New Year's Eve delight! Nose of blackberry, raspberry, and black licorice coupled with bay laurel, roasted red pepper, and grilled beef - which we ate after opening. Bright acidity on entry then cascades with creamy tannins on the palate. Rich dark chocolate, baking spice and black fig and blueberry complement the elegant texture and full body. Sublime.
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Wait on this beauty. Decanted two hours, and tannins were still very present over the next hour. Dark fruit, cedar, and a touch of menthol. Long finish. Nice balance and wasn't near peak, will be better after 3 - 5 years, possibly 10. Cork in great shape. Great potential.
Hundred Acre wine tasting: Blind. My own bottle. Amazing fruit, rough tannins but soft enough to drink. Very complex. Almost Paulliac-like. Needs some time though, revisit in 3 - 5 years.
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Opened into a decanter a bit over 2 hours before serving. Dinner was a Guinness beef stew. Dark, rich and elegant, with an extended finish. Incredibly polished tannins.
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Drank as a pop and pour that close to room temperature comes along nicely. Very dark, dense and extracted. Black/blue fruit, cassis, milk chocolate and spearmint. Thick and chewy tannins but soft enough to drink.
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This score is based on today, not a projection of future promise. Super young. Double decanted and drank over three hours, still young at the end of that. Plenty of promise. Wait another few years.
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Six hr decant in a wide body. Lovely nose on open, but did not check on progress until the end. Drank over 2 hrs.
Dark reddish black with crimson edges, seemingly medium body but not light in any way. My first impression was a young refined BDX. No overly obvious oak component or intrusive tannins, but the structure is there and well integrated. Highly mineral and wet rock driven on the palate, touch of red fruit, no doubt BTK. Nice balance of fruit and earth. 20-25 second finish, with a touch warm liquer that required maintenance at cellar temp. This is a sit back and enjoy wine, but will do well with food also. Stuffing to go many years and room for improvement. Drink now with a healthy decant or wait until 2024 to try again. After 2 hrs, this is one of the finest expressions of young BTK I’ve had, up there with, if not, the best, and I’m bumping the score accordingly. And, it’s not a fruit or flower day. I’m convinced BTK needs 10 yrs to show its fully expressed excellence.
Well done, Mr. Tynan. Hats off to you!
Overall a great effort—like a high end escort — sophisticated, refined, sexy, leaving you wanting for more while emptying your pocketbook—or so I’ve heard.
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Going from memory three days later. This was a monster when I first tried it in 2017. on a side note Use of coravin does tend to accelerate aging to a degree in my experience. I have noted with several BIG cabs that the first taste is only a glimpse and if I continue to sample over 3-6 months or more the wine will age in the bottle quicker than its uncorked brother or sister for all you PC winos. This one we coravined about 10 days before finally opening the bottle. initial draw was about 25%. Big To Kalon fruit well integrated oak and tannin with nice fine tannin back end grip. it was all on a large scale. 10 days later opened and with a 2hr decant this wine was transformed into a solid pleasing on all fronts beautiful wine. Purity of fruit and a solid frame and fine grained sweet tannins leaving a nice post sip grip with a nice long finish. I have one more bottle and will hold this one for another 5 years. I know I said that last time but hey a friend asked to try it and I am always looking for even the littlest excuse to open a great bottle.
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Opened 3 hours early but did not decant. Lushness on the nose. Full of ripe blueberries boysenberry, just a hint of dust. Lots of fruit right on front with a tannin rich finish. Great right now but just feels like it needs more time. I think this can be a showstopper in 5+ years. Good structure and almost chewy finish. Balance just a bit off perfection right now.
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A pit of moderately bitter tannins contain sour, restrained black flavors, earth, dark chocolate, and baking spice. A ton of stuffing suggesting this could possibly, eventually, become sophisticated, introspective royalty but hard to say from here. 2025 if ever, through 2035.
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Look at my revise scores. They are never higher than 94. This is a really killer bottle that shows all the great qualities of a cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley. Cheers
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3-Day Napa Cab Taste-Off: Vice Versa, B Cellars, Memento Mori, Alpha Omega, Purlieu, Janzen, Realm, Myriad, MACDONALD, Maybach, and more...; 2/7/2018-2/9/2018 (Napa): Turning coal into a diamond is about all this wine is good for at the moment. Tight as all getup, kicking out alcohol, bitter earth notes, and unripe blackberries. Why this and the other reds received this service (or rather, lack of service) is beyond me. Why even pour this for folks? A strange experience from Cliff Lede, especially given the general accessibility of most of the other 2014s coming out of other houses. This BTK was in complete primary mode. It may very well be a sleeping beauty, but SLEEP is indeed what it needs. It’s a baby losing its mind in the back seat of the car who desperately needs a decade nap.
For those holding bottles, do just that... Hold! 5++ years at least...ideally, twice that.
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Whirlwind Winter Tasting in the Valley; 2/7/2018-2/10/2018 (Napa Valley, CA): Between my last tasting note in December and now, this wine has closed up. It is huge, tannic and appears to be in a shutdown phase like the Rock Block and Poetry. I'm getting nothing out of it. I would wait a long while before popping the cork.
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This is a huge, dense and powerful expression of BTK. Given the fruit forward nature of the vintage, this was unexpected. Giving off notes of scorched earth, cassis, fresh flowers and blackberry fruit. Very To Kalon, but with a bit less fruit and more earthy notes than is customary. Super concentrated and perhaps a bit backward at the moment. Lots of mineral driven flavors to complement the huge black/blue fruit. Tannins are gripping hard. Full bodied and very long. Definitely needs some time to resolve, but the stuffing is there for an amazing wine. I would hold these for a while before popping the cork. Made to age. IMO, Cliff Lede's best wine. 96+
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Coravin used over the last 5 months. Popped and poured the last glass and a half tonight. This wine is big and still approachable. dark blue and black fruit, a masterpiece in the making. Tannin is right, acid is right, fruit is right, not sure if the time is right. I enjoyed it imensely and it will get better. I will hold the next bottle for 5 years to see where we go. I promise we will be in a great place.
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My first To Kalon. Juice was worth the squeeze. Incredible depth and finish was long like the day. Needs 2.5 to 3 hours to loosen up. Staying power and then some for a decade plus to come. All star.
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Popped and poured. Incredibly youthful. Red but mostly black fruit, cassis. Grippy tannin hangs around seemingly forever as does the finish. This has a long beautiful future ahead of it.
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12/31/2023 - yelnak Likes this wine: 100 Points
New Year's Eve delight! Nose of blackberry, raspberry, and black licorice coupled with bay laurel, roasted red pepper,
and grilled beef - which we ate after opening. Bright acidity on entry then cascades with creamy tannins on the palate. Rich dark chocolate, baking spice and black fig and blueberry complement the elegant texture and full body. Sublime.
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5/19/2023 - CRL Stc Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wait on this beauty. Decanted two hours, and tannins were still very present over the next hour. Dark fruit, cedar, and a touch of menthol. Long finish. Nice balance and wasn't near peak, will be better after 3 - 5 years, possibly 10. Cork in great shape. Great potential.
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11/9/2022 - Quinn05 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Hundred Acre wine tasting: Blind. My own bottle. Amazing fruit, rough tannins but soft enough to drink. Very complex. Almost Paulliac-like. Needs some time though, revisit in 3 - 5 years.
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10/22/2022 - wine4lux Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened into a decanter a bit over 2 hours before serving. Dinner was a Guinness beef stew. Dark, rich and elegant, with an extended finish. Incredibly polished tannins.
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2/12/2022 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Drank as a pop and pour that close to room temperature comes along nicely. Very dark, dense and extracted. Black/blue fruit, cassis, milk chocolate and spearmint. Thick and chewy tannins but soft enough to drink.
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9/26/2020 - Rasmussenbrent wrote: 94 Points
Amazing but needs time give this 5-10 years yet and will be perfect
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7/12/2020 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This score is based on today, not a projection of future promise. Super young. Double decanted and drank over three hours, still young at the end of that. Plenty of promise. Wait another few years.
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5/29/2020 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really good. Still could be held for 3-4 years. Fantastic notes on this guy. Cheers
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4/15/2020 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opened for the Lede Zoom tasting on 4/15.
Six hr decant in a wide body. Lovely nose on open, but did not check on progress until the end. Drank over 2 hrs.
Dark reddish black with crimson edges, seemingly medium body but not light in any way. My first impression was a young refined BDX. No overly obvious oak component or intrusive tannins, but the structure is there and well integrated. Highly mineral and wet rock driven on the palate, touch of red fruit, no doubt BTK. Nice balance of fruit and earth. 20-25 second finish, with a touch warm liquer that required maintenance at cellar temp. This is a sit back and enjoy wine, but will do well with food also. Stuffing to go many years and room for improvement. Drink now with a healthy decant or wait until 2024 to try again. After 2 hrs, this is one of the finest expressions of young BTK I’ve had, up there with, if not, the best, and I’m bumping the score accordingly. And, it’s not a fruit or flower day. I’m convinced BTK needs 10 yrs to show its fully expressed excellence.
Well done, Mr. Tynan. Hats off to you!
Overall a great effort—like a high end escort — sophisticated, refined, sexy, leaving you wanting for more while emptying your pocketbook—or so I’ve heard.
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10/7/2019 - sdsull wrote: 95 Points
This bottle requires much more age. Not as 'drinkable' as other 2014 Napa wines at this stage. Will come back to it in a year or two.
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6/5/2019 - dutradan@msn.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Going from memory three days later.
This was a monster when I first tried it in 2017. on a side note Use of coravin does tend to accelerate aging to a degree in my experience. I have noted with several BIG cabs that the first taste is only a glimpse and if I continue to sample over 3-6 months or more the wine will age in the bottle quicker than its uncorked brother or sister for all you PC winos. This one we coravined about 10 days before finally opening the bottle. initial draw was about 25%. Big To Kalon fruit well integrated oak and tannin with nice fine tannin back end grip. it was all on a large scale. 10 days later opened and with a 2hr decant this wine was transformed into a solid pleasing on all fronts beautiful wine. Purity of fruit and a solid frame and fine grained sweet tannins leaving a nice post sip grip with a nice long finish. I have one more bottle and will hold this one for another 5 years. I know I said that last time but hey a friend asked to try it and I am always looking for even the littlest excuse to open a great bottle.
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5/11/2019 - knlowery wrote: flawed
Not bad but seemed a bit off. Muted fruit and a bit of dishwater on the finish. Not what we expected
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12/24/2018 - Insane Diego Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 3 hours early but did not decant.
Lushness on the nose. Full of ripe blueberries boysenberry, just a hint of dust.
Lots of fruit right on front with a tannin rich finish.
Great right now but just feels like it needs more time. I think this can be a showstopper in 5+ years.
Good structure and almost chewy finish.
Balance just a bit off perfection right now.
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4/12/2018 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
A pit of moderately bitter tannins contain sour, restrained black flavors, earth, dark chocolate, and baking spice. A ton of stuffing suggesting this could possibly, eventually, become sophisticated, introspective royalty but hard to say from here. 2025 if ever, through 2035.
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3/31/2018 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 96 Points
Look at my revise scores. They are never higher than 94. This is a really killer bottle that shows all the great qualities of a cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley. Cheers
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2/9/2018 - csimm wrote:
3-Day Napa Cab Taste-Off: Vice Versa, B Cellars, Memento Mori, Alpha Omega, Purlieu, Janzen, Realm, Myriad, MACDONALD, Maybach, and more...; 2/7/2018-2/9/2018 (Napa): Turning coal into a diamond is about all this wine is good for at the moment. Tight as all getup, kicking out alcohol, bitter earth notes, and unripe blackberries. Why this and the other reds received this service (or rather, lack of service) is beyond me. Why even pour this for folks? A strange experience from Cliff Lede, especially given the general accessibility of most of the other 2014s coming out of other houses. This BTK was in complete primary mode. It may very well be a sleeping beauty, but SLEEP is indeed what it needs. It’s a baby losing its mind in the back seat of the car who desperately needs a decade nap.
For those holding bottles, do just that... Hold! 5++ years at least...ideally, twice that.
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2/9/2018 - Cristal2000 wrote:
Whirlwind Winter Tasting in the Valley; 2/7/2018-2/10/2018 (Napa Valley, CA): Between my last tasting note in December and now, this wine has closed up. It is huge, tannic and appears to be in a shutdown phase like the Rock Block and Poetry. I'm getting nothing out of it. I would wait a long while before popping the cork.
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12/5/2017 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a huge, dense and powerful expression of BTK. Given the fruit forward nature of the vintage, this was unexpected. Giving off notes of scorched earth, cassis, fresh flowers and blackberry fruit. Very To Kalon, but with a bit less fruit and more earthy notes than is customary. Super concentrated and perhaps a bit backward at the moment. Lots of mineral driven flavors to complement the huge black/blue fruit. Tannins are gripping hard. Full bodied and very long. Definitely needs some time to resolve, but the stuffing is there for an amazing wine. I would hold these for a while before popping the cork. Made to age. IMO, Cliff Lede's best wine. 96+
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10/7/2017 - dutradan@msn.com Likes this wine: 96 Points
Coravin used over the last 5 months. Popped and poured the last glass and a half tonight. This wine is big and still approachable. dark blue and black fruit, a masterpiece in the making. Tannin is right, acid is right, fruit is right, not sure if the time is right. I enjoyed it imensely and it will get better. I will hold the next bottle for 5 years to see where we go. I promise we will be in a great place.
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6/9/2017 - bigdogsteve Likes this wine: 98 Points
My first To Kalon. Juice was worth the squeeze. Incredible depth and finish was long like the day. Needs 2.5 to 3 hours to loosen up. Staying power and then some for a decade plus to come. All star.
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4/19/2017 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Popped and poured.
Incredibly youthful.
Red but mostly black fruit, cassis.
Grippy tannin hangs around seemingly forever as does the finish.
This has a long beautiful future ahead of it.
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