Drank Christmas evening; coravin; tannins are overwhelming out of the gate; tough to tell what you're drinking when it's entirely grippy; almost acidic; let it sit for a bit in the glass; calmed down after about twenty minute; darker and deeper berries w smoother finish; a brooding wine -- all in probably needs a ton of time to decant and maybe you get rewarded big time.
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First bottle ever of Penultimate. Very nice and complex wine. Tannins were still very gripping to this vintage. As more air and time got to this wine in the glass things started to open up showing rich lush fruit flavors. Finish was very long and with or without food this wine drank smoothly. I didn’t decant this bottle and it continued to get better and better as the night rolled along.
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Dark, translucent, purple. Herbal and cedary on the nose, with tobacco and earthy bay leaf notes. Pure in it's minerally cherry, sage, and cinnamon flavors. Balanced and layered hints of bakers chocolate, beefy saddle leather, and crushed flowers. Slightly reserved, but intense and structured.
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Sampled this as part of a ‘13-15 vertical tasting this summer at the winery and inspired to pop one tonite. Presented the decanter to my wife blind and she commented that you could discern many distinct, pure aromas on the nose; aged barriques, ripe fruit on the vine, earth.
2 hrs in the decanter add weight, layering and finesse on the palate vs initial taste. Side by side, Somm stems add to the wine if you have them. Dark, faintly tart cherry, blueberry are the more prominent fruits, but there’s a lot going on here. Really old wood, leather, cigar, smoke are all there, but faint and hard to discern. Old world in style but with more punch and less earth. Very well-executed wine that delivers its high end price.
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I remember seeing a post from someone that said something to the effect of, “Who agrees with AG nowadays?” Well, I often do not agree with him, but this time, I think he nails it perfectly with this wine. I practically had notes that mirrored his notes on this wine and even our score somehow lined up as well. I swear…I had written down: needs to time resolve tannins, dark cherries, herbal components. This was not actually part of the lineup but if I was going to get a bottle of the 14’ Promontory, I wanted to see what its sidekick had to offer. David was gracious enough to coravin a pour for us and I think the 96 I had scored will improve with time in the glass and with time in bottle. So, what did I do? I bought a 3 pack so I can do exactly that. Cheers!
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This rich and layered wine is incredible right now, with a more forward and lush feel than many wines in the Harlan portfolio. The 2014 Promontory was one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted, so - plot twist - I think the “second” wine from this vintage is fantastic, too. The Penultimate is made from vines that aren't quite ready for the main wine (i.e., "almost" or "next-to" final), and this doesn't quite have Promontory’s precision and intensity - but few wines do. Instead, this is a delicious, complex, and original wine that should be even better in another few years.
Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers inviting aromas of black cherry, dried herbs, mocha, and graphite. The flavors are silky but deep, with notes of blueberry tart, milk chocolate, sage, and cinnamon stick, with an energetic and full finish that has plenty of grainy tannin - but lingers in some form of integrated glory. 14.8% alcohol. Decant at least two hours, if not three. Absolutely singing on second day, with a more earthy and dense profile. This was more enjoyable than a 2013 tasted a few months ago, which at the moment can't match the 2014’s open-knit, generous profile. 96 for now, with upside in 2023 or later.
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1/28/2024 - J-Sho Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drinking in it’s prime. Fantastic
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12/25/2023 - alexbhurst1678 wrote:
Drank Christmas evening; coravin; tannins are overwhelming out of the gate; tough to tell what you're drinking when it's entirely grippy; almost acidic; let it sit for a bit in the glass; calmed down after about twenty minute; darker and deeper berries w smoother finish; a brooding wine -- all in probably needs a ton of time to decant and maybe you get rewarded big time.
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10/10/2023 - Jimvetter Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely wine
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12/26/2022 - greenwce wrote: 93 Points
Lightly spicy, but not too much so. Dry but not too acidic. Phenomenal.
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8/4/2022 - Bcw1989 Likes this wine: 94 Points
First bottle ever of Penultimate. Very nice and complex wine. Tannins were still very gripping to this vintage. As more air and time got to this wine in the glass things started to open up showing rich lush fruit flavors. Finish was very long and with or without food this wine drank smoothly. I didn’t decant this bottle and it continued to get better and better as the night rolled along.
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6/20/2022 - P.A. Cross wrote:
Dark, translucent, purple. Herbal and cedary on the nose, with tobacco and earthy bay leaf notes. Pure in it's minerally cherry, sage, and cinnamon flavors. Balanced and layered hints of bakers chocolate, beefy saddle leather, and crushed flowers. Slightly reserved, but intense and structured.
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2/4/2022 - jonfrutkin wrote:
CV. In the 13-15 vertical, this was the most tannic and needs time. Give it until 2026 and let’s see!
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11/26/2021 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sampled this as part of a ‘13-15 vertical tasting this summer at the winery and inspired to pop one tonite. Presented the decanter to my wife blind and she commented that you could discern many distinct, pure aromas on the nose; aged barriques, ripe fruit on the vine, earth.
2 hrs in the decanter add weight, layering and finesse on the palate vs initial taste. Side by side, Somm stems add to the wine if you have them. Dark, faintly tart cherry, blueberry are the more prominent fruits, but there’s a lot going on here. Really old wood, leather, cigar, smoke are all there, but faint and hard to discern. Old world in style but with more punch and less earth. Very well-executed wine that delivers its high end price.
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10/23/2021 - Niagara wrote: 93 Points
young still, maybe a little too young. not the 2013 though -- that is the better wine
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8/24/2021 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 96 Points
I remember seeing a post from someone that said something to the effect of, “Who agrees with AG nowadays?” Well, I often do not agree with him, but this time, I think he nails it perfectly with this wine. I practically had notes that mirrored his notes on this wine and even our score somehow lined up as well. I swear…I had written down: needs to time resolve tannins, dark cherries, herbal components. This was not actually part of the lineup but if I was going to get a bottle of the 14’ Promontory, I wanted to see what its sidekick had to offer. David was gracious enough to coravin a pour for us and I think the 96 I had scored will improve with time in the glass and with time in bottle. So, what did I do? I bought a 3 pack so I can do exactly that. Cheers!
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2/25/2021 - msuwine wrote: 96 Points
This rich and layered wine is incredible right now, with a more forward and lush feel than many wines in the Harlan portfolio. The 2014 Promontory was one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted, so - plot twist - I think the “second” wine from this vintage is fantastic, too. The Penultimate is made from vines that aren't quite ready for the main wine (i.e., "almost" or "next-to" final), and this doesn't quite have Promontory’s precision and intensity - but few wines do. Instead, this is a delicious, complex, and original wine that should be even better in another few years.
Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers inviting aromas of black cherry, dried herbs, mocha, and graphite. The flavors are silky but deep, with notes of blueberry tart, milk chocolate, sage, and cinnamon stick, with an energetic and full finish that has plenty of grainy tannin - but lingers in some form of integrated glory. 14.8% alcohol. Decant at least two hours, if not three. Absolutely singing on second day, with a more earthy and dense profile. This was more enjoyable than a 2013 tasted a few months ago, which at the moment can't match the 2014’s open-knit, generous profile. 96 for now, with upside in 2023 or later.
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