Manursing Memorial; 5/27/2022-5/29/2022: My recent tasting of the 2012 OV/SL was full of surprises. First, in disappointing news, it didn't have the aromatic or flavor intensity I'm used to from Futo. The black and red fruits were rather indistinct; little else stood out. On the other hand, the wine was shockingly well balanced. I'm sensitive to high alcohol levels, and through some crazy Exposto magic, the 14.7% ABV barely even registered. Ditto the sweetness often found in bottles from Oakville and Stags Leap. Tannins and acid were present in just the right amount to keep the wine from feeling flabby without being cloying. So all in all, a smooth, very pleasant if not super interesting drinking experience. I'd recommend a slightly longer decant than we gave it (maybe 1-2 hours?) and drinking over the next five years while there's still enough fruit to keep the other elements in check.
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Seems to be hit or miss for me with this wine, and a miss this time. Nose was very reductive, with a stewed/barnyard top note. That dissipated, but never fully went away. What was left was a dark, dense, but monolithic and somewhat uninteresting wine. Not bad, just not great - and nowhere near my prior bottle.
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24 Napa Reds: All tasted double blind. Brief impressions. This is quite nice with a variety of dark and dark red fruits, minerality, violets on the nose and palate. Fairly soft structural frame with lots of round tannins and an elevated but well integrated freshness. Today it has not the complexity, precision and weightlessness of the best wine but I guess in a setting where you can follow this wine over a few hours it would score one or the other point higher than the 92 points.
Group score (23 participants): 93.6 Group rank: 18 out of 24 wines
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Napa battle (Napa Grill, Zurich): Tasted blind, double-decanted. Sweet and spicy, red currant, mineral and with a cool feel to it. Still a bit wild on the palate and a slightly astringent finish. Solid, but merely a shadow of the Futo 5500 of the same vintage, in my view.
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Flat out delicious. Hard to believe this is their second wine. At this price point, it’s hard to think of anything better. Balanced, integrated tannins, dark fruits and mocha, with a long velvety finish.
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With a one-hour decant, this bottle of 2012 Futo OV/SL has to be one of my favorites from Napa so far. Similar notes as my last bottle, but I felt the wine had more nuance than the previous. Plenty of black and dark red fruit but brought to the palate with indescribable flavors (for me at least) and sailed through the finish for a good 20 seconds.
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Great aromatics of chocolate, black cherries and espresso. Decanted for only 30 minutes, it hit the palate with ripe blackberries, plum and mocha...a bit earthy, but bursting with fruit and a wonderfully smooth finish. Going to visit the winery in July. Might have to search their cellar for more of this beauty!
Beautiful wine in drinking window. Expressive nose; great balance and texture. Nose of cassis, leather and dark fruit. Cool balance between Oakville and Stags Leap. Enjoyed with Juan Mercado, Artis and others in St. Helena- Wine Company.
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Decanted for 2 hours and then consumed over 1 hour. Quick note: approachable now, dark fruit and cassis, with a surprising amount of acidity. Light tannins. Moderate complexity. A longer decant would have been better. I would not hesitate to open another bottle after 2025. Pllenty of life ahead for this wine, with some upside. 93+.
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This wine has added depth and gained polish in the year since I tasted it last (95 points - 10/16). I wasn't sure it would improve that much, since it was drinking well before - but time allowed it to keep its power while adding a good amount of finesse; it is among the better 2012's I've tasted. There is a depth to the fruit, along with a lightness on the finish, that is just wonderful.
Inky black in color, with a little bit of red; full in body; more inviting nose of blackberry, cocoa, and licorice. Tastes of blackberry, mocha, gravel, and cedar, with a less tannic finish. This still needs time to open up: at first, it seemed a bit light, but it rounded out with a few hours. This is still a dense and powerful wine, but it has a roundness that is utterly appealing. Drink now or in next few years. 14.7% alcohol. Blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot.
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An inviting nose of dark berries, a luscious mid palate with mineralistic tones, but a somewhat disappointing finish. Seemed like there was a bit of energy lacking, with barely present tannins that suggest this wine is in its window, to be drunk over the next 3-5 years.
A nice effort, and I look forward to cracking their 2013's in the next couple years.
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Tasted after the 2011 Oakville with Tom. Dark and deep purplish ruby red. Velvety feel on the nose, perfumey and floral with dark red berries. Heavy tannins (8/10) with a beautiful structure. Tons of fruit in the attack, fuller in the mid palate. Black raspberries and black cherries. Strong undertones of dark cocoa. Full bodied and super long finish. Drink till 2042. (96+)
Around 2/3 of the fruit is from the Oakville Vineyard while the other third comes from the quarry section of the Stags Leap District Vineyard. Bordeaux blend made of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot.
A rich and dark red blend that is everything you can ask from a modern Napa Cabernet. Inky black in color, full in body, nose of black cherry, graphite, and cocoa. Layered tastes of boysenberry, mocha, pencil shavings, gravel, and cedar, with a somewhat tannic finish that smooths out (and deepens) after an hour or so. 14.7% alcohol. Has the stuffing to age, so I will wait another year or so to let the tannins integrate a bit more, but this is an exceptional wine with a bright future. Blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot.
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Aromas of bell pepper, coffee and spice cake are delightful and inviting. The body is medium but provides structure to support pleasant layers of blackberry, blueberry, coffee, herbs, bell pepper and licorice notes. The finish is 25+ seconds. The green and herbal notes are fairly dominant, more than I prefer. Wonderful wine.
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Deeply pitched violet core with a maroon rim. Beautiful in the glass. A big, broad shouldered BDX blend. This is centered in the new world/modern style. The fruit is way ahead of the structure. The quality of the material is undeniable, but I would like more structure & grip on a wine like this. Texturally, this is plush & classy, but ultimately a bit too soft.
The fruit is a bit monolithic & I was searching for more Cabernet character as it makes up the bulk of the blend. Very nice, but I was looking for a bit more.
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From the Winery: Starts floral with chiseled red fruits turning darker with smoky minerals and a savory perfume. Energetic on the palate, flavors are focused on black raspberries and cherries, loamy soil, herbs and tannin that melts into a long, suave finish. Elegant but authoritative, this wine has it all. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot - 880 cases bottled May 2014
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About as good as a deselected wine could want to be. Really beautiful blend that is a super serious wine in its own right. Deeply pitched on the nose and palate with great filigreed tannins. Long and powerful finish. Open and radiant but will really benefit from bottle time.
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5/28/2022 - rkww Likes this wine: 92 Points
Manursing Memorial; 5/27/2022-5/29/2022: My recent tasting of the 2012 OV/SL was full of surprises. First, in disappointing news, it didn't have the aromatic or flavor intensity I'm used to from Futo. The black and red fruits were rather indistinct; little else stood out. On the other hand, the wine was shockingly well balanced. I'm sensitive to high alcohol levels, and through some crazy Exposto magic, the 14.7% ABV barely even registered. Ditto the sweetness often found in bottles from Oakville and Stags Leap. Tannins and acid were present in just the right amount to keep the wine from feeling flabby without being cloying. So all in all, a smooth, very pleasant if not super interesting drinking experience. I'd recommend a slightly longer decant than we gave it (maybe 1-2 hours?) and drinking over the next five years while there's still enough fruit to keep the other elements in check.
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11/12/2021 - Cow Town wrote: 89 Points
Seems to be hit or miss for me with this wine, and a miss this time. Nose was very reductive, with a stewed/barnyard top note. That dissipated, but never fully went away. What was left was a dark, dense, but monolithic and somewhat uninteresting wine. Not bad, just not great - and nowhere near my prior bottle.
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8/27/2021 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nicely integrated. Good dark fruit - lovely.
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11/26/2020 - Vhoppy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous silky finish
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10/14/2020 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
24 Napa Reds: All tasted double blind. Brief impressions. This is quite nice with a variety of dark and dark red fruits, minerality, violets on the nose and palate. Fairly soft structural frame with lots of round tannins and an elevated but well integrated freshness. Today it has not the complexity, precision and weightlessness of the best wine but I guess in a setting where you can follow this wine over a few hours it would score one or the other point higher than the 92 points.
Group score (23 participants): 93.6
Group rank: 18 out of 24 wines
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10/1/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Napa battle (Napa Grill, Zurich): Tasted blind, double-decanted. Sweet and spicy, red currant, mineral and with a cool feel to it. Still a bit wild on the palate and a slightly astringent finish. Solid, but merely a shadow of the Futo 5500 of the same vintage, in my view.
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7/12/2020 - Acohen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sweet dark fruit with great balance and little bit of cocoa
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5/10/2020 - Cow Town Likes this wine: 94 Points
Flat out delicious. Hard to believe this is their second wine. At this price point, it’s hard to think of anything better. Balanced, integrated tannins, dark fruits and mocha, with a long velvety finish.
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4/11/2020 - Msantana Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich and smooth. Almost a buttery texture. An outstanding wine today, but probably could have aged another couple of years
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8/11/2019 - Acohen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sweet rich dark fruit with fine integrated tannins, lots of plum, blueberry and slight chocolate and great balance and finish
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7/23/2019 - jcampano Likes this wine: 95 Points
With a one-hour decant, this bottle of 2012 Futo OV/SL has to be one of my favorites from Napa so far. Similar notes as my last bottle, but I felt the wine had more nuance than the previous. Plenty of black and dark red fruit but brought to the palate with indescribable flavors (for me at least) and sailed through the finish for a good 20 seconds.
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6/11/2019 - jcampano Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great aromatics of chocolate, black cherries and espresso. Decanted for only 30 minutes, it hit the palate with ripe blackberries, plum and mocha...a bit earthy, but bursting with fruit and a wonderfully smooth finish. Going to visit the winery in July. Might have to search their cellar for more of this beauty!
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5/5/2019 - dlcass Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine in drinking window. Expressive nose; great balance and texture. Nose of cassis, leather and dark fruit. Cool balance between Oakville and Stags Leap. Enjoyed with Juan Mercado, Artis and others in St. Helena- Wine Company.
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4/20/2019 - Bathtub58 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours and then consumed over 1 hour. Quick note: approachable now, dark fruit and cassis, with a surprising amount of acidity. Light tannins. Moderate complexity. A longer decant would have been better. I would not hesitate to open another bottle after 2025. Pllenty of life ahead for this wine, with some upside. 93+.
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9/23/2018 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cassis, asphalt, dark fruit. Still structured, but integrated nicely.
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10/11/2017 - msuwine Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine has added depth and gained polish in the year since I tasted it last (95 points - 10/16). I wasn't sure it would improve that much, since it was drinking well before - but time allowed it to keep its power while adding a good amount of finesse; it is among the better 2012's I've tasted. There is a depth to the fruit, along with a lightness on the finish, that is just wonderful.
Inky black in color, with a little bit of red; full in body; more inviting nose of blackberry, cocoa, and licorice. Tastes of blackberry, mocha, gravel, and cedar, with a less tannic finish. This still needs time to open up: at first, it seemed a bit light, but it rounded out with a few hours. This is still a dense and powerful wine, but it has a roundness that is utterly appealing. Drink now or in next few years. 14.7% alcohol. Blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot.
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10/11/2017 - blarmston Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very nice, well made wine.
Decanted for 90 minutes, drank over next 90.
An inviting nose of dark berries, a luscious mid palate with mineralistic tones, but a somewhat disappointing finish. Seemed like there was a bit of energy lacking, with barely present tannins that suggest this wine is in its window, to be drunk over the next 3-5 years.
A nice effort, and I look forward to cracking their 2013's in the next couple years.
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6/17/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had been decanted for maybe an hour.
Certainly open for business. Could drink this wine all day - very friendly on the palate and the back end.
Maybe under rating a tick? Was just a solid 2 points lower for me than the 2014 5500 we tried after it. Still lovely stuff that was drinking great.
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2/7/2017 - Millennial Drinkers Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted after the 2011 Oakville with Tom. Dark and deep purplish ruby red. Velvety feel on the nose, perfumey and floral with dark red berries. Heavy tannins (8/10) with a beautiful structure. Tons of fruit in the attack, fuller in the mid palate. Black raspberries and black cherries. Strong undertones of dark cocoa. Full bodied and super long finish. Drink till 2042. (96+)
Around 2/3 of the fruit is from the Oakville Vineyard while the other third comes from the quarry section of the Stags Leap District Vineyard. Bordeaux blend made of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot.
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10/28/2016 - msuwine wrote: 95 Points
A rich and dark red blend that is everything you can ask from a modern Napa Cabernet. Inky black in color, full in body, nose of black cherry, graphite, and cocoa. Layered tastes of boysenberry, mocha, pencil shavings, gravel, and cedar, with a somewhat tannic finish that smooths out (and deepens) after an hour or so. 14.7% alcohol. Has the stuffing to age, so I will wait another year or so to let the tannins integrate a bit more, but this is an exceptional wine with a bright future. Blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot.
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1/3/2016 - dfresh wrote: 92 Points
Aromas of bell pepper, coffee and spice cake are delightful and inviting. The body is medium but provides structure to support pleasant layers of blackberry, blueberry, coffee, herbs, bell pepper and licorice notes. The finish is 25+ seconds. The green and herbal notes are fairly dominant, more than I prefer. Wonderful wine.
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11/25/2015 - El Tej wrote: 94 Points
Needs at least a 2 hour decant to show you the goods
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10/19/2015 - Anthony Lombardi Likes this wine: 87 Points
Deeply pitched violet core with a maroon rim. Beautiful in the glass. A big, broad shouldered BDX blend. This is centered in the new world/modern style. The fruit is way ahead of the structure. The quality of the material is undeniable, but I would like more structure & grip on a wine like this. Texturally, this is plush & classy, but ultimately a bit too soft.
The fruit is a bit monolithic & I was searching for more Cabernet character as it makes up the bulk of the blend. Very nice, but I was looking for a bit more.
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11/17/2014 - rfeustel wrote:
From the Winery: Starts floral with chiseled red fruits turning darker with smoky minerals and a savory perfume. Energetic on the palate, flavors are focused on black raspberries and cherries, loamy soil, herbs and tannin that melts into a long, suave finish. Elegant but authoritative, this wine has it all. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot - 880 cases bottled May 2014
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11/14/2014 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
About as good as a deselected wine could want to be. Really beautiful blend that is a super serious wine in its own right. Deeply pitched on the nose and palate with great filigreed tannins. Long and powerful finish. Open and radiant but will really benefit from bottle time.
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