A beautiful wine that is performing somewhat surprisingly well given its familial linkage to its brawny Tusk Estate brethren. At home following this now-bottled L'Orange (since my last trying it in…
Painfully young, with acid, booze, and crunchy black cherry making for a formidable profile that didn't seem to want to play with the rest of the wines of food one bit that night. Hold. like, for a…
A chocolate cream and vanilla bean dream that saturates the entire mouth with creamy oak, massively luscious dark fruit, chocolate syrup, and alcohol. This behaved very much like the Realm Crane we…
Barrel sample. Immediately recognizable as Valley Floor/Oakville fruit. Big, warm, fruity, and earthy, this specimen is a To Kalon mullet on the palate: Cab Franc on the front end, Cab Sauv on the…
Barrel sample. Fresh berries and charcoal, as if you took the best made blackberry pie and fired it up on an old school open-flame Weber BBQ. Texturally this is a complete dream, with fine grained…
Essentially a younger and more rambunctious version of the 2012, which is a great sign of things to come. Powerful and heady on entry, with blackberry liqueur, charcoal, graphite, and black raspberry…
This wine zips by the front end and rushes straight into mid-palate pleasure, with deep and dark plum and red and black cherry flavors complimented by earth and subtle spice notes. Stays ever-juicy…
A fun and fruity entry pushes forward with ripe and dark berry fruit that saturates the palate and finishes with a lingering tinge of youthful booze. Less nervy and acidic on initial entry than the…
A barrel sample, carrying firm and fine tannins that showcase blackberry, black licorice, and violet notes with cleverness and class. The floral component becomes more intense with air, racing…
Rooti-Tooti-Fresh-And-Fruity, the 2017 Estate pops out of the fold with blossoming red and black cherry flavors that shake out plump money-maker-rump-shaker berry fruit. Veers more toward the red…
Well this was a very pleasant surprise. I've written quite a bit about the up-and-down journey of this particular wine, but I'm happy to report that this most recent bottle was fantastic. Whether it…
Red and black currant, cedar, and a little bit of earth notes make for a predictable but pleasant profile. A medium bodied expression but with a decent amount of flavor still pushing through the…
About a year-and-a-half since my last having this wine. Previous notes apply, especially for the first hour of being opened. On PnP this is a beautiful expression of Napa Cabernet with…
Similar to last year, but seemingly even more spun-up and tense. Unripe red and purple plum, pomegranate, black raspberry, river rock, gravely soil, and even hints of citrus rind make for a…
This took a little less than an hour of decanting at cool cellar temperature to find a nice glide into its spicebox, black cherry, and bitter chocolate notes. Finishes with fine-grained tannins that…
An exquisite bottle of wine. Dark fruits and spicebox lead the charge, with unsmoked tobacco, rose water, and some earth following suit. The balance here is undeniable and the overall sense of…
Plush and inviting as is typical for this wine with a bit of bottle age, and as is especially typical for this wine in this vintage. Blackberry and blueberry compote, chocolate pudding, black…
A year and a half ago since my last bottle. Progressing quicker than I would have expected. I know others have speculated this will be even better with more time in the cellar. I'm on the opposite…
Black cherry, blackberry, espresso, and black licorice notes are complimented by fresh potting soil, tilled earth, anise, and spicebox flavors. Beautifully concentrated, with a balanced depth that…
Red and black cherry, wild raspberry, dusty earth, cinnamon stick, and faint burnt orange rind. Super arid and fuzzy on the initial pull of the cork, but with two-three hours of open air (decanted at…
I have previously voiced my esteem for this wine in this vintage on a couple of occassions, so I'll keep my comments relatively abridged (at least by my usual grossly loquacious propensities).…
As great as it was last year. Chocolatey blackberry and earthy, spicebox notes make for a sultry St. Emilion; drinking this puppy early is all too easy. Drink now or hold for a few years to shed some…
True to typical form, the 2012 M'Etain offers up its familiar plum, black cherry, and dusty spice profile in a way that hints at pleasant sophistication indicative of the producer, as well as an…
