This might be a sleeper bottle to collect - 2020 I know was a concerning vintage for most Napa reds - many didn't produce reds and those who did drew some suspicion. But I didn't detect any smoke taint in this bottle and it's also certainly possible that the stylistic choice of under-ripeness/more restrained style aligns with more picking on the earlier side (which per their website saved their crop because the smoke came as soon as they finished picking), so it's hard to say that the '20 is markedly different from their other vintages at least from a stylistic standpoint.
This had a nice lifted nose on pop and pour, but definitely opened up with some air in the decanter. I will say the lighter extraction makes it a more versatile wine (the 13.5% ABV is a pretty nice indication of the vibrancy), and one that is much easier to accidentally blow through the bottle. It has a medium length finish and doesn't have the complexity or length of some more ripe neighbors, but this is certainly a bottle I would order off a list at a restaurant (if the price was reasonable).
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Dark currant fruit on the nose. Ryan notes a little bit of a green edge to it. Particularly on the back of the palate I would add. Some sour cherry going through with it. Hmm... liked smelling it more than drinking it.
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3/15/2024 - BradleyL Likes this wine: 91 Points
This might be a sleeper bottle to collect - 2020 I know was a concerning vintage for most Napa reds - many didn't produce reds and those who did drew some suspicion. But I didn't detect any smoke taint in this bottle and it's also certainly possible that the stylistic choice of under-ripeness/more restrained style aligns with more picking on the earlier side (which per their website saved their crop because the smoke came as soon as they finished picking), so it's hard to say that the '20 is markedly different from their other vintages at least from a stylistic standpoint.
This had a nice lifted nose on pop and pour, but definitely opened up with some air in the decanter. I will say the lighter extraction makes it a more versatile wine (the 13.5% ABV is a pretty nice indication of the vibrancy), and one that is much easier to accidentally blow through the bottle. It has a medium length finish and doesn't have the complexity or length of some more ripe neighbors, but this is certainly a bottle I would order off a list at a restaurant (if the price was reasonable).
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1/25/2024 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A little touch more introverted. And allot juicier on the palate. Noticeably so.
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3/29/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Dark currant fruit on the nose. Ryan notes a little bit of a green edge to it. Particularly on the back of the palate I would add. Some sour cherry going through with it. Hmm... liked smelling it more than drinking it.
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3/26/2023 - brigcampbell wrote:
Restrained Cabernet style which I prefer. Notes of cedar or redwood and clean cassis.
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9/22/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Classic and classy lean Napa Cabernet.
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