A truly stunning bottle of wine. PnP displayed beautifully pure red, black, and purple fruit notes, black raspberry, red and black currant, black slate, river rock/gravel, pumice, and a hint of…
PnP was just a little tight, but still displaying some really unctuous dark red and black fruit notes. Black and red raspberry, black cherry liqueur, currant, a little spice and earth, vanilla, and…
This 2014 Amoenus offered a fascinating contrast to the more instantly flavor-forward 2014 Materium. The Amoenus was more of a slow burn, where the Materium flashed the palate almost immediately on…
Same as my notes from November 2016. Just a hair more interesting than the 2013 Bergfeld served alongside it. The Stags Leap has a really nice concentration, with blue and black fruit notes and some…
Same as my previous notes. A 94+ bottle of wine, and in the same category (in terms of quality) as the '13 Stags Leap, '14 Howell, and '14 Diamond Cabernets served during the same tasting. Drinks…
After having the 2014 North End and 2014 Ellie's, the 2013 Jack's Masterpiece tasted like a 100 point wine. Unfortunately, it's not a 100 point wine; nor is it a 99 point wine (not sure what Parker…
Just barely better than Hall's 2014 North End Cabernet. The Ellie's was overtly lush and "fruit forward" (trying to be nice here), with not a hard edge to be found... so much so that it came off…
This was the one wine in the lineup that was worth talking about. It had some nice black cherry, currant, blackberry, and dark chocolate notes that seemed to be trying to push through..."trying" is…
The flagship Black Label was a very agreeable sipper. Displayed some nice black core fruit, mocha, and hints of chocolate covered blueberries. A little fat and round (overtly Merlot-esque for my…
Punchline: I have nothing against Turnbull, but Mike Smith elevates the Carter label far more with the Fortuna Vineyard than Turnbull seemed to be able to do with this same site. I really, really…
A nice wine, but something that screamed out "standard Cab!" Maybe this is something that will develop with time, but it came off like a typical pounder that one would bring to a dinner at the…
A little softer and rounder than the Diamond and Stags, but a deeper concentration. Really nice blue and black fruit. The back end tapers off just a bit, leaving a fuller, more viscous mouthful.…
A really nice concentration, with black, blue, and deep red fruit flavors. Expensive vanilla extract and subtle river rock notes. Some dark chocolate chunk to add interest. Probably the best wine in…
Well this was quite the surprise (at least in the beginning). Decanted for approximately 30 minutes and it was kicking out some really nice blue and black fruit notes. Blueberry, black raspberry,…
On the heels of just having the 2014 Carter OG the night before, I decided to pop the cork on my other top shelf Mike Smith wine that usually fights the OG for the best of Mike's wines. Not…
PnP was a "wow" moment, but the finish was followed up with a decent amount of heat. Otherwise, my previous notes apply. It took about two hours in the decanter and some significant swirling to blow…
Previous notes apply. A smooth and somewhat delicate example, but really interesting and inviting black and deep red fruit flavors. Beautifully sweet tannins and a rounded mouthfeel that makes this…
Love this wine! And since I'm the only one on the planet apparently posting notes on Herold's big Cabs, I'll simply say that all of my previous notes apply. It has an awesome chocolate covered black…
PnP was extremely tight but still giving off some wonderful and brambly fruit flavors, purple and red berries, black cherry, limestone, and alcohol. A chalky (but not bitter) finish that made me…
PnP gave me the same standing hairs on the back of my neck that screamed, "Oh crap, you opened this too soon yet again, and it's gonna be just another high-toned red fruited Cabernet that shouldn't…
