsenal. Just hope there is more Greer available moving forward. This was an amazing wine, especially given its youth. We've had a few really nice bottles in the last couple of weeks (Realm, Schrader, M. Etain), and this one stood out as the best (for both me and my wife).
Comment posted by csimm:

8/23/2016 8:18:00 AM - Happy Birthday! Ya I had read a number of your notes on various wines this month including Myriad, Realm, Schrader, Saunter.. All very helpful.

Interesting the standard Quivet Cab. didn't seem to show well... I've never had it, but I did get a couple of the 2014s. I'm still feeling out the Quivet label somewhat, as Mike's Myriad label is a no-brainer for me (as are Becklyn, Carter, and Scarlett).
Comment posted by ageverett:

8/23/2016 8:28:00 AM - Thanks. Yeah, the Quivet NV has been a weird one for me. The LPV is a great wine that over-delivers at the price point. The other two SVDs are very nice and I also think they over-deliver. The NV has just not been there for me. Can't put my finger on it, other than to say it has been a little "harsh," which is way out of character for Mike's wines. Not that is scared me off from ordering a good supply of the 2014s -- just that I'm not going to revisit 2013 any time soon and will hope for improvement.
Comment posted by csimm:

8/23/2016 8:41:00 AM - Good call on Quivet... I'll going to be holding off on my 2013s as well for a bit. Thanks again!
Comment posted by TastesGoodToMe:

8/24/2016 7:04:00 AM - When I met with Aaron, he told me that this was the last vintage for The Arsenal as the folks that own Greer vineyard want to keep all the grapes for their own bottling. The good news is that Aaron makes their wine! So although it will not technically be "Pott", hopefully it really will be - just with a different label.
Comment posted by csimm:

8/24/2016 8:25:00 AM - Crossing my fingers I actually get an allocation from Rob Greer in the not-too-distant future!