2018 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Community Tasting Notes (8) Avg Score: 95.3 points

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  10/7/2023 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 93 Points

  took 4-5 hours to open
  not as much fruit forward as other moments mori wines I have tasted but really excellent
  liked by all at Vie tonight

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  9/4/2021 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Saturday LPV taste off: 2018 Carter La Bam vs 2018 Memento Mori LPV
  
  Both wines were decanted for about 1 hour and then drank over the next 4-5. I saved a glass of wine in both for the next day. We had grilled rack of lamb and couscous salad which was a nice pairing.
  
  My girlfriend and I thought the Carter was showing better at this point in time. When I tasted the 2018 La Bam back in May at Carter, it was a really imposing, black tar, dense wine. It has really opened up a few months later. Velvety, streaks of minerality, and ripe blueberry black fruits.
  
  The Memento Mori needs time. It had a similar minerality and blueberry fruit notes, but a massive wall of tannins. It's pretty evident when putting these two wines against each other how Sam's style is arguably built for more years than Mike Smith's. In this case, neither is a plus or minus. Both are well made wines, and I think the Carter is drinking really well now. For the MM, wait another 3-5 years before your first bottle. 97+ potential for both.

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  8/21/2021 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Nose: [57°-64°] Sweet grape flesh (wine grapes), soft forest floor, softly sweet red fruits and damp tree bark.
  
  Palate: [57°-64°] Deep black fruits with a touch of dark red fruits, deep scorched earth shaded in with a dark pencil, dark earthen minerals and spicy tree bark on the finish.
  
  Attributes: Clear dark ruby. Dry with medium amounts of grainy tannin. Medium-plus body with medium to medium-plus acidity. Good finish of at least 16-18 seconds.
  
  Thoughts: It's good but this strikes a different chord with me.. so hard to pinpoint exactly what. Something is just slightly off.. There are a lot of similarities compared to their blend I had last night and more fruit compared to the blend for sure. I thought I knew LPV by now but I guess not. This is good but to me it is like a V8 engine but with a light to medium chassis. There's also a tail of heat and spice that will not let up (even after 8 hours). I'm sure time will help this develop but man I am having a difficult time seeing what the others see in this (I know, I suck). Obviously still early (maybe even a phase) but I hope time will bring a bit more balance and integration, maybe even gain a bit of heft I hope. Fingers crossed for tomorrow's Dr. Crane because I am left a bit disappointed after tonight.
  
  Talk to me, give it to me straight, let me hear what I'm doing wrong other than popping this bottle way too early.
  
  Other notes: Bordeaux glass. Emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° for 4 hours before serving, continued to decant while consumed over another 5 hours (total 9hrs). Recommend serving ~56°-62° with a decant of 7-8 hours at cellar temp if opening now or cellar for 4-5 years.

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  5/4/2021 - ageverett Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Splash decant. Opened right up into a stunning wine. Good candidate for an early peak.

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  5/1/2021 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Napa - Lokoya - Vice Versa - Memento Mori: The Las Piedras was intriguing from the get-go. Black fruit, some cedar and purple flowers filled the glass. The tannins were elegant, fine and is built to go the distance if you want, but no doubt ready to go today with a decant. This was initially #1, but the VHR edged it out. Memento Mori wines are so intriguing. You cannot help but keep going back to the glass. For a moment during the tasting, I felt like I was being duped. You would smell one thing and then taste something else. It was an exercise that went on for the entire duration of the tasting and it was alluring and exciting.

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