Opened 4 hours in advance of our dinner at the club. The nose was fruit with a hint of chocolate. The palate was blackberry, blueberry, cassis, wood and hints of chocolate leading to a long finish. We drank against a 2014 Pahlmeyer and my guests were equally divided as to which was the better wine. It was the first time I have ever tried a Kata wine and I was impressed. My personal favorite of the evening.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stunning aromas of violets, blueberry and black fruit with notes of graphite, black cherry and firm tannins. Decanted for 2 hours and it evolved perfectly over a 2-hour steak dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My third bottle, and each one has been a little less impressive than the first. Still good, and I love the blend, but less interesting and more monolithic. Maybe I needed to decant more, but it makes me wonder just how well these will age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black fruit and floral aromas followed by flavors of blackberry, licorice, plum and cedar. This wine will age well for another 10 years easily. Silky tannins and a tasty 20-second finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted two hours. Delicious Cali cab in the modern style. blackberry, cassis, black cherry, chocolate, some graphite. Some red currant from the 20% petite sirah? Full bodied and ripe fruit, but nicely balanced with slightly grainy tannins and enough acidity on the finish to keep me coming back.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Floral aromatics with blueberry and cassis. On the palate, blackberry, blueberry and black cherry with some oak and dark chocolate. Silky tannins with a long tasty finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This doesn’t have the density or freshness of the 2015, which I tasted earlier this week, but it’s still a tasty and nuanced wine. Dark red in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of blackberry, cocoa powder, and pepper. Tastes of blueberry, milk chocolate, and gravel, with an integrated and lingering finish that has a touch of tartness. Blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Petite Sirah. 14.3% alcohol. This still has that looseness that a lot of the 2014s have at this point, with less intensity or precision than the 2015s. Decant at least an hour; drink in next few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decided to pop another one of these last night to celebrate the 2016 vintage release.
I am happy to report that this 2014 is back! Having first tasted this on 11/9/17 I was blown away, but my most recent bottle back in March of 2018 left much to be desired. Perhaps it was in a dumb phase, who knows, but last nights check in was delicious.
96 for sure with slight upside. Drinking well with 90 minutes in the decanter...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
After drinking a number of single vineyard 2014's that seemed to drink best right out of the gate, I poured this in to the decanter with the intention of drinking immediately. Exploratory taste, the wine was very shut down.
Thankfully, I had another wine open from the day prior that I was able to finish while I waited.
After about 30 minutes, the wine was still pretty shut down, so poured it in between two decanters while running it through a vinturi to get it some air.
After about an hour in the decanter and the forced aeration, it began to hit its stride.
Deep purple/red in color that stained the remnants of the glass while swirling. Purple fruit, Raspberry, blackberry, plum, black cherry, some vanilla, menthol. Medium plus finish. Taninns have a little bit of gripe, but it is not astringent. The wine was the most aromatic and tasty during the last moments of consumption.
Drank this next to the 2014 Galerie Pleinair that was opened the day before. While the Pleinair was at a better spot with the 2nd day of air, the Kata made it taste like table wine. The first sip of the Kata cascaded and coated every part of the palate with lingering deliciousness. It was obviously a better wine when comparing it to the $50 Pleinair. Always fun to taste the differences in quality side by side from producers.
I misjudged this wine and would assume, based on how it continued to improve and open throughout the evening. This still needs some time in the cellar to work itself out, or a long decant. Hold for a 2-3 years or decant for at least a couple hours. Around 94-95 with upside.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine right now is a shell of its former self based on my last tasting this back in November. Six months later, and I wouldnt have recognized this in a blind tasting.
Whereas back then this wine had a lovely balance and improving complexity and depth in decanter and glass, last night it just felt thin and flat.
I thought this may be due to the 2015 Carter Three Kings that I had the night before, since the styles are completely opposite, but I don't think so.
I know the pedigree of this site, the winemaker of ocurse, and all my other bottles from 12-15 have been amazing, so I will chalk this up as being in a shutdown phase right now.
91 maybe 92 for now, but I am confident that 6 months from now it will back, and sitting once again in that solid mid 90's++ range.
HOLD
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black and red cherry, unripe purple plum, black raspberry, red licorice, and menthol. Furry tannins that left a cat tongue feeling on the palate. A bit bitter on the finish. PnP was super high-toned, calming down just a hair after a couple hours of decanted air (and tons of swirling). Still, that unripe mini plum (like the tree in my backyard) aftertaste kept circling around and slapping me in the back of the head. Jaw-clenching and a little jolting.
Honestly, this was more than disappointing given the overall pedigree of this wine; I had higher expectations. It was certainly young, so that's probably my bad on that end. However, I can't help but question the potential promise of this wine down the road. A somewhat odd flavor profile overall, regardless of its youth. The PS may be the culprit here. Time will tell. Hold for another 2-3+ years. 91-92+? points for now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened in the bottle for 5-8 hours (never decanted). Young, ripe, acidic, and energetic fearing decanting would dilute some of the charisma. Classic modern Napa Cabernet character (cassis, vanilla, raspberry syrup, blueberry...) with additional heft/uniqueness being added by the Petite Sirah (black pepper and red currant but mostly the inky color). Creamy on the front and finish yet sharp in the middle. Ideally needs 5 more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From the first whiff, I was sold. Decanted for 90 minutes, drank over next hour. SMOOTH is the thought I kept having.
A nicely balanced wine that developed depth and complexity in the glass.
The 20% touch of Petite Syrah works wonders here, adding aromatics and a taming of the fruit.
For such a young wine, this will improve with some cellar time.
Of the three vintages I have tasted (12,13,14), this is right up there with 12 in my opinion. But lets be real- this wine, no matter the vintage, is next level tasty.
96 with upside. I think Antonio didn't give this wine enough props in his rating.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Took a peek shortly after opening. Then decanted for 2.5 hours and drank over an hour.
Also had a 2014 Quivet Las Piedras open with same treatment.
This wine had more sweetness in the profile; some dark chocolate and dark red fruits. Very drinkable. Fairly chalky tannins. Medium plus weight. Medium plus finish.
Incredibly nice wine, and got some votes as the preferred wine. I just thought the Quivet was a blockbuster, with more edge and a bigger finish. But two nice wines to be sure that paired great with beef tenderloin.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
After a long night at a wine tasting event, came home with a few other friends and popped and poured this and Bevan Sugarloaf. Not ideal to PnP and after a bit of wine fatigue but boy this was plush, not tannic with gobs of blue fruit. While Bevan wines are structurally better this was a lot more approachable with no decant. Quality wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
11/26/2022 - markcic Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 4 hours in advance of our dinner at the club. The nose was fruit with a hint of chocolate. The palate was blackberry, blueberry, cassis, wood and hints of chocolate leading to a long finish. We drank against a 2014 Pahlmeyer and my guests were equally divided as to which was the better wine. It was the first time I have ever tried a Kata wine and I was impressed. My personal favorite of the evening.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2022 - jcampano Likes this wine: 95 Points
Stunning aromas of violets, blueberry and black fruit with notes of graphite, black cherry and firm tannins. Decanted for 2 hours and it evolved perfectly over a 2-hour steak dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2021 - Cow Town Likes this wine: 91 Points
My third bottle, and each one has been a little less impressive than the first. Still good, and I love the blend, but less interesting and more monolithic. Maybe I needed to decant more, but it makes me wonder just how well these will age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2020 - Woody18 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Just ok. Very linear, simple. Few if any secondary or tertiary flavors. Expected more from this bottle. Will wait a couple of years and try again.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 96 Points
Black fruit and floral aromas followed by flavors of blackberry, licorice, plum and cedar. This wine will age well for another 10 years easily. Silky tannins and a tasty 20-second finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2020 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
Decanted two hours. Delicious Cali cab in the modern style. blackberry, cassis, black cherry, chocolate, some graphite. Some red currant from the 20% petite sirah? Full bodied and ripe fruit, but nicely balanced with slightly grainy tannins and enough acidity on the finish to keep me coming back.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2020 - jcampano Likes this wine: 92 Points
Floral aromatics with blueberry and cassis. On the palate, blackberry, blueberry and black cherry with some oak and dark chocolate. Silky tannins with a long tasty finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2019 - msuwine wrote: 94 Points
This doesn’t have the density or freshness of the 2015, which I tasted earlier this week, but it’s still a tasty and nuanced wine. Dark red in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of blackberry, cocoa powder, and pepper. Tastes of blueberry, milk chocolate, and gravel, with an integrated and lingering finish that has a touch of tartness. Blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Petite Sirah. 14.3% alcohol. This still has that looseness that a lot of the 2014s have at this point, with less intensity or precision than the 2015s. Decant at least an hour; drink in next few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2019 - blarmston Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decided to pop another one of these last night to celebrate the 2016 vintage release.
I am happy to report that this 2014 is back! Having first tasted this on 11/9/17 I was blown away, but my most recent bottle back in March of 2018 left much to be desired. Perhaps it was in a dumb phase, who knows, but last nights check in was delicious.
96 for sure with slight upside. Drinking well with 90 minutes in the decanter...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2018 - JLuch1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
After drinking a number of single vineyard 2014's that seemed to drink best right out of the gate, I poured this in to the decanter with the intention of drinking immediately. Exploratory taste, the wine was very shut down.
Thankfully, I had another wine open from the day prior that I was able to finish while I waited.
After about 30 minutes, the wine was still pretty shut down, so poured it in between two decanters while running it through a vinturi to get it some air.
After about an hour in the decanter and the forced aeration, it began to hit its stride.
Deep purple/red in color that stained the remnants of the glass while swirling. Purple fruit, Raspberry, blackberry, plum, black cherry, some vanilla, menthol. Medium plus finish. Taninns have a little bit of gripe, but it is not astringent. The wine was the most aromatic and tasty during the last moments of consumption.
Drank this next to the 2014 Galerie Pleinair that was opened the day before. While the Pleinair was at a better spot with the 2nd day of air, the Kata made it taste like table wine. The first sip of the Kata cascaded and coated every part of the palate with lingering deliciousness. It was obviously a better wine when comparing it to the $50 Pleinair. Always fun to taste the differences in quality side by side from producers.
I misjudged this wine and would assume, based on how it continued to improve and open throughout the evening. This still needs some time in the cellar to work itself out, or a long decant. Hold for a 2-3 years or decant for at least a couple hours. Around 94-95 with upside.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2018 - blarmston wrote: 92 Points
This wine right now is a shell of its former self based on my last tasting this back in November. Six months later, and I wouldnt have recognized this in a blind tasting.
Whereas back then this wine had a lovely balance and improving complexity and depth in decanter and glass, last night it just felt thin and flat.
I thought this may be due to the 2015 Carter Three Kings that I had the night before, since the styles are completely opposite, but I don't think so.
I know the pedigree of this site, the winemaker of ocurse, and all my other bottles from 12-15 have been amazing, so I will chalk this up as being in a shutdown phase right now.
91 maybe 92 for now, but I am confident that 6 months from now it will back, and sitting once again in that solid mid 90's++ range.
HOLD
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2018 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
Black and red cherry, unripe purple plum, black raspberry, red licorice, and menthol. Furry tannins that left a cat tongue feeling on the palate. A bit bitter on the finish. PnP was super high-toned, calming down just a hair after a couple hours of decanted air (and tons of swirling). Still, that unripe mini plum (like the tree in my backyard) aftertaste kept circling around and slapping me in the back of the head. Jaw-clenching and a little jolting.
Honestly, this was more than disappointing given the overall pedigree of this wine; I had higher expectations. It was certainly young, so that's probably my bad on that end. However, I can't help but question the potential promise of this wine down the road. A somewhat odd flavor profile overall, regardless of its youth. The PS may be the culprit here. Time will tell. Hold for another 2-3+ years. 91-92+? points for now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2018 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 94 Points
Opened in the bottle for 5-8 hours (never decanted). Young, ripe, acidic, and energetic fearing decanting would dilute some of the charisma. Classic modern Napa Cabernet character (cassis, vanilla, raspberry syrup, blueberry...) with additional heft/uniqueness being added by the Petite Sirah (black pepper and red currant but mostly the inky color). Creamy on the front and finish yet sharp in the middle. Ideally needs 5 more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2017 - blarmston Likes this wine: 96 Points
Damn, this wine just speaks to me.
From the first whiff, I was sold. Decanted for 90 minutes, drank over next hour. SMOOTH is the thought I kept having.
A nicely balanced wine that developed depth and complexity in the glass.
The 20% touch of Petite Syrah works wonders here, adding aromatics and a taming of the fruit.
For such a young wine, this will improve with some cellar time.
Of the three vintages I have tasted (12,13,14), this is right up there with 12 in my opinion. But lets be real- this wine, no matter the vintage, is next level tasty.
96 with upside. I think Antonio didn't give this wine enough props in his rating.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 95 Points
Took a peek shortly after opening. Then decanted for 2.5 hours and drank over an hour.
Also had a 2014 Quivet Las Piedras open with same treatment.
This wine had more sweetness in the profile; some dark chocolate and dark red fruits. Very drinkable. Fairly chalky tannins. Medium plus weight. Medium plus finish.
Incredibly nice wine, and got some votes as the preferred wine. I just thought the Quivet was a blockbuster, with more edge and a bigger finish. But two nice wines to be sure that paired great with beef tenderloin.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2017 - lachord Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby color, a little less fruit forward than I was expecting, but still very good, with hints of plum and berry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2017 - WojoWineCave Likes this wine: 95 Points
After a long night at a wine tasting event, came home with a few other friends and popped and poured this and Bevan Sugarloaf. Not ideal to PnP and after a bit of wine fatigue but boy this was plush, not tannic with gobs of blue fruit. While Bevan wines are structurally better this was a lot more approachable with no decant. Quality wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment