2018 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras
Community Tasting Note
Cristal2000 wrote:
Saturday, February 27, 2021 - 2018 LPV Blind Tasting: VV, Carter, Fait Main, Quivet and B Cellars (Lang's): 2018 LPV blind tasting. Wines: Vice Versa, Carter La Verdad, Quivet, Fait Main and B Cellars. Six total tasters. All wines decanted 3+ hours.
The FM came in last. It was last for 5 out of 6 of us, including me. I actually thought this was probably the Quivet. I was really disappointed, as I figured the FM would be close to the top. The nose was muted, the acidity was high toned, the depth was lacking and overall it was the least interesting. I've had so many great bottles of FM I am willing to say this may have just been a bad bottle or opened at the wrong time. There was no doubt however that on this night, it was the worst of the group. Even had some left over the next day and it was still uninteresting.
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Comment posted by LiteItOnFire:
2/27/2021 4:34:00 PM - Well that’s not good. I have found FM acid to fluctuate by vintage (‘15 vs ‘16 a perfect example) and am still unsure how long it takes to round out or of it ever will
Question- do you feel the ‘18 might be a case of the Monday’s and (1) like other ‘18s need a crap ton of time (although that doesn’t explain the thin and highly acidic encounter) and (2) a vintage that he may have leaned more Bordeaux like in style based on the vintage demands? Question is, assuming it’s not an off bottle, will the wine come around like in Bordeaux or is just a more leaner/acidic rendition?
Comment posted by Cristal2000:
2/27/2021 5:00:00 PM - Hi LIOF - I'd give Benoit the benefit of the doubt here. I remember having a really bad experience early with a 13 and then later is was terrific. I think 18 can be hard to access early, so time will almost certainly be its friend.
For some reason most of these great winemakers seem to struggle more with their own labels (Melka, Mike Smith, TRB etc). I don't know if it's their personal preference for the European style, or that they aren't accessing the same quality of grapes, equipment, barrels or maybe they struggle with quality control in some cases due to lack of staffing.
For me, I didn't enjoy the 15 vintage of FM but love the 16. They were worlds apart in my mind. I feel like FM is a wine I really need to taste before buying. Sometimes it's a world beater for $175; other times it just doesn't hit my palate right.
Comment posted by LiteItOnFire:
2/27/2021 9:00:00 PM - Cristal- I know exactly what hat you mean! Will be curious to see if the 15/16 changes over time like a Bordeaux. Who knows, but hope it all turns out awesome!
Have you ever asked him about it?