2018 Beta Cabernet Sauvignon Montecillo Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (5) Median Score: 97 points

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  4/15/2024 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 97 Points

  A great bottle- was not decanted but I needed something for my son's 47th bday. One of the best bottles I,ve had in a long time. Cherry dominated the taste, so well balnanced. Glad I have 3 bottles of Beta left.

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  1/27/2024 - SARED wrote:

  Very tannic. Wait 10 years. Needed cheese (pepperjack worked well).
  
  Double decanted in AM and tasted in evening. Still improved with air in the glass - would do a full decant the next time. Dark berries, plum, cherry. A kiss of sucrosity but not overripe. Dense with nice freshness. Subtle notes of tobacco, smoke, rose. Lots of tannin in midpalate and finish, that dominates.

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  1/5/2024 - Joshbturner Likes this wine:

  Day one. Decanted 3 hrs before dinner. Outstanding wine. Enjoyed it pnp. Certainly evolved over the next few hours. With food (pot roast) I did not find it overly tannic at all. Great pairing. Glad I opened it. Had been hesitant based on other CT notes. There are some wines that are truly not enjoyable for 20 years such as a 2005 Pontet Canet I had a couple years ago…straight up chalky. It becomes hard to differentiate between that experience and one like this Beta. When you see notes saying not to open this wine for 10 years etc etc. I find that to be not the case here. It may very well be an even greater wine in 10 years, but it’s damn good already.
  
  Saved half for tomorrow, poured back into bottle and stored in fridge.
  
  Day two. Pulled out of fridge and let it come to room temp. Seems to have put on some weight. More rich, deep, and spicy. If I had not drank it all, I’m sure it would have still been excellent on day 3. Long life ahead.
  
  I’m hard pressed to say whether I preferred this wine on day 1 or 2. Probably lean day 1. I am sure some would disagree and say this wine will be at peak in 5-10 years, and that may be true as well.

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  4/20/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  Tasted after a two hour splash decant, this is certainly drinkable, though it is extremely tannic. Deep black fruit, savory tones and a minty top note create a pleasurable aromatic, and the depth of fruit is enough to buffer the tannins…for a while. Eventually is becomes quite stern, though the overall quality is still apparent. It actually reminds me a bit of the Corison Napa Cabernet, though I think the balance is managed better in the Corison. In the overall Napa Cabernet marketplace this is a good value for what will likely be a very ageable wine in the classic style.

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  6/18/2021 - KPB wrote: 97 Points

  Tasted from a bottle sample, the 2018 Beta Monticello is a majestic wine, a tremendous success from this promising winery and perhaps the best of Ketan's wines that I've tasted to date. It needs more time to mellow before release, however, and Ketan isn’t in a hurry.
  
  Mahogany-tinted black cherry. The nose is currently a bit reclusive but shows ripe cassis against an herbal backdrop, pomegranate juice, elusive floral notes, leather. On the palate, the fruit is a bit sweeter than the 2017, but you still find the acidity and tannic structure here to support long term aging. Extended breathing reveals the silky, soft texture of the tannins... A real statement of terroir and climate, the 2018 will have a very long life and although I am sure it will be drinking sensationally by 2025, probably won't peak before 2030 or beyond. 97-99.
  
  Bottle preparation: I pulled the cork 24 hours before writing this note, then recorked loosely and let the wine rest in the cellar. But this was actually not enough air -- the wine noticeably opened up once we began drinking it, and revealed more and more over the subsequent 4 hours.

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