As good as I remembered. Tons of life left. Mountain purity with excellent complexity underneath. Should go another 10+ years. See my prior note from 2022, it is showing very similarly.
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Holy moley. I last had this about 6 years ago. It has started to come around, but it's clear that its finest days are a decade or two or three from now. Brought to a lunch with a smart friend and blinded him with it. From the nose, he guessed old world, possibly grenache or cab franc. He got close to cabernet sauvignon, but the herbal note - not an earthy one - threw him. He was shocked to hear it was domestic, but then we let it sit another hour as we ate, and he noted that it was like a relative to 1970s or early '80s Cal cabs, but more Sonoma than Napa, which seems right to me. He laughed at the reveal, because he has had the 2019 WITH KETAN sitting in the middle of Jasud, and the connection became clear when he saw the label. A truly special experience, best of the last 12 months if not more. Will. Last.
This is an extraordinary wine. Ready to drink now but if I had one more I’d cellar it for another 10 years. I can’t imagine a better expression of Cab in California
Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2012 Beta Montecillo (My house): Drank a couple small glasses over 2 hours. The nose on this wine is stellar, ripe berries of all kind, vanilla, earth. The palate turns to the dark side, licorice, chocolate. It was our general consensus that this is drinking very well for a 10 year old California cabernet, and we would like to see how it evolves in 5, 10, 15 years.
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Open THAT Bottle - at Joe's (Joe's House): Wow! The nose on this wine is fantastic! It is characterized by dark fruit and purple flowers and is quite intoxicating! The palate comes close to reaching the lofty heights of the fruit as the pretty fruit ahows up in spades. The palate shows plenty of dark fruit, mostly cassis and blackberry, with notes of chocolate and hints of tree bark and earth. Although the tertiary flavors will require more time, it is the purity of fruit that takes center stage right now. For those who enjoy the purity of fruit, this wine is in awesome place....smooth tannins, dense fruit and a velvety mouthfeel...a trifecta in my book! May get better, but damn good right now! 94+ for my palate! Paired well with grilled sirloin!
PNP. Was disappointed the first 20-30 min as it seemed a little disjointed but then it all came together and was glorious. More mid weight, a ton of cherry and C is calling a peach note that might just be right. Oh man is this delicious.
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Big nose bursting with black fruit; on the palate very concentrated blueberry and a little blackberry, but not at all heavy. Has a rounded, balanced feel; complex in the midpalate, where a hint of dust and maybe some red fruit appear. Finish is medium long and tannins pretty much non-apparent. In a word: delicious.
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Picked a bottle of this up at retail to see what I might expect in the current release.
Quick decant for sediment (not much to speak of), then poured into Grassl 1855s and consumed over the course of around 3 hours. Enjoyable at the outset with a dusty nose of red cherry and plum. More red fruit on the palate with some earth with acid that keeps the palate bright and lively. Slight grip on the finish. 14.1% but I didn't sense any heat.
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"SO aromatic. Pure red fruit (raspberry, bright cherry) that is somewhat candied, purple flowers like lilac and lavender. Palate is so elegant and light, lively acid that Carries the same fruit at a higher tone. Finish is long, light red, with fantastic rocky tones. Tannins are still present to give the wine structure and backbone. So much tension. Easily 10 years left on this. The fruit has cracked open in layers but still so young. 96.
After being open for more than 24h, there is finally some secondary notes of tobacco and cedar showing. Fruit has turned a touch darker and is just barely drying. Incredible. "
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The nose is an herbal cranberry and dried cherry along with firmly packed cocoa lifted by floral notes. The palate entry is a full and ripe blackberry, herbs, mango, and cocoa, finishing with essences of wild fruits – excellent focus. Drink 2019 – 2030.
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Quick decant and it was ready to go. Fuller than the '11, dark fruits with a little savory/earthy note and a nice mineral streak to keep it fresh. Good stuff.
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Very good, sort of a crowd pleaser, but.... nothing that really caused it to stand out. Have to admit it came across a bit richer than I would have expected. Still, sounding too critical, it was very good...I love the ethos behind this and have no doubt each subsequent year will improve.
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2 hr decant and ready to rock. Such a well made wine. More expressive than my memories of the ‘11. No specific notes, but I remember thinking this wine is crazy good and would win WOTN until the end, but lost. 2nd place out of 4 bottles. Hard to say this “lost” anything. Weird thing is that while ready to go now with air, I think this still has plenty of upside. Drink or hold.
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Clunkier and less silky/supple than the 2011 (drank side by side). However there’s more intensity/energy here. This is mostly added by a heavy chalky cassis note. Dark plums, damp earth and minerals compliment. Soft tannins and lower acidity had me thinking it was time but this just kept evolving for the better over the night. Likely has 10 years in the tank.
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This was nice, but more foursquare compared to the 2013. Perhaps a bit more interesting than the 2011, but neither of these early vintages have done much for me compared to the 2013 which felt like lightning in a bottle.
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Aromas of blackberry, currant, iron and cherry. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and mineral. Ends with a blackberry infused finish of 30+ seconds. Impressive stuff and would not have guessed California.
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Great bottle. Supple fruit, ripe enough but not overripe. Does not have the structure or acid of some of the old-school Napa cabs other notes are comparing it to, but on the other hand this means it's drinking great right now. Tannins are very well integrated and don't call out for further aging.
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I very much enjoyed this. It shows dark cherry, espresso, black olive, and earth. It is moderately acidic and has good length. I perceived less alcohol than the 14.1% on the label. My kind of California Cab. Puzzled that newer vintages haven’t been released.
Pnp. As others have noted, wonderful berry nose, great color, even enjoyable on palate but it does have more acidity and leanness than more lush examples of California cabernet. Med plus finish, subtle tannins. Conversation worthy wine.
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Opened in the bottle for 2 hours. Ready to go from the start with very mild tannins and moderate acid. Still the body is structured with plenty of round/plush red fruit, dusty earth, black plums, chalky cassis... As others have commented commented it’s very nuanced and leaning towards old school. Still a bit juicier style that the Bedrock or Arnot Roberts Monticello. Much more powerful and better than the 2011.
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Much enjoyed with Christmas dinner / ribeye roast. Medium-bodied, dusty old-school cab. Bordeaux in weight, with a touch lighter (still substantial) tannin, with california round fruit. Not for those who like bigger/extracted wines, but this was also not “lean” (for that, see Arnot Roberts - which I like very much as well)
Liked this a lot
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I see the comments in other notes about this being a throwback to the old school ways, but I've got to say I've never had a California Cab, nor many other wines including Burgundy, with this much acidity regardless of what era it was made in. It's so extreme it's distracting. The nose is great.... and then as soon as you take a sip the prodigious tartness takes away from the enjoyment of the fruit. I'm refraining from commenting any further because I don't want to tell the new Emperor that he has no clothes. Maybe, hopefully, (fingers crossed) this will improve over a few days in the fridge.
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Intensely floral on the nose, but you are hit with oak notes that immediately, and somewhat horrifyingly, reminded me of Bourbon barrels. Thankfully that didn't carry on to the palate, so it really just added a bit of aromatic complexity. The palate harkened back to an earlier era of Napa / Sonoma and restored a lot of faith in the region. Pretty classic profile, with the fruit skewing from deeper red to lighter black, with relatively restrained oak notes, strong graphite, with hints of leather and tobacco beginning to emerge, although I think it will take a while for the real tertiary notes to come to the fore. This is still pretty voluptuous and has a more "new world" fruit profile, but it is a far cry from from most of the glossy "Big Napa". Medium+ acidity keeps it light on its feet, even if the tannins could use a few more years to really integrate. This is clearly young, but still very accessible from a Coravin pull, and this wine's best years are several years down the road. Lots of upside here and a super impressive first release (unless you want to get technical and count the simultaneously released 2011).
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First time tried Ketan Mody’s wine. I’m impressed. It is certainly not the typical Napa - this wine was elegant, showed hint of red and purple fruits and round tannin, great mineraliy, with good backbone. The wine was pretty balanced on most fronts, which is pretty unusual for Napa Cab. 2012 is still the vintage he still purchased grapes from Mount Veeder, I look forward to his own grapes/wines to be released in 2020! Some background about the wineries Ketan Mody used to work for Harlan Estate. he bought his Diamond Mountain property in 2008 and planted the first vines in 2014. His Cab is expected to be released to the market in 2020. Currently, the grapes of he’s selling Beta wine were purchased grapes from Mount Veeder (nearby Sonoma).
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This will be excellent - but need to hold off for a few years. Right now the tannins keep the palate from matching the prodigious nose of red and black fruit, leather, coffee, and florals.
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Was anxious to try this after all the buzz. Pop and pour and followed over two hours. This wine has a great nose of ripe dark fruit, with a suggestion of oak, though none sticks out. Ripe and full bodied on the palate, made in a middle of the road style that doesn't sacrifice any richness, but also shows no heat.
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After an hour in the decanter, aromas of licorice, raspberries, smoke and violets appear with increasing intensity. In the mouth, the wine is medium bodied, with a mixture of red and black fruits of restrained sweetness, loads of minerals, earth, as well as terrific balance and precision. Long on the finish, with ample minerals, good acidity and emerging nuances. There is nothing forced or overdone here, and as a result, the wine bears little semblance to most 2012 North Coast Cabernets, many of which teeter on the edge of over-ripeness. This terrific Cabernet is approachable now, yet will surely last a couple of decades in the cellar. Great stuff. 94+.
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Dark violet fading to black. High toned, June berries (a variety of purple gooseberry), chocolate, violets, beeswax. Oak is neutral... which for me is great because I really find that the style out in Napa puts way too much stress on oak these days. Nice to see someone who gets it right! On the palate, fruit is medium ripe, nice tart support, supple tannins are almost velvety, mineral finish is quite long. Lovely balance. Outstanding now, will be superb at age 10. 93-95
revisited June 2021: no change to my TN, but I found that the wine really opened up a lot overnight. Needs time to breath before serving!
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I usually drink my Cabs with some serious bottles age. From Sonoma, I'm looking for at least 9 or 10 years, and from Napa, I like the old guard with 15-25 years. With that said, I love this wine and the fact that it shows some mature qualities. The fruit is deep, with cedar and herbs. Tannins are there, but hardly noticeable. A lengthy finish leaves a bit of dryness on the palate and I wish the alcohol at 14.1% was lower. But that is nitpicking. This is a terrific newcomer.
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I'm relieved of having to write much on this wine because my thoughts match the much better informed reviews written previously. One thing to add: I haven't been much of a Cal Cab drinker of late, but I'm open to whats new and looked forward to this one. My conclusion is that it might be time to begin exploring Cal Cab's again. The notion of a Corison in the mountains sits well with me.
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I was about to write a note, then looked at msuwright's and realized his or her impressions were almost identical to mine. I drank this slowly with friends over the course of an evening, and followed up with a 2010 Fleur Cardinale, which had more zing to its finish. And that make me think about what a remarkable wine the Beta is, in that it's not flashy, but more restained, and that herbal note isn't a flaw -- it's not green -- but more a hint of spices that will probably blossom in the coming years. The finish takes forever, and kept unpacking more subtle notes of gingerbread (?) or cardamom. This is serious wine that I'm very happy I bought. Curious about the 2011.
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This mid-weight mountain Cabernet is drinking well right now, with a nice balance of fruit, tannin, oak, and acidity - each working in concert, none sticking out too much. This is far more "classic" or "traditional" Napa Cabernet than I typically drink, but it has an intriguing purity of fruit and well-integrated oak that make the wine enjoyable in a subtle, laid-back kind of way. It won't explode in your mouth or marvel you with its intensity, but it's a well-made wine that rewards close attention.
Dark red in color, medium in body, nose of blackberry, pencil lead, and burnt toast. Tastes of mountain blueberry, boysenberry, leather, and cedar, with a finish that is both grainy and juicy, while showing some toasty oak (25% new). The wine became more open and interesting after an hour of air, though it developed a more distinctive herbal finish along the way (no judgment - I report; you decide). 14.1% alcohol.
I always try to compare new wines to something I've had before, so here are three reference points. First: Cathy Corison comes to the mountains. This has a similar unadorned fruit, with a bit more brambly and rustic profile than arises from the valley floor. Second: Cornell's 2014 Estate Cabernet (also from the Sonoma side of a well-known Napa mountain - i.e., Spring). The Cornell had a similar Old World profile, but the Beta was far more welcoming. Third: a dialed-back version of 2014 Mt. Brave's Estate Cabernet (from the Napa side of Moon Mountain - i.e., Mt. Veeder - that apparently lacks the volcanic rock found on the Sonoma side). The Mt. Brave had a similar brambly profile - and a similar whiff of oak - but the Beta was less ripe and assertive.
My personal preference leans towards richer and warmer mountain wines (e.g., La Jota), but there's no denying this is a well-made and well-integrated wine. I'm looking forward to trying my other bottles in 2019 or later, when I imagine the oak and tannins will integrate more. It's ready to go, but it seems likely to improve with time.
4/9/2024 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
As good as I remembered. Tons of life left. Mountain purity with excellent complexity underneath. Should go another 10+ years. See my prior note from 2022, it is showing very similarly.
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1/31/2024 - ledocq Likes this wine: 97 Points
Holy moley.
I last had this about 6 years ago. It has started to come around, but it's clear that its finest days are a decade or two or three from now. Brought to a lunch with a smart friend and blinded him with it. From the nose, he guessed old world, possibly grenache or cab franc. He got close to cabernet sauvignon, but the herbal note - not an earthy one - threw him. He was shocked to hear it was domestic, but then we let it sit another hour as we ate, and he noted that it was like a relative to 1970s or early '80s Cal cabs, but more Sonoma than Napa, which seems right to me. He laughed at the reveal, because he has had the 2019 WITH KETAN sitting in the middle of Jasud, and the connection became clear when he saw the label. A truly special experience, best of the last 12 months if not more. Will. Last.
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11/25/2023 - A6Rover Likes this wine: 100 Points
This is an extraordinary wine. Ready to drink now but if I had one more I’d cellar it for another 10 years.
I can’t imagine a better expression of Cab in California
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8/12/2022 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2012 Beta Montecillo (My house): Drank a couple small glasses over 2 hours. The nose on this wine is stellar, ripe berries of all kind, vanilla, earth. The palate turns to the dark side, licorice, chocolate. It was our general consensus that this is drinking very well for a 10 year old California cabernet, and we would like to see how it evolves in 5, 10, 15 years.
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8/11/2022 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Open THAT Bottle - at Joe's (Joe's House): Wow! The nose on this wine is fantastic! It is characterized by dark fruit and purple flowers and is quite intoxicating! The palate comes close to reaching the lofty heights of the fruit as the pretty fruit ahows up in spades. The palate shows plenty of dark fruit, mostly cassis and blackberry, with notes of chocolate and hints of tree bark and earth. Although the tertiary flavors will require more time, it is the purity of fruit that takes center stage right now. For those who enjoy the purity of fruit, this wine is in awesome place....smooth tannins, dense fruit and a velvety mouthfeel...a trifecta in my book! May get better, but damn good right now! 94+ for my palate! Paired well with grilled sirloin!
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6/17/2022 - domco wrote:
PNP. Was disappointed the first 20-30 min as it seemed a little disjointed but then it all came together and was glorious. More mid weight, a ton of cherry and C is calling a peach note that might just be right. Oh man is this delicious.
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5/19/2022 - Forest Floor Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big nose bursting with black fruit; on the palate very concentrated blueberry and a little blackberry, but not at all heavy. Has a rounded, balanced feel; complex in the midpalate, where a hint of dust and maybe some red fruit appear. Finish is medium long and tannins pretty much non-apparent. In a word: delicious.
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3/5/2022 - ekorn Likes this wine:
Picked a bottle of this up at retail to see what I might expect in the current release.
Quick decant for sediment (not much to speak of), then poured into Grassl 1855s and consumed over the course of around 3 hours. Enjoyable at the outset with a dusty nose of red cherry and plum. More red fruit on the palate with some earth with acid that keeps the palate bright and lively. Slight grip on the finish. 14.1% but I didn't sense any heat.
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1/19/2022 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Soul-searching in Napa. Beta-Jasud, Roy Piper, Detert, Elyse, Diamond Creek, Favia, Opus, Gargiulo, among others!; 1/17/2022-1/22/2022: Tasted during my Napa trip.
"SO aromatic. Pure red fruit (raspberry, bright cherry) that is somewhat candied, purple flowers like lilac and lavender. Palate is so elegant and light, lively acid that Carries the same fruit at a higher tone. Finish is long, light red, with fantastic rocky tones. Tannins are still present to give the wine structure and backbone. So much tension. Easily 10 years left on this. The fruit has cracked open in layers but still so young. 96.
After being open for more than 24h, there is finally some secondary notes of tobacco and cedar showing. Fruit has turned a touch darker and is just barely drying. Incredible. "
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4/21/2021 - purely Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose is an herbal cranberry and dried cherry along with firmly packed cocoa lifted by floral notes. The palate entry is a full and ripe blackberry, herbs, mango, and cocoa, finishing with essences of wild fruits – excellent focus. Drink 2019 – 2030.
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12/14/2020 - domco wrote:
Quick decant and it was ready to go. Fuller than the '11, dark fruits with a little savory/earthy note and a nice mineral streak to keep it fresh. Good stuff.
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12/14/2020 - RMundell Likes this wine: 92 Points
Would have guessed it was a Bordeaux.
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10/22/2020 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Very good, sort of a crowd pleaser, but.... nothing that really caused it to stand out. Have to admit it came across a bit richer than I would have expected. Still, sounding too critical, it was very good...I love the ethos behind this and have no doubt each subsequent year will improve.
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8/31/2020 - JKIndy wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic. Dark and full bodied. Strong cherry notes. Aging wonderfully.
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6/27/2020 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 95 Points
2 hr decant and ready to rock. Such a well made wine. More expressive than my memories of the ‘11. No specific notes, but I remember thinking this wine is crazy good and would win WOTN until the end, but lost. 2nd place out of 4 bottles. Hard to say this “lost” anything. Weird thing is that while ready to go now with air, I think this still has plenty of upside. Drink or hold.
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5/4/2020 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Clunkier and less silky/supple than the 2011 (drank side by side). However there’s more intensity/energy here. This is mostly added by a heavy chalky cassis note. Dark plums, damp earth and minerals compliment. Soft tannins and lower acidity had me thinking it was time but this just kept evolving for the better over the night. Likely has 10 years in the tank.
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2/29/2020 - 5laton wrote:
This was nice, but more foursquare compared to the 2013. Perhaps a bit more interesting than the 2011, but neither of these early vintages have done much for me compared to the 2013 which felt like lightning in a bottle.
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11/30/2019 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromas of blackberry, currant, iron and cherry. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and mineral. Ends with a blackberry infused finish of 30+ seconds. Impressive stuff and would not have guessed California.
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11/26/2019 - Beezc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cherry jolly rancher...great wine.
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10/21/2019 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cassis, gravel, mineral, fine tannin. Old school, balanced
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10/7/2019 - Tubulus wrote:
Great bottle. Supple fruit, ripe enough but not overripe. Does not have the structure or acid of some of the old-school Napa cabs other notes are comparing it to, but on the other hand this means it's drinking great right now. Tannins are very well integrated and don't call out for further aging.
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9/14/2019 - Diane (LI) wrote:
I very much enjoyed this. It shows dark cherry, espresso, black olive, and earth. It is moderately acidic and has good length. I perceived less alcohol than the 14.1% on the label. My kind of California Cab. Puzzled that newer vintages haven’t been released.
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9/6/2019 - dclaggett wrote:
Pnp. As others have noted, wonderful berry nose, great color, even enjoyable on palate but it does have more acidity and leanness than more lush examples of California cabernet. Med plus finish, subtle tannins. Conversation worthy wine.
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4/16/2019 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Opened in the bottle for 2 hours. Ready to go from the start with very mild tannins and moderate acid. Still the body is structured with plenty of round/plush red fruit, dusty earth, black plums, chalky cassis... As others have commented commented it’s very nuanced and leaning towards old school. Still a bit juicier style that the Bedrock or Arnot Roberts Monticello. Much more powerful and better than the 2011.
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12/26/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
Much enjoyed with Christmas dinner / ribeye roast. Medium-bodied, dusty old-school cab. Bordeaux in weight, with a touch lighter (still substantial) tannin, with california round fruit. Not for those who like bigger/extracted wines, but this was also not “lean” (for that, see Arnot Roberts - which I like very much as well)
Liked this a lot
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12/19/2018 - CranBurgundy Does not like this wine: 80 Points
I see the comments in other notes about this being a throwback to the old school ways, but I've got to say I've never had a California Cab, nor many other wines including Burgundy, with this much acidity regardless of what era it was made in. It's so extreme it's distracting. The nose is great.... and then as soon as you take a sip the prodigious tartness takes away from the enjoyment of the fruit. I'm refraining from commenting any further because I don't want to tell the new Emperor that he has no clothes. Maybe, hopefully, (fingers crossed) this will improve over a few days in the fridge.
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12/6/2018 - Seafoam Manor wrote: 94 Points
Intensely floral on the nose, but you are hit with oak notes that immediately, and somewhat horrifyingly, reminded me of Bourbon barrels. Thankfully that didn't carry on to the palate, so it really just added a bit of aromatic complexity. The palate harkened back to an earlier era of Napa / Sonoma and restored a lot of faith in the region. Pretty classic profile, with the fruit skewing from deeper red to lighter black, with relatively restrained oak notes, strong graphite, with hints of leather and tobacco beginning to emerge, although I think it will take a while for the real tertiary notes to come to the fore. This is still pretty voluptuous and has a more "new world" fruit profile, but it is a far cry from from most of the glossy "Big Napa". Medium+ acidity keeps it light on its feet, even if the tannins could use a few more years to really integrate. This is clearly young, but still very accessible from a Coravin pull, and this wine's best years are several years down the road. Lots of upside here and a super impressive first release (unless you want to get technical and count the simultaneously released 2011).
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11/8/2018 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:
First time tried Ketan Mody’s wine. I’m impressed. It is certainly not the typical Napa - this wine was elegant, showed hint of red and purple fruits and round tannin, great mineraliy, with good backbone. The wine was pretty balanced on most fronts, which is pretty unusual for Napa Cab.
2012 is still the vintage he still purchased grapes from Mount Veeder, I look forward to his own grapes/wines to be released in 2020!
Some background about the wineries
Ketan Mody used to work for Harlan Estate. he bought his Diamond Mountain property in 2008 and planted the first vines in 2014. His Cab is expected to be released to the market in 2020. Currently, the grapes of he’s selling Beta wine were purchased grapes from Mount Veeder (nearby Sonoma).
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10/6/2018 - pryby Likes this wine: 93 Points
This will be excellent - but need to hold off for a few years. Right now the tannins keep the palate from matching the prodigious nose of red and black fruit, leather, coffee, and florals.
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9/29/2018 - JKIndy wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. Deep ruby; lots of raspberry notes. High acid but still full and round mouthfeel.
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9/24/2018 - mhewitt wrote: 94 Points
Was anxious to try this after all the buzz. Pop and pour and followed over two hours. This wine has a great nose of ripe dark fruit, with a suggestion of oak, though none sticks out. Ripe and full bodied on the palate, made in a middle of the road style that doesn't sacrifice any richness, but also shows no heat.
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8/30/2018 - J o e wrote: 94 Points
After an hour in the decanter, aromas of licorice, raspberries, smoke and violets appear with increasing intensity. In the mouth, the wine is medium bodied, with a mixture of red and black fruits of restrained sweetness, loads of minerals, earth, as well as terrific balance and precision. Long on the finish, with ample minerals, good acidity and emerging nuances. There is nothing forced or overdone here, and as a result, the wine bears little semblance to most 2012 North Coast Cabernets, many of which teeter on the edge of over-ripeness. This terrific Cabernet is approachable now, yet will surely last a couple of decades in the cellar. Great stuff. 94+.
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7/5/2018 - KPB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark violet fading to black. High toned, June berries (a variety of purple gooseberry), chocolate, violets, beeswax. Oak is neutral... which for me is great because I really find that the style out in Napa puts way too much stress on oak these days. Nice to see someone who gets it right! On the palate, fruit is medium ripe, nice tart support, supple tannins are almost velvety, mineral finish is quite long. Lovely balance. Outstanding now, will be superb at age 10. 93-95
revisited June 2021: no change to my TN, but I found that the wine really opened up a lot overnight. Needs time to breath before serving!
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7/4/2018 - Diane (LI) wrote:
I usually drink my Cabs with some serious bottles age. From Sonoma, I'm looking for at least 9 or 10 years, and from Napa, I like the old guard with 15-25 years. With that said, I love this wine and the fact that it shows some mature qualities. The fruit is deep, with cedar and herbs. Tannins are there, but hardly noticeable. A lengthy finish leaves a bit of dryness on the palate and I wish the alcohol at 14.1% was lower. But that is nitpicking. This is a terrific newcomer.
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6/28/2018 - A6Rover Likes this wine: 93 Points
I'm relieved of having to write much on this wine because my thoughts match the much better informed reviews written previously. One thing to add: I haven't been much of a Cal Cab drinker of late, but I'm open to whats new and looked forward to this one. My conclusion is that it might be time to begin exploring Cal Cab's again. The notion of a Corison in the mountains sits well with me.
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6/27/2018 - ledocq Likes this wine: 93 Points
I was about to write a note, then looked at msuwright's and realized his or her impressions were almost identical to mine. I drank this slowly with friends over the course of an evening, and followed up with a 2010 Fleur Cardinale, which had more zing to its finish. And that make me think about what a remarkable wine the Beta is, in that it's not flashy, but more restained, and that herbal note isn't a flaw -- it's not green -- but more a hint of spices that will probably blossom in the coming years. The finish takes forever, and kept unpacking more subtle notes of gingerbread (?) or cardamom. This is serious wine that I'm very happy I bought. Curious about the 2011.
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6/19/2018 - msuwine wrote: 93 Points
This mid-weight mountain Cabernet is drinking well right now, with a nice balance of fruit, tannin, oak, and acidity - each working in concert, none sticking out too much. This is far more "classic" or "traditional" Napa Cabernet than I typically drink, but it has an intriguing purity of fruit and well-integrated oak that make the wine enjoyable in a subtle, laid-back kind of way. It won't explode in your mouth or marvel you with its intensity, but it's a well-made wine that rewards close attention.
Dark red in color, medium in body, nose of blackberry, pencil lead, and burnt toast. Tastes of mountain blueberry, boysenberry, leather, and cedar, with a finish that is both grainy and juicy, while showing some toasty oak (25% new). The wine became more open and interesting after an hour of air, though it developed a more distinctive herbal finish along the way (no judgment - I report; you decide). 14.1% alcohol.
I always try to compare new wines to something I've had before, so here are three reference points. First: Cathy Corison comes to the mountains. This has a similar unadorned fruit, with a bit more brambly and rustic profile than arises from the valley floor. Second: Cornell's 2014 Estate Cabernet (also from the Sonoma side of a well-known Napa mountain - i.e., Spring). The Cornell had a similar Old World profile, but the Beta was far more welcoming. Third: a dialed-back version of 2014 Mt. Brave's Estate Cabernet (from the Napa side of Moon Mountain - i.e., Mt. Veeder - that apparently lacks the volcanic rock found on the Sonoma side). The Mt. Brave had a similar brambly profile - and a similar whiff of oak - but the Beta was less ripe and assertive.
My personal preference leans towards richer and warmer mountain wines (e.g., La Jota), but there's no denying this is a well-made and well-integrated wine. I'm looking forward to trying my other bottles in 2019 or later, when I imagine the oak and tannins will integrate more. It's ready to go, but it seems likely to improve with time.
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