Really drank well after a 3 hour decant. Built body, muscle and complexity in the decanter. The body and muscle really complimented each other and created a long finish. Deep black and red fruit that tasted pure and shone through the finish. Nice secondary flavors are developing. An awesome wine that keeps getting better.
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Decanted for an hour. Improved over the next 30 minutes and plateaued for another hour (before was all gone). Great wine, the texture is the biggest standout to me. The tannins are there but seem to melt away on the palette. The only specific flavor that pops out to me is fresh figs. Went well with spicy Thai food.
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2hr decant them back in bottle for another 2. Good amount of sediment. Smell of blackberry bush. Underripe black fruits, some bay leaf and sassafras. Still some prominent fine tannins. Well balanced, cerebral, and linear. Very much enjoying this as is a refreshing change from the typical plush juice of typical high end Napa Cab. Will recheck in 2-4 years.
Consumed on Easter Sunday and paired with a dry-aged Flannery Jorge and a large New York Strip steak. Decanted for 45 minutes then poured back into a cleaned bottled with the cork returned. There was a decent amount of sediment in the bottle and in the decanter. The wine was initially returned to 55°F (cellar temperature) for 6.5 hours then moved to another unit at 61°F for 1 hour prior to serving. Cork was removed at the time of consumption and was poured directly out of the bottle into Grassl 1855 stems.
The wine is made up of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot from 61% Moulds Family Vineyard, 31% Farella Vineyard and 8% Houyi Vineyard. Too bad Roy no longer has access to Farella and Houyi due to Realm Cellars recent purchase of both these vineyards.
The color was dark purple with aromas of red and black fruit, pepper, hints of cigar tobacco leaf and some graphite. The palate was of red and black cherry, blackberry, brown spices and minerality. The wine is balanced and complex. The body was medium-full. The acidity was medium with medium to medium(+) tannins that were smoothed out beautifully by the the proteins and fat in the steaks. It was a perfect pairing!
The 2016 Roy Piper cabernet showed better and was the group consensus for WOTN when compared to the 2016 Bevan Calixtro-Tech Vineyard (JD99; WA98; VM98) that received the identical preparation and paired with the tail-end of the steaks. The wine is in the early drinking window and is drinking well now with a 45 minute decant and several hours back in the bottle but it also should continue to improve over the next several years and then cruise for many more years. My score on this day was 96+
Blackberry, lead pencil, green olive. Full bodied, rich and velvety texture. Drinkable now if you like a lot of fruit in your bottle of Napa, but i would recommend waiting another 3-5 years to for this fully develop.
Floral and black and some red fruit on the nose. Some savoriness olive and pencil shavings from what I would expect from farella with houyi bringing some richness to the mix. Moulds is the 3rd vineyard in this bottling. More in a classic style with a beautiful middle. Great wine
Tasted with Roy Piper who is just a fountain of knowledge.
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Slow ox for 8 hours, allowed air as poured into a decanter, then back in the bottle for 1.5 hours. I had poured an ounce to monitor at the beginning of the process and after hour 3, the aromatics were that of an elite Napa wine. There is something there, but time is needed. Color: black core to ruby rim Aromatics: Dark fruit with forest notes Taste: Linear, which surprised due to this being the only vintage with Farella fruit. Black to dark fruit dominated with highly pronounced spice. Struggles to find a balance which may speak to this wine simply not being ready. Forest dirt, earth notes. Light acidity to provide transition, which is a positive, medium tannins. Summary: This wine has a chance, but won't give you an optimal experience right now no matter how long you decant. Cheers!
Let this one sit 30 minutes and then consumed over 2-3 hr after that. I'm not going to say that this wine is ready, but it certainly isn't asleep either!! Nose that is mostly black cherry but has a hint of blackberry, hint of blueberry, red licorice and pie spice. The entry and mid palate is a full bodied wine, mostly black cherry dominant but there are tons of spice cake notes and black fruited notes here. Finishes with roasted cedar tannin character. This wine is a monster, and the structure of this wine is ever present from start to finish. Compared to the 2017 Yount Ridge Proprietary that was opened after this (simply because we ran out of this when we were getting to the meal!), this is deeper and more complex. Well, I do have 2 more of these as luck would have it that I was able to purchase 3 bottles of this wine that year of release. The other 2? Well, knowing how this one drinks NOW, the devil will always be on my shoulder to bring one of the other 2 home. If you're gonna open this one, give it an hour or 2 of air. Bravo Roy!
Napa Trip- Tasting with Roy in Yountville. Big Tannic wine with great future potential. At our tasting just a bit too tannic to shine but wonderful stuffing IMO. Give this a long decant or a few more years in bottle.
Roy was such a gentleman and sharing about all things Napa and wine. Like his wine, Roy is genuine. 93 now 95 future
Decanted for a couple of hours. Was less tannic then previous reviews and prior bottles I have had. It was good, not great. Not a wow wine and for the money there are better options out there especially in 2016. Certainly more red fruit and more BDX oriented as others have commented on.
Decanted, and served over 24 hours. This is the most backward, tannic, monster of a wine that I have experienced in the portfolio. You can detect the currently hidden magic, Roy has a real gift, but there is just no reason to open one of these now. I did because I’m old, and I’ve bombed thru all my other older bottles, and this was meant as a showcase for a Piper virgin friend. He got the point, but not the eventual full monty. Hold.
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Napa 2021 Trip; 5/10/2021-5/13/2021 (Napa Valley, CA): Tasting with Roy in Yountville. Was a real pleasure to drink and chat with him, get some inside scoop on his production/plans, as well as hear what he's thinking about with the fires and other happenings around Napa.
I had a bottle of this around Christmas, and it was similar in style and consistency to that bottle. Really in a good place now - this had been open for a few hours before our morning tasting. A bit viscous, dark dark purple from the extraction he likes to use in his wine. 50% Moulds, 30% Farella, and 20% Houyi. Compared to the 2018 that followed, I think you can taste some of that softer, cool climate Farella in this bottling vs. the 50/50 of the 2018 vintage from Moulds/Houyi.
Decanted for 90 minutes, then poured back in the bottle, 20 minutes in fridge, then took to restaurant. More red fruited than I expected for a Napa cab, a positive for me. Well balanced and elegant, Bordeaux-like, even slightly Burgundian. We had with steak, but I think this would pair well with many meals.
I’d guess this will be better in 2-5 years, but a fine, complex, elegant wine for drinking with air today.
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First ever Roy Piper and it did not disappoint. Surprisingly light on the palate with red fruit to start and some minerality on the finish. Gave it 4 hours of air.
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Tried a second bottle after Roy reached out and generously offered to replace the first bottle after seeing my 6/13/20 review. Far and away the best customer service I’ve ever received from a winery. This bottle was much more approachable. My Science Project; Experiment with various aeration (full decant) times. 1 hour – still closed 6 hours – starting to open up nicely 21 hours – turning a tad astringent and much lighter in body, least favorite of the five methods employed. Results after storing part of the bottle on nitrogen: 1 pass Vinturi after 3 days – fantastic, rich and elegant 5 days – no air or Vinturi and similar to results with one pass through the Vinturi. Smooth, elegant, dark fruit, still with the drying tannins but oh so nice. Contrary to the review of my first bottle, I’d go with 4-6 hours aeration or one pass through the Vinturi on opening. This is a big wine, the biggest of Roy’s wines I’ve had to date (among the '11-'14-'17). The firmest of drying tannins, rich and dark, brooding, structured with great depth. And as Roy said, black licorice and mulled spices. Tons of sediment in the bottle after only 3+ years. Enjoyable now if you have more than one. I believe it will be even better in a few years and will wait until 2024 for my next one.
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Our experience was much different than recent positive CT notes. And being a big Roy Piper fan, I'm guessing this was just due to my mood or the hot Phoenix weather this night (not rated for this reason...and we did finish the bottle so...). On the advice of recent notes, I gave this five hours of air before starting. It was rough. Gave it one pass through the Vinturi (after five hours of air!) and that helped smooth it out considerably. Should have realized it would take a while to open given that JIMARONSON had it open for days. Doh! This bottle lacked complexity and hit us like a wall of intimidating fruit. Anything but subtle. Least favorite of any Piper to date (amongst the 2011, 2014 and 2017 vintages) but this bottle looks like an outlier for sure. I'm going to wait until at least 2024 to open the next bottle, but if you need to try one now (and given recent CT notes other than mine why wouldn't you?) I'd aerate it for at least a day.
Sweet fruit nose and perfectly balanced. Soft on the palet and one could mistake the wine for a merlot blend. Had open for two days and fruit still strong. The wine seems like it was decanted for three hours, but it is two days later. I wonder if it would hold for four or five days. Sweet red fruits and medium plus on the palet. There is roundness on the finish with a little soft spice to give the wine some character. A great bottle and open for business. I would recommend this today and over the next five years.
As Roy suggested, opened 3-4 hours before first pour...consumed several glasses over a couple hours..dark fruit and spice...big mouthfeel and smooth, medium-length finish...better as we went along with tannins softening a bit...definitely recommend a decant and getting more air ahead of time.
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Popped cork, poured some, put cork back and let sit in Eurocave for 6 hours. Then into decanter for an hour and drank over another 2 hour. Dark fruits, vanilla, licorice notes. Fairly full bodied, with some good tannins. Soft in mouth. Excellent, well made wine but needs more time in bottle. Try again in 2-3 years.
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Dark purple, inky core. Lush berry fruit, fresh cut flowers, oak, vanilla on the nose. This bottle seemed open and ready to drink upon 1HR slowox. Full in mouth, great balance that doesn’t show too heavy, but allows the fruit to glide across palate with fine tannins that don’t get in way of enjoyment now. Finishes slightly sweet and med plus. Well made, should drink well for 10+ years.
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Best wine of the evening out of five. Big and bold, still a little time for this to mature. Roy has done a great job with the wine and if you like deep dark and over the top cabs, get your hands on some of this, you won't be disappointed
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Wine Country; 1/31/2019-2/3/2019 (California): Our group was very fortunate to enjoy a couple bottles of the 2016 Roy Piper at Bottega with the founder & vintner, Roy Piper. The 2016 is absolutely stunning at this early stage with an incredibly complex nose of bay leaf, red currant, pepper, graphite, and green olives. There is great structure behind the wine, and it supports a concentrated red fruit profile that is characteristic of the vintage. This is not to be missed if you like small production Napa cabernets. Give this a couple more years and drink it over the following two decades.
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A late night pop urge...bright and juicy red berry fruited wine, with some deepness from liqueured blueberry and kirsch...intense dusty white pepper and oak barrel spice...LOVE the youthfulness of a young cab...not as complex or sophisticated as it will get in its later years...it's all about the excitement and energy...the pureness of the unblemished...gains complexity with air...red licorice, cassis, gravel, lavender oil...love the dusty white pepper spice, graphite dryness, and a tinge(way less than 14) of green tobacco leaf. Concentrated wine, yet there is a lightness to it that's very appealing...and again...after seeing the wonderfully informative vids from Roy...his passion totally translates to his wines!
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5/13/2024 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 96 Points
Really drank well after a 3 hour decant. Built body, muscle and complexity in the decanter. The body and muscle really complimented each other and created a long finish. Deep black and red fruit that tasted pure and shone through the finish. Nice secondary flavors are developing. An awesome wine that keeps getting better.
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2/9/2024 - jpcart Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour. Improved over the next 30 minutes and plateaued for another hour (before was all gone). Great wine, the texture is the biggest standout to me. The tannins are there but seem to melt away on the palette. The only specific flavor that pops out to me is fresh figs. Went well with spicy Thai food.
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12/31/2023 - Theodore S Butts wrote:
2hr decant them back in bottle for another 2. Good amount of sediment.
Smell of blackberry bush.
Underripe black fruits, some bay leaf and sassafras.
Still some prominent fine tannins.
Well balanced, cerebral, and linear.
Very much enjoying this as is a refreshing change from the typical plush juice of typical high end Napa Cab.
Will recheck in 2-4 years.
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4/9/2023 - JustBreathe680 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Consumed on Easter Sunday and paired with a dry-aged Flannery Jorge and a large New York Strip steak. Decanted for 45 minutes then poured back into a cleaned bottled with the cork returned. There was a decent amount of sediment in the bottle and in the decanter. The wine was initially returned to 55°F (cellar temperature) for 6.5 hours then moved to another unit at 61°F for 1 hour prior to serving. Cork was removed at the time of consumption and was poured directly out of the bottle into Grassl 1855 stems.
The wine is made up of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot from 61% Moulds Family Vineyard, 31% Farella Vineyard and 8% Houyi Vineyard. Too bad Roy no longer has access to Farella and Houyi due to Realm Cellars recent purchase of both these vineyards.
The color was dark purple with aromas of red and black fruit, pepper, hints of cigar tobacco leaf and some graphite. The palate was of red and black cherry, blackberry, brown spices and minerality. The wine is balanced and complex. The body was medium-full. The acidity was medium with medium to medium(+) tannins that were smoothed out beautifully by the the proteins and fat in the steaks. It was a perfect pairing!
The 2016 Roy Piper cabernet showed better and was the group consensus for WOTN when compared to the 2016 Bevan Calixtro-Tech Vineyard (JD99; WA98; VM98) that received the identical preparation and paired with the tail-end of the steaks. The wine is in the early drinking window and is drinking well now with a 45 minute decant and several hours back in the bottle but it also should continue to improve over the next several years and then cruise for many more years. My score on this day was 96+
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1/25/2023 - jgreco Likes this wine:
Blackberry, lead pencil, green olive. Full bodied, rich and velvety texture. Drinkable now if you like a lot of fruit in your bottle of Napa, but i would recommend waiting another 3-5 years to for this fully develop.
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11/5/2022 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 97 Points
Floral and black and some red fruit on the nose. Some savoriness olive and pencil shavings from what I would expect from farella with houyi bringing some richness to the mix. Moulds is the 3rd vineyard in this bottling. More in a classic style with a beautiful middle. Great wine
Tasted with Roy Piper who is just a fountain of knowledge.
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2/19/2022 - jda8600 wrote: 91 Points
Slow ox for 8 hours, allowed air as poured into a decanter, then back in the bottle for 1.5 hours. I had poured an ounce to monitor at the beginning of the process and after hour 3, the aromatics were that of an elite Napa wine. There is something there, but time is needed.
Color: black core to ruby rim
Aromatics: Dark fruit with forest notes
Taste: Linear, which surprised due to this being the only vintage with Farella fruit. Black to dark fruit dominated with highly pronounced spice. Struggles to find a balance which may speak to this wine simply not being ready. Forest dirt, earth notes. Light acidity to provide transition, which is a positive, medium tannins.
Summary: This wine has a chance, but won't give you an optimal experience right now no matter how long you decant. Cheers!
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12/26/2021 - mflesh wrote: 96 Points
Let this one sit 30 minutes and then consumed over 2-3 hr after that. I'm not going to say that this wine is ready, but it certainly isn't asleep either!! Nose that is mostly black cherry but has a hint of blackberry, hint of blueberry, red licorice and pie spice. The entry and mid palate is a full bodied wine, mostly black cherry dominant but there are tons of spice cake notes and black fruited notes here. Finishes with roasted cedar tannin character. This wine is a monster, and the structure of this wine is ever present from start to finish. Compared to the 2017 Yount Ridge Proprietary that was opened after this (simply because we ran out of this when we were getting to the meal!), this is deeper and more complex. Well, I do have 2 more of these as luck would have it that I was able to purchase 3 bottles of this wine that year of release. The other 2? Well, knowing how this one drinks NOW, the devil will always be on my shoulder to bring one of the other 2 home. If you're gonna open this one, give it an hour or 2 of air. Bravo Roy!
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10/4/2021 - HowellMountainCru Likes this wine: 93 Points
Napa Trip- Tasting with Roy in Yountville. Big Tannic wine with great future potential. At our tasting just a bit too tannic to shine but wonderful stuffing IMO. Give this a long decant or a few more years in bottle.
Roy was such a gentleman and sharing about all things Napa and wine. Like his wine, Roy is genuine. 93 now 95 future
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8/15/2021 - WojoWineCave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours. Was less tannic then previous reviews and prior bottles I have had. It was good, not great. Not a wow wine and for the money there are better options out there especially in 2016. Certainly more red fruit and more BDX oriented as others have commented on.
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7/11/2021 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Massive, tannic and closed on day 1. Day 2 this has softened, cassis, blackberry, gravel, grippy tannin. Needs a lot more time
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6/8/2021 - jeff nowak Likes this wine:
Decanted, and served over 24 hours. This is the most backward, tannic, monster of a wine that I have experienced in the portfolio. You can detect the currently hidden magic, Roy has a real gift, but there is just no reason to open one of these now. I did because I’m old, and I’ve bombed thru all my other older bottles, and this was meant as a showcase for a Piper virgin friend. He got the point, but not the eventual full monty. Hold.
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5/13/2021 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Napa 2021 Trip; 5/10/2021-5/13/2021 (Napa Valley, CA): Tasting with Roy in Yountville. Was a real pleasure to drink and chat with him, get some inside scoop on his production/plans, as well as hear what he's thinking about with the fires and other happenings around Napa.
I had a bottle of this around Christmas, and it was similar in style and consistency to that bottle. Really in a good place now - this had been open for a few hours before our morning tasting. A bit viscous, dark dark purple from the extraction he likes to use in his wine. 50% Moulds, 30% Farella, and 20% Houyi. Compared to the 2018 that followed, I think you can taste some of that softer, cool climate Farella in this bottling vs. the 50/50 of the 2018 vintage from Moulds/Houyi.
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3/27/2021 - Ibetian wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes, then poured back in the bottle, 20 minutes in fridge, then took to restaurant. More red fruited than I expected for a Napa cab, a positive for me. Well balanced and elegant, Bordeaux-like, even slightly Burgundian. We had with steak, but I think this would pair well with many meals.
I’d guess this will be better in 2-5 years, but a fine, complex, elegant wine for drinking with air today.
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11/26/2020 - Jbarryleonard Likes this wine: 96 Points
First ever Roy Piper and it did not disappoint. Surprisingly light on the palate with red fruit to start and some minerality on the finish. Gave it 4 hours of air.
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7/27/2020 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tried a second bottle after Roy reached out and generously offered to replace the first bottle after seeing my 6/13/20 review. Far and away the best customer service I’ve ever received from a winery.
This bottle was much more approachable. My Science Project; Experiment with various aeration (full decant) times.
1 hour – still closed
6 hours – starting to open up nicely
21 hours – turning a tad astringent and much lighter in body, least favorite of the five methods employed.
Results after storing part of the bottle on nitrogen:
1 pass Vinturi after 3 days – fantastic, rich and elegant
5 days – no air or Vinturi and similar to results with one pass through the Vinturi. Smooth, elegant, dark fruit, still with the drying tannins but oh so nice.
Contrary to the review of my first bottle, I’d go with 4-6 hours aeration or one pass through the Vinturi on opening.
This is a big wine, the biggest of Roy’s wines I’ve had to date (among the '11-'14-'17). The firmest of drying tannins, rich and dark, brooding, structured with great depth. And as Roy said, black licorice and mulled spices.
Tons of sediment in the bottle after only 3+ years.
Enjoyable now if you have more than one. I believe it will be even better in a few years and will wait until 2024 for my next one.
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6/13/2020 - ozziewine Likes this wine:
Our experience was much different than recent positive CT notes. And being a big Roy Piper fan, I'm guessing this was just due to my mood or the hot Phoenix weather this night (not rated for this reason...and we did finish the bottle so...).
On the advice of recent notes, I gave this five hours of air before starting. It was rough. Gave it one pass through the Vinturi (after five hours of air!) and that helped smooth it out considerably. Should have realized it would take a while to open given that JIMARONSON had it open for days. Doh!
This bottle lacked complexity and hit us like a wall of intimidating fruit. Anything but subtle. Least favorite of any Piper to date (amongst the 2011, 2014 and 2017 vintages) but this bottle looks like an outlier for sure.
I'm going to wait until at least 2024 to open the next bottle, but if you need to try one now (and given recent CT notes other than mine why wouldn't you?) I'd aerate it for at least a day.
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6/9/2020 - Jimaronson Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sweet fruit nose and perfectly balanced. Soft on the palet and one could mistake the wine for a merlot blend. Had open for two days and fruit still strong. The wine seems like it was decanted for three hours, but it is two days later. I wonder if it would hold for four or five days. Sweet red fruits and medium plus on the palet. There is roundness on the finish with a little soft spice to give the wine some character. A great bottle and open for business. I would recommend this today and over the next five years.
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5/25/2020 - BobbyGoings Likes this wine: 98 Points
Put it right up there with a Schrader! I could waste your time with pompous tasting notes, but if you want a damn good wine, This. Is. It!
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5/24/2020 - hanasowner wrote: 94 Points
As Roy suggested, opened 3-4 hours before first pour...consumed several glasses over a couple hours..dark fruit and spice...big mouthfeel and smooth, medium-length finish...better as we went along with tannins softening a bit...definitely recommend a decant and getting more air ahead of time.
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4/19/2020 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 95 Points
Explosive wine with lovely mouthfeel and deep dark currant fruit with a touch of spice on the finish. Just a baby!
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3/18/2020 - Jmigliano5 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped cork, poured some, put cork back and let sit in Eurocave for 6 hours. Then into decanter for an hour and drank over another 2 hour. Dark fruits, vanilla, licorice notes. Fairly full bodied, with some good tannins. Soft in mouth. Excellent, well made wine but needs more time in bottle. Try again in 2-3 years.
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3/16/2020 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark purple, inky core. Lush berry fruit, fresh cut flowers, oak, vanilla on the nose. This bottle seemed open and ready to drink upon 1HR slowox. Full in mouth, great balance that doesn’t show too heavy, but allows the fruit to glide across palate with fine tannins that don’t get in way of enjoyment now. Finishes slightly sweet and med plus. Well made, should drink well for 10+ years.
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9/4/2019 - chuckos77 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Best wine of the evening out of five. Big and bold, still a little time for this to mature. Roy has done a great job with the wine and if you like deep dark and over the top cabs, get your hands on some of this, you won't be disappointed
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2/1/2019 - jgreco Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wine Country; 1/31/2019-2/3/2019 (California): Our group was very fortunate to enjoy a couple bottles of the 2016 Roy Piper at Bottega with the founder & vintner, Roy Piper. The 2016 is absolutely stunning at this early stage with an incredibly complex nose of bay leaf, red currant, pepper, graphite, and green olives. There is great structure behind the wine, and it supports a concentrated red fruit profile that is characteristic of the vintage. This is not to be missed if you like small production Napa cabernets. Give this a couple more years and drink it over the following two decades.
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12/17/2018 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 96 Points
A late night pop urge...bright and juicy red berry fruited wine, with some deepness from liqueured blueberry and kirsch...intense dusty white pepper and oak barrel spice...LOVE the youthfulness of a young cab...not as complex or sophisticated as it will get in its later years...it's all about the excitement and energy...the pureness of the unblemished...gains complexity with air...red licorice, cassis, gravel, lavender oil...love the dusty white pepper spice, graphite dryness, and a tinge(way less than 14) of green tobacco leaf. Concentrated wine, yet there is a lightness to it that's very appealing...and again...after seeing the wonderfully informative vids from Roy...his passion totally translates to his wines!
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