2014 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 95.7 points

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  11/26/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Nieces are in control...: PnP and drank with my niece over 2 hours. This was our last and best wine of the night, as well our first Vice Versa wine! The fruit and mouthfeel were the stars here, but still showed some nice secondary notes of black dirt and bramble with a little toasted oak/vanilla note toward the finish. Mouth-coating with plush, velvety tannins and no heat whatsoever. Fruit was plenty of purple and black fruit. Truly a pleasure to drink! My only bottle I procured it on the secondary market to taste a Vice Versa with a little age, and was slightly influenced by several CTers who love this vineyard and VV in general....glad I was! I have purchased some 18s and 19s, so very happy with that, especially after drinking this! 96+ now, maybe 97 in the future? Loved this wine!

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  1/20/2021 - csimm wrote: 96 Points

  It's been over three years since I've had the opportunity to take a shot at this wine. Homemade pizza on a Tuesday night? What better excuse to dip into the Vice Versa stash and see what's been napping in the cellar. Enter the 2014 Vice Versa Las Piedras...
  
  So, I could essentially cut and paste most of my tasting note from October 2017, as this iteration of LPV shows a smooth operator demeanor from the first pull of the cork until the last sips. With a Barry White bearing, the gentle and velvety-luxurious unfolding of flavors wraps around the palate and makes you want to warm up to a softly cracking fire (Of course it was 75 degrees today - in the middle of January, with a fire/wind advisory... so there's that). Alas, I was better distracted by notes of ripe blackberry, warm plum, fig jam, warm black cherry compote, and black rock. As was the case a few years back, the mineral elements are led by the forward-facing ripe fruit. The plum note elbows its way even more ahead of the berry fruit, with whispers of subtle, though still distinctive, LPV terroir notes riding caboose at the end of the conga line. Finishes round and resolved.
  
  For those looking for a mega-steroidal Napa Cab show-me-muscle bicep flex experience, best look elsewhere. This is not a high octane Mustang. True to the vintage, there is a lushness that will always be a driving force in this wine's profile. What I further appreciate here is the lack of perceptible heat and booze. No gasoline-up-the-nose at all, with seamlessness and balance that are most notable.
  
  For those holding bottles, I'd recommend drinking more toward the near term. Let your 2013s, 2015s, and 2016s chill out for a while longer for further integration. As for the 2014, I say bust open a bottle when you're looking to don your velvet smoking jacket and spend some quality time in your rich mahogany-smelling den filled with many leather-bound books.

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  10/11/2018 - #1Winelover wrote: 92 Points

  This wine, or at least this bottle did not age particularly well. Drank over 2 days with similar notes each day. Fruit driven, lost most of its mineral/graphite/earth notes. For such a big wine, I would have expected everything to hold up. Maybe it was the transition year with their wine making team. I am hopeful that this was just an off bottle. It's wasn't bad at all, but it was, well, "meh."

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  5/14/2018 - msuwine Likes this wine: 96 Points

  This dark and polished wine is drinking beautifully right now, with a compelling mixture of ripeness and earthiness that reflect Las Piedras at its best. I expected (or perhaps wanted) a touch more ripeness, but this is such a fully integrated wine that it's hard to complain, especially since it will only get better over the next year or so.
  
  Dark purple, almost black (read: opaque) in color; full in body, with an almost creamy mouthfeel; nose of mocha, graphite, and cedar, with a silky yet powerful, viscous finish that has almost completely integrated its tannins. 15% alcohol. This wine hit another gear on the second day, when the intensity amped up (along with the chocolate and blueberry flavors) - leading me to bump it up another point.
  
  I agree with #1WineLover than this tastes more like Hobbs than Melka, given that the wine has a more earthy and savory profile. I actually have higher hopes for the Melka wines, since it seems like the 2014 could push for greater ripeness and intensity (which is started to show on second day). Regardless, this is a fantastic wine that is drinking well right now, with the potential for even more improvement in the next few years. 95-96.

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  10/3/2017 - csimm wrote: 96 Points

  Vice Versa (Saint Helena): Served side-by-side with the 2014 VV LPV BBS. This “standard” LPV provided a seamless delivery of black and red fruit notes along with the signature LPV minerality indicative of the rocky site. Silky smooth and finessed, with a finish the glides effortlessly through the back end. More of a medium-bodied version in terms of power, but still holds a concentration that creates a viscous (not heavy) sensation mid-palate. This was a little less concentrated than the LPV BBS served alongside it, but only marginally so. The finish on the BBS was a bit longer and voluptuous as well.
  
  This LPV leads with the fruit first, with the minerality following up behind and perfectly framing it out. This is exactly how an LPV should be crafted. A very compelling wine in its own right. 95-96+ points at this juncture, with potential upside in another year or two.

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