Paired with Filet mignon, roasted potatoes and salad on Sunday night. Opened for only 2 hours prior to serving.
Earthy, a bit medicinal, with some minerality as well. Distinctly MG though. I would give this a few more years to come around. Not sure if this will reach the lofty scores I gave the 2014-2016, but I will hold my next bottles for a while to see.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: [57°-64°] Rustic red fruits, deep green stems, dry slate and damp oak. With air time, fruits turn darker while keeping its rustic profile, deep black earth, soft violets and a bit of soy sauce but minus all the savoriness, leaving behind the fermented part (might've sounded weird but I meant that in all good ways). With even more time though, things integrate into a more pleasant blend of fruit, earth and minerals.
Palate: [59°-64°] Darker red fruit, a brooding spice that trails into the finish, pleasantly bitter tannin like steeped tea and dried broken twigs, a dark graphite, old parchment (more like a scroll, not the baking paper) and savory minerals. After around 4-5 hours, everything integrates much better and flavors really start to hit their stride, becoming much more balanced. Red and black fruits with tannin, minerals and a spice that trails long into the finish.
Attributes: Clear dark medium ruby. Dry with medium-plus amounts of fine, chewy tannin. Medium to medium-plus body with medium-plus acidity. Great finish of at least 22-26 seconds.
Thoughts: Love it when a wine defies a bad vintage. This took time to come together but once it did, it was some good stuff. During the early glasses, things were a bit more separated but with lots of time, things integrated nicely. A pleasure to drink now with a hefty decant, or exercise patience and put away for at least 5-8 years. 94+
Serving notes: Bordeaux glass. Emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° for 0 hours before serving, continued to decant while consumed over another 7 hours (total 7 hrs). Recommend serving ~62°-64° with a decant of at least 4-6 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa): My second time trying this wine (since 12/07/2019), the 2017 MG carries interesting plum and muddled blackberry flavors complimented by red/purple licorice, vanillin black cherry, and some dark spice notes. On the final sips, an herbal tinge added interest. This is a notably complex 2017 in the making that needs (like all MGs) time in bottle to fully come together. Displaying a more red/purple fruit profile (compared to previous vintages), the 2017 maintains its freshness with poise and channeled penetration. This is one of the few 2017s coming out of Napa that I will actually be looking forward to adding to my cellar. 95+ points. A wine to lay down for another 7-10+ years, though it does show an approachable side to it with some extended swirling in the glass. An especially worthy food wine indeed.
In fairness here, higher riding, redder fruited and more acidic cabs are not my wheelhouse. When you put that together with an already old school style, it makes it a bit more challenging for me to enjoy. That being said, this is very well made and certainly won't be offensive to anyone drinking it.
TN: Nose of black cherry, spice box, tobacco, plums, roses and iron ore. Lots of herbal elements on the palate, with a few green notes. Concentration isn't near as high as the other wines we had alongside, and the acidity is more noticeable. It's definitely less of a standalone wine and more made for a food pairing. Lots of savory character to go with excellent purity and freshness.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
8/23/2023 - havana4 🍾🍇 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bug and hefty wine. Amazing development over a 2 hour decant. Absolutely cannot wait to try this in 10 years. These are built to age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
2/20/2022 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paired with Filet mignon, roasted potatoes and salad on Sunday night. Opened for only 2 hours prior to serving.
Earthy, a bit medicinal, with some minerality as well. Distinctly MG though. I would give this a few more years to come around. Not sure if this will reach the lofty scores I gave the 2014-2016, but I will hold my next bottles for a while to see.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2022 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose: [57°-64°] Rustic red fruits, deep green stems, dry slate and damp oak. With air time, fruits turn darker while keeping its rustic profile, deep black earth, soft violets and a bit of soy sauce but minus all the savoriness, leaving behind the fermented part (might've sounded weird but I meant that in all good ways). With even more time though, things integrate into a more pleasant blend of fruit, earth and minerals.
Palate: [59°-64°] Darker red fruit, a brooding spice that trails into the finish, pleasantly bitter tannin like steeped tea and dried broken twigs, a dark graphite, old parchment (more like a scroll, not the baking paper) and savory minerals. After around 4-5 hours, everything integrates much better and flavors really start to hit their stride, becoming much more balanced. Red and black fruits with tannin, minerals and a spice that trails long into the finish.
Attributes: Clear dark medium ruby. Dry with medium-plus amounts of fine, chewy tannin. Medium to medium-plus body with medium-plus acidity. Great finish of at least 22-26 seconds.
Thoughts: Love it when a wine defies a bad vintage. This took time to come together but once it did, it was some good stuff. During the early glasses, things were a bit more separated but with lots of time, things integrated nicely. A pleasure to drink now with a hefty decant, or exercise patience and put away for at least 5-8 years. 94+
Serving notes: Bordeaux glass. Emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° for 0 hours before serving, continued to decant while consumed over another 7 hours (total 7 hrs). Recommend serving ~62°-64° with a decant of at least 4-6 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
4/30/2021 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa): My second time trying this wine (since 12/07/2019), the 2017 MG carries interesting plum and muddled blackberry flavors complimented by red/purple licorice, vanillin black cherry, and some dark spice notes. On the final sips, an herbal tinge added interest. This is a notably complex 2017 in the making that needs (like all MGs) time in bottle to fully come together. Displaying a more red/purple fruit profile (compared to previous vintages), the 2017 maintains its freshness with poise and channeled penetration. This is one of the few 2017s coming out of Napa that I will actually be looking forward to adding to my cellar. 95+ points. A wine to lay down for another 7-10+ years, though it does show an approachable side to it with some extended swirling in the glass. An especially worthy food wine indeed.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (9)
4/23/2021 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 93 Points
In fairness here, higher riding, redder fruited and more acidic cabs are not my wheelhouse. When you put that together with an already old school style, it makes it a bit more challenging for me to enjoy. That being said, this is very well made and certainly won't be offensive to anyone drinking it.
TN: Nose of black cherry, spice box, tobacco, plums, roses and iron ore. Lots of herbal elements on the palate, with a few green notes. Concentration isn't near as high as the other wines we had alongside, and the acidity is more noticeable. It's definitely less of a standalone wine and more made for a food pairing. Lots of savory character to go with excellent purity and freshness.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment