Community Tasting Note

alr6767 wrote:

Saturday, April 4, 2015 - A real pleasure to try these two side by side out of 500ml I just received this week. The Bearwallow is a decidedly darker shade of red than the Family Farm, verging in to relish-purple.

On the nose, the Family Farm shows rich fruit and perfume, while the Bearwallow shows bramble and a slight reductive note, with swirling I get herbs from the Bearwallow and subtle baking spices from the Family Farm.

On the palate, the Family Farm has a velvet texture, and reticent flavors of berry fruit, tangy acidity, and finishes medium+ with subtle oak, while the Bearwallow shows slightly darker and more ripe fruit, seemingly less acidity, and a slightly shorter finish.

These are very different beasts, and it will be interesting to see where they go, both re-corked into the wine fridge as well as over the longer haul. For my taste, I favor the FF by a good margin right now, as I find it more delicate and profound than the Bear, which is more giving but also more straightforward. I can see the charm of both for fans of different styles.

I really appreciate the chance to try these young wines in alternative formats. I look forward to trying the Alpine and the Horseshoe side by side.

Day 3: this has really calmed down, baby fat is gone. Nose is spicier, more perfume. Palate is much leaner, perhaps some stems coming through. This has some potential to change into something a bit more mellow, thus adding a point for potential.

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